Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2020

Notes:
A team of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Stanford alumni have developed a technology named “Airlens Minus Corona”. It has received certification from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
It is an ‘intelligent robot’ machine that can travel to hospitals and other crowded public places and disinfect surfaces with a water-based technology. Unlike the alcohol-based or UV-based method, the technology works on the basis of ‘Water Electro Activation’ technique. Charged or ionised water droplets will kill the virus by destroying its proteins.

Notes:
The Prime Minister of India recently unveiled a special economic package titled “Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” to the tune of Rs. 20 lakh crore. It aims to stimulate the economic activities of the country, ahead of the 4th phase of the lockdown.
The stimulus package also includes Rs 1.7 lakh crore package of free food grains to poor and cash to poor women and elderly, that was announced in the month of March in the name of PM Karib Kalyan Yojana. It also includes the liquidity measures and interest cuts announced by RBI. The Prime Minister said the package will focus on land, labour, liquidity and laws.

Notes:
The state government of Odisha has decided to bring three ordinances for strengthening the agriculture economy of the state.
The decision has been taken in a review meeting on controlling Covid-19 and restarting economic activities, chaired by the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The state also announced that MGNREGA and Mission Shakti activities would be intensified. Odisha has started agricultural activities and sale of agricultural inputs.

Notes:
The Union Minister announced ₹90,000 crore one-time liquidity injection for fund-starved DISCOMs. This will be used to pay the central public sector power generation companies, transmission companies, independent power producers and renewable energy generators.
PSUs Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) will infuse the liquidity by raising an amount of about ₹90,000 crore from the market against the receivables of DISCOMs. The state governments are expected to provide a guarantee for the fund.

Notes:
The state of Kerala has commenced training for primary schoolteachers via its KITE Victers channel. Minister of General Education and Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction of UN Environment Programme (UNEP) addressed the inaugural classes.
More than 81,000 primary and upper primary teachers are expected to participate in this training exercise. Prior to this, the teachers were given training to use online and virtual facilities. Under this program, classes on social consciousness and social science will be held. Besides the channel, the programmes will be available on their website and KITE VICTERS mobile app.

Notes:
Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan recently dedicated the first testing machine that has been procured by the Government called COBAS 6800. It has been installed in the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). It is an institute under the Indian Directorate General of Health Services, Health Ministry.
COBAS 6800 is a fully automated, high end machine which performs real time PCR testing for COVID-19. It will also provide high-quality testing and can perform around 1200 samples in 24 hours. This is expected to increase the testing capacity in the country.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray and eight other candidates were recently declared to be elected unopposed to the State Legislative Council.
Uddhav Thackeray, who was sworn in as the Chief Minister on November 28 last year, required to become a member of either Houses of the state legislature before May 27, 2020. The eight other candidates also include Council Deputy Chairperson Dr Neelam Gorhe among others. They would be officially sworn-in after the official notification is released.

Notes:
A patent was filed by the Defence Ministry in association with the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) for the low cost personal protective equipment (PPE) developed by the Indian Navy.
The Defence Ministry has successfully patented PPEs, which would fast-track mass production of PPEs. The equipment developed by the Navy is made of a special fabric which provides high quality and high breathability, unlike other PPEs available in the market. A pilot batch of PPEs has already been produced at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

Notes:
In the second tranche of the economic stimulus package, the Finance Minister proposed that the Government will launch a scheme under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-PMAY.
The scheme aims at providing ease of living at affordable rent for migrant labour/urban poor. It proposes to convert government funded housing in the cities into Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) under PPP mode. The scheme will also incentivize industries and State Government Agencies and Central Government Organizations to develop ARHCs and operate them.

Notes:
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) was set up under Environment Ministry to promote afforestation activities as a way of compensating for forest land diverted to non-forest uses.
In the economic stimulus package, it was proposed that plans worth Rs 6000 crores of CAMPA funds will be approved shortly. The funds will be used for afforestation and plantation works, forest protection and job opportunities in urban, semi-urban and rural areas and for Tribals /Adivasis.