Daily Current Affairs and GK | 22 July 2020

1. N-95 mask containing valves failed to stop the spread of coronavirus.

• Recently, the Union Ministry of Health has reported that the valve-containing N-95 mask has failed to stop the spread of coronavirus.
• The use of the N-95 mask hinders efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus, as it does not allow the virus to exit.
• Therefore, the Ministry of Health has recommended the use of in-house protective covers for the face and mouth.
• The Health Minister appealed to the people to use a three-layered mask made of cloth and advised others to do the same.

(Source: News on AIR)

2. Former Union Minister Shiv Pratap Shukla was appointed new Chief Whip of BJP in Rajya Sabha.

• Recently, former Union Minister Shiv Pratap Shukla has been appointed as the new Chief Whip of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha.
• Mr. Shukla, who represents the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, will replace Narayan Pancharia, who has recently retired from the Upper House.
• Also, BJP MP Rakesh Singh has been appointed as the party chief whip for the Lok Sabha.
• Shri Rakesh Singh will be the Chief Whip of the BJP in the Lok Sabha in place of Sanjay Jaiswal, BJP President of Bihar.
• Whip:
  • In India, the concept of whip was inherited from British colonial rule.
  • A whip is an officer of a political party whose function is to ensure the discipline of the party in the legislature.
  • The whip tries to ensure that their political party's fellow legislators attend the voting session and vote according to their party's official policy.

3. HIL (India) Limited supplied 20.60 MT of DDT to South Africa.

• Recently HIL (India) Limited has supplied 20.60 MT of DDT to South Africa for their malaria control program.
• This DDT will be used in three provinces adjoining Mozambique in South Africa.
• The region is highly affected by malaria and has gained maximum due to the disease in recent years. Malaria is one of the major public health threats globally.
• HIL (India) Limited:
  • HIL (India) is the only manufacturer of DDT globally.
  • It is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
  • The company has also exported 25 tonnes of malathion to Iran and 32 tonnes of agrochemical-fungicide to the Latin American region recently under government-to-government initiatives for the locust control program.

4. India and Maldives signed an agreement to establish emergency medical services in Male.

• Recently India and Maldives have signed an agreement to set up emergency medical services in Male.
• This emergency medical services unit will provide better care in emergencies.
• It is one of several small and medium projects available in the Maldives by India under grant assistance of USD 20 million. All remaining projects are expected to be completed by the end of this year.
• Cooperation in the health sector is one of the key areas of partnership between India and Maldives. India has given full support to meet the needs of Maldives to deal with the epidemic.
• India has also sent a 14-member medical team to the Maldives.
• It also exempted the export of HCQ pills and other medicines.
• Maldives:
  • It is a small island nation in South Asia, located in the Arabian Sea.
  • It is located about 700 km from the mainland of the Asian continent to the south-west of Sri Lanka and India.
  • Its capital is Male and the currency is Maldivian rufiya.

(Source: News on AIR)

5. Indian Coast Guard recovered a Thai Deep Ocean tsunami Buoy from North Andaman.

• Recently the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has recovered a Thai Deep Ocean tsunami Buoy from the West Island of North Andaman.
• The Buoy was deployed in the Bay of Bengal by the National Disaster Warning Center, Thailand.
• Thailand approached the Directorate of Disaster Management at Port Blair and enlisted the assistance of the Indian Coast Guard to search for the Buoy.
• It has been handed over to the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, from where it will be handed over to the National Disaster Warning Center of Thailand.
• Indian Coast Guard:
  • It is an armed force, a maritime, search and rescue and law enforcement agency.
  • It also protects India's maritime interests.
  • It works under the Ministry of Defense.
  • It is headquartered in New Delhi.
  • It was established on 18 August 1978.

(Source: News on AIR)

6. Pi Approximation Day: 22 July.

• Pi Approximation Day is celebrated every year on 22 July.
• This day is celebrated on 22 July because the approximation value of pi (22/7) is equal to 22/7 date.
• Pi:
  • This is a mathematical constant. It is represented by a Greek letter π.
  • In 1706, pi was introduced by William Jones.
  • It is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.
  • Its value is 22/7 or 3.14. A pi is an irrational number and cannot be expressed as a ratio of whole numbers.
  • Its value is determined by 10–12 trillion digits after the decimal value.
  • The value of pi is a never-ending and never-repeating number.
• Pi Day is observed every year on 14 March (3.14).

7. Government of Tamil Nadu has started a web portal for the unorganized sector workers.

• The Tamil Nadu government has started a web portal for the unorganized sector workers.
• Workers can now join state-run welfare boards through this portal.
• The move is expected to help thousands of workers.
• The Government of Tamil Nadu is running seventeen different welfare boards for the unorganized sector workers.
• The wards of the board members are providing educational scholarships, marriage support and skills training, health facilities and insurance.
• Tamil Nadu:
  • It is famous for South Indian Dravidian style Hindu temples.
  • On the island of Pamban, the Ramanathaswamy temple is a pilgrimage site.
  • Chief Minister:  Edappadi K. Palaniswami
  • Capital:  Chennai

8. A Memorandum of Understanding for data exchange was signed between CBDT and CBIC.

• Recently a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Central Board of Direct Taxes and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs for data exchange.
• This MoU will facilitate the exchange of data and information between CBDT and CBIC on an automated and regular basis.
• CBDT and CBIC are already collaborating through various existing mechanisms. This is another initiative in this direction.
• Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT):
  • It is a statutory body under the Central Revenue Act, 1963.
  • It deals with matters related to levy and collection of direct taxes like personal income tax, corporate tax, etc.
  • Current Chairman: Mr. Pramod Chandra Modi
• Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC):
  • After GST, CBEC has been renamed as Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs as per legislative approval.
  • It is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance.
  • It deals with the formulation of policy related to collection and levy of customs, Central Excise, Central Goods and Service Tax and IGST.
  • Current Chairman: M. Ajit Kumar

(Source: News on AIR)

9. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos added a record $ 13 billion more to his wealth in one day.

• Recently Amazon founder Jeff Bezos added a record $ 13 billion more to his wealth in a single day.
• This is the largest one-day increase for an individual since the Bloomberg Billionaires Index was created in 2012.
• Amazon's stock has gained 7.9 percent due to Corona virus infection.
• Due to the Corona pandemic, people are moving towards online shopping.
• Online shopping has increased by 73% so far this year.
• Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has added about $ 15 billion in his net worth so far this year.
• World's top-5 billionaires-

(Source: Indian Express)

10. Serum Institute of India, Pune will soon start testing the Covid-19 vaccine made by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

• Recently the Serum Institute of India, one of the country's leading vaccine manufacturers, said it would begin testing the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca by the end of August.
• The vaccine is expected to be launched by June next year after testing.
• Oxford University has tied up with Serum Institute of India to manufacture the vaccine and supply the vaccine to more than 60 other countries including India, with a combined population of three billion.

11. Nobel banquet was canceled again due to coronavirus proliferation.

• The Nobel Banquet has been canceled again decades later due to recent coronavirus proliferation.
• Earlier, during the First and Second World War, in addition to 1907, 1924 and 1956, grand banquets also were canceled.
• The Nobel Foundation has stated that the awards for medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics will be announced between 5 and 12 October 2020.
• Award winners will be able to receive their awards in their countries or embassies.
• Every year on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the founder of the awards, the grand banquet is held in the Swedish capital Stockholm after the distribution of the Nobel Prizes.
• This includes all but the Nobel laureates of peace. Nobel laureates of peace are honored in Oslo, the capital of Norway.

(Source: The Hindu)

12. Kannapuram in Kannur district of Kerala was declared as indigenous mango heritage area.

• Kannapuram in Kannur district of Kerala has been declared an indigenous mango heritage area on the occasion of National Mango Day on 22 July.
• The Kannapuram Panchayat is home to over 200 different types of mangoes.
• Mango is named after its taste, size, color of peel or the nature of the pulp.
• Like the Thenga Manga, because it is as big as a coconut, Suvarna Cheriyan gets its name from its golden color. Kadukkachi is a type of small mango, there are 20 different varieties in this category.
• There are also plans to start a Heritage Tourism Walk in Panchayat in 2021, whereby while exploring mangoes, participants can also take some sightseeing.

(Source: The Hindu)

13. Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi government to respond to the petition of Bachpan Bachao Andolan.

• Recently, the Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi government to respond to the petition of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan.
• In this petition, the statement of child witnesses at child welfare centers was recorded through video conferencing.
• This petition was filed by the Bachpan Bachao Andolan due to the spread of Covid-19.
• Bachpan Bachao Andolan:
  • It was started in 1980 by Kailash Prakash Satyarthi.
  • It is India's largest movement for children's rights.
  • The aim of this movement is to find out the children who have been victims of child crimes due to various reasons, save them and re-connect them with the mainstream of society.
  • Kailash Prakash Satyarthi was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 jointly with Malala Yousafzai for his contribution towards child education.