Daily Current Affairs Quiz: 8 May 2021

ANSWER: A

Why in News ?

• Every year, the World Migratory Day is celebrated biannually on second Saturday of May and October. This year, it is celebrated on May 8th. The previous World Migratory Bird Day was celebrated on October 10th(Theme- Birds connect our world)
• The main objective of celebrating the World Migratory Day is to increase awareness of migratory birds and their importance in international cooperation to conserve them. It also creates awareness for conserving the habitats of the migratory birds, especially the wetlands.

This year, the World Migratory Bird Day (that falls in the month of May) is celebrated under the following theme:

• Theme: Sing, fly, Soar – Like a Bird

World Migratory Bird Day

The World Migratory Bird Day is organised by the Convention on Migratory Species, Environment for the Americas, Colorado-based Non-Profit Organisation and the African – Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement.

• It is also celebrated by the United Nations Environment Programme.

ANSWER: A

Why in News?

Every year the World Thalassemia Day is celebrated on May 8. The day is celebrated to encourage the patients suffering from Thalassemia. 

Theme: Addressing Health Inequalities across the Global Thalassemia Community

Thalassemia Disease

• The disease is an inherited blood disorder that is passed from parents to children. 
• When a person gets infected with the disease, his or her body loses the ability to produce haemoglobin. Eventually the red blood cells count reduces. Red Blood Cells are the carriers of oxygen.
• Thalassemia can cause anemia, leaving the person fatigued.
• The disease is most common in South Asian, African and Mediterranean countries.

Thalassemia in India

• Every year around 10,000 children are born with Thalassemia. 
• The Thalassemia gene varies from 3% to 15% in northern India, 1% to 3% in southern India. Certain communities such as Lingayat in Karnataka, Koli’s and Agri’s in Maharashtra, Punjabis and Sindhis have higher carrier rate.

ANSWER: D

Why in News ?
After months of fierce fighting in Kandahar, the Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan’s second-largest dam.

Highlights: 

• It is now under Taliban control and provides irrigation to farmers through a network of canals as well as drinking water for the provincial capital. 
•  After fighting erupted in neighboring Helmand province just days after the US military officially began withdrawing its remaining troops from Afghanistan, the dam was captured.

About Dahla Dam:

• The Arghandab Dam is another name for the Dahla Dam.
•  It is situated in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, in the Shah Wali Kot District.
• It was constructed in 1952 and is located on the Arghandab River.

ANSWER: D

Why in News ?
The United States will support an initiative of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to abandon Trade-Related Intellectual Property (TRIPS) protection for the COVID-19 vaccine. This will help in large scale production of COVID-19 vaccines in middle income countries.

TRIPS

• • TRIPS is an international agreement on intellectual property rights.
  • It came into force in 1995 & is binding on all members of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
  • It lays down minimum standards for protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in member countries which are required to promote effective and adequate protection of intellectual property rights with a view to reducing distortions and impediments to international trade.
  • The Agreement covers most forms of intellectual property including

• patents,

• copyright,

• trademarks,

• geographical indications,

• industrial designs,

• trade secrets, &

• Exclusionary rights over new plant varieties.

(Intellectual Property Rights are the rights given to persons/agencies for their creativity/innovations. These rights usually give the creator, an exclusive right over the use of his/her creation for a certain period of time.)

ANSWER: B

Why in News ?

• The National Financial Reporting Authority is creating a database of companies and auditors. As a first step of establishing the database, NFRA is to identify and verify the primary data sources. 
• This is essential because certain data such as Company Identification Number is different from different sources. NFRA is to collect data from the Corporate Data Management division that operates under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and also from other three stock exchanges in India.

National Financial Reporting Authority

• • The National Financial Reporting Authority is a regulatory body set up in 2018 under Section 132 of Companies Act.

• It functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

• According to the act, the authority should have a chairperson and maximum of fifteen members. They are appointed by the Central Government.
• The NFRA recommends auditing and accounting policies and standards to be adopted by companies for approval from the Union Government.

• It monitors compliance with auditing standards and accounting standards.
• The NFRA has powers to investigate misconduct committed by the members of ICAI. ICAI is Institute of Charted Accountants of India.

ANSWER: C

Why in News ?
Forest ponds to harvest rainwater and check groundwater depletion are being constructed in Himachal Pradesh.

• Under the Parvat Dhara scheme, the HP government has initiated rejuvenation of water sources and recharging aquifers through the forest department with an outlay of Rs 20 crore.
• The department spent Rs 2.76 crore in 2020-21 for the construction of 110 big and small ponds, 600 check dams and 12,000 contour trenches along with plantation to store water and recharge the aquifers.
• The work was started in 10 forest divisions that include Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Jogindernagar, Nachan, Parvati, Nurpur, Rajgarh, Nalagarh, Theog and Dalhousie.
• Under the scheme, the cleaning and maintenance of existing ponds have been done. Also, the construction of new ponds, contour trenches, dams, check dams and retaining wall to control the soil erosion has been done, a forest official told IANS.

ANSWER: A

Why in News ?

The veteran Music Composer Vanraj Bhatia, who was the best-known composer of Western classical music in India, has passed away after a brief illness. 

• His work ranged from composing music for advertisement films, feature films, mainstream films, television shows, documentaries etc.
• Bhatia won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for the television film Tamas (1988), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Creative and Experimental Music (1989) and India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri (2012).

ANSWER: A

Why in News ?
The Drugs Controller General of India recently approved an oral drug to treat COVID-19 called the 2-DG. The 2-DG was developed by the Defense Research Development Organization for Emergency Use. 2-DG is 2-Deoxy – D – Glucose. It was developed in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.

About 2-DG drug

• The drug ensures faster recovery of hospitalised patients and will reduce supplemental oxygen dependence during clinical trials.
• It accumulates in infected cells and stops viral synthesis. This accumulation makes the drug unique.
• The drug comes in a powdered form in sachets. It is consumed orally after dissolving in water.
• It was developed by Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS). INMAS is a laboratory operating under DRDO.
• The DGCI has granted permission for emergency use of the drug in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients.
• 2-DG is a generic molecule and thus can be easily produced and made available in plenty in the country.