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By admin: May 28, 2023

India's ace shuttler HS Prannoy won the Malaysia Masters Badminton Championship 2023 title

Tags: Sports

India's star shuttler HS Prannoy won the gold medal in the Malaysia Masters Badminton Championship 2023 played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

An Overview of the News:

• Prannoy won the final by defeating China's Wang Hongyang in three games 21-19, 13-21 and 21-18. The match between the two lasted for 94 minutes.
• Prannoy became the third Indian after Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu to win the Malaysia Masters Championship.
• Also became the first Indian to win in the men's singles category.
• This is Pranay's first medal this season.
• With Prannoy, India has won the championship 4 times.
• Gold came in Men's Singles for the first time. At the same time, India has won gold three times in women's singles.
• PV Sindhu twice and Saina Nehwal once won the championship.

Ireland becomes first country to introduce comprehensive health labelling of alcohol products

Tags: International News

Ireland has become the first country in the European Union to implement comprehensive health labelling on alcohol products.

An Overview of the News 

• Its purpose is to provide information to consumers about the health risks associated with the consumption of alcohol.
• The Public Health (Alcohol) (Labelling) Regulations 2023 and the remaining provisions of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act of Ireland were signed into law by Stephen Donnelly, Minister for Health, on 22 May 2023.
• Regulations require alcohol product labels in Ireland to include key information such as calorie content and grams of alcohol.
• The labels will prominently display warnings about the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, as well as the dangers of liver disease and alcohol-related cancers.
• The introduction of comprehensive labelling enables consumers to make informed decisions about their alcohol consumption.

World Health Organization (WHO)

• The World Health Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations that was established on April 7, 1948.
• Every year 7th April is celebrated as "World Health Day".

Headquarters - Geneva, Switzerland

Director General - Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia

Second G-20 Anti-Corruption Working Group meeting concluded in Rishikesh (Tehri), Uttarakhand

Tags: Summits

The second meeting of the G-20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) organized by the Union Ministry of Defense and Tourism from 25 to 27 May 2023 was held in Rishikesh (Tehri).

An Overview of the News:

• The meeting witnessed wide participation of 90 delegates from 20 member countries, 10 invited countries and 9 international organizations including UNODC, OECD, Egmont Group, INTERPOL and IMF.

Subject of the Meeting:

• The main themes of the meeting of the G-20 Anti-Corruption Working Group were as follows:
  • Asset recovery, 
  • Fugitive economic offenders, 
  • Formal and informal channels of cooperation for information sharing,
  • Institutional frameworks for combating corruption and mutual legal assistance, among others.
  • There have been in-depth and productive discussions on several other key focus areas.
• A unique ancillary event was organized on the first day of the G-20 Anti-Corruption Working Group on 'Gender and Corruption'.
• India looks forward to hosting the delegates again in Kolkata on 9-11 August 2023 for the 3rd meeting of the ACWG.
• India will also host the first ever in-person anti-corruption ministerial meeting to give further momentum to the G-20 agenda of strengthening the international fight against corruption.

4th National Water Award 2023 Selection of 41 winners

Tags: Awards

The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti will organize the 4th National Water Awards Distribution Ceremony on June 17, 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

An Overview of the News:

• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has been requested to be the chief guest at the function. 41 winners including joint winners have been selected for the 4th National Water Awards, 2022.
• The awards include 11 categories including 'Best State', 'Best District', 'Best Gram Panchayat', 'Best Urban Local Body'.
• The award winners will be awarded a citation, trophy and cash prize.
• An amount of Rs 2 lakh has been kept for the first prize, Rs 1.5 lakh for the second prize and Rs one lakh for the third prize.

Significance of National Water Awards:

• These awards will help in increasing public awareness about the importance of water and motivate them to adopt and promote best water use practices.
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti is the nodal ministry responsible for laying down policy guidelines and programs for water development, conservation and management as a national resource.
• The first National Water Awards was organized by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in the year 2018.

'Sudarshan Shakti Exercise 2023'

Tags: Defence

The Sapta Shakti Command of the Indian Army conducted exercise 'Sudarshan Shakti 2023' along the western borders in Rajasthan and Punjab.

An Overview of the News:  

• Aim:The exercise aimed at transforming the forces into a modern, lean and agile combat combination capable of taking advantage of new age technologies.
• Objective: It focused on validating operational plans in a network-centric environment, involving combat power, combat support and logistics support.
• Synergized Application: The exercise involved coordinated application of combat power, combat support and logistic support under all enemy threat zones including grey zone warfare.
• Force Multipliers and Niche Technologies: The exercise integrates force multipliers such as special forces and niche technologies, including drones, tethered drones, stray ammunition and electronic warfare.
• Objectives of the meeting: To facilitate the exercise to meet the stated objectives of the five pillars of transformation enunciated by COAS Gen Manoj Pandey in January 2023.
• Commitment to Preparedness: "Sudarshan Shakti 2023" highlighted the commitment of the South Western Command and its attached units to maintain a high level of operational preparedness and capability to fight technology-intensive future conflicts.

SAMARTH Abhiyan launched by Union Minister Giriraj Singh

Tags: Government Schemes

Union Minister Giriraj Singh launched the SAMARTH campaign to promote digital transactions at the Gram Panchayat level.

An Overview of the News 

• The campaign aims to empower women and promote digital transactions in rural areas.
• The campaign was launched in Lucknow as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Rural Development.
• It aims to promote digital transactions in 50,000 gram panchayats across India.
• The campaign is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to mark 75 years of India's independence.
• The campaign started on February 1, 2023 and will run till August 15, 2023.

Patna becomes first municipal corporation to use CBDC

Tags: National News

Patna Municipal Corporation in Bihar, India, has become the first municipal corporation in the country to adopt Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).

An Overview of the News 

• The digital currency called e-Rupee generated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be used in the entire Patna Municipal Corporation area.
• The launch event took place on May 23, 2023 with the participation of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Municipal Commissioner of Patna Municipal Corporation.
• The implementation of the CBDC will start from the municipal headquarters in the Maurya Lok complex, and later extend to all regional offices and payment counters within the corporation.
• A workshop was organised for the corporators to educate them about the benefits and applications of digital e-Rupee currency.
• The online payment system will contribute to augmenting the revenue of Patna Municipal Corporation, as well as provide convenient facilities to individuals to make payments from the comfort of their homes.
• Central bank digital currency (CBDC) differs from private digital currencies, such as cryptocurrencies, in that it is government-issued currency and represents a liability of the central bank.

About Reserve Bank of India

• RBI was established on April 1, 1935 as per the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• It started functioning from 1 April 1935 and Sir Osborne Smith was made the first Governor of RBI.
• The central office of the Reserve Bank was established in Kolkata which was permanently shifted to Mumbai in the year 1937.
• It was nationalised in 1949 and now the Government of India owns the RBI.
• It has the power to regulate banks under the Banking Regulation Act 1949.
• It has the power to regulate Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) under the RBI Act 1934.
• RBI is also the regulator of digital payment systems under the Payment and Settlement Act 2007.
• Before independence till 1942 RBI used to issue currency not only for India but also for Myanmar which was then known as Burma. However, it was discontinued after 1947.

Headquarters of RBI: Mumbai

RBI Governor: Shaktikanta Das

The new Parliament House was inaugurated by the Prime Minister

Tags: National News

On May 28, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially inaugurated the new Parliament House.

An Overview of the News 

• The New Parliament House is located in the Central Vista area of New Delhi.
• It has been designed to accommodate the growing size and needs of the Indian Parliament.
• The building has seating arrangements for 888 members of the Lok Sabha and 384 members of the Rajya Sabha.
• It also includes six committee rooms equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual systems.
• Covering an area of approximately 65,000 square metres, the new building has a triangular shape to optimise space utilisation.
• It is a four storied building constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 970 crore.
• The building was designed by Ahmedabad-based HCP Design, Planning and Management and constructed by Tata Projects Limited.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi also installed "Sengol" in a dedicated enclosure to the right of the Speaker's chair in the Lok Sabha chamber.

About Sengol:

• Sengol is made of silver and gold.
• It is a five feet long sceptre which was given by Lord Mountbatten to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on August 14, 1947 as a symbol of the transfer of power.
• Sengol is a symbol of rule in the Tamil kingdoms of the past.
• It was earlier displayed in the Allahabad Museum.

Shri Ramcharitmanas became the longest song in the world

Tags: Person in news

Dr. Jagadish Pillai of Varanasi created a Guinness World Record by singing Shri Ramcharitmanas for 138 hours, 41 minutes and two seconds.

An Overview of the News 

• This achievement made Shri Ramcharitmanas the longest song in the world.
• Dr. Jagadish Pillai has been credited with five years of broadcast of Sri Ramcharitmanas recitals on more than 100 official audio channels across the globe.
• His rendition was streamed on official music platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music and others.
• The entire process of recording, editing and mixing took four years, 63 days and 295 hours to complete.
• The previous record for the longest song was held by UK's Mark Christopher Lee and The Pocket Gods on December 1, 2021 with a duration of 115 hours and 45 minutes.

About Ramcharitmanas

• It is a 16th-century epic poem by the Indian poet Tulsidas in the Awadhi language.
• It is based on the Hindu epic Ramayana and is also known as Tulsi Ramayana, Tulsikrit Ramayana, Tulsidas Ramayana or Manas.
• The name "Ramcharitmanas" is translated as "Lake of the Deeds of Rama" and is considered one of the greatest works of Hindu literature.
• It explores themes of righteousness, devotion, and the triumph of good over evil, while providing moral and spiritual guidance to the readers.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Nigeria

Tags: International News

Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh left for a three-day (May 28 to 30, 2023) official visit to the West African country of Nigeria.

An Overview of the News:

• Rajnath Singh will attend the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at Eagle Square in Abuja on May 29.
• He will also meet outgoing Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari during a reception hosted for him on May 28.
• This is the first visit by an Indian Defense Minister to Nigeria.
• There are about 50,000 Indian communities in Nigeria. During the visit, the Raksha Mantri will also address the Indian diaspora in Abuja.
• He will hold meetings with representatives of Nigerian industry and the armed forces to identify equipment and platforms through which the Indian defense industry can support the needs of that country.
• This visit of the Indian Defense Minister will prove to be an important milestone in building strong bonds of friendship between the two countries.

Nigeria :

• President: Muhammadu Buhari
• Capital: Abuja
• Currency: Nigerian naira

Successful completion of naval exercise ‘Al Mohed Al Hindi 23’

Tags: Defence

The sea phase of the second edition of the bilateral exercise 'Al Mohed Al Hindi- 2023' between the Indian Navy and the Royal Saudi Naval Force (RSNF) was conducted at Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia from 23-25 May 2023.

An Overview of the News:

• INS Tarkash, INS Subhadra and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) participated from the Indian side in the exercise.
• Whereas, the Royal Saudi Naval Force was represented by HMS Badr and Abdul Aziz, MH60R Helo and UAVs.
• The three-day exercise, conducted in the waters of the Arabian Sea, witnessed a wide range of maritime operations.
• The successful conduct of 'Al Mohed Al Hindi - 2023' showcased the high level of professionalism, interoperability and exchange of best practices between the two navies.
• The bilateral exercise has been successful in meeting all its set objectives.

INS Tarkash:

• It is a state-of-the-art stealth frigate belonging to the INS Talwar class commissioned on 9 November 2012.
• The ship is named from the Sanskrit word 'Tarkash', meaning "arrow quiver," symbolizing its versatility.
• INS Tarkash is equipped with advanced weapon-sensor technologies and has the capability to deal with all types of threats.
• The design of INS Tarkash incorporates stealth technologies and a special hull for low radar cross-section.
• In April 2023, INS Tarkash was used as part of ‘Operation Kaveri’ to evacuate Indian nationals from Sudan due to internal unrest.

INS Subhadra:

• It is a patrol vessel of the INS Sukanya class.
• The vessel has served as a test bed for the Dhanush ship-launched ballistic missile.

Indian soldiers posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal

Tags: Defence

Indian head constables Shishupal Singh and Sanwala Ram Vishnoi were posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal.

An Overview of the News

• The Dag Hammarskjold Medal is the highest award given to United Nations peacekeepers.
• The medals were received by Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations on behalf of the departed Head Constables.
• The Dag Hammarskjold Medal is awarded posthumously to peacekeepers who have lost their lives during peacekeeping operations.
• The award ceremony took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
• The medal is named after Dag Hammarskjold, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Important Points:

• Border Security Force (BSF) head constables Shishupal Singh and Sanwala Ram Vishnoi lost their lives while serving under the UN flag in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of the MONUSCO mission.
• Shabar Tahir Ali, an Indian national serving with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), was also awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal posthumously.
• The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is observed annually on 29 May to recognize the dedication, professionalism and bravery of peacekeepers around the world.
• India holds the distinction of being the first country to send an all-women contingent to the UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2007.