Top Best Current Affairs 12 May 2020 (2)

Hyderabad based Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) premier lab, has developed Defence Research Ultraviolet Sanitiser (DRUVS), an automated contactless ultraviolet (UVC) sanitisation cabinet.

Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi assumed charge as new Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy on 11 May 2020. Chaturvedi met senior officers of the Ministry and took stock of the work and issues before the Ministry. Chaturvedi succeeded Anand Kumar in the Ministry who earlier took charge as Secretary, Ministry of Culture.

Eminent historian Hari Shankar Vasudevan died at a private hospital on 10 May. He was 68. Vasudevan had tested positive for novel coronavirus on May 6 after being admitted with high fever and breathing difficulty symptoms on May 4, but had other chronic ailments also.

The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) announced a research collaboration with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL) to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.

Ratan Khatri, who reigned supreme from the early 1960s till the 1990s as the 'matka king', passed away at his residence in south Mumbai on 9 May. He was 88. He had suffered a brain stroke and was recovering when he died. Khatri is said to be the person who spread a particular form of gambling, which was based on picking chits from matkas (earthern pots), from Mumbai to different parts of the country.

Mother's Day was celebrated on May 10 (2nd Sunday of May every year).

Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers reported that National Fertilizers Ltd, a PSU under GoI, registered a 71% growth in fertilizer sales in April 2020. The stringent restrictions in April due to COVID-19 lockdown Company recorded fertilizer sale of 3.62 Lakh MT in April 2020 compared to 2.12 Lakh MT in the same period 2019.

The Registration Committee (RC) under the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) recommended a complete ban on the use of antibiotics streptomycin and tetracycline on crops with immediate effect. It suggested that other options were available for bacterial disease control. The decision was made at the 414th meeting of the RC held on 1 May 2020. The report will be shared with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Department of Agriculture Cooperation for necessary action on suggesting alternatives.