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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
