1.Tobacco Board of India

Why in News?

• The Executive Director of the Tobacco Board of India cancelled her appearance at the last minute at a U.S. conference aimed at promoting tobacco, because it would have violated not only Indian laws but also World Health Organization (WHO) rules.

The rules and Laws Under Consideration Were:

1. WHO framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
2. Cigarettes and other Tobacco products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, production, Supply, and Distribution) Act,2003

About Tobacco Board of India:

• The Tobacco board of India was established under the Tobacco Board Act of 1975, in place of the Tobacco Export Promotion Council. It has its headquarters at Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
• The main activities of the board was to regulate production, promote overseas marketing and control recurring instances of imbalances in supply and demand which lead to market problems and planned development of Tobacco Industry in the country.

2.Garba Dance

Why in News:

• Navratri festival is about to be celebrated on September 29, and the people started preparing for the festival and rehearsing Garba dance.

About Garba Dance:

• Garba is a dance form that originated in the Gujarat region. Traditionally it is performed during the nine-day Hindu festival Navaratri. Either the lamp (the Garba Deep) or an image of the Goddess Durga is placed in the middle of concentric rings and the people dance around the centre, bending sideways at every step, their arms making sweeping gestures, each movement ending in a clap.

3.CSIR – NEERI

Why in News?

• As per the guidelines of supreme court, CSIR-NEERI has come up with the green crackers and the case concerned with that will be taken up by the court in coming weeks.

About CSIR – NEERI

• NEERI CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) is a pioneer laboratory in the field of environmental science and engineering and part of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). It was established in the year 1958 at Nagpur.
• NEERI falls under the Ministry of Science and Technology and is also an important partner organisation in India’s POPs national implementation plan.
• Its main focus was on water supply, sewage disposal, communicable diseases and to some extent on industrial pollution and occupational diseases found common in post-independent India.

4.PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation)

Why in News?

• As the supreme court is about to take up the case regarding green crackers, PESO has filed a affidavit in the supreme court favouring the cracker manufacturers.

About PESO:

• PESO is a regulatory authority with autonomous status, headed by Chief Controller of Explosives and is headquartered at Nagpur in the State of Maharashtra in India.
• This Organisation comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Government of India.
• Major Activities: To administer the responsibilities delegated under the Explosives Act 1884 and Petroleum Act 1934 and the rules made thereunder related to manufacture, import, export, transport, possession, sale and use of Explosives, Petroleum products and Compressed Gases.

5.OTC DRUGS (Over the counter Drugs)

Why in News?

• Recently drug consultative committee under the CDSCO has decided to lay down specific provisions for the regulation of OTC drugs.

What are OTC Drugs?

• The term OTC drug has never been mentioned or described in any of the Indian laws including Drugs and Cosmetic Acts,1940 and Drugs and Cosmetic Rules,1945. Currently this are assumed as the drugs that can be sold without a doctor’s prescription.
• only the drugs that fall under the schedule H,H1, and X of the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules,1945 cannot be sold without a prescription.

About Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO):

• The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) under Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) of India.
• Functions: Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, CDSCO is responsible for approval of New Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials, laying down the standards for Drugs, control over the quality of imported Drugs in the country.

6.NAFED

Why in News?

• Due to the surge in the prices of onions, Government has decided to substantially increase the daily supply of onions from its buffer stock held with NAFED.

About NAFED:

• National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) was established in the year 1958 under the Multi State Co-operative Societies Act.
• It was setup with the objective of promote Co-operative marketing of Agricultural Produce to benefit the farmers.The objectives of the NAFED shall be to organize, promote and develop marketing, processing and storage of agricultural, horticultural and forest produce, distribution of agricultural machinery, implements and other inputs, undertake inter-state, import and export trade etc.

7.SAGITTARIUS A*

Why in News?

• Recently a research paper has been published stating that scientists have sought to explain the unusual activity of Sagittarius A* (pronounced “Sagittarius A-Star”) this year, where the area around it becoming much brighter than usual.

About SAGITTARIUS A*:

• Sagittarius A* is a supermassive black hole that sits 26,000 light years away from Earth, near the Galactic Centre, or the centre of the Milky Way.
• It is one of the few black holes where we can witness the flow of matter nearby.