DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: May 17, 2022

Foundation stone of India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage at Lumbini

Tags: International News

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi along with the Prime Minister of Nepal, Shri Sher Bahadur Deoba, laid the foundation stone for the construction of the India International Center for Buddhist Culture and Heritage at Lumbini Monastery Area, Lumbini, Nepal.

• The centre will be constructed by International Buddhist Association (IBC), New Delhi on a plot of Lumbini Development Trust (LDT), which was allotted to IBC under an agreement signed between IBC and LDT in March, 2022.

• The two prime ministers also unveiled a model of the centre after the foundation stone was laid by monks from three major Buddhist traditions, Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana.

• It will be a modern building that will meet NetZero standards in terms of energy, water and waste management and will also house a prayer hall, meditation centre, library, exhibition hall, cafeteria, offices and other facilities. 

• About Lumbini -

• Lumbini is the birth place of Lord Buddha.

• It is located in Nepal.

• In the Ashoka Pillar established by Emperor Ashoka at this place, there is an inscription describing the birth place of Buddha in Brahmi scripted Prakrit language.

• This place is one of the four major Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Former Australia cricketer Andrew Symonds dies in road accident

Tags: Person in news Sports News

46-year-old former Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds has died in a car accident.

• The Symonds car accident happened in Townsville, Queensland.

• Symonds, who was the best all-rounder player in world cricket, played the first international match of his career against Pakistan in November 1998.

• Symonds made his Test debut in March 2004 against Sri Lanka.

• Andrew Symonds was a key part of Australia's 50-over World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007.

• Symonds is also remembered for the infamous "Monkeygate" scandal.

• Symonds cricket career

• He has scored 5088 runs in 198 matches in ODIs and has also taken 133 wickets during this period.

• Symonds played 26 matches in his Test career in which he scored 1462 runs and also took 24 wickets.

• Symonds scored 11099 runs in 424 List A matches and also took 282 wickets.

National Cyber Forensic Laboratory inaugurated

Tags: National News

Home Minister Amit Shah launched the National Cyber Forensic Laboratory(NCFL) on the premises of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory(CFSL)  in Hyderabad.

• The Ministry of Home Affairs had approved setting up of NCFL for evidence purposes at CFSL, Hyderabad in December 2021.

• NCFL is planning to expedite the resolution of cyber crime cases in the country.

• As per the present information, 28 States and Union Territories have established Cyber Forensic cum Training Laboratories.

• The Government of India is setting up a modern cyber lab ecosystem across the country which will help in increasing the conviction rate of cyber crimes.

• Important for exams -

• Union Home Minister- Amit Shah

• Union Minister of State for Home- Ajay Kumar Mishra

Elisabeth Bourne appointed new Prime Minister of France

Tags: Person in news International News

French President Emmanuel Macron has named Elisabeth Born as the country's new prime minister.

• She is the second woman to become prime minister in France. Prior to this, Edith Cresson took the responsibility of the post of Prime Minister in 1991-1992.

• French Prime Minister Jean-Casteux resigned in a move expected after Emmanuel Macron was re-elected, with 61-year-old Elisabeth Born as the new prime minister.

• Born was Labor Minister in Macron's previous government since 2020. Earlier she had also been the Transport Minister.

• In France, Macron and Bourne are likely to appoint a full government in the coming days.

• About France -

• France is a country located in Western Europe

• It is the largest country in the continent of Europe in terms of area.

• Capital- Paris

• President- Emmanuel Macron

• currency - euro

Ramgarh Vishdhari Sanctuary gets the status of fourth tiger reserve of Rajasthan

Tags: National News

Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav informed that Ramgarh Vishdhari Sanctuary in Rajasthan has been notified as the 52nd Tiger Reserve of India.

• This will be the fourth tiger reserve in Rajasthan after Ranthambore, Sariska and Mukundra.

• The National Tiger Reserve Authority (NTCA) had on July 5 last year given in-principle approval to make Ramgarh Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary and its adjoining areas as tiger reserves.

• The specialty of Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve is its ecosystem and tiger friendly environment.

• With its declaration as a Tiger Reserve, along with the conservation of biodiversity, the population of the forest fauna living in the area will be protected, this will enable the region to write a new chapter of ecology, tourism and development at the local level.

• This protected area is an ideal habitat for wild animals like wolf, leopard, striped hyena, bear, golden jackal, chinkara, nilgai and fox.

• Apart from tiger conservation, this sanctuary is also famous for its ecosystem as well as flower species.

• Total number of tigers in the country

• According to the Status of Tiger in India report released in 2019, there are currently 2,967 tigers in 20 states across the country.

• Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttarakhand have more than 50% of the total tiger population in the entire country, which number 1,492.

• Madhya Pradesh has the largest number of tigers, whose number is 526.

• There are about 4,200 tigers left in only 13 countries of the whole world, out of which 70% tigers are in India.

• International Tiger Day is celebrated every year on 29 July.

Anna Kabale Duba won the Global Nursing Award 2022

Tags: Awards

Kenya's Anna Kabale Duba was honoured with the Aster Guardian Global Nursing Award 2022 at an award ceremony held in Dubai.

• Out of 24,000 nurses, 10 were selected as the top 10 finalists, of whom Anna Kabale Duba won the award.

• What did She do under the Qabale Duba Foundation?

• A school has been built by him in his village under the Qabale Duba Foundation.

• This school was built so that children can study in the morning and adults can read in the afternoon.

• More than 100 adults and 150 children are participating in this community literacy programme.

• Who is Anna Kabale Duba ?

• She is the first graduate of her village. She also won the title of Miss Tourism Kenya 2013 while studying Nursing.

• She has advocated for education and gender equality in her community.

• Global Nursing Awards -

• The award was launched on 12th May 2021, International Nurses Day.

• The Aster Guardian Global Nursing Award was instituted by Aster DM Healthcare with an aim to recognize the phenomenal contribution of nurses to humanity.

• The winner of this award receives a prize money of $250,000.

Pilot project launched to skill tribal youth

Tags: National News

A pilot project was launched by the Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to skill tribal youth from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

• Under this pilot project, about 250 beneficiaries of 17 clusters of 17 districts selected from six states will be given training.

• The six states selected for the pilot project include Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Odisha.

• Under this pilot project, training will be given in five disciplines (multi skilling)-

1. Electricity and Solar Energy

2. agricultural mechanisation

3. e-governance

4. Plumbing and Masonry

5. Repair and maintenance of two wheelers.

• The training under these five subjects will help the tribal youth to set up their own business and generate employment opportunities for other youth in their locality.

Indian Navy dedicated two warships Surat and Udayagiri

Tags: National Defence

The nation witnessed a historic event in the history of the indigenous warship building on May 17, 2022, when two frontline warships of the Indian Navy were commissioned.

• These are the warships Surat, which is the destroyer of Project 15B and the other is Udayagiri, which is a frigate of Project 17A.

• Both were launched simultaneously at Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh was the chief guest in both these programs.

• The Project 15B class ships are the next generation stealth guided missile destroyers of the Indian Navy, commissioned by Mazagon Docks Ltd. Made in Mumbai.

Destroyer, Surat:

• 'Surat' is the fourth ship of the Project 15B Destroyer class, which has been developed with several modifications to the P15A (Kolkata class).

• It is named after Surat, the commercial capital of Gujarat and the second largest trading centre in western India after Mumbai.

Frigate, Udayagiri:

• Udayagiri is named after a mountain range in Andhra Pradesh. This is the third frigate of Project 17A.

• Complying with the P17 frigates (Shivalik class), they are equipped with modified stealth characteristics, advanced weapons, sensing equipment and platform management systems. 'Udayagiri' is an incarnation of the old 'Udayagiri', which was a Leander class ASW frigate.

Important Facts:

• A total of seven ships are being built under the P17 programme, out of which four are being built at MDL and three at GRSE.

• 15B and P17A, both ships were indigenously designed at the Directorate of Naval Design (DND).

• During the construction activities at the shipyard, about 75 per cent of the orders for equipment and systems were received by indigenous companies, which included micro, small and medium enterprises.

India hosts SCO-RATS meeting

Tags: Summits International News

Counter-terrorism experts from India, Pakistan and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) discussed ways to enhance cooperation in tackling various regional security challenges in a meeting hosted in New Delhi on May 16.

• The meeting is being held under the regional counter-terrorism framework of the SCO.

• A major focus of the discussion was on the situation in Afghanistan where all countries are threatened by terrorist groups operating in the Taliban-ruled country.

• Pakistan has sent a three-member team for the meeting.

• The Afghan issue has figured prominently in almost all the major meetings of the SCO.

• Council of Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of SCO (RATS SCO)

• India assumed the presidency of the SCO (RATS SCO) on 28 October last year for a period of one year.

• India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Framework (RATS).

• This specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

• The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest inter-regional international organisations.

• The member states of the SCO

• Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

• Afghanistan is among the observer states of the SCO.