Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2020

Notes:
Union Health Minister along with the Union AYUSH Minister launched the clinical research studies on Ayurveda interventions as an add-on to the standard care in tackling COVID 19. This will be a joint initiative of Ministry of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Science & Technology through CSIR.
They also launched the Ayush Sanjivani application developed by the AYUSH Ministry, with an aim of generating data on acceptance and usage of AYUSH recommendations among the public and record their impact in prevention of COVID 19.

Notes:
The United Nations along with its partner agencies has launched a USD 6.7 billion global appeal to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UN also updated a global plan to fight the COVID-19 in fragile and more vulnerable countries. The plan includes nine more vulnerable countries including the Philippines, Togo and Zimbabwe, beyond the 54 countries covered in the original appeal-the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan.

Notes:
The Union Defence Ministry has signed a contract with Mumbai based power company Tata Power for infrastructure modernisation of 37 airfields.
The airfields of the Indian Air Force, Coast Guard and the Navy are to be modernised at a cost of around Rs 1,200 crore. This is the second phase of the Modernisation of Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI) programme while during the first phase the airfields of the Indian Air Force were upgraded. This project would facilitate the operations of aircrafts in poor weather conditions.

Notes:
International Organization for Migration (IOM) is an intergovernmental organization that provides services and advice regarding migration to governments and migrants. It is headquartered at Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland.
Recently, the Director-General of the UN migration agency Antonio Vitorino said in a notification that thousands of migrants have been stranded all over the world and they face an increased risk of COVID-19 infection. The agency also advised the governments to allow health care and screening available to all migrants.

Notes:
India launched an outreach initiative named ‘Mission Sagar’, to assist Island nations in the Indian Ocean in tackling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Indian Naval Ship Kesari has departed for the five island nations: Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros, to deliver Food, Medicines including HCQ Tablets and Special Ayurvedic Medicines, related to Covid-19. A team of select medical personnel was also sent earlier to Maldives to help increase their preparedness.

Notes:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory based at Hyderabad, Research Centre Imarat (RCI), has developed an automated sanitisation cabinet, called Defence Research Ultraviolet Sanitiser (DRUVS).
The sanitiser uses the UV-C type of light to sanitise currency notes, electronic gadgets and paper. The significant feature of the sanitiser is its contactless operation, which will help in containing the spread of infection.

Notes:
The Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar recently launched integration of 117 additional wholesale mandis with the electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM) platform.
After the integration, the total number of online mandis became 962, across the country against the target of 1000 mandis before May 15. In the e-NAM platform, distant bidding facility for wholesale produce in APMC mandis without physical presence of buyer or trader and e-payment facility are provided.

Notes:
The social security scheme of Government of India ‘Atal Pension Yojana’ (APY) has completed five years of successful implementation. The scheme has witnessed 2.23 Crore enrolments since its launch.
It was launched in the year 2015 by the Indian Prime Minister to deliver a minimum guaranteed pension to workers in unorganised sector. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) administers the scheme.

Notes:
The Indian Council of Medical Research, ICMR and National Centre for Disease Control proposed to launch a population-based sero-survey at district level.
This operation is to be done in collaboration with key stakeholders and State Health Departments. It involves testing the blood serum predominantly. All population groups including outpatient attendees, pregnant women and health care workers will be tested.

Notes:
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous organisation of Union Ministry of External Affairs. Its main objective is to build cultural relations with other countries.
Recently, ICCR released a song titled “United We Fight” featuring famous musicians like Usha Uthup and Joe Alvares, as a part of its efforts to instil hope among Indians in their fight against COvid-19. The song was written and composed by Joe Alvares and sung by several famous singers from across the country.