Meghalaya Government launches ‘Asia’s first Drone delivery hub for easy access to healthcare’

08 December 2022
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Meghalaya Government launches ‘Asia’s first Drone delivery hub for easy access to healthcare’

The Meghalaya government in partnership with startup TechEagle has unveiled Asia’s first drone delivery hub and network which is aimed at providing universal access to healthcare for the people in the state. The project is aimed at delivering vital supplies like drugs, diagnostic samples, vaccines, blood and blood components quickly and safely to different regions of the state using a dedicated drone delivery network.

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Important points:

• The first official drone flight took off from Jengjal Sub Divisional Hospital, which will act as the hub, and delivered medicines to Padeldoba primary health centre in less than 30 minutes, which would otherwise have taken 2.5 hours by road, TechEagle said in the release.
• TechEagle’s Vertiplane X3 Drone delivered different healthcare products in its first flight which was five times faster in comparison to ground transportation.
• Meghalaya Drone Delivery Network (MDDN) and hub in Phase 1 is a combination of one central hub and 25 spokes (supply chain nodes) in a radius of 50 kilometres where the drone hub at Jengal hospital will act as the centre point, according to TechEagle.
• TechEagle’s drones are capable of vertical takeoff and landing from small areas which enables both forward and reverse logistics of healthcare products in the network, as per the company.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

• Meghalaya Capital: Shillong;
• Meghalaya Chief Minister: Conrad Kongkal Sangma;
• Meghalaya Governor: B. D. Mishra.

New York Film Critics Circle awards 2022: Filmmaker SS Rajamouli won Best Director

05 December 2022
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New York Film Critics Circle awards 2022: Filmmaker SS Rajamouli won Best Director

New York Film Critics Circle 2022:

Filmmaker SS Rajamouli won the Best Director Award for RRR at the New York Film Critics Circle 2022. The group is one of the first critics’ groups to weigh in on the awards season. Rajamouli’s win surprised many as his competitors included Steven Spielberg, Darron Aronofsky, Sarah Polley, and Gina Prince-Blythewood. A pre-Independence fictional story, “RRR” stars Ram Charan and Jr NTR as real-life Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, respectively.

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Notably: After earning more than Rs 1200 crore at the worldwide box office, the film emerged as one of the most successful films at the box office in India and received rave reviews from Indian film critics. However, it was not selected as India’s official entry for Oscars 2023.

At the New York Film Critics Circle:

• Todd Field’s Tar has won the Best Picture of the year, also nabbing Best Actress for Cate Blanchett’s leading performance.
• Colin Farrell won Best Actor for two of his performances this year — Kogonada’s future-set sci-fi drama After Yang and Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin.
• Ke Huy Quan has won the Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once,
• Keke Palmer won the Best Supporting Actress for Nope.

World Soil Day observed on 5th December

05 December 2022
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World Soil Day observed on 5th December

World Soil Day 2022

December 5 is celebrated annually as World Soil Day to highlight the importance of healthy soil and promote sustainable management of soil resources. The event aims to raise awareness of the importance of soil quality for human well-being, food security and ecosystems, and events are held at the UN FAO offices and through community based events. The day was first considered by the International Union of Soil Sciences in 2002, but was not officially endorsed by FAO until 2013.

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World Soil Day 2022: Theme

The theme for 2022 World Soil Day is ‘Soils: Where Food Begins’. It emphasises upon the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being. The theme aims to highlight the growing changes in soil management, increase soil awareness, and inspire efforts and people to improve soil health.

World Soil Day 2022: History

• World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources. An international day to celebrate soil was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002.
• Under the leadership of the Kingdom of Thailand and within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership, FAO has supported the formal establishment of WSD as a global awareness raising platform. The FAO Conference unanimously endorsed World Soil Day in June 2013 and requested its official adoption at the 68th UN General Assembly. In December 2013, the UN General Assembly responded by designating 5 December 2014 as the first official World Soil Day.
• The date was chosen as it coincides with the official birthday of the King of Thailand, H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He had officially sanctioned the event. World Soil Day was first officially marked in memory of the monarch in 2016, the year he passed away after serving as the head of state for seven decades.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• International Union of Soil Sciences Headquarters: Vienna, Austria;
• International Union of Soil Sciences Founded: 1924;
• International Union of Soil Sciences President: Laura Bertha Reyes Sánchez (Mexico).