Patna Jan 31 PTI Bihar on Monday reported 748 new COVID-19 infections marking the first instance in nearly a month when the states daily caseload remained under the four-digit mark according to the health departmentThe last time when less than 1000 cases were reported in a day was on January 4Bihar on Sunday recorded 1238 fresh coronavirus casesThe active caseload which had shot past 35000 in mid-January has also come down to 5081The recovery rate which had fallen below 94 per cent a few weeks ago now reached 9790 per cent The number of patients recovering in the last 24 hours 2223 exceeded the number of people testing positive by a huge marginThe states overall tally stands at about 823 lakh while 806 lakh people have recovered from the diseaseThe pandemic has claimed 12222 lives so far in the state Only one death was reported in the last 24 hoursThe positivity rate has plummeted to 073 Altogether 544 samples have been collected for genome sequencing Omicron has been confirmed in 67 of these PTI NAC NN NN

Patna Jan 31 PTI The Bihar government on Monday signed a deal with Tata Technologies as part of which the company will transform nearly 150 Industrial Training Institutes ITI across the state into Centres of Excellence COEsAccording to a statement issued by the company the Memorandum of Agreement was inked here in the presence of Labour Resources Development Minister Jibesh Kumar The project envisages upgradation of 149 ITIs at a total expenditure of Rs 460697 croreIn the first phase 60 centres will be upgraded to COEs by September this year while work on the remaining 89 would be completed by June 2023Tata Technologies said the company will also deploy 298 training personnel along with industry partners and will facilitate the deployment of advanced tools and equipmentThe transformation of ITIs into Centres of Excellence will transform the technology landscape of the state and lead to better upskilling and employment opportunities for the youth The state will become a potential investment destination for industry players keen on embracing Industry 40 and smart technologies for manufacturing the minister said on the occasionThe term Industry 40 or Fourth Industrial Revolution describes the growing trend towards automation and data exchange in technology and processes within the manufacturing industry including Internet of Things IoT Smart Factories and Cloud ComputingThese COEs will facilitate 23 new technologically advanced trade courses covering some in-demand latest technologies like Electric Vehicles Robotics Digital Manufacturing IoT Automation and ArtisanshipPost upgrade the students can expect multiple certifications from technologyOriginal Equipment Manufacturer providers in addition to the certification provided by the COEs across all trades leading to better employment opportunities for them the minister added Warren Harris Managing Director and CEO of Tata Technologies said Through this collaboration with the Bihar Government we will leverage our manufacturing domain knowledge and digital engineering expertise to develop future-ready courseware that allows students at Centres of Excellence to develop their capabilities in the latest Industry 40 technology and be part of the rapidly transforming ecosystem PTI NAC NN NN