1. PM inaugurates several completed projects and lays foundation stones for new projects in Chennai
Tags: State News National News
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated several completed projects and laid foundation stones for new projects in Chennai on 27 May.
Inaugurated projects
He laid foundation stones for six major infrastructure projects worth 28,540 crore rupees.
He dedicated to the nation five projects that have been completed at a cost of 2960 crore rupees.
He inaugurated the new campus of the Central Institute of Classical Tamil, which is being fully funded by the Central Government.
Subramanya Bharathi Chair on Tamil Studies at Banaras Hindu University was announced recently.
PM inaugurated phase 1 of Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway.
He said the proposed Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway would connect the two major centres to boost the economy.
He also inaugurated a four-lane, double decker, elevated road connecting Chennai Port to Maduravoyal.
This will make Chennai port more efficient and decongest the city.
Five railway stations in the state are being redeveloped.
Chennai Light House project was the first project in the country under the urban component of PM-Awas scheme.
Multi-modal logistic parks
2. India, UAE sign MoU for climate action
Tags: International News
India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Climate Action on 26 May.
It aims to establish a framework to facilitate bilateral cooperation on climate action and contribute towards the implementation of the Paris Agreement 2015.
The MoU was signed between Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav and UAE Climate Envoy and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr Sultan Al Jaber in New Delhi.
In a bilateral meeting, both the leaders discussed issues related to climate change, hosting of COP 28 and other related matters.
Yadav stressed that issues of climate finance, adaptation, loss and damage require more attention on the way beyond COP26.
Paris Agreement 2015
It is an international agreement to combat climate change.
In December 2015, the governments of 195 countries gathered in Paris, France.
They discussed a possible new global agreement on climate change that aims to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and tackle the dangerous climate change threat.
It came into force on 4 November 2016.
It is a legally binding international treaty on climate change that was adopted by 196 countries.
It comes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
UNFCCC is a convention held in 1992 to combat climate change.
The Kyoto Protocol (1997) was another major international agreement under UNFCCC.
The aims of Paris Agreement
To keep the global temperature rise this century below 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level.
Trying to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 °C.
Strengthening the capacity of countries to deal with the effects of climate change.
3. MoU signed between Ministry of Ayush and Department of Biotechnology
Tags: National Science and Technology
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of AYUSH and the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India to explore the possibility of collaboration, convergence and synergy to bring together expertise towards evidence based biotechnology interventions in the AYUSH sector.
The MoU is expected to enable traditional health care and biotechnology to come together to conduct innovative and path-breaking research.
Innovation and research can be used for the exploration of various fundamental principles of Ayush systems.
The discovery and application of the ancient scientific method in the public health care sector requires multi-dimensional and technological methods.
This is expected to pave the way for coordinated research in the AYUSH sector and harness the vast untapped potential of the AYUSH health care system for community benefit.
The MoU will facilitate inter-ministerial cooperation for evidence based biotechnology interventions in the AYUSH sector.
4. Notification pertaining to base premium for third party insurance for unlimited liability
The Road Transport and Highways Ministry in consultation with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, has published Motor Vehicles (Third Party Insurance Base Premium and Liability) Rules, 2022 on 25 May.
The rules will come into force on 1st of June 2022.
The base premium for third-party insurance has been notified for unlimited liability for different classes of vehicles.
As per the new rules, a discount of 15 per cent has been provided for educational institution buses, while a discount of 50 per cent in premium has been given for a private car registered as a vintage car.
A discount of about 15 percent has been given on electric vehicles and 7.5 percent on premium for hybrid electric vehicles.
5. Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022
Tags: Defence National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate India's biggest drone festival-Bharat Drone Mahotsaw 2022 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on May 27.
The Prime Minister will interact with farmer drone pilots and also witness an open-air drone demonstration.
The 'Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022' is a two-day event being organised on May 27 and 28.
Drones will be showcased by over 70 exhibitors at the exhibition.
Drone pilot certificate, product launch, flight demonstration, demonstration of Made in India drone taxi prototype etc. will be organised in the festival.
Several industry leaders, government officials, foreign diplomats, representatives of public sector entities, private companies and drone startups will participate in the festival.
What is a drone?
Drones are also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or unmanned aircraft.
A drone is a flying robot that can be controlled remotely or can fly independently using software-controlled flight technology in its embedded systems.
It works in conjunction with onboard sensors and a global positioning system (GPS).
Drones first came to the market in the 1990 and were developed by the military.
Drones can be used for surveillance, situational analysis, crime control, VVIP security, disaster management, etc.
It offers benefits to almost every sector of the economy, including national defence, agriculture, law enforcement, and mapping, among others.
The Central Government has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme of Drones and Drone Components.
6. Graded action to be initiated against over 2,100 unrecognised political parties: ECI
Tags: National
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to initiate graded action against over 2,100 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) for non-compliance with statutory requirements under the Representation of the People (RP) Act.
All the parties have been accused of financial irregularities and non-submission of annual audit reports on time and not giving details of election expenses.
There are also a large number of such parties, who have not participated in the 2019 elections, yet they have got tax exemption of crores.
During verification, 87 parties were found to be non-existent.
They will be removed from the list and their benefits will be withdrawn under the Symbol Order (1968).
According to ECI over 92% of the then listed 2,354 RUPPs did not file their contribution reports in 2019.
In the year 2018-19, 199 parties claimed income tax exemption of ₹ 445 crore while in 2019-20, 219 parties claimed exemption of ₹ 608 crore.
Of these, 66 parties had sought exemption without submitting the mandatory contribution report.
In addition, 2,056 parties were yet to file annual audit accounts for 2019.
In 2019, only 623 parties contested the Lok Sabha elections.
Mandatory legal provisions
The registered parties are required to comply with Section 29 C of the Representation of the People (RP) Act and submit a contribution report.
Such contributions were given 100% exemption from income tax as an incentive to parties to strengthen electoral democracy.
Section 29A (9) of the Act mandates every political party to inform the Commission about any change in its name, head office, office bearers, address, PAN without any delay.
Parties will have to make a provision that they have to contest elections conducted by the Election Commission within five years of registration.
On participating in the election, they have to submit their election expenditure statement within 75 days in case of Assembly elections and within 90 days in case of Lok Sabha elections.
Any aggrieved party can approach the concerned Chief Electoral Officer with full facts within 30 days of the order of the Election Commission.
7. Ministry of Education releases National Achievement Survey 2021 report
Tags: National News
The Department of School Education and Literacy has released the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 report on May 25.
The report would enable analysis of results and remedial action at the appropriate level.
Approximately 34 lakh students from 1.18 lakh schools in 720 districts of rural and urban areas have participated in NAS 2021.
It assesses the health of the school education system in the country by conducting a comprehensive assessment survey of the learning ability of children in classes III, V, VIII and X with a cycle duration of three years.
It reflects the overall assessment of the school education system.
The last edition of the National Achievement Survey was conducted in 2017.
NAS 2021 was conducted on all India level on 12th November, 2021 and included all government schools, government aided schools and private unaided schools.
This nationwide survey was administered by CBSE.
The survey was managed through a technology platform designed and developed by the National Informatics Center (NIC).
Objective of NAS 2021
To assess the progress and learning ability of children as an indicator of the efficiency of the education system, so that appropriate remedial action can be taken at various levels.
8. Global Travel and Tourism Development Index
Tags: International News
India has slipped to the 54th position this year in the Global Travel and Tourism Development Index as compared to the 46th position in the year 2019.
India topped the list of South Asian countries.
Japan tops the global list. It was followed by the USA, Spain, France, Switzerland, Australia, UK, Singapore and Italy respectively.
117 economies have been included in the Travel and Tourism Development Index.
This index is released every two years by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
According to the data between January 2021 and January 2022, the number of international tourists has increased in 2022 instead of 2021.
About World Economic Forum (WEF)
The World Economic Forum is a non-profit organisation based in Switzerland.
It aims to set a global, regional and industrial direction by bringing together leaders in the world's business, political, educational and other fields.
Establishment- 1971
Headquarters- Cologny, Switzerland
CEO- Klaus M. Schwab
9. Gautam Adani in the list of 100 Most Influential People in Titans category
Tags: Person in news International News
Gautam Adani has been included in the list of 100 Most Influential People in Titans category along with personalities like Apple CEO Tim Cook and American host Oprah Winfrey.
On behalf of India, Supreme Court advocate Karuna Nandi and eminent Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez have also been included in this list.
Karuna Nandi and Khurram Parvez have been ranked in the Leaders category along with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
In this list of Time magazine, US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, tennis star Rafael Nadal, current Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Omar Ata Bandiyal have also been included in different categories. .
This list is divided into six categories. These categories are Icons, Pioneers, Titans, Artists, Leaders and Innovators.
Key persons nominated in different categories
Titans- Gautam Adani, Tim Cook, Oprah Winfrey, Kristyl Lagarde, Kris Jenner, Andy Jessie, Sally Rooney, Elizabeth Alexander, David Jaslav and Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sorbrunn and Alex Morgan.
Leaders- Karuna Nandi, Khurram Parvez, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Joe Rogan, Xi Jinping, Ursula von der Leyen, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk-yeol, Vladimir Putin, Olaf Scholz, Samia Suluhu Hassan, Abiy Ahmed, Kirsten Cinema, Gabrielle Boric, Valerie Jaluzhni, Lynn Fitch, Omar Ata Bandial and Sun Chunlan.
Innovators - Taika Waititi, Miranda Lambert, Derrick Palmer and Chris Smalls, Josh Wardle, Michen Genre, Demna, Mike Cannon-Brooks, Bella Bajaria, Sevgil Musayeva, Francis Keir, David Velez, Michael Schatz, Karen Meiga, Evan Eichler and Adam Philippi .
Artists - Simu Liu, Andrew Garfield, Joe Kravitz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Amanda Seyfried, Quinta Branson, Pete Davidson, Channing Tatum, Nathan Chen, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Strong, Faith Ringgold, Ariana DiBose, Jasmine Sullivan and Michael R. Jackson.
Icons- Mary J Blige, Dmitry Muratov, Isa Ray, Keanu Reeves, Adele, Rafael Nadal, Maya Lin, John Batista, Nadine Smith, Peng Shuai, Hoda Silent.
Pioneers- Candace Parker, Frances Hogan, Ahmir 'Questalv' Thompson, Sonia Guzzara, Stephanie Bansell, Emily Oster, Eileen Gu, Nan Goldin, Meijen Darvish and Anwar Lal Bunny, Emmet Schelling, Christina Villarreal Velasquez and Ana Christina Gonzalez Velez and Gregory L. Robinson.
10. A new venomous green snake species spotted at Umroi Military Station in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya
Tags: National
Recently a new venomous green snake species named 'Trimesurus mayai' or Maya pit viper has been spotted at Umroi Military Station in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya.
This snake-species is named in honour of the late mother of Colonel Yashpal Singh Rathi – 'Maya'.
This new species is also relatively common in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Guwahati (Assam).
Key Features of the Maya Pit Viper
The length of this snake is about 750 mm.
It is very similar to the Pope's pit viper in appearance, but its eye colour is different.
Pit viper
Pit vipers are found from deserts to rainforests.
These can be terrestrial, arboreal or aquatic. Some of these species lay eggs and other species give birth to live young.
Venomous pit viper species include the hump-nosed pit viper, mangrove pit viper and Malabar pit viper.
Russell's Viper and Saw-scaled Viper are two of the most venomous viper species found in India, which is one of the four most venomous and deadliest snakes in India.
