Daily Current Affairs : 25-Mar-2020
Major Topics Covered :
21 DAY LOCKDOWN IN INDIA
OMAR ABDULLAH RELEASED
TOKYO OLYMPICS
MADE IN INDIA TESTING KIT
HANTA VIRUS
21 DAY LOCKDOWN IN INDIA
Why in news?
As the death toll from COVID-19 rose to 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown for the entire country, stating that it was the only way for the country to break the chain of infection. The lockdown will be in effect till April 14.
Highlights:
India on Tuesday recorded 564 positive cases, with the number of positive patients in Kerala and Maharashtra crossing 100.
Government has allotted ₹15,000 crore for the purchase of Personnel Protection Equipment for healthcare workers, setting up testing laboratories and quarantine centres.
PM said, “If we are not able to adhere to this lockdown sincerely for 21 days, believe me, India will go back 21 years.”
Source : Hindu
OMAR ABDULLAH RELEASED
Why in news?
Former Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah was released on Tuesday from a Srinagar sub-jail after 232 days
Highlights:
Mr. Abdullah was detained on August 5 last ahead of the Centre’s decision to revoke J&K’s special status and later booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and kept in the Hari Niwas sub-jail.
Features of PSA :
Definition
The Public Safety Act (PSA), 1978, of Jammu & Kashmir is an administrative detention law that allows detention of any individual for up to two years without a trial or charge.
Conditions for arrest
The Public Safety Act allows for the arrest and detention of people without a warrant, specific charges, and often for an unspecified period of time.
In some cases, the person can be informed about the reason of custody and he/she can file a case against the government for detention.
Right to know of Detainee
The detaining authority is not required to reveal any facts “which it considers being against the public interest to disclose”.
Time
A person can be detained for upto 2 years when he/she acts in a manner prejudicial to the security of the state and upto 1 year when it is against public order.
Issuing authority
A detention order under the PSA is issued either by the Divisional Commissioner or District Magistrate.
Minimum age for detention
After the amendments of 2012, detention under 18 years of age is not allowed.
Right to be heard
An individual detained under the PSA shall be produced before the magistrate within 24 hours.
Advisory body
The Advisory Board is a non-judicial body established under Section 14 of the PSA to review detention orders and determine whether there is sufficient cause for detention.
Members of Advisory Body
It contains two members and a chairperson who are appointed by the government. They have 3 year tenure, extendable to 5 years.
Source : Hindu
TOKYO OLYMPICS
Why in news?
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9, has been postponed to 2021.
Highlights:
This has been the first such delay in the Games’ 124-year modern history, as the COVID-19 crisis wrecked the last international sporting showpiece meant for this year.
Though a huge blow to Japan, which invested $12 billion in the run-up, the decision was a relief to thousands of athletes fretting over how to train.
Pressure had been building on the International Olympic Committee and its president Thomas Bach, with some athletes and sporting bodies critical of the time taken to make a seemingly inevitable decision.
Source : Hindu
MADE IN INDIA TESTING KIT
Why in news?
In a major development in the fight against novel coronavirus, Pune-based MyLab has become the first indigenous manufacturer to be approved for deploying its kits for COVID-19 testing.
Highlights:
While diagnostic tests for COVID-19 are largely reliant on foreign companies, several labs in India had applied to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, for getting their own kits vetted.
Written guidelines by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) require that only diagnostic kits that have been approved by the United States Food and Drugs Administration or certified by the European Union be allowed to offer commercial tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2.
However, Director General of ICMR Dr. Balram Bhargava on Monday said those approved by the NIV would be eligible for approval.
Source : Hindu
HANTA VIRUS
Why in news?
Even when the world is trying to find a cure for the dreaded coronavirus pandemic, a report in Global Times said that a man from China's Yunnan province died from Hantavirus while on a bus to the Shandong province. Highlights:
The Centre for Disease Control says that the virus is spread mainly from rodents. It goes on to say that infection with any of the hantavirus can cause hantavirus disease in people.
Hantaviruses in the Americas are known as “New World” hantaviruses and may cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
Other hantaviruses, known as “Old World” hantaviruses, are found mostly in Europe and Asia and may cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
There is no specific treatment, cure or vaccine for hantavirus infection.
Developing HPS (hantavirus pulmonary syndrome) and HFRS (hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome) can be fatal.
Both of these are also pretty rare, and while some patients have long recovery times of weeks or months, many patients make a full recovery without lasting complications.
Source : Economic Times