India hands over 10 broad gauge locomotives to Bangladesh 

India handed over 10 railway locomotives to Bangladesh, reflecting its continued efforts to further boost bilateral economic engagement and expand ties with the neighbouring countries notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic.

The broad gauge locomotives were virtually flagged off to Bangladesh by Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.  

The handing over of these locomotives, under grant assistance from the government of India, fulfils a commitment made during the visit of Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to India in October 2019.

The locomotives have been suitably modified in keeping with the requirements of Bangladesh Railway. These locomotives will help handle the increasing volume of passenger and freight train operations in Bangladesh. They are suitable for hauling freight as well as passenger trains and have a microprocessor-based control system.

Recently, parcel and container train services have also commenced between India and Bangladesh. This is expected to significantly enhance the scope of bilateral trade.

Paswan launches BIS-Care mobile app, 3 portals

Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan launched a mobile app BIS-Care, which consumers can use for checking the authenticity of ISI and hallmark quality certified products.

The minister also launched three portals of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on standardisation, conformity assessment and training, which consumers and stakeholders can login through www.manakonline.in.

What is the purpose of BIS?

The BIS is the national standards setting body in the country. So far, it has set 20,866 standards and mandatory standards for 358 products. The ISI mark is a standards-compliance mark for industrial products in India since 1955. Hallmark is quality certification for gold jewellery.

The BIS was set up as a statutory organisation under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 by taking over the assets and liabilities of the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) that came into existence in 1947. The Bureau has its headquarters in New Delhi. It has a network of 5 regional offices, 33  branch offices and eight laboratories. BIS Act 2016 came into force with effect from 12 October 2017. 

The mandate of BIS is to formulate standards that promote quality of goods and services. The Bureau provides technical support to industries and services sectors by way of updated standards, developing new standards in emerging areas, and providing certification of goods and services for ensuring quality and safety.

DRDO launches Dare to Dream 2.0

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) launched a contest — Dare to Dream 2.0 — to promote innovators in the fields of defence and emerging technologies in India to mark the fifth death anniversary of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on July 27.

The contest is launched to promote the individuals and startups for innovation in defence and aerospace technologies in the country after the call of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Award money, up to Rs 10 lakh for startup and Rs 5 lakh in individual category, will be given to the winners.

The contest was first launched in 2018. 

Newsmaker

Actor Olivia de Havilland, famous for her role in ‘Gone With the Wind’, passed away in Paris at the age of 104. She won two Academy Awards for ‘To Each His Own’ in 1946 and ‘The Heiress’ in 1949.

Manorama Yearbook app is now available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store