1. World Elephant Day
Tags: Important Days
World Elephant Day is celebrated every year on 12 August to raise awareness about the conservation of elephants around the world.
Important facts
Poaching is the first threat facing elephants.
Habitat loss, human-elephant conflict, abuse by humans and other issues are some of the issues that affect elephants.
World Elephant Day is also celebrated to draw people's attention to these issues and to tell them the importance of protecting this humble animal.
Theme of 2022 - Bringing the World Together to help Elephants
Background
World Elephant Day was first celebrated on 12 August 2012.
It was due to the efforts of Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims and the Elephant Breeding Foundation of Thailand that August 12 was celebrated as World Elephant Day.
World Elephant Day aims to spread awareness about the plight of Asian and African elephants.
Some facts about elephant
Elephants are the largest land mammals found on Earth.
The African savanna (bush) elephant is the largest land animal on our planet.
It has 3 species - African savanna (bush), African forest and Asian.
Elephants are pachyderms, which means they have thick skin, with some areas covering about 2.5 cm of skin.
It is found throughout Southeast Asia, including the forested regions of India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.
India has the largest number of Asian elephants.
There are about 28,000 elephants in India, of which about 25% are in Karnataka.
Elephants are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Initiatives for conservation of Elephants
Project Elephant
Elephant corridors and reserve
Gaj Yatra Nationwide campaign
Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme
2. International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022
Tags: Important Days
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples which is also known as World Tribal Day is observed on 9th August every year.
Important facts
This special day is celebrated around the world to protect the rights of the indigenous population.
Theme of 2022 - ‘The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge"
The theme emphasizes the role that women of indigenous communities play in carrying forward their traditions and cultures.
Background
The first Working Group on Indigenous Populations was created by the United Nations after the United Nations meeting in Geneva on 9 August 1982.
In this meeting, the UN body was tasked with drafting the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The main focus was to work on issues related to education, culture, economic and social development, environment and health of these communities.
The United Nations General Assembly on 23 December 1994 decided to observe the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on 9 August every year.
Significance of the day
The day plays an important role in sharing updates on annual projects and announced themed activities.
This year the event is being organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
The event invites Indigenous peoples, Member States, United Nations institutions, civil society and the general public to join virtual sessions to discuss the current scenario of the world's indigenous communities.
About Indigenous Peoples
There are 476 million indigenous peoples worldwide and spread over 90 countries.
They speak more than 4,000 languages.
They represent about 5% of the world’s population.
The vast majority of indigenous peoples – 70% live in Asia.
Indigenous people are often marginalized and discriminated against, making them even more vulnerable to violence and abuse.
3. World Biofuel Day
Tags: Important Days
World Biofuel Day is celebrated every year on 10 August to highlight the importance of biofuels.
Theme of 2022 - ‘Biofuels for Sustainability and Rural Income’.
Background of the day
August 10 was chosen as World Biofuel Day because it was on this day in 1893 that the German scientist Sir Rudolf Diesel successfully ran his diesel engine on groundnut oil.
This was a pioneering discovery as it created a safe, renewable and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
In India, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change started celebrating World Biofuel Day, from 2015.
What are Biofuels?
Any hydrocarbon fuel that is obtained and produced from an organic material is called a biofuel.
It can be in solid, liquid or gaseous form.
Biofuels are produced from animal waste, algae, and industrial and agricultural waste.
They are eco-friendly, sustainable, renewable and biodegradable.
Types of Biofuel
Bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas are the three types of biofuels used in India.
Bioethanol is made from sugar and starchy crops and surplus agricultural waste and biomass.
Biodiesel is produced from various types of vegetable oil and agricultural waste and biomass waste from forests.
Biogas is produced through anaerobic digestion of biomass waste and animal waste.
Significance of the day
The day is a platform for the Indian government to raise awareness about non-fossil fuels.
The day commemorates the activities of the government in developing and strengthening the biofuel sector in the country.
The Petroleum Ministry allows blending of biodiesel made from cooking oil with diesel, while ethanol to be blended with petrol.
Biodiesel was initially produced from imported palm oil, but the use of cooking oil as a raw material was promoted to reduce costs.
The Ministry of Petroleum announced on June 5 this year that India had achieved the target of blending 10 percent ethanol with petrol.
The central government has claimed that there has been a reduction in carbon emissions by 27 lakh tonnes.
4. National Handloom Day
Tags: Important Days
National Handloom Day is celebrated every year on 7 August to honor the handloom weavers in the country and to raise awareness about the handloom industry of India.
Important facts
The 8th National Handloom Day was celebrated across the country under the coordination of the Ministry of Textiles through an exhibition planned at National Centre for Heritage Textiles (NCHT), Janpath, New Delhi.
Background
The Central Government in July 2015 had declared August 7 as National Handloom Day.
The day aims to create awareness about the importance of the handloom industry for the socio-economic development of the country.
August 7 was chosen as the National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement launched on this day at the Calcutta Town Hall in 1905 to protest the partition of Bengal by the British Government.
The aim of this movement was to revive domestic products and production processes.
Government programmes for development of handloom
Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS)
National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP)
Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme (HWCWS)
Yarn Supply Scheme (YSS)
The programs mentioned above are aimed at promoting the handloom sector by helping it to gain international recognition.
Some of the well known handlooms
Tamil Nadu’s famous Kanchipuram sarees
Paithani weaves of Maharashtra
Muga Silk of Assam
Mysore Silk of Karnataka
Telangana CM launches Nethanna Bima scheme for weavers
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on 7 August launched the Nethanna Bima scheme on the occasion of National Handloom Day.
This is a one of its kind scheme for weavers in the country and about 80,000 weavers' families will be benefitted by this insurance scheme.
The scheme will provide an insurance cover of ₹ 5 lakh to the families of weavers in case of unfortunate death of the eligible beneficiary.
5. Chabahar Day conference
Tags: Important Days National News
On July 31, 2022, the Chabahar Day convention was launched in Mumbai by Sarbananda Sonowal (Union Minister of Shipping) and Shripad Naik (Minister of State for Shipping).
Important facts
The inaugural ceremony was attended by dignitaries from Kazakhstan, Iran, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
In May 2016, India and Iran signed a bilateral agreement, in which India agreed to renew a berth at Shahid Beheshti port.
India also agreed to rebuild a 600-metre long container handling facility at this port.
In October 2017, India sent its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan through Chabahar port.
About Chabahar Port
Chabahar Port is located in the Gulf of Oman. It is at a distance of 72 km from Gwadar port in Pakistan. Gwadar Post was developed by China.
It serves as the only port in Iran consisting of two separate ports named Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari, each with 5 berths.
It is an important pillar of India's Indo-Pacific vision, in its endeavour to connect Eurasia with the Indian Ocean region.
It is a part of the International North South Transport Corridor network connecting India.
Iran has given special impetus to enhance trade cooperation activities between India and Iran through Chabahar Port.
Importance of Chabahar Port for India
Alternate Route - Chabahar Port provides India with an alternative supply route, thus reducing the importance of Pakistan in relation to trade.
Connectivity - In future the Chabahar Project and the North South Transport Corridor will complement each other by optimising Indian connectivity with Russia and Eurasia.
Strategic Needs - China is aggressively pursuing its Belt and Road Initiative under the One Belt One Road project.
Chabahar port is important for India to enhance connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries.
6. Muslim Women's Rights Day
Tags: Important Days
On August 1, 2019, Muslim women got freedom from the social evil called 'triple talaq', hence August 1 has been recorded in the history of India as 'Muslim Women's Rights Day'.
Important facts
Muslim Women's Rights Day is celebrated on 1st August in the backdrop of Triple Talaq Bill which was approved in Parliament on 1st August 2019.
The Triple Talaq Bill was a major milestone in freeing Muslim women from the shackles of social evil of the conditions of divorce.
Shah Bano Begum & Ors Vs Mo Ahmed Khan', 'Shayra Bano Vs Union of India and Others' laid the foundation stone for this move.
In her writ petition, Shayra Bano had sought the Supreme Court to declare the three practices talaq-e-biddat, polygamy, nikah-halala unconstitutional.
Cases were being registered citing violation of Articles 14, 15, 21, 25 of the Constitution.
About triple talaq law
Triple talaq is called 'Talaq-e-bidat'.
In this, the husband says three times in one go... Divorce-divorce-divorce. It is valid only if both the husband and wife agree to divorce each other.
But it has been seen that in almost 100 percent of the cases, only the husband has the consent.
The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in December 2017, but got stuck in the Rajya Sabha.
After this, in September 2018, the government issued an ordinance to ban triple talaq.
Declaring triple talaq as an offence in this ordinance, there is a provision for imprisonment of up to three years and fine for the husband.
The Supreme Court called it a violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution, which give equal rights to all citizens.
According to Section 3 of this bill, it will be illegal and unlawful to pronounce triple talaq in writing or by any electronic means.
Success of law
Ever since the law was passed, the cases of triple talaq have come down by 82%.
Which countries have banned triple talaq?
Egypt was the first country to ban triple talaq in 1929.
Egypt is followed by Sudan, Pakistan (in 1956), Malaysia (in 1969), Bangladesh (in 1972), Iraq (in 1959) and Syria (in 1953).
In recent years, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Iran, Cyprus, Qatar, Jordan, Brunei, Algeria, as well as India, have banned the practice.
7. International Friendship Day
Tags: Important Days
International Friendship Day is celebrated every year on 30 July to celebrate friendship as well as promote the idea of meeting new people and making friends.
Important facts
Countries of the world celebrate friendship day twice.
Countries like Bangladesh, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America, including India, celebrate Friendship Day on the first Sunday of August every year.
History of International Friendship Day
The day was first proposed in 1958 by an international civil organisation - the World Friendship Crusade.
In the 65th United Nations session held in the year 2011, July 30 was officially fixed for International Friendship Day.
International Day of Friendship is an initiative taken by UNESCO to spread the culture of peace.
Theme of International Day of Friendship 2022: Sharing the human spirit through friendship.
Significance of International Friendship Day
It is a celebration of the bond of friendship between people.
Many people use the phrase 'friends like family' to describe friends who are very close to their family.
This phrase is an expression of the feeling of appreciation towards dearest friends.
8. World Tiger Day
Tags: Important Days
International Tiger Day is celebrated every year on 29 July to raise awareness about the declining tiger population and efforts to conserve them.
Important facts
Its goal is to promote a global system for protecting tiger habitats and to increase public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.
The first World Tiger Day was celebrated in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia, in which a total of 13 countries with a tiger zone set a global target of doubling the population of wild tigers by 2022.
Significance of International Tiger Day
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), there were approximately 100,000 tigers at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the year 2010, it was observed that this number has come down considerably to 3,200.
Therefore, International Tiger Day plays an important role in creating and spreading awareness for the conservation of tigers.
About Tiger
Scientific name of the tiger is "Panthera tigris".
It is the national animal of India.
Union - Chordata
Its age is about 19 years.
Tiger is the largest species of cat in the whole world.
The Siberian tiger is the largest tiger in the world.
The tiger found in Sumatra (an island of Indonesia) is the smallest tiger in the world.
Tiger population in India
According to the 2018 All India Tiger Estimation Report, the tiger population in India is 2967.
70% of the world's tigers are found in India.
Madhya Pradesh has the largest number of tigers.
After that live in Karnataka and Uttarakhand.
Tiger conservation projects in india
Project Tiger
Project Tiger was started by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the year 1973.
Under this program, central assistance is provided to the states having tiger populations for conservation of tigers.
At the time of the launch of Project Tiger in the year 1973, there were only 9 Tiger Reserves in the country, at present the total number of Tiger Reserves in the country has increased to 50.
National Tiger Conservation Authority
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body constituted under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
It was established in the year 2005 following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force.
9. World Hepatitis Day
Tags: Important Days
Every year on 28 July the world observes "World Hepatitis Day" to raise awareness about this deadly liver infection.
Important facts
The theme for the year 2022 - “Bringing hepatitis care closer to you”.
It aims to highlight the need to bring hepatitis care closer to primary health care facilities and communities, to ensure better access to treatment and care.
About Hepatitis
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. It is an infectious disease caused by hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E.
The other causes of the disease are medicines, toxins, drugs, and alcohol.
Hepatitis is the only communicable disease with increasing mortality.
Treatment
Hepatitis A and E are limited types of disease (i.e. they go away on their own) and do not require any specific antiviral medications.
Effective drugs are available for hepatitis B and C.
Effect of Hepatitis
Southeast Asia accounts for 20% of the global morbidity burden of hepatitis.
About 95% of all hepatitis-related deaths are due to cirrhosis and liver cancer caused by the hepatitis B and C viruses.
Viral hepatitis, caused by the hepatitis virus, remains a major public health problem in India.
A global target has been set to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
An Integrated Regional Action Plan for Viral Hepatitis, HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) 2022-2026 is being developed by WHO.
10. Kargil Vijay Diwas
Tags: Important Days
Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated across India on 26 July every year to remember the victory of the Indian Armed Forces in Operation Vijay against the infiltration of Pakistani troops in 1999.
Important facts
The objective of celebrating Kargil Vijay Diwas is to inculcate the spirit of nationalism and patriotism especially among the youth through nationwide campaigns and to pay tribute to the brave soldiers.
It was fought between May–July 1999 along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir (now a district in the Union Territory of Ladakh) in which India won.
Operation Vijay (Kargil War)
The Kargil War, popularly known as 'Operation Vijay', began on 3 May 1999 and ended on 26 July 1999.
It was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place in the Kargil district of Ladakh and other places along the Line of Control (LoC).
It was fought for over 60 days (between May and July 1999) and finally India regained control of all its territories.
In the 60-day long struggle, the victory of Tiger Hill was one of the significant achievements.
