Karnataka start-ups launch six indigenous products to tackle COVID-19
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government supported start-ups in the state have produced six products locally to tackle coronavirus, which are now being imported, Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the official launch of these products, Ashwath Narayan, who holds the portfolio of IT-BT, Science and Technology and Higher Education, said it was a matter of pride for the state as the role of Kannadigas was significant in developing the products.
"These products will reduce our burden of importing expensive equipment and tools in fighting this pandemic.We must take pride in the fact that we have reached this level of innovating and producing locally," said the Deputy Chief Minister.
All the 6 products have been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for immediate use.
The products will also be commercially available with immediate effect;
The Shieldex 24, Fluorescent probes and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) mix for Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) detection, Remote foetal monitoring device called Daksh, Viral Transport Medium, Cov-Astra an AI- based device for detection of COVID-19 through an X-Ray and anti-microbial face wash containing herbal antimicrobials.
According to the Department of IT-BT and Science and Technology, Shieldex 24, developed by Ravi Kumar from Biofi, can eliminate viruses located on any object.
Florescence Probes by Dr Govindarajan and Dr Meher Prakash from VNIR, are part of the Covid-19 test kits.
Daksh, developed by Dr Arun Agrawal from Janitri, is useful for Covid-19 positive pregnant women as it helps remote monitoring of the foetus.
Viral Transport Medium, developed by Manjunatha and Dinesh from Deno Bio labs at IBAB, helps in safely transporting the live virus sample from the sample collection centre to the testing lab.
Cov-Astra, an AI-based device for detection of coronavirus, is developed by Adarsh Nararajan from Aindra. It is considered as a significant breakthrough that can detect Covid-19 virus through an x-ray and eliminates the conventional throat swab way of testing people.
Per detection cost is significantly lesser at Rs 150 to Rs 250 per person.
Anti-microbial face wash containing herbal antimicrobials, developed by Dr Latha Damle and team from Atrimed, can kill any virus, including Covid-19 virus, from any person's face within seconds, the department said.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
