Current Affairs 6 May 2023

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

AHDF KCC Campaign launched to provide KCC to all eligible farmers engaged in AHDFOn May 3rd 2023, the nationwide AHDF KCC Campaign for 2023-24 has been launched by Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (FAHD) to provide Kisan Credit Card (KCC) facility to all eligible farmers engaged in Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fishery (AHDF) Farmers.

• The campaign has been launched as part of AazadiKaAmritMahostav.

About AHDF KCC Campaign: 
The Nationwide AHDF KCC Campaign is organised by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in association with the Department of Fisheries (DOF) and the Department of Financial Services (DFS) from 1st May 2023 to 31st March 2024 to expand the benefit of KCC to all eligible animal husbandry, dairy and fishery farmers, in order to improve the income of the farmers by avoiding the financial uncertainties faced by them.
In March 2023, DFS issued detailed guidelines for organising the campaign to banks and state governments
Key Points:
i. The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAHD) in association with DFS are organising various campaigns since June 2020 for providing KCC facilities to all eligible Animal Husbandry and Fishery Farmers.
Note: The recent Nationwide AHDF KCC Campaign has been held from 15.11.2021 to 15.03.2023.
ii. More than 27 lakh fresh KCC have already been sanctioned to Animal Husbandry and Fishery Farmers as a result of the campaign, and under the scheme, an organisational credit facility is provided to the farmers to meet their working capital requirements.
About KCC Scheme:
i. KCC Scheme aims to provide sufficient and timely credit support from the banking system under a single window with simplified and flexible procedures to the farmers.
ii. The purpose of the scheme is to meet the limited credit requirements for cultivation of crops, post-harvest expenses, working capital for maintenance of farm assets and all the activities associated with agriculture and investment credit requirements for agriculture and associated activities.

CEA Report: India to have 41 GW of energy storage capacity by 2029-30According to the “Report on Optimal Generation Capacity Mix for 2030 version 2.0” published by the Central Electricity Authority(CEA) under the Ministry of Power, in April 2023, India is projected to have 41 Gigawatt (GW) of energy storage capacity along with 777GW of total installed power capacity by 2029-30.

• The report was prepared by the CEA team headed by Chief Engineer Ammi Ruhama Toppo.
• The study is an exercise to assess the least cost generation capacity mix to meet the projected Electricity Demand for 2029-30.

Highlights: 
i.The report stated that under the base case scenario, where the total fossil fuel and non-fossil fuel capacities are assumed to be 276 GW and 500 GW, respectively, India will require 41.65 GW/208.25 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to meet its electricity demand in 2029-30.

• This was concluded based on the hourly dispatch studies and the ‘capacity mix obtained from long-term studies.
• The report also studies the installed capacities and the corresponding BESS requirements under four different scenarios – conservative, higher demand, higher hydro, and higher BESS cost assumptions.

ii.The report has projected an increase in electricity generation from non-fossil fuels(including large hydropower plants) from 25% in 2022-23 to 44% by 2030.
iii.The non-fossil fuel-based sources would increase from 41% in March 2022 to 64% in March 2030. The total installed power capacity would rise to 777 GW by 2030.
Targets:
i.The electricity generation would increase to 2.4 trillion units, of which 1.3 trillion would come from thermal, and 1 trillion from non-fossil fuels.

• The 1 trillion units from non-fossil fuels include 212 billion from hydro, 208 billion from wind, 553 billion from solar, 92 billion from nuclear and 10 billion from other Renewable Energy (RE) sources.

ii.With high renewables penetration in the system, India is set to meet the Nationally Determined Contribution target of 50% non-fossil fuel capacity.
Note: Between 2005 and 2022, India’s per capita electricity consumption doubles from 631 units to 1255 units, with this, India became the 3rd largest electricity market in the world.

Shantanu Thakur flags off MV-ITT LION (V-273) from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, KolkataOn May 4, 2023, the Minister of State (MoS) Shantanu Thakur, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways flagged off MV-ITT LION (V-273) from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (West Bengal), a first shipment to operationalize the Sittwe Port in the Rakhine State of Myanmar.

• It should be noted that this port in Myanmar has been built under grant assistance from the Government of India as part of Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP).  The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was the Project Development Consultant for the implementation of Port and Inland Water Transport (IWT) components of the work has been successfully completed.

Key Points:
i.MV-ITT LION (V-273) carrying 20,000 bags containing 1,000 metric tonnes of cement will reach Sittwe Port on May 9, 2023.
ii.Sittwe port will make Sittwe a maritime hub for Myanmar and enhance the regional connectivity by enhancing trade, commerce and economic ties with Myanmar, our North-Eastern States and South Asian Countries.
iii.Sittwe Port has been developed under a framework agreement between India and Myanmar for the construction and operation of a Multimodal Transit Transport Facility on Kaladan river connecting the Sittwe port in Myanmar with the state of Mizoram in India.

• The port connects to Paletwa in Myanmar through an inland waterway and from Paletwa to Zorinpui in Mizoram through a road component.

Participants during the flagging off ceremony:
Tin Moe Consul General, Consulate General of Myanmar in Kolkata; Sanjay Bandhopadhayay, Chairman, IWAI, PL Haranadh, Chairman Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, among others.

Union Minister Nityanand Rai inaugurated Dawki land port in MeghalayaOn 4th May 2023, The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai inaugurated the Dawki land port in West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya in the presence of Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar to promote trade and commerce between India and Bangladesh.

• The land port is also expected to boost the tourism and business sectors.

Key People:
The inauguration was also attended by Kumar Verma, India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay, Mohd Alamgir, Chairman Land Port Authority of Bangladesh, Aditya Mishra, Chairman of LPAI (Land Ports Authority of India), and other senior officials of the Government of Meghalaya.
Location:
The Dawki land port is located nearly 55 km from Jowai (the district headquarters of West Jaintia Hills), and about 84 km from Meghalaya’s capital Shillong. The corresponding Land Port in Bangladesh is Tamabil, located in the Sylhet district.
Facilities of the Port:
The Dawki land port has good infrastructure with an abundance of facilities such as a godown, canteen, cargo for tourists and electric substation.
It will serve as an important trade and transportation centre between India and Bangladesh and will ease the movement of goods, people and vehicles across the border.
It will also promote passenger movement across the border.
About Meghalaya:
Capital– Shillong
Chief Minister– Conrad Kongkal Sangma
Governor– Phagu Chauhan
Wildlife Sanctuary– Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, Narpuh Wildlife Sanctuary

President Murmu visits Odisha, launched Addiction Free Odisha” Campaign in Mayurbhanj

On 4th May 2023, During her 3-day (4th to 6th May 2023) visit to Odisha, Droupadi Murmu, the President of India, launched the “Addiction Free Odisha” campaign of Brahma Kumaris Centre at Hatbadra, Mayurbhanj, Odisha.

• Droupadi Murmu stated that addiction is a disorder, which is a social, economic, physical and mental curse. Brahma Kumaris Centre is engaged in building a healthy society through spirituality.
• On 4th May 2023, President Droupadi Murmu laid the foundation stones for the Skill Training Hub and Community Centre at Pahadpur in Mayurbhanj.
• On 5th May 2023, President paid tribute to Pandit Raghunath Murmu on his birth anniversary. Later, she also visited the Similipal Sanctuary, Mayurbhanj.
• On 6th May 2023, President will grace the 12th convocation of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University at Baripada.

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviews ‘Food Street Project’ to develop 100 Healthy and Hygienic Food Streets across India

Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), reviewed the ‘Food Street Project’ aimed at developing 100 healthy and hygienic food streets across India with senior officers of the MoHFW and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The initiative will be implemented through National Health Mission (NHM) in convergence with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) apart from FSSAI’s technical support.

• The project aims to promote safe and healthy food practices, reduce foodborne illnesses, and enhance overall health outcomes.
• NHM would provide Rs 1 crore to operationalise per food street as a pilot project to support 100 such food streets at different locations across India.
• The provision of safe drinking water, handwashing stations, restrooms, and suitable liquid and solid waste disposal would all be covered financially.
• These initiatives provide certification under the Clean Street Food Hub initiative of the Eat Right India movement.

Dr Chintan Vaishnav & Durga Jasraj launches “UPAJ: A Festival of Innovations in Arts”

Dr Chintan Vaishnav, Chair of Startup20, G20(Group of 20) along with Durga Jasraj, founder of Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation, launched the “UPAJ: A Festival of Innovations in Arts” during the event held in the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, New Delhi, Delhi.

• The event was a part of the World Intellectual Property (IP) Day 2023 (26th April 2023) celebration organised by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks.
• The UPAJ festival is scheduled for the 1st week of July 2023, the same week as the G20 Startup20 summit.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and NITI Aayog hosted a panel discussion on the Importance and Challenges of Protecting Innovation in Performance Arts.

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI, BISIH Jointly Launches G20 TechSprint 2023; RBI Updates KYC instructions on Wire TransfersOn May 4, 2023, under India’s G20 presidency, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the BIS Innovation Hub (BISIH) of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) jointly launched the  G20 TechSprint 2023, 4th edition of the global technology hackathon for innovators, to promote innovative solutions aimed at ‘Transforming cross-border payments’.

• The competition is open to developers from around the world for submitting applications from May 4, 2023, to June 4, 2023, and it will conclude in Q3 2023 (i.e. around August/ September 2023).
• The 2023 TechSprint will focus on three problem statements on cross-border payments.

-RBI updates KYC instructions on wire transfers
On May 4, 2023, RBI updated its instructions in the Master Direction (MD) on Know Your Customer (KYC) related to wire transfers and also aligned the same with the relevant recommendation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

• Through the amendment, RBI mandates all banks, and financial institutions in the country to ensure all wire transfers such as domestic as well as international contain complete information about the originator and beneficiary to prevent them from being used as a channel for money laundering, and terrorist financing platforms.

About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment – 1st April 1935
>> Read Full News

Capital SFB Partners with Max Life Insurance to Offer Life Insurance SolutionsCapital Small Finance Bank (SFB), India’s 1st SFB, and Max Life Insurance Company Limited entered into a partnership to offer life insurance offerings to Capital SFB’s customers.

• Under the partnership, Capital SFB will offer a range of savings, protection, retirement, and group life insurance plans of Max Life to its customers.

Key Points:
i.This partnership is a part of Capital SFB’s continual efforts to assist its customers in achieving a stable financial future.
ii.Capital SFB operated as a local area bank before conversion, and it focuses on the middle-income group customer segment, with a special focus on rural and semi-urban areas, via an optimum ‘phygital’ distribution of their products and services.
iii.The Capital SFB’s partnership with Max Life will enable the bank’s customers across branches and other partnership channels, to access and avail of innovative, flexible and varied life insurance products.
Note – Prior to Max Life, Capital SFB also partnered with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance and HDFC life insurance to provide their life insurance products to its customers.
About Capital Small Finance Bank Ltd:
MD & CEO – Sarvjit Singh Samra
Establishment – April 24, 2016
Headquarters – Jalandhar, Punjab

India, Russia Agreed to Explore RuPay and Mir cards for Easy PaymentsIn the recently held high-level Internal Governmental Commission meeting on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), India and Russia discussed and agreed to explore the possibility of accepting RuPay (India) and Mir cards (Russia) in each other’s country for hassle-free payments.

• The meeting was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Russia Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.

Benefits:
The mutual acceptance of both RuPay and Mir Card will help Indian and Russian citizens to make hassle-free payments in Indian rupees and Russian rubles in their respective countries.
Key Points:
i.Both nations also agreed to explore the possibility of interaction of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Faster Payments System (FPS) of the Bank of Russia.
ii.India has also agreed to look at adopting the Russian financial messaging system, the Services Bureau of Financial Messaging System of the Bank of Russia, for cross-border payments.
Note
i.Presently the overseas payments from India and vice versa are happening through the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) network.
ii.In February 2023, The Prime Minister (PM) of India, Narendra Modi, and the PM of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong launched real-time payment linkage between the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India and PayNow of Singapore.

• Which now enables people in both nations to undertake faster and cost-efficient digital transfers. Click here to know more

Additional info:

• RuPay card, a first-of-its-kind global Card payment network of India, was launched by NPCI for all Indian banks.
• Mir card, launched in 2017, is a Russian card payment system for electronic fund transfers established by the Central Bank of Russia.

Vishesh: HDFC Bank launches programme for customers in semi-urban and ruralOn May 4, 2023, the HDFC Bank launched its customised retail banking programme ‘Vishesh’ for customers in semi-urban and rural (SURU) geographies.

• As a part of this, the bank plans to open more than 675 branches in these areas in FY24, onboard around 1 lakh new customers, and launch customized products and financial solutions for this market segment.
• With this program, the bank will also meet some of its Priority Sector Lending (PSL) targets.

Features of Vishesh:
i.Through this program the bank will understand the different needs of 5 important segments viz. farmers, merchants, micro enterprises, government salaried people.
ii.Features of the programme include a dedicated personal banker; facility extendable to 8 family members; up to 50% discount on processing fees in gold loan and 50% waiver on valuation (once a year); and up to 50% off on processing fees on construction equipment, tractors, personal, business, auto and two-wheeler loans.

• It also offers daily Hospicash benefits (up to 5 days), annual preventive health check-up up to Rs 3,000; one annual complimentary and cashless health check-up; unlimited Tele Health consultation, and a host of agritech services.

iii.There will also be a customer engagement model to felicitating rural seniors such as sarpanches, teachers, and key officials to acknowledge the growth and progress of villages.
Additional info:
i.HDFC Bank already has a ‘Classic’ programme for HNI (High Net worth Individuals).
ii.As of March 31, 52% of the bank’s 7,821 branches are in rural and semi-urban locations.

• The bank had 7,821 branches and 19,727 automated teller machines across 3,811 cities and towns in India.

About HDFC Bank Ltd:
MD & CEO – Sashidhar Jagdishan
Established– 1994
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Tagline– We Understand Your World

Indian embassy in Nepal ink MoU with STMHF for Distribution of LPG Stoves, Cylinders On May 4, 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Embassy of India, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Sushila Thakur Memorial Health Foundation (STMHF), for distribution of LPG(Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Stoves & Cylinders in Mahottari District, Nepal with the Indian grant assistance of ~ Nepalese Rupees (NRs) 50 million under India-Nepal Development Cooperation.
Key Points:
i.This project will benefit nearly 8000 underprivileged and marginalized families of 5 Municipalities in Mahottari District, Madhesh Pradesh of Nepal.
ii.The project is based on the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme initiated by the Government of India (GoI) which provide clean cooking fuel like LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) to deprived rural households that were previously reliant on traditional fuels like coal, firewood, and cow-dung cakes.
iii.Since 2003, India has undertaken more than 535 High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) in Nepal, of which 478 have been completed. Out of these, 81 are situated in Mahdesh Pradesh, including six in the Mahottari District.

• GoI has also donated 23 ambulances to various hospitals and health centers in Mahottari District.

About Nepal:
President– Ram Chandra Poudel
Prime Minister– Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Currency– Nepalese Rupee
Capital– Kathmandu

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Three Imprisoned Iranian women journalists receive 2023 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize

On May 2, 2023, the United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced three imprisoned Iranian women journalists – Niloofar Hamedi, Elaheh Mohammadi, and Narges Mohammadi as the laureates of the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, an award that celebrates press freedom.

• The three journalists were selected following the recommendation of an international jury of media professionals.
• The Award Ceremony took place on 2 May 2023 in New York, United States of America (USA) in the presence of Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO.

About the Awardees:
The Three Journalists were imprisoned at the Evin Prison which is located in Tehran,Iran.Evin Prison has been accused of committing “serious human rights abuses” against its political dissidents and critics of the government.
i.Niloofar Hamedi: She is a writer in the leading reformist daily newspaper Shargh. She revealed the news of the death of Mahsa Amini, the young woman who died in detention on 16 September 2022, three days after being arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly failing to properly cover her hair.
ii.Elaheh Mohammadi: She writes for the reformist newspaper, Ham-Mihan, covering social issues and gender equality. She reported on Masha Amini’s funeral.

• Both of them detained in solitary confinement in Iran’s Evin Prison since September 2022.

Award won: Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi are joint winners of both the 2023 International Press Freedom Award by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), and Harvard’s 2023 Louis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism.

• They were also named as two of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023.

iii.Narges Mohammadi: She has worked as a journalist for many years for a range of newspapers and currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in Evin Prison. She interviewed other women prisoners and those were included in her book “White Torture”.

• She is an author and Vice-Director of the Tehran-based civil society organization Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC).
• In 2022, she won the Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) Courage Prize.

About the award:
i.The annual UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was created in 1997 to honours a person, organization or institution which has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger.
ii.The award was named after Guillermo Cano Isaza, the Colombian journalist who was assassinated in Bogotá, Colombia, on 17 December 1986.
Additional info: In 2021, UNESCO published The Chilling, a study on global trends in online violence against women journalists.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS    

Santiago Peña elected as the next President of ParaguayOn 30th April 2023, former International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist, Santiago Peña, candidate of the ruling conservative Colorado Party won the Paraguay presidential election 2023.

• He took nearly 43% of the votes in the election and defeated centre-left candidate Efraín Alegre, who secured nearly 28% votes.
• Santiago Peña will replace Mario Abdo Benítez who is serving as the President of Paraguay since 2018 to become the youngest President of Paraguay.
• Santiago Peña will take office as the 52nd President of Paraguay on 15th August 2023. He will become the youngest Paraguay President since the return of democracy in 1989.

Note: For more than 70 years, Paraguay’s political landscape has been dominated by the Colorado Party.
About Santiago Peña:
i. Santiago Peña, born on 16 November 1978, is a Paraguayan economist and former Minister of Finance with domestic and international experience in policy design and implementation.
ii. In 2000, he began working at the Central Bank of Paraguay in the research division.
iii. In 2009, he was hired by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and moved to Washington, D.C., USA, where he worked as an economist responsible for countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
iv. He was appointed a Member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Paraguay in 2012 and as Minister of Finance responsible for the economic policy design and implementation of the government in 2015.
v. Santiago Peña resigned as Minister of Finance in June 2017 in order to participate in the Colorado Party’s primaries that took place in December 2017 as a presidential candidate.
vi. Currently, he works in the finance sector in Paraguay and regularly contributes to different projects in Paraguay and the region.
About the Republic of Paraguay:
President- Mario Abdo Benítez
Capital- Asunción
Currency- Paraguayan Guarani      

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Dhruva Space successfully tests its Satellite Orbital Deployers & Orbital Link On 3rd May 2023, Dhruva Space Private Limited announced the successful test and space qualification of its 2 satellite orbital deployers – 3U Satellite Orbital Deployer (DSOD-3U), 6U Satellite Orbital Deployer (DSOD-6U) and its orbital link Dhruva Space Orbital Link (DSOL) launched aboard Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) PSLV-C55 mission.

• The Dhurva Space’s payload utilised the PSLV(Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) Orbital Experimental Module-2 (POEM-2) which was launched as a part of the PSLV-C55 mission.
• POEM-2 enables the conduct of scientific experiments in orbit using the spent PS4 stage as an orbital platform.
• PSLV-C55 mission was launched on 22nd April 2023 from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh (AP)

Key Points:
i.Satellite orbital deployers are the mechanical casings in which CubeSats, nano satellites with the dimensions of 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm sit when a launch takes place.
ii.DSOD-3U is an extension of its DSOD-1U, which was successfully tested in June 2022 on ISRO’s PSLV-C53 and used to deploy the two Thybolt nanosats in 2022.

• DSOD-6U was tested for storage and delayed deployment of cubesats in LEO (lower earth orbits) or higher orbits.

iii.DSOL, a configurable transceiver was made for telemetry, telecommand and control, and payload data download with high data rates with successful reception confirmed from ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry Tracking & Command Network), Port Blair ground station.
About Dhruva Space:
CEO– Sanjay Nekkanti
Headquarters– Hyderabad, Telangana

Union Minister for MSME Narayan Rane launched the IHD platform in Health SectorOn May 3rd 2023, the Union Minister Narayan Rane, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), launched the India Health Dialogue (IHD) platform in New Delhi, Delhi (at Indian Council of Medical Research( ICMR), AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) Delhi) for enhancing MSMEs in healthcare and boost the export development in Health domain to make India the global manufacturing centre and self-reliant(AtmaNirbhar Bharat).

• Ministry of MSME  has  identified  health as a target sector  for import substitution and is partnering with IHD to promote advance manufacturing capabilities among MSME’s.

India Health Dialogue (IHD) platform:
i. The India Health dialogue is a global initiative of India Chamber of Business and Commerce in collaboration with ICMR, Indian Medical Association(IMA) and supported by Ministry of MSME, Government of India to build a strong ecosystem to reform the future health and health care sector.
ii. IHD is designed as an integrated platform to import changes and help achieve self-reliance in the healthcare sector through advanced technologies and innovations.
Advantages:
i. As the import costs under the health sector are higher, the government aims to increase domestic production and reduce imports via IHD.
ii. It also serves as a great opportunity for the state governments to produce and use all the required goods locally in their respective states.

ENVIRONMENT

L.chalukyae & L. gomantaki: CSIR-CCMB Scientists discovered 2 New Species of Spiny Clam Shrimps in Karnataka & Goa

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) Scientists have discovered 2 new species of Spiny Clam Shrimps (or Spinicaudatans) – “Leptestheria chalukyae” and “Leptestheria gomantaki” from Karnataka and Goa respectively, which are genetically distinct from other known Indian species.

• The two new species are part of the Leptestheriidae family, one of 35 currently known species of clam shrimps.
• Leptestheria chalukyae was named after the Chalukya dynasty, which ruled large parts of mediaeval southern and central India with its capital at Badami in Karnataka, where the specimens were found.
• Leptestheria gomantaki has been named after Goa, where it was discovered.

The 2 new species were discovered by a team led by Sameer Padhye, a data analyst with Ahmednagar-based Biologia Life Science LLP, and Mihir Kulkarni, a researcher with the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species at Hyderabad’s CSIR-CCMB.

• The findings of their study were published on 13 April in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of the Midwife – May 5 2023International Day of the Midwife (IDM) is annually observed across the globe on 5th May to celebrate and recognise the contribution of midwives across the world.

• The day celebrates the achievements of the midwives towards improving newborn, maternal, reproductive, and sexual health outcomes.

Midwives are the healthcare professionals who provide support and care for women during pregnancy, labour and birth.
The theme of the IDM 2023 is “Together again: from evidence to reality”.
Background:
The idea of the “International Day of the Midwife”- a day to recognize and honour midwives – came out of the 1987 International Confederation of Midwives(ICM) conference in the Netherlands.

• The International Midwives’ Day was first celebrated on 5th May 1991, and has been observed in over 50 nations around the world.

About the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM):
President– Dr Franka Cadée
Headquarters– the Hague, the Netherlands
>> Read Full News

World Hand Hygiene Day 2023 – May 5World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) is a global healthcare event observed on 5th May to raise awareness and spread the importance of handwashing to prevent the spread of infections. The day also aims to unite people together to support hand hygiene improvement around the world.

• The campaign slogan for WHHD 2023 is “Accelerate action together. SAVE LIVES – Clean Your Hands”
• The campaign theme/theme of WHHD 2023 is “Together, we can accelerate action to prevent infections and antimicrobial resistance in health care and build a culture of safety and quality in which hand hygiene improvement is given high priority.”

The annual observance of the WHHD is led by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Background:
WHO launched an annual global campaign in 2009 called “Save Lives: Clean Your Hands,” which is celebrated as World Hand Hygiene Day on May 5th to spread the importance of hand hygiene in healthcare globally.
About World Health Organization (WHO):
Founded in- 1948
Director General- Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland
>> Read Full News

African World Heritage Day 2023 – May 5African World Heritage Day is annually observed across the globe on May 5 to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the cultural and natural heritage of Africa.
African World Heritage Day 2023 was observed on 5th May 2023. 

• The day is celebrated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) and its partners.

Aim- UNESCO aims to promote greater cooperation for the preservation of African heritage at the local, regional, and global levels. It particularly aims to focus on youth.
i. The 38th session of the UNESCO General Conference in November 2015 proclaimed May 5 of every year as African World Heritage Day.

• It was proclaimed as an opportunity for people around the world, particularly Africans, to celebrate the continent’s unique cultural and natural heritage.

ii. The 1st ever African World Heritage Day was observed on 5th May 2016.
About the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Director-General- Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters- Paris, France
Establishment- 1945 (came into force in 1946)
>> Read Full News

World Cartoonist’s Day 2023 – May 5World Cartoonist’s Day is annually observed across the globe on May 5 to celebrate the art of cartooning and the creative minds behind it. The day recognises cartoonists and their creations, which have provided entertainment and commentary on society for over a century.

• World Cartoonist’s Day 2023 was observed on 5th May 2023.

Significance:
The day celebrates how cartoons have shaped the media environment by offering commentary on current events, social issues, and popular culture.
Background:
i. On 5th May 1895, the 1st commercially successful cartoon appeared on the pages of the New York World.

• A single-strip, full-colour drawing of a child with big ears, no shoes, and a mischievous expression was published in The New York World.
• The very first commercially successful cartoon was this comic strip (originally titled “Hogan’s Alley” and later “The Yellow Kid“) by American comic strip author and illustrator Richard Outcault.

ii. World Cartoonist Day was established in 1990 by the National Cartoonist Society (NCS) to honour the people doing the hard work of cartooning.
History:
i. During World War II, a group of talented cartoonists, including Gus Edson, Otto Soglow, Clarence D. Russell, and Bob Dunn, decided to entertain the troops by putting on brief comic performances in hospitals.
ii. As a result of the overwhelmingly positive response, the group quickly expanded their performances to include military bases across the United States of America (USA).
iii. In 1946, the group of cartoonists established the National Cartoonists Society (NCS), a club which was suggested by an American cartoonist Clarence D. Russell.
About the National Cartoonists Society (NCS):
The National Cartoonists Society is the world’s largest and most prestigious organisation of professional cartoonists.
President- Jason Chatfield
Headquarters- Florida, USA

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