Category: Science & Technology

** Watch | Sela Tunnel, world’s longest bi-lane road tunnel

A video on Sela tunnel, the world’s longest bi-lane road tunnel situated near the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh

This is the Sela Tunnel, the longest bi-lane road tunnel in the world. The Sela tunnel is being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation at an altitude of 13,800ft near the Indo-China border.

It is being built on the 317km long Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road which connects West Kameng, East Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh to the rest of the country.

The Sela tunnel will provide all weather connectivity to Tawang. It will also ensure better movement of troops and weaponry to various locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

Arunachal Pradesh

** ITC Infotech, Harvard Business School unveil work-from-anywhere framework I – WFA

ITC Infotech came up with the product after a survey with clients and employees across geographies

Technology services firm ITC Infotech and Harvard Business School (HBS) have jointly developed a Work from Anywhere (I – WFA) productivity framework, which was unveiled on November 11.

I – WFA enables digital, distributed, flexible, outcome driven and secure future work scenario for clients and employees. It powers a distributed workplace and decentralised workforce.

From HBS, Lumry Family Associate Professor Prithwiraj Choudhury collaborated with the Indian tech company to build the data backed and succinct framework.

** Lava becomes first Indian brand to launch 5G smartphone

The smartphone launched under the brand name ‘Agni’ has been developed by Lava in India and is getting manufactured at its plant in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Home-grown mobile phone company Lava International has become the first Indian brand to launch 5G smartphones for domestic consumers.

** 96 countries have agreed to mutual acceptance of COVID vaccination certificates with India, says Mandaviya

Among the 96 countries are Canada, the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Bangladesh, Mali, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Angola, Nigeria, Benin, Chad, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Finland, Estonia, Romania, Moldova, Albania, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Austria, Montenegro, and Iceland.

Eswatini, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, Kyrgyz Republic, Belarus, Armenia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Georgia, Andorra, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Maldives, Comoros, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Peru, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Brazil have also agreed to mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates with India.

Guyana, Antigua & Barbuda, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Columbia, Trinidad & Tobago, Commonwealth of Dominica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nepal, Iran, Lebanon, State of Palestine, Syria, South Sudan, Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt, Australia, Mongolia, and Philippines are the other countries.

** Bharat Biotech’s US partner Ocugen files EUA request with FDA for paediatric use of Covaxin

The submission is based on results of a Phase 2/3 paediatric clinical trial conducted by Bharat Biotech in India with 526 children 2-18 years of age, which bridged immunogenicity data to a large, Phase 3 safety and efficacy clinical trial in nearly 25,800 adults in India, Ocugen said in a regulatory filing.

** Two recycling projects from Assam win global awards

The waste-based projects won €10,000 and six months of mentoring

Two waste-based projects in Assam have won an international award for taking their businesses to a higher, greener level.

Shree Guru Plastics and Inside Out, two enterprises based in Guwahati, won €10,000 and six months of business mentoring to help make their ideas a reality.

They were among the 100 entries from across the world for a zero waste city challenge organised by WasteAid, a U.K.-based international NGO between April and July.

** WHO panel finally recommends EUL status for Covaxin

The Technical Advisory Group (TAG), an independent advisory committee of the World Health Organisation (WHO), has recommended Emergency Use Listing (EUL) status for Bharat Biotech COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, sources in the know of the development said.

The WHO is in the process of evaluating Covaxin’s clinical trial data for use of EUL.

** Elon Musk’s satellite company planning to provide internet service in Indian villages

The SpaceX’s satellite broadband arm aims to start broadband service in India from December 2022, with 2 lakh active terminals.

** Texas-India vaccine diplomacy announces COVID-19 vaccine for USD 1.5 per dose

The Texas-India vaccine diplomacy, a collaboration for shared global health between Indian pharmaceutical company Biological E and the Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, has led to the development of a cost-efficient vaccine against COVID-19 for USD 1.50 per dose, according to a top American scientist.

Addressing the annual 2021 gala of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston (IACCGH) on Saturday, Dr Peter Hotez, Dean National School of Tropical Medicine; professor of pediatrics, molecular virology and molecular biology, at Baylor College of Medicine, said the collaboration has led to the development of the low-cost people’s vaccine in record times.