PIB Summary- 3rd January, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Kochi – Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline

Context: PM to dedicate Kochi – Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline to the nation.

Kochi – Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline

• It is a 450 km long pipeline built by GAIL (India) Ltd.
• It has a transportation capacity of 12 Million Metric Standard Cubic Metres per day and will carry natural gas from the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Regasification Terminal at Kochi (Kerala) to Mangaluru (Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka), while passing through Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.
• Laying of the pipeline was an engineering challenge as the route of the pipeline necessitated it to cross water bodies at more than 100 locations. This was done through a special technique called Horizontal Directional Drilling method.
• The total cost of the project was about Rs. 3000 crore.
• The pipeline will supply environment-friendly and affordable fuel in the form of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to households and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to the transportation sector.
• It will also supply Natural Gas to commercial and industrial units across the districts along the pipeline.
• Consumption of cleaner fuel will help in improving air quality by curbing air pollution.
• The event is also a milestone towards the creation of ‘One Nation One Gas Grid’.

Indigenously Developed DNA Vaccine Candidate

Context: DBT-BIRAC supported indigenously developed DNA Vaccine Candidate by Zydus Cadila, approved for Phase III clinical trials.

Details

• India’s first indigenously developed DNA vaccine candidate against COVID-19, ZyCoV-D, by Zydus Cadila has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), for the conduct of Phase III clinical trials.
• The candidate has been supported by the National Biopharma Mission (NBM) under the aegis of BIRAC and the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.
• After phase I and II trials, Zydus Cadila’s interim data indicated that the vaccine is safe and immunogenic when three doses were administered intradermally.
• Based on the recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee, which reviewed the interim data, the DCGI has accorded permission for conducting Phase-III clinical trial in 26,000 Indian participants.

BIRAC

• Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), set up under the Dept. of Biotechnology (DBT), is supporting the vaccine manufacturing platform establishment under the National Biopharma Mission.