• Global agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, GAVI and others have launched the Immunisation Agenda 2030 or IA2030 during World Immunisation Week.

World Immunisation Week:

• It is celebrated every year in the last week of April. It aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease.
• The theme for 2021: Vaccines bring us closer.

About Immunisation Agenda 2030(IA2030):

• The Immunisation Agenda 2030(IA2030) sets an ambitious, overarching global vision and strategy for vaccines and immunisation for the decade 2021–2030.
• Vision: IA2030 envisions “A world where everyone, everywhere, at every age, fully benefits from vaccines for good health and well-being.”
• Based on: The IA2030 is based on the learning’s from Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP). IA2030 has a target to address the unmet targets of the GVAP.
• The GVAP was developed to help realize the vision of the “Decade of Vaccines (2011–2020)”.
• GVAP was launched in 2012 with the aim to prevent millions of deaths by 2020. The GVAP aims to achieve this through more equitable access to vaccines for people in all communities.
• Core Principles: The IA 2030 strategy is guided by four core principles: it puts people in the centre. The strategy is led by countries. They will implement the strategy through broad partnerships and data.

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare has conferred a land area in the Andaman and Nicobar with organic certification. This is the first large contiguous territory conferred with the organic certification under the ‘Large Area Certification’ (LAC) scheme.
• This is a scheme of the PGS-India (Participatory Guarantee System) certification program.
• Note: PGS is a process of certifying organic products. It ensures that their production takes place in accordance with laid-down quality standards for organics.

About Large Area Certification Scheme:

• The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under its flagship scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY) has launched the Large Area Certification Scheme.
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana(PKVY) was launched in 2015 with the aim to support and promote organic farming. This in turn results in the improvement of soil health.
• Purpose: The purpose is to provide a unique and quick organic certification to harness the potential land areas for organic products.

Process for Large Area Certification:

• Firstly, under the LAC, each village in the area is considered as one cluster/group. Documentations are simple and maintained village-wise.
• Secondly, all farmers with their farmland and livestock need to adhere to the standard requirements. After verification, they will get certified as a group. Once issued they don’t need to go under conversion period.
• Thirdly, certification is renewed on annual basis through annual verification. Annual verification is a process of peer appraisals as per the process of PGS-India.

• China has launched the main module of its first permanent space station named Tianhe, or the “Heavenly Harmony” module.

About Tianhe or Heavenly Harmony module:

• Tianhe is the core module of China’s permanent space station. Tiangong Space Station is its name.
• The module was launched into space aboard a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang Launch Center in China.

Functions of the Module:

• The Module provides life support and living quarters for three crew members.
• Further, the module also provides guidance, navigation and orientation control for the station.
• It also provides the station’s power, propulsion and life support systems.

Significance:

• This module is the first of the 11 missions to build and supply the permanent space station.

• Two Tribal settlements (Kattupatti and Kuzhipatti) of Pulayar community within the limits of Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu are gearing up for their annual festival of local deity Vairapattan.

About Anamalai Tiger Reserve:

• It is one of the four Tiger Reserves in Tamil Nadu. It forms part of the Southern Western Ghats.
• It forms part of the Anamalai Parambikulam Elephant Reserve declared in 2003.
• It is surrounded by Parambikulam Tiger Reserve on the East, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and Eravikulam National Park on the South Western side (all belong to Kerala).
• The reserve is also surrounded by Nenmara, Vazhachal, Malayattur and Marayur reserved forests of Kerala.
• The ranges found in this reserve include Amaravathi, Udumalpet, Pollachi, Ulandy, Valparai and Manamboli.
• The tribes are the Kadars, Malasars, Malaimalasar, Pulaiyars, Muduvars and the Eravallan (Eravalar).
• It includes wet evergreen forest and semi-evergreen forest, montane shola-grassland, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, thorn forests and marshes.
• The important mammals include: Asiatic elephant, Sambar, Spotted deer, Barking deer, Mouse deer, Gaur, Nilgiri tahr, Tiger, etc.

• The CSIR Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology has developed VINCOV-19, which may be the first specific drug for the treatment of COVID-19, which contains therapeutic antibodies.

Key Points:

• The Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) has approved clinical trials for the VINCOV-19 in Phases I and II, and it is expected to be tested in Delhi and Rajasthan soon.
• The VINCOV-19 is a series of antibodies collected from horses after they were given inactivated Corona virus injections.
• After the results of phase I and II are released, it is expected to be approved for emergency use.
• It works better when given early in the infection.
• Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology or CCMB is an Indian fundamental life science research establishment that operates under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. It is located in Hyderabad.

• Current Context:  May 7th is World Athletics Day 2020.
• World Athletics Day is organized by the International Athletics Federation (IAAF). World Athletics Day was celebrated for the first time in 1996.

Objectives of World Athletics Day

• Popularizing sports among the youth
• Giving a boost to Athletics and making it the primary sport in schools and institutions
• Increasing public awareness about sports and also impart education to youngsters about the importance of sports
• To establish an important link between the youth, sport, and environmental conservation

International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) was established in Stockholm (Sweden) on July 17, 1912. The IAAF is the leading organization of world athletics.

• Indigenously-developed Tejas Aircraft has been cleared to carry fifth-generation Python-5 air-to-air missile as part of its weapons package.

About Python-5:

• Python-5 is a fifth-generation air-to-air missile (AAM) manufactured by Israeli Rafael Advanced Defence Systems.
• The Python-5 Missile was first used in the 2006 Lebanon war. During the war, it destroyed two Iran made UAVs.

Key Features:

• Firstly, the missile can be launched from very short to beyond-visual ranges with greater kill probability and excellent resistance.
• Secondly, Python-5 is capable of “lock-on after launch” (LOAL). The missile also has a full-sphere/all-direction (including rearward) attack ability.
• Thirdly, the missile also features an advanced seeker with an electro-optical and imaging infrared homing seeker. This seeker scans the target area for hostile aircraft, then locks on for the terminal chase.

• Every year, May 5th is World Hand Hygiene Day.
• This day is organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness of the importance of hand hygiene in preventing many serious infections.
• The theme for the year 2021 is Saving Lives the Second Time: Clean Hands.
• It is believed that hand washing is the most effective measure that can be taken to avoid various infections, including the COVID-19 virus.

• CT scans have been in the news since some Covid positive patients with mild to moderate Covid symptoms, as well as those with negative RT-PCR results who have Covid symptoms, have requested the test.

About CT scan:

• CTS is also known as Computed Tomography Scan.
• It’s a non-invasive medical imaging procedure used in radiology to obtain accurate images of the body for diagnosis.
• CT scanners calculate X-ray attenuations by various tissues within the body using a revolving x-ray tube and a row of detectors in the gantry.
• The tomographic (cross-sectional) images (virtual “slices”) of a body are created using multiple X-ray measurements taken from various angles, which are then processed on a computer using reconstruction algorithms.
• Because of the negative effects of ionising radiation, its use is often limited.

• The UDID project is under implementation since 2016. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities recently made it mandatory for all states and Union Territories to issue a certificate of disability only using UDID portal. This is to come into force from June 1, 2021.
• UDID is Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities Project. The project aims to provide a Universal ID And disability certificates for persons with disabilities.

About UDID Project

• The Project aims to create a National Database for the Persons with Disabilities. Also, it aims to issue a UDID, that is, Unique Disability Identity Card to each person with disabilities.

Key Features of the Project

• A centralised web application for online availability of data of person with disabilities across the country.
• Online filling and submission of application form for disability certificate
• Fast tracking the process of calculating the percentage of disability by the hospitals
• Online updating and renewal of information about the persons with disabilities
• The following disabilities are included in the project: Cerebral Palsy, Blindness, Low Vision, Locomotor Disability, Leprosy-cured, Mental retardation, Mental Illness, Hearing Impairment Data Collected.

The Government of India collects only the following details from the person to create the UDID for him:

• Personal details including his or her address
• Employment details
• Identity Details
• Disability Details