Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2021

Notes:
Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), has set up a demonstration unit to convert nitrogen generators, into oxygen generators by modifying the existing nitrogen plant set up.
The oxygen generated by this plant at IIT-B lab was tested and found to be 93-96% pure and at 3.5 atmospheric pressure. Nitrogen plants work on Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology, where air from the atmosphere is sucked in, filtered and nitrogen is extracted. Oxygen, a by-product, is released back into the atmosphere.

Notes:
The state government of Andhra Pradesh is set to launch CLAP (Clean Andhra Pradesh) Jagananna Swachha Sankalpam programme.
The scheme is expected to be launched in the month of July. 100 days sanitation drive to keep the villages clean will start from May 1. The state has also planning for better sewage water treatment and solid waste management.

Notes:
The International Energy Agency releases the Global Electric Vehicle Outlook. As per the new report, the number of electric cars, buses, vans and heavy trucks on roads is expected to hit 145 million by 2030.
The report also highlighted that the electric vehicle fleet could increase to 230 million by the end of the decade, if governments speed up their efforts to meet international climate goals. It also said that around three million new electric cars were registered last year, a 41% rise compared to 2019.

Notes:
The Rushikulya river mouth, located in the state of Odisha is considered as the second-biggest rookery of Olive Ridley Turtles in India after Gahirmatha.
This year, the annual mass nesting of millions of Olive Ridley sea turtles near the Rushikulya river mouth is likely to be missed, as the time for nesting process is set to be over. In March 2020, over 3 lakh turtles nested in the same place.

Notes:
Special 301 Report, released by the U.S, focusses on the effectiveness of the protection of US trading partners and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR).
The US Trade Representative in its recent report placed India and eight other countries including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia on the Priority Watch List for IP protection and enforcement.

Notes:
The Government of India has brought down the IGST for import of Oxygen Concentrators for personal use from the present 28% slab to 12%.
This would be applicable till 30th June 2021. This rare reduction comes in the wake of a sudden surge in the demand for oxygen, used for Covid 19 infected patients.

Notes:
Researchers have found the fossil bone fragments of sauropods – a long neck dinosaur at West Khasi Hills District in Meghalaya. The fossil is assumed to be about 100-million-years old.
This finding makes Meghalaya the 5th state in India after Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu to report Sauropod bones.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India has proposed for second purchase of government securities worth Rs 35,000 crore, under the G-sec Acquisition Programme. This has been stated by the Governor Shaktikanta Das. This has been announced as a part of a series of measures to tackle Covid 19 2.0.
The first lot of purchases was made by RBI in the month of April 2021 amounting to a value of Rs.25,000 crore.

Notes:
The International Confederation of Midwives in association with UNFPA, WHO and Novametrics, has recently released a report titled “The State of the World’s Midwifery (SoWMy) 2021”.
The report details the Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Adolescent Health (SRMNAH) workforce from about 194 countries. It also identifies the barriers and challenges in future advancement.

Notes:
Several countries have approached the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the waiver of intellectual property (IP) protection for Covid-19 vaccines.
Recently, the United States announced support for waiving IP protection for Covid-19 vaccines. US will pursue negotiations on the waiver at the WTO. All 164 WTO members must agree on the draft, and any one member can veto it.