Daily Current Capsules 30^th May 2022
Factoids
International Day Of UN Peacekeepers
What's the NEWS

• The International Day of UN Peacekeepers was observed on May 29, 2022.
• This year, the theme is People Peace Progress: The Power of Partnerships.

Know! about it

• For the past two decades on this day, UN Peacekeepers, also known as the Blue Helmets, are remembered by the world for their role in promoting security, peace and stability.
• More than one million UN peacekeepers have taken part in 72 such operations since 1948.
• India has played a key role in UN Peacekeeping operations. It sent doctors and nurses to Congo in 1960 and then an all women team to Liberia in 2008.

Health
WEST NILE VIRUS
What's the NEWS

• The Kerala health department is on alert after the death of a 47-year-old from Thrissur due to the West Nile Virus.
• The virus was first reported in the state in Alappuzha in 2006 and then in Ernakulam in 2011.

Know! all about West Nile Virus

• The West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne, single-stranded RNA virus.
• It is "a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese Encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae".
• Culex species of mosquitoes act as the principal vectors for transmission.
• It is transmitted by infected mosquitoes between and among humans and animals, including birds, which are the reservoir host of the virus.
• WNV can also spread through blood transfusion, from an infected mother to her child, or through exposure to the virus in laboratories.
• It is not known to spread by contact with infected humans or animals. To date, no human-to-human transmission of WNV through casual contact has been documented.
• The disease is asymptomatic in 80% of the infected people. In rest of the 20% cases, the symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, body aches, nausea, rash, and swollen glands.
• This vector-borne disease can be prevented by protecting one-self from mosquito bites.
• Other steps are wearing clothing that acts as a barrier to exposure to bites, reducing breeding sites, covering water storage containers and eliminating puddles and drainage of places where water accumulates.

Bilateral Relations
Bandhan and Maitree Express
What's the NEWS

• The Bangladesh-India passenger train services resumed after two years with the flagging off of the Maitree Express train from Dhaka.

Know! about the train

• The Bandhan Express between Kolkata and Khulna was also resumed with the flagging off of the train at Kolkata.
• It reached Benapole railway station around 9.45 a.m. local time.
• The newly introduced train Mitali Express between New Jalpaiguri and Dhaka will be flagged off jointly by the Railway Ministers of India and Bangladesh on June 1.
• The train will not have any commercial stoppage between Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri.
• Passenger train services between the two countries had remained suspended for over two year after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
• The resumption of the train services was eagerly awaited in Bangladesh as it provides a convenient and cheap mode of connectivity for the people travelling from Bangladesh to India and back.

Factoids
Thanjavur Doll
What's the NEWS

• Addressing the nation in his Mann Ki Baat programme's on All India Radio, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recounted how he received an interesting gift by a Self-Help Group from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.

Know! about Thanjavur Doll

• The gift was a special Thanjavur Doll, which is scripting a new saga of women empowerment as Women's Self-Help Groups' stores and kiosks are opening up in Thanjavur.
• With the help of such kiosks and stores, women are now able to sell their products directly to the customers.
• The initiative has been named 'Tharagaigal Kaivinai Porutkal Virpanai Angadi'.
• The Thanjavur doll is a type of traditional Indian bobblehead or roly-poly toy made of terracotta material.
• The centre of gravity and total weight of the doll is concentrated at its bottom-most point, generating a dance-like continuous movement with slow oscillations.
• These toys are traditionally handmade, finished with detailed, painted exteriors.
• They have been recognized as a Geographical Indication by the Government of India as of 2008-09.

Factoids
Biotech Park at Ghatti
What's the NEWS

• Union Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated North India's First Biotech Park at Ghatti, Kathua district, J&K.

Know! about the Park

• This biotech park will carry out research on biodiversity, medicinal and aromatic plants of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and it will also promote green category businesses.
• The biotechnology park at Kathua has a potential to produce 25 startups in a year which will be among its great contributions to this region.
• The work on the two Industrial Biotech Parks, one at Ghatti, Kathua, Jammu and other in Handwara, Kashmir jointly funded by department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, Ministry of Science & Technology and Jammu & Kashmir Science, Technology & Innovation Council was started in February 2019.
• CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, (CSIR-IIIM) Jammu has been entrusted with the responsibility of implementation of this project.

Education
ATAL NEW INDIA CHALLENGE (ANIC)

What's the NEWS

• Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog organised 'National Outreach Meet' for the second edition of the Atal New India Challenge (ANIC) at International Centre Goa, hosted by AIC-GIM Foundation.

Know! about ANIC

• ANIC is a flagship program of Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.
• The program aims to seek, select, support and nurture technology-based innovations that solve sectoral challenges of national importance and societal relevance.
• Each ANIC winner will be eligible for a funding of up to INR 1 crore.
• The sectors in which ANIC 2.0 launched the challenges include E-mobility, Road Transportation, Space Technology and Application, Sanitation, Medical Devices and Equipment, Waste Management and Agriculture.
• The first edition of the ANIC program received more than 1000 applications for 24 challenges and is currently supporting 30+ startups through grants, partnerships, networking, tech support, mentorship, infrastructure and access to investors.

KEEP Learning KEEP Evolving
TEAM CL