1. World Space Week
Tags: Important Days
World Space Week is observed annually from the 4th to 10th of October every year.
Important facts
In India, World Space Week 2022 is being celebrated in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Institute (ISRO) and Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
During this, a National Space Quiz Competition is being organized to increase the interest of the school children towards astronomical knowledge and science.
It is dedicated to celebrate the contribution of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition.
In the year 1999, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared the World Space Week to be celebrated.
It commemorates Sputnik-1, the first man-made Earth satellite, launched on 4 October 1957.
The theme of Space Week 2022 is "Space and Sustainability" with a focus on achieving sustainability in space.
It is coordinated by the United Nations in collaboration with the World Space Week Association (WSWA), a non-profit organization.
2. National Wildlife Week
Tags: Important Days
The national Wildlife Week is being celebrated across the country from October 2 to October 8.
Important facts
This year, India is celebrating the 68th edition of Wildlife Week.
Its objective is to spread the message of protecting and preserving India's flora and fauna.
During Wildlife Week in India, environmentalists and conservationists organize workshops to help people understand the importance of protecting wildlife.
Several awareness raising activities are also organized during this week.
In 1952, the Wildlife Board of India conceived the concept of Wildlife Week to create awareness about the long-term goals of protecting India's wildlife.
- On 20 December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly declared 3 March as World Wildlife Day.
3. World Cotton Day
Tags: Important Days
Every year 7 October is celebrated as 'World Cotton Day' across the world.
Important facts
World Cotton Day is celebrated by the United Nations to raise awareness about the important role of the cotton sector in international trade, economic development and poverty alleviation.
Cotton is considered a major source of livelihood and income for many rural laborers and stockholders, including women.
It provides employment and income to some of the poorest rural areas around the world.
The day promotes sustainable trade policies and enables developing countries to benefit from every stage of the cotton value chain.
India is the second largest producer and largest consumer of cotton in the world.
Background of the day
The initiative of World Cotton Day was started in 2019.
The day originated when four cotton producers in sub-Saharan Africa—Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali—known as the 'Cotton Four'—proposed to observe the day on 7 October every year in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The World Trade Organization hosted the launch of World Cotton Day on 7 October 2019 as an initiative of Cotton-4 countries.
4. World Teachers’ Day
Tags: Important Days
World Teachers' Day is celebrated across the world on 5 October every year to recognize the work of teachers, researchers and professors.
Important facts
On this day, people come together and organize meetings, conferences to identify and find solutions to the problems being faced by teachers in the country as well as globally.
The day is celebrated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) along with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), International Labor Organization (ILO) and Education International.
The theme of World Teachers’ Day 2022 - “The Transformation of Education Begins With Teachers”.
Background of the World Teachers’ Day
In 1994, October 5 was declared by UNESCO as World Teachers' Day.
It was a part of the Intergovernmental Conference organised by UNESCO in Paris that recognized the status of teachers in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
On the other hand, India has been celebrating 5 September as Teacher's Day since 1962.
In India, Teachers' Day is celebrated on 5 September to honor the country's second President, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, whose birth anniversary falls on the same day.
5. World Animal Day
Tags: Important Days
Every year 4 October is observed as World Animal Day.
Important facts
This day is celebrated to respect the rights of animals and to make people aware about their well being.
The day highlights the fact that animals have the same value as humans and at the same time their rights need to be respected.
The purpose of this day is to improve animal welfare standards, to show love towards animals so that their lives can be better and better and to spread awareness in the context of animal welfare.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 has been implemented in India to promote animal protection and to end cruelty to animals.
The theme of the year 2022 - "Shared Planet".
Background of the day
The day was first observed on 24 March 1925 by animal protection activist Heinrich Zimmermann in Berlin, Germany.
At a conference of the world's animal protection organizations in Florence, Italy in May 1931, his proposal to universalize World Animal Day on 4 October was unanimously accepted.
The day is currently being organized by the Naturewatch Foundation, a UK based animal welfare charity.
6. World Habitat Day
Tags: Important Days
World Habitat Day is celebrated annually on the first Monday of every October. In the year 2022, this day is being celebrated on 3rd October.
Important facts
The day aims to highlight people's basic right to shelter and remind them that they are also responsible for the habitat of future generations.
It aims to consider the situation in towns and cities and focus on promoting the basic right to adequate shelter and housing for all.
The theme of 2022 - “Mind the Gap. Leave No One and Place Behind”.
This day for the year 2022 will focus on the problem of inequality, the challenges facing cities and other human settlements.
World Habitat Day 2022 aims to focus on the growing inequalities and vulnerabilities that have been a result of the triple ‘C’ crises- COVID-19, climate change and conflict.
Background of the day
In 1985, the United Nations declared the first Monday of October every year to be observed as World Habitat Day.
World Habitat Day was first observed in 1986 with the theme "Shelter is my right".
Nairobi hosted the first World Habitat day year.
In 1989, the UN Human Settlements Programme launched “The Habitat Scroll of Honour award”.
It is the world's most prestigious human settlement award.
7. International Day of Non-violence
Tags: Important Days
International Day of Non-Violence is observed across the world on 2 October which is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of India's independence movement and the pioneer of the philosophy of non-violence.
Important facts
The day aims to spread awareness about the idea of non-violence through education.
According to the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, the day is an occasion to "disseminate the message of non-violence through education and public awareness".
What does non-violence mean?
The doctrine of nonviolence, also known as nonviolent resistance, rejects the use of physical violence to achieve social or political change.
According to Mahatma Gandhi "It is more powerful than the most powerful weapon of destruction devised by man."
The famous Sanskrit phrase ahimsa paramo dharma was also popularized by Gandhi during the independence movement.
Background of the day
In January 2004, Iranian Noble Laureate Shirin Ebadi proposed the idea for this special day.
Her idea was appropriate to many Indian National Congress leaders, who later called on the United Nations to adopt it in 2007.
Congress leader and then Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma presented the resolution in the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of 140 co-sponsors.
On 15 June 2007, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution to observe International Day of Nonviolence.
This day was first celebrated in 2007.
8. Swachh Bharat Diwas
Tags: Important Days
The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti is celebrating the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd October 2022 as Swachh Bharat Diwas.
Important facts
The department is organizing a one-day program on October 2, 2022 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
President of India Draupadi Murmu presided over the function as the chief guest.
The department is implementing two flagship programs of the Central Government - Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G) and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
Subsequently, SBM-G 2.0 was launched in 2020 to maintain ODF status in villages and improve sanitation levels in rural areas through solid and liquid waste management, making villages ODF plus.
Swachh Bharat Diwas is a culmination of several activities/campaigns for the components of SBM-G phase II. They are-
Swachhta Hi Sewa (SHS) – It is a fortnightly campaign undertaken by the public offering “shramdaan” for sustaining cleanliness in the country.
United India for Swachhata - It is a dedicated week-long intensified campaign for complete cleanliness i,e ‘sampoorna swachhta’ in 9 states across the country.
9. Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri birth anniversary
Tags: Person in news Important Days
The nation is celebrating the 153rd birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd October 2022. 2nd October is also the birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri who served as the second Prime Minister of India.
Important facts
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversary.
He urged everyone to purchase khadi and handicrafts products as a tribute to Gandhi.
The Prime Minister also shared some glimpses from his gallery at the 'Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya' in Delhi, which depicts Shastri's life journey and achievements.
About Mahatma Gandhi
Birth - 2nd October 1869 in Porbandar (Gujarat)
Brief Introduction - Lawyer, politician, social activist and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India.
In South Africa (1893–1915), he successfully fought racist rule with a new method of mass movement, which he called satyagraha.
He returned to India from South Africa on 9 January 1915.
The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was the first Satyagraha movement led by Gandhi in India.
In 1918, he went to Ahmedabad to organize a Satyagraha movement among cotton mill workers.
In 1919, he decided to launch a nationwide satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act (1919).
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on April 13, 1919. Seeing the spread of violence, he called off the movement (April 18, 1919).
The non-cooperation movement was adopted in the Congress session in Nagpur in December 1920.
He was shot dead by Nathuram Godse on 30 January 1948.
His Social Work
He worked for the upliftment of the untouchables and gave them a new name 'Harijan' which means child of God.
His symbol of self-reliance, the spinning wheel, became a popular symbol of the Indian independence movement.
He was instrumental in preventing Hindu-Muslim riots as tensions escalated before and during the country's partition.
Hind Swaraj, My Experiments with Truth (Autobiography) are popular books written by him.
About Lal Bahadur Shastri
He was born on October 2, 1904 in Mughalsarai, a small railway town seven miles from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
He was the second Prime Minister (1964-66) of India and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress.
He led several insurgent campaigns in the Civil Disobedience Movement and spent a total of seven years in British prisons.
He was a minister in various departments in the Union Cabinet from 1951 to 1956.
He resigned from the post of Railway Minister, taking responsibility for a railway accident in which many people lost their lives.
He was the first person to be awarded the Bharat Ratna (1966) posthumously.
He led the country during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He gave the slogan "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan".
10. National Voluntary Blood Donation Day
Tags: Important Days
Every year National Voluntary Blood Donation Day is observed on 1st October. It is observed to raise awareness about Blood donation and promote voluntary Blood donation in the country.
This year the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare organised Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav, a countrywide mega drive for voluntary blood donation from 17th September to 1st October this year.
When was it started?
The National Voluntary Blood Donation was first observed in 1975. It was started by the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohematology.
Note
World Blood Donor day is observed on 14 June every year in the world.
The theme of the World Blood Donor day 2022 is: Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives.
