CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. Prof. Sriram Ramaswamy, Director of TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences (TCIS), Hyderabad, has been on the list of 50 scientists elected as the Fellows of the Royal Society (FRS) of London, a premier scientific academy of the U.K. and the Commonwealth. Besides him, two other Indian viz.biochemist Ramanujan Hegde, MRC Laboratory of Microbiology, U.K. and applied mathematician Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan, Harvard University were also elected. The Royal Society elects new Fellows and Foreign Members every year. Its mission is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity.
2. In the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s latest Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and the Pacific, India’s growth forecast for 2016 and 2017 has retained at 7.5%. The key to boost India’s economic growth are structural reforms like Goods and Services Tax(GST) and in areas like land and labour.
3. The Supreme Court of India (SCI) has recently constituted R.M. Lodha committee to monitor the functioning of the Medical Council of India (MCI) for at least a year. The apex court has used its rare and extraordinary powers under the Article 142 of the Constitution as the Government of India (GoI) had not acted on the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare. The 3-member committee will have the authority to oversee all statutory functions under the MCI Act and will be free to issue appropriate remedial directions. All policy decisions of the MCI will require approval of the oversight committee.
4. The World Asthma Day (WAD) is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world. It takes place on the first Tuesday of May. The theme of 2016’s event is “You Can Control Your Asthma”.
5. The Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve in Assam. It is a home to a great variety of wildlife, including many endangered species viz. tiger, pygmy hog, Indian rhinoceros and Indian elephant.