1. Bangladesh-born Fahmida Azim wins 2022 Pulitzer prize
Tags: Awards International News
Bangladesh-born illustrator and story writer Fahmida Azeem, who works for America's online magazine 'Insider', has been selected for the Pulitzer Prize for the year 2022.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- He will be given this award for the category of Illustrated, Interpretive Reporting and Commentary.
Fahmida Azeem has been selected to work on the persecution of Uighurs in China.
Four journalists of Insider magazine including Fahmida Azeem have been selected for the award –
fahmida azeem
Anthony Dale Colonel
Josh Adams
Walt Hickey
Fahmida Azeem was born in Bangladesh and later settled in America.
His work has focused on themes of identity, culture and autonomy.
His works are published in many international magazines like Glamour, Scientific American, The Intercept, Vice, The New York Times.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Pulitzer Prize :
The award was established in the year 1917 by provisions written in the will of Joseph Pulitzer.
Columbia University administers the award.
The Pulitzer Prize is considered America's most prestigious honour in the field of journalism.
The award is given in a total of 22 categories. In which 15 categories of journalism and 7 categories of book, drama, music etc. are included.
In 21 categories, each winner receives USD 15,000 and a certificate. A gold medal is awarded to the winner in the Public Service category of the award.
Govind Bihari Lal was the first Indian to receive the Pulitzer Prize in 1937.
2. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to be awarded the 'Liberty Medal' award for the year 2022
Tags: Awards International News
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has been nominated for the 'Liberty Medal' for the year 2022 by the 'National Constitution Centre'.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- He has been chosen for this honour for his heroic defence of freedom in the face of Russian tyranny.
He will be honoured in October 2022 at the National Constitution Centre (NCC), Philadelphia, USA.
Other awards given to Volodymyr Zelensky :
Ronald Reagan Freedom Award 2022 - It is given to those who have made a great contribution to the cause of freedom.
John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award 2022
About Liberty Medal Award :
The 'Liberty Medal' award is an annual award given by the NCC of the United States of America.
It was founded by the Philadelphia Foundation.
The major winners of this award are Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Malala Yousafzai and Colin Powell.
This award is given to a person of courage and conviction who has fought to protect the cause of freedom of the people.
3. Uttar Pradesh ranks first across the country in the Amrit Sarovar scheme
Tags: National Government Schemes
According to the official website of Mission Amrit Sarovar, Uttar Pradesh ranks first across the country in the Amrit Sarovar scheme launched by the Government of India for the purpose of water conservation and harvesting.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Madhya Pradesh is in second place and Jammu and Kashmir in third place.
Under this dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, started in the year of Independence Amrit Mahotsav, 15415 Amrit Sarovars were selected to be developed in Uttar Pradesh.
Of these, the construction of 8343 lakes has been completed.
In view of the importance of the scheme, a target of development of at least two Amrit Sarovars (about 1.20 lakhs) per Gram Panchayat was fixed in all the more than 58 thousand Gram Panchayats of Uttar Pradesh.
Under the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, it was decided to hoist the flag on Independence Day this year while developing 7500 Amrit Sarovars. In relation to this, flag hoisting was done near 8288 Amrit Sarovars in the state.
Amrit Sarovar Mission :
The Amrit Sarovar Mission was launched on 24 April 2022 with the aim of water conservation.
The objective of the mission is to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district of the country as part of the celebration of Amrit Mahotsav of Azadi.
The Ministries Involved :
The mission has been launched with a holistic government approach with 6 Ministries/Departments -
1. Rural Development Department
2. land resources department
3. Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation
4. Department of Water Resources
5. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
6. Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Technical Partner :
Bhaskaracharya National Institute of Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) has been appointed as the technical partner for the mission.
Target :
Mission Amrit Sarovar is to be completed by 15 August 2023.
About 50,000 Amrit Sarovars are to be built in the country.
Each of these Amrit Sarovar will be in an area of 1 acre with a water holding capacity of 10,000 cubic metres.
4. Smart India Hackathon 2022
Tags: National National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2022 through video conferencing on 25 August.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The grand finale of the software edition of Smart India Hackathon-2022 is being held from August 25-26 at JSS Science and Technology University, Mysuru.
It aims to inculcate a culture of product innovation, problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking among the students.
The hardware edition of Smart India Hackathon (SIH) will be held from August 25 to 29.
Smart India Hackathon is gaining in popularity as this fifth edition has witnessed a four-fold increase in the number of teams registered for the Hackathon.
Around 15,000 students from a total of 2,033 winning teams of the Campus-Level Hackathon organised under SIH 2022 are participating in this national level Grand Finale.
One lakh rupees will be awarded to the winner of each problem description in the Smart India Hackathon.
Students will get prizes of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 under the innovation category.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Smart India Hackathon (SIH) :
It is a nationwide initiative by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell.
It provides students a platform to solve the pressing problems of the government, ministries, departments, industries, and other organisations.
It has been acclaimed as one of the "world's largest open innovation models" and is held every year since 2017.
It is organised in two formats, software and hardware editions for higher education students.
5. Smart India Hackathon 2022
Tags: National National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2022 through video conferencing on 25 August.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The grand finale of the software edition of Smart India Hackathon-2022 is being held from August 25-26 at JSS Science and Technology University, Mysuru.
It aims to inculcate a culture of product innovation, problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking among the students.
The hardware edition of Smart India Hackathon (SIH) will be held from August 25 to 29.
Smart India Hackathon is gaining in popularity as this fifth edition has witnessed a four-fold increase in the number of teams registered for the Hackathon.
Around 15,000 students from a total of 2,033 winning teams of the Campus-Level Hackathon organised under SIH 2022 are participating in this national level Grand Finale.
One lakh rupees will be awarded to the winner of each problem description in the Smart India Hackathon.
Students will get prizes of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 under the innovation category.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Smart India Hackathon (SIH) :
It is a nationwide initiative by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell.
It provides students a platform to solve the pressing problems of the government, ministries, departments, industries, and other organisations.
It has been acclaimed as one of the "world's largest open innovation models" and is held every year since 2017.
It is organised in two formats, software and hardware editions for higher education students.
6. National Conference of Labour Ministers of all States and Union Territories
Tags: National Summits National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the National Conference of Labour Ministers of all States and Union Territories on 25 August via video conferencing.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The two-day conference is being organised by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment on August 25-26 at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.
The conference was presided over by Union Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav.
It has been named Vision Shramev Jayate @2047.
The last session of the conference was held in July 2015 under the chairmanship of the then Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya.
This is the first Labour Ministers' Conference in the eight years of the Narendra Modi government's tenure.
It is being organised in the spirit of cooperative federalism to discuss various important labour related issues.
This conference will help in creating more synergy between the Central and State Governments in making better policies and ensuring effective implementation of schemes for the welfare of the workers.
Four Thematic Sessions of the Conference :
Integration of e-Shram portal for on-boarding social security schemes to make social security universal
'Swasthya se Samriddhi' for improving medical care through ESI hospitals run by state governments and integration with PMJAY
Formulation of rules under the four labour codes and the modalities of implementation of those rules
Vision 'Shramev Jayate @ 2047' To focus on equitable and equal working conditions, social security to all workers and other issues
7. National Conference of Labour Ministers of all States and Union Territories
Tags: National Summits National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the National Conference of Labour Ministers of all States and Union Territories on 25 August via video conferencing.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The two-day conference is being organised by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment on August 25-26 at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.
The conference was presided over by Union Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav.
It has been named Vision Shramev Jayate @2047.
The last session of the conference was held in July 2015 under the chairmanship of the then Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya.
This is the first Labour Ministers' Conference in the eight years of the Narendra Modi government's tenure.
It is being organised in the spirit of cooperative federalism to discuss various important labour related issues.
This conference will help in creating more synergy between the Central and State Governments in making better policies and ensuring effective implementation of schemes for the welfare of the workers.
Four Thematic Sessions of the Conference :
Integration of e-Shram portal for on-boarding social security schemes to make social security universal
'Swasthya se Samriddhi' for improving medical care through ESI hospitals run by state governments and integration with PMJAY
Formulation of rules under the four labour codes and the modalities of implementation of those rules
Vision 'Shramev Jayate @ 2047' To focus on equitable and equal working conditions, social security to all workers and other issues
8. 8th India-Brazil Joint Commission Meeting
Tags: Summits International News
External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar who is on his first ever visit to South America, co-chaired the 8th India-Brazil Joint Commission Meeting on 24 August with his Brazilian counterpart, Carlos Franca.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The two leaders held wide-ranging discussions on trade, investment and other consular domains.
The two ministers signed agreements in the field of broadcasting and taxation, exchanging views on BRICS, IBSA, UN, G20 and Ukraine conflict.
The Joint Commission meeting saw wide-ranging discussions on trade and investment, petroleum, biofuels, edible oils and minerals, health, pharma, traditional medicine, science and technology, agriculture and livestock, space, defence, terrorism and consular.
The Brazilian Government released a commemorative stamp on the occasion of India's 75th Independence day.
On 22 August, Jaishankar concluded his first ever official visit to Paraguay where he inaugurated the newly-opened Indian Embassy in the capital city Asuncion.
He also unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Paraguay on 21 August and appreciated the Asuncion Municipality’s decision to locate it at the prominent waterfront of the city.
He also visited the historic Casa de la Independencia, from where Paraguay's independence movement began more than two centuries ago.
India-Brazil Relations :
Diplomatic relations were established between India and Brazil in 1948, both countries opened embassies in the same year.
India's strategic partnership with Brazil continues to intensify with several high-level partnerships.
President Bolsonaro was the chief guest at India's Republic Day parade in 2020.
As strategic partners, India and Brazil have several institutional mechanisms to coordinate various aspects of their bilateral relations.
This includes Joint Commission Meeting, Strategic Dialogue, Foreign Office Consultations, Trade Monitoring Mechanism, Economic and Financial Dialogue, Dialogue on Consular and Mobility Issues, Joint Defence Commission, Joint Committee on Science & Technology and India-Brazil Business Leaders Forum.
In Brazil, the Brazil-India Parliamentary Friendship Group has been established.
President - Jair Bolsonaro
Capital - Brasília
Official Language - Portuguese
Currency - Brazilian real
9. Sri Lanka ranks 5th among the 10 countries with highest food price inflation - World Bank
Tags: International News
Sri Lanka ranks 5th among the 10 countries with the highest food price inflation, according to the latest World Bank assessment.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- According to the World Bank assessment, Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Turkey ranked first four countries, while Iran, Argentina, Suriname, Ethiopia and Moldova ranked behind Sri Lanka.
The World Bank said record high food prices have triggered a global crisis that drives millions of people to extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition.
The Ukraine war, supply chain disruptions, and the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed food prices to an all-time high.
Rising food prices have a greater impact on people in low- and middle-income countries.
These countries spend a larger share of their income on food than people in high-income countries.
Domestic food price inflation at high worldwide :
According to the data, almost all low and middle income countries have high inflation between April and July 2022.
The World Bank says countries should lift trade restrictions or export bans on fertilizers.
The use of fertilizers should be made more efficient by giving proper incentives to the farmers.
Investing in innovation to develop best practices and new technologies can help increase production per kilogram of fertilizer.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Top 10 Countries hit hardest by Food Inflation :
Lebanon
Zimbabwe
Venezuela
Turkiye
Sri Lanka
Iran
Argentina
Suriname
Ethiopia
Moldova
10. Defence Minister to attend SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting at Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Tags: International News
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting at Tashkent in Uzbekistan on 24 August.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- He will attend the Annual Meeting of the Defence Ministers' of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States.
Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu are also expected to attend the SCO meeting.
Other defence ministers of member countries of the grouping will also attend the meet.
The SCO Defence Ministerial meeting is taking place about three weeks before the annual summit of this grouping.
The annual summit will be held in Samarkand on September 15-16.
During his visit to Tashkent, the Defence Minister will call on the Defence Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Lieutenant General Bakhodir Kurbanov.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
What is Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ?
It is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation.
It was founded in 2001.
The SCO Charter was signed in 2002, and came into force in 2003.
It is a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation.
Its aim is to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.
China, Russia and four Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan – were founding members of the SCO.
Official Languages - Russian and Chinese
Chairmanship - On the basis of rotation for a year by Member States
