On May 14, 2023, the Union
Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD) approved 4th Positive
Indigenization List (PIL) of 928 strategically-important Line
Replacement Units (LRUs)/Sub-systems/Spares & Components including
high-end materials & spares.
·
The import substitution value
of this list is worth Rs 715 crore.
·
Details of these items are
available on SRIJAN Portal.
·
These will only be procured
from the Indian Industry after the timelines indicated in the list.
Reason behind PIL in Defence:
To promote Aatmanirbharta in defence
To minimize imports by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs)
Key Points:
i.This fourth list is a follow up to the previous three PILs involving
LRUs/Sub-systems/Assemblies/Sub-assemblies/Spares & Components which were
notified by the Department of Defence Promotion(DDP)/MoD in December 2021,
March 2022 and August 2022 respectively.
ii.These lists contain 2,500 items which are already indigenized and
1,238 (351+107+780) items which will be indigenized within the given timelines.
·
Of 1,238, 310 items (1st PIL –
262, 2nd PIL – 11, 3rd PIL – 37) have been indigenized, so far.
iii.The DPSUs will indigenize items via various routes under ‘Make’ category & in-house development using MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises), private Indian industry which will promote economic growth, defense investment, reduce import dependence, and enhance domestic defense industry’s design capabilities.
On May 13, 2023, the members
of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) unanimously adopted
India’s proposal to support the development and adoption of India’s Digital
Public Infrastructure (DPI) like Aadhaar, United Payments Interface
(UPI) and DigiLocker.
·
The proposal was adopted
during the meeting between the Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Ministers of SCO member states chaired by Union Minister Ashwini
Vaishnaw, Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India.
Note: Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), blocks
or platforms built either by private or government agencies with government
support, are meant to deliver essential services in the digital space.
Key Points:
i.The DPI aims to deploy digital technology among SCO member states and
ensure digitally inclusive growth.
ii.The SCO recognizes the need for interoperability and setting common
standards for digital systems.
iii.India is also planning to invest $3 billion to take mobile
connectivity to villages in remote areas and $5 billion to bring broadband
connectivity to all 250,000 Gram Panchayats.
iv.India will also chair the Annual Global Partnership on Artificial
Intelligence (GPAI) summit in December.
The SCO consists of eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan), four Observer States
(Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) aiming for full membership, and six
Dialogue Partners (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey).
On 14th May 2023, Dr Jitendra
Singh, Union Minister of State(MoS) (Independent Charge) for Science and
Technology, graced the valedictory ceremony of the 4-day long event “National
Technology Week 2023” (11th to 14th May 2023) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi,
Delhi.
·
During the valedictory
ceremony Technology Development Board (TDB) conferred the National
Technology Awards 2023 upon Industries, Entrepreneurs & Scientists
who contributed to bringing innovation to the market and support in
contributing to the vision of “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.”
·
The National Technology Awards
2023 was conferred to 11 winners following the two-tier evaluation process.
National Technology Week 2023
– 11th to 14th May:
The National Technology Week 2023 took place from 11th to 14th May 2023
at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, Delhi under the theme “School to Startup –
igniting young minds to innovate”.
·
The event was inaugurated by Prime
Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on the occasion of “National Technology Day
2023 – 11th May”.
The National Technology Week 2023 was organised by the TBD along with 12 Ministries or Departments.
Railway Energy Management
Company (REMC) Limited, a subsidiary of RITES (Rail India Technical and
Economic Service) Limited, has set up a National Energy Management Centre
(NEMC) that has been established at its office in Delhi.
The state-of-the-art NEMC was inaugurated by Naveen Gulati, Member
Traction & Rolling Stock, Railway Board, in the presence of Rahul Mithal,
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) RITES & Chairman REMC Ltd, and
Additional Member, Traction, Railway Board.
·
The aim of the NEMC is to
oversee and handle the Procurement of energy for the Railways on a national
scale.
· The NEMC will be pivotal for energy data collection from the 17 State Energy Management Centres (SEMCs) operating across the Railways.
Samudra Shakti-23, the 4th edition of
India-Indonesia Bilateral Naval Exercise between the Indian Navy (IN)
and Indonesian Navy (IDN) is being held at Batam, Indonesia from
May 14-19, 2023.
Aim:
To enhance interoperability, jointness and mutual cooperation between both the
navies.
Representors:
IN– INS (Indian Naval Ship) Kavaratti, an indigenously
designed & built ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) Corvette; Dornier Maritime
Patrol aircraft, and Chetak helicopter
IDN– KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda, CN 235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft and
AS565 Panther Helicopter
·
KRI stands for Kapal
Perang Republik Indonesia, or Naval Vessel of the Republic of Indonesia.
Note: The 3rd edition of the Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra
Shakti’ was held in September 2021 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Key Points:
i.The exercise consists of Harbour phase and sea phase.
·
While the harbour phase will
see Cross deck visits, professional Interactions, Subject Matter Expert
Exchanges, and sports fixtures; the sea phase will have planned weapon firing,
Helicopter Operations, Anti-submarine warfare & air defence exercises and
boarding operations.
ii.The exercise will showcase the high level of
interoperability between the two navies and their shared commitment towards
peace and stability in the region.
·
Samudra Shakti was commenced
in 2018 between IN and IDN.
About Indonesia:
President– Joko Widodo
Capital–
Currency– Indonesian Rupiah
The World Health Organisation
(WHO) launches its first-ever comprehensive framework on reducing anaemia,
Accelerating anaemia reduction: a comprehensive framework for action,
calling on countries to accelerate action to reduce the prevalence of anaemia
in women of reproductive age by 2025.
·
The United Nations Health
Agency launched a comprehensive framework on reducing anaemia during the
International Maternal Newborn Health Conference (IMNHC) 2023 held from May
8-11 2023, in Cape Town, South Africa.
·
This framework proposes
strategic, effective and implementable actions which, by leading to the
reduction of anaemia, will improve health and accelerate progress toward
national and global targets.
·
Anaemia is a serious global
public health problem, affecting 571 million women and 269 million young
children worldwide.
Framework:
i. The new Framework has set out ways to address the
following fundamental drivers of Anaemia:
·
The direct causes
·
Risk factors
·
Broad social inequities
ii. The framework also proposes actions that other
societal stakeholders can take, including Governments, civil society, academia,
researchers, funding agencies, international organisations and media.
Global Target:
i. Reduction of anaemia is one of the World Health Assembly’s (the
decision-making body of WHO) Global Nutrition Targets for 2025, which is
accorded as a 50% reduction of anaemia in women of reproductive age.
ii. Though some progress in reducing anaemia has been achieved, global
progress on reducing anaemia is not on track for reaching the 2025 target
accorded by the World Health Assembly.
Analysis:
In 2019, anaemia affected:
·
40% of children between 6
months and 5 years of age;
·
37% of pregnant women;
·
30% of women of 15–49 years of
age.
The scenario is most prevalent
in low- and middle-income countries. Anaemia increases the risk of infections
and death, damages cognitive performance, and causes extreme fatigue, poor
pregnancy outcomes, etc. Simply, it is a strong indicator of overall health.
Problems for Pregnant women
with Anaemia:
i.Iron Deficiency: The major work on addressing anaemia has been focused
on the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency. Consumption of at least 90
iron-containing supplements during pregnancy can reduce maternal anaemia by up
to 70%.
ii.Pregnant women with anaemia (iron deficiency) are at increased risk
for adverse birth outcomes including preterm delivery, delivering a
low-birth-weight baby, preeclampsia, caesarean delivery, maternal death, and
perinatal death.
iii.Children born to mothers who are anaemic are likely to suffer from
the blood disorder which may continue during the life course.
About World Health
Organisation (WHO):
Director General– Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland.
On May 12, 2023, the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) issued an advisory to banks and other RBI-regulated
entities to ensure a complete transition from the international benchmark
reference rate US$ London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) or
the Mumbai Interbank Forward Outright Rate (MIFOR) from July 1, 2023.
·
After June 30, 2023, Financial
Benchmarks India Pvt. Ltd. (FBIL) will cease to publish Mumbai Interbank
Forward Outright Rate (MIFOR).
Note: LIBOR has been a globally accepted key benchmark
interest rate that indicates borrowing costs between banks.
Key Points:
i.Banks / Financial Institutions (FIs) have been advised to ensure that
no new transactions undertaken by them or their customers rely on or are priced
using the US$ LIBOR (including transactions that reference MIFOR).
ii.In this regard, banks/FIs will develop systems and processes to manage
the complete transition away from LIBOR. RBI will continue to monitor for
ensuring a smooth transition from LIBOR.
Background:
i.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), United Kingdom (UK) on
March 05, 2021 had announced that all LIBOR settings will either cease to be
provided by any administrator or no longer be representative.
ii.On July 2021, RBI issued an advisory on ’Roadmap for LIBOR
Transition’ to banks and other RBI-regulated entities to prepare for the
transition from LIBOR, to any other widely accepted Alternate Reference Rates
(ARR). Click here to know more
Additional info: RBI has been proactively taking steps to deal with the
issues around LIBOR transition.
About the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI):
i.The Reserve Bank of India was established on April 1, 1935, in
accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
ii.Though originally privately owned, since nationalization in 1949, the
Reserve Bank is fully owned by the Government of India.
iii.Thus, 2023 marks the 75th year of public ownership of the Reserve
Bank and its emergence as a national institution.
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
On May 15, 2023, the ICICI
Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited launched a new debt fund ‘ICICI
Pru Constant Maturity Fund’ which will be available for investments with
the Company’s flagship Unit Linked Insurance Plans (ULIP) offerings like ICICI
Pru Signature, ICICI Pru Smart Life and ICICI Pru LifeTime Classic.
·
ICICI Pru Constant Maturity
Fund is the first-of-its-kind debt fund in the fixed-income ULIP space
in India’s life insurance market.
·
The fund is available for
subscription from May 15, 2023.
·
Objective: To enable its customers to lock-in their investments at
high current interest rates, build, long-term wealth, and achieve financial
goals.
Key Points:
i.ULIPs provide customers with a unique proposition of life cover,
financial security to the family and facilitate building wealth over the
long-term.
ii.ULIPs provide customers with a unique proposition of life cover,
financial security to the family and long-term wealth building.
iii.Tax benefits: If annual investments made are up to Rs 2.5 lakh and
with a life cover of 10 times the annual premium, maturity proceeds are
tax-free for customers.
iv.Wealth Creation: As theinvestment in the fund is locked up for a
minimum of 5 years with the flexibility to switch between fund options, it
would enable investors to build wealth.
v.The ICICI Pru Constant Maturity Fund is provided with linked savings
products.
About ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited
It is promoted by ICICI Bank Limited and Prudential Corporation Holdings
Limited.
Managing Director & CEO – N. S. Kannan
Establishment – 2001
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
On May 15, 2023, the Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) constituted a
5-member expert committee comprising medical experts and insurers under the
chairmanship of Pratima Murthy, Director of the National Institute of
Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), to provide advice and inputs
to IRDAI on matters related to mental health and insurance.
Key Points:
i.Objective: To make a complete examination of the various aspects such
as types of conditions, and types of treatments from an insurance perspective
to deal with products designed to cover mental illnesses and other related
aspects.
ii.The committee which has a 2-year tenure was directed to advise IRDAI
on coverages offered/to be offered under insurance products, for mental
illnesses.
iii.The committee will also guide on the terminology and concept from a
medical domain perspective, and aspects pertaining to mental illnesses from an
insurance perspective.
-Insurance cover under Surrogacy and ART Act
Separately, IRDAI has directed all insurers to comply with the provisions of
the two Acts, Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, and Assisted Reproductive
Technology (ART) Act, 2021, pertaining to insurance covers for the
surrogate mother and oocyte donor.
i.Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021:
·
Under this act, the intending
woman or couple should purchase 3-year health insurance for the
surrogate mother.
·
The cover should be for an
amount sufficient to cover all expenses for all complications arising out of pregnancy
and also cover post-partum delivery complications.
ii.ART Act, 2021: This article has stipulated
insurance coverage for 12 months in favour of the oocyte donor by the
commissioning couple or woman, for an amount sufficient to cover all expenses for
complications arising due to oocyte retrieval.
About Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)
Chairperson – Debasish Panda
Headquarters – Hyderabad, Telangana
Establishment -2000
As per the data of the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Netherlands emerged as the 3rd largest
export destination for India in Financial Year 2023-23 (FY23) after the United
States (US) and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
India – Netherland Trade Progress FY23:
i.India’s trade surplus with the Netherlands has increased from USD 8
billion in FY22 to USD 13 billion in FY23.
ii.India’s exports to the Netherlands increased by about 48% to USD
18.52 billion in FY23 as against USD 12.5 billion in FY22.
iii.India’s exports to the Netherlands increased to USD 18.1 billion in
2022 from USD 5.5 billion in 2017.
iv.The Netherlands has taken over major destinations such as the UK,
Hong Kong, Bangladesh and Germany.
v.The outbound shipments to the European country in FY22 and FY21 stood
at USD 12.55 billion and USD 6.5 billion, respectively.
About Netherlands:
Prime Minister – Mark Rutte
Capital – Amsterdam
Currency – Euro (EUR)
On 8th May 2023,
Pakistani-Canadian author, translator, and storyteller, Musharraf Ali
Farooqi, who translated Siddique Alam’s short story collection “The
Kettledrum and Other Stories” from Urdu to English, won the inaugural
edition of the Armory Square Prize for South Asian Literature in
Translation.
·
As part of the prize, the
Kettledrum and Other Stories will be published by Open Letter Books in 2024.
About the Armory Square Prize:
i. The Armory Square Prize for South Asian Literature in Translation is
an annual effort launched in July 2022.
ii. The Prize is given to address the stark disparities in literary
translation worldwide and support compelling storytellers from the Indian
Subcontinent by raising their visibility in the United States of America (USA).
iii. It is sponsored by New York (USA)- based venture capital firm,
Armory Square Ventures.
About Musharraf Ali Farooqi:
i. Literary translator Musharraf Ali Farooqi was born on 26 July 1968 in
Hyderabad, Pakistan. He has over 2 decades of experience as an author,
novelist, translator, and storyteller.
ii. His translations from classical and contemporary works include “The
Adventures of Amir Hamza”, “Fabulous Machinery for the Curious (Qissa
anthology)”, “Hoshruba”, Syed Muhammad Ashraf’s “The Beast”, and Afzal Ahmed
Syed’s “Rococo and Other Worlds”.
iii. He founded the publishing house KITAB (2012), launched the online
index Urdu Thesaurus (2016), and designed the interactive storytelling and
reading initiative STORYKIT Program (2016).
·
These 3 initiatives have been
combined with an activity-based learning program for children.
iv. His novel “Between Clay and Dust” was a finalist
for the 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize, and his novel “The Story of a Widow” was
a finalist for the 2013 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature.
About “The Kettledrum”:
The book “The Kettledrum” tells the story of an Adivasi matriarch living with
the ghost of her deceased husband, weaving in legends that animate tribal
communities and their rapidly receding traditions.
On May 14 2023, according to
the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) order, Karnataka Director
General of Police (DGP) Praveen Sood was appointed as the new director
of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after his name was
finalized by a three-member high-powered selection committee led by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
·
Approval of the Competent
Authority conveyed the appointment of Praveen Sood, as Director, CBI for a
period of two years, extendable for up to five years.
·
The outgoing CBI Director
Subodh Kumar Jaiswal’s two-year tenure will end on May 25 2023. He is a
1985-batch IPS (Indian Police Service) officer from the Maharashtra cadre, who
is going to complete his tenure, and took over as CBI director on May 26 2021.
·
Through the appointment,
Praveen Sood will be in charge of the affairs of the premier investigating
agency during the 2024 general elections.
Selection Panel:
i. A high-powered 3-member panel comprising:
Narendra Modi- Prime Minister of India;
DY Chandrachud- Chief Justice of India and
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury- Leader of the Opposition (Congress Party) in the
Lok Sabha.
ii. Three shortlisted names were sent to the Appointments Committee of
the Cabinet (ACC) and apart from Praveen Sood, the other two names in the list
were:
Sudhir Kumar Saxena- DGP, Madhya Pradesh
Taj Hassan- Director General FSCD (Fire Service, Civil Defence) and Home Guards
under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
iii. Praveen Sood was scheduled to retire in 2024, now he will have a
fixed two-year tenure as a CBI director.
Career of Praveen Sood:
i. In 1989, Praveen Sood, a 1986-batch IPS officer of the Karnataka
cadre started his career as assistant Superintendent of Police (SP) of Mysore,
Karnataka.
ii. He later served as Superintendent of Police, in Bellary and Raichur
districts of Karnataka and from 2004 to 2007, he served as a Commissioner of
Police of Mysore City, Karnataka.
iii. Till 2011, he worked as an additional police commissioner in
Bengaluru’s (Karnataka) traffic police.
iv. He has also served as a police advisor in a deputation to the
government of Mauritius.
v. In January 2020 he was appointed as the DGP of Karnataka.
Honours:
i. Praveen Sood was awarded with the Chief Minister’s Gold Medal for
excellence in service in 1996.
ii. He also won the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2002 and the
President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2011.
iii. In 2011, he earned the National E-Governance Gold Award for “Most
innovative use of technology for traffic management.
About Karnataka:
Chief Minister– Basavaraj Bommai
Governor– Thawar Chand Gehlot
Tiger Reserve– Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Bhadra Tiger Reserve
On May 14, 2023, a BrahMos supersonic
cruise missile was successfully test-fired from the Indian Navy’s frontline guided
missile destroyer INS (Indian Naval Ship) Mormugao.
·
The indigenous ship (INS
Mormugao) and weapon (BrahMos supersonic cruise missile), mark the symbol of
‘AatmaNirbharta’ and the Indian Navy’s firepower at sea.
About BrahMos Missile:
i.It is a supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from
submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.
ii.The missiles fly at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the
speed of sound.
iii.BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between the Indian
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Russian
Federation’s NPO Mashinostroyeniyan, produces supersonic cruise missiles.
iv.India is also exporting BrahMos missiles:
·
The Philippines was the first
country to buy the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system.
·
In January 2022, the
Philippines signed the ‘notice of award’ for supplying the missile system for
the Philippine Navy. India signed a US$375 million deal with the Philippines
for supplying three batteries for the missile.
INS Mormugao: It is the second ship of the
Visakhapatnam-class stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy built
at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL). It was launched on 17 September 2016 and
commissioned on 18 December 2022.
Note – Indian Navy has already successfully conducted a test from
another indigenous stealth missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam.
About Indian Navy
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral R Hari Kumar
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Establishment – 26 January 1950
On May 15 2023, Bhupender
Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change launched
a mobile application named Meri LiFE (My life) in New Delhi, Delhi to
activate the youth action for climate change.
·
This app is inspired by the
concept of LiFE, envisioned by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi at COP
(Conference of the Parties) 26, which emphasises mindful and deliberate
utilisation instead of mindless and wasteful consumption.
Note: On 20 October 2022, Mission LiFE was launched by
PM Narendra Modi at Kevadia, Gujarat, which is a global mass movement to
encourage individual and community action to protect the environment.
Objective:
i. The Meri LiFE app will showcase the power of citizens, especially young
people in saving the environment.
ii. This app will help in creating a structured way to track the
progress being made on Mission LiFE.
Key People involved:
The Meri LiFE App was launched in the presence of:
Leena Nandan, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change;
C.P. Goyal, Director General of Forest and Special Secretary; Dhuwarakha
Sriram, Chief of GenU (Generation Unlimited), Youth Development, and
Partnerships, UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) India.
Central Ministry:
i. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the nodal
ministry for national-level coordination and implementation of Mission LiFE.
ii. The Ministry has mobilised Central Ministries, State Governments,
Institutions and private organisations to align their activities with LiFE and
spread awareness about the reasonable actions that individuals can undertake,
as part of its implementation efforts.
Portal for LiFE:
The Environment Ministry has developed two dedicated portals for LiFE, in order
to create a structured reporting format that can track the progress being made
on LiFE and they are:
i. The Mission LiFE Portal (missionlife-moefcc.nic.in)- open access and
can be used to download more than 100 creatives, videos, and knowledge
materials that have been developed by the ministry for LiFE.
ii. The Meri LiFE Portal (merilife.org)- has been developed for
ministries and institutions to upload event reports and capture the progress of
the mass mobilisation drive.
Meri LiFE App:
The app is available in Google PlayStore, and once signed in the users will be
guided to participate in a series of LiFE related tasks under the following 5
themes:
·
Save Energy;
·
Save Water;
·
Reduce Single Use Plastic;
·
Adopt Sustainable Food
Systems;
·
Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle.
World Environment Day 2023
On June 5 2023, this mass mobilisation campaign will build up on the occasion
of World Environment Day 2023. The theme for World Environment Day 2023 is
Solutions to Plastic Pollution.
Note: The above theme is a topic which aligns with one of the 7 themes
of Mission LiFE: “Reducing the use of single-use plastic items”.
The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA), an American space agency, has issued an alert that
the 39-foot bus-sized Asteroid 2023 JL1 will pass by Earth at a distance
of 2,490,000 km on 15th May 2023. It is travelling at a speed of 26,316
kilometres per hour (km/hr). The asteroid 2023 JL1 is classified as an Earth Close
Approach.
·
The scientists of NASA have
also alerted about 2 other big-size asteroids named 2023 JO1 and 2023 JD2,
which are also expected to make their closest approach to Earth soon.
·
2023 JO1- 46-foot house-sized asteroid, which will pass Earth at a
distance of 2,990,000 km on 16th May 2023.
· 2023 JD2- 200-foot aeroplane-sized asteroid will pass Earth at a distance of 5,630,000 km on 16th May 2023.
Indian rifle and pistol
shooters finished the International Shooting Sport Federation(ISSF) World
Cup Rifle/Pistol 2023 held in Baku, Azerbaijan with 4
medals (1 Gold; 2 Silver and 1 Bronze).
·
India finished 2nd in the
overall medal tally with 4 medals. China topped the medal tally with 7 medals
(4 Gold; 1 Silver and 2 Bronze) while the Islamic Republic of Iran finished 3rd
with 2 medals (1 Gold and 1 Silver).
About World Cup Rifle/Pistol
2023 Baku:
The World Cup Rifle/Pistol 2023 Baku was the penultimate stage of the ISSF
World Cup for rifle and pistol shooters.
The final stage will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before the ISSF World
Championships which will be held in November 2023 in Doha, Qatar.
Key Points:
i.Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS won the Gold in the 10m air pistol mixed
team
·
This marks the 2nd ISSF World
Cup gold for Sarabjot, who had previously won the gold medal in men’s 10m air
pistol at ISSF World Cup Bhopal in March 2023. This also marks Divya’s 1st
senior ISSF medal at this level.
ii.21-year-old Hriday Hazarika and 19-year-old Nancy
Mandhotra won the Silver medal in men’s 10m air rifle and women’s 10m air rifle
respectively.
·
This marks the first ISSF
World Cup medal for both Hriday Hazarika and Nancy Mandotra.
iii.19-year-old Rhythm Sangwan won the bronze in
women’s 10m air pistol. This marks her first senior ISSF World Cup medal.
·
She scored 595 in the
qualification round of the women’s 25m pistol event and broke the 29-year-old
world record of 594 points in the women’s 25m pistol event, set by Bulgarian
shooter Diana Iorgova in 1994.
·
She also broke the junior
women’s 25m pistol qualification record of 593 set by Russia’s Nino Salukvadze
in 1989.
·
Rhythm Sangwan topped the
qualification round but finished 8th in the finals.
Indian Winners of ISSF World
Cup Rifle/Pistol 2023 :
Event |
Indian Winners |
Medal |
10m air pistol mixed team |
Sarabjot Singh Divya TS |
Gold |
Men’s 10m air rifle |
Hriday Hazarika |
Silver |
Women’s 10m air rifle |
Nancy Mandhotra |
Silver |
Women’s 10m air pistol |
Rhythm Sangwan |
Bronze |
On May 13 2023, 16-year-old
Vuppala Prraneeth from Telangana, has become India’s 82nd GrandMaster (GM) by
defeating GM Hans Niemann from United States of America (USA) in the
penultimate round of the Baku Open 2023, which took place from May 4-12, in
Baku Crystal Hall, Baku, Azerbaijan.
·
With this win
Vuppala Prraneeth crossed the required 2500 FIDE’s (International Chess
Federation or World Chess Federation) Elo live ratings, to achieve the GM
title.
·
He is the sixth Grandmaster
from the Telangana State.
Note:
·
Indian GM Leon Luke Mendonca
won the Baku Open 2023 title defeating Vuppala Prraneeth in the final
round of Baku Open 2023.
·
Baku Open 2023 is dedicated to
the 100th anniversary of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev, who served as the
President of Azerbaijan from 1993 to 2003.
Vuppala Prraneeth GM
norms:
i. VuppalaPrraneeth obtained his first GM-norm and the title of
International Master (IM) at the First Saturday Chess tournament in March 2022
at in Budapest, Hungary.
ii. In July 2022, he earned his second GM norm at Master Tournament
(MTO) Biel International Chess Festival 2022, in Switzerland.
iii. In 2023, he earned his third IM-norm at the 2nd Chessable Sunway
Formentera Open 2023, in Spain.
Additional Info:
i. VuppalaPrraneeth hails from Ilagadapa village, in Nalgonda district
of Telangana.
ii. He started playing chess at the age of just 5 and also holds the
distinction of being a former world number 1 in the under-11 age group
category.
iii.Till 2021, Vuppala Prraneeth was trained by N.V.S. Ramaraju,
and now he is being trained by GM Victor Mekhalevski from Israel.
iv. He will next participate in the Asian Continental Chess Championship
2023, which is going to be held from June 3-12, in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Ruskin Bond, an Indian author,
authored a new book titled “The Golden Years: The Many Joys of Living a Good
Long Life”, published by HarperCollins India, which is scheduled to be
released on 19th May 2023 (on the occasion of his 89th Birthday). The book is
about the last 20 to 30 years of his life (60s, 70s and 80s).
·
Ruskin Bond was born on 19th
May 1934 in Kasauli, Punjab States Agency, British India.
·
He wrote his 1st book “The
Room on the Roof” at the age of 17. It was a semi-autobiographical story with
Rusty being the protagonist.
·
Ruskin Bond was awarded the
Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992 for “Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra”.
· He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014 for Literature and Education.
The United Nations (UN)’s International
Day of Families is annually observed across the globe on May 15 to
celebrate the importance of families and highlight their role in society.
·
The day aims to raise
awareness about the social, economic, and demographic changes that impact
families worldwide.
International Day of Families
2023 was observed on 15th May 2023 under the theme “Demographic
Trends and Families”.
i. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution 44/82 in 1989 and proclaimed the year 1994 as the
“International Year of the Family”.
ii. In 1993, UNGA adopted the resolution A/RES/47/237 titled “International Year of the Family” and
declared May 15 of every year as the International Day of Families.
iii. The 1st ever International Day of Families was observed on 15th May
1994.
About the United Nations (UN):
Secretary-General- António Guterres
Headquarters- New York, USA
Establishment- 1945
On 12th May 2023, Shivraj
Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister (CM) of Madhya Pradesh (MP) inaugurated a
Gau-Raksha Sankalp Sammelan (Cow-Protection Resolution Conference) at Lal
Parade Ground in Bhopal, MP, and flagged off 406 veterinary ambulances
under the “Pashu Chikitsa Ambulance” (animal ambulance) scheme. The ambulance,
mainly meant for the treatment of cows, will operate in urban areas and all
development blocks of MP.
·
Shivraj Singh Chouhan also
launched a toll-free number “1962” for the treatment of animals in an
emergency.
· The CM also announced Rs 900 per month to farmers for rearing cows, the first instalment of which will be released to 22,000 farmers in May 2023. People from the tribal communities will be provided with a 90% subsidy for buying cows.
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