1. Indian Army says 20 soldiers killed in clash with

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1. Indian Army says 20 soldiers killed in clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan area Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR Twenty Indian personnel, including a Colonel, were killed in violent clashes with Chinese troops on Monday along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, in what is possibly the worst incident between the two countries in decades. The clashes came amidst a “de-escalation” process in the Galwan area that was started last week, after a month long standoff between troops at several points along the LAC in Ladakh and Sikkim. 20 troops killed “Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed on the night of June 15/16 June. Seventeen Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty at the standoff location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain have succumbed to their injuries, taking the total that were killed in action to 20,” the Army said in a late-night statement. Casualties on both sides The violent face-off took place during the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley and resulted in “casualties on both sides”, the Army stated. Indian Army is firmly committed to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation, it added. However, Army sources said there was no firing during the face-off. What does China say? In a statement, The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) accused India “of going back on its word” and “violating commitments” reached by both sides at Corps Commander-level talks on June 6. The Indian Army “violated its commitment and crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) again, illegally and deliberately launched provocative attacks, triggered fierce physical confrontation between the two sides, resulting in casualties,” said PLA Western Theater Command spokesperson Zhang Shuili, making the claim that “the sovereignty of the Galwan Valley region has always belonged to [China]”, something India has always contested. Pressure on govt. The casualties in combat action, have increased pressure on the government to make a full statement on the month long standoff, as demanded by Opposition parties. The standoff had begun with a scuffle in the Pangong Tso area on the intervening night of May 5/6, resulting in serious injuries on both sides. Around 76 Indian personnel were injured including a Commanding Officer, who had to be airlifted to Delhi. There was a second scuffle on May 9 at Naku La in North Sikkim.

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No incident of firing While faceoffs and standoffs keep occurring on the LAC and even stone throwing and fist-fights between troops due to differences in perception on the alignment, there has been no instance of firing on the 3,488 km long LAC since 1975. The last incident of firing and fatalities on the border with China occurred in October 20, 1975 when a patrol team of the Assam Rifles was ambushed by the Chinese troops at Tulung La in Arunachal Pradesh resulting in the death of four personnel. Source: The Hindu

2. A badminton legend, a football star, latest Covid-19 drug: what’s common? Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology Drug dexamethasone Researchers leading a major clinical trial in the UK announced on Tuesday that the drug dexamethasone had been found to cut death rates by around a third in the most severely ill among Covid-19 patients. The “first drug to be shown to improve survival” in the pandemic was hailed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as “the biggest breakthrough yet” in the fight against the novel coronavirus. Used as performance enhancer The low-cost, anti-inflammatory steroid is well known in the world of sport. Dexamethasone has been used for years by sportspersons to hasten their rehabilitation from injuries and recover from infections. The drug is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) list of prohibited substances, and sportspersons from Spain and Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos to Malaysian badminton legend Lee Chong Wei and, most recently, Indian javelin thrower Davinder Singh Kang, have been caught using it. Athletes are, however, barred from using dexamethasone only during competition — meaning, if the substance is detected prior to a competition, it will not be considered a doping offence. Dr Ashok Ahuja, former head of sports medicine at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), said dexamethasone is a corticosteroid, an easily available medicine that prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation. Its effects are frequently seen within a day, and last for about three days. Source: The Indian Express








3. How railway coaches were redesigned for Covid-19 patients, where they will be deployed Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology On Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, after a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, declared that 500 Covid isolation coaches would be deployed in Delhi. So far, over 5,000 coaches have been converted into Covid isolation coaches across India. What are these coaches? In March, Railways was sounded out by the PMO and the government’s multi-ministerial outbreak-containment apparatus that train coaches could also be used as a last resort to keep isolated patients. So far, 5,321 non-AC sleeper class coaches of ICF variety (older design) have been converted by the 16 zonal railways through their workshops spread across India. These are developed as COVID Care Level 1 centres—as per the Health Ministry classification of COVID facilities—where suspected cases or those with mild symptoms are to be kept. Suspected and confirmed cases will be kept in separate coaches. Besides the 500 being deployed in Delhi, Telangana has requested for 60 coaches in three locations, and UP has requested in 24 locations. Many states are said to be informally enquiring about the coaches in zones. How were these coaches selected? Early into the pandemic, health experts were of the view that air-conditioned environments might aid the spread of the virus. Well-ventilated, airy environments were thought to be safer. India’s decision to use non-AC coaches for islation has to be viewed in that context. As per targets given to the 16 zonal railways, 5,000 older coaches, surplus to Railways’ operational needs, were marked for conversion. With each carrying 16 patients, this translates into 80,000 isolation/quarantine beds. Railways said it has set aside 20,000 coaches and if needed, more conversions can be done. How were they converted? Each sleeper coach is divided into eight bays or “cabins”. The idea was to remove the middle berths so that each bay carries two patients on the lower berths — a capacity of 16 per coach. Two of the four toilets were converted into bathrooms. The windows were covered with mosquito nets. Power plug sockets were installed for medical equipment in each bay. And plastic curtains were installed in every cabin. Each coach also has oxygen cylinders. Each coach has been converted at a cost around Rs 2 lakh. So the 5,321 coaches have been converted at over Rs 100 crore.








What were the challenges faced? The summer heat in the coach was always a matter of discussion, not only in Railways but also in the Empowered Group of Secretaries based on whose inputs the coaches were converted. Several ideas were discussed, including erecting shamianas over the coaches, or painting the roof with “solar reflective” paints. Finally, it was decided the roof would be insulated in a number of coaches. The technical solution was vetted by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation of Railways. A solution has been developed by IIT Mumbai which brings down the temperature in the coach by several degrees. Railways has attached an AC coach as well, for doctors and medical staff. Another question was how to dispose of toilet waste if the coaches were in remote areas and whether such waste was potentially infectious. It was agreed that since chlorine tablets are placed in the chambers of the biotoilets, the risk was neutralised. In any case, bio-enzymes in the toilet tanks take care of the human waste. Another question was placement. The batteries of the coaches need to be charged and the water needs to be replenished. Not all areas in India might have such facilities. After discussions with the Health Ministry, 215 stations were identified across India. The idea was that being mobile units, they could be dispatched to any part of the country to pick up patients and come back to their bases.

Source: All information from Indian Railways








Source: All information from Indian Railways

Source: All information from Indian Railways Of the 215 stations, Railways would provide their own healthcare professionals for patients in 85. In the other 130, states would have to arrange doctors and medical staff, as per a protocol issued by the Health Ministry. Each isolation train will be tied to the nearest hospital.








The Centre will not deploy these coaches at will; states will have to request for them. At least 10 coaches, or one train, will have to be deployed in one place. States can request for more. The Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change has provided a one-time exemption from registration of train coaches for the purpose of generating hospital waste. The state is supposed to dispose waste. Railways will maintain the coaches, provide linen and may provide food also, depending on feasibility, if requested by states. Will these be upgraded further? NITI Aayog in early May proposed that instead of mere COVID Care Level 1 centres, some of these coaches should be upgraded to hospitals, with oxygen, ICU and ventilator facilities. It was also suggested that Railways could take help from private hospitals for the upgrade. In a meeting with Railways, NITI Member V K Paul, who is also the head of the relevant Empowered Committee, suggested that the coaches be upgraded to Level II and III COVID Care Centres. Railways discussed internally that such a task would require months. One rake of Lifeline Express, which is “hospital on wheels” with all medical facilities, takes months to roll out. In Europe, governments have used trains to transport patients to other regions. In March, France used its TGV high speed trains to move patients out of Paris to other parts of the country where hospital capacity was yet unutilised. Spain also readied high-speed trains to carry patients to Madrid from other parts of the country where hospital facilities could be overwhelmed. Italy has now created similar hospitals on wheels as a defence against a second Covid wave. Source: The Indian Express

4. China’s Great Wall Motor commits to $1 billion investment in Maharashtra Relevant for GS Prelims China’s largest sport utility vehicle (SUV) manufacturer Great Wall Motor Company Ltd., which recently acquired General Motors’ car manufacturing plant at Talegaon, near Pune, has signed an MoU with the Maharashtra government reaffirming its commitment to invest $1 billion in phases. “The MoU officially announced the investment in the state-of-the-art automotive manufacturing facility in Talegaon, Maharashtra. The plant will be equipped with latest world-class technology and along with the R&D centre in Bengaluru will generate employment for over 3,000 people in phased manner,” GWM said in a statement.








The plant located in Talegaon Industrial Park, Maharashtra, covers an area of about 300 acres and is close to the Expressway. The unit is about 100 kilometres from Mumbai Port. The factory already has facilities like logistics distribution centre, training centre, project management building, administrative office building and a public facilities centre. Source: The Hindu Take the Current Affairs Quiz based on the above News Articles by clicking on the link https://www.prepmate.in/daily-quiz/ Note: Only PrepMate book readers can attempt Current Affairs Quiz.





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1. Indian Army says 20 soldiers killed in clash with