Category Wise CA Awards and Honours Current Affairs - gkseries

Monthly Magazine – May 2021

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C U R R E N T A F F A I R S M O N T H L Y M A G A Z I N E

Table of Contents

Awards and Honours 10

Economic Development 15

Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management 26

History, Art & Culture 37

Important Days & Events 39

International Affairs 46

Polity & Governance 65

Science & Technology 77

Security 88

Society and Social Justice 89

Sports 97

Miscellaneous 98-108

Category Wise CA

Awards and Honours Current Affairs

1. Vice President presented the Yudhvir Memorial Award

2. Herpetologist Deepak Veerappan has a snake named after him

3. PM Modi congratulates Mamata Banerjee on taking oath as WB CM

4. MK Stalin sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister

5. Shri N.Rangasamy Ji took oath as Puducherry CM

6. Nadal, Osaka and Hamilton scoop top Laureus 2021 awards

7. Himanta Biswa Sarma took oath as Assam CM

8. Sheikh Zayed Book Award

9. IREDA received Green Urja Award

10. World Food Prize 2021

11. Andrea Meza from Mexico crowned Miss Universe 2020

12. Cairn Energy sues Air India in US court to enforce $1.2 billion arbitration award

13. IPS Subodh Kumar Jaiswal appointed as CBI Director


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Economic Development Current Affairs

1. SEBI’s new rule for fund manager compensation

2. Government to Provide Rs 15,000 crore to States for Capital Expenditure

3. Finance Ministry released first instalment worth Rs 8,873 cr of SDRF to states

4. Various relief measures for taxpayers under GST law

5. Paradip port is the latest to handle rice exports

6. Asian Development Bank’s annual meeting 2021

7. COVID-19 vaccine and oxygen imports exempted from GST

8. MoFPI issues operational scheme guidelines

9. RBI releases ₹50000 crore fund support to healthcare liquidity push

10. 19 companies apply under PLI scheme for IT hardware

11. Strategic disinvestment, transfer of management control in IDBI Bank

12. India began exports of organic millets grown in Himalayas to Denmark

13. RBI unveils measures for MSMEs to deal with COVID-19 crisis

14. Govt relaxed provisions of Income-tax Act

15. MoUs signed between Oil and Gas PSUs and Badrinath Utthan Charitable Trust

16. Finance contract for Pune Metro Rail project

17. Cabinet approves PLI Scheme to 10 key Sectors for Enhancing

18. HFCs came under the direct supervision of the Reserve Bank of India

19. Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2021-22

20. SEBI invites comments on gold exchange

21. GI certified Gholvad sapota from Maharashtra finds its way to the UK

22. FinMin grants ‘infrastructure’ status for convention centres

23. Reserve Bank of India to transfer ₹99,122 crore to government

24. Rules for insurance firms’ control tweaked after FDI ceiling raised to 74%

25. Export of 1.2 MT of fresh jackfruit from Tripura to London

26. 1st consignment of Shahi Litchi Exported from Bihar to UK

27. FDI increase 19% to USD 59.64 billion in 2020-21

28. Centre transfers Srinagar Leh transmission system to Power Grid

29. Recommendations of 43rd GST Council meeting

30. Village rice from Kumbakonam exported to Ghana, Yemen

Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster

Management Current Affairs

1. Saudi Arabia to join ‘Net Zero Producers Forum’ on climate change


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2. Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH)

3. Melting glaciers due to climate change caused Earth’s axis to shift since mid-90s

4. Eight Asiatic lions test positive for coronavirus in Hyderabad zoo

5. Unfamiliar lineament among Assam earthquake factors

6. Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung volcano erupts

7. Construction activities on Kaziranga animal corridors

8. Wildlife forensics helps cause of pangolins

9. Green panel allows Great Nicobar plan to advance

10. Heavy rain in Kerala as Cyclone Tauktae intensifies

11. India loses 186 elephants to Railways in 10 years

12. India is facing threats to its native Freshwater Turtles

13. World's seal family

14. New species of skink found from Western Ghats

15. A single lightning flash kill 18 elephants

16. Rescue mission drifted away from Mumbai during Cyclone Tauktae

17. Thousands lining up to see the foul-smelling ‘corpse flower’

18. World’s largest iceberg forms in Antarctica

19. Whiteflies was increasing due to their polyphagous nature

20. Yaas may hit coast between Sagar and Paradeep

21. Arctic warming three times more quickly than the planet

22. Indian Army rushes to aid Congo town hit by volcano eruption

23. Cheetahs to be re-introduced in India after being declared extinct

24. MC appeals to plant only native species

25. National Mission on use of biomass in coal based power plants

26. The cost and complications of transplanting a tree

27. Significant discovery of new spider cricket from Chhattisgarh

History, Art & Culture Current Affairs

1. Assam string puppetry rides COVID campaign for revival

2. Online summer programme NAIMISHA 2021

3. Winchcombe meteorite to go on display at the Museum

4. Climate change is destroying the world’s oldest cave art

5. Culture Ministry organises panel discussions on International Museum Day 2021

6. Six Indian places added to tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

7. Reclining of Buddha and his various other depictions in art

Important Days & Events Current Affairs


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1. Year-long centenary celebrations of Satyajit Ray

2. International Labour Day 2021

3. Sri Guru Teg Bahadur’s 400th Parkash Purab

4. Lag B'Omer religious festival

5. Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute holds 10th convocation

6. World Press Freedom Day 2021

7. Gopal Krishna Gokhale birth anniversary

8. Maharana Partap birth anniversary

9. National Technology Day 2021

10. International Nurses and Midwives Day 2021

11. International Day of Families 2021

12. Statehood Day of Sikkim 2021

13. Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations in Malerkotla, the new district in Punjab

14. International Museum Day 2021

15. World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2021

16. World Bee Day 2021

17. International Day for Biological Diversity 2021

18. The total lunar eclipse and supermoon coinciding on 26th May

19. Buddha Purnima Diwas 2021

20. International Day of Action for Women's Health 2021

21. National AI Portal (INDIAai) celebrated its first anniversary

22. Veer Savarkar birth anniversary

International Current Affairs

1. World's Oldest Water Found in Canada

2. Airstrikes by Myanmar junta as guerrillas capture govt base

3. Regulation of use of self-driving vehicles at slow speeds on motorways

4. Tajikistan border clashes

5. External Affairs Minister on four-day visit to London from May 3

6. India received COVID-19 aid from Taiwan, places commercial orders with China

7. Out-of-control Chinese rocket falling to Earth

8. Congo declares end of Ebola outbreak that killed six

9. PM Modi held Virtual Summit with UK PM Boris Johnson

10. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan passed away

11. MoU between India and UK on Global Innovation Partnership

12. India-UK migration and mobility partnership

13. Taliban captures key Afghan dam as fighting rages

14. US to support intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines

15. Philippines Foreign Minister Swears at China


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16. China’s Rocket Crashed near Maldives in the Indian Ocean

17. US joins global campaign against online extremism

18. India-EU Leaders’ Meeting

19. Pakistan calls for probe into seizure of uranium in India

20. Japan to Install Oxygen Plants in North-East India to Counter China

21. Israel completes phase one trial of drugs for treatment of Corona virus

22. Why did the Chinese rocket spark worry?

23. US declared state of emergency after Cyber Attack on pipeline

24. China Threatens Bangladesh over joining QUAD Group

25. China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine approved by WHO

26. Islamophobic group Pegida is extremist

27. Parliament dissolves by South Sudan President as part of peace accord

28. Israel air strikes in Gaza

29. Reduce car traffic in centre of French capital by 2022

30. Israel responds to rocket attacks over Hamas

31. NSW Government funding $50 million to combat mouse plague

32. Common crane returns to Ireland after more than 3 centuries

33. Fighting resumes in Afghanistan as ceasefire ends

34. Diplomatic immunity row sparked by Belgian envoy’s wife ‘hitting’ two in Seoul

35. Sri Lanka’s China-backed tax haven clears final hurdle

36. US warship's passage near disputed Paracel Islands illegal

37. Spain and Morocco in diplomatic crisis

38. Bangladesh Beats India in Per Capita Income

39. Bangladesh change Passport for Israel

40. Batra re-elected as FIH President for a second term

41. Shut down of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp

42. Trump sued for $23m for calling Covid-19, the China Virus

43. World reacts to plane ‘hijacking’ by Belarus

44. Lithuania quits ‘divisive’ China group

45. Iran Nuclear Inspection Deal with UN Watchdog Extended

46. US to use Pakistani Land and Airspace for Military Action

47. Biden administration approved nation's first major offshore wind farm

48. India signed agreement on agriculture cooperation with Israel

49. China will make a province in Sri Lanka

50. Opening of a new Consulate General of India in Addu City

51. US President to visit the city of Tulsa in Oklahoma State

52. Louvre Museum Gets First Female Leader in 228 Years

53. Bangladesh -Sri Lanka currency swap

54. Switzerland rejected an overarching EU treaty

55. Mehul Choksi's dramatic capture after escape by boat


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Polity & Governance Current Affairs

1. Section 142 of Social Security Code, 2020 covers applicability of Aadhaar

2. Panel set up by RBI to assist regulatory review authority

3. SEBI comes out with disclosure requirements

4. SEBI notifies relaxed norms for listing start-ups

5. Justice Pant appointed NHRC acting chairperson

6. Sebi proposes rationalising 'promoter group' definition

7. Committee to identify learnings, shortcomings from recent state polls

8. SC threw open the door to the legislature to ponder

9. CJI Ramana launched new SC mobile app

10. SC calls for hike in compensation to self-employed deceased aged below 40

11. Relaxations provided under Gas Cylinders Rules, 2016

12. How a Police Commissioner can be suspended under Article 311 (2) (b) of the Indian Constitution

13. WhatsApp's new privacy policy violates Indian IT rules

14. Government brings changes in Customs Rules, IGCR 2017

15. West Bengal government to set up a Legislative Council

16. Delhi High Court quashes GST on oxygen concentrators

17. Members of the governing board of the Kalakshetra Foundation

18. Lenders can go after personal guarantors to corporates

19. Live-in couples deserve same protection as married ones

20. Freedom of Religion Amendment Bill, 2021

21. Manual for free “e-Courts Services Mobile App” in 14 languages

22. Creation of one post of Director in Senior Administrative Grade (SAG)

23. Expert Committee on Investment Funds to recommend to IFSCA

24. Panel to define offences of speech, expression

25. Indian youth are now marrying later in life

26. Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code came into effect

27. Panel to probe allegations of unauthorised construction in Mekedatu

28. Kerala to launch the Smart Kitchen scheme

29. PM chairs high level meeting to review progress of National Digital Health Mission

30. India abstains from voting on UNHRC resolution to vote against Israel

31. Supreme Court widens scope of Section 304-B

Science & Technology Current Affairs

1. First electric tractor in the country tested at farm machinery institute of MP

2. Indian Scientists develop high-yielding and pest-resistant variety of soybean


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3. China launched core module of its space station

4. SpaceX Crew-1 NASA astronauts splash down in the Gulf of Mexico

5. Covid 19 symptoms and CT scan

6. Astrophysicists have spotted the first ‘blow-away’ galaxy

7. A malaria vaccine candidate has raised new hope

8. CSIR- CCMB develops possibly 1st specific drug for COVID-19 treatment

9. Assam’s girls develop bio-degradable Yoga Mats

10. Government of India gives nod to local telecom operators for 5G trials

11. Proning can help Covid patients

12. Railways Inducts 100th 'Made In India' Electric Locomotive on Network

13. Vaccine Delivery by Drone Flights

14. India participates in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial

15. Spacex Starship Rocket Prototype Achieves First Safe Landing

16. New mobile application for psycho social wellness of students, parents

17. Use of anti-fungal injection amphotericin to treat mucormycosis

18. How Iron Dome air defence system protect Israel?

19. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will depart asteroid Bennu

20. IIT developed portable eco-friendly mobile cremation system

21. How Israel’s Iron Dome Intercepts Hamas Rocket?

22. Researchers Develop Algorithm for Lensless, Miniature Cameras

23. Nanoparticle Designed for Better Treatment of Disease

24. China landed a spacecraft on Mars carrying its first Mars rover

25. Magnetometer for low cost, reliable & real-time measurements of magnetic fields

26. Virtual Imposters Beware of ‘FakeBuster’

27. Shed light on mystery behind complex phenomena in Plasma

28. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to Study How Massive Stars’ Blasts

29. DRDO develops COVID-19 antibody detection kit 'DIPCOVAN'

30. DRDO developed near-isothermal forging technology for aero-engines

31. Himachal farmer developed Low-chilling apple variety

Security Current Affairs

1. US Approved Proposal to sale of Six P-8I Patrol Aircraft to India

2. National Security Advisor commissioned Offshore Patrol Vessel Sajag

Society and Social Justice Current Affairs

1. WHO unveils global immunization strategy to save 50 million lives by 2030


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2. TRIFED joins hands with The LINK Fund

3. Operation Samudra Setu-II for shipment of oxygen-filled containers to India

4. Lifting food grains from FCI for free distribution to poor under PMGKAY

5. Mandatory online certification of disability through UDID portal

6. Centre can identify socially and educationally backward classes

7. Puducherry achieves 100% tap water connection under JJM

8. PM released 8th installment of PM- Kisan scheme

9. Members of vulnerable tribes infected in Odisha

10. Tribal Affairs Ministry & Microsoft sign MoU for digital transformation

11. ELDERLINE: Toll Free Helpline for elderly persons

12. Covid-19 impacted Children being provided Tele Counselling through SAMVEDNA

13. WHO-ILO study links long work hours to more deaths

14. Subsidy on DAP fertiliser hiked by 140%

15. Six-month CBID Program on rehabilitation of Divyangjan

16. Govt increased variable dearness allowance for workers in central sphere

17. 701 One Stop Centres in 35 States/UTs

18. Centre plans one-stop centres in 9 countries to help women hit by violence

19. The number of smokers worldwide has increased to 1.1 billion in 2019

20. Education Ministry to provides monetary assistance to students

21. French President asked for forgiveness for Rwandan genocide

22. Financial aid for Children who lost their parents due to COVID-19

Sports Current Affairs

1. India’s first Olympic-bound Fencer Bhavani Devi

2. Mohali international hockey stadium renamed after Balbir Singh Senior

Miscellaneous Current Affairs

1. Treatment of asymptomatic, mild and moderate COVID-19 infection

2. Drone used to conduct experimental delivery of Covid vaccine

3. India’s adequate fire safety regulations for public buildings

4. PM reviews progress of converting Nitrogen plants to Oxygen Plants

5. Yoga to mitigate the hardships of the pandemic

6. New framework for implementation of SVAMITVA Scheme

7. Haryana govt launches Ayurvedic tele-medicine facility


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8. Union Government formulates strategy for Kharif 2021

9. Signal was blocked on Facebook-owned Instagram

10. Nationwide distribution campaign of herbal medicines

11. Air ambulance makes belly landing at Mumbai airport

12. Black fungus affects diabetic people suffering from COVID-19

13. Army inducts first batch of women military police

14. Second World War airport in Assam takes commercial wings

15. Gap between two doses of Covishield extended to 12-16 weeks

16. Indian Railway commissions Wi-Fi at 6,000th Railway station

17. Government took Steps to ensure availability of fertilizers to farmers

18. Natural ways to boost your immunity

19. COVID-19 vaccine does not damage the placenta in pregnancy

20. Online course to train and certify Officers in Network Security

21. Manipur launched a mobile app for delivering veggies at home

22. WHO to announce system to name virus variants ‘like hurricanes’

23. Jharkhand got 1st rank for implementing Smart City Mission schemes

24. INS Rajput Decommissioned on 21 May 2021

25. Microsoft Will Retire Internet Explorer 11 in June 2022

26. PharmEasy becomes Largest Online Healthcare Delivery Platform in India

27. Waiting time should not more than 10 seconds per vehicle at toll plazas

28. Sanjay Dutt received golden visa from the United Arab Emirates

29. Indian Broadcasting Foundation to cover streaming platforms

30. IBF to be renamed as Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation

31. GoM to examine GST exemption for Covid relief material

32. Green zone sites for NPNT compliant drone operations


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Awards and Honours Vice President presented the Yudhvir

Memorial Award Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has presented

the ‘Yudhvir Memorial Award’ to Hyderabad-

based gynecologist, Dr. Evita Fernandez in

recognition of her service for the cause of

women’s healthcare and empowerment. He also

paid tributes to late Yudhvir Singh.

Yudhvir Singh (1897 - 1983) was an Indian

freedom fighter, politician and homeopathic

doctor.

He was a member of the Arya Samaj, and edited

the publication Arya-Kumar.

He was a leader of the Indian National Congress

in Delhi. He took part in the pro-independence

struggles of 1932, 1941 and the Quit India

Movement of 1942.

In 1935 Singh became the secretary of the Delhi

Pradesh Congress Committee. In 1937 he

became a municipal commissioner of Delhi, a

post he held until 1952.

He served as Minister, Health and Rehabilitation,

Industries and Labour and Rationing and Jail in

the Delhi State government between 1955 and

1956. During his tenure the Delhi Homeopathic

Act was passed (the Act came into force on 1

October 1956).

Singh was presented with Padma Shri in 1971

and later with Padma Bhushan in 1977 by the

government.

Herpetologist Deepak Veerappan has

a snake named after him The Western Ghats presented new butterflies,

frogs, fruit flies, and even a freshwater crab in

the first four months of 2021. Herpetologist

Deepak Veerappan has a snake named after

him.

Joining the list is a tiny snake of just 20 cm length

with iridescent scales - Xylophis deepaki, first

stumbled upon in a coconut plantation in

Kanyakumari, is now reported to be an endemic

species of Tamil Nadu and has been sighted in a

few locations in the southern part of the Western

Ghats.

The species is named in honour of Indian

herpetologist Deepak Veerappan for his

contribution in erecting a new subfamily

Xylophiinae to accommodate wood snakes.

The team suggests the common name Deepak’s

wood snake.

PM Modi congratulates Mamata

Banerjee on taking oath as WB CM Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee

on taking oath as the Chief Minister of West

Bengal for the third consecutive term.

Mamata Banerjee (born 1955) is serving as the

8th and current Chief Minister of West Bengal

since 2011, the first woman to hold the office.

She founded the All India Trinamool Congress

(AITC or TMC) party in 1998 after separating from

the Indian National Congress, and became its

first chairperson.

Banerjee previously served twice as Minister of

Railways, the first woman to do so.

She is also the first female Minister of Coal, and

Minister of Human Resource Development,

Youth Affairs and Sports, Women and Child

Development in the cabinet of the Indian

government.


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MK Stalin sworn in as Tamil Nadu

chief minister DMK president M K Stalin was sworn in as chief

minister of Tamil Nadu at a low-key ceremony on

the lawns of Raj Bhavan in Chennai on 7th May,

2021.

He is the son of the former Chief Minister M.

Karunanidhi. He has also served as president of

the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party since 28

August 2018.

The 68-year-old Stalin steered the party to power

after a remarkable victory in 2019 general

elections. It is the sixth time that the DMK is

forming a government in Tamil Nadu.

The DMK won 125 seats, while four from the

MDMK, two from the MMK, one each from the

TVK and the KNMK won on the DMK’s rising sun

symbol, taking the tally to 133 in the 234-

member assembly.

Shri N.Rangasamy Ji took oath as

Puducherry CM Recently, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi

has congratulated Shri N.Rangasamy Ji on taking

oath as Puducherry CM.

Puducherry is a Union Territory of India rather

than a state, which implies that governance and

administration fall directly under federal

authority.

However, Puducherry is one of the three union

territories in India (the other being National

Capital Territory of Delhi and Jammu and

Kashmir) that is entitled by a special

constitutional amendment to have an elected

legislative assembly and a cabinet of ministers,

thereby conveying partial statehood.

The Pondicherry Representative Assembly was

converted into the Legislative Assembly of

Pondicherry on 1 July 1963 as per Section 54(3)

of The Union Territories Act, 1963.

The elections for the Puducherry Vidhan Sabha

are held since 1964.

Nadal, Osaka and Hamilton scoop top

Laureus 2021 awards Spain's Rafa Nadal was named the 2021 Laureus

Sportsman of the year, while fellow tennis player

Naomi Osaka won the top women's honour.

Japan's Osaka won her second U.S. Open title

last year, while Nadal equalled Roger Federer's

record of 20 Grand Slam titles by claiming his

13th French Open crown.

Nadal picked up his fourth Laureus honour,

having previously scooped the Breakthrough,

Comeback and men’s individual awards.

German soccer champions Bayern Munich, who

won last season’s Champions League, was

named the Team of the Year.

Britain’s Formula One world champion Lewis

Hamilton claimed the inaugural Athlete Advocate

of the Year Award for his involvement in the fight

against racism.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King was awarded the

“Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Laureus

Academy.

Himanta Biswa Sarma took oath as

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, the face of the BJP in

Northeast India sworned in as the 15th Chief

Minister of Assam.

His name was proposed by outgoing Chief

Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

BJP retained power in the state along with

alliance partners Asom Gana Parishad and UPPL.

Dr. Sarma was holding several important


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portfolios including Health and Finance in the

Sarbananda Sonowal government.

As finance minister, Sarma earned Assam the

distinction of being the first state to roll out the

GST regime.

Sheikh Zayed Book Award Dr. Tahera Qutbuddin has become the first

person from India to win the prestigious Sheikh

Zayed Book Award.

Prominent German philosopher Juergen

Habermas had turned down the Sheikh Zayed

Book Award over its ties “with the existing

political system” in the UAE, a hereditarily ruled

country long criticised for its suppression of

dissent.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is a literary award

begun in the UAE.

The award is named after Sheikh Zayed bin

Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the UAE

when the federation of seven sheikhdoms

became a country in 1971.

While describing itself as an “independent”

initiative, the prize is administered by Abu Dhabi

culture and tourism authorities.

The "Cultural Person of the Year" is the premier

category, it includes an award of one million

Dirhams (around $300,000) while the other

categories receive around $200,000 each.

IREDA received Green Urja Award IREDA (Indian Renewable Energy Development

Agency) recently received the “Green Urja Award”

for being the Leading Public Institution in

Financing Institution for RE this year by Indian

Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency

Limited (IREDA) is a Mini Ratna (Category – I)

Government of India Enterprise under the

administrative control of Ministry of New and

Renewable Energy (MNRE).

IREDA is a Public Limited Government Company

established as a Non-Banking Financial

Institution in 1987.

IREDA has been notified as a “Public Financial

Institution” under section 4 ‘A’ of the Companies

Act, 1956 and registered as Non-Banking

Financial Company (NFBC) with Reserve Bank of

India (RBI). IREDA’s Motto is “Energy for Ever.”

IREDA is the only dedicated institution for

financing Renewable Energy (RE) & Energy

Efficiency (EE) projects in India. Since, its

inception the company has played a catalytic role

in developing market for financing RE & EE

projects.

IREDA has over the years sanctioned loans

aggregating to Rs. 96,601 crores, disbursed Rs.

63,492 cores and supported more than 17,586

MW of RE capacity in the country till date.

World Food Prize 2021 A global nutrition expert of Indian descent, Dr

Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted has won the

prestigious 2021 World Food Prize for her

ground breaking research in developing holistic,

nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquaculture

and food systems.

Thilsted's trailblazing research on small native

fish species in Bangladesh led to the

development of nutrition-sensitive approaches

to aquatic food systems at all levels, from the

farm to food processing to final consumers,

resulting in improved diets for millions of the

most vulnerable people in Asia and Africa.

Thilsted, who is a native of Trinidad and Tobago

and a citizen of Denmark, was born in 1949 in

the Caribbean island of Trinidad in the small

village of Reform. Most of the inhabitants,


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including her family, were descendants of Indian

Hindu migrants brought to Trinidad to engage in

agricultural labour.

Andrea Meza from Mexico crowned

Miss Universe 2020 Mexico’s Andrea Meza has been crowned Miss

Universe for the year 2020. She bested the

contestants from 74 other countries, including

Miss India Adline Castelino, who made it to the

top 4 of the beauty pageant.

The 69th edition of the pageant, which was held

on May 16, 2021, at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel &

Casino in Hollywood, United States, was a scaled-

down affair because of the ongoing Coronavirus

pandemic.

The beauty pageant, Miss Universe 2020, was

hosted by the American Actor Mario Lopez and

television personality Olivia Culpo.

Former Miss Universe contestants Paulina Vega,

Cheslie Kryst, and Demi-Leigh Tebow (winner of

2017 title) served as the commentators and

competition analysts. The panel of 8 women

determined the winner.

Cairn Energy sues Air India in US court

to enforce $1.2 billion arbitration

award Cairn Energy has brought a lawsuit in a US court

that potentially can lead to seizing of Air India's

overseas assets such as airplanes to recover USD

1.72 billion from the Indian government which

an international arbitration tribunal had

awarded after overturning levy of retrospective

taxes.

The term retrospective means to look back on

something that has occurred in the past. So, the

term retrospective tax means to pay tax for

goods and services purchased in the past or

income earned in the past.

This may happen due to laws being amended or

new rules of taxation being introduced in an

economy.

A retrospective tax is usually caveated with a

validation clause. It helps validate the demand

for a retrospective tax payment made by one

party and the decision or order passed by the

country's concerned tax authority.

For example, the Supreme Court of India clearly

states that you cannot add a new tax liability in

retrospect. That is why it is accompanied by the

validation clause that serves to verify the

demand and pass a judgment.

India retrospectively amended its taxation laws

through the Finance Act of 2012, permitting tax

authorities to reopen and/or investigate

transactions from 2006 for evasion of capital

gains tax.

IPS Subodh Kumar Jaiswal appointed

as CBI Director Indian Police Service officer Subodh Kumar

Jaiswal has been appointed as Director of Central

Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a period of 2

years.

About Subodh Kumar Jaiswal He is a 1985-batch IPS officer of Maharashtra

cadre, Jaiswal is currently the director general of

the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

He was previously the police commissioner of

Mumbai, the largest city in India and the seventh

most populous city in the world.

Jaiswal was with the Research and Analysis Wing

(RA&W), India's external intelligence agency for

nine years, during which he served as the

additional secretary of RA&W for three years.


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Jaiswal has also served in Intelligence Bureau

and Maharashtra ATS Chief. He was the head of

the Central Industrial Security Force.

About Central Bureau of Investigation The Central Bureau of Investigation is the

premier investigating agency of India.

CBI is operated under the jurisdiction of the

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and

Pensions (India).

It was originally set up to investigate bribery and

governmental corruption, in 1965 it received

expanded jurisdiction to investigate breaches of

central laws enforceable by the Government of

India, multi-state organised crime, multi-agency

or international cases.

The agency has been known to investigate

several economic crimes, special crimes, cases of

corruption and other cases.

CBI is exempted from the provisions of the Right

to Information Act. CBI is India's officially

designated single point of contact for liaison with

the Interpol.

Aashritha V Olety becomes the India’s

1st woman flight test engineer Squadron Leader Aashritha V Olety is the first

and only woman in the IAF qualified for the role,

and as a flight test engineer.

Olety, a native of Karnataka, has graduated as

part of the 43rd Flight Test Course after

completing a one-year course at the pilot school.

Excluding the medical wing in which women

have been serving for decades, the army

accounts for 6,807 women officers, the IAF 1,607

and the navy has 704 women officers.

In percentage terms, women still form a small

part of the military - 0.56% of the army, 1.08% of

the air force and 6.5% of the navy.

Hong Kong climbers Tsang Yin-hung

set records on Everest Hong Kong mountaineer Tsang Yin-hung has

recorded the world’s fastest ascent of Everest by

a woman with a time of just under 26 hours.

Tsang, 44, scaled the mountain in a record time

of 25 hours and 50 minutes.

The fastest woman to conquer Everest had been

Nepali Phunjo Jhangmu Lama when she

completed the climb in 39 hours 6 minutes.

Arthur Muir, 75, became the oldest American to

climb the world’s highest peak at 8,848.86-

metres.

Mount Everest is Earth's highest mountain above

sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-

range of the Himalayas.

A 52-year-old Nepali Sherpa climbed the Mt

Everest, for the 25th time, breaking his own

record for summiting the mountain most

number of times.

Nepal's eminent historian late Baburam Acharya

is credited with the Nepali name Sagarmatha for

Mount Everest that straddles Nepal-China

border.

Eni Award 2020 for renewable energy

research Bharat Ratna Professor C.N.R. Rao has received

the International Eni Award 2020 for research

into renewable energy sources and energy

storage.

It is also called the Energy Frontier award. This is

considered to be the Nobel Prize in Energy

Research.

The Energy Frontiers award has been conferred

for his work on metal oxides, carbon nanotubes,

and other materials and two-dimensional

systems.


Page | 15


Professor Rao has been working on hydrogen

energy as the only source of energy for the

benefit of all mankind.

Kuldiep Singh gets additional charge

of National Investigation Agency CRPF chief Kuldiep Singh has been given the

additional charge of the Director-General of the

National Investigation Agency (NIA) to replace Y C

Modi.

The National Investigation Agency is India's

counter-terrorist task force. The agency is

empowered to deal with terror related crimes

across states without special permission from

the states.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) is functioning

as the Central Counter Terrorism Law

Enforcement Agency in the country.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the

country’s largest paramilitary with an estimated

strength of about 3.25 lakh personnel.

It is designated as the lead internal security force

with its main operational theatres being Left

Wing Extremism affected states, counter-

terrorist combat in the Kashmir valley and

counter-insurgency operations in the northeast.

Economic Development SEBI’s new rule for fund manager

compensation The Securities and Exchange Board of India

(SEBI) has said that a minimum 20% of the

compensation of mutual fund managers and

other key personnel in an asset management

company (AMC) should be in the form of units of

the mutual fund schemes they manage.

Key personnel here refers to the likes of chief

executive officer, chief investment officer,

research head and their direct reportees.

The compensation of fund managers — at least

the variable pay component — is linked to

performance. What SEBI has done here is

crystallise the rules and extend it beyond fund

managers to so-called key employees.

Moreover, SEBI has specified the rules of

allocation of this 20% by saying that is should be

proportional to the assets under management of

the schemes in which an employee has a role or

oversight.

The regulator has also specified that these units

offered by way of compensation are locked-in for

three years.

Government to Provide Rs 15,000

crore to States for Capital Expenditure The Ministry of Finance, Government of India has

decided to provide an additional amount of upto

Rs 15,000 crore to States as interest free 50 year

loan for spending on capital projects.

The Department of Expenditure has issued fresh

guidelines in this regard on the Scheme of

Financial Assistance to States for Capital

Expenditure for the financial year 2021-22.

Under the Scheme, financial assistance is

provided to the State Governments in the form

of 50-year interest free loan. An amount not

exceeding Rs.12,000 crore was earmarked for

the scheme for the financial year 2020-21, and a

sum of Rs.11,830.29 crore was released to the

States.

This helped to sustain state level capital

expenditure in the pandemic year.

In view of the positive response to the scheme

and considering the requests of the State


Page | 16


Governments, the Government has decided to

continue the scheme in the year 2021-22.

Finance Ministry released first

instalment worth Rs 8,873 cr of SDRF

to states The Finance ministry has released in advance to

the states the first instalment worth Rs 8,873.6

crore of the state disaster response fund (SDRF)

for the current fiscal.

Normally, the first instalment of SDRF is released

in the month of June as per the

recommendations of the Finance Commission.

However, in relaxation of normal procedure, not

only has the release of SDRF been advanced, the

amount has also been released without waiting

for the utilization certificate of the amount

provided to the States in the last financial year.

Up to 50% of the amount released i.e. Rs.4436.8

crore can be used by the States for COVID-19

containment measures. The funds from SDRF

may be used by the States for various measures

related to containment of COVID-19.

The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF),

constituted under Section 48 (1) (a) of the

Disaster Management Act, 2005, is the primary

fund available with State Governments for

responses to notified disasters.

The Central Government contributes 75% of

SDRF allocation for general category States/UTs

and 90% for special category States/UTs (NE

States, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh,

Jammu and Kashmir).

Various relief measures for taxpayers

under GST law The government has announced various relief

measures for taxpayers under GST law including

reduction in interest rate and waiving of late fee.

A lower rate of interest of 9 per cent for the first

15 days from the due date of payment of tax and

18 per cent thereafter, for the tax payable for tax

period of March and April 2021 has been notified

for registered persons having aggregate

turnover of over 5 crore rupees.

In case of aggregate turnover upto 5 crore

rupees, nil rate of interest for the first 15 days

from the due date of payment of tax, 9 per cent

for the next 15 days, and 18 per cent thereafter,

for both normal taxpayers and those under

Quarterly Return, Monthly Payment of Taxes

(QRMP) Scheme for March and April, 2021 has

been notified.

For registered persons having aggregate

turnover above 5 crore rupees, the late fee has

been waived for 15 days with regard to returns

in FORM GSTR-3B furnished beyond the due date

for tax periods of these two months.

In case of turnover upto 5 crore rupees, the late

fee has been waived for 30 days for GSTR-3B

returns furnished beyond the due date.

Besides, the Finance Ministry has extended the

due date of filing FORM GSTR-1 and Invoice

Furnishing Facility- IFF for the month of April due

in May has been extended by 15 days.

Paradip port is the latest to handle

rice exports Paradip is the latest port to be opened up for

rice shipments after the deep water port in

Kakinada.

In a major boost to India’s rice exports potential

especially from eastern region, a consignment

has been officially flagged off today from the

Paradip International Cargo Terminal (PICT),

Odisha to Vietnam.

This is the first time in the history of Paradip

Port, non-basmati rice will be exported. Sarala


Page | 17


foods group will ship 20 containers of rice on

Tuesday followed by around 500 containers over

the next three months from PICT to Vietnam.

A consignment of one of the Agricultural and

Processed Food Products Exports Development

Authority (APEDA)’s member exporter M/s Sarala

Food will be shipped to Hai Phong port, Vietnam.

Non-basmati rice exports to African and Asian

countries are undertaken from various ports of

India such as Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam,

Chennai, Mundra and Krishnapatnam. Paradip

will soon emerge as one of the major rice-

exporting port of the country.

Asian Development Bank’s annual

meeting 2021 Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs

and Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Governor

for India Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman participated in

the Governor’s Seminar on “Cooperation for a

Resilient Future”, held as part of ADB’s annual

meeting 2021.

Other participants included Japan, Georgia,

China, Philippines and Netherlands. The virtual

seminar was attended by delegates from 68

member nations of the ADB.

It was conceived in the early 1960s when a

resolution was passed at the first Ministerial

Conference on Asian Economic Cooperation held

by the United Nations Economic Commission for

Asia and the Far East in 1963.

The institution was opened in 1966 at Manila

(Philippines capital) with 31 initial members.

The ADB was modelled closely on the World

Bank, and has a similar weighted voting system

where votes are distributed in proportion with

members' capital subscriptions.

As of 31 December 2016, Japan and United

States hold the largest proportion of shares at

15.607%. China holds 6.444%, India holds

6.331%, and Australia holds 5.786%.

COVID-19 vaccine and oxygen imports

exempted from GST Imports of COVID-19 relief material, including

vaccines, medical oxygen and Remdesivir vials

has waived off IGST. The exemption has been

granted till 30th June for free distribution of

these medical supplies. Earlier the Centre had

waived the import duty & health cess on such

medical supplies.

IGST meaning Integrated Goods and Service Tax,

is one of the three categories under Goods and

Service Tax (CGST, IGST and SGST) with a concept

of one tax one nation.

IGST falls under Integrated Goods and Service

Tax Act 2016.

IGST is charged when movement of goods and

services from one state to another. For example,

if goods are moved from Tamil Nadu to Kerala,

IGST is levied on such goods.

The revenue out of IGST is shared by state

government and central government as per the

rates fixed by the authorities.

The GST on supplies in the course of interState

trade shall be levied and collected by the

Government of India and such tax shall be

apportioned between the Union and the States

according to the provisions of law on the

recommendations of the Goods and Services Tax

Council.

Under the IGST scheme, 50% of the collections

will go to the Centre (as the Central Goods and

Services Tax component) and the remaining 50%

will be allocated to the States and Union

Territories (as the State Goods and Services Tax

component). And, 42% of the CGST will be

devolved to the States and Union Territories.


Page | 18


MoFPI issues operational scheme

guidelines The Ministry of Food Processing Industries

(MoFPI) has issued detailed operational scheme

guidelines and has launched an online portal for

'Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food

Processing Industry (PLISFPI).

As a part of Prime Minister’s announcement of

Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, Government of

India has approved a new Central Sector Scheme

namely‘ Production Linked Incentive Scheme for

Food Processing Industry’ for implementation

during 2021-22 to 2026-27 with an outlay of Rs.

10,900 crore.

Its objective is to support creation of global food

manufacturing champions commensurate with

India's natural resource endowment and support

Indian brands of food products in the

international markets.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries is inviting

applications for availing sales based incentives

and grants for undertaking Branding &

Marketing activities abroad under the scheme

from three categories of Applicants:

Category-I: Applicants are large entities who

apply for Incentive based on Sales and

Investment Criteria. Applicant under this

category could undertake Branding & Marketing

activities abroad also and apply for grant under

the scheme with a common application.

Category-II: SMEs Applicants manufacturing

innovative/ organic products who apply for PLI

Incentive based on Sales.

Category-III: Applicants applying solely for grant

for undertaking Branding & Marketing activities

abroad.

RBI releases ₹50000 crore fund

support to healthcare liquidity push The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) unveiled a host

of measures to boost fund flow to the healthcare

sector and ease the pain of small borrowers and

units.

The RBI has opened an on-tap liquidity window

of Rs 50,000 crore with tenors of up to three

years at the repo rate four per cent, till March 31,

2022 to boost provision of immediate liquidity

for ramping up Covid-related healthcare

infrastructure and services in the country.

Under the scheme, banks can provide fresh

lending support to a wide range of entities

including vaccine manufacturers, importers and

suppliers of vaccines and priority medical

devices, hospitals and dispensaries, pathology

labs, manufactures and suppliers of oxygen and

ventilators, importers of vaccines and Covid-

related drugs, logistics firms and also patients

for treatment.

Banks are being incentivised for quick delivery of

credit under the scheme through extension of

priority sector classification to such lending up to

March 31, 2022. These loans will continue to be

classified under priority sector till repayment or

maturity, whichever is earlier.

19 companies apply under PLI scheme

for IT hardware Apple's contract manufacturers Foxconn and

Wistron, computer firm Dell and domestic firms

Dixon and Lava are among the 19 companies

that have applied for investments under the

production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for IT

hardware manufacturing.

Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for IT

Hardware was notified on 03.03.2021.


Page | 19


The PLI Scheme extends an incentive of 4% to

2%/ 1% on net incremental sales (over base year

of FY 2019-20) of goods under target segments

that are manufactured in India to eligible

companies, for a period of four years (FY 2021-22

to FY 2024-25).

The target IT hardware segments under the

proposed Scheme include Laptops, Tablets, All-

in-One Personal Computers (PCs) and Servers.

The scheme proposes production linked

incentives to boost domestic manufacturing and

attract large investments in the value chain of

these IT Hardware products.

Strategic disinvestment, transfer of

management control in IDBI Bank The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

(CCEA) has given its in-principle approval for

strategic disinvestment along with transfer of

management control in IDBI Bank.

The extent of respective shareholding to be

divested by GoI and LIC shall be decided at the

time of structuring of transaction in consultation

with RBI.

Government of India (GoI) and LIC together own

more than 94% of equity of IDBI Bank (GoI

45.48%, LIC 49.24%). LIC is currently the

promoter of IDBI Bank with Management

Control and GoI is the co-promoter.

LIC’s Board has passed a resolution to the effect

that LIC may reduce its shareholding in IDBI

Bank Ltd. through divesting its stake along with

strategic stake sale envisaged by the Govt. with

an intent to relinquish management control and

by taking into consideration price, market

outlook, statutory stipulation and interest of

policy holders.

It is expected that strategic buyer will infuse

funds, new technology and best management

practices for optimal development of business

potential and growth of IDBI Bank Ltd. and shall

generate more business without any

dependence on LIC and Government

assistance/funds.

Resources through strategic disinvestment of

Govt. equity from the transaction would be used

to finance developmental programmes of the

Government benefiting the citizens.

India began exports of organic millets

grown in Himalayas to Denmark First consignment of millets grown in Himalayas

from snow-melt water of Ganges in Dev Bhoomi

(Land of the God), Uttarakhand would be

exported to Denmark, in a major boost to

organic products exports from the country.

APEDA, in collaboration with Uttarakhand

Agriculture Produce Marketing Board (UKAPMB)

& Just Organik, an exporter, has sourced &

processed ragi (finger millet), and jhingora

(barnyard millet) from farmers in Uttarakhand

for exports, which meets the organic certification

standards of the European Union.

Millets are gaining a lot of popularity globally

because of high nutritive values and being gluten

free also.

Oil cake meal is a major commodity of the

organic product exports from the country

followed by oil seeds, fruit pulps and purees,

cereals & millets, spices, tea, medicinal plant

products etc.

At present, organic products are exported

provided they are produced, processed, packed

and labelled as per the requirements of the

National Programme for Organic Production

(NPOP).


Page | 20


RBI unveils measures for MSMEs to

deal with COVID-19 crisis The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced

several measures to protect small and medium

businesses, individual borrowers from the

adverse impact of the intense second wave of

COVID-19 across the country.

Individuals, borrowers and MSMEs with

aggregate exposure up to Rs. 25 crore, who have

not availed restructuring under any previous

frameworks, who were classified as standard on

31 March, 2021, will be eligible to be considered

under Resolution Framework 2.0.

Restructuring under new framework can be

invoked till September 30, 2021 and will have to

be implemented within 90 days after invocation.

For individuals and small businesses who have

availed restructuring of loans under Resolution

Framework 1.0, where moratorium of less than 2

years was permitted, lending institutions can

now increase the period and/or extend residual

tenure up to a total period of 2 years.

In respect of small businesses and MSMEs

restructured earlier, lending institutions are now

permitted to review working capital sanction

limits, as a one-time measure.

Govt relaxed provisions of Income-tax

Act The government has relaxed the provisions of

Income-tax Act in view of COVID-19. Now, all

hospitals, nursing units, dispensaries and COVID

care centres will be able to accept cash over two

lakh rupees from the patients.

The Income-tax Act, 1961 is the charging statute

of Income Tax in India. It provides for levy,

administration, collection and recovery of

Income Tax.

The Government of India presents finance bill

(budget) every year in the month of February.

The finance budget brings various amendments

in Income-tax Act, 1961 including tax slabs rates.

The Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Act,

2016" is an amendment Act, No.48 of 2016, to

Income-tax Act, 1961 and The Finance Act, 2016.

It was passed during the 2016 Winter Session of

Indian Parliament.

Union Government sets up Arbind Modi-led

panel to overhaul, simplify income tax laws. On

22 November 2017, the government formed a

task force to draft a new direct tax law to replace

the existing Income Tax Act, which has been in

force since 1961.

MoUs signed between Oil and Gas

PSUs and Badrinath Utthan Charitable

Trust A Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were

signed between the Oil and Gas PSUs, Indian Oil,

BPCL, HPCL, ONGC and GAIL and Shri Badrinath

Utthan Charitable Trust for Construction and

Redevelopment of Shri Badrinath Dham as a

Spiritual Smart hill Town.

As per the MoUs, the Oil & Gas PSUs will be

contributing Rs. 99.60 crore in the first phase of

the developmental activities, including river

embankment work, building all-terrain vehicular

path, building bridges, beautifying existing

bridges, establishing gurukul facilities with

accommodation, creating toilet and drinking

water facilities, installing streetlights, mural

paintings etc.

Badrinath is a holy town and a nagar panchayat

in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand.

It is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham

pilgrimage and gets its name from the Badrinath

Temple.


Page | 21


Badrinath was re-established as a major

pilgrimage site by Adi Shankara in the 8th

century.

Badrinath or Badrinarayan Temple is a Hindu

temple dedicated to Vishnu which is situated

along the banks of Alaknanda River.

Finance contract for Pune Metro Rail

project The Government of India and European

Investment Bank signed the finance contract for

second tranche of Euro 150 million for Pune

Metro Rail project through a virtual signing

ceremony.

EIB had approved the total loan of Euro 600

million to fund the Pune Metro Rail project.

The Finance Contract for first tranche of Euro

200 million was signed between GoI and EIB on

22.7.2019.

The project aims to provide efficient, safe,

economic and pollution-free Mass Rapid Transit

System in densely populated area in the city of

Pune served with heterogeneous traffic options.

The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

(MAHAMETRO) is the implementing agency for

this project.

Cabinet approves PLI Scheme to 10

key Sectors for Enhancing The Union Cabinet gave approval to introduce

the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme in

the 10 key sectors for Enhancing India’s

Manufacturing Capabilities and Enhancing

Exports – Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The move aims to achieve a manufacturing

capacity of 50 GigaWatt Hour of ACC and five

Giga Watt Hour of Niche ACC with an outlay of

18,100 crore.

ACCs are the new generation of advanced

storage technologies that can store electric

energy either as electrochemical or as chemical

energy and convert it back to electric energy as

and when required.

It will also give a big push to electric mobility,

benefiting three-wheelers, four-wheelers and

heavy vehicles.

India is currently importing Battery Storage

Equipment worth 20 thousand crore rupees and

the scheme will be helpful in making the country

self-reliant (Atmanirbhar).

HFCs came under the direct

supervision of the Reserve Bank of

India Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) have come

under the direct supervision of the Reserve Bank

of India (RBI) since August 2019 and existing

home loan customers are getting differential

treatment from banks and HFCs.

Over the last 18 months to 5 years, if bank

customers have seen better transmission of rate

cuts in their home loan rates on account of cut in

marginal cost of lending rate (MCLR), HFC

customers have had limited benefit because of

relatively smaller cuts in the prime lending rate

(PLR).

While HFCs and banks compete hard on rates to

attract new customers, the cut in rates for

existing customers depends on the reduction in

MCLR by banks and in PLR by HFCs in response

to a repo cut by RBI.

HFCs base their lending rates on PLR and offer a

discount on it to customers. While the discount is

fixed for the term of the loan, an upward or

downward revision in PLR (in line with repo rate

movement) impacts the lending rate of the

existing customer. As for new customers, the


Page | 22


HFC can increase the discount on the PLR to

offer a more attractive rate. A cut in PLR is

reflected in the effective rate for the customer

within three months.

In the case of banks, lending rates are based on

either MCLR or on the repo rate (since October

2019).

Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2021-22 The Government of India, in consultation with

the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to issue

Sovereign Gold Bonds. The Sovereign Gold

Bonds will be issued in six tranches from May

2021 to September 2021.

The Bonds will be sold through Scheduled

Commercial banks (except Small Finance Banks

and Payment Banks), Stock Holding Corporation

of India Limited (SHCIL),designated post offices,

and recognised stock exchanges viz., National

Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay

Stock Exchange Limited.

The minimum permissible investment will be

one gram of gold. Investors will be compensated

at a fixed rate of 2.50 percent per annum

payable semi-annually on the nominal value.

The Bonds will be restricted for sale to resident

individuals, Hindu Undivided Families, Trusts,

Universities and Charitable Institutions.

The tenor of the Bond will be for a period of 8

years with exit option after 5th year to be

exercised on the next interest payment dates.

SEBI invites comments on gold

exchange The Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

has floated a consultation paper on the

proposed framework for Gold Exchange in India.

The proposal was announced by Finance

Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her FY22 Budget

speech.

SEBI, entrusted with the task of regulating the

proposed exchange, including for vaulting,

assaying and gold quality and delivery standards,

said the existing stock exchanges may deal in

‘electronic gold receipt’ (EGR) through a separate

segment.

The markets regulator has also suggested a new

exchange exclusively for EGR that would have

advantages such as better liquidity and single-

price reference.

As far as transactions are concerned, SEBI

working groups have suggested that an entire

transaction be divided into three tranches.

It has been proposed that the vault manager

should have a net worth of ₹50 crore and will be

required to furnish security deposits.

GI certified Gholvad sapota from

Maharashtra finds its way to the UK A consignment of Dahanu Gholvad sapota

(naseberry) has been exported to the United

Kingdom from Maharashtra’s Palghar district,

providing a major boost to shipments of

Geographical Indication (GI) certified products

from India.

GI certification of Ghovad Sapota is held by

Maharashtra Rajya Chikoo Utpadak Sangh and

the fruit is known for its sweet and unique taste.

It is believed that the unique taste is derived

from calcium rich soil of Gholvad village.

Currently in the Palgahr district, around 5000

hectares of land is under sapota or plantation.

Out of 5000 farmers who grow Sapota, 147

farmers are authorized GI users.

Sapota is grown in many states- Karnataka,

Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal


Page | 23


and Andhra Pradesh. Karnataka is known to be

the highest grower of the fruit, followed by

Maharashtra.

FinMin grants ‘infrastructure’ status

for convention centres The Finance Ministry has granted ‘Infrastructure’

status for exhibition and convention centres, a

move that is expected to ease bank financing for

such projects.

‘Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre is included in

the Harmonised Master List of Infrastructure

sub-sectors by insertion of a new item in the

category of Social and Commercial

Infrastructure,’ the Department of Economic

Affairs said.

However, the benefits would only be available

for projects with a minimum built-up floor area

of 1,00,000 sq. m. of exclusive exhibition space

or convention space or both combined.

As of now, the major projects under way in the

sector are backed by the government – the

International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centres

at Dwarka and Pragati Maidan in the capital.

The infrastructure tag does not involve

significant tax breaks but would help such

projects get easier financing from banks, said

experts. However, restrictions on size may be a

dampener.

India doesn’t have large convention centres or

single halls with capacities to hold 7,000 to

10,000 people, unlike countries like Thailand that

is a major global MICE destination.

Becoming a MICE (Meetings, Incentives,

Conferences and Exhibitions) destination can

generate significant revenue with several global

firms active in India but it will take time to

become a preferred destination.

Reserve Bank of India to transfer

₹99,122 crore to government The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced to

transfer ₹99,122 crore to the government from

its profit, helping the Centre keep its fiscal deficit

in check amid strained public finances because

of the pandemic.

The higher-than-expected dividend or surplus

transfer to the government comes as the

government is expecting a sharp sequential fall

in tax collections due to the severe second wave

of COVID-19 which has forced lockdowns in

several States.

This surplus likely reflects the central bank’s

higher income from their open market

operations as well as receipts from FX sales.

The government had budgeted to receive a

surplus of about ₹50,000 crore from the RBI to

be accounted for in the budget estimates for

2021/22, while in the previous full accounting

year, the RBI had transferred ₹57,128 crore as

surplus.

Barring 2018/19, this is the highest ever transfer

by the RBI in an accounting period. In FY19, ₹1.76

lakh crore was transferred to the government

which included a one-time transfer of extra

reserves.

The government is likely to find it challenging to

meet its privatisation and disinvestment target of

$24 billion while goods and services tax (GST)

revenues are also likely to fall.

The RBI also decided to maintain a Contingency

Risk Buffer at 5.50% in line with

recommendations of the Bimal Jalan Committee

report.

RBI will move to an April to March accounting

year from 2021/22, from a July to June year.


Page | 24


Rules for insurance firms’ control

tweaked after FDI ceiling raised to

74% Indian promoters of insurance joint ventures

with foreign partners will no longer be able to

nominate a majority of the board members, as

per the new rules notified under the Insurance

Act. This follows the recent amendments to

enhance the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit

in the sector to 74% from 49%.

However, a majority of board members, key

management persons (KMP) need to be resident

Indian citizens, as should at least one of the

three top positions — the chairperson of the

board, the MD and CEO.

This new norm will apply to all insurers,

irrespective of the stake held by the foreign

partner.

The Finance Ministry has also specified further

conditions on the composition of the board for

firms where foreign investors’ stake exceeds

49%.

Export of 1.2 MT of fresh jackfruit from

Tripura to London A shipment of 1.2 metric tonne of fresh jackfruit

was exported from Tripura to London, in a major

step towards harnessing exports potential of

agricultural and processed food products from

north-eastern region.

Jackfruit is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry,

and breadfruit family (Moraceae). It is a multiple

fruit, composed of hundreds to thousands of

individual flowers, and the fleshy petals are

eaten.

Local Names in India: Katahal (Hindi), Phanas

(Marathi), Phannasa (Gujarati), Panasa (Telugu),

Palaa/ Varukkai (Tamil), Halasu (Kannada),

Chakka (Malayalam), Panasa (Oriya).

Major producers in world: India, Thailand,

Indonesia and Nepal. Major Production States:

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Utter

Pradesh, Orissa and Assam. Kerala is the largest

producer of jackfruit in the world. It is the state

fruit of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

1st consignment of Shahi Litchi

Exported from Bihar to UK The season’s first consignment of Shahi Litchi

from Bihar was exported to the United Kingdom

by air route on 24 May, 2021, in a major boost to

export of GI certified products.

The phyto-sanitary certification for exports of

Shahi Litchi was issued from a newly established

certification facility at Patna.

Bihar tops in terms of production of litchi. The

fruit is being exported by Cira Enterprises and

sourced from farmers in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Samastipur, Champaran,

Begusarai districts and adjoining areas of Bihar

have favorable climate for growing Shahi Litchi.

Shahi litchi was the fourth agricultural products

to get GI certification from Bihar in 2018, after

Jardalu mango, Katarni rice and Magahi paan.

India is the second largest producer of litchi

(Litchi chin) in the world, after China.

The translucent, flavoured aril or edible flesh of

the litchi is popular as a table fruit in India, while

in China and Japan it is preferred in dried or

canned form.

FDI increase 19% to USD 59.64 billion

in 2020-21 The Foreign Direct Investment plays a major role

in developing countries like India. The FDI into

the country grew 19 per cent to USD 59.64 billion

during 2020-21 on account of measures taken by

the government on the fronts of policy reforms.


Page | 25


Total FDI, including equity, re-invested earnings

and capital, rose 10 per cent to the "highest

ever" of USD 81.72 billion during 2020-21 as

against USD 74.39 billion in 2019-20.

In terms of top investor countries, Singapore is

at the top with 29 per cent share. It was followed

by the US (23 per cent) and Mauritius (9 per cent)

during the last fiscal.

The computer software and hardware sector

attracted the highest inflows with around 44 per

cent share of the total FDI equity inflows. It was

followed by construction (infrastructure)

activities (13 per cent) and services sector (8 per

cent), respectively.

Gujarat is the top recipient state during 2020-21

with 37 per cent share of the total FDI equity

inflows, followed by Maharashtra (27 per cent)

and Karnataka (13 per cent).

Centre transfers Srinagar Leh

transmission system to Power Grid The Ministry of Power transferred the

prestigious 220 kV Srinagar-Drass-Kargil-Khaltsi-

Leh Transmission System to Power Grid

Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID).

The transmission system was dedicated to the

nation by Prime Minister in February 2019, and it

connects the Ladakh region to the national grid,

ensuring quality and reliable power supply.

Built at a height of around 3000-4000 meters,

this 335-km long transmission line traverses

snow-bound difficult hilly terrain. It comprises of

four new state-of-the-art 220/66 kV Gas

Insulated Sub-stations and 66 kV interconnection

systems at Drass, Kargil, Khaltsi and Leh.

The project was executed by POWERGRID on

consultancy basis under Prime Minister’s

Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) Scheme.

Subsequent to reorganisation of the erstwhile

state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) into UTs of J&K

and Ladakh, the 220 kV Srinagar-Leh

Transmission System has been re-designated as

Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) and

transferred to POWERGRID with effect from

31.10.2019, the date of formation of the two UTs

of J&K and Ladakh.

Recommendations of 43rd GST Council

meeting The 43rd GST Council met under the

Chairmanship of Union Finance & Corporate

Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman.

The GST Council has made the following

recommendations relating to changes in GST

rates on supply of goods and services and

changes related to GST law and procedure:

As a COVID-19 relief measure, a number of

specified COVID-19 related goods such as

medical oxygen, oxygen concentrators and other

oxygen storage and transportation equipment,

certain diagnostic markers test kits and COVID-

19 vaccines, etc., have been recommended for

full exemption from IGST.

In view of rising Black Fungus cases, the above

exemption from IGST has been extended to

Amphotericin B.

To support the LympahticFilarisis (an endemic)

elimination programme being conducted in

collaboration with WHO, the GST rate on

Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) tablets has been

recommended for reduction to 5% (from 12%).

GST on MRO services in respect of ships/vessels

shall be reduced to 5% (from 18%).

The Finance Minister also announced an

amnesty scheme for small GST taxpayers,

allowing filing of returns with reduced late fees.


Page | 26


The GST Council will hold a special session to

discuss extending paying compensation to states

beyond 2022.

Annual return filing has also been simplified. The

Council has recommended amending the CGST

Act to allow for self-certification of reconciliation

statements, instead of getting it certified by

Chartered Accountants.

Village rice from Kumbakonam

exported to Ghana, Yemen A start-up firm has exported two consignments

of 4.5 tonnes of patented “village rice” sourced

from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur

district to Ghana and Yemen via air and sea

routes.

This development comes on the heels of APEDA

helping in the shipments of “red rice” from

Assam to the US in March this year.

Iron-rich “red rice” is grown in the Brahmaputra

valley of Assam without using any chemical

fertilizer. The rice variety is referred to as “Bao-

dhaan”, an integral part of the Assamese food.

APEDA, which is the nodal agency for agricultural

and processed food exports in the country, is

working with various stakeholders such as

farmers, entrepreneurs, exporters and importers

across the globe to harness India’s non-basmati

rice exports potential.

Non-basmati rice exports to African and Asian

countries are undertaken from various ports of

India such as Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam,

Chennai, Mundra and Krishnapatnam. Paradip

will soon emerge as one of the major rice-

exporting port of the country.

Geography, Environment,

Biodiversity & Disaster

Management Saudi Arabia to join ‘Net Zero

Producers Forum’ on climate change Saudi Arabia will join the United States, Canada,

Norway, and Qatar in forming ‘Net Zero

Producers Forum’ for oil and gas producers to

discuss how they can support the

implementation of the Paris Agreement on

climate change.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter,

will be part of the new platform, which will

discuss ways to achieve net zero carbon

emission targets to limit global warming.

In the past, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince

Mohammed bin Salman has said the kingdom

aims to reduce its carbon emissions by

generating 50% of the country's energy from

renewables by 2030.

US President Joe Biden unveiled plans to cut

emissions by 50%-52% from 2005 levels at the

two-day climate summit kicked off on Earth Day

and attended virtually by leaders of 40 countries.

Codex Committee on Spices and

Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) Recently, the Codex Committee on Spices and

Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) has finalised and

recommended quality standards for four spices;

cloves, oregano, basil, and ginger, during its fifth

session held virtually from 20th -29th April 2021.

The committee forwarded these four new

standards to the Codex Alimentarius

Commission (CAC) for adoption at final step 8, as

full -fledged Codex standards.


Page | 27


The committee also took up the following new

work items: to develop Codex standards for

small cardamom and turmeric, and to develop

the first group standard for spices that fall under

the class 'dried fruits and berries'.

CCSCH is the youngest of the Codex Commodity

Committees. The Committee is Chaired by India

and Spices Board India is its Secretariat. This

committee is mandated to elaborate worldwide,

science-based quality standards for spices and

culinary herbs, in accordance with the Codex

principles of consumer protection and fair trade

practices. Dr M.R. Sudharshan is the current

Chairman of the Committee.

Melting glaciers due to climate change

caused Earth’s axis to shift since mid-

90s The latest research has that the Earth's North

and South poles have moved since the mid-

1900s. They have been affected due to the

melting of glaciers and other factors caused by

humans, namely climate change.

Polar wander is the motion of a pole in relation

to some reference frame. It can be used, for

example, to measure the degree to which Earth's

magnetic poles have been observed to move

relative to the Earth's rotation axis.

True polar wander represents the shift in the

geographical poles relative to Earth's surface,

after accounting for the motion of the tectonic

plates. This motion is caused by the

rearrangement of the mantle and the crust in

order to align the maximum inertia with the

current rotation axis.

This is the situation with the lowest kinetic

energy for the given, unchanging, angular

momentum of the earth, and is attained as

kinetic energy is dissipated due to the non-

rigidity of the earth.

Eight Asiatic lions test positive for

coronavirus in Hyderabad zoo Eight Asiatic lions at Hyderabad’s Nehru

Zoological Park have tested positive for the

deadly coronavirus, perhaps the first known case

of the human infecting the felines and making

them sick in India.

LaCONES or Laboratory for the Conservation of

Endangered Species, is a Council of Scientific and

Industrial Research lab located in Hyderabad.

It is a part of CCMB (centre for cellular and

molecular biology). It was conceptualised by Lalji

Singh.

It is India's only research facility engaged in

conservation and preservation of wildlife and its

resources. This lab would strive to: "To promote

excellence in conservation biotechnology and

serve for conservation of endangered wildlife in

India".

It was established in 1998 with the help of

Central Zoo Authority of India, CSIR and the

government of Andhra Pradesh. It was dedicated

to the nation in 2007 by then President of India

APJ Abdul Kalam.

Unfamiliar lineament among Assam

earthquake factors An unfamiliar lineament is among four factors

behind frequent earthquakes in northern

Assam’s Sonitpur area.

A lineament is a linear feature in a landscape

dictated by an underlying geological structure

such as a fault.

According to the Geological Survey of India (GSI),

Sonitpur district lies within a tectonically

complex triangular area bounded by the east-

west trending Atherkhet Fault, the northwest-

southeast trending Kopili Fault and a north-

south trending lineament.


Page | 28


The two faults and the lineament, along with the

oblique convergence of the Indian plate, have

caused frequent earthquakes.

The National Centre of Seismology recorded 29

earthquakes of magnitude varying from 2.6 to

4.7 in Sonitpur after the 6.4 tremblor on April 28

that damaged several buildings, bridges and a

river embankment.

The northeast is demarcated as Seismic Zone V,

which indicates a zone with high vulnerability.

The Indian plate is moving northeast toward the

Eurasian plate in the Himalayan region, their

oblique collision and release of stress and strain

accumulated in the local tectonic or fault

environments lead to earthquakes.

Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung volcano

erupts Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung erupted spewing a

massive column of smoke and ash up to 2,800

meters into the sky.

The volcano has been active since 2010 when it

erupted after nearly 400 years of inactivity.

Indonesia is home to many active volcanoes

owing to its location in the “Ring of Fire” or the

Circum-Pacific Belt — an area along the Pacific

Ocean characterised by active volcanoes and

frequent earthquakes.

The Ring of Fire is home to about 75 per cent of

the world’s volcanoes and about 90 per cent of

earthquakes also occur here.

Basically, there are three types of volcanoes —

active, dormant or extinct. An eruption takes

place when magma (a thick flowing substance),

that is formed when the earth’s mantle melts,

rises to the surface.

As magma is lighter than rock, it is able to rise

through vents and fissures on the surface of the

earth. Following eruption, the magma is called

lava.

Construction activities on Kaziranga

animal corridors The Assam’s Golaghat and Nagaon districts

authorities have begun probing cases of

clearance of forest land, digging and

construction activities on at least three animal

corridors within the eco-sensitive zone of the

Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

The Golaghat and Nagaon districts share large

swathes of the 1,300-sq. km. tiger reserve that

has nine identified animal corridors.

Seven of these — Amguri, Bagori, Chirang,

Deosur, Harmati, Hatidandi and Kanchanjuri —

are in Nagaon district while Haldibari and

Panbari corridors are in Golaghat district.

These corridors are crucial for the rhinos,

elephants, tigers, deer and other animals that

escape a flooded Kaziranga during the monsoon

months for the safety of the hills of Karbi

Anglong district beyond the highway skirting the

southern boundary of the tiger reserve.

But the most blatant violation has been on the

Kanchanjuri animal corridor in Nagaon district. A

patch of forest land has been cleared and a

section of a tea plantation dug up apparently for

a water reservoir.

Wildlife forensics helps cause of

pangolins Researchers of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI),

Kolkata, have now developed tools to tell apart

the scales of Indian pangolin (Manis

crassicaudata) and Chinese pangolin (Manis

pentadactyla), to enforce the appropriate

national and international laws and to track the

decline of the species.


Page | 29


Pangolins, despite being listed in Schedule I of

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 continue to be the

world’s most trafficked mammal.

The primary demand for its scales in the making

of traditional East Asian medicines has led to an

estimated illegal trade worth $2.5 billion every

year.

To enforce the appropriate national and

international laws and to track the decline of the

species, researchers of Zoological Survey of India

(ZSI), Kolkata, have now developed tools to tell

apart the scales of Indian pangolin (Manis

crassicaudata) and Chinese pangolin (Manis

pentadactyla).

They characterised the morphological features

and investigated genetic variations between the

two species by sequencing 624 scales of

pangolins and comparing the sequences with all

eight pangolin species.

Based on the size, shape, weight and ridge

counts on the scales, the team was able to

categorise the two species of Indian and Chinese

pangolins.

Though the Chinese pangolin is distributed

mostly in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, the

north-eastern part of our country is also its

home.

Green panel allows Great Nicobar plan

to advance The Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC) -

Infrastructure I of the Ministry of Environment,

Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has flagged

serious concerns about NITI Aayog’s ambitious

project for Great Nicobar Island (‘NITI Aayog

vision for Great Nicobar ignores tribal, ecological

concerns’.

The committee has, however, removed the first

hurdle faced by the project. It has

“recommended” it “for grant of terms of

reference (TOR)” for Environmental Impact

Assessment (EIA) studies, which in the first

instance will include baseline studies over three

months.

Documents uploaded recently on the MoEFCC’s

Parivesh portal show that the 15-member

committee headed by marine biologist and

former director, Bombay Natural History Society

(BNHS), Deepak Apte, made the decision.

The proposal includes an international container

transshipment terminal, a greenfield

international airport, a power plant and a

township complex spread over 166 sq. km.

(mainly pristine coastal systems and tropical

forests), and is estimated to cost ₹75,000 crore.

This includes Galathea Bay, the site of the port

and the centrepiece of the NITI Aayog proposal.

Galathea Bay is an iconic nesting site in India of

the enigmatic Giant Leatherback, the world’s

largest marine turtle.

Heavy rain in Kerala as Cyclone

Tauktae intensifies The Indian Met Department issued a Red alert

for the people living in and off the coast of

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and

Puducherry. The severe cyclonic storm 'Tauktae'

over the east-central Arabian Sea moved nearly

northwards with a speed of about 9kmph during

the past six hours, and intensified into a very

severe cyclonic storm.

There is yet not clear whether the cyclonic storm

will cross the Gujarat coast or just skirt it by May

18.

It is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm

during the next 12 hours and is very likely to

intensify further during the subsequent 24 hours

and move north, north-westwards, IMD said.


Page | 30


In view of Cyclone Tauktae warning, National

Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 24

teams in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat

and Maharashtra.

India loses 186 elephants to Railways

in 10 years According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest

and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of

India, a total of 186 elephants were killed after

being hit by trains across India between 2009-10

and 2020-21.

Assam accounted for the highest number of

elephant casualties on railway tracks (62),

followed by West Bengal (57), and Odisha (27).

Uttar Pradesh saw just one death.

A Permanent Coordination Committee was

constituted between the Ministry of Railways

(Railway Board) and the MoEFCC for preventing

elephant deaths in train accidents.

Clearing of vegetation along railway tracks to

enable clear view for loco pilots, setting up

underpass/overpass for safe passage of

elephants, regulation of train speed from sunset

to sunrise in vulnerable stretches, and regular

patrolling of vulnerable stretches of railway

tracks are among other initiatives the Ministry

has undertaken.

The MoEFCC released ₹212.49 crore to elephant

range States under Centrally Sponsored

Schemes (CSS) of Project Elephant to protect

elephants, their habitat and corridors, to address

man-elephant conflicts, and for the welfare of

captive elephants, between 2011-12 and 2020-

21.

India is facing threats to its native

Freshwater Turtles A ‘cute’ American turtle popular as a pet is

threatening to invade the natural water bodies

across the Northeast, home to 21 of the 29

vulnerable native Indian species of freshwater

turtles and tortoises.

Between August 2018 and June 2019, a team of

herpetologists from the NGO ‘Help Earth’ found

red-eared sliders in the Deepor Beel Wildlife

Sanctuary and the Ugratara temple pond — both

in Guwahati.

The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

derives its name from red stripes around the

part where its ears would be and from its ability

to slide quickly off any surface into the water.

Native to the U.S. and northern Mexico, this

turtle is an extremely popular pet ... But on the

flip side they grow fast and virtually leave

nothing for the native species to eat.

Much like the Burmese python that went to the

U.S. as a pet to damage the South Florida

Everglades ecosystem, the red-eared slider has

already affected States such as Karnataka and

Gujarat, where it has been found in 33 natural

water bodies.

But more than elsewhere in India, preventing

this invasive species from overtaking the

Brahmaputra and other river ecosystems in the

Northeast is crucial because the Northeast is

home to more than 72% of the turtle and

tortoise species in the country, all of them very

rare.

World's seal family For elephant seals - one of the most distinctive of

the 33 species that comprise the world's seal

family - it is hard work to stay fat.

Scientists have conducted the most thorough

study to date of the unique feeding behavior of

northern elephant seals, focusing on the females

of the species during arduous two-month post-


Page | 31


breeding migrations in the northeastern Pacific

Ocean.

The seals were found to spend upwards of 20

hours every day - and sometimes a full 24 hours

- in continuous deep-diving to feed on

multitudes of small fish, rather than the larger

prey favored by other deep-diving marine

mammals, to gain the body fat essential for

successful reproduction and insulation in the

frigid depths.

Elephant seals get their name from the

prominent noses of the males that resemble an

elephant's trunk. There are two species - the

northern elephant seal and the slightly larger

southern elephant seal.

New species of skink found from

Western Ghats Researchers have discovered an Asian gracile

skink species from Western Ghats. The new

species is closely related to Subdoluseps pruthi

found in parts of the Eastern Ghats.

Named Subdoluseps nilgiriensis, the reptile has a

slender body of just about 7 cm and is sandy

brown in colour.

The new species was found in a dry deciduous

area, showing that even the dry zones of our

country are home to unrealised skink diversity.

This species is only the third skink species

discovered from mainland India in the last

millennium.

Skinks are non-venomous. They resemble snakes

because of the often-inconspicuous limbs and

the way they move on land. Such resemblance

has led to confusion often resulting in humans

killing this harmless creature.

Subdoluseps nilgiriensis is currently considered a

vulnerable species as there are potential threats

from seasonal forest fires, housing constructions

and brick kiln industries in the area.

A single lightning flash kill 18

elephants Recently 18 elephants died on a hilltop in Assam.

The preliminary post-mortem report indicates

they had been struck by lightning.

Lightning may injure or kill animals in a

number of ways such as:

Direct Flash: An animal in an open field may be

struck directly by lightning if part of its body

protrudes over other objects in the vicinity. Taller

animals are more vulnerable.

Side Flash: When lightning strikes a tall object

such as a tree, it may generate a side flash that

can strike an animal standing underneath the

tree.

Touch Potential: If one part of a tall animal’s

body is in contact with the ground while another

part, at a higher elevation, comes in contact with

a lightning-struck object, a partial current may

pass through its body.

Step Potential: The most common lightning

hazard among four-legged animals. When an

animal’s front and hind feet are far enough

apart, a partial current may pass through the

body in certain circumstances.

The Bamuni Hill in Assam, where the elephants

died, has no tall trees that could have taken the

brunt of the lightning strike.

In 2007, five elephants were killed in a similar

incident in Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal. In

2016, over 300 reindeer were killed on Norway’s

Hardangervidda plateau following

thunderstorms. In 1972, 53 reindeer were killed

in a lightning strike in Alaska.


Page | 32


Rescue mission drifted away from

Mumbai during Cyclone Tauktae Recently Cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc in parts

of Maharashtra and Gujarat when it travelled

past the coast of Mumbai and made its landfall

in Gujarat.

The Indian Navy and the Coast Guard launched a

rescue mission after four vessels went adrift off

the Mumbai coast due to inclement weather and

heavy rains arising from Cyclone Tauktae.

In the early hours of May 17, Cyclone Tauktae hit

Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai where Oil

Natural Gas Corporation Ltds major production

installations and drilling rigs are located.

Due to a combination of weather factors, four

vessels that the ONGC put into service went

adrift in the high seas.

A total of four vessels have been affected. They

include three construction barges of M/s Afcons

(Barge ‘Papaa–305’, Barge ‘Support Station-3’ and

Barge ‘Gal Constructor’), which is working on a

project of ONGC in Western Offshore fields in

the Arabian Sea.

The fourth vessel (ONGC’s Drill Ship ‘Sagar

Bhushan’) is a drilling rig of ONGC deployed for

exploration purposes.

Thousands lining up to see the foul-

smelling ‘corpse flower’ Over a thousand people queued up outside an

abandoned gas station in San Francisco’s Bay

Area this week to catch a glimpse of the

extremely rare and aptly named ‘corpse flower’,

known for its putrid smell, which is often

compared to that of rotting flesh.

A similar scene played out in a greenhouse at

Philadelphia’s Temple University around the

same time, where two of the endangered

flowering plants are blooming for the first time

since they were brought to campus.

The ‘corpse flower’ is a flowering plant, which is

native to the rainforests of Sumatra in Indonesia.

The scientific name of the rare plant,

Amorphophallus titanum, quite literally

translates to giant, misshapen phallus,

presumably due to its appearance.

In about a decade, the ‘corpse flower’ can grow

to be up to 10 feet tall and unveil two of its key

components — a deep red skirt-like petal known

as the spathe and a yellow rod-like ‘spadix’.

Another crucial component of the plant is the

‘corm’, a fleshy underground plant stem which

acts as a storage organ where the corpse plant’s

energy is stored. The unique plant is said to have

the biggest corm in existence, sometimes

weighing around 100 kgs.

The corpse flower is known to be one of the

world’s largest ‘unbranched inflorescence’ or a

stalk bearing a cluster of flowers. The average

corpse flower has a lifespan of about three-four

decades.

World’s largest iceberg forms in

Antarctica As reported by the European Space Agency, a

giant slab of ice has calved from the frozen edge

of Antarctica into the Weddell Sea, becoming the

largest iceberg afloat in the world.

The newly calved berg, designated A-76 by

scientists, was spotted in recent satellite images

captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission.

Its surface area spans 4,320 square km (1,668

square miles) and measures 175 km long by 25

km wide.

By comparison, Spain's popular tourist island of

Majorca in the Mediterranean occupies 3,640


Page | 33


square km (1,405 square miles).The U.S. state of

Rhode Island is smaller still, with a landmass of

just 2,678 square km.

The enormity of A-76, which broke away from

Antarctica's Ronne Ice Shelf, ranks as the largest

existing iceberg on the planet, surpassing the

now second-place A-23A, about 3,380 square km

(1,305 square miles) in size and also floating in

the Weddell Sea.

Whiteflies was increasing due to their

polyphagous nature The scientists have recently found that the host

range of all of the invasive whiteflies was

increasing due to their polyphagous nature

(ability to feed on various kinds of food) and

prolific breeding.

Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on

the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise

the family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the

superfamily Aleyrodoidea.

In warm or tropical climates and especially in

greenhouses, whiteflies present major problems

in crop protection.

Whiteflies are one of the top ten devastating

pests in the world that damage more than 2000

plant species and also function as vectors for

some 200-plant viruses.

Cotton is one of the worst hit crops by these. Bt

cotton is not resistant against white flies.

Other invasive whiteflies were also found to

expand their host range on valuable plants

species, especially coconut, banana, mango,

sapota, guava, cashew, oil palm, and ornamental

plants such as bottle palm, false bird of paradise,

butterfly palm and important medicinal plants.

The whiteflies are difficult to control by using

synthetic insecticides, and hence currently

naturally occurring insect predators, parasitoids

and entomopathogenic fungi (fungi that can kill

insets) are being used.

Yaas may hit coast between Sagar and

Paradeep According to the experts, the Yaas is likely to

thunder into the Bengal-Odisha coast between

Sagar Island and Paradeep on May 26 with the

Bengal coast more likely to take the hit after it

crosses north Odisha as a very severe cyclonic

storm with a wind speed of 155km/hr-165km/hr.

Yaas, the cyclonic storm that is expected to hit

the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal next week,

has been named by Oman. Yaas refers to a tree

that has a good fragrance and in English, the

word is similar to Jasmine.

Cyclone Tauktae, which was named by Myanmar,

means “gecko” — a highly vocal lizard — in

Burmese dialect.

Naming of Cyclonic storms

A group of nations called WMO/ESCAP (World

Meteorological Organisation/United Nations

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and

the Pacific), in year 2000, comprised Bangladesh,

India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan,

Sri Lanka and Thailand, decided to start naming

cyclones in the region.

After each country sent in suggestions, the

WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC)

finalised the list. The list of 169 cyclone names

released by IMD in April 2020 were provided by

these countries — 13 suggestions from each of

the 13 countries.

The WMO/ESCAP expanded to include five more

countries in 2018 — Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,

United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Guidelines to adopt names of cyclones

Here are some of the rules that countries need

to follow while picking names for cyclones. If


Page | 34


these guidelines are following, the name is

accepted by the panel on tropical cyclones (PTC)

that finalises the selection:

The proposed name should be neutral to (a)

politics and political figures (b) religious believes,

(c) cultures and (d) gender

Name should be chosen in such a way that it

does not hurt the sentiments of any group of

population over the globe

1. It should not be very rude and cruel in

nature

2. It should be short, easy to pronounce and

should not be offensive to any member

3. The maximum length of the name will be

eight letters

4. The proposed name should be provided

with its pronunciation and voice over

5. The names of tropical cyclones over the

north Indian Ocean will not be repeated.

Once used, it will cease to be used again.

Thus, the name should be new.

Arctic warming three times more

quickly than the planet The Arctic has warmed three times more quickly

than the planet as a whole, and faster than

previously thought.

Climate scientists have known for decades that

the Northern Hemisphere was warming faster

than the warmer Southern Hemisphere.

Arctic sea ice looks set to be an early victim of

rising temperatures, with each fraction of a

degree making a big difference, the chance of it

disappearing entirely in summer is 10 times

greater if Earth warms by 2 degree Celsius above

pre-industrial levels compared to 1.5 C, the goal

set by the 2015 Paris Accord.

The alarming finding comes from the Arctic

Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)

in a report timed to coincide with a ministerial

meeting this week of the Arctic Council in

Reykjavik, which gathers countries bordering the

region.

A glaciologist Jason Box at the Geological Survey

of Denmark and Greenland said that the Arctic is

a real hotspot for climate warming.

In less than half a century, from 1971 to 2019,

the Arctic's average annual temperature rose by

3.1 C, compared to 1 C for the planet as a whole.

Indian Army rushes to aid Congo town

hit by volcano eruption Recently, an active volcano overlooking Congo's

Goma town erupted, Indian Army rushed to

assist in evacuation of locals and other UN

personnel in the affected region.

Notably, the Indian Army has a significant

presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo as

part of MONUSCO, a UN peacekeeping mission

headquartered in the eastern town of Goma and

bordering Rwanda.

Mount Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano

with an elevation of 3,470 m in the Virunga

Mountains associated with the Albertine Rift.

It is located inside Virunga National Park, in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 12 km

north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu.

The main crater is about two kilometres (1 mi)

wide and usually contains a lava lake.

Nyiragongo's lava lake has at times been the

most voluminous known lava lake in recent

history.

Nyiragongo and nearby Nyamuragira are

together responsible for 40 per cent of Africa's

historical volcanic eruptions.

Cheetahs to be re-introduced in India

after being declared extinct


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Cheetah, the world's fastest land animal which

was declared extinct in India in 1952, to be re-

introduced into the country in November this

year at the Kuno National Park in Madhya

Pradesh.

The country's last spotted cheetah died in

Chhattisgarh in 1947 and it was declared extinct

in the country in 1952.

Kuno, located in the Chambal region, is spread

over an area of over 750 sq km and has a

conducive environment for the cheetah.

According to the approved timeline sent to us by

the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate

Change this week, the tentative budget outlay of

the 'Project Cheetah' is Rs 1,400 lakh for this

fiscal.

Cheetah is considered vulnerable under the

International Union for Conservation of Nature's

(IUCN) red list of threatened species, with a

declining population of less than 7,000 found

primarily in African savannas.

The Supreme Court last year set up a three-

member committee to guide the NTCA on the

cheetah re-introduction project. The panel has

asked the WII to carry out a technical evaluation

of all possible sites for the re-introduction of

cheetah in the country.

MC appeals to plant only native

species The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

recently appealed to plant only indigenous

species in the city after Mumbai has witnessed a

high number of tree-fall incidents.

The BMC in its post-cyclone inspection revealed

that 70 per cent of 812 trees were non-native

species, including Gulmohar, rain tree and royal

palm among others.

The BMC warned that native species should not

be confused with old trees or trees that are

widely present. Over at least three decades, the

government has imported exotic species, and

new tree species were planted across the city for

beautification.

By definition, a “native” plant is living, growing,

and reproducing naturally in a particular region.

The BMC has prepared a list of 41 native trees

that can be planted in Mumbai and are part of

the trees in the Konkan belt.

These are Wad, Pimpal, Umber, Kanchan,

Kadamba, Gunj, Palas, Nim, Mahogany, Moh,

Bahawa, Sag, Arjun, Ain, Kinjal, Sita Ashok, Undal,

Nagkeshar, Champa, Shivan, Shirish, Karanj,

Bakul, Bell, Taman, Hirda, Behda, Coconut, Amla,

Khair, Tetu, Mango, Putranjiva, Wild Almond,

Bibba, Parijatak, Rita, Sandalwood, Phanas and

Chafa.

National Mission on use of biomass in

coal based power plants The Power Ministry is going to set up a National

Mission on use of biomass in coal based thermal

power plants to address the issue of air pollution

due to farm stubble burning and to reduce

carbon footprints of thermal power generation.

The objectives of the National Mission given are

increasing the level of co-firing from present five

per cent to higher levels to have a larger share of

carbon neutral power generation from the

thermal power plants and to take up take up

R&D activity in boiler design to handle the higher

amount of silica, alkalis in the biomass pellets.

Also, the National Mission will facilitate

overcoming the constraints in supply chain of

biomass pellets and agro- residue and its

transport upto to the power plants and will

consider regulatory issues in biomass co-firing.


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The proposed National Mission on biomass will

also contribute to the National Clean Air

Programme (NCAP).

The Mission would have a Steering Committee

headed by Secretary (Power) comprising of all

stakeholders including representatives from

Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG),

Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) etc.

The cost and complications of

transplanting a tree The Central Public Works Department (CPWD)

wants to transplant over 1,800 trees which are

inside what used to be the Indira Gandhi

National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) complex, as

part of the Central Vista redevelopment project.

CPWD is yet to seek permission from the Delhi

Forest Department, but it has already made its

intent clear by floating a tender to transplant

these trees.

A tree cannot be transplanted by simply

uprooting it and placing it in a pit dug elsewhere.

The process involves multiple steps and requires

significant expertise.

First, the soil around the tree is dug up to isolate

the roots. The big branches are lopped off,

leaving only small shoots for regeneration. This

is done to make transportation of the tree to the

new location easier.

The root system is covered with wet gunny bags

to protect the roots and to keep the tree

hydrated. The tree has to be first sent to a

nursery to acclimatise to a new kind of soil, and

to regenerate.

Once new shoots start sprouting, the tree is

lowered into a pit created in its new spot.

Significant discovery of new spider

cricket from Chhattisgarh Found in the Kurra caves of Chhattisgarh in April

2021 by a team of zoologists headed by Dr

Ranjana Jaiswara of the Zoology Department of

Panjab University, Chandigarh, the new

subgenus was named Jayanti after Professor

Jayant Biswas, one of the leading cave explorers

in the country

Jayanti has become the twelfth subgenus, or

species, of cricket identified under the genus

Arachnomimus Saussure, 1897. The new find has

been published in the reputed journal Zootaxa

this month.

Arachnomimus is the genus name given by Swiss

Entomologist Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure in

1878 to crickets that resembled spiders.

This is apt because crickets of this group are

commonly called spider crickets because of their

smaller body size and long legs.

The newly discovered subgenus, Indimimus, is

different from the two subgenera,

Arachnomimus and Euarachnomimus, because

of the male genitalia structure.


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History, Art & Culture Assam string puppetry rides COVID

campaign for revival The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an Assam-

based trust the opportunity to focus on a near-

forgotten form of string puppetry called Putola

Nach.

The string puppetry of Assam is called Putala

Nach and is performed in three areas with

distinct characteristics.

These areas are Barpeta-Nalbari in western

Assam, Kalaigaon in northern Assam and Majuli

“island” in eastern Assam.

The Ramayana, either in its entirety or by

episodes, is performed, as well as scenes from

the Mahabharata. The puppeteers are happy to

add dialogues or chants taken from bhaona, the

local traditional theatre.

Online summer programme

NAIMISHA 2021 The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi is

creating a virtual museum space through its

online summer programme NAIMISHA 2021. This

unique art fiesta will provide a platform to create

and engage with the arts. The current duration

of the programme is 17th May to 13th June 2021.

The NGMA NAIMISHA portal will also stream a

curated film festival for the participants from

NGMA’s private collection.

The exhibition of selected artworks from

NAIMISHA 2021 will be displayed on NGMA’s

website and SO-HAM the cultural media platform

of NGMA for public viewing soon.

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is

the premier art gallery under Ministry of Culture,

Government of India. The main museum at

Jaipur House in New Delhi was established in

1954 by the Government of India, with

subsequent branches at Mumbai and Bangalore.

Winchcombe meteorite to go on

display at the Museum A piece of the Winchcombe meteorite, from the

first meteorite fall to have been recovered in the

UK for 30 years, is to be put on display at the

Museum.

Meteoroids are objects in space that range in

size from dust grains to small asteroids. But

when meteoroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere

they are called meteors. But if a meteoroid

enters the Earth’s atmosphere and hits the

ground, it is called a meteorite.

The piece of meteorite, which is a 103 gram

fragment of black rock resembling coal, was

found in a field by one Mira Ihasz and a team

from the University of Glasgow.

The meteorite landed in the driveway of a house

located in Gloucestershire in February and

considered “astonishingly rare”.

Climate change is destroying the

world’s oldest cave art Scientists have warned that environmental

degradation is killing one of the oldest and most

precious pieces of the world’s human heritage.

Researchers writing in the online peer-reviewed

open access journal ‘Scientific Reports’,

published by Nature Research, have reported

that Pleistocene-era rock paintings dating back

to 45,000-20,000 years ago in cave sites in

southern Sulawesi, on the Indonesian island of

Sulawesi, are weathering at an alarming rate.

A team of Australian and Indonesian

archaeological scientists, conservation

specialists, and heritage managers examined 11

caves and rock-shelters in the Maros-Pangkep

region in Sulawesi.


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The artwork in the area includes what is believed

to be the world’s oldest hand stencil (almost

40,000 years ago), created by pressing the hand

on a cave wall, and spraying wet red-mulberry

pigments over it.

A nearby cave features the world’s oldest

depiction of an animal, a warty pig painted on

the wall 45,500 years ago.

The cave art of Sulawesi is much older than the

prehistoric cave art of Europe.

Culture Ministry organises panel

discussions on International Museum

Day 2021 On this occasion, Ministry of Culture (MoC),

Government of India organised a series of panel

discussions to reflect upon the reimagined

priorities of the culture sector especially in the

context of the worldwide Covid pandemic, and

the role of museums therein.

A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution

in the service of society and its development,

open to the public, which acquires, conserves,

researches, communicates and exhibits the

tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and

its environment for the purposes of education,

study and enjoyment.

The museums are classified into five basic

types—general, natural history and natural

science, science and technology, history, and art.

International Museum Day falls on 18 May

every year. The objective of International

Museum Day ,as declared by International

Council of Museums(ICOM), is to raise awareness

about the fact that, “Museums are an important

means of cultural exchange, enrichment of

cultures and development of mutual

understanding, cooperation and peace among

peoples.”

Six Indian places added to tentative

list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites Six Indian sites, including the temples of

Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, the Ganga ghats in

Varanasi, and the Satpura Tiger Reserve in

Madhya Pradesh, have been added to the

tentative list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites.

These proposals will remain in tentative list for a

year after which the government will decide

which one of them to push for in their final

dossier to UNESCO, officials said.

With the addition of these six sites, the UNESCO

has 48 proposals in tentative list of India.

As per Operational Guidelines, 2019, it is

mandatory to put any monument/site on the

Tentative List (TL) before it is considered for the

final nomination dossier.

India has 48 sites in the TL as of now. As per

rules, any country can submit the nomination

dossier after one year of it being on the TL.

Reclining of Buddha and his various

other depictions in art India’s largest statue of the Reclining Buddha

was to have been installed at the Buddha

International Welfare Mission temple in Bodh

Gaya on the event of Buddha Jayanti.

The giant 100-foot fibreglass statue, built over

three months by a team of 22 artisans in Kolkata,

remains a fascinating work of art, as much for its

size as for the way The Buddha has been

depicted.

The Buddha during his last illness, about to enter

Parinirvana, the stage of great salvation after

death that can only be attained by enlightened

souls.

https://www.gkseries.com/blog/international-museum-day-2021/


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The Buddha’s death came when he was 80 years

old, in a state of meditation, in Kushinagar in

eastern Uttar Pradesh, close to the state’s border

with Bihar.

Statues and images of the Reclining Buddha

show him lying on his right side, his head resting

on a cushion or on his right elbow.

It is a popular iconographic depiction in

Buddhism, and is meant to show that all beings

have the potential to be awakened and be

released from the cycle of death and rebirth.

Dr Manwatkar said that in Sri Lanka and India,

the Buddha is mostly shown in sitting postures,

while the reclining postures are more prevalent

in Thailand and other parts of South East Asia.

The largest Reclining Buddha in the world is the

600-foot Winsein Tawya Buddha built in 1992 in

Mawlamyine, Myanmar.

Important Days & Events Year-long centenary celebrations of

Satyajit Ray The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting

recently organised year-long centenary

celebrations of late Satyajit Ray across India and

abroad.

Satyajit Ray (1921 – 1992) was an Indian

filmmaker, screenwriter, music composer,

graphic artist, lyricist and author, widely

regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all

time.

Ray directed 36 films, including feature films,

documentaries and shorts. Ray's first film, Pather

Panchali (1955), along with Aparajito (1956) and

Apur Sansar (1959), form The Apu Trilogy.

He also authored several short stories and

novels, meant primarily for young children and

teenagers. Feluda, the sleuth, and Professor

Shonku, the scientist in his science fiction stories,

are popular fictional characters created by him.

Ray received many major awards in his career,

including 32 Indian National Film Awards and an

Academy Honorary Award in 1992.

The Government of India honored him with the

Bharat Ratna, its highest civilian award, in 1992.

International Labour Day 2021 International Workers' Day is celebrated on 1st

May in most countries dedicated to workers and

labourers across the world. It is often referred to

as May Day.

The day is celebrated to honour the contribution

of working men and women and to pay tribute

to workers sacrifices in achieving economic and

social rights all over the world.

It is observed on May Day (1st May), an ancient

European spring festival. The date was chosen by

a pan-national organization of socialist and

communist political parties to commemorate the

Haymarket affair, which occurred in Chicago on 4

May 1886.

In India, the first Labour day or May Day was

celebrated in 1923 in Chennai.

Sri Guru Teg Bahadur’s 400th Parkash

Purab The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has

bowed to Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji on his 400th

Parkash Purab. Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621 –

1675) was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh

religion.

He was born as Tyaga Mal. He came to be known

by the name Teg Bahadur (Mighty of The Sword),


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given to him by Guru Hargobind after he shown

his valour in a battle against the Mughals.

His father was the Sixth guru, Guru Hargobind.

His son Guru Gobind Singh, became the tenth

Sikh guru.

He built the city of Anandpur Sahib (in

Rupnagar/Ropar district, on the edge of Shivalik

Hills, near the Sutlej River, in Punjab). Here the

last two Sikh Gurus lived and where Guru Gobind

Singh Ji founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699.

He contributed more than 100 poetic hymns to

Granth Sahib which cover various topics, such as

the nature of God, human attachments, body,

mind, dignity service etc. He resisted the forced

conversions of Kashmiri Pandits and non-

Muslims to Islam.

Lag B'Omer religious festival A lot of people were injured at the Lag B'Omer

celebration, which takes place annually at the

foot of Mount Meron.

Lag B’Omer is an annual Jewish festival observed

during the Hebrew month of Iyar.

It is celebrated on the 33rd day of the Omer, the

49-day period between Passover and Shavuot.

Lag B’Omer is the only day during the 49-day

period when celebration is permitted. Hence, it is

common for Jews to schedule weddings on this

day every year. Young boys, who have reached

the age of three, are also traditionally brought

here for their first hair cut.

To mark the occasion, tens of thousands of ultra-

Orthodox Jewish pilgrims make their way to the

base of Mount Meron every year, to pay their

respects to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second

century sage and mystic, who is believed to have

died on this day.

The Rabbi’s tomb is a much revered holy site in

Israel.

Satyajit Ray Film and Television

Institute holds 10th convocation Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute

organized the virtual convocation ceremony on

May 2, 2021. The day also marks the beginning

of the yearlong birth centenary celebration of

the film maestro Sh. Satyajit Ray.

Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI)

is a film and television institute located in

Kolkata, West Bengal.

Named after Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray, the

institute provides higher and professional

education and technical expertise in the art and

technique of film-making and television

production.

Established in 1995, the institute is an

autonomous society funded by Ministry of

Information and Broadcasting, Government of

India.

SRFTI is one of the most prestigious film schools

in India, and ranks among the best film schools

in the world, along with the Film and Television

Institute of India (FTII) and the National School of

Drama, New Delhi.

World Press Freedom Day 2021 World Press Freedom Day is observed on May 3

each year to raise awareness of the importance

of freedom of the press and remind

governments of their duty to respect and uphold

the right to freedom of expression enshrined

under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal

Declaration of Human Rights.

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the

UN General Assembly in December 1993,

following the recommendation of UNESCO's

General Conference.


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Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the

Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide

as World Press Freedom Day.

To celebrate the fundamental principles of press

freedom, assess the state of press freedom

throughout the world, defend the media from

attacks on their independence, and pay tribute

to journalists who have lost their lives in the line

of duty.

This year’s theme “Information as a Public Good”

serves as a call to affirm the importance of

cherishing information as a public good.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale birth

anniversary Prime Minister of India paid tribute to Gopal

Krishna Gokhale on his birth anniversary and

said his sacrifice and dedication to the

motherland will always be remembered.

Gokhale became a member of the Indian

National Congress in 1889. He was the leader of

the moderate faction of the Congress party. In

1905, he was elected president of the Indian

National Congress (Benares Session). He played

a leading role in bringing about Morley-Minto

Reforms, the beginning of constitutional reforms

in India.

In 1899, Gokhale was elected to the Bombay

Legislative Council and in 1901 he was elected to

the Imperial Council of the Governor-General of

India.

In his autobiography, Gandhi calls Gokhale his

mentor and guide. In 1912, Gokhale visited

South Africa at Gandhi's invitation. He received

personal guidance from Gokhale, including a

knowledge and understanding of India and the

issues confronting common Indians.

He launched the English weekly newspaper

named The Hitavad (The people's paper) in 1911.

Maharana Partap birth anniversary Prime Minister of India paid tribute to Maharana

Partap on his birth anniversary and said his

sacrifice and dedication to the motherland will

always be remembered.

Pratap Singh popularly known as Maharana

Pratap, was a king of Mewar, a region in the

present day state of Rajasthan.

He was the eldest son of Udai Singh II (founder

of city of Udaipur).

Battle of Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576

between the forces Maharana Pratap; and the

Mughal emperor Akbar's forces, led by Man

Singh I of Amber. The Mughals were the victors

but failed to capture Pratap, who escaped.

Mughal pressure on Mewar relaxed after 1579

following rebellions in Bengal and Bihar. Taking

advantage of the situation, Pratap recovered

Western Mewar including Kumbhalgarh, Udaipur

and Gogunda. During this period, he also built a

new capital, Chavand, near modern Dungarpur.

Chetak is the name given in traditional literature

to the horse ridden by Maharana Pratap at the

Battle of Haldighati. However, some Historians

debate it. According to tradition, Chetak,

although wounded, carried Pratap safely away

from the battle, but then died of his wounds. The

story is recounted in court poems of Mewar from

the 17th century onwards.

Pratap Gaurav Kendra is a tourist spot at Tiger

Hill in Udaipur city, Rajasthan. It aims at

providing information about Maharana Pratap

and the historical heritage of the area with the

help of modern technology.

National Technology Day 2021 National Technology Day is observed on May 11

each year to celebrate the achievements and


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contributions of Indians to science and

technology.

This day serves as a reminder of India breaking

into the elite group of nations with nuclear

weapons.

The board announces a theme every year. The

National Technology Day 2021 theme is “Science

and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.

National Technology Day 2021 history takes us

back to 1999, when then-Prime Minister Atal

Bihari Vajpayee declared May 11 as a day of

significant achievement for the country.

The nuclear tests conducted on this day in 1998,

which gives National Technology Day 2021 its

significance, were helmed by aerospace scientist

and former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam.

The National Award for Successful

Commercialisation of Indigenous Technology is

given to an industrial concern for successfully

developing & commercialising an indigenous

technology on this day, according to the

Technology Development Board.

International Nurses and Midwives

Day 2021 The International Nurses and Midwives Day is

observed on May 12 every year to appreciate the

nurses' efforts. This day is also marked as the

anniversary of Florence Nightingale, founder of

modern nursing.

The celebration of International Nurses Day

started in 1965 by the International Council of

Nurses (ICN).

She was an English nurse, social reformer, and

statistician. During the Crimean war, she gained

fame while serving as a manager and trainer of

nurses, being the pillar of modern nursing. She

brought a reputation for nursing and became an

icon in Victorian culture.

The theme for this year’s International Nurses

Day is Nurses: A Voice to Lead-A Vision for

Future Healthcare.

International Day of Families 2021 The International Day of Families is celebrated

on May 15 each year to remembering the

importance of families and the work started

during the International Year of Families.

The United Nation General Assembly proclaimed

the International Year of the Families in its

resolution 44/82 of 9 December, 1989. The

General Assembly in 1993 decided in a

resolution to observe 15 May every year as The

International Day of Families.

The main aim of reasserting these goals is to

showcase the determination of the United

Nations to encourage people for better living

standards and social progress of families

worldwide.

The day focuses to modify economic and social

structures that affect the stability and structure

of family units in various parts of the world.

Under economic distress poverty deepens, stress

increases at times of uncertainty that may result

against women and children violence.

Statehood Day of Sikkim 2021 Sikkim celebrates its statehood day on 16 May. It

marks the day in 1975 when Sikkim transitioned

to become the 22nd state of India from being a

monarchy earlier.

Sikkim Day is very significant to all the residents

of the state. Sikkim is located in the northeastern

part of the country, in the eastern Himalayas and

is one of the smallest states in India.

Sikkim is drained by the Teesta river and its

tributaries such as the Rangit, Lhonak, Talung

and Lachung. Teesta river water conflict is one of


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the most contentious issues between India and

Bangladesh.

About 35 per cent of the state is covered by

Kanchenjunga National Park. The official

languages of the stake include Sikkimese, Nepali,

English and Lepcha. It is among India's most

environmentally conscious states.

Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations in Malerkotla,

the new district in Punjab Malerkotla has been declared as the 23rd district

of Punjab upon Eid ul-Fitr (the festival of

breaking the fast) of this year.

Adjoining Amargarh and Ahmedgarh will also

form part of Malerkotla district.

Initially the sub-divisions of Malerkotla and

Ahmedgarh, as well as the sub-tehsil of

Amargarh, would be included in the newly

created district. The process of bringing villages

under the jurisdiction of Malerkotla district

would begin later, after the conclusion of census

operations.

Tracing the town’s history, the chief minister said

it was established in 1454 by Sheikh Sadruddin-i-

Jahan from Afghanistan and subsequently the

State of Malerkotla was established in 1657 by

Bayazid Khan.

Malerkotla was later merged with other nearby

princely states to create the Patiala and East

Punjab States Union (PEPSU). During the

reorganisation of states in 1956, the territory of

the erstwhile State of Malerkotla became part of

Punjab.

International Museum Day 2021 International Museum Day is celebrated on 18

May every year to raise awareness about the fact

that, “Museums are an important means of

cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and

development of mutual understanding,

cooperation and peace among peoples.”

The theme for International Museum Day 2021 is

‘The Future of Museums: Recover and

Reimagine’.

The day provides the opportunity for museum

professionals to meet the public and alert them

as to the challenges that museums face, and

raise public awareness on the role museums

play in the development of society. It also

promotes dialogue between museum

professionals.

The first International Museum Day took place in

1977, coordinated by ICOM. IMD was established

following the adoption of a resolution by ICOM

to create an annual event “with the aim of

further unifying the creative aspirations and

efforts of museums and drawing the attention of

the world public to their activity.”

World Telecommunication and

Information Society Day 2021 World Telecommunication and Information

Society Day is being celebrated on 17 May each

year since 1969. On this day the International

Telecommunication Union or ITU was founded

and the first International Telegraph Convention

in 1865, was signed.

The theme of World Telecommunication Day

2021 is- Accelerating digital transformation in

challenging times.

The main purpose of celebrating World

Telecommunication and Information Society Day

is to help in raising awareness in generating

possibilities of using the internet, other

information and communication technologies

(ICT), bring them to societies and economies and

create a way to bridge the digital divide.


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The Day commemorates the founding of the

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on

17 May, 1865.

On 17 May, 1969 first time World

Telecommunication Day was celebrated

annually, marking the founding of ITU and the

signing of the first International Telegraph

Convention in 1865. It was instituted by the

Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-

Torremolinos in 1973.

World Bee Day 2021 World Bee Day 2021 is celebrated on 20 May

each year to raise awareness about the threats

to pollinators like bees by human activities.

The purpose of the bee day is to acknowledge

the role of bees and other pollinators for the

ecosystem.

The UN Member States approved the proposal

of Slovenia to proclaim 20 May as World Bee Day

in December 2017.

World Bee Day theme 2021 is “Bee engaged:

Build Back Better for Bees”

By this theme, United Nations focused upon the

threats of protection posed by the COVID-19 to

bees and other pollinators.

UN also urged upon bee-keeping awareness and

the importance of bee derived products. This

Theme of Bee Day 2021 provides a direction to

all the celebrations of World Bee Day 2021.

International Day for Biological

Diversity 2021 International Day for Biological Diversity is

celebrated on 22 May each year to increase the

understanding and awareness of biodiversity

issues.

This year, 2021, the theme is "We're part of the

solution".

From nature-based solutions to climate, health

issues, food and water security, and sustainable

livelihoods, biodiversity is the foundation upon

which we can build back better.

Biodiversity plays a major role in maintaining the

balance of the earth. It is the foundation of

ecosystem services to which human well-being is

intimately linked.

All the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even

microorganisms like bacteria make up our

natural world.

The total lunar eclipse and supermoon

coinciding on 26th May The Moon had the nearest approach to Earth on

May 26, and therefore appeared to be the

closest and largest Full Moon or “supermoon” of

2021.

The celestial event coincides with this year’s only

total lunar eclipse, the first since January 2019.

Significantly, a supermoon and a total lunar

eclipse have not occurred together in nearly six

years.

A supermoon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is

closest to the Earth at the same time that the

Moon is full. According to NASA, the term

supermoon was coined by astrologer Richard

Nolle in 1979.

As the Moon orbits the Earth, there is a point of

time when the distance between the two is the

least (called the perigee when the average

distance is about 360,000 km from the Earth)

and a point of time when the distance is the

most (called the apogee when the distance is

about 405,000 km from the Earth).

Now, when a full Moon appears at the point

when the distance between the Earth and the

Moon is the least, not only does it appear to be

brighter but it is also larger than a regular full


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moon. In a typical year, there may be two to four

full supermoons and two to four new

supermoons in a row.

Buddha Purnima Diwas 2021 Buddha Purnima Divas 2021 has been observed

on 26 May, as per the Lunar Calendar that

Indian-origin religions following, Vesak (Buddha

Purnima, Buddha Jayanti).

Buddha Purnima, also known as Buddha Jayanti,

is an auspicious day that marks the birth

anniversary of Gautam Buddha, the founder of

Buddhism. It is believed that this was also the

day he attained enlightenment.

Though the date according to the Gregorian

calendar may vary from year to year, the Buddha

Purnima or Vesak festival falls on the day of the

Full Moon in the Hindu month of Vaishakh

(which comes in the month of April or May) and

it is a gazetted holiday in India.

The festival is known worldwide as Vesak due to

the Sinhala (Sri Lankan) devotees as the festival

is called Vesak in Sinhalese.

Buddhism is considered the state religion of Sri

Lanka and has been given special privileges in

the Sri Lankan constitution such as government

protection and fostering of Buddhist Dharma.

International Day of Action for

Women's Health 2021 The International Day of Action for Women’s

Health is celebrated on May 28 each year which

for over 30 years, women’s rights advocates and

allies in the sexual and reproductive health and

rights (SRHR) movement worldwide have

commemorated in diverse ways.

The main objective of this day is to raise

awareness on the issues related to women’s

health and well being such as Sexual and

Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).

It is one of the best platforms to remind

everyone specially the government leaders and

parliamentarians that the women’s health

matters.

Year after year, women, girls, advocates and

allies have continued to take action and stand up

for sexual and reproductive rights for what they

are: an indivisible and inalienable part of our

human rights.

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

(SRHR) include the following rights. Right to:

Receive information on sexuality

Sexuality education

Choose their partner

Take decision to be sexually active or not

Decide when to have children

Use modern contraceptive methods

Access to maternity care

Safe abortion and post-abortion care

Know about Prevention, care, and

treatment of sexually transmitted

diseases and infection

National AI Portal (INDIAai) celebrated

its first anniversary The ‘National AI Portal’, celebrated its first

anniversary on May 28, 2021, in a virtual event

attended by nearly 400 participants and

dignitaries.

The National AI Portal is a joint initiative by

Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), National e-

Governance Division (NeGD) and NASSCOM and

serves as a central hub for AI related news,

learning, articles, events and activities etc., in

India and beyond.

The portal was launched by the Union Minister

for Electronics and IT, Law and Justice and

Communications, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad on

May 30, 2020.


Page | 46


The event also witnessed the monthly ‘AI Pe

Charcha’ based on the theme ‘Implementing

Trustworthy AI Solutions’.

The AI based operational excellence framework

and Live Enterprise Application Platform (LEAP)

and several implemented use cases were also

demonstrated, especially the use of AI in GST

Network for fraud detection.

To mark completion of one year of operations,

INDIAai showcased its achievements through a

video, which was followed by the release of a

report titled ‘One year of INDIAai’

Veer Savarkar birth anniversary Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently paid

tributes to pioneering Hindutva ideologue Veer

Savarkar on his birth anniversary.

Savarkar was born in 1883 in Maharashtra, and

is seen as a hero, especially to parties and

organisations which subscribe to Hindutva views.

Veer Savarkar was a freedom fighter. He called

1857 revolt as the first war of independence. He

founded the following Organizations: Abhinav

Bharat Society and Free India Society.

He was also a member of India House. He was

not the founder of Hindu Mahasabha, but he did

served as its president. He opposed the Quit

India struggle in 1942, calling it a "Quit India but

keep your army" movement.

Savarkar endorsed the ideal of India as a Hindu

Rashtra and is credited with developing the

Hindu nationalist political ideology Hindutva.

He wrote the book ”Joseph Mazzini- Biography

and Politics.” He published “The Indian War of

Independence” about the Indian rebellion of

1857.

International Affairs World's Oldest Water Found in Canada The research, published in Nature

Communications, is based on a discovery made

by Dr Barbara Sherwood Lollar of the University

of Toronto, who in 2009 extracted from a

Canadian mine water that is 1.6 billion years old–

the oldest to be found on our planet.

The discovery of the water 2.4 km below the

Earth’s surface has since been heralded as one

of great importance, given its ramifications on

what we know about the origin and evolution of

our planet, the nature of water and life, as well

as the possibility of finding life on Mars.

Sherwood Lollar had been carrying out research

at the Kidd Creek mine, located on the 2.7 billion-

year-old Canadian Shield, one of the world’s

largest continental shields – meaning the oldest

and least tectonically active parts of the Earth’s

crust.

Researchers then conducted studies on the

sample, finally settling at the 1.6 billion years

figure.

Investigations into the highly saline water led to

a pathbreaking discovery: scientists found that

chemolithotrophic microbes– bacteria that can

thrive in the most extreme surroundings– had

been able to survive in the subterranean liquid.

The Canadian Shield, on which the Kidd mine is

located, in the past used to form an ocean floor,

as per the report. Over millions of years of flux,

however, its horizontal seabed became vertical,

now preserved in the mine’s rock walls from

which the water sample was extracted.

Airstrikes by Myanmar junta as

guerrillas capture govt base Ethnic Karen guerrillas said they captured a

Myanmar army base near the border with


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Thailand, representing a morale-boosting action

for those opposing the military's takeover of the

country's civilian government in February.

The KNU, which controls territory in eastern

Myanmar near the Thai border, is a close ally of

the resistance movement against the military

takeover that ousted the elected government of

Aung San Suu Kyi. Its armed wing is called the

Karen National Liberation Army.

There is a similar situation in northern Myanmar,

where the Kachin minority claims to have

captured several government outposts and been

the target of air attacks.

The Karen and the Kachin are two of the bigger

minority groups that have been seeking greater

autonomy for decades, during which there have

been periods of armed conflict punctuated by

ceasefires.

The Karen are an ethnolinguistic group of Sino-

Tibetan language-speaking peoples. These Karen

groups reside primarily in Kayin State, southern

and southeastern Myanmar.

Regulation of use of self-driving

vehicles at slow speeds on motorways The UK has become the first country to

announce regulation of the use of self-driving

vehicles at slow speeds on motorways.

Britain's transport ministry said that it was

working on specific wording to update the

country's highway code for the safe use of self-

driving vehicle systems.

The ministry will start with Automated Lane

Keeping Systems (ALKS) - which use sensors and

software to keep cars within a lane, allowing

them to accelerate and brake without driver

input.

The use of ALKS would be restricted to

motorways, at speeds under 60 km per hour.

The UK government wants to be at the forefront

of rolling out autonomous driving technology

and the transport ministry forecasts by 2035

around 40% of new UK cars could have self-

driving capabilities, creating up to 38,000 new

skilled jobs.

However, the dangers of drivers apparently

misunderstanding the limits of technology has

been an issue in the United States, where

regulators are reviewing about 20 crashes

involving Tesla’s driver assistance tools, such as

its ‘Autopilot’ system.

Tajikistan border clashes Several people have been killed in heavy clashes

at its disputed border with Tajikistan, as officials

from the two ex-Soviet countries in a bid to

defuse tensions.

More than a third of the two impoverished,

mountainous countries’ border is disputed, with

the area surrounding the Vorukh, where recent

conflict erupted, a regular flashpoint over

territorial claims and access to water.

Vorukh is a jamoat in northern Tajikistan. It is an

exclave surrounded by Kyrgyzstan that forms

part of the city of Isfara in Sughd Region.

The location of the border of the enclave is

disputed by the Tajik and Kyrgyz governments.

In April and May 2021 the region once again

brought tensions betrween the two countries - at

least 31 people were killed in an ongoing

fighting.

External Affairs Minister on four-day

visit to London from May 3 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is embark

on a four-day visit to London beginning on 3rd

May primarily to participate in a meeting of

foreign ministers of G7 countries.


Page | 48


The G-7 or ‘Group of Seven’ are Canada, France,

Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and

the United States.

The G-7 nations meet at annual summits that are

presided over by leaders of member countries

on a rotational basis. The summit is an informal

gathering that lasts two days, in which leaders of

member countries discuss a wide range of global

issues.

The G-7 does not have a formal constitution or a

fixed headquarters. The decisions taken by

leaders during annual summits are non-binding.

India received COVID-19 aid from

Taiwan, places commercial orders

with China India received assistance from Taiwan including

oxygen concentrators and cylinders, with more

batches of medical equipment set to follow from

Taipei.

Taiwan is officially known as the Republic of

China (ROC). It is a state in East Asia with

Neighbouring states include the People's

Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the

north-east, and the Philippines to the south.

The East China Sea lies to its north, the

Philippine Sea to its east, the Luzon Strait directly

to its south and the South China Sea to its

southwest.

The Taiwan Strait separates the island of Taiwan

from mainland China. The strait is currently part

of the South China Sea and connects to the East

China Sea to the north.

Taiwan is no longer a member of the UN, having

been replaced by the PRC in 1971. Taiwan is

claimed by the PRC, which refuses diplomatic

relations with countries that recognise the ROC.

Taiwan maintains official ties with 14 out of 193

UN member states and the Holy See.

The bilateral relations between India and Taiwan

have improved since the 1990s despite both

nations not maintaining official diplomatic

relations.

Out-of-control Chinese rocket falling

to Earth China recently launched the Part of a huge

rocket that launched China’s first module for its

Tianhe space station. Now it is falling back to

Earth and could make an uncontrolled re-entry

at an unknown landing point.

The 30-metre high core of the Long March 5B

rocket launched the “Heavenly Harmony”

unmanned core module into low Earth orbit on

29 April from Wenchang in China’s Hainan

province.

The Tiangong Space Station or Chinese large

modular space station is a planned space station

to be placed in low Earth orbit between 340–450

km (210–280 mi) above the surface.

The Tiangong Space Station will be roughly one-

fifth the mass of the International Space Station

and about the size of the decommissioned

Russian Mir space station.

The Tiangong is expected to have a mass

between 80 and 100 t (180,000 and 220,000 lb).

Operations will be controlled from the Beijing

Aerospace Command and Control Center in

China. The core module, the Tianhe ("Harmony

of the Heavens"), launched on 29 April 2021.

Congo declares end of Ebola outbreak

that killed six The Democratic Republic of Congo declared the

end of an Ebola outbreak that infected 12 people

in the eastern province of North Kivu and killed

six of them.


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The outbreak was contained using Merck's Ebola

vaccine, which was given to more than 1,600 of

the patients' contacts and contacts of contacts.

The cases were genetically linked to the 2018-20

Ebola epidemic that killed more than 2,200

People, the second-highest toll recorded in the

disease's history.

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as

Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal

illness in humans.

The virus family Filoviridae includes three

genera: Cuevavirus, Marburgvirus, and

Ebolavirus. Within the genus Ebolavirus, five

species have been identified: Zaire, Bundibugyo,

Sudan, Reston and Tai Forest.

PM Modi held Virtual Summit with UK

PM Boris Johnson Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and The Rt

Hon’ble Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the

United Kingdom held a Virtual Summit on 4th

May, 2021.

India and the UK enjoy long standing friendly ties

and share a Strategic Partnership underpinned

by mutual commitment to democracy,

fundamental freedoms and the rule of law,

strong complementarities and growing

convergences.

An ambitious ‘Roadmap 2030’ was adopted at

the Summit to elevate bilateral ties to a

‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. The

Roadmap will pave the way for a deeper and

stronger engagement over the next ten years in

the key areas of people to people contacts, trade

and economy, defence and security, climate

action and health.

The two Prime Ministers launched an ‘Enhanced

Trade Partnership’ (ETP) which sets an ambitious

target of more than doubling bilateral trade by

2030. As part of the ETP, India and the UK agreed

on a roadmap to negotiate a comprehensive and

balanced FTA, including consideration of an

Interim Trade Agreement for delivering early

gains.

The UK is India's second largest partner in

research and innovation collaborations. A new

India-UK ‘Global Innovation Partnership’ was

announced at the Virtual Summit that aims to

support the transfer of inclusive Indian

innovations to select developing countries,

starting with Africa.

India and the UK launched a comprehensive

partnership on migration and mobility that will

facilitate greater opportunities for the mobility of

students and professionals between the two

countries.

Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation on

new and emerging technologies, including Digital

and ICT products, and work on supply chain

resilience.

They also agreed to strengthen defence and

security ties, including in the maritime, counter-

terrorism and cyberspace domains.

Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma

Valiya Metropolitan passed away The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has

condoled the demise of His Grace The Most Rev.

Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya

Metropolitan.

Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya

Metropolitan, (1917 – 2021) was an Indian

prelate and the emeritus Metropolitan of the

Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, and was a

bishop for 67 years, 11 months and 13 days.

He was addressed and referred to as

Chrysostom Thirumeni or Valiya Thirumeni. He

was awarded Padma Bhushan, in 2018.


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Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma

Metropolitan completed 90 years on 27 April

2008. As part of the birthday celebration, Mar

Thoma Church devised a project, Navathy Home

Project, to support and enable 1500 families in

India, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, to

build a home of their own. (Malayalam – navathy

– ninetieth anniversary).

MoU between India and UK on Global

Innovation Partnership The Union Cabinet gave ex-post facto approval

to the signing of Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of

External Affairs of the Government of Republic of

India and Foreign, Commonwealth and

Development Office (FCDO) of the United

Kingdom on Global Innovation Partnership (GIP).

Through this MoU, India and UK agree to launch

the Global Innovation Partnership.

GIP will support Indian innovators to scale up

their innovations in third countries thereby

helping them explore new markets and become

self-sustainable. It will also foster the innovative

ecosystem in India.

GIP innovations will focus on Sustainable

Development Goals (SDG) related sectors

thereby assisting recipient countries achieve

their SDGs.

Through seed funding, grants, investments and

technical assistance, the Partnership will support

Indian entrepreneurs and innovators to test,

scale up and take their innovative development

solutions to select developing countries.

GIP will also develop an open and inclusive e-

market place (E-BAAZAR) for cross border

innovation transfer and will focus on results

based impact assessment thereby promoting

transparency and accountability.

India-UK migration and mobility

partnership The Union Cabinet has approved memorandum

of understanding (MoU) between India and the

United Kingdom on migration and mobility

partnership.

The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of

MoU on Migration and Mobility Partnership

between India and Great Britain and Northern

Ireland.

The MoU is aimed at Liberalising issuance of

visas promoting mobility of students,

researchers and skilled professionals and

strengthen cooperation on issues related to

irregular migration and human trafficking

between the two sides.

The MoU would benefit Indian students,

academics, and researchers, migrants for

professional and economic reasons and those

willing to contribute through various projects to

the economic development of both countries

without consideration of caste, creed, religion or

gender.

This MoU can support the innovation ecosystem

in both countries by facilitating free flow of

talent.

Ministry of External Affairs would closely monitor

the effective implementation of the MoU

through Joint Working Group mechanism.

Taliban captures key Afghan dam as

fighting rages The Taliban has captured Afghanistan’s second-

biggest dam after months of fierce fighting in

their former bastion of Kandahar.

Dahla Dam, which provides irrigation to farmers

via a network of canals as well as drinking water

for the provincial capital, is now under Taliban

control.


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The dam’s capture comes after clashes erupted

in neighbouring Helmand province this week,

just days after the U.S. military formally began

withdrawing its remaining troops from

Afghanistan.

The Dahla Dam, also known as Arghandab Dam,

is located in the Shah Wali Kot District of

Kandahar Province in Afghanistan.

US to support intellectual property

waiver for COVID-19 vaccines The United States will support an initiative at the

World Trade Organisation (WTO) to waive Trade

Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)

protection for COVID-19 vaccines.

The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of

Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is an

international legal agreement between all the

member nations of the World Trade

Organization (WTO).

It establishes minimum standards for the

regulation by national governments of different

forms of intellectual property (IP) as applied to

nationals of other WTO member nations.

TRIPS was negotiated at the end of the Uruguay

Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and

Trade (GATT) between 1989 and 1990 and is

administered by the WTO.

Philippines Foreign Minister Swears at

China Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin on

April 3 launched an unusually aggressive tweet

blasting China for its activities in the South China

Sea. The expletive-laced tweet marked latest

exchange in a war of words amid the ongoing

tensions between the two countries.

The Philippines, officially the Republic of the

Philippines is an archipelagic country in

Southeast Asia.

It is situated in the western Pacific Ocean, and

consists of about 7,640 islands, that are broadly

categorized under three main geographical

divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas,

and Mindanao.

The Philippines is bounded by the South China

Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east,

and the Celebes Sea to the southwest, and

shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the

north, Japan to the northeast, Palau to the east

and southeast, Indonesia to the south, Malaysia

and Brunei to the southwest, Vietnam to the

west, and China to the northwest.

China’s Rocket Crashed near Maldives

in the Indian Ocean Recently we saw in News that a large segment of

a Chinese rocket was expected to make an

uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth's

atmosphere. The Debris from a Chinese rocket

fell into the Indian Ocean near the Maldives.

The main segment from the Long March-5b

vehicle was used to launch the first module of

China's new space station last month.

Originally injected into an elliptical orbit

approximately 160km by 375km (99 miles by 233

miles) above the Earth's surface on 29 April, the

Long March-5b core stage soon began to lose

height.

Maldives is a small archipelagic state in South

Asia situated in the Indian Ocean. It lies

southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 700

kilometres (430 mi) from the Asian continent's

mainland.

Maldives became a founding member of the

South Asian Association for Regional

Cooperation (SAARC). It is also a member of the

United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations,

the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the

Non-Aligned Movement.


Page | 52


US joins global campaign against

online extremism The United States has setup to join a New

Zealand-led global campaign to stamp out

violent extremism online, the White House said,

making a policy change two years after the

administration of former president Donald

Trump declined to participate.

The Christchurch Call is named after the New

Zealand city in which 51 people from the Muslim

community were killed in terrorist attacks

broadcast live on the Internet on 15 March 2019.

The Christchurch Call is an action plan that

commits governments, international

organizations and Internet players to take a

series of measures, in particular:

developing tools to prevent the

downloading of terrorist and violent

extremist content;

combating the causes of violent

extremism; improving transparency in the

detection and removal of content; and

ensuring that the algorithms designed

and used by businesses do not direct

users towards violent extremist content,

so as to reduce their viral nature.

India-EU Leaders’ Meeting At the invitation of the President of the European

Council Mr. Charles Michel, Prime Minister Shri

Narendra Modi participated in the India-EU

Leaders’ Meeting.

The meeting was held in a hybrid format with the

participation of leaders of all the 27 EU Member

States as well as the President of the European

Council and the European Commission.

This is the first time that the EU hosted a

meeting with India in the EU+27 format. The

meeting was the initiative of the Portuguese

Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

It is a significant political milestone and will

further build on the momentum witnessed in the

relationship since the 15th India-EU Summit in

July 2020. The meeting was the initiative of the

Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the

European Union.

During the meeting, the leaders exchanged

views on three key thematic areas: i) foreign

policy and security; ii) COVID-19, climate and

environment; and iii) trade, connectivity and

technology.

The leaders welcomed the decision to resume

negotiations on both the Trade and Investment

Agreements which will enable the two sides to

realise the full potential of the economic

partnership.

India and the EU launched an ambitious and

comprehensive ‘Connectivity Partnership’ which

is focused on enhancing digital, energy,

transport and people-to-people connectivity.

Pakistan calls for probe into seizure of

uranium in India Pakistan recently expressed serious concern

over illegal possession of a large quantity of

uranium by two unauthorised persons in India

and pointed to gaps in state control mechanisms

there.

Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol

U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey

metal in the actinide series of the periodic table.

A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92

electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons.

World Nuclear Association members are

responsible for 70% of the world's nuclear power

as well as the vast majority of world uranium,

conversion and enrichment production.


Page | 53


Kazakhstan produces the largest share of

uranium from mines (42% of world supply from

mines in 2019), followed by Canada (13%) and

Australia (12%).

Japan to Install Oxygen Plants in

North-East India to Counter China The Government of Japan and United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) India have

partnered to provide oxygen generation plants

to the North Eastern Region in India.

The Government of Japan and UNDP India have

been jointly supporting the Government of

India’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic

through strengthening of health and social

protection systems and reviving livelihoods to

address the devastating impacts on the lives of

the most vulnerable population.

The United Nations Development Programme is

the global development network of the United

Nations. It works in about 170 countries and

territories, helping to achieve the eradication of

poverty and the reduction of inequalities and

exclusion.

Israel completes phase one trial of

drugs for treatment of Corona virus A new coronavirus treatment being developed in

Israel's Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center has

successfully completed phase one trials and

appears to have helped numerous moderate-to-

serious cases of COVID-19 quickly recover from

the disease.

Hailing the treatment as a huge breakthrough,

the hospital has said that the EXO-CD24

substance had been administered to 30 patients

whose conditions were moderate or worse.

It added that all 30 recovered with 29 of them

getting well within just three to five days.

The medicine is reported to fight the cytokine

storm, which is a potentially lethal immune

overreaction to the coronavirus infection that is

believed to be responsible for much of the

deaths associated with the disease.

Why did the Chinese rocket spark

worry? The debris came from the upper stage of a Long

March 5B rocket– China’s largest– that had been

launched into space on April 29 for putting into

orbit a core module of the new Tianhe space

station, which is expected to become operational

in 2022.

When a rocket is launched, its discarded booster

stages re-enter the atmosphere soon after liftoff

and harmlessly fall into the ocean– a standard

practice.

In this case, however, a 10-floor large vehicle of

the rocket weighing 18 metric tonnes went into

orbit along with the section of the under-

construction space station that it was carrying.

While in orbit, this vehicle kept rubbing against

the air at the top of the atmosphere, and the

resulting friction caused it to start losing altitude.

The piece hurtled through a low-Earth orbit at

roughly 25,490 km/hr.

An “uncontrolled re-entry” thus became

inevitable, but China did not admit this fact to

the world until Sunday, when it said the debris

had entered the Earth’s atmosphere over the

Mediterranean, flown over the Arabian peninsula

and crashed near the Maldives at 72.47° East

and 2.65° North.

Few expected the debris to harm humans,

mainly due to most of it burning up in the

atmosphere, as well as the fact that large parts

of the Earth are covered by oceans and massive

land areas lie uninhabited.


Page | 54


When rockets carry their payload into space,

their booster stages that reach orbit fire the

engine again after completing their job so as to

drop back to Earth and not remain in orbit.

Space agencies plan this process to ensure that

such rocket parts end up in uninhabited areas,

such as the middle of the ocean.

China chose not to do this for its Long March

rocket, leading to its vehicle crashing back

uncontrollably. China’s plan to launch 10 more

missions like this until 2022 to complete the

Tianhe has thus sparked worry that pieces from

its rockets could end up causing injuries.

US declared state of emergency after

Cyber Attack on pipeline A cyber-criminal gang that took a major US fuel

pipeline offline over the weekend has

acknowledged the incident in a public statement.

The US issued emergency legislation after

Colonial Pipeline was hit by a ransomware cyber-

attack.

It was hit by what Colonial called a ransomware

attack, in which hackers typically lock up

computer systems by encrypting data, paralyzing

networks, and then demand a large ransom to

unscramble it.

Two people close to the investigation, speaking

on condition of anonymity, identified the culprit

as DarkSide.

Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts

a victim's files. The attacker then demands a

ransom from the victim to restore access to the

data upon payment. Users are shown

instructions for how to pay a fee to get the

decryption key.

DarkSide is a hacking group believed to be

behind the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, as part

of its Robin Hood style image of stealing from

the rich and giving a portion to the poor.

China Threatens Bangladesh over

joining QUAD Group China has warned Bangladesh against joining the

US-led Quad alliance. According to China,

Dhaka's participation in the anti-Beijing "club"

would result in "substantial damage" to bilateral

relations.

Quad is a "small group of elites" working against

China. Initiated in 2007, the Quadrilateral

Security Dialogue, Quad for short, is an informal

grouping of the US, India, Australia and Japan.

The Quad member countries have resolved to

uphold a rules-based international order in the

Indo-Pacific amid growing Chinese assertiveness

in the strategically vital region.

The first summit of the Quad leaders was hosted

by US President Joe Biden on March 12 and the

virtual meeting was attended by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott

Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide

Suga.

China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine

approved by WHO Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine of China has been

approved by the World Health Organization for

emergency use.

The UN health agency signed off on the two-dose

vaccine, which is already being deployed in

dozens of countries around the world.

The WHO has already given emergency use

listing to the vaccines being made by Pfizer-

BioNTech, Moderna, J&J, and the AstraZeneca jab

being produced at sites in India and in South

Korea.


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The Sinopharm vaccine is an inactivated

coronavirus vaccine, like Covaxin developed by

Bharat Biotech India (BBIL) in collaboration with

the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

Inactivated vaccines take the disease-carrying

virus (in this case SARS-CoV-2) and kill it using

heat, chemicals or radiation. WHO notes that

these vaccines take longer to make and might

need two or three doses to be administered. The

flu and polio vaccines use this approach as well.

Islamophobic group Pegida is

extremist German intelligence services reviled that they

would widen their surveillance of Islamophobic

protest movement Pegida in its home state of

Saxony, as the group had become “extremist”

and “anti-constitutional”.

While Pegida had previously attracted

“heterogeneous” support and taken “moderate”

positions, it had developed “an increasingly right-

wing extremist orientation”, Saxony’s domestic

intelligence agency LfV said.

Pegida, which campaigns against what it calls the

“Islamisation of the West”, was born in October

2014 with xenophobic marches every Monday

evening.

Its protests gained momentum during the

refugee crisis of 2015, when Germany became

deeply polarised over Chancellor Angela Merkel’s

decision to keep the country’s doors open to

asylum seekers.

Parliament dissolves by South Sudan

President as part of peace accord President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir has

dissolved Parliament, opening the way for

lawmakers from opposing sides of the country’s

civil war to be appointed under a 2018 peace

accord.

The setting up of a new legislative body was part

of an accord signed in September 2018 between

Mr. Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar, for

years on opposition sides during the five-year

civil war that left 3,80,000 people dead and four

million displaced.

In accordance with the 2018 accord, the new

assembly will number 550 lawmakers, the

majority — 332 — from Mr. Kiir’s governing

SPLM party. The parliamentarians will be

nominated by the different parties.

South Sudan is a landlocked country in

east/central Africa. It is bordered to the east by

Ethiopia, to the north by Sudan, to the west by

the Central African Republic, to the southwest by

Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south

by Uganda and to the southeast by Kenya.

Israel air strikes in Gaza Israeli recently launched air strikes after

Palestinian militant groups fired rockets close to

Jerusalem.

The rocket fire and Israeli air strikes continued

late into the night, with Palestinians reporting

loud explosions close to Gaza City and across the

coastal strip.

Gaza, also referred to as Gaza City, is a

Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a

population of 590,481, making it the largest city

in the State of Palestine.

A strip of land with a coastline at the

Mediterranean Sea, the small self-governing

Palestinian territory is bordered by Egypt (Rafah

border crossing) and by Israel. 1.9 million

Palestinian Arabs live in Gaza Strip (est. 2017),

Gaza City is the largest city and the

administrative center of the Gaza Governorate.


Page | 56


Reduce car traffic in centre of French

capital by 2022 Recently the Paris City Council is preparing a

plan to drastically reduce car traffic in the centre

of the French capital by 2022.

The plan will ban traffic in four central districts,

giving priority instead to cyclists, pedestrians and

public transport.

According to the council, low-traffic zones will

result in a less polluted, more greener, peaceful

and safer city.

Paris added hundreds of kilometres of cycle

lanes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While residents and businesses would still be

allowed to drive in the central area, traffic would

be banned.

The scheme follows the example of other cities

such as Madrid, Nantes and Rome that have

pedestrianised some areas.

Israel responds to rocket attacks over

Hamas Israel bombarded Gaza with artillery and

airstrikes in response to a new barrage of rocket

fire from the Hamas-run enclave but stopped

short of a ground offensive in the conflict that

has now claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives.

The Gaza Strip or simply Gaza, is a self-governing

Palestinian territory.

It is located on the eastern coast of the

Mediterranean Sea, that borders Egypt on the

southwest and Israel on the east and north

border.

Gaza and the West Bank are claimed by the de

jure sovereign State of Palestine. The territories

of Gaza and the West Bank are separated from

each other by Israeli territory.

Both fell under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian

Authority, but the strip has since the Battle of

Gaza in June 2007 been governed by Hamas, a

Palestinian fundamentalist militant Islamic

organization which came to power in the last-

held elections in 2006.

It has been placed under an Israeli and US-led

international economic and political boycott

from that time onwards.

NSW Government funding $50 million

to combat mouse plague The NSW (New South Wales) Government has

announced $50 million in funding to tackle the

ongoing mouse plague, days after two of the

state's most influential rural lobby groups

labelled it an 'economic and public health crisis'.

The current plague is being called one of the

worst plagues in decades and started being

reported around mid-March in Australia’s

eastern states. In some places, residents of

affected areas reported mice falling out from

roof tops causing “mice rain”.

Researchers attributes the plague to an

unusually abundant grain harvest, which caused

a surplus of mice earlier in the season.

Add to this the fact that mice have a short

breeding cycle (a pair of breeding mice can give

birth to a new litter every 21 days or so) and are

not very choosy about food. Rodents (which

includes rats and mice) are the second most

successful mammals on the planet after

humans.

Common crane returns to Ireland

after more than 3 centuries More than three centuries after it disappeared

from Ireland, the common crane has returned to


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the island nation. A bird that is part of its folklore

and was a popular pet during medieval times.

A pair of cranes was spotted last year on a

restored peat bog –a type of wetland that is

mostly found in northern latitude countries. The

birds are in Ireland’s Midlands region, but their

exact location has been kept secret to protect

them.

Cranes stand at 4 feet tall with a wingspan of

over 7 feet, and used to be the largest birds in

Ireland. Although they were once common, the

destruction of their habitat saw them disappear

around the 16th and 17th century.

Bogs (also called quagmires) are soft, spongy

wetlands that accumulate peat– a fossil fuel that

is used for heating homes and businesses in

northern Europe. They are formed in northern

climates, and take thousands of years to

develop.

Bogs also act as carbon sinks, sequestering

around 200 million tons of carbon from the

environment in Siberia and Scandinavia.

Fighting resumes in Afghanistan as

ceasefire ends The Fighting between the Taliban and Afghan

government forces resumed in the restive

southern province of Helmand, ending a three-

day ceasefire agreed by the warring sides to

mark the Id-ul-Fitr holiday.

Helmand is also known as Hillmand or Helman

and, in ancient times, as Hermand and

Hethumand.

It is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in

the south of the country.

It is the largest province by area. The province

contains 13 districts.

Lashkargah serves as the provincial capital. The

Helmand River flows through the mainly desert

region of the province, providing water used for

irrigation. The Kajaki Dam, which is one of

Afghanistan's major reservoirs, is located in the

Kajaki district.

Helmand is believed to be one of the world's

largest opium-producing regions, responsible for

around 42% of the world's total production.

Since the 2001 War in Afghanistan, Helmand

Province has been a hotbed of insurgent

activities. It has been considered to be

Afghanistan's "most dangerous" province.

Diplomatic immunity row sparked by

Belgian envoy’s wife ‘hitting’ two in

Seoul The wife of Belgium’s ambassador to South

Korea will now be exercising her diplomatic

immunity to avoid criminal charges, after the

allegedly hit two staff members at a boutique in

Seoul last month.

Diplomatic immunity is a privilege of exemption

from certain laws and taxes granted to diplomats

by the country in which they are posted.

The custom was formed so that diplomats can

function without fear, threat or intimidation from

the host country.

Diplomatic immunity is granted on the basis of

two conventions, popularly called the Vienna

Conventions — the Convention on Diplomatic

Relations, 1961, and the Convention on Consular

Relations, 1963.

They have been ratified by 187 countries,

including South Korea, which means, it is a law

under that country’s legal framework and cannot

be violated.


Page | 58


Sri Lanka’s China-backed tax haven

clears final hurdle A Chinese-funded tax-free enclave billed as Sri

Lanka’s answer to Dubai and Singapore cleared

the final legal hurdle as the Supreme Court in

Colombo ruled it could go ahead with only minor

tweaks.

The largest single foreign investment in Sri Lanka

is one of several massive Asian infrastructure

projects funded by China as Beijing increases its

regional footprint.

Sri Lanka’s top court rejected 19 petitions

challenging the “Colombo Port City Economic

Commission” Bill and approved the $1.4-billion

project subject to minor amendments which the

government immediately said it accepted.

Project officials have said they hope the brand

new “Port City”, an area of reclaimed land, will

attract billions of dollars for trade, banking and

offshore services similar to what is available in

Dubai and Singapore, two of its potential

competitors.

Named the “Colombo Port City” because of its

proximity to Colombo’s main harbour, the sea

reclamation — carried out with considerable

Chinese labour — completed in 2019 has

doubled the size of Colombo’s financial district

by adding 269 hectares.

The Port City will be administered by a

commission with unprecedented powers to fast

track investment approvals. All transactions

within the Port City will be denominated in

foreign currency and all salaries earned by any

worker will be tax-exempt.

US warship's passage near disputed

Paracel Islands illegal Accoding to China, a US warship had illegally

entered its territorial waters in the South China

Sea, an assertion the United States denied. A

United States Navy warship USS Curtis Wilbur

sailed near disputed Beijing-controlled islands in

the South China Sea.

The Paracel Islands archipelago is a collection of

130 islands and coral reefs and is located in the

South China Sea, almost equidistant from China

and Vietnam.

Since 2012, China, Taiwan and Vietnam have

attempted to reinforce their claims on the

territory by engaging in construction of

government administrative buildings, tourism,

land reclamation initiatives and by establishing

and expanding military presence on the

archipelago.

Spain and Morocco in diplomatic crisis A diplomatic rift has deepened between Spain

and Morocco after thousands of undocumented

migrants attempted to enter Spanish territory in

the northern African country.

The EU has expressed its support for Spain

although the latest incident, one of thousands of

attempts by migrants to enter European territory

in recent years has served only to emphasize the

porousness of the EU’s borders and a lack of

unified EU action on migration.

Spain is a country on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula,

includes 17 autonomous regions with diverse

geography and cultures. Capital city Madrid is

home to the Royal Palace and Prado museum,

housing works by European masters.

Morocco is a North African country bordering

the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, is

distinguished by its Berber, Arabian and

European cultural influences.

Bangladesh Beats India in Per Capita

Income


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Bangladesh Planning Minister M.A. Mannan

informed the country’s cabinet this week that the

per capita income of Bangladesh has now

increased from $2,064 to $2,227. Bangladesh’s

per capita income is now $280 higher than

India’s $1,947.

In 2007, the per capita income of Bangladesh

was half of that of India but it will overtake the

giant neighbour in per capita GDP once again in

2025 if IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook is to

be believed.

Bangladesh will overtake India in per capita GDP

once again in 2025 if IMF’s latest World Economic

Outlook is to be believed.

According to several analysts, at present, Dhaka

ranks ahead of its neighbours in terms of

development. The country displays a stable

civilian government and has benefited from

good relations with India, its big neighbour.

Bangladesh change Passport for Israel Bangladesh recently announced dropping of

words "except Israel" in the new passport which

was hailed by Israel as a "lift of decades-old

travel ban".

But, Dhaka was quick to clarify that the decision

to remove those words does not amount to

change in Bangladesh's position towards Israel,

as it still does not recognise Israel.

Bangladesh foreign ministry, however, clarified

in a tweet that "irrespective of new e-passports,

Bangladesh did not change position on Israel

including travel ban."

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina

condemned the use of force by Israel in

Palestine and described it as human rights

violation.

Batra re-elected as FIH President for a

second term Narinder Batra of India has re-elected as the

International Hockey Federation (FIH) President

for a second term after beating Marc Coudron of

Belgium by a slender margin of just two votes

during the world body’s virtual 47th Congress.

Batra is the also the President of the Indian

Olympic Association (IOA) and an International

Olympic Committee (IOC) Member.

Batra will hold the office until 2024 as the FIH

has reduced the term from four to three years

due to deferment of the Congress last year.

Batra became the first non-European President

of the FIH in 2016. He remains the only Asian to

grab the top post in the world body's 92-year-old

history.

The Federation Internationale de Hockey

(English: International Hockey Federation),

commonly known by the acronym FIH, is the

international governing body of field hockey and

indoor field hockey.

Shut down of the Guantanamo Bay

detention camp Recently, the administration of US President Joe

Biden declared its intention to shut down the

Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a United

States military prison.

It is located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base,

also referred to as Guantánamo, GTMO, and

"Gitmo", on the coast of Guantánamo Bay in

Cuba.

As of January 2021, 731 of the 780 people

detained were transferred, 40 remain and 9 died

while in custody.


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The camp was established by US President

George W. Bush's administration in 2002 during

the War on Terror following the September 11,

2001 attacks.

Indefinite detention without trial as well as

torture led the operations of this camp to be

considered a major breach of human rights by

Amnesty International.

Trump sued for $23m for calling Covid-

19, the China Virus The Chinese American Civil Rights Coalition

wants $23m from the former president of US

Donald Trump, who repeatedly referred to

Covid-19 as the Chinese virus, Wuhan virus, and

Kung Flu while in office.

A study of major US cities in March showed there

had been a nearly 150 per cent surge in reports

of anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020.

According to a data, Hate crimes against Asians

rose by 145% in 2020 even though overall

reported hate crimes dropped by 6%.

Many are asking if hate crimes and

discrimination towards Asians have increased in

the United States and if they are related to the

COVID-19 pandemic.

World reacts to plane ‘hijacking’ by

Belarus European countries, the United States and the

United Nations have condemned Belarus after

authorities there forced a passenger plane

carrying a wanted journalist to divert and land in

its capital.

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern

Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and

northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the

west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.

Covering an area of 207,600 square kilometres

and with a population of 9.4 million, Belarus is

the thirteenth-largest and the twentieth-most

populous country in Europe.

Belarus is a developing country ranking very high

in the Human Development Index. It has been a

member of the United Nations since its founding

and a member of the CIS, the CSTO, the EAEU,

and the Non-Aligned Movement.

Lithuania quits ‘divisive’ China group Lithuania quitted China’s 17+1 cooperation

forum with central and eastern European states

that includes other EU members, calling it

“divisive”.

Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of

Europe. Its Capital is Vilnius. The Baltic country

urged fellow EU members to pursue “a much

more effective 27+1 approach and

communication with China.”

Lithuania also took several steps that angered

Beijing, including the blocking of Chinese

investment and announcing it would open a

trade office in Taiwan.

Cooperation between China and Central and

Eastern European Countries (China-CEE, China-

CEEC) is an initiative by the Chinese Ministry of

Foreign Affairs to promote business and

investment relations between China and 16

countries of Central and Eastern Europe

Countries (CEEC).

Central and Eastern Europe is a term

encompassing the countries in Central Europe,

the Baltics, Eastern Europe, and Southeast

Europe (the Balkans), usually meaning former

communist states from the Eastern Bloc and

Warsaw Pact in Europe.

Iran Nuclear Inspection Deal with UN

Watchdog Extended


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According to Tehran’s envoy to the International

Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has informed the

U.N. nuclear watchdog that it has decided to

extend a monitoring deal with the agency for a

month.

The announcement raised further questions

about the future of indirect talks under way

between the United States and Iran on reviving

the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

It is widely known as the world’s “Atoms for

Peace and Development” organization within the

United Nations family.

It is the world's central intergovernmental forum

for scientific and technical co-operation in the

nuclear field. It works for the safe, secure and

peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.

Though established as an autonomous

organisation, independently of the United

Nations through its own international treaty, the

IAEA Statute, the IAEA reports to both the United

Nations General Assembly and Security Council.

The IAEA has 173 member states. Most UN

members and the Holy See are Member States

of the IAEA. The IAEA and its former Director

General, Mohamed ElBaradei, were jointly

awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

US to use Pakistani Land and Airspace

for Military Action Pakistan has allowed the US military to have

overflight and access to be able to support its

presence in Afghanistan.

Pakistan and the US have a framework of

cooperation in terms of Air Lines of

Communication (ALOC) and Ground Lines of

Communication (GLOC) in place since 2001.

A line of communication is the route that

connects an operating military unit with its

supply base. Supplies and reinforcements are

transported along the line of communication.

Therefore, a secure and open line of

communication is vital for any military force to

continue to operate effectively.

Prior to the advent of the use of telegraph and

radio in warfare, lines of communication were

also the routes used by despatch riders on

horseback and runners to convey and deliver

orders and battle updates to and from unit

commanders and headquarters.

Thus, a unit whose lines of communication were

compromised was vulnerable to becoming

isolated and defeated, as the means for

requesting reinforcements and resupply is lost.

The standard military abbreviation is LOC, or

SLOC for Sea line of communication or ALOC for

air line of communication.

Biden administration approved

nation's first major offshore wind

farm The Biden administration has approved the

nation's first major offshore wind farm, billing it

as the launch of a new domestic energy industry

that will help eliminate emissions from the

power sector.

The announcement fits with U.S. President Joe

Biden's broader agenda to combat global climate

change by decarbonizing the nation's economy.

Approval of the Vineyard Wind project, which will

be located 23 km off the coast of Massachusetts,

is a significant milestone in the more than

decade-long effort to permit a commercial-scale

offshore wind project in the U.S. waters.

The Vineyard Wind project is intended to create

enough electricity to power 400,000 homes. The


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project will begin delivering electricity to the grid

in the second half of 2023.

The project is meant to create 3,600 jobs,

delivering on Biden's campaign promise that

fighting climate change by expanding clean

energy sources will boost employment.

India signed agreement on agriculture

cooperation with Israel India recently signed “a three-year work program

agreement” for development in agriculture

cooperation with Israel.

Both countries are implementing the “INDO-

ISRAEL Agricultural Project Centres of Excellence”

and “INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence”.

The IIVOE program will focus on: (1) Modern

Agriculture infrastructure, (2) Capacity Building,

(3) Market linkage.

India and Israel have had bilateral relations since

1993 in the agricultural sector. This is the 5th

Indo-Israel Agriculture Action Plan (IIAP).

The three-year work program (2021-2023) aims

to grow existing Centres of Excellence, establish

new centers, increase CoE’s value chain, bring

the Centres of Excellence into the self-sufficient

mode, and encourage private sector companies

and collaboration.

As for the “INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence”,

this is a new concept aimed at creating a model

ecosystem in agriculture across eight states,

alongside 13 Centers of Excellence within 75

villages.

China will make a province in Sri

Lanka Recently, the Sri Lankan Parliament passed a

controversial Bill on laws governing the China-

backed Colombo Port city, with a majority of 149

legislators, in the 225-member House, voting in

its favour.

Sri Lanka is on a highway to becoming a Chinese

colony. It began with the Hambantota Port and

has now spilled into the port city of Colombo.

Both are strategic assets, one of which is already

under Chinese control. The other could soon

follow if the government has its way.

The Colombo port city is a special financial zone

being built next to Colombo, mostly on land

reclaimed from the sea. They are calling it the

next Dubai and it is being touted as a city from

the future.

The Colombo port bill is a deeply flawed

legislation. The bill wants to create a seven-

member commission to administer the port city.

This would be an all-powerful commission which

would control everything from taxation to

approving new projects and investments.

Opening of a new Consulate General

of India in Addu City Union Cabinet recently approved the opening of

a new Consulate General of India in Addu City,

Maldives in 2021.

Opening of a Consulate General in Addu City will

help augment India's diplomatic presence in

Maldives and make it commensurate with the

existing and aspired level of engagement.

The momentum and energy in the bilateral

relationship has reached unprecedented levels

under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and

President Solih.

India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic,

cultural, religious and commercial links steeped

in antiquity.

Maldives occupies an important place in the

'Neighbourhood First Policy' and the 'SAGAR’


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(Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision

of the Government of India.

US President to visit the city of Tulsa in

Oklahoma State US President Joe Biden will visit the city of Tulsa

in Oklahoma state, in honour of the 100th

anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, known

among the worst incidents of racial strife in

American history.

In 1921, from the evening of May 31 until the

afternoon of June 1, a violent mob of Tulsa’s

White residents attacked a prosperous Black

neighbourhood, killing hundreds and leaving the

locality in ashes.

Last year, former President Donald Trump had

visited Tulsa during his reelection campaign, but

sparked controversy after his rally was initially

planned on June 19, or ‘Juneteenth’, a holiday

marking the end of slavery in the US.

The massacre took place in Greenwood, a

thriving Black-dominated neighbourhood that

had sprung up at the start of the 20th century on

the northern side of Tulsa, separated by a

railroad track from the city’s White-dominated

part on the south.

Known as the “Black Wall Street”, Greenwood

was a favoured destination for African

Americans from the Southern US states– where

laws actively upheld racism and disempowered

Black people– to come and seek upward

mobility.

The visit by a US president on the occasion is

being read as a signal to acknowledge the race

massacre, whose history has long been

suppressed and left out of national memory.

Louvre Museum Gets First Female

Leader in 228 Years The French presidency has appointed Laurence

des Cars, the current director of the Musée

d’Orsay in Paris, to head the world’s largest

museum as of September 1.

Louvre is the world’s largest art museum, based

in Paris. It is located on the Right Bank of the

Seine.

It is best known for being the home of the Mona

Lisa, a half-length portrait painting by Italian

artist Leonardo da Vinci.

Between 2007 and 2014, Des Cars was one of

the leading figures who set up the Louvre Abu

Dhabi in the capital of the UAE.

The museum lies in the center of Paris on the

Right Bank, in the 1st arrondissement. Until 1871

it was connected to the Tuileries Palace which

closed it off on the western side, but was heavily

damaged by fire during the Paris Commune of

1871 and later demolished.

Bangladesh -Sri Lanka currency swap Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh’s central bank, has

in principle approved a $200 million currency

swap agreement with Sri Lanka, which will help

Colombo tide over its foreign exchange crisis.

Sri Lanka, staring at an external debt repayment

schedule of $4.05 million this year, is in urgent

need of foreign exchange. Its own foreign

exchange reserves in March year stood at $4

million.

A currency swap is effectively a loan that

Bangladesh will give to Sri Lanka in dollars, with

an agreement that the debt will be repaid with

interest in Sri Lankan rupees.

For Sri Lanka, this is cheaper than borrowing

from the market, and a lifeline as is it struggles


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to maintain adequate forex reserves even as

repayment of its external debts looms. The

period of the currency swap will be specified in

the agreement.

Bangladesh’s economy grew by 5.2 per cent in

2020, and is expected to grow by 6.8 per cent in

2021. The country has managed to pull millions

out of poverty. Its per capita income just

overtook India’s.

Bangladesh’s forex reserves in May were a

healthy $45 billion. In 2020, despite fears that

the pandemic would hit remittances,

Bangladeshis living abroad sent over $21 billion.

It is also the first time that Sri Lanka is borrowing

from a SAARC country other than India.

Switzerland rejected an overarching

EU treaty Switzerland recently rejected the years of

negotiations with the European Union over a

proposed overarching agreement that would

have upgraded its relations with the bloc – which

are currently governed by a patchwork of more

than 120 bilateral deals.

The talks failed after the two sides could not

agree over issues such as full access for EU

citizens to the Swiss labour market, and the

collapse is expected to hamper future ties as the

multiple existing agreements become outdated

or lapse.

Switzerland is the EU’s fourth-largest trading

partner, and is surrounded by EU countries.

Around 14 lakh EU citizens live in Switzerland,

which has a total population of about 85 lakh.

Some 3.4 lakh travel across the border to work in

Swiss industries.

The EU is Switzerland’s biggest trading

destination, with the country exporting goods

and services worth 160 billion euros to the bloc

in 2020.

Relations between the two partners rest on the

foundation of over 120 separate treaties,

something which has frustrated the EU for a long

time. Unlike the UK, Switzerland has access to

the EU single market and maintains open

borders.

The EU had been pushing for an “institutional

framework agreement” with Switzerland, and

had circulated a fact sheet that pointed out how

a lack of common rules would lead to the Alpine

country losing its ‘privileged’ status with the

bloc’s electricity system.

The EU had been demanding full access for its

citizens to Switzerland’s labour market, including

for those seeking work. The Swiss federal council

was against this happening, as it would have

given non-Swiss citizens social security rights–

something that Cassis called an unwanted

“paradigm shift”.

Mehul Choksi's dramatic capture after

escape by boat Fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi has

been captured from Dominica while trying to flee

to Cuba.

Dominica is an island country in the Caribbean.

Its capital is Roseau.

It is geographically situated as part of the

Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles

archipelago in the Caribbean Sea.

Dominica has been nicknamed the "Nature Isle

of the Caribbean" for its natural environment.

It is the youngest island in the Lesser Antilles,

and in fact it is still being formed by geothermal-

volcanic activity, as evidenced by the world's

second-largest hot spring, called Boiling Lake.


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The country is a member of the Commonwealth

of Nations, the United Nations, the Organization

of American States and the Non-Aligned

Movement.

Polity & Governance Section 142 of Social Security Code,

2020 covers applicability of Aadhaar The Ministry of Labour and Employment has

notified section 142 of the Social Security Code,

2020 which covers the applicability of Aadhaar.

The notification of section will enable Ministry of

Labour and Employment to collect Aaadhar

details for the database of beneficiaries under

various social security schemes.

National Data Base for unorganised workers

(NDUW) is at an advanced stage of development

by National Informatics Centre.

The portal is aimed at collection of data for

unorganised workers including migrant workers

for the purpose of giving benefits of the various

schemes of the Government.

An inter-state migrant worker can register

himself on the portal on the basis of submission

of Aaadhar alone.

Union Minister of State (I/c) for Labour and

Employment Shri Santosh Gangwar has clarified

that the section under the Social Security Code

has been notified only for collection of data of

workers including migrant workers. No benefit

will be denied to workers for want of Aaadhar.

Panel set up by RBI to assist regulatory

review authority The RBI has been set up an advisory group to

assist the second regulatory review authority

(RRA 2.0) which was constituted by the central

bank earlier this month to streamline regulations

and reduce the compliance burden of regulated

entities.

Headed by SBI Managing Director S.

Janakiraman, the group will assist the RRA by

identifying regulations, guidelines, and returns

that can be rationalised.

The group will assist the RRA by identifying

areas, regulations, guidelines, returns which can

be rationalised and submit reports periodically

to RRA containing the

recommendations/suggestions.

SEBI comes out with disclosure

requirements Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

came out with disclosure requirements under

business responsibility and sustainability

reporting, covering environmental, social and

governance perspectives, which will be

applicable on the top 1,000 listed entities by

market capitalisation.

The new report -- Business Responsibility and

Sustainability Report (BRSR)-- will replace the

existing Business Responsibility Report (BRR).

The move is expected to bring in greater

transparency and enable market participants to

identify and assess sustainability-related risks

and opportunities.

Under BRSR, listed entities need to disclose

about an overview of the entity's material ESG


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(environmental, social and governance) risks and

opportunities, approach to mitigate or adapt to

the risks along with financial implications of the

same.

Environment related disclosures cover aspects

such as resource usage (energy and water), air

pollutant emissions, green-house (GHG)

emissions, transitioning to circular economy,

waste generated and waste management

practices, bio-diversity.

Social related disclosures would cover the

workforce, value chain, communities and

consumers.

At communities level, listed entities will have to

make disclosures on Social Impact Assessments

(SIA), Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Corporate

Social Responsibility, among others.

The BRSR will be applicable on the top 1,000

listed entities by market capitalization. SEBI said

the reporting would be on voluntary basis for

financial year 2021-22 and on a mandatory basis

from 2022-23.

The filing of the BRR containing ESG disclosures

was first introduced for listed entities in 2012

and since then, a number of developments have

taken place.

With the adoption of the Paris Agreement on

climate change and UN sustainable development

goals, adapting to and mitigating climate change

impact and transitioning to sustainable

economies have emerged as major issues

globally.

SEBI notifies relaxed norms for listing

start-ups Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

has notified a slew of relaxations to norms,

including reducing holding period for pre-issue

capital and allowing discretionary allotment to

eligible investors, with an aim to boost listing of

start-ups.

The changes have been made to the framework

for listing on the Innovators Growth Platform

(IGP), according to two separate notifications

issued.

This comes after the board of SEBI approved a

proposal in March in this regard. Other

relaxations include easing delisting requirements

and relaxation in guidelines for migrating to the

main board.

This is aimed at making the platform more

accessible to companies in view of the evolving

start-up ecosystem.

The regulator has reduced the period of holding

of 25 per cent of pre-issue capital of the issuer

company by eligible investors to one year from

the current requirement of two years.

The term 'Accredited Investor' for the purpose of

IGP is renamed as 'Innovators Growth Platform

Investors'. Such investor's pre-issue

shareholding would be considered for entire 25

per cent of the pre-issue capital of the issuer

company against the present limit of only 10 per

cent.

Justice Pant appointed NHRC acting

chairperson According to the National Human Rights

Commission, NHRC member Justice (retired)

Prafulla Chandra Pant had been appointed as

the acting chairperson of the Commission with

effect from April 25.

NHRC was established in 1993. It is in conformity

with the Paris Principles, adopted at the first

international workshop on national institutions

for the protection of human rights held in Paris

in 1991.


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It is a statutory organization established under

the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993.

It is headquartered in New Delhi.

The purpose of the NHRC is, suo moto or

through the petition of a person, to investigate

the violation of human rights or the failures of

the state or other to prevent a human rights

violation.

The commissions may also take on research

about human rights, create awareness

campaigns through various mediums, and

encourage the work of NGOs.

The Commission consists of a Chairperson, four

full-time Members and four deemed Members.

The statute lays down qualifications for the

appointment of the Chairperson and Members

of the Commission. A Chairperson, should be

retired Chief Justice of India.

Sebi proposes rationalising 'promoter

group' definition Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

proposed to rationalise the definition of

'promoter group' and move to the concept of

'person in control' as well as reduce the

minimum lock-in periods for promoters' and

other shareholders post an IPO.

SEBI has suggested rationalising the definition of

‘promoter group’ as the current definition

focusses on encompassing holdings by a

common group of individuals or persons and

often results in including unrelated companies

with common financial investors.

The regulator has proposed to do away with the

current definition of promoter group as the

deletion would rationalise the disclosure burden

and bring it in line with the post listing disclosure

requirement.

Citing the changing investor landscape, SEBI said

there was a need to revisit the concept of

‘promoter’ to a concept of ‘person in control’ and

a period of three years has been proposed for

such a shift over in a smooth and progressive

manner without causing disruption.

With regard to lock-in periods, SEBI has

proposed that if the objective of the issue

involves offer for sale or financing other than for

capital expenditure for a project, then the

minimum promoters’ contribution of 20% should

be locked-in for one year from the date of

allotment in the Initial Public Offer (IPO).

Currently, the lock-in period is three years.

SEBI has sought comments from the public on

the proposals, the window being open till June

10.

Committee to identify learnings,

shortcomings from recent state polls Election Commission has decided to set up a

Core Committee headed by Secretary General of

the Commission to identify learning,

experiences, shortcomings from recently Poll-

gone States of Assam, Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu,

West Bengal and UT of Puducherry.

The committee has been broadly tasked to

identify the shortcomings or gaps in Election

Commission regulatory regime and the gaps in

implementation and enforcement at the level of

CEOs or District officials.

The Committee will examine the need for

strengthening legal or regulatory framework

enabling the Commission to more effectively

ensure compliance of guidelines or directions

including the COVID norms.

It has also been asked to collate, analyse

experiences, best practices across States and UT

and suggest way forward and further reforms

required.


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Deputy Election Commissioners of the ECI and

CEOs of recent poll gone States and few select

Special Observers and Observers will be

members of the Committee.

The panel will also examine the

recommendations of the nine Working Groups

which were set up post Lok Sabha Elections,

2019 in light of experiences in the Poll gone

States.

SC threw open the door to the

legislature to ponder Recently the Supreme Court has thrown open

the door to the legislature to “ponder” over the

idea of placing convicts under house arrest to

avoid overcrowding of prisons.

A Bench of Justices U.U. Lalit and K.M. Joseph, in

a judgment, highlighted the “alarming” statistics

of prisons. The suggestion is relevant

considering the spread of COVID-19.

A few days ago, a Bench, led by Chief Justice of

India N.V. Ramana, issued a series of directions,

including the grant of interim bail and parole to

prisoners to decongest prisons.

Justice Joseph said the occupancy rate in prisons

had climbed to 118.5% in 2019. The court

referred to the National Crime Records Bureau’s

figures of 2019 to show that 18,86,092 inmates

were admitted in jails.

The number of undertrial prisoners in 2019 was

3,30,487, which, in fact, constituted 69.05% of

the total number of prisoners. Secondly, a very

large sum (₹6818.1 crore) was the budget for

prisons.

The “tremendous” overcrowding of prisons and

the huge budget were both “relevant in the

context of the possibilities that house arrest

offers”, the court noted.

CJI Ramana launched new SC mobile

app CHIEF Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana recently

launched a special facility for granting media

access to the Supreme Court’s new mobile

application.

The apex court’s website would have a new

feature, called “Indicative Notes” that would aim

to provide concise summaries of landmark

judgments in an easy-to-understand format.

This will serve as a useful resource for media

persons and the general public who wish to be

better informed about the rulings of the court.

The App will provide access to online court

proceedings for which journalists were

dependents until now on advocates sharing

video conferencing links with them.

SC calls for hike in compensation to

self-employed deceased aged below 40 The Supreme Court has held that an extra 40%

should be added to the income of fatal road

accident victims, aged below 40 and self-

employed, while calculating compensation.

A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India

N.V. Ramana said the additional amount should

be included in the income of the dead person as

“future prospects”.

The judgment is significant as it recognises self-

employment as gainful employment and calls for

an increase in the compensation amount

accordingly.

Chief Justice Ramana referred to a Constitution

Bench decision in National Insurance vs Pranay

Sethi, which had “clearly held that in case the

deceased is self-employed and below the age of

40, 40% addition would be made to their income

as future prospects”.


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The High Court had earlier held the victim

ineligible for future prospects because she was

self-employed.

Relaxations provided under Gas

Cylinders Rules, 2016 Government of India has reviewed the existing

procedure for approval of global manufacturers

for importing oxygen cylinders by Petroleum and

Explosive Safety Organization (PESO).

In view of the COVID pandemic, PESO shall not

carry out physical inspection of global

manufacturers' production facilities before grant

of such approval.

Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organization

(PESO) is an organization under Department of

industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), Ministry

of commerce & industry.

It administers the usage of explosives & petrol

stations in India. It is headquartered at Nagpur,

Maharashtra.

How a Police Commissioner can be

suspended under Article 311 (2) (b) of

the Indian Constitution Recently, Suspended police officer Sachin Waze,

arrested by the National Investigation Agency

(NIA) in connection with the Mukesh Ambani

terror scare case, was dismissed from service by

Mumbai Police Commissioner under Article 311

(2) (b) of the Indian Constitution without a

departmental enquiry.

Article 311 says that no government employee

either of an all India service or a state

government shall be dismissed or removed by

an authority subordinate to the own that

appointed him/her.

Section 2 of the article says that no civil servant

shall be dismissed or removed or reduced in

rank except after an inquiry in which s/he has

been informed of the charges and given a

reasonable opportunity of being heard in respect

of those charges.

In a departmental enquiry, after an enquiry

officer is appointed, the civil servant is given a

formal chargesheet of the charges. The civil

servant can represent himself/herself or choose

to have a lawyer.

Witnesses can be called during the departmental

enquiry following which the enquiry officer can

prepare a report and submit it to the

government for further action.

As per Article 311 subclause 2 provision a, if a

government employee is convicted in a criminal

case, he can be dismissed without DE.

Apart from this, under 311 (2) (c), a government

employee can be dismissed when the President

or the Governor, as the case may be, is satisfied

that in the interest of the security of state it is

not expedient to hold such an enquiry, the

employee can be dismissed without DE.

WhatsApp's new privacy policy

violates Indian IT rules Centre government of India recently told Delhi

High Court that it views the new privacy policy of

WhatsApp as a violation of the Indian

Information Technology (IT) law and rules.

Government’s claim was made before a bench of

Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh

during hearing of several pleas challenging

WhatsApp’s new privacy policy, which according

to the platform has come into effect from May

15 and has not been deferred.

The bench issued notice to the Centre, Facebook

and WhatsApp and sought their stand on one of


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the pleas by a lawyer who has claimed that the

new policy violates users’ right to privacy under

the Constitution.

Right to privacy is a requisite of right to life and

personal liberty under Article 21 of the Indian

Constitution. So as to give each individual that

right, the State accordingly is giving those private

moments to be enjoyed with those whom they

want without the prying eyes of the rest of the

world.

Article 21 of the Constitution of India states that

“No person shall be deprived of his life or

personal liberty except according to procedure

established by law”. It was held by the Court that

the right to privacy is a part of right to protection

of life and personal liberty.

Government brings changes in

Customs Rules, IGCR 2017 The Government of India brought changes in the

existing Customs (Import of Goods at

Concessional Rate of Duty) Rules, IGCR 2017 to

boost trade facilitation.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs

has introduced changes through the Customs

(Import of Goods at Concessional Rate of Duty)

Amendment Rules, 2021.

The IGCR, 2017 lay down the procedures and

manner in which an importer can avail the

benefit of a concessional Customs duty on

import of goods required for domestic

production of goods or providing services.

One major change that accommodates the

needs of trade and industry is that the imported

goods have been permitted to be sent out for

job work. The absence of this facility had earlier

constrained the industry especially those in the

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sector

which did not have the complete manufacturing

capability in-house.

Importers who do not have any manufacturing

facility can now avail the IGCR, 2017 to import

goods at concessional Customs duty and get the

final goods manufactured entirely on job work

basis. However, some sectors such as gold,

jewellery, precious stones and metals have been

excluded.

Another major incentive now provided is to allow

those who import capital goods at a

concessional Customs duty to clear them in the

domestic market on payment of duty and

interest, at a depreciated value. This was not

allowed earlier and manufacturers were stuck

with the imported capital goods after having

used them as they could not be easily re-

exported.

West Bengal government to set up a

Legislative Council The West Bengal government decided to set up a

Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad), as per a

decision taken up at the Cabinet meeting chaired

by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

West Bengal had a two-House or a bicameral

system of legislature till it was abolished by the

United Front government in 1969. Setting up a

Legislative Council was one of the promises in

the TMC's poll manifesto.

Once the Council is set up, West Bengal will

become the seventh Indian state to have a

bicameral system of legislature. Andhra Pradesh,

Telangana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra

and Karnataka are the others states that have a

Legislative Council. Many other states like Assam,

Rajasthan and Odisha have also been exploring

such a possibility.

The size of the legislative council cannot be more

than one-third of the membership of the state

legislative assembly. So, there can be 98

Members of Legislative Council (MLCs) for the


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294-member West Bengal Legislative Assembly

members. An MLC has to be at least 30 years of

age and is elected for six years. The Council has a

chairman and a deputy chairman like the Rajya

Sabha.

Delhi High Court quashes GST on

oxygen concentrators The Delhi High Court held the Government’s

imposition of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on

oxygen concentrators imported for personal use

as ‘unconstitutional’ and said oxygen

concentrators constitute a life-saving device

during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It said that oxygen concentrators constitute a

life-saving device during the COVID-19 pandemic

and during a pandemic, a different approach

needs to be adopted.

The petitioner had challenged a May 1

notification that levied 12% GST on such imports

from 28% earlier. He invoked Article 21 of the

Constitution which enshrines the fundamental

right to life.

The court had asked the government to consider

temporarily dropping the 12% GST levied on

such imports altogether, citing the shortage of

oxygen in the second wave of the pandemic.

Members of the governing board of

the Kalakshetra Foundation Renowned Carnatic vocalists Sudha Ragunathan

and Neyveli Santhanagopalan and flautist

Shashank Subramanyam have been nominated

members of the governing board of the

Kalakshetra Foundation.

Kalakshetra Foundation is an arts and cultural

academy dedicated to the preservation of

traditional values in Indian art and crafts,

especially in the field of Bharatanatyam dance

and Gandharvaveda music.

It is based in Chennai. It was founded in 1936 by

Rukmini Devi Arundale and her husband George

Arundale.

In 1994, an Act of the Parliament of India

recognised the Kalakshetra Foundation as an

"Institute of National Importance."

The Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatyam

developed by Rukmini Devi Arundale is noted for

its angular, straight, ballet-like kinesthetics, and

its avoidance of Recakas and of the uninhibited

throw (Ksepa) of the limbs.

Lenders can go after personal

guarantors to corporates The Supreme Court recently upheld a

government move to allow lenders to initiate

insolvency proceedings against personal

guarantors, who are usually promoters of big

business houses, along with the stressed

corporate entities for whom they gave

guarantee.

It held that the November 15, 2019, government

notification allowing creditors, usually financial

institutions and banks, to move against personal

guarantors under the Indian Bankruptcy and

Insolvency Code (IBC) was “legal and valid”.

The court said there was an “intrinsic

connection” between personal guarantors and

their corporate debtors. It was this “intimate”

connection that made the government recognise

personal guarantors as a “separate species”

under the IBC.

It was again this intimacy that made the

government decide that corporate debtors and

their personal guarantors should be dealt with

by a common forum — National Company Law


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Tribunal (NCLT) — through the same

adjudicatory process.

Section 60(2) of the Code had required the

bankruptcy proceedings of corporate debtors

and their personal guarantors to be held before

a common forum — the NCLT.

Live-in couples deserve same

protection as married ones The Punjab and Haryana high court has made it

clear that an individual has the right to formalise

the relationship with the partner through

marriage or adopt non-formal approach of a live-

in relationship.

Living together without being married is not

illegal. Many people have chosen this way of life

for various reasons.

However, health and safety rules do require that

living together should be treated as a formal

relationship, thereby making it subject to

protection by the laws of the land.

The high court also clarified that a couple living

in a live-in relationship has the same right of

protection that a married couple has.

On the contention that a live-in relationship is

not legal and is frowned upon by society, the

high court held that the “life and liberty of every

individual is precious and must be protected

irrespective of individual views.”

Such a relationship is not prohibited under the

law nor does it amount to commission of any

offence. The HC also directed the concerned SP

to ensure the couple is protected and no harm

comes either to the lives or liberty of the

petitioners.

Freedom of Religion Amendment Bill,

2021 The Governor of Gujarat gave his assent to the

Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill,

2021, which has been projected as the “anti-love

jihad” Bill.

The proposed bill aims to provide freedom of

conscience and prevents discrimination based

on religion or belief.

It was passed in the state assembly during the

budget session held in March 2021. The Gujarat

Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2021

proposes punishment of 3-10 years in jail for

forcible or fraudulent religious conversions

through marriage.

The bill amends the Gujarat Freedom of Religion

Act, 2003. The amendment aims to reduce the

“emerging trend” where women are “lured to

marriage” for the purposes of religious

conversion.

The 2003 act dealt with religious conversions

through “force or by misrepresentation or by any

other fraudulent means”. The amendment bill

mentioned promises of a better lifestyle,

impersonation, and ‘divine blessing’.

The states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh

also enacted similar “anti-love jihad” laws that

banned “fraudulent” conversions through

marriage.

Manual for free “e-Courts Services

Mobile App” in 14 languages E-Committee, Supreme Court of India has

released Manual for its top citizen-centric

service- free “e-Courts Services Mobile app” in 14

languages (English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali,

Gujarathi, Kannada, Khasi, Malayalam, Marathi,

Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu).


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“e-Courts Services Mobile app” already released

by e-Committee, Supreme Court of India for the

benefit of the Litigants, Citizens, Lawyers, Law

firms, Police, Government Agencies and other

Institutional Litigants has so far crossed 57 lakh

downloads.

The App which acts as a personalized digital case

diary with case details available on handset at

any hour of the day and free of cost.

Dr Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Judge,

Supreme Court of India and the Chairperson of

e-Committee, fore-worded the manual and

stressed the importance of this free mobile app

and highlighted the reach of this citizen-centric

mobile app.

Creation of one post of Director in

Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) The Union Cabinet recently approved the

proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs for

creation of one (01) post of Director in Senior

Administrative Grade (SAG), at National Disaster

Response Force Academy, Nagpur.

With the creation of the post of Director, NDRF

Academy, the command and control of the

organisation will be entrusted to a senior and

experienced officer, who can steer the institution

as per the intended objectives.

The Academy will impart skill based practical

training to over 5000 personnel annually, from

NDRF, SDRF, CD volunteers, other stakeholders

and disaster response agencies of SAARC and

other countries.

It will also cater to analyzing and improving the

training programmes as per changing needs and

requirement of the Stakeholders.

It will immensely improve the standard of

training imparted on disaster response to NDRF,

SDRF personnel and other stakeholders.

National Disaster Response Force Academy

National Disaster Response Force Academy was

established in year 2018 at Nagpur by merging

with it National Civil Defence College (NCDC).

The main campus of the Academy is under

construction, till then it is functioning from the

existing campus of NCDC.

The Academy presently imparts training to

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)/ State

Disaster Response Force (SDRF)/ Civil Defence

volunteers and other stakeholders and is

envisaged to grow into a premier training

institution of international repute.

Expert Committee on Investment

Funds to recommend to IFSCA An Expert Committee on Investment Funds to

recommend to International Financial Services

Centres Authority (IFSCA) on the road map for

the funds industry in the International Financial

Service Centres IFSCs in India has been

constituted by the IFSCA.

The Fund Industry has been playing an

increasingly important role in intermediating

between seekers of capital and investors.

IFSC has been actively engaging with

stakeholders to enhance the Global reach of

GIFT-IFSC.

The regulatory approach has been to benchmark

with Global Standards and adopt a facilitative

framework to provide ease of operations for

seeker as well as provider of capital.

The terms of reference of the Expert Committee

are-

To recommend IFSCA on long term vision

for operations of Investment Funds in

IFSC.

To make recommendations with respect

to structure of Investment Funds in IFSC.


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To identify issues that may be critical for

development of the Investment Funds

industry at IFSCs including inter-

regulatory issues.

Any other relevant item on building the

ecosystem inter-alia on asset managers,

hedge funds, PE, VC, sovereign funds,

family offices, and the accompanying

professional services.

Panel to define offences of speech,

expression A panel constituted by the Union Home Ministry

to suggest reforms to the British-era Indian

Penal Code (IPC) is likely to propose a separate

Section on “offences relating to speech and

expression.”

As there is no clear definition of what constitutes

a “hate speech” in the IPC, the Committee for

Reforms in Criminal Laws is attempting for the

first time to define such speech.

The committee is expected to submit its report

soon. Earlier this month, observing that an

extreme or harsh point of view would not

amount to hate speech, the Bombay High Court

quashed an FIR against a Navi Mumbai resident.

A division bench of Justices SS Shinde and MS

Karnik had observed that the right to express

one’s views is a protected and cherished right in

our democracy, merely because the point of view

of the petitioner is extreme or harsh will not

make it a hate speech as it is only expressing a

different point of view.

The Bureau of Police Research and Development

recently published a manual for investigating

agencies on cyber harassment cases that defined

hate speech as a “language that denigrates,

insults, threatens or targets an individual based

on their identity and other traits (such as sexual

orientation or disability or religion etc.).”

Indian youth are now marrying later

in life The Indian youth too are being influenced by

recent trends. Compared to a decade ago, youth

are now marrying later in life. Lokniti-CSDS Youth

Studies in 2016 and 2007 show the proportion of

married youth decreased by eight percentage

points from 55% in 2007 to 47% in 2016.

As one would expect, the data highlight that a

much higher share of young men were

unmarried (61%) compared to women (41%).

Educational attainment too is an important

factor associated with marriage. One observes a

decline in the proportion of married youth with

successive levels of education.

In an age of online dating, growth of social

networking and matrimonial sites, arranged

marriages are still a preferred choice: 84% of the

married youth in 2016 said their marriage was

decided by families and only 6% reported self-

choice.

Unmarried youth too showed an inclination

towards arranged marriages with 50% saying

they would opt for this kind of marriage. Only

12% said they would opt for self-choice

marriage. Surprisingly, the 2016 study indicates

that a mere 3% of youth had placed a

matrimonial advertisement.

The study also showed that 31% of the youth

said their parents will have or had a lot of

influence on their marriage decision. This

influence was greater for women (35%) than

men (28%).

Moreover, data from a recent study, ‘Politics and

Society between Election’, show there is some

change in attitudes — if not in practice — when it

comes to decision-making for women in

marriage: 72 % support women’s say in when to

get married and 74 % in whom to marry.


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Intermediary Guidelines and Digital

Media Ethics Code came into effect The Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media

Ethics Code, simply known as the new rules for

social media platforms and digital news outlets

came into effect.

The guidelines had asked all social media

platforms to set up a grievances redressal and

compliance mechanism, which included

appointing a resident grievance officer, chief

compliance officer and a nodal contact person.

The Ministry of Electronics & Information

Technology had also asked these platforms to

submit monthly reports on complaints received

from users and action taken.

A third requirement was for instant messaging

apps was to make provisions for tracking the

first originator of a message.

Failure to comply with any one of these

requirements would take away the indemnity

provided to social media intermediaries under

Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.

According to the Section 79, any intermediary

shall not be held legally or otherwise liable for

any third party information, data, or

communication link made available or hosted on

its platform.

This protection, the Act says, shall be applicable

if the said intermediary does not in any way,

initiate the transmission of the message in

question, select the receiver of the transmitted

message and does not modify any information

contained in the transmission.

Panel to probe allegations of

unauthorised construction in

Mekedatu A joint committee has been appointed by the

National Green Tribunal (NGT), Southern Zone to

look into allegations of unauthorised

construction activity taking place in Mekedatu,

where the Karnataka government had proposed

to construct a dam across the Cauvery River.

Acting suo motu based on a media report, the

NGT has directed the panel to submit a report on

or before July 5.

The Mekedatu multi-purpose project involves

building a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery

River near Kanakapura in Ramanagaram district.

It envisages supplying drinking water to

Bengaluru and Ramanagaram districts, besides

generation of power.

The project was conceived in 2013 and in 2017,

the Karnataka state cabinet decided to

implement it. The project, however, ran into a

controversy after Tamil Nadu opposed it on the

grounds that the project violates the Cauvery

Water Disputes Tribunal award.

Kerala to launch the Smart Kitchen

scheme The state government of Kerala recently

announced to launch of the Smart Kitchen

scheme and a secretary level committee will

formulate guidelines and recommendations on

implementation of “Smart Kitchen Scheme” in

state to fulfil commitments of LDF.

The Kerala State Financial Enterprises (KSFE) may

start a chit fund scheme for the state

government’s ‘Smart Kitchen’ project, meant to

ease the burden on housewives.


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The aim is to ensure home appliances in every

household. Women could pay for the appliances

in instalments over a period of few years.

Various packages would be prepared for this

purpose.

The ‘Smart Kitchen’ project was promised in the

LDF election manifesto and in the previous State

budget.

The manifesto had stated that the LDF’s plan to

make Kerala the first State to have washing

machines, grinders and refrigerators in all

households, in that order.

PM chairs high level meeting to review

progress of National Digital Health

Mission Prime Minister of India chaired a high-level

meeting to review the National Digital Health

Mission (NDHM). Since then, the digital modules

and registries have been developed and the

mission has been rolled out in six Union

Territories.

So far, nearly 11.9 lakh Health IDs have been

generated and 3106 doctors and 1490 facilities

have registered on the platform.

It has been envisaged that Unified Health

Interface (UHI) - an open and interoperable IT

network for digital health should soon be rolled

out. This interface shall enable public and private

solutions and apps to plug in and be a part of

National Digital Health Ecosystem.

During the meeting, the concept of UPI e-

Voucher developed by National Payment

Corporation of India (NPCI) was also discussed.

This digital payment option will enable financial

transactions linked to specific purpose which can

be used only by the intended user.

The National Digital Health Mission is an agency

of the Government of India which seeks to

provide medical identity document to Indian

people. This identity document would enable

people to use Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which is

a service in India's publicly funded health care.

The program aligns with other government

programs, including the Aadhaar identification

program and the Ayushman Bharat Yojana

healthcare program. Users keep the

identification document as an account in a

mobile app.

India abstains from voting on UNHRC

resolution to vote against Israel India was among 14 countries that abstained

from voting on a resolution at the United

Nations Human Rights Council to launch an

investigation into alleged violations and crimes

during the 11-day conflict between Israel and

Hamas in Gaza.

About United Nations Human Rights Council

The United Nations Human Rights Council

(UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission

is to promote and protect human rights around

the world.

The Council investigates allegations of breaches

of human rights in United Nations member

states, and addresses important thematic

human rights issues such as freedom of

association and assembly, freedom of

expression, freedom of belief and religion,

women's rights, LGBT rights, and the rights of

racial and ethnic minorities.

The Council consists of 47 members, elected

yearly by the General Assembly for staggered

three-year terms.

Members are selected via the basis of equitable

geographic rotation using the United Nations

regional grouping system.


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Members are eligible for re-election for one

additional term, after which they must relinquish

their seat.

The headquarters of the United Nations Human

Rights Council is in Geneva, Switzerland.

About the India-Israel Relation

On 17 September 1950, India officially

recognised the State of Israel.

After decades of non-aligned and pro-Arab

policy, India formally established relations with

Israel when it opened an embassy in Tel Aviv in

January 1992.

The two countries have an extensive economic,

military, and strategic relationship.

Israel is represented through an embassy in New

Delhi, and one consulate each in Mumbai and

Bengaluru. India is represented through its

embassy in Tel Aviv.

Relations further expanded during Prime

Minister Narendra Modi's administration, with

India abstaining from voting against Israel in the

United Nations in several resolutions.

Supreme Court widens scope of

Section 304-B The Supreme Court indicated in a judgment that

a straitjacket and literal interpretation of a penal

provision on dowry death may have blunted the

battle against the “long-standing social evil”.

Dowry deaths accounted for 40% to 50%

homicides in the country for almost a decade

from 1999 to 2018. In 2019 alone, 7,115 cases of

dowry death were registered under Section 304-

B of the Indian Penal Code.

But, Courts have often opted for a strict and

narrow reading of the Section 304-B, which was

one of the many legal initiatives introduced

against dowry.

In a recent judgement, The Supreme Court said

that courts should instead interpret Section 304-

B liberally while keeping in mind the law’s

intention to punish dowry and bride-burning.

According to Section 304-B, to make out a case

of dowry death, a woman should have died of

burns or other bodily injuries or “otherwise than

under normal circumstances” within seven years

of her marriage. She should have suffered

cruelty or harassment from her husband or in-

laws “soon before her death” in connection with

demand for dowry.

Over the years, courts had interpreted the

phrase 'soon before' in Section 304-B as

'immediately before'. This interpretation would

make it necessary for a woman to have been

harassed moments before she died.

Such “absurd” interpretations should be avoided,

the apex court noted. Instead, the prosecution

needed to show only a “proximate and live link”

between the harassment and her death.

The court further said the phrase “otherwise

than under normal circumstances” in the Section

also calls for a liberal interpretation.

The judgment also raised concern about the

casual way in which trial courts examined

accused persons in dowry death cases under

Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Science & Technology First electric tractor in the country

tested at farm machinery institute of

MP Central Farm Machinery Training & Testing

Institute, Budni (MP) has tested the first-ever

electric Tractor in the Institute. The institute


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received the application for an electric tractor

under Confidential Test initially.

Accordingly, the institute has tested the tractor &

released the Draft Test Report in February, 2021.

Central farm Machinery Training & Testing

Institute, Budni (MP) has obtained the NABL

Certificate of Accreditation for CMVR Test

Laboratory on 30th March, 2021.

Electric tractor will be more environment friendly

than other types of tractors.

Accreditation is the third-party attestation

related to a conformity assessment body

conveying the formal demonstration of its

competence to carry out specific conformity

assessment tasks.

Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) is a body

that includes Testing including Medical

Laboratory, Calibration Laboratory, Proficiency

Testing Provider, Certified Reference Material

Producer.

Indian Scientists develop high-yielding

and pest-resistant variety of soybean Indian Scientists have developed a high-yielding

and pest-resistant variety of soybean. This newly

developed variety called MACS 1407 is suitable

for cultivation in the states of Assam, West

Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and North-

Eastern states.

The Science and Technology Ministry has said

that the new seeds will be made available to

farmers for sowing during the 2022 Kharif

season. In 2019, India produced around 90

million tons of soybean.

In 2019, India produced around 90 million tons

of soybean, widely cultivated as oil seeds as well

as a cheap source of protein for animal feed and

many packaged meals and is striving to be

among the world’s major producers of soybean.

High-yielding, disease resistant varieties of the

legume can help achieve this target.

Scientists from MACS- Agharkar Research

Institute (ARI), Pune, an autonomous institute of

the Department of Science & Technology,

Government of India in collaboration with Indian

Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New

Delhi have developed this variety.

China launched core module of its

space station China launched the core module of its space

station, kicking off a series of key launch

missions that aim to complete the construction

of the station by the end of next year.

The Long March-5B Y2 rocket, carrying the

Tianhe module, blasted off from the Wenchang

Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of the

southern island province of Hainan.

The Tianhe module will act as the management

and control hub of the space station Tiangong,

meaning Heavenly Palace, with a node that could

dock with up to three spacecraft at a time for

short stays, or two for long

Tianhe has a total length of 16.6 meters, a

maximum diameter of 4.2 meters and a take-off

mass of 22.5 tonnes, and is the largest

spacecraft developed by China.

The space station will be a T shape with the core

module at the centre and a lab capsule on each

side.

The station will operate in the low-Earth orbit at

an altitude from 340 km to 450 km. It has a

designed lifespan of 10 years, but experts

believe it could last more than 15 years with

appropriate maintenance and repairs.


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SpaceX Crew-1 NASA astronauts

splash down in the Gulf of Mexico The four Crew-1 astronauts splashed down in

the Gulf of Mexico right on schedule May 2,

2021, returning to Earth after a six-month stay

on the International Space Station.

American Space agency NASA has said that Their

return marked the end of 168 days in space for

the four astronauts, and the end of SpaceX’s first

operational round-trip mission.

This return to earth was the first nighttime

splashdown for NASA astronauts since Apollo 8,

which was the first mission to orbit the moon, in

1968.

The mission was part of NASA’s fledgling public-

private partnership with SpaceX, the rocket

company founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, who is

also CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc.

Covid 19 symptoms and CT scan A Jalandhar’s scan centre recently reported that

the demand for Covid CT scans has increased

manifolds in past one month. Several Covid

positive patients with mild to moderate Covid

symptoms, and some with negative RT-PCR

reports but Covid symptoms are coming for CT

scans.

A CT scan is also known as computed

tomography scan (formerly known as computed

axial tomography or CAT scan).

It is a medical imaging technique used in

radiology to get detailed images of the body

noninvasively for diagnostic purposes.

The personnel that perform CT scans are called

radiographers or radiology technologists.

CT scanners use a rotating x-ray tube and a row

of detectors placed in the gantry to measure X-

ray attenuations by different tissues inside the

body.

The multiple X-ray measurements taken from

different angles are then processed on a

computer using reconstruction algorithms to

produce tomographic (cross-sectional) images

(virtual "slices") of a body.

The use of ionizing radiations sometimes

restricts its use owing to its adverse effects.

Astrophysicists have spotted the first

‘blow-away’ galaxy Astrophysicists using the Gemini telescope have

spotted the first ‘blow-away’ galaxy, in which the

hydrogen clouds have been stripped off

exposing high-energy light.

This finding could give a clue to solving the

puzzle of the reionisation of the universe. The

galaxy, named Pox 186, is so small that it could

fit inside the Milky Way.

The researchers suspect that its compact size,

coupled with its large population of stars - which

amount to a hundred thousand times the mass

of the sun - made the blow-away possible.

The Gemini Observatory is an astronomical

observatory consisting of two 8.1-metre

telescopes, Gemini North and Gemini South,

which are located at two separate sites in Hawaii

and Chile, respectively. The twin Gemini

telescopes provide almost complete coverage of

both the northern and southern skies

They are currently among the largest and most

advanced optical/infrared telescopes available to

astronomers.


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A malaria vaccine candidate has

raised new hope A malaria vaccine candidate has shown promise

in phase 2b clinical trials, with high efficacy at

77%.

The new vaccine candidate, called R21/Matrix M,

is a modified version of RTS, S — another

candidate against malaria that has been in

development for more than 30 years by Walter

Reed Institute of Research, GlaxoSmithKline and

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with the PATH

Malaria Vaccine Initiative.

This vaccine is designed to stop the Plasmodium

falciparum malaria parasite from entering the

liver and preventing the subsequent deadly

blood stages. It targets the liver stage protein of

the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle.

Thirty years in the making, RTS,S is the first, and

to date the only, vaccine to reduce malaria in

children. But it is not highly efficacious.

R21/Matrix M has been developed by scientists

at University of Oxford, the same location where

the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was

developed. They’ have been working on this

version for almost 6-7 years now. This vaccine

was produced in the Serum Institute of India.

CSIR- CCMB develops possibly 1st

specific drug for COVID-19 treatment The CSIR- Centre for Cellular and Molecular

Biology has developed, possibly the first specific

drug for COVID-19 treatment, which contain

therapeutic antibodies.

The Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) has

given its approval for human trials, Phase-I and

Phase-II for the VINCOV-19 and expected to be

tried next week in Delhi and Rajasthan.

Developed by the CCMB, University of

Hyderabad and Vins Bioproduct ltd combine, the

VINCOV-19 is a collection of antibodies from

Horses after they got injected inactivated Corona

virus.

The approval for its emergency use by the India’s

Drug Regulator is expected once the results of

phase I and II declared.

VINCOV may be the first specific drug for COVID

treatment and it works best when given on early

stage of infection.

Assam’s girls develop bio-degradable

Yoga Mats A biodegradable and compostable yoga mat

developed from water hyacinth by from the

fishing community in Assam could turn this

water plant from a nuisance to wealth.

The mat called ‘Moorhen Yoga Mat’ will soon be

introduced to the world market as a unique

product.

The intervention was triggered through an

initiative by North East Centre for Technology

Application and Reach (NECTAR), an autonomous

body under Department of Science & Technology

(DST) to involve the entire women community

associated with a collective called ‘Simang’

meaning dream, led by the 6 girls to create

wealth from water hyacinth plants.

Government of India gives nod to local

telecom operators for 5G trials The Department of Telecom approved

applications of telecom companies, Reliance Jio,

Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and MTNL, for conducting

5G trials but none of them will be using

technologies of Chinese entities.

The applicant TSPs include Bharti Airtel Ltd.,

Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd., Vodafone Idea Ltd.

and MTNL. The duration of the trials, at present,

is for a period of 6 months.


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Each TSP will have to conduct trials in rural and

semi-urban settings also in addition to urban

settings so that the benefit of 5G Technology

proliferates across the country and is not

confined only tourban areas.

The objectives of conducting 5G trials include

testing 5G spectrum propagation characteristics

especially in the Indian context; model tuning

and evaluation of chosen equipment

andvendors; testing of indigenous technology;

testing of applications; and to test 5G phones

and devices.

5G technology is expected to deliver improved

user experience in terms of data download rates

(expected to be 10 times that of 4G), up to three

times greater spectrum efficiency, and ultra low

latency to enable Industry 4.0.

Proning can help Covid patients The Union Health Ministry advised ‘proning for

self-care’ for coronavirus patients, stating that it

holds high significance for covid positive patients

with compromised breathing comfort, especially

during home isolation or self-care treatment at

home.

What is Proning? Proning a medically approved

position in which patients are made to lie on

their abdomen to boost their oxygen levels.

Proning as an exercise is being advised to Covid

patients in hospitals, so that they may not

require additional oxygen support.

Proning as an exercise is being advised to Covid

patients in hospitals, so that they may not

require additional oxygen support.

While proned, the patient is made to lie on

his/her belly using pillows. One can also lie on

their right side( right lateral), left side ( left

lateral) or sit at a 60-90 degree angle in the

‘fowler position’.

Railways Inducts 100th 'Made In India'

Electric Locomotive on Network Indian Railways authorities inducted the 100th

'Made in India' electric locomotive or e-loco in its

fleet on May 6, 2021 which was build in the

country's largest integrated greenfield

manufacturing facilities.

The loco is named WAG 12 B with number

60100. The locomotive is manufactured by

Madhepura Electric Locomotive Pvt. Ltd. (MELPL).

These locomotives are state of the art IGBT

based, 3 phase drive and 12000 horse power

electric locomotive. These high horse power

locomotives will help to decongest the saturated

tracks by improving average speed and loading

capacity of freight trains.

These locomotive are proving to be a game

changer for further movement of coal trains for

Dedicated Freight Corridor.

First 12000 HP Made in India Locomotive,

manufactured by Madhepura Electric Loco

Factory situated in Bihar, was put into operation

by Indian Railways from Pt Deen Dayal

Upadhyaya Jn Station on 18.05.2020.

Vaccine Delivery by Drone Flights The Government of India is providing conditional

exemption for experimental drone flights for

vaccine delivery as part of constant endeavour to

enhance the scope of drone usage in the country

and assist the nation to fight COVID-19

pandemic.

Exemption from Unmanned Aircraft System

{UAS) Rules, 2021 has been granted as part of

government’s constant endeavour to enhance

the scope of drone usage in the country and

assist the nation to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, the Government of Telangana was

granted conditional exemption for conducting


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experimental delivery of Covid-19 vaccines

within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) Range using

drones.

To accelerate the drone deployment process to

formulate application-based models, the grant

has been extended to Beyond Visual Line of

Sight (BVLOS). The trials may commence by end

of May 2021.

This exemption shall be valid for a period of one

year from the date of approval of the SOP or

until further orders, whichever is earlier.

Earlier this month, 20 consortia were also

granted permission to conduct Beyond Visual

Line of Sight (BVLOS) experimental flights of

drones. BVLOS trials will help create the

regulatory framework for drone deliveries and

other major applications.

India participates in the 3rd Arctic

Science Ministerial India is participating in the 3rd Arctic Science

Ministerial (ASM3) - the global platform for

discussing research and cooperation in the Arctic

region (8-9 May, 2021).

The first two meetings—ASM1 and ASM2—were

held in the USA in 2016 and Germany in 2018,

respectively.

ASM3, jointly organised by Iceland and Japan, is

the first Ministerial meeting being held in Asia.

The meeting is designed to provide opportunities

to various stakeholders to enhance collective

understanding of the Arctic region, emphasize

and engage in constant monitoring, and

strengthen observations.

The theme for this year is ‘Knowledge for a

Sustainable Arctic’.

Spacex Starship Rocket Prototype

Achieves First Safe Landing SpaceX achieved the first successful touchdown

of its prototype Starship rocket during the latest

test flight of the next-generation launch vehicle

in south Texas, after four previous landing

attempts ended in explosions.

The feat marked a key milestone for the private

rocket company of Elon Musk in its development

of a resusable heavy-lift launch vehicle to

eventually carry astronauts and large cargo

payloads to the moon and Mars.

The Starship SN15 blasted off from the SpaceX

launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, along the Gulf

Coast.

Maneuvering itself back into vertical position

under rocket thrust as it approached the ground,

the 16-story, three-engine vehicle descended to

a gentle touchdown on its landing gear.

The flight came on the 60th anniversary of the

first spaceflight by an American astronaut Alan

Shepard's launch on a 15-minute suborbital

mission atop NASA's Mercury-Redstone rocket

from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

New mobile application for psycho

social wellness of students, parents Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has

launched a new mobile application for psycho

social wellness of students and parents.

The new app namely CBSE Dost for Life has been

designed for students of classes 9 to 12 and it

can be used for counselling sessions from 10th

of this month.

Making a departure from the existing practice of

counselling through toll free number across the

country, board has designed this facility for the

ease, convenience and utility of students and

parents with in the safe home environment.


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Through this app, live counselling sessions will

be conducted free of cost on Monday,

Wednesday and Friday by the trained

counsellors.

The app will also provide students information

on suggestive course guides after ten plus two,

tips on mental health and well-being, a corona

guide and rap songs.

Use of anti-fungal injection

amphotericin to treat mucormycosis Acute shortage of anti-fungal injection

‘amphotericin’ and other anti-fungal medicines

used to treat mucormycosis, a life-threatening

infection that follows Covid-19 in roughly 30%

diabetics, is now adding to difficulties of patients.

Amphotericin B injection is used to treat serious

and potentially life-threatening fungal infections.

Amphotericin B injection is in a class of

medications called antifungals. It works by

slowing the growth of fungi that cause infection.

It is typically given by injection into a vein.

Amphotericin B was isolated from Streptomyces

nodosus in 1955 and came into medical use in

1958. It is on the World Health Organization's

List of Essential Medicines.

How Iron Dome air defence system

protect Israel?

The rockets fired from Gaza being intercepted by

the Israeli Iron Dome air defence system. It

appeared that the rockets were hitting an

invisible shield.

The Iron Dome is a short-range, ground-to-air,

air defence system that includes a radar and

Tamir interceptor missiles that track and

neutralise any rockets or missiles aimed at Israeli

targets.

Iron Dome is used for countering rockets,

artillery & mortars (C-RAM) as well as aircraft,

helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The genesis of the Iron Dome goes back to the

2006 Israeli-Lebanon war, when the Hezbollah

fired thousands of rockets into Israel.

The Iron Dome has three main systems that

work together to provide a shield over the area

where it is deployed, handling multiple threats. It

has a detection and tracking radar to spot any

incoming threats, a battle management and

weapon control system (BMC), and a missile

firing unit. The BMC basically liaises between the

radar and the interceptor missile.

Each battery, or the full unit of Iron Dome, can

cost over $50 million, and one interceptor Tamir

missile costs around $80,000. In contrast, a

rocket can cost less than $1,000. The system

dispatches two Tamir missiles to intercept each

rocket.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will

depart asteroid Bennu Recently the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration said that its Origins, Spectral

Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security,

Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft will

depart asteroid Bennu, and start its two-year

long journey back to Earth.

Bennu is an asteroid located about 200 million

miles away from the Earth. Bennu is named after

an Egyptian deity. The asteroid was discovered

by a team from the NASA-funded Lincoln Near-

Earth Asteroid Research team in 1999. Bennu is a

B-type asteroid, implying that it contains

significant amounts of carbon and various other

minerals.

Bennu is considered to be an ancient asteroid

that has not gone through a lot of composition-

altering change through billions of years, which


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means that below its surface lie chemicals and

rocks from the birth of the solar system.

Therefore, scientists and researchers are

interested in studying this asteroid as it might

give them clues about the origins of the solar

system, the sun, the Earth and the other planets.

OSIRIS-REx is NASA’s first mission to visit a near-

Earth asteroid, survey its surface and collect a

sample from it. The mission is essentially a

seven-year-long voyage and will conclude when

at least 60 grams of samples are delivered back

to the Earth. The mission promises to bring the

largest amount of extra-terrestrial material back

to our planet since the Apollo era.

IIT developed portable eco-friendly

mobile cremation system The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) recently

developed a prototype of a moveable electric

cremation system which claims to be using first-

of-its-kind technology that involves smokeless

cremation despite using wood.

It uses half of the wood otherwise required for

the cremation and still is eco-friendly because of

the technology that uses combustion air system.

It is based on wick-stove technology in which the

wick when lighted glows yellow. This is converted

into smokeless blue flame with the help of

combustion air system installed over the wicks.

The cremation system or incinerator heats up at

1044 degree Celsius which ensures complete

sterilization.

Keeping in view the present pandemic situation

if this system can be adopted, may provide

respectable cremation to the near and dear ones

of those who cannot afford the financial burden

of arranging wood.

How Israel’s Iron Dome Intercepts

Hamas Rocket? The Iron Dome system, created by Israel’s Rafael

Advanced Defence Systems Limited, intercepts

targets in the skies above the Gaza Strip. An

interceptor rocket with a high-powered gun is

fired from a launcher above the intended target

and guided by radar, with a high-precision

guided rocket motor inside.

The Iron Dome system is Israel’s long-range anti-

missile system which intercepts rockets in flight

and downgrades them to a lighter weight to

allow for a more controlled landing.

It is an all-weather system and can engage

multiple targets simultaneously and be deployed

over land and sea. Iron Dome is manufactured

by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems and has

been in service with Israeli Air Force since 2011.

The radar system was developed by Elta.

Its development was prompted after a series of

rocket attacks on Israel by Hezbollah and Hamas

in the 2000s.

An Iron Dome battery consists of a battle

management control unit, a detection and

tracking radar and a firing unit of three vertical

launchers, with 20 interceptor missiles each.

The interceptor missile uses a proximity fuse to

detonate the target warhead in the air.

The Iron Dome is deployed in a layered defence

along with David’s Sling and Arrow missile

defence system which are designed for medium-

and long-range threats.

The I-DOME is the mobile variant with all

components on a single truck and C-DOME is the

naval version for deployment on ships.


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Researchers Develop Algorithm for

Lensless, Miniature Cameras Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology

(IIT) Madras and Rice University, U.S., have

developed algorithms for lensless, miniature

cameras.

The lensless cameras have numerous vision

applications in sectors including augmented

reality, virtual reality, security, smart wearables

and robotics where cost, form-factor and weight

become major constraints.

Existing algorithms to deblur images based on

traditional optimisation schemes yield low-

resolution, ‘noisy’ images.

But IITM researchers used ‘Deep Learning’ to

develop a reconstruction algorithm called

FlatNet for lensless cameras resulting in

significant improvement.

FlatNet was tested on various real and

challenging scenarios and was found to be

effective in de-blurring images captured by the

lensless camera.

Nanoparticle Designed for Better

Treatment of Disease Another treatment for diseases looks like a new

hope. Researchers from the University of

Massachusetts, Amherst, in the U.S., created a

nanoparticle that manipulates the immune

system and effectively fights cancer cells.

The new concept, Protein–Antibody Conjugates

or PACs, combines two different approaches to

drug delivery.

One is biologics, where the idea is to target a

defective protein in the system by delivering

proteins to it. An example of this is the case of

insulin treatment. If a person is short of insulin,

which is a protein, they are given a shot of this to

balance the system.

The other approach is to use antibodies for drug

delivery. Antibodies are something the body

produces to detect a foreign substance inside

the body.

Protein–antibody conjugates or PACs, developed

by the group, which have a protein attached to

the antibody, can zero in on, say, pancreatic

cancer cells.

This could have impact on incurable diseases, so-

called undruggable ones like pancreatic cancer.

China landed a spacecraft on Mars

carrying its first Mars rover China landed a spacecraft on Mars carrying its

first Mars rover in a big boost to its space

ambitions. China had in July last year launched

its first Mars mission, called Tianwen-1, meaning

Questions to Heaven, carrying a lander and

rover.

Tianwen-1 had been in orbit since February, and

recently, a lander descended successfully on to

the surface of the red planet carrying a rover

named Zhurong, named after a god of fire for a

planet known in Chinese as the planet of fire.

Only the Soviet Union and the U.S. had

previously carried out a successful landing on

Mars.

The rover will provide “first-hand materials for

research on the planet’s space environment,

surface topography, and soil structure”.

China had previously tried to launch a Mars

orbiter along with Russia in 2011, but that failed

to enter orbit. This attempt, on its own, hit the

target.


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Magnetometer for low cost, reliable &

real-time measurements of magnetic

fields Researchers have demonstrated a low-cost

digital system to efficiently measure unknown

magnetic fields. Digital signals are the backbone

of communication systems processed by

hardware systems that transmit and receive the

signals with the help of intermediate systems

called ‘digital receiver systems’ or DRS.

A magnetometer is a device that measures

magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment.

Some magnetometers measure the direction,

strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at

a particular location.

A compass is one such device, one that

measures the direction of an ambient magnetic

field, in this case, the Earth's magnetic field.

Virtual Imposters Beware of

‘FakeBuster’ Researchers at the Indian Institute of

Technology, Ropar in Punjab and Monash

University, Australia have developed a unique

detector named ‘FakeBuster’ to identify

imposters attending a virtual conference without

anybody’s knowledge.

It can also find out faces manipulated on social

media to defame or make a joke of someone.

FakeBuster is a DeepFakes Detection Tool for

Video Conferencing Scenarios

In the present pandemic scenario when most of

the official meetings and work is being done

online, this standalone solution enables a user

(organizer) to detect if another person's video is

manipulated or spoofed during a video

conferencing.

That means the technique will find out if some

imposter is attending a Webinar or virtual

meeting on behalf of one of your colleagues by

morphing his image with his own.

Shed light on mystery behind complex

phenomena in Plasma Indian Scientists have recently developed a

theory that helps understand the complicated

nature of Sun-Earth interaction's happening in

the magnetosphere, an area of space around

Earth that is controlled by the Earth’s magnetic

field.

This new theory has opened up a plethora of

opportunities to unlock the mysteries of the ion-

hole structures (a localized plasma region where

the ion density is lower than the surrounding

plasma).

They have completely ruled out the necessity of

the upper limit in the temperature ratio between

ions and electrons for the generation of a special

kind of wave called Bernstein Green Kruskal

(BGK) waves, named after the scientists who

predicted this wave. They revealed that the

electrons that are not part of ion hole dynamics

also play a vital role.

The new theory developed by the IIG team sheds

light on the nature's greatest mystery that

causes phenomena --plasma transport and

heating of plasma - the fourth state of matter

after solid, liquid, and gas, which is the most

natural and widely observed state of matter in

the entire universe.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope

to Study How Massive Stars’ Blasts National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA) is going to launch James Webb Space

Telescope that is planned to succeed the Hubble

Space Telescope as NASA's flagship astrophysics

mission.


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The JWST will provide improved infrared

resolution and sensitivity over Hubble, and will

enable a broad range of investigations across the

fields of astronomy and cosmology, including

observing some of the most distant events and

objects in the universe, such as the formation of

the first galaxies.

SPHEREx will survey the sky in optical as well as

near-infrared light. Astronomers will use the

mission to gather data on more than 300 million

galaxies, as well as more than 100 million stars in

Milky Way. The mission will create a map of the

entire sky in 96 different colour bands.

The James Webb Space Telescope (also called

JWST or Webb) will be a large infrared telescope

with a 6.5-meter primary mirror. The telescope

will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from

French Guiana in 2021.

It will study every phase in the history of our

Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows

after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar

systems capable of supporting life on planets like

Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System.

DRDO develops COVID-19 antibody

detection kit 'DIPCOVAN' Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied

Sciences (DIPAS), the research laboratory of

Defence Research and Development

Organisation (DRDO), has developed an antibody

detection-based kit called 'DIPCOVAN'.

The kit will help people detect if they have

previously been exposed to the COVID-19 virus

and if their bodies had produced antibodies to

combat it.

The DIPCOVAN kit can detect both spike as well

as nucleocapsid (S&N) proteins of SARS-CoV-2

virus with a high sensitivity of 97 per cent and

specificity of 99 per cent.

The kit has been developed in association with

Vanguard Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, a development

and manufacturing diagnostics company based

at New Delhi.

DIPCOVAN is intended for the qualitative

detection of IgG antibodies in human serum or

plasma, targeting SARS-CoV-2 related antigens. It

offers a significantly faster turn-around-time as it

requires just 75 minutes to conduct the test

without any cross reactivity with other diseases.

The kit has a shelf life of 18 months.

DRDO developed near-isothermal

forging technology for aero-engines DRDO announced a modest step towards

achieving the ultimate aeronautical challenge,

one that even resource-rich China is struggling to

achieve: Developing a jet engine with the thrust

to power a fighter in combat.

This technological breakthrough, which involves

developing complex titanium and nickel-based

alloys that can withstand temperatures of more

than 1,000 degrees Celsius, was achieved by the

DRDO’s premier metallurgical laboratory, the

Hyderabad-based Defence Metallurgical

Research Laboratory (DMRL).

The technology has been developed by Defence

Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a

premier metallurgical laboratory of DRDO at

Hyderabad.

This is a crucial technology for establishing self-

reliance in aeroengine technology. With this

development, India has joined the league of

limited global engine developers to have the

manufacturing capabilities of such critical aero

engine components.

To meet the bulk production requirements,

DMRL technology was transferred to M/s

MIDHANI through a licensing agreement for

technology transfer (LAToT).


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Himachal farmer developed Low-

chilling apple variety An innovative self-pollinating apple variety that

does not require long chilling hours for flowering

and fruit setting has been developed by a farmer

from Himachal Pradesh.

This has spread to plain, tropical, and subtropical

areas in various parts of India, where the

temperature is as high as 40 -45 ºC during

summer.

Commercial cultivation of this apple variety has

been initiated in Manipur, Jammu, low lying

areas of Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka

Chhattisgarh, and Telangana, and fruit setting

has been expanded to 23 states & UTs so far.

Shri Hariman Sharma, a progressive farmer,

hailing from Paniala village of Bilaspur district,

Himachal Pradesh, who developed this

innovative apple variety – HRMN 99.

Hariman Sharma has also been conferred a

National Award in 2017 during the 9th National

Biennial Grassroots Innovation and Outstanding

Traditional Knowledge awards by then President

of India.

Security US Approved Proposal to sale of Six P-

8I Patrol Aircraft to India The Biden Administration notified the Congress

of its determination to sell six P-8I patrol aircraft

to India for an estimated cost of USD 2.42 billion.

In November 2019, the Defence Acquisition

Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath

Singh, approved the procurement of the long-

range maritime surveillance aircraft

manufactured by Boeing.

The original proposal was for 10 more aircraft

but was cut down to six due to budgetary

constraints as well as because the Navy had

adopted some fleet rationalisation measures

and was considering long-endurance unmanned

platforms.

The possible sale comes through the Foreign

Military Sale route and requires that the U.S.

Congress be notified.

With India having signed the Communications

Compatibility and Security Agreement

(COMCASA) foundational agreement with the

U.S., the six aircraft will come fitted with

encrypted systems.

These systems were replaced with commercial

off-the-shelf systems in the earlier deals.

The P-8I is based on the Boeing 737 commercial

aircraft and India was its first international

customer.

National Security Advisor

commissioned Offshore Patrol Vessel

Sajag National Security Advisor Shri Ajit Doval

commissioned Indian Coast Guard (ICG)

Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sajag through

digital means and dedicated it to the nation for

safeguarding the maritime interests. OPV Sajag is

constructed by M/s Goa Shipyard Limited.

The concept of forming ICG came into being post

1971 war, when it was assessed that maritime

borders are equally vital as land borders. The

ICG was created through an Act of Parliament in

1978.

The blueprint for a multi-dimension Coast Guard

was conceived by the visionary Rustamji


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Committee even as the United Nations

Convention of the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) was

being negotiated and India’s assets off Mumbai

high were growing.

ICG ships are being built within the country in

various shipyards, including private yard in line

with Government’s vision of ‘Make in India’. NSA

was impressed to witness the ICG OPV Sajag.

ICG is a multifarious force, undertaking

concurrent operations and being the first

responder for any developing situation at sea.

Their personnel work in very diverse conditions

and circumstances to safeguard the vast

coastline.

Society and Social Justice WHO unveils global immunization

strategy to save 50 million lives by

2030 A UN-led global immunization strategy was

unveiled to reach more than 50 million children

who have missed lifesaving jabs against measles

and other diseases because of COVID-19

disruption.

WHO, along with UNICEF and the vaccine alliance

Gavi, said their new global strategy has the

potential to save 50 million lives within less than

a decade.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said,

to avoid multiple outbreaks of life-threatening

diseases like measles, yellow fever and

diphtheria, it must be ensured that routine

vaccination services are protected in every

country in the world.

A WHO survey showed more than one third of

countries were still seeing disruptions to their

routine immunisation services.

The joint statement said, around 60 mass

vaccination campaigns were currently postponed

in 50 countries, putting 228 million people,

mostly children, at risk of diseases such as

measles and polio.

TRIFED joins hands with The LINK

Fund TRIFED has entered into a collaborative project

titled “Sustainable Livelihoods For Tribal

Households in India” with The LINK Fund, a

philanthropic operational foundation which is

mandated to eradicate extreme poverty and

mitigate the effects of climate change.

TRIFED and The LINK Fund have entered into a

MoU on April 29, 2021 to work together towards

Tribal Development and employment generation

by providing support to tribals for increasing

value addition in their produce and products.

As a part of this association, both the

organizations will also work together to creating

women-centered infrastructure and innovation

and entrepreneurship.

The LINK Fund (TLS) is a practitioner-led fund

that, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and

works to end extreme poverty and mitigate the

effects of climate change.

Operation Samudra Setu-II for

shipment of oxygen-filled containers

to India Indian Navy has launched Operation Samudra

Setu-II to augment the ongoing national mission

for meeting oxygen requirements in view of

surge in cases of Covid-19.


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Mission deployed Indian Naval warships will

undertake shipment of liquid Oxygen filled

cryogenic containers and associated medical

equipment in support of nation’s fight against

COVID-19.

Two ships INS Kolkata and INS Talwar have

entered port of Manama, Bahrain for embarking

and transporting 40MT of liquid oxygen to

Mumbai. INS Jalashwa is enroute to Bangkok and

INS Airavat to Singapore for similar missions.

Last year Indian Navy had launched Operation

Samudra Setu as part of the Vande Bharat

Mission and repatriated approx 4000 (3992)

stranded and distressed Indian citizens from

Maldives, Sri Lanka and Iran.

Lifting food grains from FCI for free

distribution to poor under PMGKAY Government recently said that 28 States and

Union Territories have started lifting food grains

from Food Corporation of India depots for free

distribution of food grains to poor under

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.

The Department of Food & Public Distribution

has started implementation of Pradhan Mantri

Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for a period

of 2 months i.e. May and June 2021 to ameliorate

the hardships faced by the poor and needy due

to various disruptions caused by the resurgence

of COVID-19 in the country.

The Government of India will bear the entire cost

on implementation of PMGKAY (May-June 2021)

scheme, without any sharing by States/UTs.

Under this special scheme, about 80 Crore NFSA

beneficiaries covered under both categories of

NFSA, namely Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and

Priority Households (PHH), are being provided

with an additional quota of free-of-cost

foodgrains (Rice/Wheat) at a scale of 5 Kg per

person per month, over and above their regular

monthly entitlements.

Mandatory online certification of

disability through UDID portal The Department of Empowerment of Persons

with Disabilities (DEPwD), Government of India

has issued Gazette notification SO 1736(E) dated

05.05.2021 making it mandatory for all

States/UTs to grant certificate of disability

through online mode only using UDID portal

w.e.f. 01.06.2021.

The Central Government notified the Rights of

Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017 under

RPwD Act, 2016 on 15.06.2017.

Rule 18(5) mandates the Central Government to

appoint a date making it mandatory for the

State/UT authorities to issue certificate of

disability through online mode.

The UDID project is under implementation since

2016. Concerned authorities of all States/UTs

have been imparted training by DEPwD for

working on the UDID portal

(swavlambancard.gov.in).

The States/UTs have been given adequate time

to convert to online mode. It will ensure

complete digitization of certification of disability

from 01.06.2021, besides providing a viable

mechanism for cross-checking genuineness of

the certificate to achieve pan-India validity, and

simplifying the process for the benefit of

Divyangjan.

Centre can identify socially and

educationally backward classes The Centre alone is empowered to identify

socially and educationally backward classes and

include them in the Central List for claiming

reservation benefits.


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The President (that is the Central government)

alone, to the exclusion of all other authorities, is

empowered to identify SEBCs and include them

in a list to be published under Article 342A (1),

which shall be deemed to include SEBCs in

relation to each State and Union Territory for the

purposes of the Constitution.

States could only make suggestions to the

President or the statutory commissions

concerned for inclusion, exclusion or

modification of castes and communities to be

included in the List.

The Central List is to be the “only list” for the

SEBC.

Once published, under Article 342A (1), the list

can only be amended through a law enacted by

Parliament, by virtue of Article 342A (2).

In the task of identification of SEBCs, the

President shall be guided by the Commission

(National Commission for Backward Classes) set

up under Article 338B; its advice shall also be

sought by the State in regard to policies that

might be framed by it.

If the commission prepares a report concerning

matters of identification, such a report has to be

shared with the State government, which is

bound to deal with it, in accordance with

provisions of Article 338B.

However, the final determination culminates in

the exercise undertaken by the President (i.e.,

the Central Government, under Article 342A (1).

However, the President’s prerogative as far as

the identification and inclusion of SEBCs in the

List would not affect the States’ power to make

reservations in favour of particular communities

or castes within the ambit of Articles 15 and 16.

Puducherry achieves 100% tap water

connection under JJM Recently the government declare that

Puducherry has achieved the target of 100%

piped water connection in rural areas under the

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

Punjab, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and

Diu too have crossed the milestone of covering

75% of rural homes with assured tap water

supply.

Puducherry has now become the fourth state or

UT after Goa, Telangana and Andaman and

Nicobar Islands to provide assured tap water

supply to every rural home under Central

Government’s flagship programme, Jal Jeevan

Mission, JJM.

JJM is a flagship programme of the Union

Government, which aims to provide tap water

connection to every rural household of the

country by 2024.

Under Jal Jeevan Mission, in 2021-22, in addition

to Rs 50,011 Crore budgetary allocation for JJM,

there is also Rs 26,940 Crore assured fund

available under the 15th Finance Commission

tied-grant to RLB/ PRIs for water & sanitation,

matching State share and externally aided as

well as State funded projects.

PM released 8th installment of PM-

Kisan scheme Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 8th

instalment of financial benefit under Pradhan

Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme.

Under the PM-KISAN scheme, a financial benefit

of Rs. 6000/- per year is provided to the eligible

beneficiary farmer families, payable in three

equal 4-monthly installments of Rs.2000/- each.

The fund is transferred directly to the bank

accounts of the beneficiaries. In this scheme,


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Samman Rashi of over Rs. 1.15 lakh crores has

been transferred to farmer families so far.

Members of vulnerable tribes infected

in Odisha Infections are being reported among the

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

with the second wave of COVID-19 sweeping

across rural heartland of Odisha.

As many as 21 tribals across eight different

PVTGs in the State have so far tested positive,

including two from the Bonda tribe, known for its

secluded lifestyle. Bonda people live in

highlands, 3,500-feet above sea level, in

Malkangiri, the southern-most district of Odisha.

Four members of Dongria Kondh, another PVTG,

have tested positive in Parasali panchayat of

Kalyansinghpur block in Rayagada district.

Odisha has among the largest and most diverse

tribal populations in the country. Of the 62 tribal

groups residing in Odisha, 13 are recognised as

PVTGs.

According to the 2011 Census, Odisha’s share of

the country’s total tribal population was 9%.

Tribals constitute 22.85% of State’s population.

The PVTGs in the states are Bonda, Birhor,

Chuktia Bhunjia, Didayi, Dongaria Kandha, Hill

Kharia, Juang, Kutia Kondh, Lanjia Saora, Lodha,

Mankirdia, Paudi Bhuyan and Saora.

Tribal Affairs Ministry & Microsoft sign

MoU for digital transformation Tribal Affairs Ministry and Microsoft have signed

an MoU for digital transformation of Tribal

Schools such as Eklavya Model Residential

Schools and Ashram Schools.

The collaboration seeks to skill educators and

students in next-generation digital technologies

including Artificial Intelligence.

Under the program, 250 Eklavya Model

Residential school, EMRS have been adopted by

Microsoft out of which 50 EMRS schools will be

given intensive training. In the first phase, 500

master trainers will be trained.

This program will prove beneficial in terms of

readiness, preparedness of the students at

various international forums.

ELDERLINE: Toll Free Helpline for

elderly persons The Ministry of Social Justice has started state

wise call centres in major states under the

ELDERLINE project in order to address the

problems of elders in the context of the ongoing

COVID pandemic.

The facility is already made operational in 5

major States of UP, MP, Rajasthan, TN and

Karnataka. In Telangana, this facility has been

working for more than a year.

These call centres can be reached by toll free

number 14567. All elders may be advised to use

this facility.

The ELDERLINE is a facility operationalised with

the assistance of Tata Trusts and NSE

foundation.

Covid-19 impacted Children being

provided Tele Counselling through

SAMVEDNA With an objective of providing psychological first-

aid and emotional support to children affected

during COVID-19 Pandemic, National

Commission for Protection of Child Rights


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(NCPCR) is providing Tele-Counselling to children

through SAMVEDNA.

SAMVEDNA (Sensitizing Action on Mental Health

Vulnerability through Emotional Development

and Necessary Acceptance) is a Toll-Free Helpline

launched to provide psycho-social mental

support for Children affected during COVID 19

Pandemic.

This service is available on a toll-free No: 1800-

121-2830 from Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m.

to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Tele counselling is provided to the children

under three categories:

Children who are in

Quarantine/isolation/COVID Care centers.

Children who have COVID positive

parents or family members and near

ones.

Children who have lost their parents due

to Covid-19 Pandemic.

WHO-ILO study links long work hours

to more deaths According to the latest estimates by the World

Health Organization (WHO) and the International

Labour Organization (ILO) published in

Environment International, long working hours

led to 7.45 lakh deaths from stroke and ischemic

heart disease in 2016, a 29% increase since 2000.

In a first global analysis of the loss of life and

health associated with working long hours, WHO

and ILO estimate that in 2016, 3.98 lakh people

died from stroke and 3.47 lakh from heart

disease as a result of having worked at least 55

hours a week.

Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths

from heart disease due to working long hours

increased by 42%, and from stroke by 19%.

This work-related disease burden is particularly

significant in men (72% of deaths occurred

among males), people living in the Western

Pacific and South-East Asia regions, and middle-

aged or older workers.

Most of the deaths recorded were among people

dying aged 60-79 years, who had worked for 55

hours or more per week between the ages of 45

and 74 years.

With working long hours now known to be

responsible for about one-third of the total

estimated work-related burden of disease, it is

established as the risk factor with the largest

occupational disease burden.

The study concludes that working 55 or more

hours per week is associated with an estimated

35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk

of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared

to working 35-40 hours a week.

Subsidy on DAP fertiliser hiked by

140% A historic decision was taken to increase the

subsidy for DAP fertiliser from Rs500 per bag to

Rs1200 per bag, which is an increase of 140%.

PM Narendra Modi chaired a high level meeting

on the issue of fertiliser prices. It was discussed

that the price of fertilisers is undergoing an

increase due to the rising prices of phosphoric

acid, ammonia etc internationally.

A historic decision was taken to increase the

subsidy for DAP fertiliser from Rs. 500 per bag to

Rs. 1200 per bag, which is an increase of 140%.

Thus, despite the rise in international market

prices of DAP, it has been decided to continue

selling it at the older price of Rs.1200 and the

central government has decided to bear all the


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burden of price hike. The amount of subsidy per

bag has never been increased so much at once.

Recently, the international prices of phosphoric

acid, ammonia etc. used in DAP have gone up by

60% to 70%. So the actual price of a DAP bag is

now Rs 2400, which could be sold by Fertilizer

companies at Rs 1900 after considering a

subsidy of Rs 500. With recent decision, farmers

will continue to get a DAP bag for Rs 1200.

Six-month CBID Program on

rehabilitation of Divyangjan Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment

launched a 6- month Community Based Inclusive

Development (CBID) Program on rehabilitation

of Divyangjan.

The program aims to create a pool of grass-root

rehabilitation workers at community level who

can work alongside ASHA and Anganwadi

workers to handle cross disability issues and

facilitate inclusion of persons with disabilities in

the society.

The program has been designed to provide

competency based knowledge and skills among

these workers to enhance their ability for

successfully discharging their duties. These

workers will be called 'Divyang Mitra' i.e. friends

of persons with disabilities.

The Rehabilitation Council of India intends to roll

out the course initially on a pilot basis for two

batches in 7 National Institutes of the

Department of Empowerment of Persons with

Disabilities and 7-9 voluntary organisations

having experience in Community Based

Rehabilitation programme.

This CBID course has been co-designed by

Rehabilitation Council of India and University of

Melbourne as a joint initiative under the MoU

signed between the Government of Australia and

the Government of India on 22nd November,

2018 for cooperation in disability sector.

The National Board of Examination in

Rehabilitation under the Rehabilitation Council

of India will conduct examinations and award

certificates to pass-out candidates.

Govt increased variable dearness

allowance for workers in central

sphere Government of India has notified and revised the

rate of Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) with a

view to provide relief to different category of

workers engaged in various scheduled

employments in the central sphere.

Labour and Employment Minister Santosh

Gangwar said that this will benefit about one 1.5

crore workers. The hike will be effective from 1st

of April of the last month.

The VDA is revised on the basis of average

Consumer Price Index for industrial workers

(CPI-IW) a price index compiled by Labour

Bureau.

Ministry of Labour and Employment said that the

rates fixed for scheduled employment in Central

sphere are applicable to the establishments

under the authority of Central Government,

Railway Administration, Mines, Oil fields, major

ports or any corporation established by the

Central Government.

These rates are equally applicable to contract

and casual employees and workers.

701 One Stop Centres in 35 States/UTs One Stop Centre Scheme (OSCs) being

implemented by the Ministry of Women and

Child Development has provided assistance to

over 3 lakh women so far.


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The scheme is being implemented across the

country since 1st April, 2015 through State

Governments/ Union Territory (UT)

Administrations.

It’s objective is to provide integrated support and

assistance to women affected by violence and in

distress, both in private and public spaces, under

one roof and facilitate immediate, emergency

and non-emergency access to a range of services

including police, medical, legal aid and

counseling, psychological support to fight against

any forms of violence against women.

Till date, 701 OSCs in 35 States/UTs have been

operationalised.

The responsibility of appointment/ recruitment/

selection of empanelled agencies/ individuals to

provide legal counselling/ Medical aid/ psycho-

social counselling etc. lies with the district

administration of the respective States/ UTs.

Centre plans one-stop centres in 9

countries to help women hit by

violence The Ministry of Women and Child Development

(WCD) announced to set up One-Stop Centres

(OSC) which aimed at supporting women

affected by violence in public and private spaces,

in foreign missions in collaboration with the

Ministry of External Affairs.

The first 10 OSCs will be introduced in Australia,

Canada, Singapore, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,

Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

Senior officials in the ministry pointed out that

the countries have been identified by the MEA

based on the Indian diaspora population and

that these centres will be run by the MEA.

There are currently 700 One-Stop Centres in the

country. The WCD Ministry plans to add 300

more such centres across the country this year.

The ministry also announced a fund of Rs 74

crore under the Nirbhaya fund for rape victims

who are minors.

The number of smokers worldwide

has increased to 1.1 billion in 2019 With tobacco smoking causing 7.7 million deaths,

including 1 in 5 deaths in males worldwide it was

reviled that the number of smokers worldwide

has increased to 1.1 billion in 2019.

China (26·5 million), India (19·8 million), and

Indonesia (9·91 million) are among the top three

countries with the largest numbers of current

tobacco smokers aged 15–24 years in 2019 and

accounted for 55·9% of total tobacco smokers in

this age group.

In 2019, global prevalence of smoking tobacco

use among males aged 15-24 years was 20.1 %%

and among females was 4.95% . In 2019, an

estimated 155 million individuals aged 15–24

years globally were tobacco smokers.

In 2019, smoking was associated with 1.7 million

deaths from ischaemic heart disease, 1.6 million

deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary

disease, 1.3 million deaths from tracheal,

bronchus, and lung cancer, and nearly 1 million

deaths from stroke.

Of particular concern are the persistently high

rates of smoking among young people, with over

half of countries worldwide showing no progress

in reducing smoking among 15-24 year olds. 89%

of new smokers become addicted by age 25.

The study have been published in The Lancet

and The Lancet Public Health journals by the

Global Burden of Disease collaboration.

Education Ministry to provides

monetary assistance to students The Union Minister for Education approved the

proposal to provide monetary assistance to 11.8


Page | 96


crore students (118 million students) through

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of the cooking cost

component of the mid-day-meal scheme, to all

eligible children, as a special welfare measure.

This will give a fillip to the Midday Meal

programme. This is in addition to the

Government of India’s announcement of

distribution of free-of-cost food grains @ 5 Kg

per person per month to nearly 80 Crore

beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan

Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY).

With a view to enhancing enrolment, retention

and attendance and simultaneously improving

nutritional levels among children, the National

Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary

Education (NP-NSPE) was launched as a Centrally

Sponsored Scheme in 1995. In 2001 MDMS

became a cooked Mid Day Meal Scheme.

The Mid-Day Meal Scheme covers children of

classes I-VIII studying in government,

government-aided schools, special training

centres (STC) and madarsas/ maqtabs supported

under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). It is the

largest school feeding programme in the world.

The Midday Meal Scheme is covered by the

National Food Security Act, 2013.

French President asked for

forgiveness for Rwandan genocide French President Emmanuel Macron recently

asked for forgiveness for his country’s role in the

1994 Rwandan massacre in which about 800,000

people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were killed.

The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April

and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War.

During this period of around 100 days, members

of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as

some moderate Hutu and Twa, were slaughtered

by armed militias.

The most widely accepted scholarly estimates

are around 500,000 to 800,000 Tutsi deaths.

France, which enjoyed close ties with Rwanda’s

Hutu-led government of President Juvénal

Habyarimana, has long been criticised for its role

in the killings of the Tutsi minorities in the

months of April to June 1994.

Rwanda is a landlocked country in the Great Rift

Valley, where the African Great Lakes region and

East Africa converge. Its capital city is Kigali.

Located a few degrees south of the Equator,

Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania,

Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the

Congo. It is highly elevated, giving it the

soubriquet "land of thousand hills".

Financial aid for Children who lost

their parents due to COVID-19 Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently

approved a slew of measures under the PM-

CARES for Children scheme, in a major relief

announcement extending much-needed support

for the children who have lost their parents due

to COVID-19.

The Aid includes free education and an amount

of 10 lakh rupees on attaining the age of 23,

among others.

All children who have lost both parents or

surviving parent or legal guardian or adoptive

parents due to COVID-19 will be supported

under PM-CARES for Children scheme.

Under the PM-CARES for Children scheme

contribution will be done through the PM CARES

Fund till the age of 18 years to create a corpus of

Rs. 10 lakh for each child orphaned due to

COVID-19.


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The beneficiary will be given a monthly stipend

for five years from 18 years of age till he

completes 23 years.

Ensuring free education to such Kids, under this

scheme, children under 10 years of age will be

given admissions in Kendriya Vidyalayas and

private schools whereas provision has been

made for educating kids between 11 to 18 years

of age in residential schools including Sainik

Schools and Navodaya Vidyalayas.

Sports India’s first Olympic-bound Fencer

Bhavani Devi India’s first Olympic-bound Fencer Sabre Fencer

Bhavani Devi was looking forward to giving off

her best performance in Tokyo2020.

Chadalavada Anandha Sundhararaman Bhavani

Devi, who is widely known as Bhavani Devi (born

1993), is an Indian sabre(fencer).

She is the first Indian fencer to ever qualify for

the Olympics after qualifying for the 2021 Tokyo

Games.

She is supported by GoSports Foundation

through the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship

Programme. Bhavani was born into a middle-

class family in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Mohali international hockey stadium

renamed after Balbir Singh Senior Punjab Government recently announced to

rename the Mohali International Hockey

Stadium, Sector 63, after triple Olympian and

Padma Shri Balbir Singh Sr.

The stadium will now be known as Olympian

Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey

Stadium.

The stadium was inaugurated by Chief Minister

of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal on 27 September

2013.

Balbir Singh Dosanjh was an Indian hockey

player. He was a three-time Olympic gold

medallist, having played a key role in India's wins

in London (1948), Helsinki (1952) and Melbourne

(1956) Olympics.


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Miscellaneous Treatment of asymptomatic, mild and

moderate COVID-19 infection Scientists have found that AYUSH 64 is useful in

the treatment of asymptomatic, mild and

moderate COVID-19 infection as an adjunct to

standard care.

AYUSH 64 is a poly herbal formulation developed

by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic

Sciences. Initially the drug was developed for

Malaria in the year 1980 and now is repurposed

for COVID-19.

Ayush Ministry and Council of Scientific and

Industrial Research in collaboration have

completed a robust multi-centre clinical trial to

evaluate it’s safety and efficacy.

Drone used to conduct experimental

delivery of Covid vaccine The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have

granted conditional exemption for drone

deployment to the government of Telangana.

The drone usage permission has been granted to

Telangana to conduct experimental delivery of

Covid-19 vaccines within visual line of sight range

using drones.

The permission exemption is valid for a period of

one year or until further orders.

Earlier this month, similar permission was

granted to the Indian Council of Medical

Research (ICMR) for conducting feasibility study

of Covid-19 vaccine delivery using drones in

collaboration with IIT Kanpur.

India’s adequate fire safety

regulations for public buildings Over the past few weeks there have been deadly

fires in hospital buildings, including those

treating COVID-19 patients, compounding what

is already a severe crisis that the country is

facing.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) says

330 people died in commercial building fires in

2019, while fatalities for residential or dwelling

buildings were much higher at 6,329.

Electrical faults are cited as the leading cause of

fires but State governments are widely criticised

for being lax with building safety laws and for

failing to equip public buildings with modern

technology.

Hospital ICUs (intensive care units) are a great

fire risk because they are oxygen-suffused, and

need to meet high standards.

Part 4 of the National Building Code of India

deals with Fire and Life Safety. The document

provides specifications and guidelines for design

and materials that reduce the threat of

destructive fires. Hospitals come under the

institutional category in the code.

PM reviews progress of converting

Nitrogen plants to Oxygen Plants The Government of India explored the feasibility

of conversion of existing nitrogen plants to

produce oxygen. Various such potential

industries, wherein existing nitrogen plants may

be spared for production of oxygen were

identified.

The process of converting the existing Pressure

Swing Absorption (PSA) nitrogen plants for

production of oxygen was discussed.


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In the nitrogen plants Carbon Molecular Sieve

(CMS) is used whereas Zeolite Molecular Sieve

(ZMS) is required for producing oxygen.

Therefore, by replacing CMS with ZMS and

carrying out few other changes such as oxygen

analyzer, control panel system, flow valves etc.

existing nitrogen plants can be modified to

produce oxygen.

A nitrogen plant modified for the production of

oxygen can be either shifted to a nearby hospital

or, in case it is not feasible to shift the plant, it

can be used for on-site production of oxygen,

which can be be transported to hospital through

specialized vessels/cylinders.

Yoga to mitigate the hardships of the

pandemic The Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Youth

Affairs & Sports (MYAS) have tapped into the

spirit of IDY to encourage the public to pursue

Yoga as a daily routine for good health and well-

being.

The two Ministries came together to organise a

virtual event on 2nd May 2021 to mark 50 days

in the countdown to IDY-2021.

The Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) is a specified

sequence of Yogasanas of 45 minutes duration.

It was developed by some of the most

accomplished Yoga gurus of India in 2015.

It was designed for easy learning by common

people, irrespective of their age and gender, and

can be learnt through simple training sessions

and online classes.

The Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) is one of the

best introductory programmes for beginners to

learn Yoga.

New framework for implementation

of SVAMITVA Scheme Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra

Singh Tomar released the new framework for

implementation of the SVAMITVA Scheme and

Coffee Table Book (CTB) to mark the nationwide

roll-out of the SVAMITVA Scheme.

The SVAMITVA Framework is developed by the

Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

It provides a detailed roadmap and guidelines

for the various States in terms of the Scheme

objectives, coverage, various components

involved, year-wise funding pattern, survey

approach and methodology, stakeholders

involved and their roles and responsibility,

monitoring and evaluation, and deliverables.

SVAMITVA, a Central Sector Scheme of the

Ministry of Panchayati Raj was nationally

launched by the Prime Minister on the occasion

of National Panchayati Raj Day on 24th April

2021 after successful completion of the pilot

phase of the Scheme in 9 States.

SVAMITVA Scheme aims to provide property

rights to the residents of rural inhabited areas in

India by using Drone survey and CORS Networks

which provides mapping accuracy of 5 cms.

Haryana govt launches Ayurvedic tele-

medicine facility Government of Haryana has launched Ayurvedic

telemedicine facility for Corona patients. Any

patient can consult the Ayurvedic Doctors on

phone by dialling 1075.

Telemedicine is an emerging field in healthcare

arising out of the synergistic convergence of

Information Technology with Medical Science

having enormous potential in meeting the

challenges of healthcare delivery to rural and

remote areas besides several other applications


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in education, training and management in health

sector.

Tele-health care: It is the use of information

and communication technology for prevention,

promotion and to provide health care facilities

across distance. It can be divided in the following

activities- Teleconsultation, Telefollow-up

Tele-education: Tele-Education should be

understood as the development of the process

of distance education (regulated or unregulated),

based on the use of information and

telecommunication technologies, that make

interactive, flexible and accessible learning

possible for any potential recipient.

Union Government formulates

strategy for Kharif 2021 The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

has formulated a special Kharif strategy for

implementation in the ensuing Kharif 2021

season with an aim to attain self-sufficiency in

the production of pulses.

Through consultations with the state

governments, a detailed plan for both area

expansion and productivity enhancement for

Tur, Moong and Urad has been formulated.

Under the strategy, utilising all the high yielding

varieties (HYVs) of seeds that are available either

with the Central Seed Agencies or in the States

will be distributed free of costto increase area

throughintercropping and sole crop.

For the coming Kharif 2021, it is proposed to

distribute 20,27,318 (almost 10 times more seed

mini kits than 2020-21) amounting to Rs. 82.01

crores. The total cost for these mini-kits will be

borne by the Central Government to boost the

production and productivity of tur, moong and

urad.

The Agricultural Technology Application

Research Institutes (ATARIs) and Krishi Vigyan

Kendras will also be roped in for effective

implementation and training to the farmers.

Signal was blocked on Facebook-

owned Instagram Signal has tried to run a series of Instagram ads

to show the amount of data the social media

platform and its parent company Facebook

collect about users and how it uses the data to

push targeted ads.

Signal is a cross-platform centralized encrypted

messaging service developed by the Signal

Technology Foundation and Signal Messenger

LLC. It uses the Internet to send one-to-one and

group messages, which can include files, voice

notes, images and videos. It can also be used to

make one-to-one and group voice and video

calls.

Signal, which is owned by a nonprofit

corporation, competes with WhatsApp. Both

WhatsApp and Instagram are owned by social

media giant Facebook.

Signal, which has a specific focus on privacy (its

tagline is ‘Say hello to privacy’), claims companies

like Facebook collect user data from their

bouquet of apps “in order to sell visibility into

people and their lives”.

Nationwide distribution campaign of

herbal medicines Recently the Ministry of Ayush has launched a

massive nationwide campaign to distribute its

polyherbal ayurvedic drugs AYUSH 64 and Sidha

drug Kabasura Kudineer for the benefit of

COVID-19 patients that have not been

hospitalised.

The efficacy of these drugs has been proved

through robust multi-centre clinical trials.


Page | 101


Kabasura Kudineer, a Siddha medicine was also

subjected to clinical trials for studying the

efficacy in Covid-19 patients by Central Council

for Research in Siddha (CCRS) under Ministry of

Ayush.

AYUSH-64 is recommended in National Clinical

Management Protocol based on Ayurveda and

Yoga which is vetted by National Task Force on

COVID Management of ICMR and Guidelines for

Ayurveda Practitioners for COVID-19 Patients in

Home Isolation.

Kabasura Kudineer is included in Guidelines for

Siddha Practitioners for COVID 19, Ministry of

Ayush Govt. of India.

Air ambulance makes belly landing at

Mumbai airport An air ambulance lost a wheel during take-off

from the Nagpur airport, but safely belly-landed

at the Mumbai airport on a foam carpet.

A foam path is an aviation safety practice of

spreading a layer of fire suppression foam on an

airport runway prior to an emergency landing.

Following a crash-landing, liquids leaking from

the aircraft, which are not yet burning, start

evaporating, thereby resulting in forming an air-

vapour mixture that is flammable or even highly

explosive.

In such cases, extinguishing foam is used

preventively and the liquid is covered with a

foam carpet as a vapor barrier.

Airport fire brigades create a foam carpet in

order to secure an emergency landing if the

landing gear of an aircraft is not extended or is

unstable. This is done in order to suppress

sparking and burning of any aircraft metals due

to friction with the runway surface.

Black fungus affects diabetic people

suffering from COVID-19 The Mucormycosis known as black fungus

affects those people who are suffering from

diabetes. The infection affects only those who

have a high blood sugar level.

Mucormycosis is a very rare infection. It is

caused by exposure to mucor mould which is

commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and

decaying fruits and vegetables.

It is ubiquitous and found in soil and air and

even in the nose and mucus of healthy people.

It affects the sinuses, the brain and the lungs and

can be life-threatening in diabetic or severely

immunocompromised individuals, such as

cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS.

Doctor believe mucormycosis, which has an

overall mortality rate of 50%, may be being

triggered by the use of steroids, a life-saving

treatment for severe and critically ill Covid-19

patients.

Steroids reduce inflammation in the lungs for

Covid-19 and appear to help stop some of the

damage that can happen when the body's

immune system goes into overdrive to fight off

coronavirus. But they also reduce immunity and

push up blood sugar levels in both diabetics and

non-diabetic Covid-19 patients.

It's thought that this drop in immunity could be

triggering these cases of mucormycosis.

Army inducts first batch of women

military police The Indian Army recently inducted its first batch

of the women Military Police, at soldiers level,

after a grueling training period of more than a

year. The soldiers will be posted in units across

the country.


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The attestation parade for the soldiers took

place at the Dronacharya Parade Ground in

Bengaluru.

The government had approved the induction of

women in military police in January 2019, and

plans to have 1700 women soldiers by 2036, in

batches of 100 recruits per year.

It is the military police of the Indian Army. The

roles of military police include the following:

policing the cantonments and Army

establishments,

maintaining movement of soldiers as well

as logistics during peace and war and

handling prisoners of war.

They can be identified by their red berets and

white belts. They also wear a black brassard with

the letters MP imprinted in red.

Second World War airport in Assam

takes commercial wings An airport built for warplanes in 1939 took

commercial wings, heralding the best of times

for western Assam’s Dhubri district during the

worst of times.

Rupsi airport near Gauripur, about 15 km from

district headquarters Dhubri, was one of South

Asia’s largest airports with a 1.8 km runway used

by Allied aircraft for supplying arms, manpower

and ammunition to forces in Burma and China

during World War II.

Rupsi is Assam's 7th airport and 15th in the

northeast including Pakyong in Sikkim.

Commercial flights were allowed later.

India’s Partition in 1947 began eroding the

airport’s importance. It was abandoned after the

last flight — a Vayudoot from Dhubri to

Guwahati — took off in 1983.

Flybig, an Indore-based company, would be

operating the Kolkata-Guwahati-Rupsi flight

under the subsidised UDAAN scheme for

regional connectivity.

Rupsi is vital not only for western Assam. It used

to and again will cater to the people of western

Meghalaya, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar districts

of West Bengal and south-western Bhutan,

besides fuelling small-scale industries.

Gap between two doses of Covishield

extended to 12-16 weeks The Union government has accepted the

recommendation for extension of the gap

between the first and second doses of Covishield

vaccine to 12-16 weeks. The present one is 6-8

weeks.

Based on the available real-life evidences,

particularly from UK, the COVID-19 Working

Group agreed for increasing the dosing interval

to 12-16 weeks between two doses of

COVISHIELD vaccine. No change in interval of

COVAXIN vaccine doses was recommended.

The COVID Working Group is headed by Dr N K

Arora- Director, INCLEN Trust.

The recommendation of the COVID Working

Group was accepted by the National Expert

Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19

(NEGVAC), headed by Dr V K Paul, Member

(Health) Niti Aayog in its meeting on 12th May

2021.

Indian Railway commissions Wi-Fi at

6,000th Railway station Indian Railways has commissioned Wi-Fi at

6,000th Railway station. Indian Railway is

continuing to extend the Wi-Fi facility at far

flanged stations to connect the passengers and

the general public with digital systems.


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With the commissioning of Wi-Fi at Hazaribagh

Town falling under Hazaribagh district of

Jharkhand state in Dhanbad Division of East

Central Railway as on 15.05.2021, Indian

Railways commissioned Wi-Fi at 6,000 Railway

stations.

Indian Railways have started its Journey by

providing Wi-Fi facility at 1st Railway station

Mumbai in January 2016. The Wi-Fi facility at

Railway Stations meets the objectives of the

aspiring Digital India Program of Government of

India.

This will bridge the digital divide between the

rural and urban citizens thereby increasing the

digital footprint in the rural villages and also

enhance the user experience. Wi-Fi facility is

being provided by Indian railways at 6000

stations now.

Provision of Wi-Fi facilities at Railway stations on

self sustainable basis with no cost to the

Railways.

This facility was provided with the help of RailTel,

a PSU under Ministry of Railways. This task was

carried out in partnership with Google, DOT

(under USOF), PGCIL and Tata Trust.

Government took Steps to ensure

availability of fertilizers to farmers Government of India is making available

fertilizers, namely Urea and 22 grades of

Phosphatic & Potassic (P&K) fertilizers including

Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), Muriate of

Potash (MOP) & Single Superphosphate (SSP) to

farmers at subsidized prices through fertilizer

manufacturers/ importers.

The subsidy on P&K fertilizers is being governed

by Nutrient based subsidy (NBS) Scheme w.e.f

01.04.2010.

The NBS Scheme for fertilizer is being

implemented by the Department of Fertilizers.

Under the NBS Policy, a fixed rate of subsidy (in

Rs. per Kg basis) is announced on nutrients

namely Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P), Potash (K)

and Sulphur (S) by the Government on annual

basis. The per Kg subsidy rates on the nutrient N,

P, K, S is converted into per Tonne subsidy on

the various P&K fertilizers covered under NBS

Policy.

Any variant of the fertilizers covered under the

subsidy scheme with micronutrients namely

Boron and Zinc, is eligible for a separate per

tonne subsidy to encourage their application

along with primary nutrients.

MRP of P&K fertilizers has been left open and

fertilizer manufacturers/marketers are allowed

to fix the MRP at reasonable rates. In effect, the

domestic prices are determined by demand

supply mechanism.

Natural ways to boost your immunity In the ongoing COVID pandemic, people have

turned towards natural methods to boost their

immunity. Ancient Indian methods have also

come to the fore during the fight against the

disease and improve the health from within.

In the ongoing pandemic, the government too

recommended several traditional ways and

means to boost the immunity.

COVID-19 majorly impacts the lungs and people

have breathing issues. Recently, the shortage of

oxygen was also a major concern.

The increased use of plastic in the form of plastic

covering like Masks and PPE kits will harm the

environment in the longer run.

Traditional and environmentally sustainable

means can go a long way in better preparing us

to fight COVID-19.


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COVID-19 vaccine does not damage

the placenta in pregnancy Recently, a new Northwestern Medicine study of

placentas from patients who received the COVID-

19 vaccine during pregnancy found no evidence

of injury, adding to the growing literature that

COVID-19 vaccines are safe in pregnancy.

Placenta is a key organ in pregnancy. The

placenta is the first organ that forms during

pregnancy.

It performs duties for most of the foetus’s organs

while they are still forming, such as providing

oxygen while the lungs develop and nutrition

while the gut is forming.

Additionally, the placenta manages hormones

and the immune system, and tells the mother’s

body to welcome and nurture the foetus rather

than reject it as a foreign intruder.

Online course to train and certify

Officers in Network Security Recently government inaugurated an online

certificate course on Network Security on the

occasion of World Telecommunication and

Information Society Day.

The Course was organised by the National

Telecommunications Institute for Policy

Research, Innovation and Training (NTIPRIT), the

premier training institute of Department of

Telecommunications, Government of India.

This is a 36-hour (12 week) Course to train and

certify Officers in Network Security and is the

first of its kind. While the Course is presently for

DoT Officers, it is proposed to be expanded to

cover other Officers of the Government and

gradually those in the Private Sector also.

Sound Telecom Network Security is a result of

collaborative efforts of Telecom Service

Providers (TSPs), various Original Equipment

Manufacturers (OEMs) and DoT officers,

including those in the field (LSAs).

Manipur launched a mobile app for

delivering veggies at home The Chief Minister of Manipur recently launched

a smartphone application for home delivery of

fresh vegetables to ensure that people get fresh

vegetables at their doorsteps during the COVID-

19 induced curfew.

The MOMA market mobile application is

available for download at

www.momamarket.com and will be available on

Google Play store soon, according to a statement

released by the CM’s office, with an iOS version

coming soon.

Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA), a unit

of the state horticulture and soil conservation

department launched the app under the CM’s

supervision to make fresh vegetables available

for day-to-day consumption and to reduce the

distress sales of farm produce during the COVID-

19 pandemic lockdown.

MOMA has been assigned to work in the area

and channelize farm produce to consumers via

home delivery in order to prevent vegetable

losses and COVID-19 spread.

Farmers Producer Companies (FPCs) working

with MOMA will harvest vegetables from various

farms. It will then be transported to cold storage

and warehouses at the department’s complex in

Sanjenthong and other locations.

WHO to announce system to name

virus variants ‘like hurricanes’ The World Health Organisation (WHO) is going to

unveil a system of naming viruses that would be

inspired from the way tropical storms are

named.


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The initiative, similar to how hurricanes are

labelled, seeks to remove stigma. It will also be

easier for the lay public to remember rather than

these complicated lineage numbers.

The WHO and health and science agencies

across the world refer to viruses and their

variants by formal lineage names, which are a

combination of letters and names that point to

the relationships between different variants.

Variants such as B.1.1.7 and B.1.617 suggest that

they have certain mutations in common and as

well clues to their evolutionary history.

However, because virus names and their

associated diseases have frequently been named

after geographical places where outbreaks were

first reported or samples first isolated — such as

the West Nile virus or Ebola. 1.1.7 started to be

known as the ‘U.K. variant’ and B.1.351 as the

‘South African’ variant.

The dilemma of having names that don’t

stigmatise places but also are amenable to

popular use has to an extent been solved by the

system of naming hurricanes, or tropical

cyclones. The World Meteorological Organisation

leaves it to countries that surround a particular

ocean basin to come up with names.

Jharkhand got 1st rank for

implementing Smart City Mission

schemes Jharkhand has clinched the first position in the

recent ranking released by the Union Ministry of

Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India

The ranking is based on the progress of the

implementation of the Smart City Mission's

schemes running in different 100 cities of the

Country's 36 states and union territories.

National Smart Cities Mission is an urban

renewal and retrofitting program by the

Government of India with the mission to develop

smart cities across the country, making them

citizen friendly and sustainable.

The Union Ministry of Urban Development is

responsible for implementing the mission in

collaboration with the state governments of the

respective cities.

The mission initially included 100 cities, with the

deadline for completion of the projects set

between 2019 and 2023. The effective combined

completion of all projects is now at 11%.

India is expected to have an urban population of

about 810 million by 2050 from the current level

of 410 million.

At present, the total metropolitan area in India is

estimated at 2.2 lakh square km. Doubling of

population would amount to 74 trillion sq mt of

construction to provide shelters, offices,

factories, shopping, hospitality, and other social

amenities.

INS Rajput Decommissioned on 21

May 2021 The Indian Navy’s first destroyer INS Rajput was

decommissioned at Naval Dockyard,

Visakhapatnam after serving the nation for 41

glorious years on 21 May 2021.

INS Rajput, the lead ship of the Kashin-class

destroyers built by the erstwhile USSR was

commissioned on 04 May 1980.

INS Rajput was constructed in the 61

Communards Shipyard in Nikolaev (present-day

Ukraine) under her original Russian name

‘Nadezhny’ meaning ‘Hope’.

The keel of the ship was laid on 11 Sep 1976 and

she was launched on 17 Sep 1977. The ship was

commissioned as INS Rajput on 04 May 1980 at

Poti, Georgia by IK Gujral.


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Microsoft Will Retire Internet Explorer

11 in June 2022 Microsoft recently announced that the Internet

Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired on

June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows

10.

Legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and

applications will continue to work with Microsoft

Edge’s built-in Internet Explorer mode.

The Internet Explorer (IE) made its debut in 1995

as part of Windows 95 operating system.

Thomas Reardon is known for launching the

Internet Explorer browser in 1995.

The debut of Firefox in 2004 and Google Chrome

in 2008, along with the rise of mobile operating

systems such as Android and iOS started to

make the Internet Explorer less relevant in the

world dominated by smartphones.

Microsoft Edge is a cross-platform web browser

developed by Microsoft. It was first released for

Windows 10 and Xbox One in 2015, then for

Android and iOS in 2017, for macOS in 2019, and

as a preview for Linux in October 2020.

PharmEasy becomes Largest Online

Healthcare Delivery Platform in India PharmEasy has completed the acquisition of

Medlife to become the largest healthcare

delivery platform in India.

PharmEasy, valued at $1.5 billion, became India’s

first e-pharmacy unicorn last month after raising

around $320 million from TPG Growth and

Prosus Ventures.

The global e-pharmacy market, estimated at

$69.7 billion in 2019, is expected to grow 17 per

cent y-o-y to $244 billion in 2027. India's share in

the global market is comparatively small.

In developed countries such as the US and

Europe, e-pharmacy is a flourishing market and

part of the more structured medical services

market. Medicines are prescribed by physicians

and tracked through barcoding to ensure

systematic supply.

Waiting time should not more than 10

seconds per vehicle at toll plazas The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)

has issued guidelines that ensure service time of

not more than 10 seconds per vehicle even

during peak hours at the toll plazas on the

National Highways to enhance smooth and quick

passage of vehicles.

NHAI has successfully transitioned to 100%

cashless tolling from the middle of February

2021, the overall FASTag penetration at NHAI Toll

Plazas has reached 96% and stands at 99% at

many toll plazas.

As per the Ministry of Road Transport &

Highways, the new guidelines will also ensure

seamless flow of traffic at the toll plazas by not

allowing vehicles to queue up more than 100

metres.

Although at most of the toll plazas, there is no

waiting time after mandatory 100% Fastag, even

then if there is a queue of waiting vehicles of

more than 100 metres due to some reason, the

vehicles will be allowed to pass without paying

toll till the queue comes within 100 metres from

the toll booth.

For this purpose, a yellow line at a distance of

100 metres from the toll booth will be marked in

each toll lane. This is to inculcate a further sense

of accountability in toll plaza operators.


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Sanjay Dutt received golden visa from

the United Arab Emirates Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was thrilled to

receive a golden visa for the United Arab

Emirates (UAE).

The main benefit of the visa will be security as

through the issuance of the Golden Visa, the UAE

government has made it clear that they are

committed to providing expatriates, investors

and essentially everyone looking to make the

UAE their home an extra reason to feel secure

about their future.

In 2019, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

implemented a new system for long-term

residence visas, thereby enabling foreigners to

live, work and study in the UAE without the need

of a national sponsor and with 100 per cent

ownership of their business.

The Golden Visa system essentially offers long-

term residency (5 and 10 years) to people

belonging to the following groups: investors,

entrepreneurs, individuals with outstanding

talents the likes of researchers, medical

professionals and those within the scientific and

knowledge fields, and remarkable students.

Indian Broadcasting Foundation to

cover streaming platforms The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) is

expanding its purview to cover digital streaming

platforms and will be renamed the Indian

Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF).

The move would bring broadcasters and OTT

(over-the-top) platforms, which have seen a

substantial jump in their viewership base after

the pandemic, under one roof.

For this, the IBDF was in the process of forming a

new wholly-owned subsidiary to handle all

matters of digital media.

The IBDF would also form a self-regulatory body,

the Digital Media Content Regulatory Council

(DMCRC), for digital OTT platforms.

Indian Broadcasting Foundation also known as

(IBF) is a unified representative body of the

television broadcasters in India. The organisation

was founded in the year 1999.

Over 250 Indian television channels are

associated with it. The organisation is credited as

the spokesman of India Broadcasting Industry.

The IBF is the parent organisation of the

Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC)

which was set up in the year 2011. The BCCC

examines content-related complaints relating to

all non-news general entertainment channels in

India.

IBF to be renamed as Indian

Broadcasting and Digital Foundation The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), the

apex body of broadcasters, is being renamed as

Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation

(IBDF).

IBDF is in the process of forming a new wholly-

owned subsidiary to handle all matters

pertaining to digital media.

IBDF will also form a Self-Regulatory Body (SRB),

as per the Information Technology (Intermediary

Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules,

2021 as notified by the Government of India on

25th February 2021.

This industry-led SRB called Digital Media

Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC) for digital

OTT platforms, which is a second-tier mechanism

at the appellate level is similar to Broadcast

Content Complaint Council (BCCC), which IBF had

successfully implemented for the linear

broadcasting sector way back in 2011.


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GoM to examine GST exemption for

Covid relief material Union Finance Ministry has constituted a Group

of Ministers, GoM to look into the matter of

concessions and exemptions from GST to COVID

relief materials.

The 43rd GST Council which met recommended

the constitution of a GoM to examine into the

needs for further relief to COVID-19 related

individual items.

The Council also extended full exemption from

Integrated GST on COVID-19 related medical

goods for free distribution till the end of August

this year.

The Anti-fungal drug Amphotericin-B was also

included in the list of medical supplies covered

under this relief. The GoM will submit its report

to the GST Council latest by 8th of next month.

The GoM is constituted of total eight members

including Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat

Nitinbhai Patel, Deputy Chief Minister of

Maharashtra Ajit Pawar, Transport Minister of

Goa Mauvin Godinho and State Finance

Ministers of Kerala, Odisha, Telangana, and Uttar

Pradesh.

Green zone sites for NPNT compliant

drone operations Ministry of Civil Aviation has granted permission

of “No-Permission-No-Take off' (NPNT) compliant

drone operations at 166 additional green zones

to facilitate, smoothen, and promote drone

operations in the country.

The approved sites allow drone usage up to 400

ft Above Ground Level (AGL). These zones are in

addition to the Sixty-Six green zone sites

approved earlier.

The list of the approved green zone sites can be

accessed from the Digital Sky Platform

(https://digitalsky.dgca.gov.in).

As per DGCA, under “NPNT or ‘No Permission –

No Take-off’ compliance, every Remotely Piloted

Aircraft (except Nano) has to obtain valid

permission through the Digital Sky platform

before operating in India.

The framework mandates users to register on

the online portal that acts as the national

unmanned traffic management system for

remotely piloted aircraft.

Flying in these approved ‘green-zones’ will

require only intimation of the time and location

of the flights via the Digital Sky portal or the app.

Drone flights in the green zone sites shall be

compliant with the Unmanned Aircraft System

(UAS) Rules, 2021 dated 12th March 2021 and

other relevant orders/ guidelines issued by the

Ministry of Civil Aviation.