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  International Friendship Day is celebrated on 30 th  July every year in many parts of the world while in India it is celebrated on the first Sunday of August every year which is going to be 2 nd  August this year. History Behind: The idea of the celebration of friendship day was proposed in the year 1958 in Paraguay by the World Friendship Crusade. Finally, on 27 th  April 2011, the UN General Assembly declared 30 th  July as the International Friendship Day which is dedicated to all the amazing people without whom our lives would be incomplete. The reason behind this beautiful idea mandated by the UN was to inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities. Meanwhile, another very popular story behind the celebration of this beautiful day proposes that the day was first coined by Joyce Hall; founder of Hallmark Greetings Cards in the year 1930. Friendship day was celebrated to cherish friendship and value the people in our lives. However, there is v...

  The Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan recently announced that the N95 masks with valved respirators do not prevent COVID-19 from spreading out. What are N95 masks? The N95 masks are protective equipment that protects the wearers from airborne particles contaminating the face. The N95 masks filter particles that are less than 300 nano metres. The size of COVID-19 virus is between 65-125 nano metres. Function of valve in N95 masks The valve in N95 masks is a plastic gasket that filters air inhaled by the person and blocks entry of pathogens. The valve helps to prevent humidity, reduce heat and carbon-dioxide build up in the mask. Concerns The Health Ministry states that N95 masks with valved respirators do not prevent virus from escaping out of the mask. It is a one-way mask. It only protects the person wearing the mask and does not filter aerosols coming out. Therefore, when an asymptomatic patient of COVID-19 wears the mask, he can easily spread the infection...

  On July 21, 2020, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched “Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana”. The scheme is to help the eligible beneficiaries get ration delivered at home. The scheme is to run for 6-7 months. Under the scheme, the Delhi government will deliver wheat, rice, flour and sugar in hygienically packed bags. The packets are to be delivered at door step of the people. The Delhi Government is to start One Nation One Ration Card scheme and Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Yojana on the same day. Significance The scheme will benefit lakhs of people in the capital. Currently, subsidized ration is being provided under National Security act, 2013. The new scheme will add benefit to the act. One Nation One Card scheme Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, 81 crore people are entitled to subsidized food grains. Around 23 crore ration cards have been issued to over 80 crore beneficiaries of National Food security Act. The scheme provides intra state and inter state portab...

On 30 th  June 2020, a Bell 206-B3 Helicopter was flagged off with spray equipment for Air Force Station in Rajasthan’s Barmer from the helipad facility in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar flagged off the Helicopter. The Helicopter will be deployed for locust control in the desert areas of Rajasthan. Districts that the Helicopter will cover are Nagaur, Jodhpur, Barmer, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, and Jodhpur. The Helicopter will be able to cover about 25 to 50-hectare area in one flight. In a single flight, it will have the capacity to carry 250 liters of pesticide. Objective of the Helicopter Operation United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned last week that the Desert Locusts may breed in the semi-arid/desert regions of Rajasthan as the monsoon rains will make it suitable for them to breed. The bell helicopter will work towards reaching areas in the desert that is not easily accessible thro...

  Despite low returns, the Treasury Securities (are of four types- Bills, Notes, Bonds, Inflation-Protected Securities) backed by the United States Treasury Department is one of the safest assets for any Central Bank around the world. With USD 157.4 billion at the end of April 2020, India has become the 12 th   largest holder of United States Government Securities. India’s holding touched an all-time record high of USD 177.5 billion at the end of February 2020 but was reduced to USD 156.5 billion at the end of March 2020. This significant drop was due to the financial impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic. As economic uncertainties increased following lockdowns in most countries across the world, securities were sold by India in the month of March. How the Indian Government invests in US Government Securities? On behalf of the Government of India, India’s Central bank- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) invests in foreign assets. These foreign investments are part of prudential ...

  In 2011, on the Seymour Island of Antarctica, a group of scientists from South American Nation Chile discovered a fossil 200 meters away from the spot where the fossil of a 10-meter long Mosasaur (an ancient reptile) was unearthed. The fossil, since then was kept at a museum in Chile and was named ‘The Thing’ as for over the next 7 years scientists kept on trying to resolve the football-sized mysterious fossil. Finally, on 17 th  June 2020, a study was published in the Journal Nature, according to which the fossil named “The Thing’ was the second-largest egg in terms of size (29 by 20 centimeters) that has been discovered to date. It is the second largest to the Madagascan Elephant Bird (extinct) egg and also the largest soft-shelled egg on record. Scientists however in their study were not able to identify the animal that laid the egg. The animal that had laid the egg could be up to 17 meters tall and at least 7 meters long. There have been opinions from scientists that the...

  On 14 June 2020, the Indian actor  Sushant Singh Rajput  was found dead hanging from the ceiling fan at his home in  Bandra , Mumbai. The cause of death was ruled to have been suicide .  The official postmortem reports concluded that he died of asphyxia  due to hanging.  The Mumbai Police  launched an investigation into the death, which was surrounded by rumors and speculation. A week prior to his suicide, Rajput had googled three subjects multiple times: Disha Salian, his former manager who had died about a week before him; news reports containing his own name; and information about a mental illness. On 13 June 2020, the night before his death, Rajput retired to his bedroom after dinner. At around 2   a.m. on Sunday, 14 June he made two phone calls, one to Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty and another to television actor Mahesh   Shetty. Neither call was answered. Rajput then woke up early that morning. Some ...