Current Affairs 13 May 2020

🔘 Harsh Vardhan addressed a digital conference RE-START to celebrate the National Technology Day

🔘 SRS Bulletin released: National infant mortality rate at 32, MP worst performer; Kerala achieved SDG target

🔘 Atal Pension Yojana completed 5 yrs on May 9, 2020 with 2.23 crore enrolment

🔘 Department of Consumer Affairs partners with Safejob and Seekify to power Suraksha Store Initiative

🔘 MP becomes 1st in the country to launch ‘FIR Aapke Dwar Yojana’

🔘 Gujarat based Macpower produces India’s 1st indigenous Seam Sealing Machine for PPEs

🔘 Jitendra Singh addresses Indo-Bangladesh Virtual Conference organised by ASSOCHAM

🔘 SC orders to set up high-powered committee headed by Secretary of MHA to restore 4G internet services in J&K

🔘 WHO released first “State of the World’s Nursing Report – 2020” stating a global shortfall of 5.9 mn nurses

🔘 Covid-19: United Nations and partners to raise $ 6.7 billion for vulnerable nations

🔘 Indian Tennis ace Sania Mirza becomes 1st Indian to win Fed Cup Heart award 2020 for Asia/Oceania zone

🔘 Kumar Sangakkara set to serve second term as MCC President

🔘 CSIR-NAL develops BiPAP non-invasive ventilator ‘Swasth Vayu’

🔘 Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launches Central University of Odisha helpline ‘Bharosa’ to help students in distress

🔘 China launches two satellites to test space based communication technology

🔘 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in India from 17 Feb 2021

🔘 Para-athlete Shot-putter Deepa Malik announce retirement to head PCI

🔘 French cyclist Remy Di Gregorio banned by UCI for 4 years following ‘super-EPO’ positive test

🔘 Comedian and Seinfeld actor Jerry Stiller passed away at 92

🔘 International Nurses Day 2020: May 12

🔘 TN constitutes a 24 member high-level committee headed by ex-governor of RBI C Rangarajan to assess COVID-19 impact

🔘 BBMP, Bengaluru launches “Pranavayu” to track oxygen levels of ILI patients

Quote of the Day

Social Reforms during Modern period

🔘 Atmiya Sabha
• Started in 1815 in Kolkata(then Calcutt(a) by Raja Ram Mohan Roy to make reforms in the Hindu society.

🔘 Wahabi Movement
• From 1820-1828 in Rohilkhand by Syed Ahmed of Rae Bareilly.
• Popularized the teachings of Waliullah; stressed role of individual conscience in religion.

🔘 BRAHMO SAMAJ
• Established in 1828 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in Calcutta. It emphasized on human dignity & criticized social evils as Sati.

🔘 Young Bengal Movement (1826-1832)
• Established in Calcutta by Henry Vivian Derozio.
• Opposed vices in the society; believed in truth, freedom & reason; social reform.

🔘 Dharma Sabha
• Dharma Sabha was formed in 1830 in Calcutta by Raja Radhakant Deb.
• The organization was established mainly to counter the ongoing social reform movements led byr protagonist such as
 Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Henry Derozio.

🔘 Kuka/ Namdhari Movement (1872)
• Started by Bhai Balak Singh & Baba Ram Singh in NWFP & Ludhiana.
• Spread the true spirit of Sikhism & opposed to all caste
distinction.

🔘 Prarthana Samaj
• Established by Atmaram Pandurang in 1867 at Bombay.
• Reforming Hindu religious thought & practice in the light of modern knowledge.

🔘 Indian Reform Association
• The Indian Reform Association was formed on 29 October 1870 with Keshab Chandra Sen as president at Calcutta.
• Create public opinion against child marriages & for legalizing the Brahma form
 of (Civil) marriage.
• Promote the intellectual & social service.

🔘 Arya Samaj
• Arya Samaj was founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati in 1875 at Bombay to reform Hindu religion in North India.

🔘 Theosophical Society
• Founded in 1875 at New York by madame HP Blavatsky and Col. H S Olcott.
• Advocated the revival & strengthening of ancient religions of Hinduism, Deccan Zoroastrianism & Buddhism.

🔘Deccan Education Society
• Founded in 1884 by M G Ranade at Pune.
• To contribute to the cause of education & culture in Western India.

🔘 Seva Sadan
• Established by Behramji & Malabari in 1885 at Bombay.
• Campaign against child marriages & enforced widowhood & care for socially exploited women.

🔘 Ramakrishna Mission
• Swami Vivekananda started Ramakrishna Mission in 1887 at Calcutta.
• To carry on humanitarian relief & social work.

🔘 Indian National Social Conference(The social reform cell of the Indian National Congress)
• Established by M G Ranade and Raghunath Rao in 1887
at Bombay.
• To focus attention on matters relating to social reforms.The social reform cell of the Indian National Congress.

🔘 Bharat Dharma Mahamandala
• Established in 1902 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya at Varanasi.
• Organization of the orthodox Hindus, also known as, Sanatandharmis to counter the teachings of the Arya Samaj.

🔘 The Servants of India Society
• The Servants of India Society was established by Gopal Krishna Gokhale in 1905 at Bombay.
• To work for social reforms & train "national missionaries for the service of India".

🔘 Poona Seva Sadan
• Founded by G K Devadhar & Ramabai Ranade in 1909 at Pune.
• Establish institutions for the economic uplift & useful employment of women.

🔘 The Indian Women's Association
• Founded by Mrs. Annie Besant in 1917 at Madras.
• Work for uplift of Indian women & ''to secure a larger a free & fuller life for them".

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.

Thanks for reading

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.