June 8th 2014 - Daily Current Affairs

Legendary Telugu writer Dasaradhi Rangacharya passes away

• Legendary Telugu writer Dasaradhi Rangacharya passed away in Hyderabad, Telangana after a brief illness. He was 87.

India, Netherlands sign MoU for development of Measles- Rubella Vaccines

• India and Netherlands have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of Measles- Rubella Vaccines.
• The MoU was signed under Make in India initiative of Union government in the presence of the Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte during his visit to India.
• The vaccine will be manufactured by Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation Ltd (BIBCOL) at its plant at Chola, Uttar Pradesh.
•  Translational Vaccinology (INTRAVACC) a government-based institute of Netherlands will provide technical support for the development of vaccine. INTRAVACC institute is part of Netherlands’ Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. It is internationally renowned for vaccine development and has a long history in technology transfer.
•  BIBCOL is a Central Public Sector Unit (CPSU) under the Department of Biotechnology of Union Ministry of Science & Technology.
• It was established as a PSU in 1989, with the aim to achieve self-sufficiency for the nation with respect to production and supply of high quality polio vaccine and other biologicals.
• During India’s immunisation programme BIBCOL had supplied billions of doses of oral polio vaccine and had played a major role in making India polio free.

India slaps anti-dumping duty on steel imports from China, Malaysia and South Korea

• India has slapped anti-dumping duty on imports of certain steel products from three South Asian countries viz China, Malaysia and South Korea.
• The anti-dumping duty was imposed by Union Finance Ministry on the recommendation of Directorate General of Anti-Dumping Duty (DGAD) to protect domestic producers from below-cost inbound shipments.
•  The duties have been imposed for five years on imports of certain varieties of steel especially on hot-rolled flat products of stainless steel used in automobile sectors.
• Background Earlier, DGAD, under the Union Ministry of Commerce had conducted investigation on dumping of certain Hot Rolled Flat Products of Stainless Steel of ASTM Grade 304 with all its variants exported from China, Korea and Malaysia based upon complaint filed by Jindal Stainless Limited. DGAD in its investigation probe had concluded that these steel products have been exported to India from these countries are below its associated normal value resulting in dumping of the product.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a nodal statutory agency responsible for protecting and promoting public health in India through the regulation and supervision of food safety.
• FSSAI was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and operates under aegis of Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• Functions: FSSAI has been established to lay down science based standards for various food products in order ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
• It also regulates the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of food products for human consumption.

Structure: It is led by a non-executive Chairperson. The executive head of FSSAI is the Chief Executive Officer.

Headquarters: New Delhi. It also has 8 regional offices located in Delhi, Guwahati, Mumbai, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Cochin and Chennai It has 4 referral laboratories and 72 local laboratories located across India.

RC Tayal appointed as new DG of National Security Guard

Union Home Ministry has appointed Senior IPS Officer RC Tayal as the new Director General (DG) of India’s elite counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG).

He succeeds JN Choudhury who had retired on 31 May 2015. He will have tenure till August 2016.

Mr. Tayal is a 1980-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IPS officer. Presently, he is serving as the Special Director General (DG) in paramilitary CRPF and is heading its formation in Jammu and Kashmir.

He hails from Haryana and earlier had served as an Additional DG in the Sashastra Seema Bal.

Winners of 2015 French Open title of Tennis

• Men’s Singles Title Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland won his first French Open Men’s single title of Tennis.
•  In the final match he defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia by 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 score. It his first his first French Open title second grand slam title after Australian Open 2014.
• This victory also makes him only the second Swiss to win French Open mens single title after Roger Federer.
• Women’s Singles Title Serena Williams of United States won French Open women’s single title. In the final match she defeated Lucie Safarova of Czechoslovakia by 6-3 6-7 (2) 6-2 score.
• This was her third French Open title (earlier she had won in 2002, 2013) and overall 20th Grand Slam title.
• Men’s Doubles Title Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Marcelo Melo (Brazil) pair won Men’s Doubles Title.
• In the final match they defeated Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan pair from US by 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–5), 7–5 score.
• Women’s Doubles Title Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) and Lucie Šafářová (Czech Republic) won Women’s Doubles Title. I
• n the match they defeated Casey Dellacqua (Australia) and Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) pair by 3–6, 6–4, 6–2 score.
• Mixed Doubles Title Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Mike Bryan pair from United States won Mixed Doubles Title.
• In the final match they defeated Lucie Hradecká (Czech Republic) and Marcin Matkowski (Poland) pair by 7–6(7–3), 6–1 score.