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  • Current Affairs 8th May 2019

    Updated : 08-May-2019

    Current Affairs 8th May 2019 - Important Points

    • FAME 2 revised rules , declared by -  Centre government
    • World Asthma Day 2019 celebrated on - 7th May 2019
    • Mali’s President names new government on - 5th May 2019
    • PR Ramachra Menon sworn-in as CJ of Chhattisgarh on - 6th May 2019
    • Serotonin may help treat Neurological decline dicovered by - ata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 
    • For the first time Grizzled Giant Squirrel Nests sighted near Gingee at - Tamilnadu
    • Who has been elected new President of Panama ? -  Laurentino Cortizo
      Current Affairs 8th May 2019 - Details

    FAME 2 revised rules , declared by -  Centre government

    Centre government has declared that Electric and hybrid vehicle producers will have to indigenise a substantial portion of components to avail profits under a revised set of instructions of the phase-2 of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles scheme.
    Detailed localization draft rules have been published by the Department of Heavy Industry putting out a list of crucial components for Electric and hybrid vehicle manufacturers to localise with respective limits to avail the scheme across all permitted vehicle categories.
    Objective
    The main aim of the scheme is to inspire Faster adoption of Electric and hybrid vehicle by way of submission upfront Incentive on purchase of Electric vehicles and also by way of starting a necessary charging Infrastructure for electric vehicles. The plan will assist in addressing the issue of environmental pollution and
    fuel security.
    Major revised rules
    Department of Heavy Industry has listed components utilised in the Electric and hybrid vehicles across
    vehicle categories comprising electric 2-wheelers, electric 3-wheelers and e-rickshaws, 4-wheelers and e-Buses.
    Electric vehicle manufacturers across the above-stated categories will have to localize production of wheel rims integrated with hub motor from 1st Oct 2019.
    The HVAC units including heating, ventilation and air conditioning, for e-cars are also scheduled for
    indigenization from the same date.
    Important components corresponding electronic throttle, vehicle control unit along with the onboard
    charger for all permitted vehicle categories, and electric compressor and the DC charging inlet, both for the e-cars and e-buses are intended for indigenization from 1st October 2020.

    World Asthma Day 2019 celebrated on - 7th May 2019

    The World Asthma Day was celebrated globally on May 7th, 2019, the 1st Tuesday of May 2019. The day is celebrated worldwide to increase awareness about Asthma and its care internationally.
    The day is held and sponsored by the Global Initiative for Asthma as a corporation between health care
    groups and asthma educators to spread awareness about asthma. 
    Theme
    The theme of World Asthma Day 2019 was “STOP for Asthma” as-

    • Symptom evaluation
    • Test Response
    • Observe and assess
    • Proceed to adjust treatment World Asthma Day

    The World Asthma Day is celebrated annually by the GINA on the 1st Tuesday in May. The Day was 1st held in 1998 and was celebrated across 35 nations in concurrence with the 1st World Asthma Meeting organised in Barcelona, Spain.
    Every year, Global Initiative for Asthma chooses a theme, directs preparation and distributes World Asthma Day materials and resources.
    Global Initiative for Asthma
    The Global Initiative for Asthma was released in 1993 in association with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, United States, and the WHO. 

    Global Initiative for Asthma works with healthcare specialists and public health officers worldwide to
    decrease asthma prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. Global Initiative for Asthma is also one of the founding members in the WHO's Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases.

    Mali’s President names new government on - 5th May 2019

    Mali's president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta on May 5th, 2019 termed a new government under PM Boubou Cisse, following his predecessor Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga resigned past month among widespread protests over an surge of deadly inter-communal violence.
    Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga and his complete cabinet resigned on April 18th after the massacre of about 160 members of the Fulani herding community on March 23rd in the village of Ogossagou near Mali's border with Burkina Faso.
    Important Highlights

    • Mali President declared the new executive comprising 37 members under PM Boubou Cisse, who was selected on April 22nd to supervise the set-up of a "broad-based& ; government.
    • Cisse had inked an agreement last week with the opposition and majority party councils in Bamako, declaring their willingness to form a politically-inclusive new government.
    • The new Mali government comprises 10 females, above a quarter of the total but fewer than the previous team, which included about a 3rd.
    • The new executive comprises foreign minister Tiebile Drame, who headed the election campaign of
      opposition member Soumaila Cisse against Keita in 2018.
    • The key selection of defence went to General Ibrahim Dahirou Dembele, earlier army chief of staff under the junta that emerged from a 2012 coup.
    • The role of justice minister passed to Malick Coulibaly, president of Mali's National Commission for Human Rights, who has detained the position before.

    PR Ramachra Menon sworn-in as CJ of Chhattisgarh on - 6th May 2019

    Justice P.R.Ramachandra Menon took oath as the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court on May 6th, 2019. The office the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh fell vacant after the resignation of Chief Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi subsequent his selection as Judicial Member in the Lokpal.
    He was administered the pledge of office and secrecy by Governor Anandiben Patel at Raj Bhawan Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
    Justice PR Ramachandra Menon

    • Born on June 1st, 1959, Justice PR Ramachandra Menon got Law degree from the Government Law
      College, Ernakulam, Kerala.
    • He joined as an advocate on January 8th, 1983 and begun practice in Labour, Insurance and Constitutional Laws at Ernakulam.
    • He took oath-in as Additional Judge of High Court of Kerala on January 5th, 2009.
    • Later on December 15th, 2010, he was designated as permanent Judge of the High Court of Kerala and has been serving there since his elevation.

    Serotonin may help treat Neurological decline dicovered by - ata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 

    Scientists at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai discovered new function for stress buster
    Serotonin. The serotonin may assist treat neurological diseases as per to the results of this study printed in journal called “Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences”.
    About Serotonin

    • Its chemical name is 5-hydroxytryptamine and it is a monoamine neurotransmitter which signals between neurons.
    • It is a chemical in brain that feels us calm therefore, a rise in 5-hydroxytryptamine may improve
      individuals’capacity to respond to stress.
    • Serotonin is known to be accommodating in coping with stress but, underlying mechanism of its neuro- protective role was unidentified.
    • It shows that serotonin is tangled in generation of new mitochondria in neurons, augmented cellular
      respiration and fuel in cell.
      Applications
      So far, Serotonin’s freshly identified action was only studied in mice and rats. If found to be factual in
      humans, it may have significant medical implications including serotonin signalling could be utilised to prevent mitochondrial abnormalities and neuronal loss. Presently, neuronal loss is a major reason of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Besides this, abnormal mitochondrial workings are known to cause/contribute to neuronal death.

    For the first time Grizzled Giant Squirrel Nests sighted near Gingee at - Tamilnadu

    For the 1st time above 300 nests of Grizzled Giant Squirrel were noticed by scientists at Pakkamalai
    Reserve Forests near Gingee, Eastern Ghats, Tamil Nadu.
    More about Grizzled Giant Squirrel

    • It is a large tree squirrel in genus Ratufa with scientific name “Ratufa macroura”.
    • It is a lithe climber and is almost completely an arboreal, very rarely coming to ground to escape from predators. It is smallest of all the oversize squirrels found in Indian subcontinent.
    • In India it is found in patches of riparian forest along Kaveri River and hill forests of southern states-
      Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
    • It is usually known to nest in foothills of Western Ghats extending from Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala to Anamalai Tiger Reserve & Palani hills in Tamil Nadu and in some of areas in Eastern Ghats.
    • In 1988, the Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary situated in Tamil Nadu was recognized to protect
      vulnerable grizzled giant squirrel.
    • It is endangered by habitat loss, poaching and is also in high demand in pet trade. International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List it as Near Threatened.

    Who has been elected new President of Panama ? -  Laurentino Cortizo

    Panama’s Electoral Court declared the centre-left applicant Laurentino Cortizo as winner of Panama’s
    presidential election. Cortizo is contender for Panama’s Democratic Revolutionary Party, which secured
    33 percent of 95 percent of votes counted. The Democratic Revolutionary Party was founded in 1979 by military ruler Omar Torrijos and has been out of power since 2009.

    More about Laurentino “Nito” Cortizo

    He is a 66 years old cattleman who was educated in United States. He has earlier worked as nation’s
    minister of agriculture and also detained roles at regional Organisation of American States, and worked in construction and cattle sectors.
    His presidential campaign engrossed on fighting inequality and corruption, Education system, Panama City & decelerating economic growth in this Central America trade and financial hub.
    More about Panama

    • It is a Central America nation situated on Isthmus of Panama which is a narrow bridge of land connecting North and South America.
    • It is a tropical country renowned as site of Panama Canal and it lies between Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
    • Its national currency is “the balboa” which is issued only in coins. The balboa is at par with US dollar, and US paper money is freely circulated.