Quote of the Day

Current Affairs 12 May 2020

🔘 Nation technology day 2020, May 11

🔘 India launched Mission Sagar to assist 5 island nations in Indian Ocean amid COVID-19

🔘 6 member panel to set up to review production sharing contracts: Centre

🔘 National Gallery of Modern Art launches a virtual program ‘NGMA Ke Sangrah Se’ to showcase artworks

🔘 ICMR ties-up with India Post for lab delivery of Covid-19 testing kits

🔘 TRIFED under AOL signed a MoU to promote the tribal enterprises

🔘 17 laureates conferred with DW Freedom of Speech Award 2020; Journalist Siddharth Varadarajan from India among them

🔘 Narindra Batra to remain as FIH President until May 2021

🔘 ICMR-NIV develops 1st indigenous antibody detection kit “COVID KAVACH ELISA” for COVID-19

🔘 Parakh: DRDO- DFRL’s mobile microbial containment lab handed over to MMCRI

🔘 DRDO lab develops DRUVS, an automated UV systems to sanitise electronic gadgets, papers & currency notes

🔘 ICMR ties up with BBIL to develop the 1st fully indigenous COVID-19 vaccine

🔘CSIR approves project to develop ‘hmAbs’ that can neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in patients; BBIL to lead

🔘 Indian Scientists discover 3 new species of fishes under genus ‘Dawkinsia’ in western ghats

🔘 COVID-19: SAI forms 6-member panel to prepare SOP for phased resumption of training after lockdown

🔘 Famous historian Hari Shankar Vasudevan passed away at 68

🔘 Vadhan authors a new book titled “Fear of God” deals with corruption, vigilantism & law

🔘 Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio presented Rs. 21049.87 crore state budget for FY 20-21

What are coronaviruses?

Coronaviruses are a large family of single stranded RNA viruses that cause diseases in

animals and humans. In humans, the viruses usually cause mild to moderate upper-

respiratory tract illnesses such as the common cold. In the last two decades, more

aggressive coronaviruses have emerged that are capable of causing serious illness and even

death in humans. These include SARS-CoV, MERS and now SARS-CoV-2.

Human coronaviruses were first characterised in the mid-1960s and they are mostly

considered to be responsible for causing upper respiratory tract infections in children. In

1965, scientists DJ Tyrrell and ML Bynoe were the first ones to identify a human

coronavirus, which they isolated from the nasal washing of a male child who had symptoms

of common cold. They termed the strain B814 and later in 1968 the term “coronavirus” was

accepted. These viruses are named so because of spikes found on their surface that give

them the appearance of a crown when looked through an electron microscope.

In animals, coronaviruses can cause diarrhea in cows and pigs and upper respiratory tract

disease in chickens. The first coronavirus was isolated in 1937 and it was the infectious

bronchitis virus (IBV) that caused respiratory disease in chickens.

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What is the National Population Register (NPR)?

The NPR is a database of usual residents in the country who have stayed in a local area for
the past six months or more and who intend to remain in the same place for the next six
months or more. The NPR is individual and identity specific unlike the Census which only
provides information on the status of the residents of India and population swings.
The NPR database was first created in 2010. The electronic database of more than 119
crore usual residents of the country has already been created under the NPR in English as
well as the regional languages. The data collection is done under the aegis of the Office of
the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. The NPR is undertaken under the
provisions of The Citizenship Act, 1955 and The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and
issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. The NPR was last updated, except in Assam
and Meghalaya, in 2015-16.