Vizag Gas Leak update: At least 11 people, including a minor, are reported to have died following a leakage of styrene gas at LG Polymers' Vizag plant in the early hours of Thursday. According to reports another 1,000 people reported sick after the gas spread in five villages within a three-km radius of the plant. Close to 200 people were rushed to hospitals for treatment after complaining of breathing difficulties and burning sensation in their eyes, according to early reports .

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "closely monitoring" the situation in Visakhapatnam and had spoken to officials in the Home Ministry and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). PM Modi also held a meeting of the NDMA to take stock of the situation.

07 May 2020 Current Affairs:'Vesak', the Day of the Full Moon is observed in the month of May by the United Nations on 7 May 2020. The day commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and Death of Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, all of which is said to have taken place on the same day.

Gautam Buddha:
The birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha is celebrated as Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti across the world. According to the Hindu calendar, the day falls on a full moon day in the month of Vaisakh (April/May). In 2020, the Buddha Purnima is celebrated on 7 May. 
In Theravada Buddhism, the day is observed as the day when Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama and attained Nirvana (salvation) under the Mahabodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, Bihar and his death anniversary. The Vesak full moon day is the most important day in the Buddhist calendar. On this day, several Buddhists go to the pagodas to pour water at the foot of the sacred tree in remembrance of the Buddha's Enlightenment.
Buddha Purnima is a major festival celebrated with great pomp and fervor in countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka (where it is called Vesak),  Burma, Thailand, Tibet, China, Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Mumbai: The government has appointed Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj as a director on the central board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Bajaj replaces Atanu Chakraborty, who retired on April 30.

“The Central Government has nominated Tarun Bajaj, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India as a Director on the Central Board of Reserve Bank of India vice Atanu Chakraborty,” RBI said in a statement on Wednesday.

The nomination of Bajaj is effective from May 5 and until further orders, it said.

New Delhi: The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) will organise a Virtual Tour titled “Gurudev – Journey of the Maestro through his visual vocabulary” from May 7, 2020, to commemorate the 159th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. There will be over 102 artworks created by the versatile genius. These artworks give a glimpse of his precious contributions to the visual language. 

The virtual tour presents the work of art from the prominent artworks of Rabindranath Tagore from reserve collection of NGMA and displayed in the themes of Portraits & Head study, The Human and Mesmerizing Nature according to his composition.

Welcoming the new MD & CEO, CB Bhave, Chairman, Max Bupa Board said, “I am delighted to welcome Krishnan to the Max Bupa family. His deep knowledge of the health insurance industry and diverse experience across domestic and international markets, coupled with his track record of delivering consistent and profitable growth, will be invaluable for Max Bupa. I am confident that under his able leadership and support of our shareholders True North and Bupa, we will realize our goal of becoming a highly customer-centric, leading retail player in the Health Insurance market.”

An industry veteran, Krishnan brings with him over 23 years of extensive experience across Health insurance, Healthcare & Life Sciences industry. Krishnan is known for his focus on core institution building with varied experience in transforming health insurance operations, driving a high growth distribution strategy, and leveraging technology for enabling business growth. He has played a key role in shaping the evolution of the health insurance industry in India, through leadership roles in the CII Policy & Standards Committee, on Health Insurance. Krishnan last served as the CEO of Apollo Munich Health Insurance.

US President Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American lawyer Ashok Michael Pinto as a representative to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank's lending arm.

Pinto, who has worked as a Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to former president George W Bush, was on Monday nominated as US Alternate Executive Director of IBRD for a term of two years.

If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Erik Bethel, who has resigned from the post.

Atal Tunnel is being constructed in the Pir Panjal ranges of Himachal Pradesh. It is in the critical stage of construction wherein road surface works, installation of electro-mechanic fittings including lighting, ventilation and Intelligent Traffic Control Systems are being executed. The work halted for 10 days due to the COVID 19 pandemic outbreak, now commences.

Atal Tunnel is being constructed in the Pir Panjal ranges of Himachal Pradesh since Manali-Sarchu-Leh road remains closed for six months in a year due to Rohtang Pass being completely snow bound between Nov and May. It will connect Manali to Lahaul Valley throughout the year and will reduce the road length of Manali-Rohtang Pass-Sarchu-Leh road by 46 Kms. Besides connecting the people of Lahual to rest of India through the year the tunnel will aid the forward connectivity offering the security forces a major strategic advantage.

On the issue of charging of train fare, the Health Ministry official said that permission has been given to run special trains for movement of stranded people, based on request of State governments. He said the Central Government has not ever talked of charging train fare for workers.

He said, 85 per cent of fare is borne by Indian Railways and 15 per cent by the respective State government.

The Railways is not selling any tickets to migrants and is only boarding passengers based on lists provided by States," said sources from the Ministry of Railways.

The Railways is running Shramik special trains keeping berths empty in each coach to maintain social distancing, the trains are returning empty from destinations under lock and key.

Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Kendras are accepting orders for medicines on WhatsApp and e-mail amid lockdown. Medicines are delivered at the doorsteps of the patients on the basis of uploaded preions. This novel move is ensuring use of technology for facilitating easier procurement of medicines by the users.
 
Complimenting this initiative, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda said, it is heartening that many Janaushadhi Kendras are using modern communication tools to provide essential medicines to the needy.
 
At present, there are over 6,300 such Kendras functioning in 726 districts at affordable prices. These medicine are cheaper by about 50 to 90 per cent on an average.

Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has launched the Saras collection on Government e Marketplace (GeM) portal in New Delhi. The Saras collection showcases daily utility products made by rural self-help groups. It aims to provide market in rural areas with access to Central and State Government buyers.
 
AIR correspondent reports that under the initiative, sellers from Self Help Group will be able to list their products in five product categories. These five categories are handicrafts, handloom and textiles, office accessories, grocery and pantry and personal care and hygiene.
 
In the first phase, 913 Self Help Groups from 11 States have already registered as sellers and 442 products have been listed. GeM will provide dashboards for functionaries at the national, state, district and block level to provide them real time information about the product, value and volume of the orders.