VETRII IAS STUDY CIRCLE TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS MAY - 2020 An ISO 9001 : 2015 Institution | Providing Excellence Since 2011 Head Office Old No.52, New No.1, 9th Street, F Block, 1st Avenue Main Road, (Near Istha siddhi Vinayakar Temple), Anna Nagar East – 600102. Phone: 044-2626 5326 | 98844 72636 | 98844 21666 | 98844 32666 Branches SALEM KOVAI No.189/1, Meyanoor Road, Near ARRS Multiplex, (Near Salem New No.347, D.S.Complex (3rd floor), Nehru Street,Near Gandhipuram bus Stand), Opp. Venkateshwara Complex, Salem - 636004. Central Bus Stand, Ramnagar, Kovai - 9 0427-2330307 | 95001 22022 75021 65390 Educarreerr Location Vivekanandha Educational Institutions for Women, Elayampalayam, Tiruchengode - TK Namakkal District - 637 205. 04288 - 234670 | 91 94437 34670 Patrician College of Arts and Science, 3, Canal Bank Rd, Gandhi Nagar, Opposite to Kotturpuram Railway Station, Adyar, Chennai - 600020. 044 - 24401362 | 044 - 24426913 Sree Saraswathi Thyagaraja College Palani Road, Thippampatti, Pollachi - 642 107 73737 66550 | 94432 66008 | 90951 66009 www.vetriias.com My Dear Aspirants, Greetings to all of you! “What we think we become” Gautama Buddha. We all have dreams. To make dreams come into reality it takes a lot of determination, dedication, self discipline and continuous effort. We at VETRII IAS Study Circle are committed to provide the right guidance, quality coaching and help every aspirants to achieve his or her life’s cherished goal of becoming a civil servant. The class room coaching at VETRII IAS Study Circle is meticulously planned to equip the aspirants with all the relevant facts and fundamentals of the subjects. Further the VETRII IAS Study Circle Study materials aim to support the candidate by providing the most relevant study material in a comprehensive manner. Wishing You All The Very Best !! DIRECTOR (M.Shunmugam) Vetrii IAS Study Circle. Published by VETRII IAS STUDY CIRCLE F Block New No. 1, 9th Street, 1st Avenue main Road, Chinthamani, Anna Nagar (E), Chennai – 102. Phone: 044 – 26265326 / 9600124042 / 9840097666 www.vetriias.com E-Mail: [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected] Feedback: [email protected] © All rights reserved with the publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmit- ted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, will be responsible for the loss and may be punished for compensation under copyright act. INDEX 01 - 16 HISTORY 01 . Important Days . Defence National Security and Terrorism . World Organisations – Pacts and Summits . Eminent Persons . Sports and Games . Books & Authors . Awards & Honours . Cultural Panaroma . India & its Neighbours . Appointments – Who is who? 17 - 17 POLITICAL SCIENCE 17 .India’s Foreign Policy .Latest Court Verdicts .Govt – Welfare oriented Govt schemes, their utility 18-19 GEOGRAPHY 18 .Policy on Environment and Ecology .Natural Disasters – Safeguard Measures 20-26 ECONOMICS 20 .New Economic Policy & Govt. Sector .Current Socio - Economic Problems 27 27 - 38 SCIENCE .Latest Inventions in Science & Technology . Latest Discoveries on Health Science . Mass Media & Communication 39 39 NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENTS 52 52 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 53 TAMIL NADU AFFAIRS 53 VETRII'S CURRENT AFFAIRS, MAY - 2020 Important Days History 1.1 Important Days Date Day Theme / Remark May 1 International Labour Day May 3 World Press Freedom Day May 5 World Hand Hygiene Day The theme for 2020 International Day of International Day of the the Midwife is Midwives with women: May 5 Midwife celebrate, demonstrate, mobilise, unite – our time is NOW!. The theme for 2020 is ‘Enough Asthma May 5 World Asthma Day Deaths’. Theme : The drawing of a new era for Thalassemia: Time for a global effort May 5 World Athletics Day 2020 to make novel therapies accessible and affordable to patients May 8 World Thalassemia Day The theme of World Migratory Bird Day May 9 World Migratory Bird Day 2020 is “Birds Connect Our World”. VETRII IAS STUDY CIRCLE 1 Important Days VETRII'S CURRENT AFFAIRS, MAY - 2020 This year’s focus is “Rebooting the economy through science and technology. PM Modi praises technology As the world continues to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted the importance of technology in the fight against the Coronavirus as Technology Day was May 11 National technology day observed. Technology Day is observed to mark the successful testing of nuclear missiles in 1998 under the leadership of Vajpayee and scientist and former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. It was after the successful completion of these tests that Vajpayee declared India as a nuclear state. Theme: Nurses: A voice to lead-Nursing May 12 International Nurse Day the World to Health 2 VETRII IAS STUDY CIRCLE VETRII'S CURRENT AFFAIRS, MAY - 2020 Defence, National Security and Terrorism 1.2 Defence, National Security at the Cochin International Airport in Kerala. and Terrorism The DRDO had deployed a similar disinfectant chamber at the All India Indian Navy launches “Samudra Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Setu” Operation Delhi on April 7 to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. The disinfectant chamber uses a solution that is known to kill COVID-19. It is expected to help in containing the spread of coronavirus. The DRDO has been lately working on providing a large number of medical and personal protection equipment for healthcare personnel in the country. The Indian Navy has launched ‘Samudra Setu’ operation as a part of the nation’s “The Resistance Front” efforts to bring back Indian citizens from “The Resistance Front” is the new name abroad. The operation’s name means ‘sea of terror group in Kashmir. The group is bridge’. made of existing terror groups such as Under the operation, INS Jalashwa and Jais-e- Mohammad, Hizbul Mujahidin, Magar have departed for the port of Male LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) and Al-Badr. in the Maldives to begin the evacuation The Resistance Front has claimed of Indian citizens. responsibility for the attack in Kupwara The Indian Mission in the Maldives is district along the Line of Control. preparing a list of Indian nationals, who Highlights will be evacuated by the Indian naval According to the Indian Army, The ships. The evacuees will undergo medical Resistance Front (TRF) is like the old screening before embarking the ships. wine in new bottle! The new terror Around 1000 people are expected to be group is being supported by Pakistan. evacuated in the first trip. This is being done to get deniability of action under the Financial Action Task DRDO installs its UV disinfection Force (FATF). Pakistan has been under chamber at Cochin International constant pressure from the FATF to Airport cut its financial support to the terrorist An Ultra Violet disinfection chamber has organizations. been installed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) VETRII IAS STUDY CIRCLE 3 Defence, National Security and Terrorism VETRII'S CURRENT AFFAIRS, MAY - 2020 WHO, UN postal agency release Three years’ service among new commemorative postage stamp on models Army is looking to use for 40th anniversary of eradication of recruitment smallpox The Army headquarters is considering The World Health Organization (WHO) two different models for recruitment and the UN’s postal agency have in the future one under which youth released a commemorative postage can voluntarily serve in the Army for a stamp on 9 May to commemorate the temporary period of three years, and the 40th anniversary of the eradication of other where they are recruited by Central smallpox. Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), trained WHO’s smallpox eradication campaign and posted in the Army for about seven was launched in 1967. WHO raised years, before being transferred back. awareness about smallpox across the The recruitment models are being world through postage stamps. In 1980 considered to attract more youth to join May, the 33rd World Health Assembly the Army, fill up officers’ vacancies, and issued its official declaration that the reduce burgeoning defence pensions, world and all its peoples have won which make up nearly 30 per cent of the freedom from smallpox. defence budget and ballooned after the Smallpox: ‘One Rank One Pension’ (OROP) scheme The causative agent of Smallpox is came into effect. the Variola virus. It is a member of The first model, of three years’ service, is the genus Orthopoxvirus, subfamily called ‘Tour of Duty’, while the other is Chordopoxvirinae of family Poxviridae. called ‘Inverse Induction’. The symptoms of smallpox include fever (range of 101 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit), malaise, head and body aches, vomiting, rashes which turn into small red spots on the tongue and mouth, sores and bumps. In 1796, Edward Jenner developed the first successful vaccine. The smallpox disease has now been eradicated after a successful worldwide vaccination program. 4 VETRII IAS STUDY CIRCLE VETRII'S CURRENT AFFAIRS, MAY - 2020 World Organisations – Pacts and Summits 1.3 World Organisations – WHO released first “State of the World’s Nursing Report – 2020 Pacts and Summits Countries facing greatest shortfall of nurses are in Africa, South East Asia and 2 crore Indian babies will be born the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region amid COVID as well as some parts of Latin America. One in every eight nurses practices in a India is projected to record the highest country other than the one where they number of births in the nine months since were born or trained. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic The report estimates that countries in March, with more than 20 million experiencing shortages need to increase babies expected to be born in the country the total number of nurse graduates by between March and December, according on average 8% per year. to a top UN body. About The State of the World’s Nursing The United Nations Children’s Fund 2020: warned that pregnant mothers and babies It provides an in-depth look at the largest born during the pandemic across the component of the health workforce.