Daily Current Affairs and GK | 5 and 6 July 2020

1. Indian Air Force involved in locust control operations in Rajasthan.

• Recently the Indian Air Force has been joined locust control operations in Rajasthan.
• Air Force's Mi-17 helicopter sprayed pesticides on large desert land and in Jodhpur district.
• This is the first example in the history of the Air Force.
• The central government has stepped up efforts; latest technology and equipment such as drones and bell helicopters are also being used to control the threat.
• India is facing the worst locust attacks ever in three decades.
• Locusts have been seen in various districts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has advised India to be vigilant and highly prepared during the next four weeks.

(Source: News on AIR)

2. Confederation of All India Traders appealed not to include two Chinese companies in the 5G network auction process in the country.

• Recently, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has appealed to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad not to involve Chinese companies Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corporation in the auction process for 5G networks in the country.
• The download speed from the 5G mobile network is very fast and it is capable of supporting critical infrastructure.
• The US and Australia have already banned both Huawei and ZTE Corporation companies.
• Both these companies have been accused of conspiracy, money laundering, bank and wire fraud.
• At the same time, the traders body started a country-wide campaign named 'Bharatiya Saaman-Hamara Abhiman'.
• It calls for a boycott of Chinese products following the India-China dispute with LAC in Galwan Valley.

(Source: News on AIR)

3. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel COVID Hospital in Delhi is ready in a record time of 12 days.

• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel COVID Hospital in Delhi has been completed in a record time of 12 days.
• The hospital has been built by the Defense Research and Development Organization along with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health, Armed Forces, Tata Sons and other private partners in twelve days.
• This 1000-bed hospital with 250 ICU beds started on 5 July 2020.
• The hospital is fully air-conditioned and is spread over 25 thousand square meters. Ventilators and monitoring equipment have been installed on each ICU bed.
• The work of building this hospital started on 23 June.
• This hospital will be operated by armed forces, medical service doctors, nurses and health workers. The hospital will be maintained by DRDO.
• The hospital also has a Psychology Counseling Center.
• Patients sent by the district administration to this hospital will be admitted and treatment will be free.
• People seriously suffering from this hospital will be sent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

(Source: News on AIR)

4. CBSE announced the launch of free and comprehensive training programs for teachers and students of affiliated schools.

• Recently the Central Board of Secondary Education has announced the introduction of free and comprehensive training programs for teachers and students of affiliated schools.
• CBSE has partnered with Facebook for this event.
• The first phase of this program will be held in virtual mode between August and November this year.
• The training program will be of three weeks in which 10 thousand teachers will be trained on augmented reality while 10 thousand students will be trained on digital security and welfare.
• Participants will also receive a joint e-certificate from CBSE and Facebook upon successful completion of the course.

(Source: News on AIR)

5. Indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine inducted into the global race against pandemic.

• Indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine has joined the race of vaccines being prepared in the world against this pandemic.
• Successful results are expected from the Covaxin vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech and the ZyCov-D vaccine developed by Zydus Cadila.
• 11 vaccines, including Covaxin and ZyCov-D, out of the more than 140 vaccines developed worldwide for the treatment of COVID, have entered the human trials.
• The Drug Controller General of India has also approved the human trial for the vaccines developed in India.
• During the last few years, India has emerged as a major center for vaccine production in the world.
• 60% of the vaccines supplied to UNICEF are manufactured in India.
• Apart from the National Institute of Virology of ICMR in Pune and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology of CSIR in Hyderabad, six Indian pharmaceutical companies are engaged in making COVID-19 vaccine.

6. World Zoonoses Day: 6 July.

• World Zoonoses Day is observed every year on 6 July to commemorate the discovery of first vaccine against a zoonotic disease.
• The day aims to raise awareness regarding the spread of zoonotic diseases.
• Louis Pasteur successfully administered the first vaccine against Rabies virus on 6 July 1885.
• Zoonoses are the infectious diseases that spread from animals to humans through direct contact with infected animals. These can be caused by bacteria, virus or parasites.
• The most common zoonoses diseases are Plague, Rabies, Tuberculosis, Scabies, Roundworms, etc.

7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ATMA NIRBHAR BHARAT Innovation Challenge.

• The challenge is to identify the best Indian apps that are already being used by citizens and have the ability to scale and become world class apps in their category.
• MeitY in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission – Niti Aayog has launched this challenge.
• This challenge will run in two tracks-
  • Promotion of Pre-existing apps
  • Development of new apps.
• The AatmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge Track 1 is being launched in the following 8 broad categories:
  • Office Productivity & Work from Home
  • Social Networking
  • E-Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Health & Wellness
  • Business including Agritech and Fin-tech
  • News
  • Games
• Some of the Key Evaluation parameters will include Ease of use (UI/UX), Robustness, Security and Scalability.
• With this challenge, existing apps will gain better visibility and clarity to achieve their goals.

8. 5 years of continuous airing on DD News of Sanskrit news magazine Vaartavali.

• Recently Sanskrit news magazine, Vaartavali, has completed 5 years of continuous airing on DD News.
• Vaartavali is a weekly Sanskrit news magazine.
• Its continuous broadcasting program on DD News has made an incredible contribution to the spread of Sanskrit language globally.
• Sanskrit is one of the 22 official languages of India mentioned in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution.

9. 'Intzaar Aap Ka’ campaign begins in Madhya Pradesh.

• Recently, 'Intzaar Aap Ka’ campaign in Madhya Pradesh has been started on social media platforms.
• Through this campaign, tourists are being attracted to visit the tourist spots of the state.
• The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board is inviting tourists to various religious, natural and archaeological tourist places of the state such as Mahakaleshwar, Pachmarhi, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Amarkantak and other tourist destinations during the monsoon season.
• All preparations have been made by the board keeping in mind all safety standards in the prevention of spread of COVID-19.

10. Inauguration of world's largest COVID Care Center at Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Delhi.

• Recently, the world's largest COVID Care Center was inaugurated by Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Delhi.
• It is the largest COVID-19 care center worldwide with over 10,000 beds.
• It has been built by Indo-Tibetan Border Police in Chhatarpur, Delhi.
• More than 1000 doctors, nurses and paramedic staff of ITBP and other CAPFs have been deployed to operate it smoothly.
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP):
  • It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces of India.
  • It was created on 24 October 1962, under the CRPF Act.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
  • Current DG of ITBP: Surjeet Singh Deswal

(Source: News on AIR)

11. China also claimed the eastern region of Bhutan.

• Recently China has also claimed the eastern region of Bhutan.
• Bhutan lodged a protest against Chinese claim to the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Bhutan.
• A few days later, China has doubled its claim.
• Last month, China attempted to withhold funding for the Sakteng Sanctuary under the Global Environment Facility of the United Nations Development Program.
• The border between China and Bhutan has never been demarcated.
• Between 1984 and 2016, 24 rounds of talks have been held between the two countries regarding three specific areas in Bhutan - Jakarlung and Pasamlung in the north and the Chumbi Valley in the west.
• No talks have been held since 2017 following the India-China Doklam stand-off.
• Global Environment Facility (GEF):
  • It was established on October 1991.
  • It was established to help the Earth tackle most of the environmental problems.
  • Its headquarters is located in Washington DC, United States.

(Source: The Hindu)

12. Scientists in Italy are investigating the mysterious presence of pink glacial ice in the Alps.

• Scientists in Italy are investigating the mysterious presence of pink glacial ice in the Alps caused by Algae.
• This action intensifies the effects of climate change.
• There is a debate about where these algae come from.
• Biagio di Mauro of the National Research Council of Italy said that the pink snow seen on parts of the Presena Glacier is caused by the same plant, known as Ancylonema nordenskioeldii, located in Greenland.
• Ice typically reflects more than 80% of the sun's radiation back into the atmosphere, but as algae darken the ice, so glaciers absorb heat more quickly and melt more quickly.

(Source: The Hindu)

13. A case of suspected bubonic plague registered in China's Inner Mongolia region.

• Recently a hospital in China has reported a case of suspected bubonic plague in the Inner Mongolia region.
• For this, the health committee of Bayan Nur has issued a third level alert.
• Plague cases are not uncommon in China, but the outbreak continues to increase. From 2009 to 2018, there have been 26 cases and 11 deaths in China.
• Bubonic plague:
  • A rare but serious bacterial infection that is spread by flea.
  • Bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia Pestis.
  • Plague is a zoonotic disease that affects rodents and is transmitted by fleas from rodents to other animals and humans.
  • Direct person-to-person transmission does not occur except in the case of pneumonic plague, respiratory drops can transfer the infection from patient to other people in close contact.
  • In the Middle Ages, it was known as the Black Death.

(Source: The Hindu)