1. President inaugurates Late Smt Laxmibai Dagdusheth Halwai Dutta Mandir Trust in Pune
Tags: Popular State News
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 125th Anniversary Celebrations of Late Smt Laxmibai Dagdusheth Halwai Dutta Mandir Trust in Pune on 27 May.
Laxmibai Memorial Awards 2022
Laxmibai Memorial Awards 2022 were presented to three eminent women achievers from different fields on the occasion.
The awardees are Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar, Vice Chancellor, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences; International Bonsai expert Dr. Prajakta Kale; and Dr. Bhagyashree Patil, Chairman and Executive Director, Dr. D.Y. Patil Abhimat University, Pimpri.
About Laxmibai Dagdusheth Halwai Datta Mandir
It is a Hindu temple established by Laxmibai Dagdusheth, wife of Dagdusheth Gadve.
She was originally a Lingayat trader from Karnataka.
After settling in Pune and setting up a business of sweet and savoury snacks, the family came to be known as Dagdusheth Halwai.
Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai and his wife Lakshmi Bai played an important role during the freedom struggle and created a tradition of social service.
This temple was established on 4 July 1904 and is dedicated to Sri Dattatreya.
In Maharashtra, Dattatreya is considered to be an avatar of the three Hindu Gods, Trimurti—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
It is believed that the deities are especially awakened in this temple, making it a popular spot among devotees.
The temple is located in Budhwar Peth near Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple.
In 2017, Laxmibai Dagdusheth Halwai Datta Temple became the first temple in Pune to be completely solar powered.
2. 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.
3. Qutub Minar not a place of worship: ASI
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on 24 May opposed a plea before a Delhi court seeking restoration of Hindu and Jain deities inside the Qutub Minar complex, saying it is not a place of worship and the existing status of the monument cannot be altered.
The ASI pointed out that when Qutub Minar was first notified as a protected monument in 1914, the complex was not a place of worship.
The ASI explained that the form or nature of a monument is decided on the date when it comes under protection.
What is the case?
The original suit claimed that 27 temples were demolished for the construction of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in the Qutub Minar complex.
The petition was dismissed last year under the provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
The Additional District Judge (ADJ) has now reserved the order.
The petitioner submitted that it was wrong to dismiss the original suit based on the 1991 Act.
The Qutub Minar complex comes under the purview of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act of 1958.
About Qutub Minar
It is a soaring, 73 metre high victory tower, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli region of South Delhi.
It is a five-storied tower made of red sandstone.
Its Surrounding there is the Alai-Darwaja Gate, a masterpiece of Indo-Muslim art (built in 1311).
Its construction was started by Qutub-ud-din Aibak in 1193 and finished by Iltutmish.
Qutub Minar and its monuments were included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1993.
4. Centre launches Swachh Survekshan 2023 under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the 8th edition of Swachh Survekshan – SS-2023 under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0.
It was launched by Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in a virtual program in New Delhi on 24 May.
The theme of the survey for this year is "Waste to Wealth", which is aligned to the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0 and focuses on the central government's vision of 'waste free' cities.
The survey will give priority to the principle of 3Rs – Reduce, Recycle and Reuse,”.
The 2022 edition of the survey had been completed and its results were being prepared.
About Swachh Survekshan
Launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
Its aim was to make India clean and free from open defecation.
The first survey was conducted in 2016 and covered 73 cities.
By 2020, this survey increased to 4242 cities and was said to be the world's largest cleanliness survey.
Nodal Ministry - Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
About the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
Launched - on 2nd October 2014
Launched by - Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Aims - to achieve the vision of a ‘Clean India’ by 2nd October 2019.
Slogan - One step towards cleanliness
It is a restructured version of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan launched in 2009.
The first phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission lasted till October 2019.
Phase 2 is being implemented between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
5. New Development Bank opens regional office in GIFT City, Gujarat
Tags: Popular National News
New Development Bank (NDB) has announced the launch of its Indian Regional Office (IRO) at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City).
The objective of launching the Bank's regional office is to meet the infrastructure and sustainable development needs in India and Bangladesh, contributing to economic growth and sustainable development in South Asia in line with the mandate of the NDB.
The Indian Regional Office will work in close coordination with the NDB Headquarters, focusing on technical support including initial project preparation, pipeline development, project implementation and monitoring as well as regional portfolio management.
The NDB officially opened its Africa Regional Centre (ARC) in Johannesburg in 2017 followed by the establishment of a sub-office in Brasilia with the Americas Regional Office (ARO) in So Paulo by the NDB in 2019.
In 2020, the NDB established the Eurasian Regional Centre (ERC) in Moscow. The Indian Regional Office (IRO) complements the NDB's global network of offices.
About New Development Bank
New Development Bank formerly known as BRICS Bank informally.
It was established on 15 July 2014 by the countries of the BRICS grouping.
The idea of setting up the bank was proposed by India at the 4th BRICS Summit held in Delhi in 2012.
This was agreed upon by the BRICS leaders at the 5th BRICS Summit held in Durban, South Africa on 27 March 2013.
Headquarters- Shanghai, China
General Secretary- KV Kamat
President- Markosh Trayoja
6. Piyush Goyal to lead India at WEF's Davos meeting
The Indian delegation will be led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal at the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos from May 22 to 26.
During this meeting, many big issues affecting the whole world like the Ukraine crisis, climate change, and the Corona epidemic will be discussed.
The meeting will be addressed by several world leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Union President Ursala von der Leyen and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In this conference, more than 2500 leaders, officials and experts, including heads of 50 countries and states from around the world, will give their views on various issues.
From India, a large team led by Union Minister Piyush Goyal is going there, including Union Health Minister Mansukh Lal Mandaviya and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, besides two Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and Jaganmohan Reddy.
Aaditya Thackeray from Maharashtra, KT Rama Rao from Telangana etc. Many big leaders and CEOs will also participate in this meeting.
The theme of the conference will be 'History at a turning point'.
Key points of discussion during the meeting -
This conference will mainly focus on six issues
These include promoting global and regional cooperation, restoring stability to a new era of geopolitical conflict and tension, as well as advancing trade, prosperity and partnership, achieving economic recovery and shaping a new era of development.
In the conference, it will also be discussed how to strengthen health services in view of future diseases, moving from the health emergency to the corona epidemic.
During this time the focus will be on suggesting ways to accelerate the global economy, promoting the Fourth Industrial Revolution and finding ways to face the biggest challenge to humanity like climate change.
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
7. World's highest meteorological station installed on Mount Everest
Tags: Popular International News
The world's highest meteorological station has been established on Mount Everest to study various weather phenomena.
According to Nepal's Department of Water and Meteorology, this meteorological station has been established at 8,830 metres just below the summit point of the mountain range (maximum height 8848.86 m).
The centre was facing difficulty in setting up the summit point due to the snow.
The solar-powered weather station will measure short- and long-distance radiation, along with changes in temperature, wind speed and direction, wind pressure and snow height.
Important point -
Nepal's Hydrology and Meteorological Department and National Geographic signed a Memorandum of Understanding to operate all five automated weather stations set up by NetGeo to provide real-time information about mountain conditions.
Under this agreement, the National Geographic team will operate these centres till 2025. After which the technology will be transferred to the Government of Nepal in the year 2026.
The NetGeo team, led by Baker Perry, a climate scientist at the US's Appalachian State University, included climbers and scientists, many of whom climbed the world's highest peak while setting up the weather station.
According to Chinese media reports, Mount Everest in Beijing has eight stations from 5,200 metres to 8,800 metres, with four stations over 7,000 metres at 7,028 metres, 7,790 metres, 8,300 metres and 8,800 metres.
About Mount Everest -
Mount Everest is the highest peak of the Greater Himalaya mountain range located on the border of Nepal and China (Tibet) in Asia.
Mount Everest is called Devagiri in Sanskrit, Chomolungma in Tibetan, Chu-mu-long-ma-feng in Chinese and Sagarmatha in Nepali.
On 29 May 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tensingh Norgay Sherpa, an Indian citizen of Nepalese origin, climbed Mount Everest for the first time.
Junko Tabei (Japan) is the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, as well as the first woman to climb the highest peaks on each of the 7 continents.
Bachendri Pal is the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest in 1984.
Santosh Yadav is the first Indian woman to climb Everest twice in a row.
Kami Rita Sherpa, a 52-year-old mountaineer from Nepal, has completed the most number of climbs on the world's highest mountain peak, Mount Everest. She has managed to climb Mount Everest 25 times.
8. Scientists discover almost 35 million years old rare snake fossil from Ladakh Himalaya
Tags: Popular Science and Technology
Scientists have discovered for the first time the fossil of a Madtsoidae snake from molasses deposits in the Ladakh Himalayas.
This indicates its prevalence in the subcontinent for a longer period of time than previously thought.
Madtsoiidae is an extinct group of medium-sized to gigantic snakes.
It firstly appeared during the Cretaceous and mostly distributed in the Gondwanan landmasses.
Although, their Cenozoic record is extremely scarce.
The occurrence of Madtsoiidae from the Oligocene of Ladakh indicates their continuity at least to the end of the Paleogene (geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 million years ago).
The research was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology.
The newly discovered fossil specimen is housed in the repository of Wadia Institute, an autonomous institute of Department of Science and Technology.
9. Pulitzer Prize 2022: India's Amit Dave, Danish Siddiqui get Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize 2022 in different fields of journalism, book, drama and music were announced on 9 May.
The award winners include Indian journalists Adnan Abidi, Sana Irshad Mattoo, Amit Dave along with The Washington Post.
The late Danish Siddiqui of Reuters photographer has been given this award posthumously.
He was assassinated during a conflict between the Taliban and the Afghan army.
List of winners
Public service - winner The Washington Post, January 6, 2021 for reporting the attack on Capitol Hill
Breaking news reporting - winner Miami Herald - for coverage of the collapse of seaside apartment towers in Florida
Investigative reporting - winner - Rebecca Woolington's Corey G. Johnson and Tampa Bay Times' Eli Murray for highlighting the highly toxic hazards inside a Florida battery recycling plant.
Explanatory reporting - winner - To the staff of Quanta magazine, especially Natalie Wolchower, for reporting on how the Inco Webb Space Telescope works.
Local reporting - winner - Madison Hopkins of the Better Government Association and Cecilia Reyes of the Chicago Tribune - for reporting on Chicago's unfinished building and fire safety
National reporting - winner - Employees of The New York Times
International reporting - winner - The New York Times Employees
Feature writing - winner - Jennifer Senior of The Atlantic
Feature photography - winner - Adnan Abidi, Sana Irshad Mattoo, Amit Dave and the late Danish Siddiqui of Reuters were honoured for photography during the Corona period in India.
Commentary - winner - Melinda Heineberger
Criticism - winner - Salamisha Tillet, The New York Times
Audio reporting - winner - Employees of Futuro Media and PRX
Novel - winner - The Netanyas, Writer- Joshua Cohen
About Pulitzer Prize
It was established in 1917.
It is administered by Columbia University and the Pulitzer Prize Board.
The award is named after Joseph Pulitzer.
He was a newspaper publisher who gave money in his will to Columbia University to launch a journalism school and establish the Prize.
Each winner receives a certificate and a US$15,000 cash prize.
A gold medal is awarded to the winner in the Public Service category.
10. Rakhigarhi skeletons’ DNA samples sent for analysis
Tags: Popular State News
DNA samples collected from two human skeletons found in a cemetery at a Harappan-era town site in Haryana have been sent for scientific examination.
The DNA test results can tell about the ancestry and food habits of the people who have lived in the Rakhigarhi region for thousands of years.
Skeletons of two women were found a few months ago at mound number 7 (designated RGR 7 by the Archaeological Survey of India), believed to be around 5,000 years old.
Pots and other artefacts were also found buried next to them in a pit, part of the funerary rituals back in the Harappan Civilisation era.
About RakhiGarhi
The ancient sites of Rakhi-Khas and Rakhi-Shahpur are collectively known as Rakhigarhi.
It is located on the right bank of the now dried up Palaeo-channel of Drishadvati.
It is located in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain in the Hisar district of Haryana.
There are seven mounds located here.
The site has given rise to various phases of the Harappan culture and is one of the largest Harappan sites ever discovered in India.
The site represents the gradual development of the Indus culture in the now-dry Sarasvati Basin.
