Daily Current Affairs Quiz: 21 May 2021

ANSWER:  C

WHY IN NEWS ?

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation have developed an antibody detection kit for the early screening of COVID-19.
• The Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, a lab of DRDO, in association with Delhi based firm Vanguard Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, has developed DIPCOVAN, the DIPS-VDx COVID 19 IGg Antibody Microwell ELISA for sero surveillance.

About:

• The kit can detect the spike as well as the nucleocapsid (S and N) proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with a high sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 99%.
• DIPCOVAN aims for the qualitative detection of IgG antibodies in human serum or plasma, targeting the SARS-CoV-2 related antigens.
• The detection kit also offers a significantly faster turn-around time as it requires only 75 minutes to conduct the test without any form of cross-reactivity with other diseases.
•  The antibody detection kit will be useful for understanding COVID-19 epidemiology as well as assessing the individual’s previous SARS-CoV-2 exposure.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS ?

• The 94-year-old Chipko movement leader and a noted environmentalist, passed away due to COVID-19 on May 21, 2021, at AIIMS hospital in Rishikesh.

About:

• Sunderlal Bahunga, born in Tehri, Uttarakhand, was a noted environmentalist and the Chipko Movement leader.
• From an early age, he began organizing social activities like anti-liquor drive, spreading messages of non-violence, adopted Gandhian principles, and took note of damage done to the eco-system of the Himalayas.
• The Chipko Movement started in 1973 in an effort to stop deforestation in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Chipko, meaning to hug, was a significant move by the local women of the village who then started hugging the trees to save trees from being cut.
  Sunderlal helped the Chipko movement gain prominence and gaining support which later resulted in then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi issuing a 15-year ban on cutting green tress. 
• He was also an activist in the Anti-Tehri Dam Movement during the 1980s.
• He fought hard and long for preserving forests in the Himalayas.
• He was Padma Vibhushan awardee, first in 1981 which he refused, and later in 2009 for environment conservation.

ANSWER: B  

WHY IN NEWS ?

• Martha Karambu Koome is Kenya’s first woman chief justice. She is the first woman to head any of the three branches of government.
• Koome, 61, a calm but staunch women’s rights crusader, takes over the judiciary ahead of next year’s general elections and would likely play a decisive role in adjudicating any eventual election disputes.

ANSWER:  A

WHY IN NEWS ?

Pinarayi Vijayan was sworn as Kerala Chief Minister for the second time in the shadow of the Covid-19 crisis in the state.

ANSWER:  A

WHY IN NEWS ?

The first destroyer of the Indian Navy, INS Rajput, will be decommissioned on May 21. It was commissioned on 04 May 1980. After rendering service for 41 years, it will be decommissioned at the Naval Dockyard of Visakhapatnam.

About:

• INS Rajput was built by Russia in the 61 Communards Shipyard. Its Original Russian name was ‘Nadezhny’.
• INS Rajput served for both Western and Eastern Fleets and its first commanding officer was Capt Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani. It is the 1st Indian Naval Ship to be associated with an Indian Army regiment – the Rajput Regiment. It participated in many operations including Operation Aman, Operation Pawan, Operation Cactus, etc.

 ANSWER:  C

WHY IN NEWS ?

The Emmy Award-nominated Indian choreographer Suresh Mukund, has won the 10th Annual ‘World Choreography Award 2020’, (also known as Choreo Awards), becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious honour.

About:

• He won the award in the ‘TV REALITY SHOW/COMPETITION’ category, for his work on the hit American TV reality show ‘World of Dance’.
• Mukund is the director and choreographer of the Indian dance crew ‘The Kings’, which won the 2019 season of World of Dance.
• The World Choreography Awards, famously known as the “Oscars of Dance”, takes place every year, in Los Angeles, to showcase the most innovative and original works by the world’s best choreographers featured in television, film, commercials, digital content, and music videos.

ANSWER:  C

WHY IN NEWS ?

• In India, the National Anti-Terrorism Day is observed on May 21 to commemorate the death anniversary of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi.

About:

• The day is also observed to spread the message of peace, harmony, and humankind and to promote unity among the people.
• Rajiv Gandhi was India’s youngest Prime Minister. He was appointed as the sixth Prime Minister of the country and served the nation from 1984 to 1989.
• Mr Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991, by a human bomb. He was killed in Tamil Nadu in a campaign by a terrorist. Then, under the V.P. Singh government, the centre has decided to observe 21st May as Anti-Terrorism Day.

ANSWER: A 

WHY IN NEWS ?

• World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is observed globally on 21 May every year.

About:

• The day aims to celebrate the richness of the world’s cultures and highlight the significance of its diversity as an agent of inclusion and positive change for achieving peace and sustainable development.
• In the year 2001, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the ‘Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity’ as a result of the destruction of the Buddha statues of Bamiyan in Afghanistan in 2001.
• Then in December 2002, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in its resolution 57/249, declared 21 May to be World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

ANSWER:  A

WHY IN NEWS ?

• International Tea Day is observed globally on May 21 on the recommendation of India. The purpose of International Tea Day is to try to improve the condition of tea producers and tea workers.

About:

• The United Nations recognised International Tea Day by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to raise awareness of the deep cultural and economic significance of tea around the world and promote its importance in fighting hunger and poverty.
• The United Nations General Assembly has designated May 21 as International Tea Day based on a proposal moved by India at the FAO Intergovernmental Group (IGG) on Tea in October 2015.
• Before 2019, December 15 is celebrated as International Tea Day in tea producing nations such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda, India and Tanzania.