1. Santhals community in spotlight after NDA named Draupadi Murmu as their Presidential candidate
Tags: Popular National News
The Santhal community is back in the spotlight after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) named Draupadi Murmu as their Presidential candidate for the upcoming election on July 18.
Community leaders termed it the 'Golden Age' for the Santhals in the country.
If elected, Draupadi Murmu will become India's first tribal woman president.
Who are the Santhals?
The Santhals are the third largest scheduled tribe community in India after the Gonds and Bhils.
Santhal population is found in Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Mayurbhanj, the home district of Draupadi Murmu, is one of the districts with the largest concentration of the tribe.
In Odisha, apart from Mayurbhanj district, Santhals are found in Keonjhar and Balasore.
The literacy rate of this tribe is very high as compared to other tribes of Odisha.
Santhal's tribal language is called Santhali, which is written in a script called Ol chiki, developed by Santhal scholar Pandit Raghunath Murmu.
Other notable Santhal personalities
Hemant Soren, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand belongs to santhal tribes.
Girish Chandra Murmu, the first Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, is now Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
Mayurbhanj MP, Biseshwar Tudu, is a Santhal who is the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs and Jal Shakti.
2. PM Modi to attend G-7 summit in Germany
Tags: International News
PM Narendra Modi will visit Germany on 26 and 27 June to attend the annual summit of the G-7.
Modi is attending the G7 summit following an invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Germany currently holds the presidency of the G7, a grouping of the seven richest countries in the world.
Top leaders attending the summit include US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
During the summit, Prime Minister Modi is expected to address two sessions covering environment, energy, climate, food security, health, gender equality and democracy.
From Germany, he will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 28 to condole the passing of former Gulf President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Group of Seven (G-7)
It includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The group meets annually to discuss issues of common interest, such as global economic governance, international security and energy policy.
It was formed in 1975 by the top economies of the time as an informal forum to discuss global issues.
Canada joined the group in 1976, and the European Union began participating in 1977.
It represents about 70% of the world economy.
It currently accounts for about 40% of the global GDP.
All the G7 countries and India are a part of G20.
The G-7 became the G8 in 1997 when Russia was invited to join.
It does not have a fixed headquarters.
3. Vanijya Bhawan and NIRYAT Portal launched by PM
Tags: National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new premises of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry 'Vanijya Bhawan' on 23 June.
NIRYAT Portal
He also launched a new portal, NIRYAT (National Import-Export Record for Yearly Analysis of Trade).
This portal has been developed as a one stop platform for the stakeholders to get all the necessary information related to India's foreign trade.
Vanijya Bhawan
Constructed near the India Gate, Vijyagar Bhawan has been designed as a smart building, incorporating the principles of sustainable architecture with a special focus on saving energy.
It will work as an integrated and modern office complex.
It will be used by the two Departments under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department of Commerce and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
4. Defence Ministry approves ‘BRO cafes’ in border areas
Tags: National News
The Defence Ministry has approved setting up of facilities under the brand 'BRO Cafe' at 75 locations on various roads with Border Roads Organization (BRO) in 12 states and union territories.
Its purpose is to provide basic amenities to tourists and to encourage economic activities in the border areas.
These roadside establishments will be known as 'BRO Cafe'.
It is proposed to provide parking for vehicles, food plazas, restaurants, separate public facilities for women, men and differently abled, first aid facilities etc. in these cafes.
For this, the agreement will be for 15 years which can be extended for five more years later.
This scheme will be done in collaboration with agencies on a licence basis.
The agencies will build and operate BRO Cafe as per the guidelines given by the BRO.
This will speed up the development of tourism as well as traffic in the border areas.
For this, approval has been given in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Manipur, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
Border Roads Organization (BRO)
It functions under the control of the Ministry of Defence since 2015.
The Organisation was established on May 7, 1960.
It is responsible for maintaining the road networks in the border areas of India.
This organization plays an important role in the infrastructure development of the border areas of the country.
One of the biggest infrastructural achievements of BRO is the construction of the longest highway tunnel, The Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh.
Director General Border Roads Organisation - Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry
5. Mongolia’s Khuvsgul lake added to UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves
Tags: International News
Recently Mongolia's Khuvsgul Lakes National Park has been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO.
The decision was taken during the 34th session of the International Coordinating Council of Men and Biosphere Program in Paris, France.
The Man and Biosphere Program is an intergovernmental scientific programme. It was established by UNESCO in the early 1970s.
The primary objective of this program is to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environment.
About Khuvsgul Lake
Khuvsgul Lake is located in the northern Mongolian province of Khuvsgul near the Russian border.
It is the source of 70% of Mongolia's fresh water and is situated at an altitude of about 1645 m above sea level which is 135 km long and 262 m deep lake.
It is the second largest lake in Mongolia in terms of area.
This lake is located about 200 km west of Lake Baikal.
According to the ministry, a total of nine sites from Mongolia have been registered in the network so far.
6. Govt launches NIPUN scheme to train over 1 lakh construction workers
Tags: National News
The Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, launched the National Initiative for Skill Training of Construction Workers, an innovative project named 'Nipun', in New Delhi.
The project 'NIPUN' (NIPUN) is an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under its flagship scheme of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAI-NULM).
Under the scheme, more than 1 lakh construction workers will be trained through new skilling and upskilling programs, which will give them work opportunities abroad.
NIPUN Project
The Nipun project will enable construction workers to find better job opportunities, increase their wages and even for overseas placements, indicating a new ecosystem.
The transformative impact of the National Urban Livelihoods Mission has certainly reduced the vulnerability of urban poor households by providing skills and employment opportunities to urban residents, especially the youth.
The implementation of the NIPUN project is divided into three parts, training through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) at construction sites, training through fresh skilling by plumbing and infrastructure, and international placement through industries, builders and contractors. .
7. 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit - 2022
Tags: Popular International News
26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit 2022 organised on 20-25 June 2022, in Kigali, Rwanda.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the meeting.
The meeting had been postponed twice due to Covid-19 pandemic.
During the meeting, leaders of Commonwealth member states will deliberate on global challenges such as climate change, food security and health.
Theme of the summit - Delivering a Common Future - Connecting, Innovating, Transforming.
About Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
It brings together delegations from 54 countries in Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.
It aims to strengthen multilateral cooperation, explore new opportunities and tackle common challenges for the betterment of future generations.
It is hosted alternately by different member countries.
This meeting has been held Since 1971.
Members of the Commonwealth of Nations
The head of the Commonwealth is the Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II.
He received this title as a result of elections following the resignation of his father.
The title of head cannot be inherited, so the new head of the Commonwealth of Nations is elected by voting at each meeting.
The Commonwealth comprises 54 countries of the world in all 6 continents.
The members have a total population of 2.1 billion, which is about a third of the world's population.
Of its total population, 1.17 billion live in India.
After India, the next largest Commonwealth countries by population are Pakistan (176 million), Bangladesh (156 million), Nigeria (149 million).
The land area of the Commonwealth of Nations accounts for about 21% of the total world land area.
The largest Commonwealth nations by area are Canada, Australia and India.
8. Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy inaugurates 'Jyotirgamaya' festival in New Delhi
Tags: International News
Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy inaugurated 'Jyotirgamaya', a festival showcasing the talents of forgotten artists, in New Delhi on June 21.
About the festival
It was organised as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and on the occasion of World Music Day on 21 June.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi has organised this festival to showcase the talent of rare musical instruments from across the country, including street performers and train entertainers.
This is a unique effort of Sangeet Natak Akademi to revive the dying arts of India.
Aim of the festival
It aims to sensitise people about the need to protect the skills of playing rare musical instruments as well as the craft of making these instruments.
It also aims to give a voice to ‘unheard’ artists who hardly ever see the limelight.
Importance of the festival
Music plays in every street and corner of India.
It is not uncommon to find passersby playing flutes and other musical instruments under the open sky whether it is rain or sunshine.
We also have a plethora of rare musical instruments that are slowly falling out of the public domain due to their dwindling popularity and dwindling patronage.
The festival was organised through a call to action to recognize the 'unheard' talent.
Entrants were requested to send a short clip of their performance along with their details.
Leading music institutions, cultural centres, SNA awardees and eminent musicians were also requested to explore and identify such rare talents.
Artistes from all corners of the country participated in this festival.
9. Juneteenth festival was celebrated in the U.S.
Tags: International News
Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the U.S. commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
Juneteenth is the oldest national commemoration to mark the end of the end of slavery in America, held annually on June 19.
It is currently recognized as a holiday by 47 US states.
It is also known as Liberation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day.
History of Juneteenth
On January 1, 1863, then-President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all persons 'held as slaves' within the states during the rebellion would now be free.
However, many people continued to keep slaves even after this announcement. After this, on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger Galveston announced the end of both the Civil War and slavery.
Since then it has become a symbolic date representing independence for African-Americans.
10. International literary festival 'Unmesh' organised in Himachal Pradesh
Tags: State News International News
An International Literature Festival, Unmesh, was organised in Shimla as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Sahitya Akademi, Department of Art and Culture, Government of Himachal Pradesh.
The festival was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Culture, Arjun Ram Meghwal.
UNMESHA is the country's largest literary festival representing over 60 languages and 64 events with over 425 writers, poets, translators, critics and distinguished personalities from different walks of life from 15 countries including India.
Unmesh, the festival of expression, is the largest international literary festival in the country so far.
Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi was formally inaugurated by the Government of India on 12 March 1954.
Sahitya Akademi functions as an autonomous organisation. It was registered as a society in January 1956 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is the central body for literary dialogue, publication and publicity in the country and the only organisation to conduct literary activities in 24 Indian languages, including English.
It also conducts literary exchange programs with various countries around the world to promote Indian literature.
The Sahitya Akademi Award is the second highest literary award given by the Government of India after the Jnanpith Award.
