1. EBOLA
The Democratic Republic of Congo declared the end of an Ebola outbreak that infected 12 people in the eastern province of North Kivu and killed six of them.
About:
- The outbreak was contained using Merck's Ebola vaccine, which was given to more than 1,600 of the patients' contacts and contacts of contacts.
- The cases were genetically linked to the 2018-20 Ebola epidemic that killed more than 2,200 People, the second-highest toll recorded in the disease's history.
Important Info :
Ebola?
- Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
- Virus species: The virus family Filoviridae includes three genera: Cuevavirus, Marburgvirus, and Ebolavirus. Within the genus Ebolavirus, five species have been identified: Zaire, Bundibugyo, Sudan, Reston and Tai Forest.
- Transmission:
- The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats) and then spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
- It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts.
- People can get the virus through sexual contact as well.
- Health impact: The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.
- Treatment: Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. There is as yet no licensed treatment proven to neutralize the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development.
Source : All India Radio
2. OPEN API
Since Covid-19 inoculation exercise commenced for the 18-44 age group, finding an available slot at a vaccine centre has become a challenge, especially given that it is mandatory for this age group to make an appointment on the CoWin app.
About:
- With an aim to resolve this, the National Health Authority (NHA) — the nodal agency managing the CoWin app — has opened up the APIs for vaccine appointments to the public.
- An open API refers to a publicly available application programming interface (API) that provides developers access to a proprietary software application. For instance, you have a Google Maps API that integrates with food delivery or travel portal, or the UPI API used by a range of apps to enable easy payments.
- In this case, the NHA has allowed anyone to access a set of requirements needed to communicate and interact with the CoWin platform. This has enabled developers to build third-party tools that allow users to set alerts for slot availabilities according to various parameters.
- People can use these third-party tools to enter their details and they will get an alert whenever a slot opens up.
Source : Indian Express
3. RTS, S
A malaria vaccine candidate has shown promise in phase 2b clinical trials, with high efficacy at 77%. The results of the trial were published recently in preprints with The Lancet.
About:
- The new vaccine candidate, called R21/Matrix M, is a modified version of RTS, S — another candidate against malaria that has been in development for more than 30 years by Walter Reed Institute of Research, GlaxoSmithKline and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative.
- This vaccine is designed to stop the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite from entering the liver and preventing the subsequent deadly blood stages. It targets the liver stage protein of the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle.
- Thirty years in the making, RTS,S is the first, and to date the only, vaccine to reduce malaria in children. But it is not highly efficacious.
The new version
- R21/Matrix M has been developed by scientists at University of Oxford, the same location where the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was developed. They’ have been working on this version for almost 6-7 years now.
- This vaccine was produced in the Serum Institute of India.
Source : Indian Express
4. PRODUCTION LINKED INCENTIVE SCHEME FOR FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY (PLISFPI)
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has issued detailed operational scheme guidelines and has launched an online portal for ‘Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry’(PLISFPI).
About:
- As a part of Prime Minister’s announcement of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, Government of India has approved a new Central Sector Scheme namely‘ Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry’ for implementation during 2021-22 to 2026-27 with an outlay of Rs. 10,900 crore.
- Its objective is to support creation of global food manufacturing champions commensurate with India's natural resource endowment and support Indian brands of food products in the international markets.
Ministry of Food Processing Industries is inviting applications for availing sales based incentives and grants for undertaking Branding & Marketing activities abroad under the scheme from three categories of Applicants:
- Category-I: Applicants are large entities who apply for Incentive based on Sales and Investment Criteria. Applicant under this category could undertake Branding & Marketing activities abroad also and apply for grant under the scheme with a common application.
- Category-II: SMEs Applicants manufacturing innovative/ organic products who apply for PLI Incentive based on Sales.
- Category-III: Applicants applying solely for grant for undertaking Branding & Marketing activities abroad.
Source : PIB
5. INTEGRATED GOODS AND SERVICES TAX (IGST)
Centre has waived off IGST on the import of COVID related medical supplies including Remdesivir Injection/API, Medical Oxygen, O2 Concentrators, Cryogenic tanks & COVID Vaccines among others. The exemption has been granted till 30th June for free distribution of these medical supplies. Earlier the Centre had waived the import duty & health cess on such medical supplies.
About:
- IGST meaning Integrated Goods and Service Tax, is one of the three categories under Goods and Service Tax (CGST, IGST and SGST) with a concept of one tax one nation.
- IGST falls under Integrated Goods and Service Tax Act 2016.
- IGST is charged when movement of goods and services from one state to another. For example, if goods are moved from Tamil Nadu to Kerala, IGST is levied on such goods.
- The revenue out of IGST is shared by state government and central government as per the rates fixed by the authorities.
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- The GST on supplies in the course of interState trade shall be levied and collected by the Government of India and
- such tax shall be apportioned between the Union and the States according to the provisions of law on the recommendations of the Goods and Services Tax Council.
Under Article 269A of the Constitution,
- The GST on supplies in the course of interState trade shall be levied and collected by the Government of India and
- Under the IGST scheme, 50% of the collections will go to the Centre (as the Central Goods and Services Tax component) and the remaining 50% will be allocated to the States and Union Territories (as the State Goods and Services Tax component). And, 42% of the CGST will be devolved to the States and Union Territories.
Source : All India Radio
6. JAGMOHAN
Former Union Minister and Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Jagmohan passed away. He was 94.
About:
- Jagmohan Malhotra (1927 — 2021), known by the mononym Jagmohan, was a former Indian civil servant and politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
- During his stint as vice-chairman of the Delhi Development Authority in the mid 1970s, he was recognized "for formulation and implementation of the Delhi Master Plan and for playing a pioneering role in planning and implementation of projects in Delhi".
- He served as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and Goa, as well as the 5th Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
- He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha once and represented New Delhi in Lok Sabha thrice.
- In the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cabinet, he served as the Union Minister for Communications, Urban Development, Tourism and Culture.
- He was honoured with Padma Shri in 1971, Padma Bhushan in 1977 and Padma Vibhushan in 2016.
Source : All India Radio
7. ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB)
Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs and Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Governor for India Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the Governor’s Seminar on “Cooperation for a Resilient Future”, held as part of ADB’s annual meeting 2021.
About:
Background:
- It was conceived in the early 1960s when a resolution was passed at the first Ministerial Conference on Asian Economic Cooperation held by the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East in 1963.
- The institution was opened in 1966 at Manila (Philippines capital) with 31 initial members.
- Members: It has 67 members—of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside. India is one of the founding members.
- It was conceived as a financial institution that would be Asian in character and foster economic growth and cooperation in one of the poorest regions in the world.
- As a multilateral development finance institution, ADB provides loans, technical assistance and grants.
- It was conceived as a financial institution that would be Asian in character and foster economic growth and cooperation in one of the poorest regions in the world.
Objective:
Working:
- The ADB was modelled closely on the World Bank, and has a similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members' capital subscriptions.
- As of 31 December 2016, Japan and United States hold the largest proportion of shares at 15.607%. China holds 6.444%, India holds 6.331%, and Australia holds 5.786%
- ADB is an official United Nations Observer.
Source : PIB
8. NON-BASMATI RICE EXPORTS
First consignment of non-basmati rice exports from Paradip port, Odisha flagged off to Vietnam.
About:
- In a major boost to India’s rice exports potential especially from eastern region, a consignment has been officially flagged off today from the Paradip International Cargo Terminal (PICT), Odisha to Vietnam.
- This is the first time in the history of Paradip Port, non-basmati rice will be exported. Sarala foods group will ship 20 containers of rice on Tuesday followed by around 500 containers over the next three months from PICT to Vietnam.
- A consignment of one of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA)’s member exporter M/s Sarala Food will be shipped to Hai Phong port, Vietnam.
- Non-basmati rice exports to African and Asian countries are undertaken from various ports of India such as Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Mundra and Krishnapatnam. Paradip will soon emerge as one of the major rice-exporting port of the country.
Source : The Hindu
9. DEBU CHAUDHURI
Renowned sitar player Debu Chaudhuri passed away due to COVID.
About:
- Pandit Devabrata (Debu) Chaudhuri (1935 – 2021) was an Indian sitarist and teacher.
- He is considered one of the greatest sitar player of the era with Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee.
- He is regarded as one of the leading proponents of Senia Style (or Gharana).
- He created 8 new Ragas viz. Bisweswari, Palas-Sarang, Anuranjani, Ashiqui Lalit, Swanandeswari, Kalyani Bilawal, Shivamanjari and Prabhati Manjari (in memory of his wife Manju).
- He has authored three books on Indian Music namely ‘Sitar and It's Techniques’, ‘Music of India’ and ‘On Indian Music’.
- He was a disciple of Mushtaq Ali Khan. In 2010 he started the UMAK (Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan) Center for culture in memory of his ‘’guru’’ Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan.
- He was conferred the Padma bhushan and Padma Shri awards.
Source : The Hindu
10. Pox 186
Astrophysicists using the Gemini telescope have spotted the first ‘blow-away’ galaxy, in which the hydrogen clouds have been stripped off exposing high-energy light.
About:
- This finding could give a clue to solving the puzzle of the reionisation of the universe.
- The galaxy, named Pox 186, is so small that it could fit inside the Milky Way.
- The researchers suspect that its compact size, coupled with its large population of stars -- which amount to a hundred thousand times the mass of the sun -- made the blow-away possible.
Gemini Observatory
- The Gemini Observatory is an astronomical observatory consisting of two 8.1-metre telescopes, Gemini North and Gemini South, which are located at two separate sites in Hawaii and Chile, respectively. The twin Gemini telescopes provide almost complete coverage of both the northern and southern skies
- They are currently among the largest and most advanced optical/infrared telescopes available to astronomers.
Source : sciencedaily