About Technical Textiles:

• Technical textiles are defined as textile materials and products used primarily for their technical performance and functional properties rather than their aesthetic or decorative characteristics. 
• Other terms used for defining technical textiles include industrial textiles, functional textiles, performance textiles,engineering textiles, invisible textiles, and hi-tech textiles. 
• They are designed to have high levels of physical, mechanical, thermal, and/or chemical properties for use in specific applications within industrial sectors such as earthworks, construction, civil engineering, transport, defense, medical, and healthcare.
• They are used individually or as a component/part of another product.
  • Technical textiles are used individually to satisfy specific functions, such as fire-retardant fabric for uniforms of firemen and coated fabric to be used as awnings.
  • As a component or part of another product, they are used to enhance thestrength, performance, or other functional properties of that product.
• They are manufactured using naturalas well as man-made fibres.
• They are classified into 12 major groups based on their application areas, namely: Agrotech, Geotech, Buildtech, Mobiltech, Hometech, Clothtech, Indutech, Meditech, Sportstech, Protech, Packtech, and Oekotech.

National Technical Textiles Mission:

• It was launched by the Ministry of Textilesto increase the penetration level of technical textiles in India while leveraging the extraordinary growth rate of the sector.
• The aim of the mission is to position India as a global leader in technical textiles.
• The mission will comprise of the following four components:
  • Research, Innovation, and Development
  • Promotion and Market Development
  • Export Promotion
  • Education, Training, and Skill Development
• Target: The Mission has a target to take the domestic market size of the technical textile sector to $ 40-50 Billion by the year 2024 with an average growth rate of 15-20% per annum.

Q1: What is a Polymer?

Polymer is any of a class of natural or synthetic substances composed of very large molecules, called macromolecules, that are multiples of simpler chemical units called monomers. Polymers make up many of the materials in living organisms, including, for example, proteins, cellulose, and nucleic acids. 

Source: ‘Technical textiles exports will cross $10 billion by 2030’

About Enemy Property:

• The Enemy Property Act 1968 defined an ‘enemy’ as a country (and its citizens) that committed external aggression against India (i.e., Pakistan and China). 
  • Enemy property means any property for the time being belonging to or held or managed on behalf of an enemy, an enemy subject or an enemy firm.
  • These properties are of those left behind by the people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China after leaving India during the partition and after the 1962 war.
• In 2017, Parliament passed The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, which amended the 1968 Act and The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.
• It expanded the definition of the terms “enemy subject”, and “enemy firm” to include the legal heir and successor of an enemy, whether a citizen of India or a citizen of a country which is not an enemy; and the succeeding firm of an enemy firm, irrespective of the nationality of its members or partners.
• The amended law provided that enemy property shall continue to vest in the Custodian even if the enemy or enemy subject or enemy firm ceases to be an enemy due to death, extinction, winding up of business or change of nationality, or that the legal heir or successor is a citizen of India or a citizen of a country which is not an enemy.
• Maximum number of enemy properties is in Uttar Pradesh - 4,991. Bengal has 2,735, and Delhi has 487. 

Q1: What is the Enemy Property Act 1968?

The Enemy Property Act, 1968, an Act of the Indian Parliament, allows and governs real estate allocation in India possessed by Pakistani nationals. The act get enacted in the aftermath of the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war. The Guardian of Enemy Property for India, a government department, receives ownership. There are also enemy properties, which are movable properties.

Source: Pervez Musharraf’s ancestral land in UP to be auctioned under Enemy Property Act: What it means

About VisioNxt Initiative:

• It is India’s first ever trend insights and forecasting Initiative.
• It was conceived and established at NIFT Delhi (Creative Lab) and NIFT Chennai (Insights Lab) with the support of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, in 2018.
• The initiative, now centralized in Chennai, focuses on delivering trend insights and forecasting for the Indian fashion and retail market.
• It also offers various trend related consultancy services, academic courses, workshops etc.
• Its mission is to identify, map, and analyse geo-specific trends, reflecting the positive plurality, cultural diversity, and socio-economic nuances of India while collating comprehensive trends and insights.
• It combines AI and EI to generate fashion trend insights and forecasts.
• Significance

India's entry into the forecasting space offers multiple advantages: it reduces dependence on global forecasting agencies, provides unique insights into Indian fashion consumers, integrates India’s strength in information technology with textiles, and combines artificial and human intelligence.

To support weavers, manufacturers, retailers, domestic businesses, homegrown designers, and fashion brands, this report is available in Hindi and English through the VisioNxt portal.

The initiative empowers users to design, produce, and launch consumer-focused, targeted collections for this diverse nation ‘Paridhi’ will mark the launch of the first inclusive fashion trend forecast by VisioNxt, along with a web portal to disseminate India-specific fashion trends.

VisioNxt has achieved this through the development of a unique prediction model known as "DeepVision," designed to decode patterns and interpret fashion trends in India.

Q1: What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

It is an emerging technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities. It involves the development of algorithms and models that enable computers to perform tasks that would typically require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making.

Source: Union Minister of Textiles Shri Giriraj Singh launches India’s first fashion forecasting initiative ‘VisioNxt’

About BPaLM Regimen:

• It is a new treatment regimen against multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).
• It was introduced by the Union Health Ministry under its National TB Elimination Program (NTEP).
• Composition: The regimen combines four drugs—Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, Linezolid, and optionally Moxifloxacin.
• This regimen includes a new anti-TB drug called Pretomanid, which was earlier approved and licensed for use in India by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).
• Efficacy:
  • The BPaLM regimen is a safer and more effective treatment option compared to traditional MDR-TB treatments.
  • It is an all-oral regimen with a low overall pill burden, which makes it patient-friendly.
  • It can cure drug-resistant TB in just six months, compared to the previous treatment duration of up to 20 months, and is associated with fewer side effects.

National TB Elimination Program (NTEP):

• It is a public health initiative of the Government of India that organizes the country’s tuberculosis elimination efforts. 
• It has set an ambitious goal of eradicating TB by 2025.
• NTEP is a centrally sponsored scheme implemented under the aegis of the National Health Mission with resource sharing between the State Governments and the Central Government.
• It is based on the daily DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment with short-course chemotherapy) strategy.
  • The DOTS strategy ensures that infectious TB patients are diagnosed and treated effectively till cure, by ensuring availability of the full course of drugs and a system for monitoring patientcompliance to the treatment.
• The program provides various free-of-cost, quality tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment services across the country.
• NI-KSHAY Portal: NI-KSHAY (Ni=End, Kshay=TB) is the web enabled patient management system for TB control under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).

Q1: What is the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)?

It is the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) of India for the medical devices industry under the provisions of the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules. It works under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is the head of the CDSCO.

Source: Government nod to 6-month therapy for drugresistant TB

About Agni-4 Missile:

• It is an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
• The launch of this Agni-4 was carried out from the Integrated Test Range in Odisha’s Chandipur.
• The launch successfully validated all operational and technical parameters. It was conducted under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command, a part of India's Nuclear Command Authority (NCA).
• Features:
  • It can hit as far as 4,000 kilometres.
  • The 20-metre-long missile can carry a payload of 1,000 kg and can be fired from a road-mobile launcher.
  • It is a surface-to-surface missile.
  • It is a mobile, two-stage solid-fuel system.
• The Agni missiles are designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Key facts about Strategic Forces Command

• It is sometimes called Strategic Nuclear Command, forms part of India's Nuclear Command Authority (NCA), which is responsible for command-and-control decisions regarding India’s nuclear weapons programme.
• SFC is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile.
• It was created on January 4, 2003.

Q1: What is the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)?

DRDO was formed in 1958 by merging the then-existing Technical Development Establishment (TDEs) of the Indian Army and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTDP) with the Defence Science Organisation (DSO).

Source: Agni-4 ballistic missile successfully test-fired in Odisha

About Water Spinach:

• It is native to tropics and subtropics, this semi-aquatic perennial plant is believed to have been the first domesticated in Southeast Asia.
• In Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia, the plant is mostly grown commercially, while in the United States and India, it grows in the wild as weed.
• In India, it grows along the paddy fields, ponds and rivers, and is available around the monsoon season in July and August.
• Other names: It is known as kalmi saag in West Bengal, naari ka saag in Uttar Pradesh, nalichi-bhaji in Marathi and sarkaraivalli in Tamil.
• The plant is relatively easy to grow because it requires little care and flourishes naturally in waterways.
• It grows very quickly under optimal conditions, though it has to be ensured that the water used is not saline or stagnant.
• Researchers in India, Pakistan and the US, find water spinach effective against lead poisoning.
• Health benefit:
  • The plant also has medium levels of beta carotene, calcium, vitamin E and iron; and medium-to-high levels of ascorbic acid.
  • The substantial quantities of phyto-antioxidants in the leaves may mediate its beneficial function against doxorubicin.

Q1: What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin. This means that it dissolves in water and is delivered to the body’s tissues but is not well stored, so it must be taken daily through food or supplements.

Source: Quest for nutrients: The versatile water spinach can boost folic acid levels