MAY 21st Current Affairs

1.World Bee Day

IN NEWS:

Agriculture Minister Launches Honey Testing Laboratory Project on the Occasion of World Bee Day.

KEY POINTS:

• On the occasion of World Bee Day and in the auspicious context of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched the project of setting up of a honey testing laboratory at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi.
• It has been setup for quality testing of honey and other products of beekeeping under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission.
• 300 crore has been approved for the overall promotion of National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM), development of scientific beekeeping and achieving the target of “sweet revolution”. Besides, Rs 500 crore has been allocated to NBHM by the Centre under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Campaign.
• A world-class state of art Honey Testing Lab has been established at National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Anand with the help of Rs 5 crore.
• The UN has designated 20 May as World Bee Day.
• The fourth observance of World Bee Day was celebrated by the FAO on 20 May 2021 under the theme “Bee engaged – Build Back Better for Bees”.

SOURCE:PIB

2. Indian origin frozen boneless Buffalo meat is safe, says APEDA

IN NEWS:

India following guidelines of international organizations and adhering to Quality, Food Safety and Environment management systems regarding Buffalo meat.

KEY POINTS:

• India is one of the world’s leading exporters of buffalo meat.
• Despite Covid -19 Pandemic for over a year now, India has been able to achieve its exports valued at USD 3.17 billion in the year 2020-21 which is at the previous year’s level of exports (2019-20).
• The value realization of buffalo meat also went up from USD 2754 to 2921 per MT.
• The nutritious and risk free Buffalo meat is very popular in more than 70 countries across the world.
• Top Indian buffalo meat importing countries are Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Philippines and UAE.
• The Buffalo meat is prepared and exported in accordance with OIE guidelines for any risk mitigation.
• Only boneless buffalo meat is allowed for export from India which is safe and risk free.
• Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry has said that all importing countries can safely procure Indian origin frozen boneless Buffalo meat.
• The Buffalo meat exports from India are going on smoothly and there are no hurdles in supply chain. The affordably priced buffalo meat is contributing towards food security and food price inflation control in the importing countries.
• There have been several interventions by the Government of India to control and eradicate various livestock diseases. The Launching of National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) in June, 2019 to control Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis by 2025 with vaccination and eradication of disease by 2030 is one of the flagship scheme of GOI.

SOURCE:PIB

3. States asked to declare Mucormycosis an epidemic

In news

• The Union government has asked the States to declare mucormycosis,, an epidemic under Epidemic Diseases Act 1897.
• Mucormycosis is the black fungal infection being reported in COVID-19 patients.

Key takeaways

• Declaring it an epidemic would lead to health facilities screening for it and reporting all such cases to the government.
• Rajasthan, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have already declared it an epidemic.

Important Information:

• Mucormycosis or black fungus is a complication caused by fungal infection.
• People catch mucormycosis by coming in contact with the fungal spores in the environment.
• The disease is being detected among patients who are recovering or have recovered from Covid-19.

SOURCE:TH

4. India, Oman MoU

IN NEWS:

Recently, India and Oman renewed the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on military cooperation as well as on maritime security.

KEY POINTS:

• The Sultanate of Oman is a strategic partner of India and an important speaker at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Arab League and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) fora.
• India is a member of IORA but not a member of GCC and Arab League.
• India and Oman are linked by geography, history and culture and enjoy warm and cordial relations, which are attributed to historical maritime trade linkages, intimacy of the Royal family with India and the seminal role played by Indian expatriate community in building Oman, which is acknowledged by the Omani Government.
• Institutional mechanisms like Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) and Joint Business Council (JBC) oversee economic cooperation between the two.
• Key bilateral agreements/MoUs cover cooperation in Defence; peaceful uses of Outer Space; Extradition; Legal and judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters; Agriculture; Civil Aviation; Avoidance of Double Taxation; Maritime issues; etc.

Defence Cooperation:

• In West-Asia, Oman is one of India’s oldest defence partners and an ally in anti-piracy campaigns.
• India has supplied rifles to Oman. Also, India is considering setting up a defence production unit in Oman.
• India and Oman conduct regular biennial bilateral exercises between all three services.
• Army exercise: Al Najah
• Air Force exercise: Eastern Bridge
• Naval Exercise: Naseem Al Bahr

Maritime Cooperation:

• Oman is at the gateway of Strait of Hormuz through which India imports one-fifth of its oil imports.
• The berth rights given by Oman to Indian vessels is important for the Indian Navy to carry out anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.
• India signed a pact with the country in 2018 to access the Duqm port of Oman.
• India is working closely with Oman to enhance strategic depth in the region and add heft to its Indo-Pacific vision in the Western and Southern Part of Indian Ocean.
• India needs its support to counter the growing Chinese foothold in the region.
• India is concerned with China’s acquisition of strategic assets in the region including setting its base at Port of Doraleh in Djibouti.

SOURCE:PIB

5. PREPAID PAYMENT INSTRUMENTS (PPIs)

 In news

Now Money kept in various online wallets like Amazon pay, Ola money, Mobikwik, Phone pe, Delhi Metro Card etc. can be withdrawn using an ATM or Point of Sale Terminal.

Key takeaways

• RBI has permitted cash withdrawal of Rs. 2,000 per transaction with maximum limit of Rs. 10,000 per month.
• All non-bank Payment prepaid instruments can provide this service.
• Till date, RBI has permitted 37 Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) in country.
• Maximum two lakh rupees can be kept in various wallets after completion of full KYC.
• All PPIs have to ensure interoperability by 31st March 2022.

Important Information

• PPIs help facilitate the purchase of goods and services, including financial services, remittances and fund transfers against the value stored on such instruments.
• These instruments are generally pre-loaded cards.
• Examples: Paytm and GPay (semi-closed system PPIs), gift cards (closed system PPIs) and debit or credit cards (open system PPIs).

SOURCE:IE

6. A-76: World’s Largest Iceberg

IN NEWS:

• An enormous iceberg ‘A-76’ has calved from the western side of the Ronne Ice Shelf, lying in the Weddell Sea, in Antarctica.
• It measures around 4320 sq km in size – currently making it the largest berg in the world.

KEY POINTS:

• The iceberg is designated A-76 by scientists.
• A-76 broke away from Antarctica’s Ronne Ice Shelf.
• It was spotted in recent satellite images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission.
• It surpassed the now second-place A-23A iceberg  which is also floating in the Weddell Sea.
• Spain’s popular tourist island of Majorca lies in the Mediterranean.
• The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre.
• Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula

SOURCE:IE