Today News Diar on 7 April 2021

Harsh Vardhan approves National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021

Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare approved the 

‘National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021’. The policy aims to address the high cost of treatment for rare diseases with increased focus on indigenous research.

• The problems facing treatment of rare diseases in India are – Lack of awareness among primary care physicians, lack of adequate screening and diagnostic facilities.

Rare Diseases

• Rare diseases are defined as diseases that occur infrequently in a population.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) defines rare diseases as having a frequency of less than 6.5-10 per 10, 000 people.

• According to estimates there are 7, 000 known rare diseases in the world, with 300 million patients (70 Million patients in India alone).

Note- February 28 is observed as Rare Disease Day every year.

Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu,38 became Kosovo’s 7th President

Kosovo’s Parliament elected the 38 years old VjosaOsmani-Sadriu as its new president for a five-year term. She became the nation’s seventh president and its second female leader in the post-war period by succeeding Hashim Thaci.She is the country’s youngest head of state and one of the youngest in the world.
 

• She served as an acting President between November 2020 and March 2021 and also served as the speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo from February 2020 until March 2021.

• As president, she will be the head of state and she also has a leading position in foreign policy and is the commander of the armed forces.

• Hashim Thaçi was the President of Kosovo from April 2016 to 5 November 2020. He was the first Prime Minister of Kosovo.

• Acting President, Glauk Konjufca handed over the country’s constitution to Vjosa Osmani.

About the Republic of Kosovo:

• On 17 February 2008, Kosovo became independent from Serbia after North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s intervention.

Capital – Pristina
Currency – Euro (€)
Prime Minister – AlbinKurti
Official Languages – Albanian, Serbian

Nguyen Xuan Phuc Sworn In As President of Vietnam; Pham Minh Chinh Elected As Prime Minister

 Nguyen Xuan Phuc (66 years old) of Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), sworn in as the President of Vietnam at Hanoi, Vietnam. The 14th National Assembly(NA) of Vietnam elected Pham Minh Chinhof CPV as the new Prime Minister(PM) of Vietnam.

Nguyen Xuan Phuc Appointed as President:
i.Nguyen Xuan Phuc replaced Nguyen PhuTrong, who was serving as both the President and General Secretary of Vietnam.
ii.The resolution on electing him as the new president was adopted with an approval rate of 97.5%.
iii.He was the only candidate who was nominated for President, this is the first time where a prime minister was nominated to the post of President.

• He served as the Prime Minister of Vietnam from 2016 to 2021.

• He has served as the member of 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th CPV Central Committee.

Pham Minh Chinh Appointed as Prime Minister: The resolution to elect Pham Minh Chinh as the new PM was adopted by the top legislature with an approval rate of 96.25% at the ongoing 11th session of the 14th NA.

• Pham Minh Chinh has served as the deputy Minister of public security.

• He has been serving as the head of the organization commission under CPV Central Committee since Feb 2016.

Chintan Vaishnav appointed as the new Mission Director of Atal Innovation Mission

Dr Chintan Vaishnav will replace Ramanathan Ramanan to become the new Mission Director of Niti Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) from mid-April 2021. Ramanathan Ramanan is the 1st mission director of AIM since June 2017.

Dr Vaishnav holds a PhD in technology, management, and policy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Russia registers world’s first Covid-19 vaccine for animals: Carnivac-Cov

Russia has registered the world’s first vaccine for animals Carnivac-Cov against COVID-19, by agricultural regulator Rosselkhoznadzor. Russia already has three coronavirus vaccines for humans, Sputnik, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac.

National Maritime Day 2021 – April 5

The National Maritime Day(NMD) is annually observed across India on 5th April, to create awareness about intercontinental commerce and the economy. 2021 marks the celebration of the 58th Edition of the National Maritime Day.

The first edition of the National Maritime Day was observed on 5th April 1964.

The theme of National Maritime Day 2021 is ‘Sustainable Shipping beyond COVID-19’.

International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2021 – April 4

The United Nations(UN)’s International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is annually observed across the globe on 4th April to provide support to the mine action work, raise awareness about landmines and work toward its eradication.

The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action events across the globe are led by the United Nations mine action Service(UNMAS).

The 2021 International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action highlights the importance of “Perseverance, Partnership, and Progress” in the mine sector.

Background:

i.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted the resolution A/RES/60/97 on 8th December 2005 and proclaimed the 4th April of every year as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

ii.Thefirst International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action was observed on 4th April 2006.

Events:

i.The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has organized a high-level event on mine action titled “Beyond Square Meters Cleared: Mine Acton and Development.”

ii.The UN Mine Action Services(UNMAS) has launched the new exhibit “Perseverance, Partnership, Progress” on 31st March 2021.

Global Advocate:

In 2015, Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general of the UN designated actor Daniel Craig as the first UN Global Advocate for the Elimination of Mines and Explosive Hazards.

International Day of Conscience – April 5

The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Conscience is annually observed across the globe on 5th April to promote peace and love throughout the globe in accordance with the culture and customs of local, national and regional communities through education and awareness-raising activities.

2021 marks the celebration of the 2nd International Day of Conscience.

Background:

i.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted the resolution A/RES/73/329 on 25th July 2019 and proclaimed the 5th April of every year as theInternational Day of Conscience.

ii.The first International Day of Conscience was observed on 5th April 2020.

Origin of a Culture of Peace:

The origin of the concept of a Culture of Peace was the International congress on Peace in the Minds of Men, organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Côte d’Ivoire in July 1989.

About UNESCO:

Director-General– Audrey Azoulay Headquarters– Paris, France

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