GLOBAL: CAG of India, Girish Chandra Murmu Re-elected as External Auditor of World Health Organization (WHO) for 4-year term 2024-27

“The CAG of India was reelected with an overwhelming majority (114 out of 156 votes) in the first round of voting itself,” the CAG said in a statement.

Girish Chandra Murmu, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), has been re-elected as the External Auditor of the World Health Organization (WHO) for a four-year term from 2024 to 2027.

The CAG is already holding this position in the WHO since 2019 for a four-year term from 2019 to 2023. The re-election was held on Monday at the 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva, where the CAG of India was re-elected with an overwhelming majority (114 out of 156 votes) in the first round of voting itself.

Mr. Murmu was present in the meeting. After the election, in his address to the World Health Assembly, he outlined his vision as External Auditor for the WHO while emphasising the process of improvement for better outcomes, transparency and professional approach.

“This is the second major international audit assignment for the CAG this year following his selection for the post of External Auditor (2024-2027) of International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva earlier this year in March 2023,” said a CAG statement.

Besides the WHO, the CAG of India is currently the External Auditor of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (2020-2025), International Atomic Energy Agency (2022-2027), Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (2021-2023) and Inter Parliamentary Union (2020-2022).

The CAG is a Member of the United Nations Panel of External Auditors. He is also a member of the Governing Boards of International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions and ASOSAI. “The CAG chairs the INTOSAI Knowledge Sharing Committee, its Working Group on IT Audit, and the Compliance Audit Sub-Committee,” it said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

ASIA: SPORTS / VOLLEYBALL: India Clinches Gold in Central Asian Volleyball Associations (CAVA) Volleyball Challenge Cup for Women

India defeated Kazakhstan 25-15, 25-22, 25-18 in the final to clinch gold in the Central Asian Volleyball Associations (CAVA) Volleyball Challenge Cup for Women in Kathmandu on Sunday.

Professor Dr. Achyuta Samanta, MP and president, Volleyball Federation of India (VFI), S. Vasudevan, chairman, VFI, and other office-bearers congratulated the players and the coaching staff.

The team was led by Nirmal Tanwar. Pritam Singh Chauhan was the head coach and Vaishali Phadtare the assistant coach.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SCIENCE & MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY: VACCINES: India Develops First Local Test to Detect Flu, Covid in Single Swab

The Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) has developed the kit, known as a multiplex single tube realtime RT-PCR test.

The National Institute of Virology has developed the first indigenous testing kit to detect three infections—Influenza A, B and SARS-CoV-2—through a single kit, and wants interested companies to take it to the mass market.

The kit is what is known as a multiplex single tube realtime RT-PCR test to detect Influenza A, B and Covid-19, said Dr Varsha Potdar, head of NIV Pune’s influenza division.

“This will be an easy, time saving and efficient way of detecting three infections through a single test,” she said. “Single tube essentially means that using a person’s single sample, we will be able to diagnose multiple infections. Technicians will not have to test the sample separately.”

Symptoms of the three infections tend to overlap, making a kit such as this particularly useful during flu seasons.

The institute, a constituent of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), on May 15 invited expressions of interest (EoI) from companies to manufacture the kits in bulk, Dr Potdar said.

The test kit will use nasal and throat swabs of a patient, similar to the Covid-19 testing kits, but technicians will be able to use the sample for multiple disease detection, she added.

The institute now wants to hand over the technology to licensees or manufacturers “to enable them to commercialise the technology for societal benefit.”

“The company chosen shall undertake the scale-up as required, manufacturing and commercialiation of the technology and will share the technical data with ICMR,” the EoI document said.

Multiplex testing in molecular tests refers to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests that simultaneously detects multiple pathogens in a single reaction with a single sample.

While such technology is in different stages of development in various countries, this is the first indigenously developed kit that India will produce.

“We have set June 14 as the last date for companies to submit their interest,” Dr Potdar said. “Based on the applications we receive, we will evaluate the best candidate.”

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is also working on the Influenza SARS-CoV-2 (Flu SC2) Multiplex Assay, which is a real-time reverse-transcription PCR laboratory test that can simultaneously detect and differentiate between Influenza A, Influenza B, and SARS-CoV-2 in upper or lower respiratory specimens.

The test is a highly accurate, nucleic acid-based diagnostic tool to evaluate specimens from patients who are in the acute phase of infection, the centre said.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ARTS & CULTURE / DIPLOMACY: PM Modi releases Tamil classic ‘Thirukkural’ in Tok Pisin language of Papua New Guinea

Tok Pisin is the official language of Papua New Guinea.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape on May 22 released the Tamil classic ‘Thirukkural’ in the Tok Pisin language to bring the Indian thought and culture closer to the people of this southwestern Pacific nation.

Modi arrived here on May 21 on his maiden visit to Papua New Guinea, becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit the country. He co-hosted with Marape a key summit between India and 14 Pacific island countries to boost bilateral ties.

Tok Pisin is the official language of Papua New Guinea.

“Indian diaspora keeping alive connect with the motherland! PM@narendramodi & PM James Marape launched a translation of the Tamil classic ‘Thirukkural’ in the Tok Pisin language of Papua New Guinea,” the Ministry of External Affairs tweeted.

Co-authored by Subha Sasindran and Governor Sasindran Muthuvel of West New Britain Province, the book brings Indian thought and culture closer to the people of Papua New Guinea, it said.

“In Papua New Guinea, PM James Marape and I had the honour of releasing the Thirukkural in Tok Pisin language. Thirukkural is an iconic work, which provides valuable insights across different subjects,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

Thirukkural, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economic matters, and love, is written by Poet Thiruvalluvar.

“I would like to commend @pngsasi, Governor of the West New Britain Province and Mrs. Subha Sasindran for their effort to translate the Thirukkural in Tok Pisin. Governor Sasindran has done his schooling in Tamil while Mrs. Subha Sasindran is a respected linguist,” he said in another tweet.

Prime Minister Modi has previously released a translation of the book in his mother tongue Gujarati.

He has praised Thirukkural on many occasions.

In one of his speeches, the Prime Minister said, “Thirukkural is not only a literary masterpiece but an extraordinary guide for common living. It shows us the path of righteousness and inspires us to lead a selfless life.” He also stated that Thirukkural “remains relevant even today and can serve as an inspiration for the present generation.” The prime minister has often quoted Thirukkural in his speeches and tweets and even gifted a copy of the book to the late Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in 2014.

“Thirukkural is a treasure trove full of inspiring ideas that youngsters all over the world can read and benefit from,” he had said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: BUSINESS & ECONOMY / ARTS & CULTURE / G.I. Tags: UP now holds 02nd position in GI products as three more crafts bag coveted tag

While Tamil Nadu leads with 55 GI-tagged goods, UP and Karnataka follow with 48 and 46 GI products, respectively.

Uttar Pradesh now holds second position in the country in terms of having the maximum number of Geographical Indication-tagged goods after receiving GI tags for three more crafts.

The crafts that have received GI tags include Mainpuri tarkashi, Mahoba Gaura stone craft, and Sambhal horn craft.

While Tamil Nadu leads with 55 GI-tagged goods, UP and Karnataka follow with 48 and 46 GI products, respectively.

According to GI expert Rajni Kant, a Padma Shri awardee, and head of the Human Welfare Association (HWA) that facilitated these handicrafts to get the GI certification, of the 48 GI goods of UP, 36 products belong to the handicraft category. In the Varanasi region alone, 18 GI-tagged goods out of 23 belong to the handicraft category.

“Uttar Pradesh is not only the biggest exporter of GI-tagged products but it also involves the largest amount of manpower in this sector, making the highest annual turnover in the country,” claimed Kant.

Kant added that 20 more applications from UP for the GI certification are in the final stages.

He said that so far, his organisation has provided technical facilitation to file 175 applications in 18 states, out of which 46 products received GI certification.

“Maximum applications were filed during the Covid period after 2019,” he said.

“With the financial support of NABARD, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, the HWA along with local producer organizations and the state government MSME initiative, prepared the technical documents of the three goods and sent them to the GI Registry in Chennai in 2019 during the difficult times of Covid, and after a long legal and technical process the GI tags were received in May 2023,” he said.

Sambhal horn craft

The horn-bone handicraft products made in Sambhal are immensely popular. The raw material used for making these craft items is procured from dead animals that makes this industry environment friendly. Sambhal’s horn and bone products are known all over the world. Sambhal offers a wide range of decorative horn-bone handicrafts that are available in different attractive looks, designs and patterns.

Mahoba Gaura stone craft

Mahoba is known nationwide for its exquisite Gaura stone craft. Gaura stone craft is made of radiant white-coloured stone that is predominantly found in this region. Gaura stone has a soft texture. It is cut into several pieces which are then used for making various craft items that are used for ornamental purposes.

Mainpuri tarkashi

Tarkashi is a technique of inlaying brass, copper or silver wires in wood. It is a unique and artistic product of Mainpuri district. It is used for decorating jewellery boxes, name plaques and other similar items. The amazing art of tarkashi can also be seen in door panels, trays and lamps, sandook (chest), decorative pieces, tables, flower pots.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)