Current Affairs 7 & 8 May 2023

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Ex Agni Daman-23: Civil – Military Agencies Combat Fire TogetherOn 28th April 2023, A mutual firefighting Exercise named ‘Agni Daman-23’ was conducted to raise awareness and train the personnel of both civil and military agencies on firefighting at 29 Field Ammunition Depot, Dehu Road under the aegis of Headquarter Southern Command, Pune (Maharashtra).

• The exercise showcased teamwork of all the firefighting resources available with the Military and Civil establishment in Pune.

Reason behind this Exercise:
The extremely high-temperature conditions in and around Pune have severely increased the fire hazard factor. So, in order to overcome this disastrous situation this exercise was held which utilized the capabilities of combined forces of all agencies including military and civil to combat fire together.
Participants:
A total of 56 firefighting columns including 32 from civil agencies like the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), Fire Department Pimpri Chinchwad, Nagar Parishad Chakan, Tata Motors Ltd, Mahindra Vehicle Ltd, Bajaj Auto, among others participated in the exercise.
Key Points:
i.During the exercise drills and procedures including swift response strategy against all types of fire were rehearsed in a coordinated manner.
ii.It empowered combatant manpower, including central/state agencies, to coordinate firefighting efforts and provide maximum aid to save lives and valuable assets in affected areas.

BEL signs MoU with Emjay Contro Systems to Manufacture Electro-Mechanical BollardsBharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bengaluru (Karnataka) based Emjay Control Systems Pvt Ltd, to jointly manufacture and develop business for state-of-the-art, electro-mechanical bollards for use in various defence, homeland security, paramilitary, and export projects.
Key Features of the Bollard:
i.The bollards would safeguard vital installations by pre-empting the unauthorised entry of heavy vehicles.
ii.The bollards are built to withstand the impact of IED(Improvised Explosive Device)-laden vehicles weighing from 24,000 to 1,50,000 kg and coming in at alarming speeds of 80 to 100 km/h.
iii.The company designed the bollards indigenously, agreeing with the government’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat policies.
What is a bollard?
A bollard is a sturdy, short, vertical post which is installed to control road traffic and prevent automotive vehicles from colliding or crashing into pedestrians and structures.
In the case of an Electric bollard, an electric motor moves the piston in the cylinder to raise and lower the bollard.
About Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL):
It is a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Defence
Chairman & Managing Director (Additional Charge)  – Bhanu Prakash Srivastava
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
Establishment – 1954

Union Govt Constitutes 11-member Committee to Restructure 94-years-old ICARThe Union Government has formed an 11-member high-level committee under the chairmanship of Sanjay Garg, Additional Secretary(AS) of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DPRE) & Secretary, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), to restructure the 94-year-old ICAR, which was established in 1929, to meet the objective of Amrit Kaal.

• The committee was formed on April 24, 2023, and it would submit the report within 30 days.

Backdrop:
i.Earlier, the union government constituted the committees under Dr MS Swaminathan and Dr RA Mashlekar. However, their recommendation was never implemented.
ii.Recently, Dr K Ramasamy, a former Vice Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and member of ICAR-Academic Infrastructure, also recommended restructuring of ICAR. Thus the new 11-member committee was formed to restructure the ICAR.

Terms of Reference (ToR): The committee would make recommendations for rationalising and right-sizing ICAR so as to transform it into a dynamic, lean and efficient organisation.

Other Members:
i.The other members of the committee include the Financial Adviser to ICAR, the Deputy Director General (DDG)(Natural Resource Management) of ICAR, DDG (Fisheries Science), the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and the Department of Fisheries will be represented by an officer of Joint Secretary from each department.
ii.Senior Adviser of NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) Dr. Neelam Patel and Agricultural Economist Dr P.K. Joshi is also a member of the committee. Joint Secretary (Administration) of ICAR has been made the Member Secretary of the Committee.

Amrit Kaal:

• On 15 August 2021, on the event of the 75th year of Independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the term Amrit Kaal for the first time. He also laid out a roadmap for India for the next 25 years, the Amrit Kaal.
• Thus Amrit Kaal is referred to the next 25 years to make India fulfill the aspiration of youths, self-reliance and economic stability.

About Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR):
i.It is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

ii.Established on 16 July 1929 in the name of Imperial Council of Agricultural Research,  as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in pursuance of the report of the Royal Commission on Agriculture.

iii.Being one of the largest national agricultural systems in the world, currently has 111 institutes and 71 agricultural universities under it.

Transactions by CA & CS for Clients are Now Under the ambit of Money Laundering Law

On 4th April 2023, the Union Ministry of Finance notified changes in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, widening its ambit to include the financial transactions facilitated by the Chartered Accountants(CA), Company Secretaries(CS), and Cost and Works Accountants (CWA).

• Following the changes, the financial transitions by these professionals including operating and managing their client firms and trusts, and buying and selling business entities will be now covered under the anti-money laundering law.

Details of the changes in PMLA 2002: 
i.The changes have been made in the sub-clause (vi) of clause (sa) of sub-section (1) of Section 2 of the PMLA, which defines ‘relevant persons’ and firms covered under the anti-money laundering law.
About Ministry of Finance:
Union Minister– Nirmala Sitharaman (Rajya Sabha- Karnataka)
Minister of State– Pankaj Chaudhary (Constituency- Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh) & Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad (Rajya Sabha- Maharashtra)
>> Read Full News

BMC & MGL Partners to set up Asia’s largest bio-gas plant in Mumbai; to Treat 1,000 Tonnes of Wet Waste Daily

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL), a Public Sector Undertaking of the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), are joining hands to set up Asia’s largest bio-gas plant in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The upcoming plant will be able to scientifically treat the segregated 1000 tonnes of wet-waste per day into compressed bio-gas (CBG).

• The proposed plant will recycle 3,500 tonnes of damp, organic, and degradable waste, from the 6,000 tonnes of solid waste that are generated per day in Mumbai.
• The BMC will supply the segregated wet waste to the plant, which MGL will treat to produce gas and supply it back to Mumbai.
• The BMC will provide the land parcel, and MGL will bear the capital expenditure.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

GRFC 2023: People Facing Acute Hunger in 58 Food Crisis Countries Rise to 258 Million in 2022 The flagship publication of the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), ‘Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2023’, estimates that nearly 258 million people (i.e. 22.7% of the analysed population) in 58 food-crisis countries/territories were faced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels (IPC/CH Phase 3-5) in 2022, up from 193 million people in 53 countries and territories in 2021.

• This is the highest number in the 7-year history of the GRFC.
• GRFC 2023, is the 7th edition of the annual report produced by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN), was launched by GNAFC – an international alliance of the United Nations, the European Union, governmental and non-governmental agencies, working to tackle food crises together.

Key Findings of the Report:
i.253 million people were in Stressed (IPC/CH Phase 2) in 41 countries/territories with IPC/CH analyses in 2022. Around 35 million people were in Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) in 39 countries/territories.
ii.As per the report, more than 40% of the population in IPC/CH Phase 3 or above resided in just 5 countries – Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, parts of Nigeria (21 states and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT)), and Yemen.
About Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC):
European Union, World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched the Global Network Against Food Crises at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit (WHS).
It is an alliance of humanitarian and development actors united by the commitment to tackle the root causes of food crises and promote sustainable solutions to end Hunger.
>> Read Full News

WHO launched PRET initiative to be better prepared for future pandemicsOn April 26, 2023 WHO (World Health Organisation) launched a new initiative called PRET (Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats) to ensure the world is prepared for future outbreaks like the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Objective: To help world countries by providing guidance on integrated planning for responding to respiratory pathogens and their recovery by supporting to strengthen the systems and capacities.
• PERT is a Call to Action to accelerate preparedness for pandemics and emerging threats globally.
• The PRET Initiative’s first module focuses on respiratory pathogens, including influenza, coronaviruses, and respiratory syncytial virus.
• The PRET initiative was announced at the Global Meeting for Future Respiratory Pathogen Pandemics held on 24-26 April 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Framework:
A collection of commitments that the countries expected to act on and achieve by December 2023 were described in the PRET monitoring Framework as follows:
i. Updated preparedness plans which affirm priority actions
ii. Improve connectivity among shareholders in pandemic preparedness planning through systematic coordination.
iii. Financing and monitoring of pandemic preparedness with a special focus on bridging the gaps highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Points:
i. PRET, comprises the latest tools and approaches for shared learning and collective action established during the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent public health emergencies.
ii. According to WHO, the PRET Initiative assists in a new era for pandemic preparedness and represents an evolution of WHO’s core activities to support all member states in strengthening Health Emergency Preparedness, Prevention, and Response and Resilience (HEPR).
iii. It also aims to assist in operationalising the aims and provisions of the Pandemic Accord, which is currently being negotiated by WHO Member States.
iv. The Working Group of WHO was also working on the Amendments related to compliance, implementation, and public health responses.
About World Health Organization (WHO):
Established in– 1948
Director-general– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland

BANKING & FINANCE

BharatPe Rebrands Multi-Brand Loyalty Program PAYBACK India as ‘Zillion’

On 4th May 2023, BharatPe Group, a fintech startup, announced the rebranding of its loyalty program, PAYBACK India, the multi-brand loyalty program to “Zillion”. The new web address for Zillion is https://zillionrewards.in/.

• This new brand identity is in line with BharatPe’s vision to make Zillion ubiquitous to loyalty and rewards across India.
• Zillion aims to target customers across age groups and add a new dimension to their overall shopping experience, across categories and brands.
• Zillion will have a wide range of options for customers to earn and redeem points at a variety of partners across India.
• Customers will be able to earn ‘Zillion coins’ across the network of offline and online partners, including groceries, fuel, entertainment, travel, apparel, and more.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS     

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo Tops Forbes’ World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2023According to Forbes’ World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2023, Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) has become the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2023 after he moved to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in January 2023, after his exit from Manchester United, nearly doubling his annual salary to an estimated USD 75 million.

• He topped the list with a total earning of USD 136 million – USD 46 million on-field and USD 90 million off-field.
• He has topped the list for the first time since 2017.

Key Points:
i.Paris-Saint Germain (PSG)’s forward Lionel Messi(Argentina) stands 2nd with a total earning of USD 130 million.
ii.24 years old PSG player and France National football team captain Kylian Mbappé is ranked 3rd with a total earning of USD 120 million. He entered the list of the top 10 for the first time and he is the youngest member (under 30) featured on the 2023 list.

Table Showing Top 5 in The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2023:

The Last 5 in the list include US Golfer Dustin Johnson ($107mn) at 6th position; US Golfer Phil Mickelson ($106mn) at 7th; US Basketball player Stephen Curry ($100.4mn) at 8th; Switzerland’s Tennis player Roger Federer ($95.1mn) at 9th; and US Basketball player Kevin Durant ($89.1mn)
Points to note:
i.The world’s ten highest-paid athletes collectively made $1.11 billion before taxes and agents’ fees over the last 12 months, the highest total ever.
ii.On-field earnings include prize money, salaries, and bonuses earned from May 1, 2022, to May 1, 2023. Off-field earnings estimate sponsorship deals, appearance fees, licensing income, and cash earned during the same period.
About Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes list:
i.Forbes’ on-field earnings figures include all prize money, salaries and bonuses earned between May 1, 2022, and May 1, 2023.
ii.The off-field earnings are an estimate of sponsorship deals, appearance fees and memorabilia and licensing income for the 12 months leading to May 1, 2023.

3 Indian Student Teams Won NASA HERC 2023 Competition; Two Student Winners of AP Felicitated by APNRTS
On April 22, 2023, three student teams from India won the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) 2023 competition which was held near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, in Huntsville, Alabama, USA (United States of America).

• The Director for NASA’s Space, Time, Energy and Mass (STEM) Engagement Southeast Region Kevin McGhaw presented the award to the teams.
• The competition featured a total of 61 teams, including students from 45 colleges and universities and 16 high schools, from 30 countries.

Winners of the NASA HERC 2023 from India:

i.Project Review Award: College/University Division: Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan.

ii.Social Media Award:

• High School Division: Young Tinker Educational Foundation, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• College/University Division: KIET Group of Institutions, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Note – The Director for NASA’s Space, Time, Energy and Mass (STEM) Engagement Southeast Region, Kevin McGhaw, presented the award to the teams.

APNRTS Felicitated two Student Winners from AP:

i.Two students from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh (AP) such as Sai Akshara Vemuri and Chittineni Akarsh were part of the six-member under-19 Indian team (Young Tinker Educational Foundation) which won the NASA HERC 2023 competition under Social Media Award Category.

ii.The Two student winners from Vijayawada were felicitated by Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) president and Adviser to the government Medapati S. Venkat and CEO P. Hemalatha Rao.

• Sai Akshara Vemuri has completed her 12th grade and was Student Safety Officer in the NASA HERC Rover Challenge 2023.
•  Akarsh Chittineni has completed his 10th grade and was the technical lead of the NASA HERC Rover Challenge 2023 team.

iii.The social media award recognised the Young Tinker Educational Foundation team’s exceptional communication skills and efforts to involve and educate the public on STEM activities.

iv.The team also designed a multi-purpose tool to collect liquid samples from lunar and Martian surfaces.

About NASA HERC 2023:

i.NASA HERC is an annual engineering competition for teams of students to design, develop, build, and test human-powered rovers capable of traversing challenging terrain and a task tool for the completion of various mission tasks.

ii.The 2023 HERC marks the 29th-anniversary competition and it is held for 8 months. HERC is managed by NASA’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement at NASA Marshall.

iii.Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated in HERC with many former students now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry.

Russian Poet Maria Stepanova Received 2023 Leipzig Book Award For European UnderstandingMaria Stepanova, a Jewish author from Russia now living in exile in Germany, has been awarded the Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding 2023 for her volume of poetry entitled “Mädchen ohne Kleider“ (Girls Without Clothes).

• She received the award on 26th April 2023, during the opening ceremony of the 30th Leipzig Book Fair at the Gewandhaus Leipzig in Germany. She was introduced by Swiss literary scholar, author and translator Ilma Rakusa.

Note: The winner of the 2022 Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding was Austrian writer Karl-Markus Gauss.
About Mädchen ohne Kleider
Mädchen ohne Kleider sensitively described the study of often hidden violence against the female body and the power imbalance that drives this abuse.
The volume was published in May 2022 by Suhrkamp Verlag, a German publishing house.
About Maria Stepanova:
Maria Stepanova, born in Russia in 1972, is the founder and current editor-in-chief of Colta.ru, an online publication specialising in the cultural, social and political reality of contemporary Russia.
Noted Works: 
She is the author of over ten poetry collections and three books of essays. Out of ten poetry collections, three have recently been translated and published in English:

• War of the Beasts and Animals (Bloodaxe Books, 2021), In Memory of Memory (New Directions, 2021), and The Voice Over (Columbia University Press, 2021).

Awards:
i. She has received several Russian and international literary awards, including the prestigious Andrey Bely Prize in 2005 and Joseph Brodsky Fellowship.
ii. She was awarded the BolshayaKniga Award, an annual Russian literary prize presented for the best book of Russian prose for In Memory of Memory in 2018.
iii. Her novel In Memory of Memory (2017) was recognized with the Big Book Prize 2018 and the NOS (New Literature) Literary Prize 2018.
About Leipzig Book Prize:
i. The Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding has been awarded annually since 1994 and is one of the most important literary prizes in Germany.
ii. The Award is presented every year during the official opening of Leipzig Book Fair to personalities, whose intellectual and literary work has made an outstanding contribution to mutual understanding in Europe, particularly with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
iii. The Award comes with prize money of 20,000 euros. A Grand Prize and a Recognition Prize were awarded until 2004.

• The inaugural winner of the Leipzig Book Award (1994) were Ryszard Kapuścińsk (Poland) – Main Prize and Eckhard Thiele (Germany) – recognition award.

Selection Committee:
The winners will be selected by an internationally renowned jury including: the Free State of Saxony, the City of Leipzig, the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels e.V. (The German Publishers and Booksellers Association) and Leipziger Messe in Germany.

South Asian American Author Fatimah Asghar wins Inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction

On 4th May 2023, Fatimah Asghar, a South Asian American poet and screenwriter, won the inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for her debut novel “When We Were Sisters”, published by One World/Random House.

• In addition to the cash prize of USD 150,000, Fatimah Asghar will receive a residency at the award-winning Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is a new English-language literary award to celebrate creativity and excellence in fiction by women and non-binary writers in Canada and the United States of America.

• The prize was named after American-Canadian novelist Carol Ann Shields and is managed by the Carol Shields Prize Foundation.

The other 2023 Prize Finalists are Daphne Palasi Andreades, Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, Suzette Mayr, and Alexis Schaitkin. Each finalist will receive USD 12,500 prize.

• 2023 Prize Jury Members- Anita Rau Badami, Merilyn Simonds, Monique Truong, Katherena Vermette, and Crystal Wilkinson.

SPORTS

Doha Diamond League 2023: Neeraj Chopra wins Gold in Javelin Throw with 88.67m throwIndia’s javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in Javelin Throw men’s event of the Doha Diamond League 2023 (officially known as Wanda Diamond League) by registering a distance of 88.67 metres(m).

• Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic finished second with a best of 88.63 m and reigning world javelin champion Anderson Peters of Grenada finished 3rd with a best of 85.88 m.
• The Doha Diamond League was held at Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on May 5, 2023.

Key Points:
i.This throw was Neeraj Chopra’s fourth career-best effort, who has a personal best of 89.94m.
ii.This was his second win in a Diamond League Meeting. He became the first Indian to win a Diamond League Meeting in 2022 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
iii.Neeraj Chopra became the 1st Indian athlete to be crowned Diamond League champion by winning the grand final in Zurich, Switzerland in September 2022.
Points to note:
i.By winning the top spot, Neeraj Chopra earned 8 qualification points from the first leg.

• Athletes competing in Diamond League are awarded points instead of medals and the top eight athletes at the end of the Diamond League series qualify for the Diamond League final.

ii.The 2023 finals will be held in Eugene on the 16th & 17th September 2023.
Note: The next leg of the Diamond League series will be held in Rabat, Morocco on May 28, 2023.

About Diamond League:
Initiated in 2010, Diamond League is an annual series of athletic meets, comprising track and field events organised by Monaco-headquartered World Athletics. It was established to replace the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) Golden League, which was held since 1998. The meets are held in different cities across the globe.

• The 2023 Diamond League is the 14th season which is being held from May 5, 2023 – September 17, 2023 through 14 meetings.

Fide World Championship 2023: Ding Liren becomes China’s 1st Male World Chess ChampionChinese chess grandmaster Ding Liren (32 years old) has become the 17th world chess champion and China’s 1st Male World Chess Champion by defeating Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi at the FIDE World Chess Championship 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

• Ding succeeds five-time champion and World’s No 1. Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who held the title since 2013.
• Ding will receive 1.1 million Euros (approximately USD 1.2 million), 55% of the total 2 million euros (approximately USD 2.2 million) prize money.

Note: 

• With Ding’s win, China now holds the World Chess Champion title for both men and women.
• Ju Wenjun is the current Women’s World Chess Champion.
• Xie Jun of China was the 1st Asian female and 1st Chinese person to become a world chess champion.

About World Championship 2023: 
i.International Chess Federation(FIDE:Federation Internationale des Echecs) World Championship 2023 was held from 7th to 30th April 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
ii.It was a best of 14 games, plus tiebreaks between Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi to determine the World Chess Champion.
iii.Both players each won three matches and registered eight draws in the opening 14 games.
About Ding Liren:
i.Ding Liren hails from Wenzhou, China’s “chess city”.
ii.He became China’s youngest chess champion at the national level in 2009.
iii.At second place in the FIDE’s world rankings, he is currently the highest-ranked Chinese player.
Tech Mahindra & FIDE to host inaugural Global Chess League in Dubai
The Global Chess League (GCL), a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra Limited, a part of the Mahindra Group, has announced Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the venue for its inaugural edition which is set to be held from 21st June to 2nd July 2023.

• It will be held in association with Dubai Sports Council as the league’s host partner.
• It will be the world’s largest and first franchise-based chess league.

Note:  Tech Mahindra and FIDE have entered into an agreement to conduct the league as a joint venture(JV) for 5 to 8 years.
About Global Chess League (GCL):
i.The first edition of the GCL will feature 6 teams, each consisting of 6 players. Notably, every team is required to have a minimum of two female players and one icon player. The competition will follow a round-robin format, with each team playing a total of 10 matches.
ii.The top two teams will qualify for the final on July 2, 2023, and be crowned the World Champion Franchise Team.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Boria Majumdar Released a New Book Titled “Sachin@50 – Celebrating a Maestro”

Boria Majumdar, a renowned sports historian and TV show host, released his new book titled “Sachin@50 – Celebrating a Maestro”, published by Simon & Schuster India, on the occasion of an Indian former international cricketer Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar’s 50th birthday (24th April 2023).

• The book has been conceptually designed and curated by Majumdar, with a special back cover note penned by Gulzar.
• The book covers Sachin Tendulkar’s journey to success, beginning with his teenage debut, when he rose to fame after his bloodied nose incident in Pakistan in 1989.
• It also highlights how he became the greatest batting sensation, transcending the boundaries of sport.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International No Diet Day 2023 – May 6International No Diet Day (INDD) is annually observed across the globe on May 6 to promote body positivity, self-acceptance, and the acceptance of all body shapes and sizes, as well as raise awareness about the dangers of dieting.
Ribbon: The symbol of International No Diet Day is a light blue ribbon.
Objectives:
i. The aim of INDD is to promote a healthier and more sustainable approach to health and well-being that focuses on self-love, body acceptance, and mental and emotional well-being.
ii. The day also aims to raise awareness of eating disorders, a major mental health problem that affects people of all ages, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Background:
i. International No Diet Day was created by Mary Evans Young, a British feminist and director of a British group called ‘Diet Breakers’, in 1992.
ii. The 1st ever INDD was observed in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1992.
>> Read Full News

International Leopard Day 2023 – May 3International Leopard Day is annually observed across the globe on May 3 to raise global awareness about the leopards (Panthera pardus) and their plight as well as the risks that leopard populations face.

• The day is observed to make people aware of the nocturnal big cat that is mostly found in the Indian subcontinent, Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southern Russia.

International Leopard Day 2023: Website dedicated to Rosette Cats Launched
On International Leopard Day (3 May 2023), the Cape Leopard Trust (CLT), active predator conservation working group, Panthera, a global wild cat organisation, and some other organisations launched a new portal “internationalleopardday.org” dedicated to leopards with an aim of promoting and honouring leopards all across the globe.

• The website portal was launched at the Global Leopard Conference held from 13-17 March 2023.

March 2023 marks the inaugural Global Leopard Conference.
>> Read Full News

Buddha Purnima – 5th May 2023 Buddha Purnima celebrates the birth anniversary of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. Based on the Hindu calendar, Buddha Purnima is annually observed on the Purnima (full moon day) in the month of Vaisakh which usually corresponds to April or May in the Gregorian Calendar.
Buddha Purnima 2023 falls on 5th May 2023. 

• Buddha Purnima 2022 was observed on 16th May 2022.
• Buddha Purnima 2024 will be observed on 23rd May 2024.

Significance: 
i.The celebration of Buddha Purnima is also known as Buddha Jayanti, Vesak, Vaishaka, and Buddha’s Birthday. It is also believed that Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment on this day.
ii.The day commemorates the Vesak festival which honours 3 significant events in the Buddha’s life – his birth, enlightenment, and death.
About Gautama Buddha:
i.Gautama Buddha was born as ‘Siddhartha Gautama’ in the ancient city of Lumbini (now in Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal).

• Siddhartha Gautama was a prince who left his luxurious life to follow the path of spirituality and find the meaning of life.

ii.It is believed that Gautama Buddha attained Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya(Bihar), and Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh) is recognised as the location where he first taught Dharma.
Teachings of Buddha:
Buddha’s teachings are known as Dharma. The teachings offer a path to end suffering and achieve Nirvana through the ‘Four Noble Truths’ and the Noble Eightfold Path.
4 Noble Truths are:

• The truth of the unsatisfactoriness(suffering)
• The truth of the cause of the unsatisfactoriness
• The truth of the cessation of the unsatisfactoriness
• The truth of the way leading to the cessation of unsatisfactoriness

Noble Eightfold Path: 
The Eightfold Path consists of eight practices: right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi.

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List of Current Governors in India – February 2023

List of Current Chief Ministers in India – February 2023

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