1. 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.
2. 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.
3. World Book and Copyright Day 2022
Tags: Important Days
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To raise awareness about the benefits of reading books, World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day 2022, is observed every year on 23 April.
This day is specially celebrated to show the importance of reading, writing, translating, publishing and copyright of books.
This annual event is organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
The theme of the Day in 2022 is 'Read, so you never feel low'.
Guadalajara’s Mexican city has been selected as the World Book Capital for 2022.
History of the day
World Book Day has been celebrated every year since 1995.
The date holds a special significance as it marks the death anniversaries of two of the world's great writers William Shakespeare and well-known Spanish chronicler Inca Garcilaso de la Vega.
4. National Civil Services Day
Tags: Important Days
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National Civil Services Day is celebrated every year on 21st April.
On this day, officers of the Central and State Governments are honoured by the Prime Minister of India for their exceptional service in the field of public administration.
The civil service system is the backbone of the administrative machinery of the country.
Civil servants are responsible for the successful implementation of all government policies and schemes.
It includes (IAS) Indian Administrative Services, (IPS) Indian Police Services, (IFS) Indian Foreign Services, Central Group A and Group B Services.
History of the day
Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India, inaugurated the All India Services on April 21, 1947.
The previous Indian Civil Services under British India at that time were changed into All India Services under full Indian control.
He delivered the speech at the All India Administrative Services Training School at Metcalfe House, Delhi. In his speech he called the civil servants the 'steel frame of India'.
About Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
He is known as the Iron Man of India.
He was an Indian barrister and a part of the Congress during the freedom struggle.
He was First Deputy PM, first Minister of Home Affairs, first Minister of Information and first Minister of States.
He played an important role in the integration and political unification of India.
The Statue of Unity (182 m), the world's tallest statue, is a tribute to him.
5. World Earth Day 2022
Tags: Important Days
World Earth Day, also known as International Mother Earth Day, is observed every year on 22 April.
On this day countries around the world come together to create awareness about the need to protect the environment.
The day focuses on the global climate crisis which is getting worse with each passing day.
On this special day, we emphasise growing environmental problems, including overpopulation, ozone layer depletion, loss of biodiversity, and increasing pollution.
The celebration of World Earth Day on 22 April is important because around this date spring comes in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
Since the weather is also good during this time, it is more pleasant to celebrate the Earth Day.
The theme of Earth Day 2022 - to ‘Invest in our planet’.
History of Earth Day
Earth Day was first celebrated on 22 April 1970.
It was during the UNESCO conference in San Francisco that peace activist John MacConnell proposed to honour Mother Earth and the concept of peace.
US Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a nationwide environmental knowledge event on April 22, 1970, later renamed 'Earth Day'.
To raise awareness about climate change on Earth Day, Google has created a series of animations of four locations.
6. World Heritage Day
Tags: Important Days
Every year, World Heritage Day is celebrated on April 18 in order to spread awareness about the dying cultures and natural heritage around the globe.
The theme for World Heritage Day 2022 is "Heritage and Climate".
It is decided by the International Council on Monuments and Sites every year.
This year’s theme offers a platform to respond to questions of climate change and equity to protect heritage in the background of climate justice.
Last year’s theme for World Heritage Day 2021 was “Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures.”
During a seminar in Tunisia, the International Council of Mountains and Sights suggested celebrating World Heritage Day on April 18, 1982.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) approved it in 1983.
World Heritage Day was started in 1983.
7. World Haemophilia Day
Tags: Important Days
World Haemophilia Day is celebrated on April 17 every year.
The aim of the day is to increase awareness about haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders.
World Haemophilia Day was started in 1989 by the World Federation of Haemophilia (WFH).
The day is celebrated in the honour of Frank Schnabel, founder of the World Federation of Haemophilia (WHF).
The theme of the year 2022 is 'Access to all'.
What Is Haemophilia?
–Haemophilia is a sex-linked recessive disease, in which a single cut in an affected individual will result in non-stop bleeding.
–A sex-linked disease is one which is passed down through families through one of the X or Y chromosomes, which are sex chromosomes.
–Sex-linked recessive diseases most often refer to X-linked recessive diseases.
8. International Water Week 2022
Tags: Important Days
The Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2022 will be held from 17 to 21 April 2022 at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore.
On behalf of India, Director General of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) G. Ashok Kumar participated in water week.
A presentation was made by India on 'Status of Wastewater generation, Treatment and Management in India: Success through NMCG Initiatives'.
Kumar spoke in the Hot Issue Workshop hosted by NMCG on 17th April on ‘Sustainable Wastewater Management in Developing Countries: An Innovative Indian Approach in River Rejuvenation’ under theme 3 of the Water Convention.
About Singapore International Water Week
–It is a global platform for sharing and co-creating innovative water solutions.
–The biennial event gathers stakeholders from the global water industry to share best practices, showcase the latest technologies, and tap into business opportunities.
9. World Chagas disease day
Tags: Important Days
To focus attention on the threat of Chagas disease, the World Health Organisation started celebrating 14 April as World Chagas Disease Day from the year 2020.
Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi.
It is also known as "silent disease". It is mainly found in poor people who have less access to health facilities or are deprived of it.
Theme of 2022: Finding and reporting every case to defeat Chagas disease.
Initially this disease was recorded in Latin America but now it is found in many parts of the world.
Important facts :
WHO established: 7 April 1948;
WHO Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland;
Director-General of WHO: Tadros Adarnom Ghebreyesus (Ethiopia);
10. October 5 designated as National Dolphin Day
Tags: Important Days
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupendra Yadav informed that October 5th is designated as National Dolphin Day to be celebrated every year as a historic step in creating awareness for conservation of Dolphins
The decision was taken in the 67th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life.
In India, mostly Gangetic dolphins, a species of freshwater dolphins, are sighted in long deep river reaches in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Gangetic river dolphins were declared national aquatic species in 2010.
