Jose Ramos-Horta sworn in as president of East Timor
Former independence fighter and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Jose Ramos-Horta has been sworn in as president of East Timor (Timor-Leste) ahead of celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of independence for Asia’s youngest country. He defeated incumbent Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres, his fellow independence fighter, in the election. Ramos-Horta was prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and president from 2007 to 2012. East Timor is marking the 20th anniversary of independence for Asia’s youngest country.
About Ramos-Horta:
- Ramos-Horta, 72, who led the resistance during Indonesia’s occupation, called for national reconciliation and unity as he took the oath of office shortly before midnight local time, the time that the country declared independence 20 years ago.
- Ramos-Horta was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996, along with Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo, in recognition of their work “toward a just and peaceful solution to the conflict” in the country.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- East Timor Capital: Dili;
- East Timor Currency: United States Dollar.
Indian Railways and IIT Madras Partner To Develop India’s First Indigenous Hyperloop
Hyperloop in India
The Ministry of Railways has announced that it’s going to collaborate with IIT Madras for the development of a made-in-India Hyperloop system. It has also announced that it’ll be setting up a Centre for Excellence for Hyperloop technologies at the aforementioned institution. India has shown interest in Hyperloop tech since 2017, by then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. In fact, the ministry also held talks with US-based Hyperloop One, but nothing quite materialised.
Hyperloop in India:
IIT Madras’s Avishkar Hyperloop which was formed in 2017 had been working on scalability and frugal engineering concepts for the development of a Hyperloop based transportation system for India. The group was one of the top ten finalists at the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod competition of 2019 and was the only Asian team to do so. They also were awarded the ‘Most Scalable Design Award’ at the European Hyperloop Week in 2021.
Fast forward to March 2022, the institution approached the Ministry of Railways with a proposal for collaborative working on a prototype as well as the development of a first-of-its-kind Hyperloop Test facility at its Discovery campus located at Thaiyur, Tamil Nadu.
What is Hyperloop?
- Hyperloop is a concept of high-speed transportation where pressurised vehicles (or pods) travel through a low-pressure tunnel allowing for movement through the atmosphere at almost no resistance, similar to air travel.
- Imagine, an aircraft like speed on land, travelling through low-pressure tunnels from one terminal to another. The pods would move via mag-lev technology that would enable the frictionless ride.
- Apart from being extremely quick, it’s also eco-friendly as it consumes less power than an electric train and doesn’t really have any emissions unlike an aircraft or a diesel locomotive.
Manchester City won 2021-22 Premier League Football championship
Manchester City has won 2021/22 Premier League champions their fourth title success. Manchester City won over Aston Villa in the final game of the season. In Manchester City’s 38 league matches this season, they have won 29, drawn six, and lost three, scoring 99 goals in the process.
Manchester City has now won four Premier League titles and eight major trophies under Pep Guardiola since his arrival in the summer of 2016. Manchester City clinched a sixth Premier League title in 11 seasons on Sunday by scoring three times in five minutes to come from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2 in the finale to avoid being toppled by challenger Liverpool.
NRC: Full Form, Objectives, Eligibility and NRC for Assam
NRC- Full Form
NRC’s full form is the National Register of Citizens. The national register of citizens was published in 1951 to record the citizens, their houses, and their holdings in India. It contains all details of Indian citizens. The National register of citizens is the primary method used to detect all the illegal immigrants living in different states of India. If the person registers themselves under the NRC, they will not be considered illegal immigrants and they will be protected from the harassment. It gives access to government schemes and as a citizen of India, they can enjoy all the facilities provided by the government. The first census of India was recorded in 1951 under the national register of citizens by recording all the details about all the citizens of India.
Objectives of NRC
The objective of NRC was to identify the illegal immigrants who migrated from Bangladesh after 24th March 1971 to Assam. The NRC served as a checklist to determine whether the citizens who apply for their names in the NRC are genuine citizens of Assam or not. The basic criteria used for identification were the names of the family members of the applicant should be present in the NRC prepared in 1951 or the electoral roll until 24th March 1971.
A person can present the government documents as proof of his or her citizenship documents as a birth certificate, LIC policy, refugee registration certificate, land and tendency records, citizenship certificate, passport, government-issued license or certificate, Bank account or post office account, and permanent resident certificate, Government employment certificate, and educational certificate.
NRC of Assam
Assam is the border state to Bangladesh and the illegal immigrants migrated to Assam from Bangladesh. The Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, 1983 was passed by the government, after the register of citizens created in 1951 to weed out the illegal immigrants was not maintained regularly. The NRC of Assam was lacking as it was not maintained properly for years. In 2019, the final update for NRC for Assam was published. It contained 31 million (3.1 crores) names out of its population of 33 million (3.3 crores), it left 1.9 million (19 lakh) citizens who applied their names for NRC. Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) was the party that promoted NCR and claimed that it did not find the expected results in the final publication of NRC. On 19th November 2019, Home Minister Amit Shah declared the NRC implementation throughout the country in the Rajya Sabha of the Parliament of India.
Eligibility criteria for NRC
- Anyone whose name appear in 1972 NRC or any of the electoral rolls before midnight on 24th March 1971 as well as their descendants.
- Person who has registered themselves for the foreign registration regional officer by Central Government guidelines and are not regarded as illegal migrants or foreigners by any government
- Anyone who arrived in Assam on or after 1st January 1966 but before 25th March 1971.
- People who are originally Assamese residents as well as their off-springs and descendants who are a citizen of India, if there is citizenship is proven beyond the reasonable doubt by the registration authorities.
- Person who can provide any of the documents included in the list of documents eligible for citizens issued up to midnight on 24th March 1971.
FAQs related to NRP
1. What is the full form of NRC?
Ans. NRC stands for National Register of Citizens. It is a Register containing the names of all genuine Indian citizens.
2. When was the first national register of citizens compiled?
Ans. The first national register of citizens was compiled in 1951.
3. What is the fifth category in the national register of citizens?
Ans. In the fifth category of the national register of citizens, those whose names had not been included in the draft of NRC with their family members for included.
4. What is the Indian citizenship register?
Ans. The Indian citizenship register includes demographic information about all those individuals who qualify as a citizen of India as per the citizenship act of 1955.
Khadi commission Chief Vinai Kumar Saxena is Delhi’s new LG
Vinai Kumar Saxena will be the new lieutenant governor of Delhi, President Ram Nath Kovind’s office announced. The President of India has been pleased to appoint Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena to be the Lt. Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi with effect from the date he assumes charge of his duties. The President of India has accepted the resignation of Anil Baijal as Lt. Governor National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Brief profile of the new Delhi L-G:
- Saxena is the current chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, an organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
- He was born on March 23, 1958, and is a Kanpur University alumnus with a Pilot license. In March 2021, he was appointed by the Union government as a member of the national committee to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence.
- In November 2020, he was nominated as a member of the Padma Awards selection panel for the year 2021.
- In 1984, Vinay Kumar Saxena joined the well-known JK Group in Rajasthan as an assistant officer. In the group’s white cement plant in the state, he worked for 11 years in various capacities.
- In 1991, he founded the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), a non-profit NGO with its headquarters in Ahmedabad. NCCL is recognised by the Ministry of Law and Justice.
- The NCCL opposed social activist Medha Patkar and her Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) in their attempts to stop construction of the Sardar Sarovar Project in Gujarat.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Delhi Chief minister: Arvind Kejriwal.
India-Jordan struck an agreement to cooperate in fertilisers sector
Fertilisers sector
A high-level group led by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya visited Jordan in a first-of-its-kind endeavor with the goal of securing fertilizers and raw materials for the short and long term. The visit took place against the backdrop of the current global fertilizer crisis. Dr. Mandaviya noted that the Jordan visit was historic in terms of assuring India’s supply of phosphoric and potassium fertilizers. Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya called Jordan as India’s chosen fertilizer partner during the meetings.
KEY POINTS:
- According to Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, there is no shortage of fertilizers in the country.
- Government has taken proactive measures to assure adequate supplies for farmers ahead of the Kharif season, including increasing local production and forming cooperation with other countries.
- Jordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) inked MOUs with Indian public, cooperative, and private sector companies for supplies of 30 LMT Rock Phosphate, 2.50 LMT DAP, and 1 LMT phosphoric acid for the current year.
- He also mentioned that India has signed a 5-year MOU with Jordan for yearly shipments of 2.75 LMT of MoP, which will gradually increase to 3.25 LMT each year. These shipments will be critical for India’s continued fertilizer supply in the coming agricultural seasons.
Important Takeaways For All Government Exams:
- Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers: Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya
- King of Jordan: Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein
Quad Summit 2022- Issues and Initiatives
What is Quad Summit 2022?
The Quad or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is a group made of four nations, India, Japan, the US, and Australia. It is a strategic forum that features semi-regular summits, information exchange, and military drills. The key focus of the summit is the development of the Indo-Pacific region highlighting the threats like terrorism, disinformation, and territorial disputes. The Quad is going to discuss the issues such as the Covid-19 pandemic and development of the Indo-Pacific economically and threats rising across the Indo-Pacific region. This year Quad leader summit is held on the 24th of May 2022, in Tokyo.
India in the Quad Summit, Tokyo
PM is attending the second-in-person Quad leader summit in Tokyo on 24th May 2022. He stated that Quad has gained significant popularity in the world in a short period. At the summit, he spoke about the contribution of India, to the development of the Indo-Pacific region. India has also joined the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which is an Indo-Pacific Economic Bloc led by the US to counter China. PM Modi, stated while addressing the Summit “Despite the adverse situation of Covid-19, we’ve increased our coordination for vaccine delivery, climate action, supply chain resilience, disaster response, economic cooperation, and other areas. It has ensured peace, prosperity, and stability in Indo-Pacific.”
Issues addressed in The Quad summit 2022
- China and the Soloman Islands
- China and Taiwan
- North Korea Missiles
- Ukraine and Russia
Initiatives unveiled in Quad summit 2022
- The Quad Fellowship- This program will allow 100 students from each of the four countries to study for graduate STEM degrees in the US. The application for the fellowship program has started and will close on 30th June 2022.
- The Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA)- It will focus on providing the fastest and clearest Maritime information to the four countries and their regional partners.
- The vaccine Partnership- The Quad has provided 257 million Covid-19 vaccines collectively. The bloc will continue to provide vaccine doses and support a $100 million facility to boost the Indian health care sector.
- Space Cooperation- The four nations have committed to sharing space-based earth observation data. It will include US programs on oceanic and atmospheric Monitoring, flood mapping, and land imaging.
FAQs related to Quad leader summit 2022
1. Where will the Quad summit 2022 take place?
Ans. The Quad leader summit will take place in Tokyo on 24th May 2022. The Quad leader of four nations India, Japan, the US, and Australia will discuss the regional and global issues.
2. What is the Quad leader summit?
Ans. The Quad leader summit included four nations, India, Japan, the US, and Australia. These nations will attend a meeting and address the regional and global issues and the development of the Indo-Pacific region.
3. When and where will the Quad meeting take place?
Ans. The Quad leader summit will take place in Tokyo, on 24th May 2022.
WHO DG’s Global Health Leaders Awards: India’s ASHA Workers Among 6 Winners
India’s one million all-women Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers, were honoured with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General’s Global Health Leaders Award 2022 for their “crucial role” in providing direct access to healthcare facilities in rural areas and their indefatigable efforts to rein in the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the 6 awardees of the WHO Director-General’s Global Health Leaders Awards. The award recognises the outstanding contributions to advancing global health, demonstrated leadership and commitment to regional health issues.
Other Recipients of the Award:
- Dr Paul Farmer was Chair of the Department of Global Health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Partners in Health.
- Dr Ahmed Hankir, a British-Lebanese psychiatrist is a Senior Research fellow at the Centre for Mental Health Research in association with Cambridge University andAcademic Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry at King’s College London in the UnitedKingdom.
- Ludmila Sofia Oliveira Varela for her work to facilitate access to sports for all providers a healthy alternative to risky behaviours among young people, and tackles the growing threat of non-communicable diseases.
- Polio workers in Afghanistan include Mohamamd Zubair Khalazai, NajibullahKosha, Shadab Yosufi, Shareefullah Hemati, Haseeba Omari, Khadija Attaee, MuniraHakimi, Robina Yosufi and Shadab.
- Yōhei Sasakawa is the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, and Japan’s Ambassador for the Human Rights of People Affected by leprosy.
About ASHA Workers:
ASHA in Hindi means ‘Hope’, The ASHA workers are the Indian government’s affiliated healthcare workers who are the first point of contact in rural India. They worked to provide maternal care and immunisation for children against vaccine-preventable diseases, community health care, treatment for hypertension and tuberculosis, and core areas of health promotion for nutrition, sanitation, and healthy living. Most of them gained the spotlight during the peak of the pandemic in India for conducting door-to-door checks to trace coronavirus patients.
About WHO Director-General’s Global Health Leaders Awards:
The awardees for the WHO Director-General’s Global Health Leaders Awards were selected by the Director-General himself. The ceremony for the award, which was established in 2019, was a part of the live-streamed high-level opening session of the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA75) which is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 22-28 May 2022.
India launching Project WARDEC AI-powered wargame centre
The Army Training Command and Gandhinagar-based Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a Wargame Research and Development Centre in New Delhi. The project, dubbed ‘WARDEC’ as a prototype, will be India’s first simulation-based training centre, which will use artificial intelligence (AI) to create virtual reality wargames.
KEY POINTS:
- Soldiers will put their talents to the test in the metaverse, which will combine virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to imitate their surroundings .
- The Army plans to use the gaming centre to teach military strategy to its officers.
- The Army will give data to form the backdrop of the game, according to RRU officials, so that participants have a genuine experience.
- The BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB, in addition to the armed forces, might benefit from metaverse-enabled simulation exercises for enhanced training.
- AI can deliver a completely immersive training experience by simulating a battlefield as closely as possible and mapping multiple scenarios in the unlikely case of a war.
- Since the 9/11 attacks, numerous governments, including the United States, Israel, and the United Kingdom, have preferred to employ information technology-enabled wargaming to prepare for terror attacks or war.
- Several international leaders, including former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former US President Barack Obama, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, played a war simulation game about how to react in the event of a nuclear strike during the Hague Summit in March 2014. The imaginary country of Brinia was the target of the nuclear strike in that instance.
Wargame Centre Purpose:
- The Army will employ the Wargame Research and Development Centre to train soldiers and test plans using “metaverse-enabled gameplay.”
- The wargame simulations will be used to train for conflicts, counter-terrorist operations, and counter-insurgency operations.
- According to RRU insiders familiar with the situation, the centre will be built in a military zone in New Delhi.
- In the next three to four months, the RRU will collaborate with Tech Mahindra to develop the centre.
- The RRU is a national security and policing institute under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
- It is a “institution of national importance,” as defined by an Act of Parliament, and is located in Gandhinagar’s Lavad village.
A team from the RRU will shortly travel to Delhi to obtain all of the information needed to begin work from the Army. Faculty members from RRU’s School of Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Cyber Security have been assigned the assignment.
Haryana won the Hockey India Sub-Junior Women’s National Championship by 2-0
Hockey team of Haryana won the Hockey India sub-junior women’s national championship 2022 in Imphal, defeating Hockey team of Jharkhand 2-0 in the final. Uttar Pradesh Hockey team defeated Madhya Pradesh Hockey team 3-0 to finish on the third place in the Hockey India sub-junior women’s national championship 2022 in Imphal.
Riya in the 13th minute and Sejal in the 39th minute, each scored a goal to enable Hockey team of Haryana successfully defend their title in a tense 2-0 victory. Uttar Pradesh Hockey team defeated Madhya Pradesh Hockey 3-0 earlier in the day to finish third in the Hockey India sub-junior women’s national championship. Pushpanjali Sonkar in the 4th minute, Manisha Patel in the 5th minute, and Purnima Yadav in the 58th minute, each scored one goal to help Uttar Pradesh Hockey finish third for the second year in a row.
Important Takeaways For All Competitive Exams:
- Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports: Shri Anurag Thakur
Jet Airways Gets DGCA approval To Start Commercial Flights
The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has granted air operator’s permit to Jet Airways. This will allow the airline to restart commercial flight operations after remaining grounded for more than three years. The approval comes after the airline conducted proving flights for the safety regulator between May 15 and May 17. The airline aims to start operations in the second quarter, i.e. between July and September. It will be a full-service carrier with business and economy classes.
With the grant of the permit, Jet Airways has fulfilled all the pre-conditions laid down by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) as part of the insolvency process for the transfer of the ownership of the airline to the successful resolution applicant- the consortium of UAE-based NRI Murari Lal Jalan and U.K.-based Kalrock Capital Management in London.
Last June, the NCLT approved the Jalan-Kalrock consortium’s resolution plan for the revival of Jet Airways. They had proposed a cash infusion of Rs 1,375 crores into the airline, which included Rs 475 crores for payment to creditors and Rs 900 crores for CAPEX and working capital requirements.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Jet Airways CEO: Sanjiv Kapoor (4 Apr 2022–);
- Jet Airways Founder: Naresh Goyal;
- Jet Airways Founded: 1 April 1992, Mumbai;
- Jet Airways Headquarters: Mumbai.
ONGC First Indian Exploration And Production Firm To Trade Domestic Gas
The state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has become the first gas producer to sell domestic gas on the Indian Gas Exchange, exchanging unidentified amounts from the KG-DWN-98/2 block off the coast of India. ONGC stated in a statement that it will gradually raise output. ONGC has made history by becoming India’s first exploration and production (E&P) company to trade domestic gas on the Indian Gas Exchange.
Key Points:
- ONGC Director (Onshore) & In-charge Marketing Anurag Sharma made the first online trade on India’s first automated national level Gas Exchange, IGX.
- The gas exchanged came from the ONGC Krishna Godavari 98/2 block, but did not identify the quantity sold.
- ONGC has geared itself to reap the benefits of the liberalization of the gas price ecosystem in 2000-21.
Right to protest- A Fundamental Right and Types of Protest
Right to Protest
There are 6 fundamental rights provided by the constitution of India to every citizen. These fundamental rights are enjoyed by every citizen of India. They are an essential part of the constitution and if violated by anyone they can be punished by the court. The fundamental rights are the right to equality, the right to freedom, the right against exploitation, cultural and educational rights, and the right to freedom of religion. These fundamental rights have different articles and writing to protest also comes under these rights. The fundamental right of right to protest is protected under article 19 (1) (a), 19 (1) (b) and 19 (1) (c).
These rights give the citizen the right to freedom of expression, the right to gather peacefully without weapons, and the right to found associations or trade unions. These three articles ensure that citizens can protest against the government or any organization on a national issue or issue related to social interest.
Right to protest: Types of protests
There are many policies that the government issues in the interest of citizens for their growth and improvement. These policies are monitored by citizens and if their policies are lacking and cannot be solved by peaceful demonstrations, citizens take the law into their hands and protest against the government. The protest majorly places an important role to correct the actions of the government which harm public peace. These protests can be of many types there are protests in which people sign petitions, some protests with strikes, some protests with large public meetings, and some create violence in the name of protest.
Right to protest: Restrictions
This is a fundamental right but if it is in a nonviolent form then the government can accept these protests, if the protests are violating the following norms then strict action can be taken on public-
- Protest is an acceptable exercise unless it damages and harms the security of the state.
- The friendly relations with neighboring countries are harmed
- Violation of public order
- Contempt of court
- The integrity and sovereignty are threatened
FAQs on the Right to Protest
1. What is the right to protest in the constitution?
Ans. The right to protest is under article 19(1) (a) article 19(1)(b) and Article 19(1)(c) which gives the citizen the right to freedom of expression and the right to meet peacefully without weapons and right to form associations or trade unions.
2. What is the right to protest in India?
Ans. The right to protest gives the citizen right to be publicly challenged and force the government to answer. It is a fundamental political right of the people.
3. What is protest?
Ans. It is a way of expressing objection to any action policy or statement by the government or any organization that wants to accuse a group of people of themselves.
Belgium becomes first country to make quarantine compulsory for monkeypox patients
Belgium has become the first country to make a 21-day quarantine compulsory for monkeypox patients after four cases of the disease were reported. The Belgian health authorities took this decision, Saudi Gazette reported citing Belgian media. The Belgian Institute of Tropical Medicine has said that the risk of a larger outbreak in the country is low.
The World Health Organization reported that there were a total of 92 confirmed monkeypox cases in 12 different countries, with 28 suspected cases under investigation. Cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in the UK, Portugal, Sweden, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, the US, Canada and Australia, as reported by Saudi Gazette.
What is Monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a disease in the same family as smallpox and symptoms include a distinct bumpy rash, a fever, sore muscles, and a headache. Monkeypox is less deadly than smallpox, with a mortality rate below four per cent, but experts are worried about the unusual spread of the disease beyond Africa where it usually circulates.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Belgium Capital: Brussels;
- Belgium Currency: Euro;
- Prime Minister of Belgium: Alexander De Croo.
Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Health, addresses at the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva
Mansukh Mandaviya, the Minister of Health, emphasized the need of creating a robust global supply chain to provide fair access to vaccines and medicines. The Minister, speaking at the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva, advocated for simplifying WHO’s vaccine and treatment approval procedures and strengthening WHO to establish a more robust global health security infrastructure. Mr. Mandaviya reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening the global health security framework.
Key Points:
- India feels that this year’s theme, which connects peace and health, is contemporary and relevant since there can be no sustainable development or universal health and wellness without peace, according to the Minister.
- India also expressed its disappointment and worry at the latest WHO exercise on all-cause excess mortality, in which country-specific genuine data was collected.
- India also expressed its disappointment and worry at the latest WHO exercise on all-cause excess mortality, which ignored country-specific accurate data released by the statutory body.
Mr. Mandaviya expressed the concern of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare, a representative group of India’s health ministers, who unanimously supported a resolution criticizing WHO’s approach and methodology on excess mortality statistics.
UP launches ‘Sambhav’ portal for disposal of public grievances related to energy
Sambhav
Minister for energy and urban development Arvind Sharma has launched the SAMBHAV (Systemic Administration Mechanism for Bringing Happiness and Value) portal for disposal of public grievances and monitoring programmes and schemes of the two departments in Uttar Pradesh. The portal, www.sambhav.up.gov.in, will work as a platform for flagging grievances received from the public to officers who have been provided login IDs. The officers will have to feed their response and action taken report (ATR).
About the SAMBHAV portal:
- “SAMBHAV is a multi-modal platform which has been launched to dispose public grievances swiftly and effectively and provide good governance and make the public service delivery transparent and accountable.
- SAMBHAV will work as an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) platform for flagging grievances received from the public to the concerning officers who have been provided login IDs.
- The officers are required to feed their response and action taken report (ATRs) on the issues concerned. The portal will also have the facility of videoconferencing and teleconferencing for dialogue with the officials.
- The portal will take grievances and issues from various sources, including pending cases and grievances under the chief minister’s Jan Sunwai/ Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS) system.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Uttar Pradesh Capital: Lucknow;
- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath;
- Uttar Pradesh Governor: Anandiben Patel.
India joins US Indo-Pacific economic plan
India joined a dozen other nations to launch the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), a US-led trade initiative meant to counter China’s aggressive expansion in the region. Among the 13 countries backing the initiative are Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, and the members jointly account for 40% of the global GDP.
About the Indo-Pacific region
- The Indo-Pacific region is the centre of manufacturing, economic activity, global trade and investment. History is witness to the fact that India has been a major centre in the trade flows of the Indo-Pacific region for centuries. It is worth mentioning that the world’s oldest commercial port was in Lothal in my home state of Gujarat, India.
- Therefore, it is essential that we find common and creative solutions for the economic challenges of the region. India is committed to a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and believes that deepening economic engagement among partners is crucial for continued growth, peace, and prosperity.
- India is keen to collaborate with partner countries under the IPEF and work towards advancing regional economic connectivity, integration and boosting trade and investment within the region.
BCCI signed up NFT partner for Women’s T20 Challenge
Women’s T20 Challenge
The Indian cricket board, which has a reputation for being sluggish to adopt new protocols, has now decided to examine using non-fungible tokens (NFT). FanCraze was announced as the Cricket Board’s official partner and accomplice for the Women’s Twenty20 Challenge. In the cricket metaverse, FanCraze is an organization. For a long time, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to accept NFT corporations as sponsors, and it also demanded that the Indian Premier League (IPL) setups “maintain the distance.” This happened at a time when the International Cricket Council (ICC) and its other component entities had begun to ask NFT groups to join through formal partnerships.
Key Points:
- “One of the most intriguing features of it all is that it all began in India with women’s cricket.” It boosts fan engagement, something the women’s cricket community desperately needs right now.
- The BCCI is also in charge of organizing the Indian Premier League for women, and the time is ideal.
- This also gives NFT a platform to penetrate the country’s men’s cricket market, which is as huge as any game elsewhere in the globe, and this is an opportunity that has been made available to them as a consequence of this “remark on the sequence of events that follows.”
- FanCraze is an International Cricket Council partner and is actively preparing for the West Indies.
About NFTs:
NFTs are digital assets connected to a sound bite, picture, or video clip, and their ownership is verified via blockchain technology. For sports organizations all across the world, the area has become an important money generator. Cricket Australia has just signed a long-term deal to distribute NFTs and engage in the advanced collectibles market. Any revenues created in this field must be divided between the participants and the alliance, according to all worldwide practices and rules in this industry.
J&K’s First National Film Festival, DIPR and NFDC sign a Memorandum of Understanding
The National Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir is approaching, the Department of Information and Public Relations of J&K signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Film Development Corporation Limited. The MoU was signed by Sh Akshay Labroo, Director, Department of Information and Public Relations, J&K, and Sh D. Ramakrishnan, General Manager, NFDC, in the presence of Sh Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor.
Key Points:
- The National Film Development Corporation Limited and the Directorate of Information and Public Relations, J&K are co-organizing the big event, which will take place from June 15 to June 20.
- The festival’s goal is to highlight and promote the UT’s creative environment, as well as to promote J&K as a top destination for filmmakers from throughout the world.
Attendees:
- Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, CEO of Mission Youth.
- Ms Tanu Rai, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Film Festivals, as well as other top executives, were in presence.
World Turtle Day 2022 observed on 23rd May
World Turtle Day 2022
World Turtle Day is observed on May 23 every year by American Tortoise Rescue, a nonprofit organization. The day is celebrated to raise awareness among people to protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world. Tortoises and turtles play an important role in the ecological design of Earth. These reptiles are known to survive and thrive across a range of diverse habitats around the globe.
In order to acknowledge the importance of these creatures on Earth, World Turtle Day is celebrated on May 23. International World Turtle Day is a time to celebrate the importance of these creatures in our environment. The aim is to raise awareness about this rapidly disappearing group of creatures.
World Turtle Day Theme
This year’s theme for World Turtle Day is “Shellebrate”. The theme asks “everyone to Love and Save Turtles”.
World Turtle Day History
There wouldn’t have been any World Turtle Day if the American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) didn’t start it. This nonprofit organisation was established in 1990 and it started marking World Turtle Day in 2001. This is the 22nd International World Turtle Day that they are celebrating. The organisation, founded by Susan Tellem and her husband Marshall Thompson, has rescued and re-sheltered more than 4,000 turtles and tortoises.
International Day of Yoga to be observed in Karnataka on June 21
The Union Ministry of Ayush has confirmed the observance of the 8th International Day of Yoga (IDY) at Mysuru city, which is known as the cultural capital and major historic destination of Karnataka state on June 21. The Ministry of Ayush has written to the Chief Secretary of Karnataka P. Ravikumar regarding the matter and directed him to issue necessary directions to all the concerned to make arrangements for the successful organisation of the main event of IDY-2022.
The preparations for IDY-2022 are already underway. As the upcoming 8th IDY is falling in the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ year, this Ministry plans to observe IDY at 75 iconic sites across the country. This year, the IDY will be focused on Branding India on the global stage. Every year, the main event of IDY observation happens in a particular city where thousands of people participate in Mass Yoga Demonstration by following the Common Yoga Protocol. The main event of IDY observation is led by the Prime Minister himself. The main event of this IYD observation will be held in Mysuru, Karnataka.
