May 4th Week 2021 Current Affairs Online Test English

Explanation

• With the commissioning of Wi–Fi at Hazaribagh Town, Jharkhand in Dhanbad Division of East Central Railway, Indian Railways commissioned Wi–Fi at 6,000 Railway stations, as on May 15. Indian Railways extended Wi–Fi facility for the first time in Mumbai Railway station in January 2016. Thereafter, it reached 5,000th Railway station, at Midanpore, West Bengal and reached.

Explanation

• ‘International Day of Living Together in Peace’ is observed by the United Nations on May 16, every year. It is aimed to serve as a means of mobilizing the efforts of the international community to promote peace, tolerance and solidarity. The 2021 theme for the International Day of Peace is “Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world”.

Explanation

• The photograph of Lake Van located in Turkey won the Tournament Earth 2021 challenge of NASA. It is the largest soda or alkaline lake on Earth. The photograph was shot by astronaut Kate Rubins in September 2016, showing a part of one of the largest alkaline lakes in the world, with a pH of 10 and high salinity levels.

Explanation

• During the South Asian Reptile Red List Assessment organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a team of researchers have discovered a new species, the Asian gracile skink. Named Subdoluseps nilgiriensis, after the Nilgiris region, the reptile has a tiny body of just about 7 cm and it is sandy brown in colour. This is only the third skink species discovered from India in the last millennium.

Explanation

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Okeanos Explorer departed for a two–week expedition led by NOAA Ocean Exploration. NOAA is an American scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce.
• The new class of submersible robot called Orpheus, will showcase a system to identify scientific features on the seafloor. This Terrain–relative navigation was used in NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance Mars rover, for the precision touch down on the Mars.

Explanation

• Indian high jumper Tejaswin Shankar has claimed a gold medal at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Manhattan, USA Tejaswin Shankar won the gold with a maximum high jump of 2.28 m. This was also Tejaswin’s second successive gold at the event.

Explanation

• The 26–year–old Miss Mexico Andrea Meza was crowned Miss Universe in Florida. The event returned to television this year, after it was cancelled in 2020 for the first time, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Andrea Meza finished first ahead of the Brazilian and Peruvian finalists. Another contestant Miss Myanmar used the stage time to draw attention to the military coup in her country.

Explanation

• The Uttarakhand Police has launched a drive called “Mission Hausla” to help people get oxygen, beds and plasma for COVID–19 patients. The Police department also informed about two toll–free numbers in all the districts for emergency contact. The Police personnel also engage in providing ration, medicines and getting ambulances to the needy and the elderly.

Explanation

• Sikkim celebrates its statehood day on May 16. It marks the day in 1975 when Sikkim was made the 22nd state of India from being a monarchy earlier. Sikkim is the least populous and second smallest among the Indian states. It also became the first state in India to achieve complete organic agriculture production.

Explanation

• Mumbai–based Indian budget airline, GoAir has rebranded itself as ‘Go First’. It is owned by the Indian business conglomerate Wadia Group and was founded in 2005. The airline has filed preliminary papers for an initial share sale worth Rs 3,600 crore. Once the shares get listed, Go Airlines (India) Ltd will be the third operational scheduled carrier after SpiceJet and IndiGo to trade in Indian stock exchanges.

Explanation

• In order to curb the price of pulses from further moving up, the Government of India has permitted for free import of tur, urad and moong pulses. These pulses have been placed in the non–restricted list of imports, since their prices were on the higher side in the recent past.

Explanation

• The state Government of Assam has enacted “The Assam Microfinance Institutions (Regulation of Moneylending) Act, 2020”, through which it proposes to control microfinance and related institutions. Under this act, micro finance institutions require separate registrations for working in a selected village or city. In this regard, the Reserve Bank of India has expressed firm reservations and has stated that implementation of the Act would lead to dual regulation of the microfinance market.

Explanation

• In a joint research publication by the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization, published in the Environment International journal, it is stated that Long working hours have killed close to 7.45 lakh people across the globe. Of them 3.98 lakh people died from stroke and 3.47 lakh died from heart disease. Also, it is found that work related disease burden is found to be more prominent in men.

Explanation

• The Government of Punjab has targeted to bring one million hectares of farm land under Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technique, during this cropping year. Under this method, seeds are directly drilled into the field by a tractor–powered machine. This target has been envisioned, in anticipation of a huge shortfall in migrant labour due to COVID 19 second wave pandemic in the nation.

Explanation

• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has extended financial assistance to the Government of Assam to the tune of Rs 1,236 crore in order to boost its rural connectivity. These funds have been lent by NABARD to the state out of its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) during the financial year 2020–21.

Explanation

• The European Space Agency (ESA), in association with Airbus Defence and Space is developing the “The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE)”. It is an interplanetary spacecraft which has a mission to study three of Jupiter’s moons, namely – Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. The mission is set to be launched in June 2022. After an 88–month journey, the spacecraft would reach Jupiter in October 2029.

Explanation

• Wildlife experts have observed that common cranes have returned to Ireland for shelter and breeding, after a period of 300 years. This is believed to be a sign that our environment is improving. The breeding location is kept confidential to protect the cranes from unlawful hands.

Explanation

• In biology, CD4 is a glycoprotein found on the surface of immune cells. When a CD4 count is lower than 200 cell/mm3, a person will receive a diagnosis of AIDS. Each year, May 18 is celebrated as World AIDS vaccine day to acknowledge the efforts of thousands of scientists and health professionals, who are working on finding a vaccine against Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Explanation

• Mongolian Kanjur, the Buddhist text in 108 volumes is considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia. A meeting of the Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (IC) Prahlad Singh Patel with the Mongolian Minister of Culture was held in virtual mode. Ministry of Culture is to complete reprinting of 100 sets of sacred Mongolian Kanjur by next year to distribute in the main Buddhist centers in Mongolia. 

Explanation

• The Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture (MCCIA) has partnered with NABARD to launch India’s first Agriculture export facilitation centre (AEFC) in Pune. It aims to boost agricultural exports from the region and adhere to global standards. It will also serve as the capacity–building platform for agri–food exports.

Explanation

• The U.S administration has announced that Indian–American Neera Tanden is set to join the White House as a senior adviser to President Joe Biden. She had withdrawn her nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) amid bipartisan criticism. Tanden serves as president and CEO of CAP and has served as the CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Explanation

• UN Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW) is a biennial global road safety campaign hosted by WHO in the month of May. The theme for the 6th UNGRSW, which is to be held 17–23 May 2021, is Streets for Life #Love30. It calls for 30 km/h default speed limits to be imposed wherever people live, walk and play in all parts of the world.

Explanation

• In Himachal Pradesh, AYUSH Department launched a state–wide wellness programme ‘AYUSH Ghar Dwar’ for COVID–19 patients. The initiative aims to provide a holistic healthcare through AYUSH. It is expected to reach around 30,000 COVID patients who are currently on home isolation and hospitalized in institutions.

Explanation

• Researchers from University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign have developed a new technology called Scalable and Portable Testing– SPOT. It can be used as a coronavirus test to get accurate results from a saliva sample in less than 30 minutes. It does not require the complicated process of heating and cooling each sample to get results. SPOT also can detect multiple genes per sample and it can detect as little as one viral particle per 1–microliter drop of fluid.

Explanation

• India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India releases the ‘State of the Economy’ report along with its monthly bulletin. As per the recent report for the month of April, it said that the impact of the second wave on the real economy appears limited so far in comparison with the first wave. It also highlighted the highest collection of GST in April 2021.

Explanation

• The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has been providing Tele Counselling to children through the SAMVEDNA service, through a network of qualified medical professionals / Doctors. SAMVEDNA stands for “Sensitizing Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance”. It is a tele counselling service for psychological support to children to address their stress and fear regarding COVID.

Explanation

• In order to address the problems of elders in the context of the ongoingCOVID pandemic, the Ministry of Social Justice has started state wise call centres in major states under the ELDERLINE project. 
• The facility is already made operational in 5 major States of UP, MP, Rajasthan, TN and Karnataka.In Telangana, this facility has been working for more than a year. These call centres can be reached by toll free number 14567. All elders may be advised to use this facility. The ELDERLINE is a facility operationalised with the assistance of Tata Trusts and NSE foundation.

Explanation

• The International Museum Day is observed every year on May 18 to raise awareness of the fact that, “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples”. The 2021 theme is “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine”. 

Explanation

• Tripura recently launched Vande Tripura, a 24×7 dedicated educational channel to offer lessons on the school syllabus.
• The channel initially has started with recorded lessons. It would shift to live classes, discussions on different academic topics, various information relating to the education department from June 1.

Explanation

• Mr. Shahid Jameel, the eminent virologist who was the head of “Indian SARS–COV–2 Genomics Consortia (INSACOG)” – an advisory group to the Indian Government, has stepped down from the post and has tendered his resignation. He has not stated any reason for this decision. INSACOG is a group of 10 laboratories in India which has been tasked with combating evolving variants of the coronavirus.

Explanation

• Convalescent plasma therapy has been dropped from the list of COVID–19 treatments by the Government of India. This decision has been made by the national Covid task force, since the experiments with the treatment have been found to be ineffective in treating COVID infection.

Explanation

• Veteran Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi winner Ki Rajanarayanan popularly known as Ki Ra, passed away due to age related illness at the age of 98. Since his first short story was published in 1958, the writer had an expansive literary career. Known as the pioneer of ‘Karisal Literature’, he won the Sakitya Akademi award in 1991 for the novel ‘Gopallapurathu Makkal’. ‘Karisal bhoomi’ is the hot and dry land of southern Tamil Nadu.

Explanation

• Darwin’s Arch is a rock formation south–east of Darwin Island in the Galápagos archipelago, Ecuador. The structure has recently collapsed due to natural erosion. At present, only two rocky pillars are left at the northernmost island of the Pacific Ocean archipelago. Darwin’s Arch is made of natural stone that would have been part of Darwin Island. This site is considered one of the best places to dive and observe sharks and other aquatic species.

Explanation

• Karnataka has been ranked first in establishing Health and Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat Program in 2020–21. While the Centre had set a target of establishing 2,263 centres, the State has upgraded 3,300 centres till March 31, to provide comprehensive primary health care in rural areas.

Explanation

• Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren recently launched the ‘Amrit Vahini’ App and a ‘Chatboat’ App. Though ‘Amrit Vahini’ App or website one can get all information about the availability of hospital beds and book bed online. Through Chatboat, one may get all information related to coronavirus, like the medicines prescribed for it, recommended diet, or free consultation with doctors.

Explanation

• The Central Government announced to hike the fertiliser subsidy to Rs 1,200 per bag of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP). This decision has been taken in a high–level meeting on the issue of fertiliser prices after taking into account of the rising prices of phosphoric acid, ammonia etc internationally.

Explanation

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the Paris summit for African, European and financial leaders. They agreed on a plan to help The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the self–use Rapid Antigen Test for Covid–19 developed by Mylab Discovery Solutions. The test has been developed in India and is named as CoviSelf. Symptomatic individuals and immediate contacts of confirmed cases can use this self–use, as per ICMR guidelines. ICMR also warned that those who are symptomatic and test negative by RAT should get tested by RTPCR.

Explanation

• A consignment of Dahanu Gholvad Sapota, a Geographical Indication (GI) certified product from Palghar district of Maharashtra was shipped to the United Kingdom. The fruit is known for its sweet and unique taste and it is believed that the unique taste is derived from calcium rich soil of Gholvad village. In the Palgahr district, around 5000 hectares of land is under sapota plantation.

Explanation

• The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry is set to provide a one–time financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to transgender persons. After the beneficiaries register with the National Institute of Social Defence, the immediate assistance would be given to the Trans gender persons through direct benefit transfer.

Explanation

• The principal rainy season for the Indian subcontinent, June to September, is referred to as the ‘Southwest Monsoon’ period. The India Meteorological Department announced that the Southwest Monsoon has arrived over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which is an indication that it will reach the mainland soon.

Explanation

• Every year, the World Bee Day is celebrated across the world on 20th May, by the United Nations. This day aims to raise awareness among the people on the role played by the pollinator. This year’s theme for the World Bee Day is “Bee engaged – Build Back Better for Bees”.

Explanation

• India has reported cases of White Fungus infections, which is caused due to low immunity or if people come in contact with bodies containing these fungi. Affected patients are diagnosed Covid negative, but the fungal infection can be detected only by a CT scan. The fungus affects lungs, nails, skin, stomach, kidney etc.

Explanation

• The Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partner organisation YuWaah, as well their partners, has launched a pan–India campaign called #YoungWarrior. It aims to engage young people across the country to address the ongoing COVID–19 crisis. The campaign includes training in tools to detect misinformation; encourage registration for vaccination and mental health support etc.

Explanation

• The 1st Observance of the International Tea Day under the theme “Harnessing benefits for all from field to cup” was held on 21 May 2020. The Day brings together the countries where tea cultivation is an important source of jobs and incomes.
• Last year, the United Nations General Assembly has designated May 21 as International Tea Day on the basis of the proposal moved by India at the FAO Intergovernmental Group.

Explanation

• O P Bhardwaj, India’s first Dronacharya awardee coach in boxing, passed away at the age of 82. The veteran coach won the Dronacharya Award in 1985. Bhardwaj was India’s national boxing coach from 1968 to 1989 and also served as a national selector. Under his coaching stint, India boxers won medals at the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the South Asian Games.

• The Global Health Summit was co–hosted by the European Commission and Italy as part of its G20 presidency. The Rome Declaration was released at the end of the Summit, which reaffirmed leaders’ support for the Access to COVID–19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.

Explanation

• The National Sports Awards is the collective name given to the six sports awards MAKA Trophy; Arjuna Award; Dronacharya Award; Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna; Dhyan Chand Award and Protsahan Puruskar. They are being awarded by the President of India to outstanding sportspersons of India, since 1956–57. The Sports Ministry has recently invited applications for the national sports awards.

Explanation

• “Clyde’s Spot” was discovered on Jupiter in 2020 by an amateur astronomer. It appeared as an oval–shaped feature near the planet’s famous “Great Red Spot.” NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which is orbiting the Jupiter has revealed a photo of the spot in April 2021. In the recent photo taken during the craft’s 33rd close pass over Jupiter’s clouds, that oval structure looks more like a swirling, chaotic blob.

Explanation

• Yuan Longping, the Chinese agricultural scientist, regarded as the “father of hybrid rice”, has recently passed away at the age of 91. He was known for developing the first hybrid rice varieties in the 1970s. In 2004, he was honoured with the World Food Prize for his achievement in developing the genetic materials and technologies essential for breeding high–yielding hybrid rice varieties.

Explanation

• Obstetric fistula is one of the most serious and tragic childbirth injuries. It is a hole between the birth canal and bladder or rectum, and is caused by prolonged or obstructed labour without access to timely, medical treatment. The theme for this year is “Women’s rights are human rights! End fistula now!”