22nd October Newspaper Notes - Digitisation of Content, Olfactory Ensheathing Cells, Lumding Silchar Railway Line, Reforms by Arun Jaitley, NSEL overtaken by FTIL

1. Phase I of digitalization of content of various museums. Mr. Shripad Naik who is the Minister of state (Independent charge) for culture and tourism has announced that treasures of 10 museums have been digitized and in next 3 to 4 years contents of all the museum owned by the Government and Archaeological Survey of India will be digitized and made available for online viewing. Digitization of these10 museums content is the first phase of this program. Jatan Collection Management software is used for digitization. Centre of Development and Advanced Computing, Pune has developed the web portal and Jatan Collection Management software.

2. Olfactory en-sheathing cells (OECs) which up to some extents are responsible for our sensation of smelling having been recently used by transferring them from the nose of Darek Fidyka to his severed spinal cord according to a research published in the journal “Cell Transplantation” Darek Fidyka was suffering because of the problem of paralysis from the chest down. He was not able to feel anything below his chest. The credit of this research goes to U.K. Stem Cell Foundation and Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation.

3. Recently construted Lumding Silchar railway line in the State of Assam is going to have the longest railway tunnel in the North Eastern States. The length of the tunnel is 3,235 metre and it is built on 210 km broad gauge Lumding Silchar railway track.

Note: Indian Railways is primarily comprised of 4 types of railway tracks- 

1. Indian Gauge (Common name of whose is Broad Gauge) – Width is 1,676 mm (5ft inches) – Is covered on 1,08,000 Km. of railway track.

2. Metre Gauge (1000 mm width or 3ft 3.75 inches) – Route length of around 4000km in India.

3. Narrow Gauge (762mm and 610 mm) covered on less than 2000 km. of Indian Railways. 

Note: Narrow Gauge railway track construction is more expensive than other types of tracks.

4. Surya Prasad Mishra is the new Advocate General of Odisha State. 

5. Asom Gana Parishad has asked the Government of Assam to reveal the procedure of how collection and utilization of cess on green leaves of tea is undertaken. AGP has said that the State Govt. every year collects around Rs. 23 crores as cess on green leaves. Speaking on the behalf of small tea growers of the Assam State AGP has asked the State Govt. to provide than Minimum Support Price for their produce which at some times they are not able to sell at optimal prices. The number of small tea growers in Assam is around 1 lakh and they account for 35% of production of tea.

6. Some reforms proposals by our FM Arun Jaitley – 

(a) Financial powers of administrative department would be increased 4 times that is earlier any administrative dept. Secretary had the power to approve proposals worth Rs. 25 crore but now that upper limit have been raised to Rs. 100 crore.

(b) Previously for setting up a project worth Rs. 300 crore or more needed the mod of the Union Cabinet but now the Cabinet’s mod would by required for projects worth Rs. 1000 crores or more.

(c) In place of out come policy of the previous Government measurably defined outcome policy would be the bench mark.

The above reforms are expected to increase the GDP growth rate of India by around 0.5 to 1 percentage points and as swift project approval would be their cost overruns incurred by various parties would be reduced.

7. The Union Government has ordered that National Spot Exchange (NSEL) would be merged in Financial Technologies India Ltd. (FTIL) which is the holder company of NSEL. Recently as Rs. 5600 crore fraud has been reported at NSEL and all its dues and liabilities will have to be met by FTIL.