Today in History (Apr 26th, 1986)
The Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred on April 26, 1986, in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near Pripyat in Ukraine. The explosion and subsequent fire released large amounts of radioactive material into the environment, making it the worst nuclear power plant accident in history in terms of cost and casualties.
Summary of Today’s News
India’s first Water Metro was inaugurated in Kochi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first Water Metro in Kochi as a feeder service to the Kochi Metro. It connects 10 island communities of Kochi with the mainland through a fleet of 78 battery-operated electric hybrid boats plying along 16 routes spanning 76 kilometers.
National Health Accounts Estimate 2019-20.
The Union Health Ministry released the National Health Accounts Estimate 2019-20, which noted that the share of out-of-pocket expenditure in total health expenditure has declined from 62.6% in 2014-15 to 47.1% in 2019-20. The Government health expenditure’s share in health increased from 1.13% (2014-15) to 1.35% (2019-20) of GDP. Vinod K. Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, said that the share of private health insurance has increased in the past few years.
PM CARES Fund
The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund is a public charitable trust created in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to receive donations from individuals, organizations, and companies, to provide relief to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and to strengthen the country’s infrastructure and capacity to deal with the crisis. The Board of Trustees manages the fund with the Prime Minister as the ex-officio Chairman.
Former Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal passes away.
The former five-time Chief Minister of Punjab and the veteran Shiromani Akali Dal leader, (L) Prakash Singh Badal, passed away in Mohali after a brief illness. In 1970, he became the youngest Chief Minister of any Indian State at that time. He was first elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly in 1957. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2015.
SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting
India is set to host the Defence Ministers of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO.) India will chair the meeting of the Defence Ministers from Russia, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, besides India. It will also host the Defence Ministers from Iran and Belarus, which have Observer Status at SCO.
