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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Himachal govt sanctions Rs 25 cr for renovating Bantony Castle
Himachal Pradesh State government will spend Rs 25 crore on renovating and developing the historic British era ‘Bantony Castle Estate’ in Shimla as a major tourist attraction.
About ‘Bantony Castle Estate’:
i. ‘Bantony Castle Estate’ is one of the historic and monumental buildings of Shimla town with a very rich history and is a fine example of the Anglo-Gothic architecture.
ii. Himachal Pradesh State Government believes that owing to its strategic location on Mall Road, it would be an added attraction for the tourists.
iii. Bantony Castle was acquired by Government, two years ago from a business family for Rs 27.84 crore. It currently houses state police headquarters.
iv. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur stated that organising ‘Gram Shilp Mela’ was a new beginning for the Bantony Castle as local artisans of the state got an opportunity to showcase their artefacts.
Quick Facts about Himachal Pradesh:
♦ Capital – Shimla, Dharamshala (Second Capital in Winter)
♦ Current Governor – Acahrya Dev Vrat
♦ Current Chief Minister – Jai Ram Thakur
♦ Important National Park – Great Himalayan National Park
Indian Railways fits specially designed aerators in basin-taps of Tejas Express
With an objective to conserve water, the Bhusawal Division of Indian Railways has fitted specially designed aerators in basin-taps of Tejas Express.
Basin-taps for water conservation on Tejas Express:
i. The aerators have minute pores that break the stream of incoming water into fine water sub-streams.
ii. This phenomenon discharges an optimal amount of water to be utilised for cleanliness and thus reduces excess water flow.
iii. Tejas Express is a high speed (200 kmph) air-conditioned train equipped with several ultra modern facilities onboard.
Creation of Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) in Department of Commerce
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has given his approval for creation of Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) in Department of Commerce.
More information about Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR):
i. DGTR will be the top National Authority for dealing in all trade remedial measures including anti-dumping, countervailing duties and safeguard measures.
ii. Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied duties (DGAD), Directorate General of Safeguards (DGS) and Safeguards functions of Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) will be merged into a single national entity and will be placed under DGTR. This merger will save 49 posts to the Government.
iii. DGTR will also provide trade defence support to Indian exporters in dealing with increasing instances of trade remedy investigations instituted against them by other countries.
iv. Sanctioned strength for DGTR is 112, to be primarily drawn from Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied duties of Department of Commerce and Directorate General of Safeguards of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).
Union Minister of Railways and Coal, Piyush Goyal chaired a review meeting
On May 18, 2018, Union Minister of Railways and Coal, Piyush Goyal chaired a detailed review meeting with R.K. Singh, Minister of State (IC) Power and New & Renewable Energy and with top officials of Ministries of Coal, Railways and Power in New Delhi.
Highlights of Review Meeting:
i. A review of Power supply requirement during the ongoing summer and forthcoming winter season was carried out during the course of this meeting.
ii. Short term, medium term and long term measures to improve the coal stock position in Power Plants were also discussed.
iii. Mr. Goyal emphasised that the necessity to increase Plant Load Factor (PLF) of various Power Plants across India and stated that all pithead plants with sufficient coal supply should run at 100% PLF.
iv. For Railways, Mr. Goyal expressed the need to improve the turnaround time of rakes by better scheduling of trains and optimum utilization of traffic blocks. He emphasised the need to rationalize operational and maintenance practices on the high density routes of Indian Railways.
SC approves Centre’s draft Cauvery management scheme
On May 18, 2018, Supreme Court approved Central Government’s draft Cauvery Management Scheme aimed at ensuring smooth distribution of water among Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.
Supreme Court’s view on Cauvery Management Scheme:
i. Supreme Court in its verdict delivered on February 16, 2018 had asked the Centre to frame the Cauvery management scheme, which would deal with the issue of water share of the four states in different circumstances like normal and deficient water years in the Cauvery river basin.
ii. In the draft Cauvery management scheme submitted by the Central Government, there was a provision under which Central Government was to pass directions from time to time with regard to the distribution of water.
iii.However, Supreme Court asked Centre to make suitable changes pertaining to this provision as it was not in consonance with its judgement on the matter.
iv. In context of this news, it is important to note that Supreme Court rejected the suggestions of Karnataka and Kerala governments for the scheme, terming them as “devoid of merits” and also dismissed Tamil Nadu’s plea seeking initiation of contempt against the Centre for non-finalisation of Cauvery scheme
Gujarat government decided to bear medical expenses of road accident victims
Gujarat government will be bearing medical expenses up to Rs 50,000 for each victim of road accident in Gujarat for the first 48 hours, from 18th May 2018.
Gujarat government decided to bear medical expenses of road accident victims:
i. A Government Resolution (GR) was issued on 17th May 2018 regarding this by Gujarat state Health and Family Welfare department.
ii. It stated that, even people from other states or countries will receive free treatment in Gujarat, irrespective of their income, if they are victim of a road accident and admitted to a government or a private hospital.
iii. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, had announced the launch of the free treatment scheme recently.
iv. This scheme aims to provide timely and better treatment and to minimise loss of life due to road accidents.
v. The government will reimburse the amount to the concerned hospital once bills are submitted.
vi. The free treatment for the first 48 hours comprise dressing of wounds, X-ray, blood transfusion, treatment in ICU and MRI, and all other treatment available in a hospital.
vi. If a hospital refers a patient to another hospital within 48 hours, both the hospitals can avail reimbursement of their combined bill of Rs 50,000.
Some wildlife sanctuaries in Gujarat:
♦ Gaga Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary
♦ Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary
Day-NULM – New Initiatives Likely to Reduce Vulnerability and Improve Working Conditions for the Urban Poor
On 18th May, The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri. Hardeep Singh Puri has announced the expansion of policies under Deen Antodaya Yojna – National Urban Livelihood Mission(DAY-NULM) in New Delhi.
Key points:
i. The announcement was done during a workshop “Making Cities Work for All: Integrating the informal economy”organised by National Institute of Urban Affairs in collaboration with Women in the Informal Employment.
ii. These initiatives focus on better working conditionsand reducing vulnerability among the urban poor (especially waste pickers, street vendors, brick kiln workers etc) working in the informal sector.
iii. The informal sector includes workers not having social security or job security and organizations having less than 10 workers
iv. More opportunities will be given to women labour forcein the informal sector and ‘formalisation’ of the sector will be considered.
National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM)
It seeks to provide social security , reduce poverty , increase skill development and self-employment among the urban poor. It was launched 2015 under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Delhi cabinet gives in principle approval for procuring 1k buses under cluster scheme
On 18th May, The Delhi cabinet gave their approval for procuring 1000 CNG run standard floor buses under cluster scheme.
Key point:
i. Each bus will have three internet protocol (IP) cameras, panic buttons, in-built GPS and anti skid features
ii. The Delhi government acquired 1000 buses for Rs. 276 crore .
iii. A total of 11000 buses will be acquired 5500 buses each for DTC and cluster scheme of the Delhi government.
UNESCO World Heritage Site in Delhi:
♦ Red Fort
♦ Qutb Minar
♦ Qutb Minar Complex
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Visit of M J Akbar to Austria and the Slovak Republic
Minister of State for External Affairs, M.J. Akbar was on an official visit to Austria and Slovak Republic from 15th to 17th May, 2018.
Highlights of M.J. Akbar’s visit to Austria and Slovak Republic:
i. On May 15, 2018, Mr. Akbar had a meeting with Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria, Ms. Karin Kneissl, wherein entire gamut of India-Austria bilateral relations were discussed.
ii. In Austria, Mr. Akbar also had a meeting with President of STRATEG (Society for Political & Strategic Studies), Lt. General Christian Segur-Cabanac. STRATEG is a leading think tank of Austria.
iii. On 16th and 17th May, 2018, Mr. Akbar visited the Slovak Republic to participate at the GLOBSEC 2018 Bratislava Forum.
iv. This visit coincided with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of independent Slovak Republic and also marked the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between India and the Slovak Republic.
v. During the course of this visit, Mr. Akbar also met top leaders of Slovak Republic including Mr. Miroslav Lajčák – Minister of Foreign and European Affairs.
vi. In Slovak Republic, Mr. Akbar also visited the 7th International Defence Exhibition Bratislava (IDEB) 2018, an important exhibition of defence and security technologies in Central Europe
BANKING & FINANCE
RBI tweaks norms for setting up of IFSC Banking Units
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has modified the norms for setting up International Financial Services Centres (IFSC) Banking Units (IBUs) by banks.
Modified Norms:
i. As per the new norm, parent bank will be required to provide and maintain at a minimum capital of USD 20 million in its IBU on an ongoing basis.
ii. The modification has been brought in to accommodate suggestions from stakeholders to consider minimum prescribed regulatory capital at the parent level rather than at the IBU level.
iii. However, parent bank will be required to provide a Letter of Comfort for extending financial assistance, as and when required, in the form of capital/liquidity support to IBU.
iv. It is to be noted that, government has set up an IFSC in Gujarat (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, GIFT in Gandhinagar).
v. These guidelines will be applicable to IBUs set up in GIFT as well as in other IFSCs which may be set up in India in future.
RBI prescribes 100% net stable funding ratio for banks
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released final guidelines prescribing 100 percent net stable funding ratio (NSFR) for banks aimed at maintaining adequate liquidity for more resilience.
RBI’s guidelines pertaining to NSFR:
i. NSFR is a long-term liquidity measurement included in the Basel III liquidity standards.
ii. It is defined as the amount of available stable funding (ASF) relative to the amount of required stable funding (RSF).
iii. A portion of capital and liabilities which has been assessed to be reliable over a year is referred to as ASF, while RSF is bank’s liquidity position required to honour maturities of the various assets and other off-balance sheet exposures.
iii. RBI’s 100 per cent NSFR guideline requires banks to fund their activities with more stable sources of funding on an ongoing basis.
iv. Stronger NSFR promotes resilience of the bank over a longer-term time horizon.RBI notified in a statement that,’The NSFR would be applicable for Indian banks at the solo (stand-alone) as well as consolidated level. For foreign banks operating as branches in India, the framework would be applicable on stand-alone basis (i.e., for Indian operations only).
Quick Facts about Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
♦ Commenced Operations on: 1st April 1935
♦ Headquarters: Mumbai
♦ Current Governor: Mr. Urjit Patel
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Indian economy projected to grow 7.6 pc in 2018-19: UN
As per UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) as of mid-2018, India’s economy is projected to grow 7.6 per cent in fiscal year 2018-19.
Outlook of Indian Economy – UN Report:
i. Clocking 7.6 per cent growth, India will retain the tag of fastest growing economy in the world.
ii. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2018-19 will come on back of robust private consumption, supportive fiscal stance and benefits from past reforms.
iii. However, sustained recovery in private investment has been identified as a crucial challenge.
iv. As per the report, economic growth in China is likely to moderate to 6.5 per cent in 2018 as compared to 6.9 per cent in 2017.
v. Owing to strong growth in developed countries and broadly favourable investment conditions, world economic growth is projected to reach 3.2 per cent both in 2018 and 2019.
About WESP: It is a joint product of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the five United Nations regional commissions.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
IIM Calcutta wins international awards
On 18th May 2018, IIM Calcutta said that, two case studies published by the IIM Calcutta Case Research Centre have received awards in the 2017 edition of the European Foundation of Management Development case competition.
IIM Calcutta wins international awards:
i. In the inclusive business models category, sponsored by the Institute for Management Development: the IIM Calcutta team of Professor Indranil Bose and student Gaurav Gupta won the award for their case ‘SIMsePAY at YES BANK: Creating Value Through an UnSmart Innovation.’
ii. In the sustainable business models category, Prof Ramendra Singh and student Menaka Rao won the award for their case study “Switchon O’nergy: Social innovation challenges at the bottom of the pyramid”.
About IIMC Case Research Centre (IIMCCRC)
♦ Founded – June 2012
♦ Purpose – to develop India specific case studies of the highest quality that are used by educational institutions and industry practitioners
NMDC gets S&P Platts award in CSR
On 18th May, State owned NMDC won the S&P Platts award in Corporate Social Responsibility. The award ceremony was held in London, United Kingdom.
Key Points:
i. NMDC’s CSR has grown from Rs 86 crore (USD13.25 million) in 2011-12 to an average of Rs.190 crore (USD30 million ) during the last three (03) years.
ii. It has worked in areas like education, health , skill development, infrastructure and drinking water.
iii. This is the first time any Indian company has bagged this award from S&P.
About S&P Global Platts:
S&P Global Platts is the leading independent provider of information, benchmark prices and analytics for the energy and commodities markets.
About NMDC :
NMDC is the largest iron ore mining company in India and with iron ore production of around 35 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), it has a domestic market share of about 25per cent(non-captive category).
♦ CMD – N Bijendra Kumar.
♦ Director (personnel) – Sandeep Tula.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
US Senate confirms Gina Haspel as first female CIA director
On 17th May, The President of United States Mr.Donald Trump nominated 61 year old Gina Haspel as the first female CIA director.
i. She won by a 54-45 vote.
ii. She has been working for the CIA for the past 33 years under the Directorate of Operations.
iii. She will be replacing former director Mike Pompeo.
iv. She also won the Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Presidential Rank Award among others.
Central Intelligence Agency(CIA)
♦ Headquarters: Virginia , US.
Rajput appointed interim head coach of Zimbabwe
On 18th May, The Zimbabwe Cricket council appointed 56 year old former Indian Cricketer Mr Lalchand Rajput as the interim head coach of Zimbabwe.
i. He replaced Heath Streak, a former Zimbabwe pacer, who was sacked after Zimbabwe lost to qualify in March for ICC world Cup to be held next year.
ii. Rajput was the head of Indian team in ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 when India won.
iii. He has been the manager for MS Dhoni , Ravi Shastri and the Indian team during 2008 Australia CB series .
iv. He also managed Afghanistan and has held administrative positions in Mumbai Cricket association.
Zimbabwe:
♦ Capital – Harare.
♦ Currency – South African Rand .
Eminent Artist and Sculptor, Shri Uttam Pacharne appointed regular Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi
President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Shri Uttam Pacharne as regular Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi.
Shri Uttam Pacharne – regular Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi:
i. Shri Pacharne is a renowned artist and sculptor. At present he is Member of Advisory Committee, Kala Academy, Goa and Member of Advisory Committee, P.L. Deshpande State Lalit Kala Academy and Director, Janseva Sahakari Bank Borivali.
ii. He has received National Lalit Kala Award 1985, Maharashtra Gaurav Puraska 1985 from Government of Maharashtra, Junior National Award 1986 and Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar 2017.
iii. He will serve as regular Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi for a term of three years. In March 2018, Shri M.L. Srivastava, Joint Secretary (Akademies), Ministry of Culture was appointed Protem Chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi.
About Lalit Kala Akademi:
♦ Formed – 1954
♦ Purpose – to encourage and promote study and research in the fields of creative arts like painting, sculpture and graphics etc.
Yudhvir Singh Malik has been appointed as the new chairman of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)
Yudhvir Singh Malik, the Secretary of Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, has been allotted additional charge of the post of NHAI chairman.
Yudhvir Singh Malik – new chairman of NHAI:
i. Yudhvir Singh Malik succeeds Deepak Kumar as the chairman of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
ii. On 17th May 2018, Deepak Kumar was sent back to his cadre state Bihar before finishing his tenure. He is a 1984 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre. He became NHAI Chairman on 28th June 2017.
About National Highway Authority of India (NHAI):
♦ Formed – 1988
♦ Purpose – Development and maintenance of National Highways
Ramalingam Sudhakar sworn-in as new Chief Justice of Manipur High Court
On 18th May 2018, Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar was sworn-in as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur.
Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar – Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur:
i. The oath of office to Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar was administered by Acting Governor of Manipur Jagdish Mukhi.
ii. The event was attended by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, Deputy chief minister, ministers, MLAs, leaders of opposition parties, high court officials, high ranking civil, police and military officials etc.
iii.Earlier,He was appointed as the acting chief justice of Jammu and Kashmir high court.
Some wildlife sanctuaries in Manipur:
♦ Sirohi National Park
♦ Keibul Lamjao National Park
Himanta Biswa Sarma elected as Vice-President of Badminton Asia Confederation
On 17th May 2018, Himanta Biswa Sarma, the President of Badminton Association of India (BAI) was unanimously elected as the vice-president of Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC) at the Annual General Meeting of BAC at Bangkok, Thailand.
Himanta Biswa Sarma – Vice-President of Badminton Asia Confederation:
i. Himanta Biswa Sarma is also the chairman of Para Badminton committee. He will take charge as Vice-President of BAC with immediate effect.
ii. Devender Singh, Senior vice-president of BAI and Omar Rashid, honorable secretary (events) of BAI also attended the Annual General Meeting of BAC.
About Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC):
♦ President – Anton Aditya Subowo
♦ Headquarters – Selangor, Malaysia
Renowned Indian academic and foreign policy analyst C Raja Mohan has been appointed as director of the Institute of South Asian Studies
Indian academic and foreign policy analyst C Raja Mohan has been appointed as director of the Institute of South Asian Studies, a think tank of National University of Singapore.
C Raja Mohan has been appointed as director of ISAS:
i. C Raja Mohan will take charge as director of the Institute of South Asian Studies on 21st May 2018.
ii. At the same time, he will be a visiting research professor at the ISAS. He was the Henry Alfred Kissinger Chair in Foreign and International Relations at the Library of Congress from 2009 to 2010.
iii. Earlier, he was a professor of South Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi.
iv. He was also a member of India’s National Security Advisory Board and was the diplomatic editor and Washington correspondent for ‘The Hindu’ newspaper.
v. He was the founding director of Carnegie India. Carnegie India is a Delhi-based research centre.
About Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS):
♦ Chairman – Ambassador Gopinath Pillai
♦ Location – Singapore
Odisha CM appoints Dilip Tirkey as OTDC chairman
On 18th May, The Chief Minister of Odisha Mr. Naveen Patnaik appointed Dilip Tirkey as chairman of the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation.
i. Odisha Tourism Development Corporation is a state government undertaking that promotes tourism and operates some of the tourist bungalows and fleets.
About Dilip Tirkey:
♦ Dilip Tirkey is a former Rajya Sabha MP and ex-captain of Indian National Hockey Team.
♦ He was a member of Rajya Sabha for a period of 6 years ending his tenure in April 2 , 2018.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
NASA satellites reveal freshwater decline in India
Scientists of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in the United States, have founded that, India is one of the places where overuse of water resources has led to a serious decline in freshwater availability.
NASA satellites reveal freshwater decline in India:
i. The scientists used data on human activities to map locations where freshwater is changing throughout the world.
ii. This is a first-of-its-kind study that used an array of NASA satellite observations of Earth.
iii. The study was published in the journal Nature. It revealed that Earth’s dry areas are getting drier due to various factors like human water management, climate change and natural cycles.
iv. Areas in northern and eastern India, the Middle East, California and Australia are some of the hotspots where freshwater levels are reducing.
v. In northern India, groundwater extraction for irrigation of crops has led to a drastic reduce in available water, in spite of receiving normal rainfall throughout the period studied.
vi. The scientists used 14 years of observations from the US/German-led Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) spacecraft mission to track global trends in freshwater in 34 regions throughout the world.
vii. It has been said that, water loss in some regions are due to climate change. Yet it requires more time and data to find out the driving forces behind other patterns of freshwater change.
Some important lakes in India:
♦ Largest fresh water lakes in Asia & India – Wular Lake, Kashmir
♦ Largest artificial lake in Asia – Upper Lake, Madhya Pradesh
♦ Largest saline water lake in India – Chilika Lake, Odisha
Arsenic Sensor and Removal Media: IISER develops device to detect and remove arsenic from water.
On 18th May, Kolkata based Institute Indian Institute of Science and Research (IISER) has announced a device that would help detect and remove arsenic from water.
Objective:
It would help detect and remove arsenic from water and thus make it safe for human consumption.
Key Points:
i. The device called ‘Arsenic Sensor and Removal Media’ is a cost effective product.
ii. On detection of arsenic the sensor will show immediate change in color
iii. This has been created by IISER in collaboration with a private company called ‘ADO Additive’.
iv. As per reports, 83 blocks in eight districts of West Bengal- Burdwan, Malda, Hooghly, Howrah, Murshidabad, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas – were hit by arsenic contamination.
iv.0.1 mg per litre is the permissible limit of arsenic in grondwater by WHO.In India, it was revised recently by Bureau of Indian Standards from 0.05 mg/l. to 0.01 mg/l.
Indian Institute of Science and Research (IISER):
♦ Headquarters – Kolkata , West Bengal.
♦ Director – Sourav Pal.
OBITUARY
Eminent Tamil writer Balakumaran passes away
On 15th May, eminent Tamil writer Balakumaran passed away at the age of 71.
i. He was well known for creating strong women characters in his works.
ii. Some of his works include Vazhimayakkam, Mercury Pookkal, Irumbu Kuthiraigal .
iii. He wrote the dialogues for Mani Rathnam’s award-winning film Nayakan, Shankar’s Gentleman, Kaadhalan and Jeans.
iv.He won several awards,listed as “Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar Award,Ilakkiya Chinthanai award,Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer,Cinema Express Award,Kalaimaamani Award from Government of Tamil Nadu”.
v.On Thiruvalluvar Day, he was honoured with Thamizhthendral Thiru.Vi.Ka Award by the Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswamy.
UNESCO World Heritage site in Tamil Nadu:
♦ Mamallapuram
♦ Darasuram
♦ Gangaikonda Cholapuram
BOOKS & AUTHORS
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu Releases two books ‘A Treatise on Cleanliness’ & ‘Waste Management, an Introduction’
On 17th May 2018, Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu released two books namely ‘A Treatise on Cleanliness’ and ‘Waste Management, an Introduction’, written by Shri Rajat Bhargava, in New Delhi.
‘A Treatise on Cleanliness’ & ‘Waste Management, an Introduction’:
i. M. Venkaiah Naidu said that it is apt that the author has selected these subjects at a time when India is going through a phase of growth and development.
ii. He said that ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan’ is contributing a lot to make India a clean country.
Some important temples in India:
♦ Padmanabhaswamy Temple – Kerala
♦ Badrinath Temple – Uttarakhand
♦ Amarnath Temple – Jammu and Kashmir
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Museum Day
On 18th May 2018, International Museum Day was celebrated all over the world.
International Museum Day:
i. When: The International Museum Day is celebrated every year on 18th May since 1977. It is coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).
ii. Why: International Museum Day is celebrated every year to create awareness on the importance of museums for the development of society.
iii. The theme for International Museum Day 2018 is: “Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics”.
About International Council of Museums (ICOM):
♦ President – Suay Aksoy
♦ Headquarters – Paris, France
World AIDS Vaccination day
On 18th May 2018, World AIDS Vaccination day was observed all over the world.
World AIDS Vaccination day:
i. World AIDS Vaccine Day is also known as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day.
ii. When: It is observed every year on 18th May 2018. This day commemorates the speech of former US President Bill Clinton on 18th May 1997, on the importance of HIV vaccine, at Morgan State University.
iii. The first World AIDS Vaccine Day was observed on 18 May 1998. This day stresses on the urgent need for a vaccine to prevent HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
Some important UNESCO cultural Heritage Sites in India:
♦ Group of Monuments at Hampi – Karnataka
♦ Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram – Tamil Nadu
♦ Group of Monuments at Pattadakal – Karnataka
