Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 August 2020

1. August 12: International Youth Day.

• International Youth Day is celebrated on 12 August every year.
• The day provides an opportunity to create awareness about ensuring the commitment and participation of the youth.
• The theme of this year is “Youth Engagement for Global Action”.
• The United Nations General Assembly declared International Youth Day on August 12 during the World Conference of Ministers on Youth Affairs in 1999.
• On this occasion, Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu appealed to the youth of the world to become active transformational agents of creating a more equal and sustainable world.
• He also called for the creation of a new India that is free from poverty, illiteracy and corruption and provides equal opportunities to all.

(Source: News on AIR)

2. Himachal Pradesh State Government launched Nutritional Immunity Boosting Him Haldi Dudh.

• Recently Himachal Pradesh State Government has launched Nutritional Immunity Boosting Him Haldi Dudh (Turmeric Latte) manufactured by Milkfed.
• Him Haldi Dudh has been developed and patented by the Department of Biotechnology of Punjabi University, Patiala.
• This drink is a detox drink that contains anti-hangover, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunity booster content.
• Milkfed is managing eleven milk plants in the state and has about 1011 milk cooperative institutions affiliated to it. Milkfed is currently collecting 1.24 lakh liters of milk per day.
• This institution did not stop taking milk from farmers even during the Corona pandemic, it did not stop their source of income.

(Source: News on AIR)

3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches Transparent Taxation - Honoring the Honest portal.

• Recently, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has launched Transparent Taxation - Honoring the Honest portal through video conferencing.
• It is one of the important measures of the government towards direct tax reforms.
• The main objective of tax reforms is to reduce tax rates and simplify direct tax laws.
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes has made major reforms in the field of direct tax system in recent years.
• Corporate tax rates were reduced from 30% to 22% in 2019.
• Tax rate on new manufacturing units increased to 15%.
• Dividend distribution tax has been abolished.
• CBDT has also made several efforts to bring efficiency and transparency in the functioning of the Income Tax Department.
• The Vivad se Vishwas Act 2020 was brought out of the direct tax dispute by the government to resolve pending tax disputes.

(Source: News on AIR)

Attempt Quiz of Independence Day

 

4. Microwave device ‘Atulya’ launched by MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari.

• Recently a Microwave Device was launched in Nagpur by Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.
• This microwave device, called Atulya, can disinfect any compound by decomposing the coronavirus in just 30 seconds.
• This device disintegrates the Covid-19 virus with the help of differential heating at temperatures from 56° to 60°C.
• The positive thing about this device is that it is 100% safe for humans and does not emit ultraviolet rays for disinfection, which can be harmful to the human body.
• It is a 100% indigenous device certified by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and manufactured based on French and American standards, built under the auspices of MSME.
• Such devices can be used to disinfect any surface including home and office furniture, beds, new boxes, and up to a 5 meter area. 
• This device is portable as it weighs only 3 kg.

(Source: News on AIR)

5. Bangladesh will not be quick to allow human trials of the Chinese Corona vaccine Sinovac in the country.

• Recently Bangladesh Director General of Health Services Dr. ABM Khurshid Alam has said that Bangladesh will not be in any hurry to allow human trials of Chinese Corona Vaccine Sinovac in the country.
• Bangladesh will first see the results of clinical trials conducted in China and only then will it be allowed to run human clinical trials.
• This vaccine is made by China-based Sinovac Biotech Limited.
• Recently, Indonesia has started a final phase clinical trial for this potential coronavirus vaccine.
• Bangladesh:
  • Located to the East of India, on the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh is a South Asian country.
  • Capital: Dhaka
  • Currency: Bangladeshi Taka

6. Germany, India, USA and others suspect Russia's Corona Vaccine Sputnik V.

• Recently, Russia-developed Corona Vaccine Sputnik V has raised doubts on many countries including Germany, India and the US.
• Sputnik V is a recently launched coronavirus vaccine by Russia.
• It is also being called the world's first vaccine.
• The vaccine is named after Sputnik I, Russia's first orbital satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957.

7. Threat of Thrombocytopenia Syndrome due to tick borne virus in China.

• Recently in China a new health threat is emerging due to Thrombocytopenia Syndrome caused by tick-borne virus.
• Due to this seven people have died and more than 60 people have been infected.
• Earlier in 2009, there were some cases in rural areas of Hubei and Henan provinces.
• A large number of cases are currently reported in East China's Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.
• Thrombocytopenia Syndrome:
  • The disease is transmitted to humans through tick bites, after which scientists have not ruled out the possibility of human-to-human transmission.
  • The name of this tick is Haemaphysalis longicornis.
  • Thrombocytopenia syndrome virus belongs to the SFTSV Bunyavirus family.
  • Scientists have found that the virus is often spread from animals such as goats, cattle, deer and sheep to humans.
  • Despite being infected with the virus, animals usually show no symptoms associated with SFTSV.
  • 30% of those infected with the virus died.
  • Due to its high fatality rate, SFTSV has been listed in the Blue Print of the Top 10 Priority Diseases by the World Health Organization.

8. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu ordered release of water into the Lower Bhavani Project canals from 14 August.

• Recently Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has ordered release of water into the Lower Bhavani Project canals from 14 August.
• The lower Bhavani Project canals receive water from the Bhavani Sagar Dam.
• Water release will benefit 1.03 lakh acres of land in Erode, Tiruppur and Karur districts.
• Lower Bhavani Project Canal:
  • It is a 201 km long irrigation canal that runs in Erode district in Tamil Nadu, India.
  • It is extracted from Bhavanisagar Dam, and irrigates 2.07 lakh hectares of land.
  • The Bhavanisagar Dam is built over the Bhavani River flowing in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a tributary of the Kaveri.

(Source: The Hindu)

9. Supreme Court: Daughters have equal right to inherit property.

• Recently a bench of the Supreme Court has ruled that daughters have equal right to inherit property.
• The Bench states that the amended Hindu Succession Act 1956 will have retrospective effect.
• This three-judge bench was headed by Justice Arun Mishra.
• The court reversed its earlier decision in 2015.
• Thus a daughter has been conferred with the position of coparcener. Coparcener is a person who has a birthright of ancestral property.
• The Supreme Court's decision in 2015 regarding the Hindu Succession Act, 1956-
  • Earlier in 2015, by amending the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the daughters were given equal rights in ancestral property. This decision came into force from 9 September 2005.
  • An appeal against the 2015 decision to remove the status of doubt in this regard was whether the amendment to the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, would have retrospective effect of granting equal rights to daughters to acquire paternal property.
  • On this, the Supreme Court has said that since a daughter has the right to coparcener from birth, it is not necessary that the father should be alive on 9 September 2005.
  • The court has thus overturned the earlier judgment of 2015.
• Also, the court said that the disputes pending on this question in various courts should be decided within the next six months.

(Source: The Hindu)

10. Webinar on “Cellular Jail: Letter Memoirs and Memories” was organized under Dekho Apna Desh Webinar series.

• Recently, the webinar on Cellular Jail: Letter Memoirs and Memories was organized by the Ministry of Tourism under the Dekho Apna Desh Webinar series.
• This webinar was the 46^th under the Dekho Apna Desh webinar series and the second of five webinars focused on the Independence Day theme.
• The webinar showcased the journey of India's freedom struggle through the corridors and cells of the cellular prison
• The title of the sequel to the webinar is Jallianwala Bagh, a turning point in the freedom struggle.
• Dekho Apna Desh webinar series is an effort to showcase the rich diversity of India under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat and it is also reinforcing the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat through a continuous virtual platform.
• Cellular Jail:
  • The Cellular Jail at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a prison where the Indians who were fighting for the freedom were deported and imprisoned by the British in very inhuman conditions.
  • It is currently a national monument; it is called cellular because it was constructed only to construct individual cells for the purpose of solitary confinement.
  • There was no way for a prisoner to communicate with another prisoner.
  • Some very famous political prisoners like Veer Savarkar, BK Dutt, Fazle Haq Khairabadi, Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Sushil Dasgupta were imprisoned in this prison.

(Source: PIB)

11. The work of Katra-Delhi Express Road Corridor will be completed by 2023.

• Recently, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh informed that the work of Katra-Delhi Express Road Corridor will be completed by 2023.
• Work has already started on this, it is first corridor of its kind.
• After its commencement, the journey time from Katra to Delhi will be reduced by about six and a half hours and the journey from Jammu to Delhi will be completed in just six hours.
• The hallmark of this road is that it will connect the holy cities of Katra and Amritsar, as well as provide connectivity to some other major religious sites between the two destinations.
• The work is estimated to cost more than Rs 35,000 crore.

12. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs released the Report of the Committee on Business Responsibility Reporting.

• Recently the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has released the Report of the Committee on Business Responsibility Reporting.
• This committee was chaired by MCA Joint Secretary Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh.
• Key points of the report-
  • To improve the scope of reporting on non-financial parameters, set up a new reporting framework called Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR).
  • The implementation of reporting requirements should be done in a gradual and phased manner.
  • Also integrating this reporting framework with the MCA-21 portal of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has been taking various initiatives to ensure responsible business operations of companies.
• Voluntary Guidelines on Corporate Social Responsibility were issued in 2009 as a first step towards mainstreaming the concept of company accountability.