1. On Birth Anniversary, PM Pays Tribute To Rabindranath Tagore
Tags: Person in news Important Days
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9th May paid tributes to Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary.
About Rabindranath Tagore
He was born on 7 May 1861 in Calcutta.
He is also known as 'Gurudev', 'Kabiguru' and 'Biswakabi'.
Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, novelist, and painter.
He was a good friend of Mahatma Gandhi and is said to have bestowed upon him the title of Mahatma.
He had always emphasised that unity in diversity is the only possible way for the national unity of India.
He spoke at the World Parliament of Religions in the years 1929 and 1937.
His notable works include Gitanjali, Ghare-Bair, Gora, Mansi, Balak, Sonar Tori.
He is also remembered for his song ‘Ekla Chalo Re’.
He published his first poems at the age of 16 under the name 'Bhanusimha'.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his work Gitanjali.
He was the first non-European person to receive the Nobel Prize.
He died on 7 August 1941 in Calcutta.
2. World Red Cross Day
Tags: Important Days
World Red Cross Day also known as Red Crescent Day is celebrated on May 8 every year.
The day marks the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
He is also a Nobel Peace Prize winner. He was born on May 8, 1828.
This day is celebrated by the Red Cross Society in all countries.
It works for the welfare of people.
The World Red Cross Society provides food and other aid to people in natural disasters, wars, as well as diseases and epidemics.
Theme : 2022 - ‘BeHumanKind’
History of the day
The first Red Cross Day was celebrated on 8 May 1948.
In 1946, during the Second World War, the Tokyo Resolution was implemented.
The resolution to celebrate World Red Cross Day annually was adopted on 8 May 1948, the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross.
In 1984 it was officially named "World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day".
Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
To stop and end suffering for every human being
Impartiality
Neutrality
Independence
Voluntary Service
Unity and Universality
3. Webinar on“Challenges in Thalassemia 2022”
Tags: National Summits Important Days
On the occasion of World Thalassemia Day on 9 May Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda addressed the webinar “Challenges in Thalassemia 2022” in New Delhi.
It was jointly organised by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs along with various ministries and Thalassemia Association.
Experts from different parts of India and the world participated in the conference.
About Thalassemia
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that causes the human body to have less haemoglobin than normal.
World Thalassemia Day is observed every year on 8 May to spread awareness about this condition.
This year, it is celebrated with the theme ‘Be Aware. Share, Care: Working with the global community as one to improve thalassaemia knowledge.’
Iron deficiency is the most common and can cause extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, weakness and cold hands and feet.
Iron is a mineral that our body needs for growth, development and making haemoglobin.
Haemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body.
Iron is a cofactor for neurotransmitters and is important for the synthesis and metabolism of hormones.
4. World Athletics Day
Tags: Important Days
World Athletics Day is being celebrated by the IAAF on 7th May in the year 2022.
The date of World Athletics Day varies every year, this date is decided by the IAAF (International Amateur Athletic Federation).
The purpose of World Athletics Day is to increase awareness about sports among the people and to connect youth with sports and make them health conscious.
World Athletics Day was started in 1996 by the then IAAF President Primo Nebbiolo.
About International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) -
Formation- 18 July 1912 Stockholm (Sweden)
Headquarter- Monaco
Member- 214 federations
President- Sebastian Coe
5. Border Roads Organisation celebrates Raising Day
Tags: National Important Days
Border Roads Organisation celebrating Raising Day today on 7th May, 2022.
About Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
BRO, a pioneer in the field of infrastructural development in the border areas of the country, is celebrating its 63 years of illustrious service to the nation.
BRO is a major road construction agency under the Ministry of Defence with the primary objective of providing road connectivity to the border areas.
BRO was formed on 7th May 1960.
It develops and maintains the road network in India's border areas and friendly neighbouring countries.
This includes operating infrastructure in 19 states and three union territories (including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka.
One of the biggest infrastructural achievements of BRO - longest highway tunnel built in Himachal Pradesh, and its name is Atal Tunnel.
Atal tunnel under Rohtang Pass is an 8.8-kilometer-long tunnel.
This will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kms and will save on transportation costs.
Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhry assumes the position of Director General of BRO.
6. International Firefighters’ Day
Tags: Important Days
International Firefighters Day is celebrated every year on 4 May.
Every year this day is celebrated to recognize the sacrifice of firefighters.
The main objective of International Firefighters Day is to honour and thank the firefighters who put their lives at risk to save the lives of people and wildlife from fire.
The day was instituted after the tragic circumstances of the deaths of five firefighters in a bushfire in Australia on 2 December 1998.
International Firefighters Day is celebrated on 4 May as this day is also Saint Florian's Day.
Saint Florian was the commanding firefighter of the Roman battalion, considered the patron saint of firefighters.
The symbols of Firefighters' Day are red and blue ribbons. In the ribbon, the red colour symbolises fire and the blue colour symbolises water.
7. World Press Freedom Day
Tags: Important Days
World Press Freedom Day is observed annually on 3 May to raise awareness about the importance of freedom of expression and freedom of the press as a fundamental human right.
World Press Freedom Day reminds governments of their obligation to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression as defined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.
The day aims to celebrate the basic principles of press freedom, assess the state of press freedom around the world, and defend the media against attacks.
The theme of this year's World Press Freedom Day is 'Journalism under a digital siege'.
In December 1993, May 3 was declared as World Press Freedom Day by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) following the recommendation of the General Conference of UNESCO.
8. International Labour Day
Tags: Important Days
World Labour Day is celebrated every year on 1 May in support of workers' respect, their unity and their rights.
These days are also known as Labour Day, May Day, and Majdur diwas.
On May 1, the uncertain working hours of the workers of the world were converted into 8 hours.
The foundation day of Maharashtra and Gujarat is also celebrated on 1st May.
History of Labour Day
International Labour Day started with a movement in America on May 1, 1886.
Labour Day was started in Madras on 1 May 1923 by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan in India.
9. National Panchayati Raj Day
Tags: Important Days
Every year, 24 April is celebrated by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj as National Panchayati Raj Day, which is celebrated to give constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj system in the country.
The objective of celebrating National Panchayati Raj Day is to raise awareness about Panchayats and Gram Sabhas.
Panchayats and Gram Sabhas are the institutions of the local self-governments for the rural areas mandated by the Constitution.
Significance of the day
This annual festival is done to commemorate the historic day on which the Constitution Act (73rd Amendment) was passed in 1992.
However, the 73rd Constitutional Amendment came into force on April 24, 1993, and hence led to the formation of the Panchayati Raj system in India.
Therefore, this day is celebrated to celebrate the establishment of decentralised power.
Former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh declared April 24, 2010 as the first National Panchayati Raj Day.
History of the day
In 1957, a committee was formed which focused on the development of Panchayati Raj in India.
The committee was headed by Balwantrai Mehta.
The committee proposed a decentralised village panchayat system consisting of a gram panchayat at the village level, a block panchayat or panchayat samiti at the intermediate level, and a district panchayat at the district level.
The Indian Constitution recognizes Panchayats as a system of self-government, in which the Panchayats are responsible for delivering justice and ensuring the development of their villages.
Important facts
In 1959, Rajasthan was the first state in India to introduce Panchayati Raj while Andhra Pradesh became the second state to introduce this system.
Panchayati Raj was inaugurated by India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru in Nagpur in October 1959.
10. World Malaria Day
Tags: Important Days
Every year, World Malaria Day is observed on 25 April by the World Health Organisation and many other international organisations.
World Malaria Day is one of 11 official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organisation.
The purpose of this day is to take immediate action in the control of deadly diseases like malaria.
The theme of World Malaria Day 2022 - "Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives."
History of the day-
The idea of World Malaria Day was developed from Africa Malaria Day.
Africa Malaria Day was originally celebrated by African governments since 2001.
A meeting sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO) at the 60th session of the World Health Assembly in 2007 proposed that Africa Malaria Day be changed to World Malaria Day.
World Malaria Day was first organised in 2008.
About Malaria disease
Malaria is a deadly disease, which is transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes.
Female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit the Plasmodium parasite, which causes malaria, through their saliva.
According to the World Health Organisation, India represents 3% of global malaria.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently announced that, in 2020, 116 Indian districts reported zero malaria cases.
