Daily Current Affairs and GK | 9 and 10 May 2021

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/ Taskforces

1. RBI constitutes an advisory group for assisting second Regulations Review Authority (RRA 2.0).

• RBI has constituted an advisory group for assisting the second Regulations Review Authority (RRA 2.0).
• SBI Managing Director S Janakiraman is the head of the advisory group. It has five members. Their names are given in the next table.

• RBI had constituted RRA 2.0 earlier this month to streamline regulations and lower down compliance burden of regulated entities.
• RRA 2.0 has been set up initially for a period of one year from May 01, 2021. M. Rajeshwar Rao, Deputy Governor, was appointed as Regulations Review Authority.
• First Regulations Review Authority was set up by RBI in 1999.

Topic: Reports and Indices

2. CCAC and UNEP release Global Methane Assessment.

• Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have released Global Methane Assessment.
• It shows that human caused methane emissions can be lowered by up to 45% this decade. This would avoid nearly 0.3 °C of global warming by 2045.
• 45% reduction of emissions of methane would prevent premature deaths, asthma-related hospital visits and 25 million tonnes of crop losses annually.
• Methane is a key ingredient in the formation of ground-level ozone (smog). It is a powerful greenhouse gas.
• Methane remains in the atmosphere for a decade. It has a much shorter lifetime than carbon dioxide.
• Sources of Methane emission: 40% of methane comes from natural sources (wetlands and termites). Anthropogenic sources (e.g., ruminants, rice agriculture, fossil fuel exploitation, landfills and biomass burning) emit 60% of methane into atmosphere.
• Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is a voluntary partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society organizations. Its secretariat is within UN Environment in Paris.

Topic: Important Days

3. World Thalassemia Day or International Thalassemia Day: 8 May

• World Thalassemia Day or International Thalassemia Day is celebrated every year on 8 May.
• “Addressing Health Inequalities across the Global Thalassaemia Community” is the theme for World Thalassemia Day 2021 or International Thalassemia Day 2021.
• World Thalassemia Day or International Thalassemia Day is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about Thalassemia and its symptoms.
• Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder that significantly reduces the amount of hemoglobin. Thalassemia patients have at least one parent as a disease carrier.
• Hemoglobin is a protein molecule present in red blood cells, which helps the RBCs carry oxygen and circulate it throughout the body.

Topic: Science and Technology

4. BlockTrack, Blockchain-based healthcare information system, developed by IIT Madras.

• BlockTrack, a Blockchain-based healthcare information system, has been developed by IIT Madras.
• BlockTrack is a blockchain-based secure medical data and information exchange system for a mobile phone application.
• BlockTrack is currently field tested at IIT Madras’s Hospital. BlockTrack project is supported by Infosys through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
• BlockTrack aims to securely digitize healthcare information systems. It also aims to protect sensitive personal information and medical records by decentralizing ownership of patient data through a blockchain-based innovation.

Topic: Personality in News

5. Birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Maharana Pratap, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale celebrated.

• Rabindranath Tagore, Maharana Pratap, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale’s birth anniversary were celebrated across the country.
• The birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore is also called Pachishe Boishakh in Bengali.
• Rabindranath Tagore:
  • He was born on 7 May 1861
  • He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
  • He has written more than 2000 songs, which are known as ‘Rabindra Sangeet’.
  • Gandhiji gave the title of “Gurudev” to Rabindranath Tagore.
  • He wrote the national anthem of India and Bangladesh. Gitanjali is Tagore’s best-known collection of poetry.
• Maharana Pratap:
  • He was born on 9 May 1545.
  • He was the king of Mewar.
  • He had fought the Battle of Haldighati on 18 June 1576 against Akbar.
  • He is remembered for his bravery and his loyal horse, Chetak.
• Gopal Krishna Gokhale:
  • He was born on 9 May 1866.
  • He was a political leader and a social reformer.
  • He was the founder of the Servants of India Society.
  • He was the mentor of Mohammed Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

6. DCGI approved anti-Covid drug developed by DRDO.

• An anti-Covid drug developed by DRDO has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India for emergency use.
• This drug will reduce the supplemental Oxygen dependency and help in the faster recovery of patients. It gets accumulated in the infected cell of the body and prevents the growth of the Virus by stopping viral synthesis and energy production.
• The drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in association with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) in Hyderabad.
• It comes in powder form in a sachet and is taken orally by dissolving it in water.
• Drug Controller General of India (DCGI):
  • It is a department under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation.
  • It is also responsible for setting the standards for manufacturing, import, sales, and distribution of drugs in India.
  • It approves licenses of specified categories of drugs, including blood products, vaccines, sera, etc.
  • V G Somani is the current head of the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

Topic: Sports

7. Aryna Sabalenka won Madrid Open 2021 by defeating Ashleigh Barty.

• Aryna Sabalenka won Madrid Open 2021 by defeating Ashleigh Barty by 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 in the women’s singles final. This is the first defeat of Ashleigh Barty on clay since 2019.  
• Australia’s Ashleigh Barty is on the first rank in the WTA Women’s Tennis Rankings, while Aryna Sabalenka is on the 7^th Position.
• In the women’s doubles final, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova have defeated Gabriela Dabrowski and Demi Schuurs by 6-4, 6-3.
• In the men’s singles final, Alexander Zverev defeated Matteo Berrettini by 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. It is his second Madrid title.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Appointments

8. Himanta Biswa Sarma sworn in as Chief Minister of Assam.

• Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has taken the oath as the 15^th Chief Minister of Assam. He was elected as leader of the BJP Legislature Party.
• Governor Jagdish Mukhi administered the oath.
• In the recently held election, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has won 75 seats while INC has won 50 seats. The total strength of the Assam Legislative Assembly is 126 seats.
• Chief Minister:
  • Chief Minister is the elected head of the government of a state.
  • Article 164 states that the Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other ministers shall be appointed on the advice of the Chief Minister.
  • He advises the Governor regarding the appointment of other Ministers and decides the portfolios for them.
  • Chief Minister of a state can give his resignation to the Governor.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Miscellaneous

9. Kami Rita Sherpa climbed Mt Everest for the 25^th time.

• Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa climbed Mt Everest for the 25^th time. He breaks his own record of climbing Mt Everest maximum number of times.
• Kami Rita Sherpa had climbed Mt Everest for the first time in 1994. He climbed the world’s highest peak for the 24^th time in 2019.
• Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal were the first people to climb Mt Everest in 1953.
• Junko Tabei of Japan was the first woman to reach Mount Everest in 1975.
• Mt. Everest lies on the crest of the Great Himalayas on the border between Nepal and Tibet autonomous region. It is the highest mountain in the world.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

10. India participated in the 3^rd Arctic Science Ministerial meeting.

• India participated in the 3^rd Arctic Science Ministerial- the global platform for discussing research and cooperation in the Arctic region.
• The first two meetings of the Arctic Science Ministerial were held in the USA and Germany. The 3^rd Arctic Science Ministerial was jointly hosted by Iceland and Japan between 8-9 May 2021.
• The theme for this year’s meeting is ‘Knowledge for a Sustainable Arctic’.
• Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare participated in this meeting from the Indian side. He shared India’s vision and long-term plans for research, work, and cooperation in the Arctic region. India will also contribute to the observing systems in the Arctic.
• The meeting has been organized to enhance the understanding of the Arctic region.
• Arctic Council:
  • It is an intergovernmental forum to promote cooperation, coordination, and interaction towards sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic.
  • India is an ‘Observer’ in the Arctic Council since 2013.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Important Days

11. World Migratory Bird Day: 8 May

• Every year World Migratory Bird Day is observed on the second Saturday of May. In 2021, it has been celebrated on 8 May.
• The main aim of this day is to raise awareness about migratory birds. It also brings the attention of the world towards threats faced by migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.
• It is celebrated bi-annually on the second Saturday in May and in October.
• The theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day is “Sing, Fly, Soar – Like a bird!”
• Flyway:
  • It is the flight path used by large numbers of birds during migrating from their breeding grounds to overwintering quarters.
  • The central Asian flyway passes through India.