Current Affair of May 2021

National

1. The Olive Ridley Turtles in 2021 are staying away from the Rushikulya river. Millions of Olive Ridley turtle nest near the mouth of Rushikulya river. The nesting time of Olive Ridley turtles is between January and May. This year, they are yet to begin their nesting. The turtle is known for its unique mass nesting sites called the Arribadas. During Arribadas, thousands of females come together to lay eggs on the same beach.

2. A team from the Zoological Survey of India has discovered a new insect eating mammal species. The animal has been named Crocidura Norcondamica. It is almost the size of the house mouse. It lives in the forest floor and feed on insects. They help to control the insect population in the dense Narcondam forest.

3. Around eight Asiatic lions have tested positive for COVID-19 at Hyderabad Nehru Zoological Park. This is the first time that transmission of virus to animal has been detected in India. Asiatic Lions are one of the five Pantherine cats that are native to India.

4. The TRIFED recently signed an agreement with The LINK Fund to work together towards tribal development. TRIFED is Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Under the agreement, they will work towards tribal employment generation and development. This is to be achieved by providing support to the tribal in increasing value addition to their produce.

5. Every year, Maharashtra Day is celebrated on May 1. It commemorates the formation of the state of Maharashtra. It was formed on May 1, 1960. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 redefined the boundaries of Indian states based on the languages. Maharashtra was formed on the basis of this act. Different languages were spoken in the state of Bombay namely Gujarati, Konkani, Marathi and Kutchi.

6. On May 2, 2021, the votes of the recently held State Assembly Elections for Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal were counted. The Election Commission of India is yet to announce the results. The BJP led alliance in the state was called the "Mitrajot" (Alliance of friends) and the Congress led alliance is called "Mahajot" (Grand Alliance).

7. Cicadas are the world longest living insects. They are winged, red eyed insects that live underground feeding on the roots. They emerge from the underground once in 12-17 years. Recently, it has been predicted that a group of Cicadas called the "Brood X Cicadas" are to emerge across the mid-Atlantic for the first time since 2004.

8. The Assam State Disaster Management Agency and the UNICEF has jointly developed an Online Flood Reporting System. With this, Assam becomes the first state to adopt digital reporting system to find out impact indicators during floods. The new system will report flood levels in Assam on a daily basis. Earlier, the flood managing system in the state involved multiple stake holders, was time consuming and required manual verification.

9. On May 4, 2021, the Union Minister of Petroleum Shri Dharmendra Pradhan flagged off the first supply of used cooking oil-based biodiesel. It was launched under the Expression of Interests Scheme. It was launched for the procurement of bio diesel produced from used cooking oil.

10. The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost in Nandigram. She lost the seat to her former protégé-turned-BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari by a margin of 1956 votes. Protégé is a person supported by a more experienced person. However, she can still take over as the Chief Minister of the State. This is permitted under Article 164 (4).

11. The Ministry of Finance recently cut the IGST on import of oxygen concentrators for personal use to 12%. Earlier it was 28%. IGST is Integrated Goods and Services Tax. The decision was announced by the Central Board of Indirect taxes and Customs. The changes are being made in accordance to the IGST Act, 2017.

12. The Supreme Court of India recently struck down Maratha reservation in the state as it breaches 50% ceiling of reservation. This was done by striking down the Maharashtra law that guaranteed reservation for the Maratha community their quota in employment and public education.

13. There have been deadly fires in the hospital buildings of India. This includes hospitals treating COVID-19 as well. The recent fires in hospital buildings of Virar region of Mumbai, Bharuch in Gujarat and in Mumbra near Thane has brought the spotlight to the Public Building and Fire Safety rules.

14. The Health Minister of Goa recently recommended the use of "Ivermectin" to all people above the age of eighteen years. However, the World Health Organisation has warned against its use now. The Government of Goa recently cleared a new COVID-19 Treatment Protocol. Under the protocol, the Government had recommended the use of "Ivermectin" drug.

15. The Ministry of Labour and Employment recently notified Section 142 of the Social Security Code, 2020. The Section covers applicability of the Aadhhar. The notification will enable the Ministry of Labour and Employment to collect Aadhaar details from the beneficiaries of various social security schemes. This includes migrant workers as well.

16. The Supreme Court recently pronounced that only President can take decisions in declaring the Socially and Economically Backward Community. The judgement was pronounced upholding the 102nd constitutional amendments. The Apex court said that the 102nd constitutional amendment has taken away the powers of state governments to designate Socially and Economically Backward Classes.

17. Himanta Biswa Sarma is to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Assam on May 10, 2021. He is to replace Sarbananda Sonowal. Both the candidates are from BJP. Sarbananda recently resigned. The Chief Minister is appointed by the Governor. It is to be noted that only Members of the Legislative Assembly or Members of the Parliament are elected by the people. The Chief Minister and the Prime Minister are appointed by the Governor and President respectively.

18. Hoolock Gibbons are lesser apes. They are the second largest of the Gibbons after Siamang. Earlier it was said that India (North East India) is home to two species namely Eastern Hoolock Gibbon and Western Hoolock Gibbon. However, a recent study by Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology has found that only western Hoolock Gibbon is found in India.

19. The Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC) operating under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change recently recommended for grant of "Terms of Reference for Environmental Impact Assessment" studies. Earlier the committee had raised serious concerns against the project.

20. Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has launched four new helpline numbers to help people amid the second wave of covid-19. To promote these numbers advisory was issued to private television channels to government in spreading awareness regarding covid-19 pandemic.

21. A private firm Verisk Maplecroft has found that the Asian cities face the greatest risk from environmental issues. This includes natural disasters and air pollution. Of the hundred most vulnerable cities, ninety-nine are located in Asia. India is home to thirteen of the top twenty riskiest cities. This was mainly due to air and water pollution.

22. Around eighteen Asian elephants died in Nagaon district of Assam recently. It is a proposed reserve forest. Prior to this, such mass death of elephants occurred in 2001. Around 21 elephants were poisoned to death in 2001 in the adjoining tiger reserves of Pakke and Nameri across Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

23. Tauktae is the first cyclone of 2021. The IMD has predicted that Tauktae cyclone will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm and then later into a Very Severe Cyclonic storm. It is expected to be the strongest in the west coast in two decades. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently reviewed the impacts of climate change on tropical cyclones. This includes all typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes.

24. A study conducted by the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation recently found that the long working hours kills hundreds of people every year. Working 55 hours a week increased risks of strokes by 35% and increased the risk of ischemic heart disease by 35%.

25. Apex body of broadcasters, Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has extended its purview to cover digital streaming platforms. Also, it will be renamed as Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF). Extended coverage will bring broadcasters and OTT (over-the-top) platforms, under one roof. Decision was taken in the view of substantial jump in their viewership base during covid-19 pandemic.

26. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recently came up with eleven recommendations to stop mass disposal of COVID-19 victims in the Ganges. More than fifty bodies washed up on the Ganges river bank recently. The River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities order say that no person shall carry a project or process that causes pollution in river Ganga.

27. Governor of Haryana, S N Arya, approved the Haryana Recovery of Damages to Property Bill. According to the bill (now act), any damage created to people’s shops, houses, vendor carts, government offices, buses, vehicles and other such public property will be recovered from protestors.

28. The Government of India recently increased the gap between the two doses of the COVISHIELD Vaccine. The gap was increased from six to eight weeks to twelve to sixteen weeks. This is the second time in three months, the gaps between the doses of COVISHIELD have been widened. In March 2021, the Union Territories and State Governments were asked to increase the gap from twenty-eight days to six to eight weeks.

29. The Punjab Government recently announced that it is to join COVAX facility in order to increase its COVID-19 supplies. There is a huge vaccine shortage in India. This is slowing the vaccination efforts of the country. Thus the State Government of Punjab is planning to join COVAX facility.

30. The Indian Council of Medical Research recently dropped the plasma therapy from COVID-19 treatment. The decision was taken as the procedure was found to be ineffective. In the therapy, the blood component called plasma from a COVID-19 recovered patient is injected into the COVID-19 infected patient. Plasma is a rich source of antibodies. Antibodies are proteins that fight against the invading virus.

31. Recently, the Tripura Government has launched an online portal named Jagrut Tripura to help the people of the state avail benefits from the various schemes that has been launched by the State as well as the Central Government. This digital platform has been launched by the Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb.

32. Sachin Waze, a police officer was dismissed from service by the Mumbai Police Commissioner under Article 311 (2) (b). Sachin Waze was then arrested by the National Investigation Agency. He was arrested in connection with Mukesh Ambani Terror Scare case and also in relation to the murder of Mansukh Hiran.

33. Texas recently passed the Heartbeat Bill. It is a controversial bill in the United States. The bill bans abortions after the heartbeat of the embryo is detected. It is usually detected after 6 weeks of gestation. North Dakota became the first state in the USA to pass the Heartbeat Bill. However, the Supreme Court of the US held the law unconstitutional.

34. The Punjab Cabinet recently approved Punjab Prison Rules, 2021. These rules were approved under the Prison Act, 1894. The Punjab Jail Manual of 1996 has become archaic. There is a need to update it in the changed scenario of modernisation.

35. On May 14, 2021, K P Sharma Oli was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Nepal for the third time. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered his oath of office. He was re-appointed as the Prime Minister as the opposition couldn’t prove their majority. Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli recently lost vote of confidence in the Nepal Parliament. Now, he has to take Vote of Confidence within thirty days. If he fails to do so, Article 76 of the Constitution will be initiated.

36. The Government of India recently filed a review petition in the Supreme Court over its judgement on Maratha reservation in the State of Maharashtra. The Supreme Court had pronounced that the Maratha reservation under the Maharashtra law breaches the 50% ceiling of reservation. Thus, the apex court struck down the Maharashtra law.

37. After COVID-19 struck in 2020, the number of COVID-19 positive cases in prisons have become a cause of worry. With the prison occupancy rates at 118% social distancing is impossible. The prisons are overcrowded with more than 70% under trial prisoners.

38. On May 17, 2021, the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested the Ministers of West Bengal, Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, TMC MLA Madan Mitra and Sovan Chattopadhyay (former Kolkata Mayor). The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe against the sting operation in Narada Bribery case in March 2017.

39. The Government of India recently brought changes to the Customs (Imports of Goods at Concessional Rate of Duty) rules, IGCR 2017 to boost trade facilitation. This was done through the Customs (Import of Goods at Concessional Rate of Duty) Amendment Rules, 2021.

40. Governor of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, has given his assent to Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2021 along with 7 other bills. These bills were passed in March 2021 during the budget session of the state assembly. This bill is being also called as "anti-love jihad" Bill.

41. A committee was set up by National Green Tribunal (NGT) to submit report on alleged violation of norms in construction of a reservoir across Cauvery river at Mekedatu in Karnataka. NGT bench consisting of Justice K Ramakrishnan took suo motu cognizance of newspaper report regarding the dam. Report states Karnataka proposes to construct a dam across Cauvery river even though proposal was deferred by Cauvery Water Management Authority twice in past because of opposition from Tamil Nadu government.

42. As the New IT (Digital Media) Rules of India came into force, WhatsApp has sued the Indian government in Delhi Court and asked to block regulations. WhatsApp sued the government because, it is believed, law will compel social media units to break privacy protections.

43. Administrator of Lakshadweep, Praful Khoda Patel, is being opposed by people of the union territory and politicians over policies he drafted in recent time. Lakshadweep Development Authority (LDA) was recently created with extensive powers such as eviction of land owners.

44. Recently, Uttarakhand high court has criticized state government for neglecting and forcing families of Van Gujjars nomadic tribe to survive in conditions below animal’s existence. Court has ordered Uttarakhand government to provide them accommodation, food, water and medicines. It also ordered to get their Covid-19 testing done before they enter Govind Pashu Vihar National Park in Uttarkashi.

45. Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, appointed "Guardian Ministers" in state. Guardian Ministers will look after balanced, speedy and sustainable developments in all 34 districts of state. They will be responsible to implement and resolve issues (if any) related to schemes by state and Central government in districts.

46. Central Government has invited Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to apply for citizenship in India under the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. Several migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan have been residing in 13 districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Chhattisgarh.

47. After an extensive five-year study by researchers from Delhi University, eight more species were added to the list of snakes in Delhi. With the addition of eight species, number of snake species recorded in Delhi is increased to 23. As per study, there are 329 snakes in 23 species and 9 families.

48. Forest Department of Odisha has witnessed an adult Gharial surrounded by 28 hatchlings at Satkosia gorge in Mahanadi river which is considered as southernmost limit of gharials’ home range in India. Forest department has been trying for 15 years to increase the population of gharials in their natural habitat in Odisha.

49. World’s fastest land animal, Cheetah is expected to be reintroduced in India. Cheetah will be introduced at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in November 2021. Supreme Court of India had also given its approval in January 2020 to introduce African cheetahs in a suitable habitat in India as an experiment to see if they can adapt to the environment.

50. Union Ministry of road and transport has recently notified about the draft rules for 4-wheeler tyres to raise the fuel efficiency. Norms for new model tyres will come in effect from October 1, 2021 while for the existing model, from October 1, 2022. Norms have been prepared on the line of norms followed in Europe.

51. India Meteorological Department has informed that, Cyclone Yaas is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm, week after cyclone Tauktae had its landfall on the western coast of India. Cyclone Yaas is likely to affect the coastal parts of Odisha and West Bengal on May 26, 2021.

52. Union Ministry of Power has announced to set up a ‘National Mission on use of Biomass’ in coal based thermal power plants. This decision was taken to address issue of air pollution caused due to farm stubble-burning. It will also help in energy transition across the country and help in fulfilling the aim of establishing cleaner energy sources.

53. A new species of plant, called African violet, was discovered by Indian Institute of Science education and research (IISER), Bhopal. African violet is found in parts of Mizoram and adjoining areas in Myanmar. This discovery has given a platform for northeast in biodiversity which is still understudied and undiscovered.

54. Maharashtra Government has prepared and submitted a tentative serial nomination for 14 forts of the state, to get World Heritage Site tag. Maharashtra has listed 14 sites including Shivneri fort, Raigad Fort, Torna fort, Rajgad Fort, Lohagad, Mulher fort, Ankai Tankai forts, Salher Fort, Rangana Fort, Ankai Tankai Forts, Kasa Fort, Sindhudurg Fort, Alibag Fort, Suvarnadurg and Khanderi Fort.

55. India and Israel have inked a three-year joint work programme which will continue till 2023. Joint work programme was initiated with the aim of enhancing cooperation in agriculture. India and Israel have completed four similar joint work programmes successfully.

56. Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant, launched solar-based electrification programme for rural households of state, on the occasion of Goa statehood Day (May 30). This programme will bring electricity using renewable energy to rural areas in Goa where grid connectivity is not feasible. It was launched with focus on delivering clean, reliable and affordable energy to all.

57. Just before the celebration of "World No Tobacco Day on May 31", Global Burden of Disease collaboration has published studies on number of smokers worldwide. As per study, India had about 2 crores smokers aged 15-24 in 2019. It is the second highest number of tobacco smokers worldwide. India also witnessed highest increase of male smokers since 1990 in age group 15-24.

International

1. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Russian President Vladimir Putin recently agreed to establish "2+2 Ministerial Dialogue". The "2+2 Ministerial" dialogue is held between the defence ministers and foreign ministers. India holds similar dialogues with US, Australia and Japan.

2. The United Kingdom is to cut its fund to the United Nations Global Family Planning Programme. According to the UN Population Fund, the UK had pledged 154 million Euros. However, now UK is to provide only 23 million Euros.

3. The Karen Rebels recently seized a military post in Myanmar. The post is located close to the border of north western Thailand. They are the oldest rebel group in Myanmar. They have formed the Karen National Union (KNU). They have been fighting against the Myanmar government since 1949. They are fighting for an independent state called "Kawthoolei". It is one of the longest running civil wars in the world.

4. Russia recently produced the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines for animals. The name of the vaccine is Carnivac-Cov. The World Health Organisation recently confirmed the possibility for transmission of virus between humans and virus. It was produced by Rosselkhoznadzor, a federal service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance in Russia.

5. The World largest airplane built by Stratolaunch recently completed its second test flight from Mojave Air and Space Port in California. It has been named "Roc". Roc is an enormous bird usually addressed in the mythological stories of the Middle East. It is quite popular from "Sinbad, the Sailor".

6. The researchers of Poland recently discovered the first embalmed pregnant woman. This is the first time in the history scientists have found a foetus in a mummy. Initially the researchers thought the Mummy was a male priest. This Mummy was found at the Royal Tombs in Thebes. Thebes is an ancient Egyptian city along the Nile river.

7. River Litani is the longest river in Lebanon. It has an artificial lake called the Qaraoun lake created by the Litani river dam. Around forty tonnes of fish were recently washed on the banks of the lake due to excessive pollution. The pollution was mainly due to sewage dumping. This has gained an international spotlight. Such a huge disaster is happening for the first time in the region.

8. Lag B’Omer is an annual Jewish festival. It is celebrated in the Hebrew month of Iyar. The festival is celebrated on the thirtieth day of the Omer. Recently, more than forty-four people died here due to a stampede (in Meron of Israel). They were gathered at the reputed tomb of Shimon Bar Yochai for Lag B’Omer.

9. The President of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi declared a "State of Siege" due to the increasing violence in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. The violence killed more than hundred people and displaced more than 1.5 million. The violence has displaced 1.6 million population and more than 2.8 million people are in need of emergency assistance.

10. The World Health Organisation recently listed mRNA vaccine of Moderna for Emergency Use. This makes it the fifth vaccine to receive emergency use validation from WHO. The Emergency Use Listing of vaccines of the WHO assesses the safety, quality and efficacy of vaccines. It is a prerequisite for COVAX facility vaccine supply.

11. The United States Department recently approved the sale of P-81 Patrol aircraft to India. It is a long range patrol aircraft. It was manufactured by Boeing for Indian Navy. It is a variant of P-8A Poseidon. The Poseidon is operated by the US Navy. The P-8I is capable of conducting maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance missions and surveillance.

12. The Ingenuity Helicopter of Mars 2020 project of NASA recently performed its fourth of its five planned flights successfully. With this, it has completed its month-long technology demonstration. Now, it is to begin its new phase. This new phase is called operation demonstration phase. So far it was in its technology demonstration phase.

13. The Democratic Republic of Congo recently declared the end of the twelfth outbreak of Ebola. It had killed six people in the eastern province of North Kivu. The Ebola virus transmits from wild animals to people. It spreads among human population through human-to-human population. The natural hosts of Ebola virus are the fruit bats.

14. The Government of India and British Government recently finalised a one billion pound of trade and investment with India. This is expected to create 6,500 jobs in the UK. The deal has been finalised ahead of the virtual summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The leaders will sign the deal formally during the summit. The summit is to be held on May 4, 2021.

15. The United States recently approved 550 million USD for the Crimson Solar Project. The project will provide electricity to 87,500 homes. The project is to be set up on 2,000 acres of land in the Desert of California. It features 350 MW of solar photovoltaic facility and 350 MW of energy storage system.

16. Oktoberfest is an annual festival celebrated in the month of October for two weeks in Munich, Germany. Recently, the German Government announced that the celebrations of Oktoberfest have been cancelled due to COVID-19. This is the second consecutive year the celebrations are being cancelled in Germany.

17. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a virtual bilateral summit. During the summit, the leaders adopted an ambitious "Roadmap 2030". This will help to elevate the bilateral ties between the countries. Also, the leaders launched the Enhanced Trade Partnership which is to be implemented through the 1.4 billion investment deal.

18. As a part of Operation Samudra Setu II, INS Kolkata has reached Kuwait to collect Liquid Medical Oxygen from the country. Earlier it embarked 43 oxygen concentrators and two hundred bottles of oxygen from Qatar. Several countries have come forward to help India.

19. The scientists have found the oldest human burial in Africa. The site is 78,000 years old. The cave site was discovered near Kenyan coast. The site is called "Panga ya Saidi". The remains of a child whose age was two to three years led to the discovery of the cave. The child was put to rest with a pillow.

20. Denmark has passed a law to allow the screening of foreign investments so that they do not pose any threats to the National Security. The new law has been legislated to protect the country against Huawei of China and its objectives to build 5G network in the country. However, the law does not mention China.

21. The SpaceX of Elon Musk recently launched SN15. Earlier the initial attempts made to launch the rocket ended in explosions in mid air. There have been several situations of SpaceX rocket explosions in the past. This is mainly due to the methane-based propellant used by SpaceX.

22. The European Union recently approved the requests of Norway, Canada and United States to participate in Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) defence initiative. This is the first time; the European bloc has allowed a third state to participate in the PESCO project. The countries will now participate in the Military Mobility Project in Europe.

23. The Colonial Pipeline company transports about 45% of petrol and diesel in the east coast of US. It was forced to shut down after a cyber attack by a group called "Darkside". The pipeline originates in the Texas and carries gasoline to the South eastern states of the US. Following the attack, the US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency.

24. More than one hundred and seventy seals were washed up dead over the shores of Caspian Sea in Russia. Experts believe that the seals might have died due to industrial pollution or might have got caught in the nets. Caspian Sea is the largest inland water body in the world.

25. The Belgian Government sites were recently knocked offline due to DDoS attack. Several government sites and Internet Service Providers of the public sector of the country were hit hard by DDoS. DDoS is Distributed Denial of Service. It is a cyber threat that seeks to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server. This is done by controlling a network of malware infected devices.

26. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to take part in the European Council (to be held on May 8, 2021) meet. This year, in 2021, the India-European Union Leaders’ Meeting is to be hosted by Portugal. Portugal currently holds the chair of the grouping. The PM Modi is to participate in the meet along with other Government heads of the members of the European Union. The leaders are to exchange views on COVID-19 and also will foster sustainable and inclusive growth.

27. India and South Africa proposed for IP waiver at the World Trade Organisation in 2020. This has now been backed by the United States. The US will further negotiate at the World Trade Organisation to waive Intellectual property for COVID-19 vaccines. This will help in large scale production of COVID-19 vaccines in middle income countries.

28. Sputnik V vaccine developed by Russia is a two-dose vaccine. The unique feature of the vaccine is that the first and second dose are different from each other. In Sputnik Light a single dose is sufficient. Sputnik V is also known as Gam-COVID-Vac. It uses heterogenous recombinant adenovirus approach. Meaning, Sputnik V is a two-vector vaccine. It uses Adeno Virus 26 in the first dose and Adeno Virus 5 in the second dose. These Adeno Viruses are the carriers.

29. The Ministry of Health recently announced that a new security feature is being added to the Co-WIN software. Co-WIN is COVID-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network. The Health Ministry has recently added a four-digit security code to the CO-WIN software. When a person books vaccination slots on Co-WIN platform, he or she will get a four-digit security code.

30. A Chinese document written in 2015 states that SARS virus shall be used as a "New Era of Genetic Weapons". The virus can be artificially manipulated into a human virus disease, then weaponized and unleashed (released from restraint). This was first brought out in Australia. The title of the Chinese document was "The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New species of Man-Made Virus as Bioweapons".

31. The World Health Organisation recently approved the Emergency Use of Sinpharm vaccine. Recently, the WHO approved COVID-19 vaccines developed by AstraZeneca, Pfizer, BioNTech, Johnson and Johnson as well. The other popular Chinese Vaccine is sinovac. Sinopharm vaccine was developed by China. This is the first time the WHO has given approval to a Chinese vaccine. It is also a sign that Sinopharm vaccine might be allowed to be included in COVAX programme.

32. The Chinese rocket Long March 5B recently fell into the Indian Ocean near Maldives. The track of the falling rocket couldn’t be predicted for days. However, the European Space Agency announced that the rocket might fall anywhere between 41.5 degree north and 41.5 degrees south latitude. This put several highly populated cities at risk.

33. SpaceX is to launch DOGE-1, a satellite that is completely funded with crypto currency. Days earlier Musk did mention about DOGE crypto currencies in a TV show he was hosting. He also admitted in the show that he had Asperger’s Syndrome. It is the first ever commercial payload to be paid with Dogecoin.

34. The annual population of China has slowed during the decade. This has put the demographic dividend of the country at risk. The annual population growth of China was at 0.53% in 2020 census. It was 0.57% in 2010 census. The life expectancy of China has been increasing. Recently, the Government of China increased the retired age of women to 55 years and that of men to 60 years.

35. The Five Deeps Expedition has provided data on the deepest points of five oceans in the world. They are the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and the Southern Oceans. Java Trench is the deepest point in Indian Ocean. There were competing claims for the deepest point in Indian Ocean. This was between Java Trench off coast of Indonesia and Fracture Zone to the Southwest of Australia. Java Trench turned out to be the winner.

36. The President of Nepal Bidhya Devi Bhandari recently prorogued the Parliament after the Prime Minister Oli lost vote of confidence. Proroguing is to discontinue a session of parliament or legislative assembly. A vote of Confidence was placed at the Nepali Parliament. The parliament has 271 members. Oli secured 93 votes in favour and 124 against.

37. The SpaceX Billionaire Elon Musk recently announced that he had Asperger’s Syndrome. The announcement was made in a TV show Musk was hosting. Musk also mentioned about the Dogecoin cryptocurrency in the show. Recently, an announcement was made that SpaceX is to launch DOGE-1 Mission to moon. The Geometric Energy corporation that is sending DOGE-1 in Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX is to pay in Doge Cryptocurrency.

38. The tensions in the Gaza strip have been escalating since the Israeli police put a barricade at the Damascus Gate. This was around the start of Ramzan, in mid-April, 2021. It is one of the main gates to the old city of Jerusalem. It is located on the highway that connects Damascus, the Syrian capital.

39. Recently, Israel and Palestine engaged in air strikes. It all began with Israeli Police installing a barricade at the Damascus Gate. Later the tensions escalated due to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli police. To this, the Hamas group from Gaza retaliated with rockets. These rockets were intercepted by Israeli Iron Dome. It was as if the rockets were hitting some invisible shield.

40. Vineyard Wind Project is the first major Offshore wind farm that is to power 400,000 homes. The project aims to install 84 turbines in the Atlantic Ocean. It is to be set up 12 Nautical miles off the coast of Matha’s Vineyard. The project is capable of producing 800 MW of electricity. It is a 2.8 billion USD project.

41. The United Kingdom recently unveiled an Action Plan for Animal Welfare. The plan aims to make UK a global example on animal welfare. This will make sure the businesses involving animals to promote tourism does not increase. For instance, Asian elephants are subjected to cruel and brutal training practices to ensure obedience.

42. China recently launched Changsei 2C rocket from the Xichang satellite launch centre. It is a Yaogan satellite. This satellite has joined the previous seven groups in orbit that were launched after 2017. The satellite is to be used for electromagnetic environmental surveys and other related technical tests.

43. The first BRICS Employment Working Group was held virtually. It was hosted by India. India assumed BRICS Presidency in 2021. The members agreed to conduct dialogues and discussions with each other to solve the issue of Social Security Agreement. Upon reaching into conclusions, they will take it forward to signing agreements. The ILO and the ISSA are to provide technical support.

44. Texas recently passed the Heartbeat Bill. It is a controversial bill in the United States. The bill bans abortions after the heartbeat of the embryo is detected. It is usually detected after 6 weeks of gestation. North Dakota became the first state in the USA to pass the Heartbeat Bill. However, the Supreme Court of the US held the law unconstitutional.

45. The mice population in Australia has increased exponentially. The mice are causing extensive damages to the cultivated crop and stored food grains. This is being referred to as Mice Rain. Also, plague in the country has increased. According to the scientists, the rodents are the most successful mammals in the planet after humans. A pair of breeding mice can give birth to new litter every twenty days.

46. The External Affairs Minister of India recently held a discussion with the US Global Task Force on Pandemic Response. He discussed about the priorities of India in vaccines, pharmaceuticals and oxygen. The Global Task Force on Pandemic earlier announced that it is closely working with US-India Strategic Partnership Forum and US-India Business Council to make three immediate actions.

47. The Democratic Republic of Congo recently handed death sentence to thirty people after clashes between two rival Muslim factions. On the Islamic holiday of Eid, that mark the end of Ramadan month, two Muslim groups clashed in front of the Martyrs stadium in the city of Kinshasa. The fight was over the right to hold Eid celebrations in the stadium.

48. The gasoline shortages in the US East Coast recently began to ease since the Colonial Pipeline Cyber Attack. Ships and trucks were deployed to fill up the storage tanks after the Colonial Pipeline shutdown. It was the most disruptive cyberattack on record.

49. The Chinese Government recently announced that it is to add the Synthetic Cannabinoids to the list of banned drugs in the country. This is being done to curb the trafficking and manufacturing of the drug. In simple term, the Synthetic Cannabinoid is an artificially produced Cannabinoid. Cannabinoid is a compound found on Cannabis plant.

50. Iran recently launched its supercomputer called Simorgh. This supercomputer is hundred times more powerful than the previous Iranian supercomputers. The Supercomputer has been named after the phoenix like bird called the Simurgh. The Simorgh Supercomputer was developed by the Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, the capital of Iran.

51. On May 19, 2021, China and Russia began the biggest Nuclear Power Project. The Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Chinese President Xi Jing Ping attended the ceremony that began the construction of the project on May 19, 2021. The construction of the above four units is the major cooperation outcome of science and technology innovation and high-end equipment manufacturing between the countries.

52. Recently, City of Ceuta witnessed an unprecedented influx of about 8,000 people from Morocco by swimming around breakwaters, separating both the countries, to reach city of Ceuta. Influx has tensed relations between Spain and Morocco. Influx of Migrants in Spain from Morocco is a regular business but in small numbers. This time, the scale of crossings has increased exceptionally.

53. The IMF (International Monetary Fund) proposed a USD 50 billion global vaccination plan which will cover about 40 percent of global population by the end of 2021. It also seeks to cover at least 60 percent of the population by first half of 2022.

54. Recent study shows that, Invasive species are costing African agriculture about $3.66 trillion per year. It equals to 1.5 times of the combined gross domestic product of all African countries. Researchers from Kenya, Britain, Ghana and Switzerland were estimating the annual economic hit because of invasive species to African agriculture.

55. Recently, US space agency NASA has announced to send its first mobile robot to the Moon in 2023. Mobile robot will search ice and other resources on and below the surface of moon. This mission is an example showing "robotic science mission" and "human exploration" go hand in hand.

56. Amid the second wave of Covid-19 and mass vaccination programme across the world a term "Vaccine Tourism" is gaining momentum. Vaccine Tourism has come to limelight after draft of a vaccine tour package by Dubai-based travel agency called ‘Arabian Nights Tours’ for Delhi-Moscow.

57. Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory LHAASO of China has recently detected dozen sources of ultra-high-energy gamma rays. LHAASO cosmic ray observatory has discovered 12 sources of ultrahigh-energy photons. It has also detected a photon with energy level of 1.4 peta-electron volt. All these sources are located at positions in milky way galaxy and it can be measured with an accuracy of greater than 0.3°. They are the brightest Milky Way gamma ray sources discovered till date.

58. The Global G20 Health Summit was co-hosted by European Commission along with Italy as part of its G20 presidency amid the surge and spread of the coronavirus cases. The summit adopted the agenda to overcome Covid-19 pandemic. It also decided to develop and endorse a Rome Declaration of principles.

59. In a bid to fulfil the international calls for vaccine solidarity, American pharmaceutical company, Pfizer and German company, BioNTech have pledged to provide 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine to poor countries in middle-income and low-income countries in next 18 months. This announcement was made at the global health summit hosted by Italy.

60. Commonwealth health ministers, led by India, are seeking swift and equal access to Covid-19 vaccines for all across the world. On the behalf of 54 commonwealth member, they were concerned over gaps in access and delivery of vaccines. They also called for fair and transparent pricing of vaccine.

61. Environment ministers from seven industrialised nations or G7 grouping agreed to accelerate efforts against global warming during a two-day virtual meeting hosted by United Kingdom, holding presidency of G7 currently. They also committed to stop government support for new coal-fired power plants by the end of 2021.

62. Government of Democratic Republic of Congo has launched an evacuation plan for "eastern city of Goma" after volcano Mount Nyiragongo erupted. Mount Nyiragongo volcano is located 10 km from Goma. After eruption, it has led to thousands of residents very frightened. So, they are now fleeing towards Rwanda in east.

63. According to National Hurricane Centre, Miami, subtropical storm Ana is drifting northeast across the Atlantic Ocean after causing rain to Bermuda. Thus, first named Atlantic storm will cause no damage to land and will dissipate soon. Ana storm was located about 435 kilometres northeast of Bermuda. It had a maximum sustained wind of 75 kilometres per hour. Ana was the first named storm in Atlantic in 2021, even though hurricane season is not started yet. Hurricane season usually start on June 1.

64. United States has put visa restrictions on officials of Ethiopia and Eritrea, who are accused of increasing six-month-old war in Tigray region of Ethiopia. US accused them as they had not taken meaningful steps to end hostilities in Tigray region. According to US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, curbs on economic and security assistance to Ethiopia was also imposed. However, it will continue providing humanitarian aid for health, food and education.

65. Singapore has approved a covid breath test which detect to covid-19 and show the accurate results in less than a minute. The test kit works in a manner similar to standard breathalyzer test which is used by police to check for erratic drunken drivers. To test, person first blows into a one-way valve mouthpiece. Then, compounds in person’s breath are compared through machine learning software. It compares against sort of breath signature which is a symptom of person who is Covid-positive.

66. According to director of World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, covid-19 pandemic is being sustained by a "scandalous inequity" in vaccine distribution. Thus, he has set new targets to protect people in poorest nations.

67. India has exported first consignment of GI-certified Shahi Litchi from Bihar to United Kingdom by air route on May 24, 2021. Geographical indication (GI) tag is given to an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product such as handicraft and industrial goods which are originating from definite geographical territory.

68. China has again defended its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, by terming it an economic initiative. CPEC is USD 60 billion project of China with Pakistan. While, India do not support the project as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) region of India. China again has disregarded India’s protests stating that project has not affected its principled stand on Kashmir issue.

69. United Kingdom launched the process to start free trade talks with India followed by launch of a 14-week consultation process with business representatives to get their views on prospective Free trade deal. This "Enhanced Trade Partnership (EYP)" will bring up new opportunities for iconic industries such as whisky.

70. Guillermo Lasso, a conservative, assumed presidency of Ecuador on May 24, 2021 and has become first right-wing leader in 14 years in Ecuador. Rejuvenation of an economy that has contracted by 7.8 percent in 2020 and the overall debt stands at 63 percent of GDP is the major challenge before the new President. Apart from that, Ecuador is battling economic and health crises as covid-19 has infected about 420,000 people and killed more than 20,000.

71. World Health Organization along with three other international bodies have set up a team of experts who will help in developing a global plan on preventing the spread of diseases from animals to humans. This initiative was launched by France and Germany in 2020, but held its first meeting in May 2021.

72. According to International Monetary Fund (IMF), Emerging-market nations’ struggle to move out of covid-19 pandemic-induced economic crisis can hurt developed nations. It said, crisis has "Ricochet impact" on the developed and advanced economies.

73. United Nations has warned, "there is a risk of famine in Tigray region, if assistance is not provided urgently". According to officials of UN, measures need to be taken to avoid famine in Ethiopia Tigray region. About 20 percent of population in war-torn area is facing emergency food insecurity. Destruction and violence against civilians are still continuing.

74. A sacrificial pit was recently discovered at Sanxingdui Ruins Site in China, highlighting the greatness of Chinese civilization. According to National Cultural Heritage Administration, Chinese archaeologists found six new sacrificial pits and about 500 items dating back to 3,000 years at Sanxingdui Ruins in Sichuan Province. Archaeologists have found gold masks, gold foil, miniature ivory sculptures, bronze trees, bronze masks, carbonized rice and seeds in four of the six pits.

75. Recently, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, asked neighbouring Dominica to handover India’s fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi to India directly. As per Prime Minister, Choksi was living in Antigua and Barbuda since 2018 after taking citizenship in 2017 under the ‘Citizenship by Investment Programme’. He will not be having same rights in Dominica as he was having in Antigua and Barbuda.

76. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is organising "Steadfast Defender 21 war games" military exercises in Europe as tensions with Russia increases. In the war names, NATO troops, warships and dozens of aircrafts are taking part. Military exercises are taking place across Atlantic, through Europe and into Black Sea region.

77. Bashar al-Assad was re-elected as President for a fourth term in war-ravaged Syria, amid accusations that polls were "neither free nor fair". Parliamentary speaker announced, Assad got 95.1 percent of votes cast. In last multi-candidate poll of 2014, he had won 88 percent of vote.

78. Part of structure of a key protein in COVID-19 virus was revealed by researchers from Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi. Covid-19 protein structure will help in understanding mode of action & its role in spread and severity of covid-19 disease. It will also help in development of antiviral therapeutics.

79. Hong Kong mountaineer, Tsang Yin-hung, recorded "world’s fastest ascent of Everest by a woman" in just 26 hours. Tsang climbed 8,848.86-metre mountain in a record time of 25 hours and 50 minutes in her third attempt. Earlier in 2017, Tsang became first Hong Kong woman to climbed the top.

80. Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have called United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to establish a permanent commission; who can report on human rights violations across Israel, Gaza and West Bank; following the latest violence in Israel-Palestine Conflict.

81. US administration led by Biden, does not seek to re-join Open Skies Treaty with Russia. The treaty is a key arms control agreement, that allowed US and Russia to fly surveillance aircraft over their military facilities According to US administration, US does not seek to renter the pact because of Russia’s failure to comply with it.

82. External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting in Washington on May 28, 2021. Both of them held a productive discussion on various aspects of bilateral cooperation and regional & global issues. They discussed Indo Pacific and Quad, Myanmar matter, Afghanistan matter and UNSC matters. Meeting also focused on "Indo-US vaccine partnership".

83. India extends its support to renewed global calls for comprehensive investigation into origins of Covid-19 by World Health Organisation. India extended support after US President asked US intelligence agencies to find how coronavirus emerged in China. Demands were raised by countries including US and Australia to investigate whether coronavirus originated in Wuhan City of China in late 2019 from an animal source or from laboratory accident in December 2019. Earlier, In March 2021, WHO reported on origins of virus but US and other countries were not satisfied with it.

Defence

1. The Indian Navy recently launched Operation Samudra Setu II. The operation will aid in fulfilling oxygen requirements of the country. Under the operation, warships have been deployed to carry liquid oxygen filled cryogenic containers. Two ships INS Talwar and INS Kolkata have been diverted for this operation.

2. The Indian Army recently launched the first Green Solar Energy harnessing plant in Sikkim. It was launched to benefit the troops of the Indian army. The plant uses Vanadium based battery technology. It was built at an altitude of 16,000 feet. It was completed in collaboration with IIT Mumbai.

3. As a part of Operation Samudra Setu II, INS Kolkata has reached Kuwait to collect Liquid Medical Oxygen from the country. Earlier it embarked 43 oxygen concentrators and two hundred bottles of oxygen from Qatar. The Government of India has set an inter-ministerial group to clear the global relief material as early as possible and make sure if the aid reaches the concerned department on time.

4. The European Union recently approved the requests of Norway, Canada and United States to participate in Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) defence initiative. This is the first time; the European bloc has allowed a third state to participate in the PESCO project. The countries will now participate in the Military Mobility Project in Europe.

5. Indian Navy has installed a medical ICU (MICU) on Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) at INS Hansa. It will help in boosting its capacity to evacuate critical patients even in unfavourable weather conditions. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) installed on-board ALH Mk-III from INAS 323 at INS Hans. ALH Mk-III is an all-weather aircraft which will help Indian Navy to undertake medical evacuation of critical patients by air even during unfavourable weather conditions.

6. INS Rajput was the first destroyer as well as the lead ship of the Rajput class of the Indian Navy. Recently, on 21 May, 2021 INS Rajput has been decommissioned after 41 years of service by the Indian Navy.

7. Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, has launched ‘Services e-Health Assistance & Tele-consultation (SeHAT) OPD Portal. Service Will be provided by defence services doctors who are on regular duties. Persons aged 75 and above can consult without waiting. Similar portal called "e-sanjivani platform’ have provided facility of telecommunication to about 5 lakh people in recent months.

8. Defence Secretary, Dr Ajay Kumar, launched the "DG NCC Mobile Training App 2.0" to provide basis information and training material to NCC Cadet. App will assist in conducting online training to NCC cadets amid COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to provide basic information related to NCC and entire training material including, Syllabus, Training Videos etc on single platform. Cadets can attend online training and appear in certificate exams through this app which in turn help to prevent their academic year. App was developed in line with ‘Digital India’ vision.

9. National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval, has commissioned Indian Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel Sajag. It was dedicated nation to safeguard maritime interests. Offshore Patrol Vessel, Sajag has been constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited, which was commended by NSA for indigenously developing ships for Maritime Armed forces with state-of-the-art machinery, latest technology sensors and equipment.

Business, Economy & Banking

1. The Indian scientists recently developed a new Soy Bean variety called the "MACS 1407". The new variety was developed by the Agharkar Research Institute of Pune along with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. It is a high yielding variety that gives 39 quintals per hectare.

2. The Ministry of Finance recently announced that it is to provide Rs 15,000 crores to the states for their Capital Expenditure for 2021-22. This is being provided as interest free fifty-year loan to spend on capital projects. Fresh guidelines have been announced in this regard called the "Scheme of Financial Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure".

3. The Ministry of Finance recently released the first instalment of State Disaster Relief Fund. According to the Finance Ministry, the funds have been released early. The ministry released 50% of the amount, which is Rs. 4,436.8 crores. According to the recommendation made by the mmission" Finance Commision, the funds were to be released by June 2021. The total amount of SDRF to be released for 2021-22 is Rs 8,873 crores.

4. The Minister of Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari recently announced that the Government of India has set a target of road construction of worth Rs 15 lakh crores in next two years. In order to achieve the above target, the Government of India aims to construct forty kilometres of road per day in 2021-22.

5. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade recently notified that the import of oxygen concentrators shall be allowed for personal use. The Government of India has revised the Foreign Trade Policy, 2015-2020 to permit the import. The new revision says that the imports of goods as "gifts’ is allowed through post or courier where customs clearance is sought except for medicines, oxygen concentrators and lifesaving drugs.

6. The Government of India recently appointed T Rabi Shankar as the fourth Deputy Governor. T Rabi Shankar is in charge of fintech, payment system, risk management and information technology at the Apex Bank. He has succeeded B P Kanungo. Rabi Shankar has an M Phil in Economics degree.

7. India recently notified Digital Tax threshold of two crore rupees and 300,00 users under the Significant Economic Presence principle. This threshold was notified for non-resident technology firms such as Netflix, Facebook, Google, to pay tax in India. The principle was first introduced in the Finance Bill 2018-19. It was adopted to address the challenges of tax profits made by the digital companies.

8. The Department of Telecommunications recently allowed mobile operators to conduct 5G trials. The Chinese companies, however, have been kept out of the trials. The Telecom Department has allowed Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and MTNL to conduct trials using 5G technology. These service providers have tied up with original equipment manufacturers such as Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung.

9. The Government of India recently waived the Integrated GST till June 30, 2021. This included Remdesivir, Beta cyclodextrin, medical grade oxygen, oxygen concentrators, cryogenic transport tanks, etc. It is one of the three components of Goods and Services Tax. IGST is Integrated Goods and Services Tax. It is levied on inter-state transfer of goods and services. According to the GST rules, IGST is shared between the centre and the state in the ratio of 50:50.

10. The stock of SAIL increased to a nine year high of Rs 135.60 on the BSE. In the last six weeks, the stocks of SAIL has increased by 85%. It has entered the hundred most valued Indian firms list. SAIL is Steel Authority of Indian Limited. It operates under Ministry of Steel. The annual turn over of SAIL is around 10 billion USD.

11. The Reserve Bank of India recently opened an on-tap liquidity window of Rs 50,000 crores. Note: On-tap means ready to. On-tap liquidity window is funds that are to be provided immediately. Liquidity is cash. Under this step, the banks can provide lending support to vaccine manufacturers, importers of vaccines, pathology labs, hospitals and dispensaries, suppliers of vaccines, logistics firms, etc.

12. The Ministry of Aviation (Government of India) recently allowed twenty entities to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BLVOS) flights of drones. It is the distances where the drones and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) operate outside the normal visible range. It is the second stage in the testing of drones. In the first phase of testing, the drones are operated within the visual line of sight.

13. The Union Cabinet recently approved the Strategic Disinvestment and transfer of management control in IDBI bank. The Government of India recently holds 45.48% stake in IDBI bank, LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) owns 49.24%. In 2019, LIC infused 21,624 crores of rupees into bank. It is the current promoter of IDBI and GoI is the co-promoter.

14. The Governor of Reserve Bank of India Shaktikanta Das recently announced that the apex bank will make the second purchase of Government securities under the Acquisition Programme 1.0 on May 20, 2021. The RBI is to purchase Rs 35,000 crores of Government Securities in the second purchase. Earlier, the RBI had announced a target of one lakh cores rupees for the GSAP-1.0.

15. The US based rating Agency S and P recently cut the growth forecast of India to 9.8% for 2021-22. In March 2021, the agency expected 11% GDP growth in the country. According to the agency, the second wave might derail the recovery. According the S and P ratings, the fiscal position of the Government of India is already stretched.

16. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare recently formulated a special Kharif Strategy. This strategy is to be implemented in the Kharif season 2021. A detailed plan to expand the area of cultivation and eventually increase the productivity of Moong, Tur, and Urad has been formulated.

17. The Reserve Bank of India recently launched a host of measures to protect individual borrowers and the small and medium enterprises in the country. RBI has opened on-tap liquidity window of Rs 50,000 crores at repo rate of 4%. This will boost provisions of immediate liquidity. The banks shall provide fresh lending support to the health sectors and others under this. The loans provided under this window will be classified under "Priority sector" till repayment.

18. The Telangana Government recently imposed a total ban on Glyphosate. The Glyphosate is a controversial herbicide usually use to kill weeds in cotton farms. The usage of Glyphosate is banned because it is carcinogenic. Also, it is being banned to control the illegal cultivation of HTBt cotton.

19. The Reserve Bank of India recently constituted a Committee under the Managing Director S Janaki Raman. The committee is to assist the second Regulatory Review Authority. The committee will assist the authority to identify areas, guidelines, regulations and returns. It will submit reports periodically to RRA that will provide suggestions and recommendations.

20. The National Financial Reporting Authority is creating a database of companies and auditors. As a first step of establishing the database, NFRA is to identify and verify the primary data sources. This is essential because certain data such as Company Identification Number is different from different sources. NFRA is to collect data from the Corporate Data Management division that operates under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and also from other three stock exchanges in India.

21. The Reserve Bank of India recently announced that it is to conduct the first Special Long Term Repo Operation (SLTRO) of Rs 10,000 crores for Small Finance Banks. The RBI will conduct the SLTRO for each month starting from May 2021. This is to continue till October 2021. The SLTRO will be valid for three years. All the Small Finance Banks shall participate in the SLTRO.

22. The Ministry of AYUSH recently announced that Ayush-64 will be available free of cost for mild, moderate asymptomatic patients in Delhi. The representatives or patients can visit these centres with Aadhar card and a soft or hard copy of RT-PCR positive report to get the free AYUSH-64 tablets.

23. The West Bengal Chief Minister recently requested the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exempt COVID medicines and oxygen tanks from taxes. Several other states such as Odisha were also asking for tax exemption on key medicines. The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently said that full exemption of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Vaccines will lead to increase in their prices. She replied back to the Bengal CM letter in Twitter.

24. The prices of commodities from corn to crude oil to rubber, rhodium, copper, soy bean has been increasing since the beginning of 2021. This is referred to as Commodity Super Cycle. Since the beginning of nineteenth century there has been four Commodity Super Cycle.

25. The Digital Payment service provider PayPal recently introduced Foreign Inward Remittance Advice. It is an automated process to obtain monthly foreign inward remittance advice. Earlier, the Indian seller had to send manual requests for FIRA to the bank partners of PayPal. Also, they had to pay a fee for such services offered by the banks. The bank partners will then issue a physical statement on FIRA. It will even take ten days. Now this process has been made simple. It has been digitised.

26. Padmakumar Madhavan Nair of State Bank of India has been appointed as the CEO of Bad Bank. The Bad Bank is a proposed entity of the National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARC). Current Mr Nair is serving as the Chief General Manager in charge of Stressed Assets of SBI. He has been holding the post since April 2020. Prior to this, he worked as the General Manager in SARG.

27. The State Government of Maharashtra has recently launched the "Maharashtra Mission Oxygen". Under the mission, the daily production of the state is to be increased to 3,000 tonnes. The State Government has allocated Rs 200 crores to the mission. It will provide special incentives to the private players who are willing to being oxygen generation units.

28. The Reserve Bank of India recently announced that the second tranche of open market purchase of Government Securities is to be held on May 20, 2021. This is to be held under G-Sec Acquisition Programme. This second tranche is to be conducted for Rs 35,000 crores.

29. The first BRICS Employment Working Group was held virtually. It was hosted by India. India assumed BRICS Presidency in 2021. The member countries discussed about promoting social security agreements among BRICS Nations, participation of women in labour force, formalisation of labour markets.

30. The African Swine Fever has stuck Meghalaya. Earlier, it had struck Mizoram. The African Swine Fever has killed 1,700 pigs in Mizoram in a month. It has now spread to Meghalaya and has killed three hundred pigs here so far. The Philippines Government recently placed the country under a State of Calamity for a year to address the impact of African Swine Fever.

31. On May 14, 2021, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories announced that it had launched Sputnik V in India. The vaccine is imported from Russia and is distributed by Dr Reddy’s laboratory. Currently, Sputnik V is the second most expensive COVID1-19 vaccines in the country. The cost of one dose of Sputnik V is Rs 995.

32. On May 15, 2021, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered an audit of ventilators provided by the Central Government to the State Government and the Union Territories. It has come to the notice of the PM that several ventilators issued to the States are lying in the storage unutilized. Thus, an audit is being launched to check the installation and operation of the ventilators.

33. The Black Fungus disease has been declared as notified disease in Haryana. This means that the Government Authorities have to be informed about each case of Black Fungus Disease. The doctors have to report about the occurrence of disease in their patients to the Chief Medical Officer of the district.

34. DSR Technique is Direct Seeding of Rice Technique. This year Punjab Government has decided to bring one hectare of land under DSR technique. This is being done as the Government is expecting shortage of migrant labour. DSR technique is direct seeding of rice. Here the seeds are sown in the field directly rather than transplanting the seedlings. A tractor powered machine is used to drill the seeds in to the soil.

35. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) recently announced that it provided Rs 1,236 crores to Assam in 2020-21 from its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF). It was created in 1995-96 with an initial corpus of Rs 2,000 crores.

36. The Air India recently airlifted 35 tonnes of Zeolite used in Oxygen Production plants from Rome to Bengaluru. Zeolites are aluminosilicate minerals. They are microporous material that is used as adsorbents and catalysts.The Zeolites are naturally formed when the volcanic rocks react with alkaline ground water.

37. The gasoline shortages in the US East Coast recently began to ease since the Colonial Pipeline Cyber Attack. Ships and trucks were deployed to fill up the storage tanks after the Colonial Pipeline shutdown. It was the most disruptive cyberattack on record.

38. The Ministry of Commerce has recently initiated the anti-dumping investigation against China, Vietnam and Thailand. The investigation is against the import of solar cells from these countries. The investigation has been started by the Ministry following the application submitted by the Indian Solar Manufacturer Association.

39. The Government of India recently allowed free import of tur, moong and urad dal. All the three pulses have been put under non-restricted list. This is because their retail prices increased in the last few weeks due to low stock levels with the traders. Also, the GoI has announced that the import consignments should be cleared strictly before November 30, 2021.

40. The Government of India recently issued guidelines to contain COVID-19 in rural areas. COVID-19 Care Centre for asymptomatic cases should be established in peri urban and rural areas. These centres should have a minimum of thirty beds. This should be set up mainly in areas where home isolation is not possible.

41. On May 17, 20121, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare chaired the 26th meeting of Group of Ministers on COVID-19. CoWIN portal is to be made available in Hindi. Also, it will be made available in fourteen regional languages. Around seventeen more laboratories will be added to the network. These laboratories are being added to monitor COVID-19 variants. Currently there are ten laboratories in the network.

42. On May 17, 2021, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding on joint initiative for Digital Transformation of Tribal Schools. This includes introduction of Ashram Schools and Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in tribal areas.

43. The public health experts recently announced that the increase in "breakthrough infections" in the country may be due to the mutant varieties. The Breakthrough infections are those where the COVID-19 virus (or any other virus) is detected in a person who has received two (or prescribed number) doses of vaccines. The person gets infected with the COVID-19 virus after the second dose.

44. The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture and NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) recently launched the first Agricultural Export Facilitation Centre. The Centre will aid in boosting the agricultural and food exports of the state of Maharashtra.

45. Biological E is to produce Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine along with its own vaccine. This is to boost the overall vaccine production of the country. A new Vaccine partnership was unveiled at the first Quad Summit. The four Quad countries namely India, Australia, US and Japan decided to pool their resources. They also decided to roll out 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines by 2022.

46. On May 19, 2021, the Government of India increased fertilizer subsidies to Rs 1,200 per bag. Earlier, it was Rs 500 per bag. Thus, the subsidies have been increased by 140%. The prices of fertilizers in the country are increasing at a faster rate. This is because prices of ammonia, phosphoric acid, etc are increasing internationally. They have increased by 60% to 70% internationally.

47. Union Ministry of road and transport has recently notified about the draft rules for 4-wheeler tyres to raise the fuel efficiency. Norms for new model tyres will come in effect from October 1, 2021 while for the existing model, from October 1, 2022. Norms have been prepared on the line of norms followed in Europe.

48. First phase of India’s first mission mode e-governance project, MCA21 was launched on May 24, 2021 by Minister of State for Finance Corporate Affairs, Anurag Thakur. This version of is MCA21 data analytics driven. MCA21 version 3.0 was highlighted during budget 2021-2022. This project makes use of new technologies to streamline corporate compliance and experiences of stakeholders.

49. Reserve Bank of India will consider merger of District Central Co-operative Banks (DCCBs) with State Cooperative Banks (StCBs) if the concerned state government will make any proposal. RBI has notified the guidelines for merging DCCBs with StCBs as two-tier Short-term Co-operative Credit Structure (STCCS). Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020 has also been notified in effect from April 1, 2021 for these banks. Merger of such banks will be finally be sanctioned by Reserve Bank of India.

50. Security and Exchange Board of India is considering to appoint auditors in a bid to conduct forensic audits of financial statements of listed companies to strengthen its efforts towards curbing frauds. In recent times, SEBI has already conducted forensic audit of several companies.

51. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) published its annual report and highlights "asset quality of banks and their preparedness requires close monitoring for higher provisioning for upcoming quarters. RBI in its semi-annual financial stability report earlier highlighted, bad loan ratio of banks could rise to 13.5% under baseline stress scenario by September 2021.

52. Government has constituted a panel of state ministers to examine valuation of services by online gaming to levy goods and services tax (GST). They will also examine services by casinos and race courses. Panel comprises of seven-members, was convened by Gujarat Deputy Chief, Minister Nitin Patel.

53. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) issued guidelines for Toll centres to reduce waiting time to 10 seconds per vehicle at any point of time. According to the guidelines, yellow lines at toll plazas will reduce the waiting queue of vehicles to 100 metres even during peak hours. If queue is beyond 100 metres, vehicles at the front will pass without paying toll.

54. Ministry of Labour and Employment has announced additional benefits for workers under ESIC and EPFO schemes for the dependents of workers passing away due to Covid-19 disease. Additional benefits will help in reducing fear and anxiety of workers about well-being of their family members because of increasing incidences of death.

55. Public sector banks (PSBs) have announced support measures and launch of new loan products to mitigate economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic. PSBs would provide unsecured loans of up to 5 lakh rupees to individuals. Loan can be utilized to meet their and family members’ treatment cost.

56. Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) will launch Nitrogen fertilizer-based Nano Urea in market in June 2021. A 500-ml Nano Urea is equivalent to 45kg of normal urea. 500 ml urea costs around 240 rupees. Apart from that, it will reduce input cost of farmers by 15% and cultivation will increase the yield by about 20%.

57. Government has increased the scope of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for three more months overviewing the disruptions caused by second wave of COVID 19 pandemic. Extension will help businesses across several sectors of economy.

Science & Technology

1. A recent study conducted by the American Geophysical Union has found that the melting glaciers have been increasing the shift of earth axis. The rotational axis of the earth is the axis around which it rotates as it revolves around the sun. The axis virtually is a line connecting the north and south poles of the earth. The location of these poles is not fixed as they tend to shift based on several factors.

2. The Ingenuity Helicopter of Mars 2020 project of NASA recently performed its fourth of its five planned flights successfully. With this, it has completed its month-long technology demonstration. Now, it is to begin its new phase. This new phase is called operation demonstration phase. So far it was in its technology demonstration phase.

3. The scientists have recently created lightest form of Uranium. It is called the Uranium-214. The discovery reveals more information about an alpha particle. The alpha particle are those particles that gets ejected from radioactive elements as they decay.

4. The astrophysicists from the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics have discovered the first blow away galaxy using the "Gemini Telescope". The galaxy has been named as Pox 186. The Universe was in an ionised state when it was formed after the Big Bang. In this state, the electrons and protons moved freely and combined to form atoms and the water vapor condensed into clouds.

5. The researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research recently showed that apart from spike proteins, the other proteins in the COVID-19 virus such as the Nucleocaspid protein or the N protein also play significant role in transmission (or infectivity) of the virus. Thus, it is not enough to develop antibodies, therapeutic drugs and entry inhibitors based on spike protein alone.

6. The researchers in the Geological Survey of India recently found fossil bone fragments of Sauropod dinosaurs. They were 100 million years old. These dinosaur bones were found in West Khasi hills in the district of Meghalaya. This is the first record of the Sauropods discovered in the region.

7. The NASA Spacecraft Parker Solar Probe has discovered a natural radio signal from Venus. These signals were detected when the space probe flew over the upper atmosphere of Venus. The Parker Solar probe has measured the Venusian atmosphere. This is the first direct measurement of the planet’s atmosphere in thirty years.

8. SUTRA is Susceptible, Undetected, Tested (positive) and Removed Approach. SUTRA is used to chart the trajectory of COVID-19. It is used to predict the future of COVID-19 infections, susceptibility, undetected and positive persons in the country. This SUTRA Model is backed by GoI and was developed by professors from IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad.

9. An international team of Palaeontologists (who studies fossils) has identified a new genus and species of hadrosaur. Hadrosaur is also called duck-billed dinosaur. The species has been named as Yamatosaurus izanagii. The new fossil discovery has provided information about the hadrosaur migration. According to the discovery, they migrated from Asia to North America and vice versa.

10. An unfamiliar lineament is the major factor behind frequent earthquakes in the Sonitpur area of Assam. According to Geological Survey of India (GSI), the earthquakes in the region are frequent due to the following reasons:
    • East-West Trending Atherkhet Fault
    • Northwest-Southeast Trending Kopili Fault
    • North-south trending

11. The researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have mapped the Osteocytes for the first time. They are oblate shaped bone cells. They are found in bone tissues. They live as long as the organism lives. There are more than 42 billion Osteocytes in human body. The Osteocytes do not divide. Their average half life is twenty-five years.

12. The scientists at the John Hopkins University have simulated the interior of the Saturn. The simulations say that a thick layer of Helium rain influence the magnetic field of the planet. Saturn stands out in the Solar system as its magnetic field is almost perfectly symmetrical around its rotational axis. The Cassini Mission of NASA helped scientists to understand the deep interior of the planet where the magnetic field is generated.

13. The UK scientists recently declared the new COVID-19 strains found in India as the "Variant of Concern". Various national and international organisations such as CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention), COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium and Canadian COVID Genomics Network.

14. The remains of Chinese rocket have crashed into the Indian Ocean. It is said to have been hurtling towards the earth. Hurtling is moving in a high speed, especially in a wildly uncontrolled manner. On April 28, 2021, China launched the Long March 5B rocket. The rocket carried the Tianhe core module of China space station. The Tianhe core module weighed 22.5 tonnes, one of the heaviest space modules.

15. The NASA Spacecraft called the "Osiris-Rex" has started a two year long journey back to the earth. The spacecraft reached asteroid Bennu in 2018. It then spent two years flying around it and collected rubbles. Rubbles are rough fragments of brick, stones. The mission was launched to study asteroid Bennu. The mission spent 2.5 years mapping the surface of Bennu.

16. The World Health Organisation recently announced that the high and upper middle-income countries have received 83% of world vaccines. These countries represent 53% of world population. On the other hand, the low and middle income countries have received only 17% of the word vaccines and they account to 47% of world population.

17. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently signed an agreement with Axiom Space. Under the agreement, Axiom is to send its astronauts to International Space Station. This is the first private astronaut mission to the space station. The mission has been named as Ax-1.

18. The Perseverance rover of Mars 2020 mission is to study the floor of an ancient crater of Mars. The crater once held a lake. The Perseverance rover will use a camera called "WATSON" to capture detailed shots of the rocks. Also, it will use zoomable cameras located on its head to survey the terrain.

19. The scientists have recently found out a new way to block the attachment of HPIV (Human Para Influenza Viruses). The HPIV is the leading cause of death in childhood respiratory infections. More than 30% to 40% of children die due to respiratory illness.

20. China recently launched Changsei 2C rocket from the Xichang satellite launch centre. It is a Yaogan satellite. This satellite has joined the previous seven groups in orbit that were launched after 2017. The satellite is to be used for electromagnetic environmental surveys and other related technical tests.

21. Tauktae Cyclone is the first cyclone in 2021 in India. The Kerala Government has issued "Red Alert". The warm and moist air in the ocean rises up. As more and more air rises up, it leaves less air. This creates an area of low pressure. The pressure around this area is high. The air from the surrounding areas pushes into the low-pressure area. Now this air gets warmed up and rises. The cycle continues.

22. The Voyager 1 probe recently picked up humming sound. The scientists have named this as "Plasma Wave Emission". This humming sound has been interpreted as interstellar gas activity. Moving forward, the Voyager 1 will help scientists to understand the interactions between solar winds and the interstellar medium. The hum was of narrow frequency bandwidth.

23. A Blood Moon occurs when the Moon of the Earth is on total lunar Eclipse. During this time, the moon looks red or ruddy brown. Thus it is called Blood Moon. The next Blood Moon is to occur on May 26, 2021. The last Blood Moon occurred on January 20-21, 2019.

24. On May 14, 2021, the Chinese Spacecraft Tianwen 1 landed on Mars successfully. It was launched in July 2020 on a Long March 5 rocket. Tianwen 1 has been orbiting Mars for three months now. The lander that carried the Zhurong rover touched down the Martian surface successfully.

25. The researchers in the University of Oxford recently launched "Com-COV Study ". The study was launched to investigate alternate doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine. The researchers have concluded that mixing the administration of these doses in a more frequent mild to moderate reactions will increase the reactogenicity of the vaccine.

26. The Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer of the European Space Agency recently entered into a critical sequence of tests. It will reach Jupiter after five gravity assists. Gravity Assists is the use of the gravity of other planet or astronomical object to increase speed of a spacecraft or to alter its path. This is done to save the propellant and reduce expenses.

27. The Palaeontologists recently identified a new species of dinosaur called the Talkative Dinosaur. It was identified in the northern Mexico. The research is being conducted by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico. The fossil was discovered 10 years ago. However, the species was discovered now.

28. People are continuously reading about the pandemic and news related to it. They are even sacrificing their working hours or crucial sleep time in the process. This is being done compulsively. This scenario is called Doomsday Scrolling.

29. The Okeanos Explorer is a ship built by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It departed from the Port Canaveral in Florida on May 14, 2021. The Okeanos Explorer is on a two-week expedition of ocean exploration. It is to build 3D maps of vast regions of unexplored ocean floors in Hadal Zone.

30. On May 17, 2021, the DRDO released the first batch of 2-DG drugs. The 2-DG was developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation for Emergency Use. 2-DG is 2-Deoxy – D – Glucose. It is to be provided as a supplementary. Around 10,000 doses are to be launched first. It was developed in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.

31. On May 19, 2021, the United Launch Alliance launched the Atlas V Rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The Atlas V rocket carried SBRIS Geo-5 Missile Warning Satellite. The satellite will provide key capabilities in missile warning, battle space, missile defence. It weighs 4,850 kilograms. As of 2018, ten SBRIS satellites were launched.

32. The US scientists has invented a new COVID-19 Saliva Testing method called SPOT. SPOT is Scalable and Portable Testing. SPOT was invented by a research team from the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. The SPOT gives COVID-19 test results in thirty minutes. The cost of the device is 78 USD. Apart from these the reagents and other testing devices are estimated to cost 6 to 7 USD. The device can be operated by anyone with minimal training.

33. Dipcovan is a Covid-19 antibody detection kit announced by DRDO on May 21, 2021. Dipcovan or DIPAS-VDx COVID 19 IgG Antibody Microwell ELISA is an antibody detection-based kit that be used for sero-surveillance for detecting the presence of Covid antibodies amongst the population.

34. National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) app and Area officer monitoring App was launched by Rural Development Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar on May 22, 2021. These apps are a big step towards bringing the transparency and proper monitoring of the schemes.

35. Recently, US space agency NASA has announced to send its first mobile robot to the Moon in 2023. Mobile robot will search ice and other resources on and below the surface of moon. This mission is an example showing "robotic science mission" and "human exploration" go hand in hand.

36. Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory of (LHAASO) China has recently detected dozen sources of ultra-high-energy gamma rays. LHAASO cosmic ray observatory has discovered 12 sources of ultrahigh-energy photons. It has also detected a photon with energy level of 1.4 peta-electron volt. All these sources are located at positions in milky way galaxy and it can be measured with an accuracy of greater than 0.3°.

37. CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIR-CSIO) has transferred the UV Disinfection technology to 28 indigenous manufacturers. UV Disinfection technology was developed by CSIR-CSIO to combat SARS-CoV-2 virus. UV Disinfection technology-V1.06 was developed by CSIR-CSIO, Chandigarh in a bid to prevent spread of coronavirus at public places across India.

38. Recently, researchers found a new point-of-care test to be highly sensitive for rapid diagnosis of Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) which is emerging as a new public health problem & challenge in India. The point-of-care tests has been developed by ICMR-National Institute of Virology.

39. CCoV-HuPn-2018 coronavirus, with its origin in dogs, was detected among patients hospitalised with pneumonia in 2017-2018 in Malaysia. As per study, it may be the eighth unique coronavirus known cause disease in humans, once confirmed as pathogen. However, it does not poses pandemic risks currently.

40. First lunar eclipse of 2021 will take place on May 26, 2021. It will be a super lunar event because supermoon, lunar eclipse and blood moon, all will occur at once. Eclipse will visible partially in India, at a few places in eastern part. It can be well observed in Australia, United States, western South America, Pacific and South-East Asia. As per NASA, this lunar eclipse will happen because of a series of celestial event.

41. Microsoft recently announced that Internet Explorer 11 desktop browser will be retired on June 15, 2022, for some versions of Windows 10. However, Internet Explorer-based websites and applications will continue to work on new Microsoft Edge (Internet Explorer) mode till 2029.

42. NASA has set up a new Earth System Observatory which will help in mitigating climate change, forest fires and hurricanes. It will also support real-time agriculture. Each satellite in the observatory will be designed uniquely and will complement the others. Each will work in tandem to produce holistic 3-dimensional view of Earth, from bedrock to atmosphere.

43. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati have developed a smart window material which can automatically control climate of buildings. Researchers working on the window highlighted, smart window material can effectively control the amount of heat and light passing through it when voltage is applied to it. Thus, it will help to develop efficient automatic climate control.

44. Recently, professor Jayashankar from Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) inked a memorandum with Mumbai based Wadhwani Institute of Artificial Learning to provide an AI-Based Pest Management system to the farmers. Memorandum was signed in a bid to provide information regarding any possible infestation of pink bollworm in cotton field which in turn empower the farmers with advance information.

45. Ayush Clinical Case Repository portal will be launched by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on May 27, 2021. Along with the portal, third version of Ayush Sanjivani App will also be launched. This portal will act as a platform providing support both to Ayush practitioners and general public.

46. Elon Musk’s aerospace company, SpaceX, launched 60 Starlink Broadband Satellites with Falcon 9 first stage booster into the orbit. Satellites were launched from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. This two-stage-to-orbit had also launched Sentinel-6A mission earlier.

47. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has designed clothing which use special fibres to sense movement of person via touch. Researchers from MIT also showed their clothes determined things such as if the person is sitting, walking, or doing any particular pose. Group from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) highlighted, their clothes can be used for athletic training and rehabilitation.

48. Researchers from Taiwan developed a vaccine using DNA of coronavirus spike protein and tested its efficacy on Mice and Hamsters. This technique is different than mRNA vaccines. DNA vaccines are usually hard to deliver into cells. But, researchers from National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan, coupled electroporation while delivering DNA vaccination.

49. Recently, people of Bangalore observed a bright rainbow ring around sun for a few seconds. This is a rare optical and atmospheric phenomenon known as Kaleidoscopic Effect which is also known as "22-degree circular halo". 22-degree circular halo is observed around sun and occasionally around Moon. So, it is also called a moon ring or winter halo. This phenomenon occurs when rays from sun or moon get refracted through hexagonal ice crystals present in cirrus clouds.

50. According to Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, government has decided to discontinue Central Allocation of Remdesivir to States and directed National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Agency to monitor availability of Remdesivir in India.

51. Amid the country’s battle against covid-19 pandemic and increasing cases of mucormycosis, Doctors in Ghaziabad, Mumbai and Gujarat have reported cases of new disease called ‘aspergillosis’. Aspergillosis is a fungal infection, fungal growth or allergic reaction caused due to Aspergillus fungus. The fungus is found indoors as well as outdoors. It lives on decaying vegetation or dead leaves. This fungal infection is not as deadly as black fungus but it can turn fatal too.

Government Schemes

1. The Ministry of Finance recently announced that it is to provide Rs 15,000 crores to the states for their Capital Expenditure for 2021-22. This is being provided as interest free fifty-year loan to spend on capital projects. Fresh guidelines have been announced in this regard called the "Scheme of Financial Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure".

2. The Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik recently declared working journalists of the State of Odisha as the frontline COVID-19 warriors. This announcement was made under the Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana. With these more than 6,500 journalists are to be benefitted in the state.

3. The Government of India recently issued guidelines for the "Production Linked Scheme" of Food Processing Industry. The GoI had earlier approved the PLI Scheme for Food Processing under the "Atma Nirbhar Bharat" with an outlay of 10,900 crores of rupees. The scheme is to be implemented between 2021-22 and 2026-27.

4. The UDID project is under implementation since 2016. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities recently made it mandatory for all states and Union Territories to issue a certificate of disability only using UDID portal. UDID is Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities Project. The project aims to provide a Universal ID And disability certificates for persons with disabilities.

5. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare has recently approved Rs 2,250 crores for the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture for the year 2021-22. It aims at developing the horticultural sector in India. Under the mission, technical support is to be provided to the State Horticultural Mission, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, Saffron Mission and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

6. The Union Cabinet recently approved the Production Linked Incentive scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell Battery Storage. Around Rs 18,100 crores have been allocated to the scheme. This has been done as a part of National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell Battery Storage.

7. The National Bamboo Mission recently launched the Management Information System to strengthen the domestic Agarbatti industry. It will collect data about Agarbatti production, availability of raw materials, location of stick making units, production capacity, functioning of units, etc.

8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently released the eighth instalment of Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi. Under the Scheme, the Government of India transfers Rs 6,000 to the account of small and marginal farmers. These funds are transferred in three instalments. The first instalment of Rs 2,000 is made between April and June. Second Instalment is made between August and November. The third instalment is made between December and March.

9. On May 17, 2021, the Union Government released Rs 5,968 crores of rupees to implement the Jal Jeevan Mission. The funds were released to fifteen states. This is the first instalment of the four to be released in 2021-22. Out of the total funds allocated under the Jal Jeevan Mission, 93% are to be utilized for developing water supply infrastructure, 2% in water quality monitoring and surveillance activities and 5% on support activities.

10. SAMVEDNA is Sensitizing Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance. It is a toll-free helpline through which children affected during COVID-19 pandemic are provided counselling. The main objective of SAMVEDNA is to provide psychological first aid and emotional support to the COVID-19 affected children

11. Haryana will launch an anti-Covid "Sanjeevani Pariyojana" on March 24, 2021. It will provide a supervised and quick medical care at home for people, with mild to moderate symptoms of covid-19, residing in rural areas "Sanjeevani Pariyojana" will be launched to extend medical care in rural areas where awareness regarding the second wave of COVID-19 and related treatment remains low.

12. National Health Authority (NHA) has inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Telangana government to implement Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana across the state immediately. Government has also linked the Ayushman Bharat Scheme with the state scheme "Aarogyasri’. Together, they are being called Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY Aarogyasri.

13. Union Ministry of Power has announced to set up a ‘National Mission on use of Biomass’ in coal based thermal power plants. This decision was taken to address issue of air pollution caused due to farm stubble-burning. Mission will reduce carbon footprints of thermal power generation.

14. Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, is to set up One-Stop Centres (OSCs) in 10 missions across 9 countries. It will be set to curb the cases of violence against women. One OSC will be set up each in Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Canada, Australia and Singapore. TWO OSCs will be set up in Saudi Arabia. Apart from that, 300 OSCs will be set up across India.

15. Ayush Clinical Case Repository portal will be launched by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on May 27, 2021. Along with the portal, third version of Ayush Sanjivani App will also be launched. This portal will act as a platform providing support both to Ayush practitioners and general public. It will be launched with the aim to provide aggregate information regarding clinical outcomes achieved by Ayush practitioners on a large scale.

16. Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, has launched ‘Services e-Health Assistance & Tele-consultation (SeHAT) OPD Portal. Service Will be provided by defence services doctors who are on regular duties. Persons aged 75 and above can consult without waiting. Similar portal called "e-sanjivani platform’ have provided facility of telecommunication to about 5 lakh people in recent months.

17. Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, announced a secretary level committee will formulate guidelines and recommendations on implementation of "Smart Kitchen Scheme" in state to fulfil commitments of LDF. Under the scheme, women of state will be given loan to refurbish their kitchen.

18. Union Education Minister, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, has approved proposal to provide monetary assistance through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to students under Mid-Day meal scheme. Direct benefit Transfer of cooking cost component if Mid-Day-Meal scheme will benefit 11.8 crore eligible students. This will provide a boost to Midday Meal programme.

19. Union Government has decided to support some public sector companies with grants under the Mission COVID Suraksha to boost covid-19 vaccine production. Among the companies, one is Hyderabad based Indian Immunological limited (IIL), a facility under PSU named "National Dairy Development Board". IIL and Bharat Biotech have signed a technical agreement for IIL to supply drug substance to Bharat Biotech, required to produce COVAXIN Vaccine.

20. Ministry of Education has launched "YUVA- Prime Minister’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors". YUVA is an Author Mentorship programme which will train young and budding authors aged below 30 years to in order to promote reading, writing and book culture in India. It will also project India and Indian writings worldwide.

21. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, launched a PM-CARES for Children scheme for children orphaned due to COVID-19. As per data, about 577 children have lost their parents till date. Measures under the scheme include free education, creation of Rs 10 lakh corpus for each child- to be given to them at the age of 23.

22. Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant, launched solar-based electrification programme for rural households of state, on the occasion of Goa statehood Day (May 30). This programme will bring electricity using renewable energy to rural areas in Goa where grid connectivity is not feasible. It was launched with focus on delivering clean, reliable and affordable energy to all.

Awards & Honours

1. On May 1, 2021, India is celebrating four hundredth Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur. He was the ninth Sikh Guru. He was born in Amritsar, Punjab in 1621. He was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind Sahib. He wrote 115 hymns that were included in Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed on the orders of Aurangazeb.

2. The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards was recently presented. They are also referred to as "Dadasaheb Phalke Awards". These awards were introduced by Government of India in 1969. The late actor Sushant Singh Rajput won the "Critics Best Actor". Actor Rajni Kanth is also being conferred with the award this year.

3. The Laureus World Sports Awards, 2021 was held in Seville. The awards are presented to honour individuals and teams who have achieved in sports throughout the year. It was established in 1999 by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. It is supported by Mitsubishi, Mercedes Benz. The first Laureus World Sports Awards was presented in 2000.

4. Whitley Awards are called "Green Oscar". In 2021, the Whitley Award was won by Nuklu Phom of Nagaland. He is the only Indian to receive the award. Whitley Awards are presented annually by the Whitley Fund for Nature. It is presented to recognise grass root level conservation leaders.

5. Andrea Meza of Mexico was crowned the Miss Universe, 2020. The 69th edition of Miss Universe was held on May 16, 2021 in Florida, United States. It was cancelled for the first time in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. Andrea Meza beat seventy four contestants from all over the world. Julia Gama of Brazil was the runner up and Janick Maceta of Peru finished third.

6. Nuclear Scientist and former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, SriKumar Banerjee passed away at 75 on May 23, 2021 due to heart attack after he recovered from COVID-19. He was a veteran nuclear scientist who led nuclear establishment when India and USA signed their nuclear deal and legislated Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill.

7. Recently, India Biodiversity Awards 2021 were presented on the occasion of International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22.
    • Krishi Avam Paristhitiki Vikas Sansthan (KRAPAVIS) won the award under the category ‘Sustainable Use of Biological Resources.’
    • Shaji N.M., who is also called as ‘Tuber Man’ of Kerala has won in individual category of ‘Conservation of domesticated species.
    • Khonoma Nature Conservation & Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS) in Nagaland won the award under ‘Sustainable Use of Biological Resources’ category.

8. Beloved Children’s author and illustrator, Eric Carle, died at age 91. He was famous among children for his classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other such works. He was an American designer, illustrator, and children’s author. He wrote a famous picture book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" that has been translated into about 66 languages. About 50 million copies have been sold.

9. Indian economist and Nobel Laureate, Amartya Kumar Sen, was conferred with "Princess of Asturias Award" in social sciences category which is Spain’s top prize. He was selected out of 41 candidates from 20 countries. Amartya Sen was selected for his best-known work- "Poverty and Famines".

Sports

1. The English professional snooker player Mark Selby has won the World Championship for the fourth time. This time he won the title defeating Shaun Murphy. Mark Selby has won the World Championship in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021. He was ranked world number one between 2015 and 2019.

2. The Board of Control of Cricket (BCCI) has suspended the Indian Premiere League (IPL) indefinitely due to COVID-19. The decision came in after Balaji tested positive for COVID-19. Balaji is the bowling coach of CSK. So far twenty-nine games has been conducted. Also, the T20 World Cup is to be moved from India to UAE. This is mainly because if held in India none of the participants will be comfortable to come to India due to the third wave in the country.

3. The Stop Tokyo Olympics is an online campaign that is wanting to stop the Tokyo Olympics Games. It has gathered more than 200,000 signatures within two days of its launch. However, the organisers of the Olympic Games are to go ahead in conducting the games. The Pfizer agreed to donate their vaccine to help inoculate sportsperson participating in the games.

4. Italian Open, 2021 was won by Rafael Nadal. This is his tenth title of the Rome Masters. The Italian Open, 2021 was held on May 16, 2021 in Rome. The Finals was held between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. It is also known as Rome Masters. Rafael Nadal is a Spanish Tennis player. He is ranked third in the world by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

5. India is all set to host "2022 FIFA under-17 Women’s World Cup" from October 11 to 30, 2022. It will be the second FIFA tournament to be hosted by India. Earlier, India had to organise 2021 Under-17 Women’s World Cup but it was cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic. India had also hosted FIFA under-17 World Cup in 2017. The 2017 event has set a record for being most attended youth World Cup in the history.

6. Northern Railway has ordered suspension of wrestler Sushil Kumar after he was arrested by Delhi Police in a murder case. Winner of Olympic medal, Sushil Kumar, was arrested on May 23 for his involvement in death of a 23 years old wrestler, Sagar Dhankhar, at Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi. Apart from him, his associate and co-accused Ajay was also arrested.

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References:
jagranjosh.com
gktoday.in
business-standard.com