GK Snapshots on 29 May 2021 

International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories 2021 – May 25 to 31

The United Nations(UN)’s International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories is annually observed across the globe from 25th to 31st May.

Aim:

• To take effective measures to protect and guarantee the inalienable rights of the people of the Non-Self-Governing Territories to their natural resources, including land.

• To establish and maintain control over the future development of those resources and request the administering powers to take measures to protect the property rights of the peoples in these Territories

Indian Economist Amartya Sen Won Spain’s Princess of Asturias Award 2021 for Social Science

Indian economist and Nobel Laureate Amartya Kumar Sen won Spain’s top award – Princess of Asturias Award 2021, under the Social Science category. The jury announced the list of 2021 laureates over the virtual platform.

• Amartya Sen won the award for his research on famines and his theory of human development, welfare economics and the underlying mechanisms of poverty have contributed to the fight against injustice, inequality, disease and ignorance.

• The award comprises a Joan Miro sculpture, a diploma, an insignia and a cash prize of 50,000 Euros (around Rs 44.25 lakhs).

• German Publishers and Booksellers Association awarded him the 2020 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for his pioneering scholarship addressing issues of global justice and combating social inequality in education and healthcare.

About Amartya Kumar Sen:

i.Amartya Sen is serving as the professor at the Thomas W. Lamont University and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University.

ii.The government of India honoured Amartya Sen with Bharat Ratna in 1999 for his contribution to economics.

iii.He won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998.

iv.He was best known for ‘Poverty and Famines. In an Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation (1981)’.

V Kartikeyan Pandian IAS honoured with FIH President’s Award 2021

IAS officer V Kartikeyan Pandian, the private secretary to Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister(CM) of Odisha was honoured with the President’s Award 2021 by the International Hockey Federation (Fédération Internationale de Hockey- FIH). He was honoured for his contribution towards the promotion of Hockey in Odisha and his efforts during the Mency Hockey World Cup 2018 held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Mali’s Interim President Bah Ndaw and PM Moctar Ouane has Resigned

The Interim President of Mali Bah N’Daw and Moctar Ouane Prime minister(PM) of Mali has resigned from their post after they were arrested by the Military, led by the interim Vice President Assimi Goita.

• Assimi Goita ordered the arrest after the cabinet reshuffle in which both the president and prime minister lost their post.

• Bah N’Daw and Moctar Ouane were in charge of the transitional government formed after the Military coup against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Penpa Tsering Sworn in as the President of Tibetan Government-in-exile

On May 27, 2021, Penpa Tsering sworn in as the second democratically-elected president (Sikyong) of the 17th Parliament-in-Exile of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Dharamshala-based Tibetan government-in-exile.

• Penpa Tsering succeeds Lobsang Sangay, who completed his second five-year term. Dalai Lama (Tibetan spiritual leader) participated virtually in the ceremony.

• He was the former speaker of the Parliament of the CTA for two terms between 2008 and 2016. (He was elected to the parliament of Tibet in 1996).

Rajnath Singh Launches ‘SeHAT OPD’ Portal for Armed Forces Personnel

Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh virtually launched ‘Services e-Health Assistance & Tele-consultation – Outpatient Department (SeHAT OPD)’ Portal (https://sehatopd.in/). It is an online medical consultation service for Armed Forces Personnel, veterans of Armed Forces and their families.

• Objective – To provide healthcare services to patients in their homes. It provides safe and structured video based clinical consultations between a doctor in a hospital and a patient in their home.

Tennis: Casper Ruud wins 2021 Geneva Open

Casper Ruud (Norway) defeated Denis Shapovalov (Canada) to win the Singles Title of the 2021 Geneva Open (18th Edition),which took place from May 16-22, 2021 at Tennis Club de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland.

• In the Men’s Doubles Category, Australian Pair of John Peers and Michael Venus defeated Simone Bolelli (Italy) & Maximo Gonzalez (Argentina) to win the Doubles Title.

• The Geneva Open is a Men’s Clay Court tournament and is part of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour 250 series

Stefanos Tsitsipas wins 2021 ATP Lyon Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) defeated Cameron Norrie (Britain) to win the Singles Title of the 2021 ATP Lyon Open (4th Edition), which took place from May 17-23, 2021 at Vélodrome Georges Preveral, Lyon, France.

• It is the 7th ATP Title for Stefanos Tsitsipas.

• The Doubles Title was won by Hugo Nys (Monaco) & Tim Putz (Germany). They defeated the French Pair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert & Nicolas Mahut in the finals.

• The ATP Lyon Open is a Men’s Clay Court tournament.

Barcelona Beat Chelsea, Won its 1st Women’s Champions League Title

Barcelona beat Chelsea and won the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Women’s Champions League 2020/21 by scoring 4-0. It was Barcelona’s first Champions League title.

• Barcelona also became the first team from Spain to win Europe’s top club competition, which had been dominated recently by seven-time champions Lyon.

• Chelsea(London) was the first English team to reach the final since 2007 when Arsenal won the competition.

Indian Diplomat Shivshankar Menon Authored Book Titled “India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present”

A new book titled “India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present” has been released, which has been authored by Indian diplomat Shivshankar Menon. The book is published by Brookings Institution. About

The Book:
i.The book talks about the changes in Independent India’s foreign policy choices throughout its history and maps its present-day challenges.
ii.It also analyzes how India’s policies are likely to evolve in response to new challenges.
iii.It looks at modern India’s role in Asia’s and the broader world.

India, New Zealand hold 3rd Foreign Office Consultations virtually

The 3rd Foreign Office Consultations between India & New Zealand took place virtually on 25th May, 2021. Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary (East) led the Indian side, while Mark Sinclair, Deputy Secretary, Americas and Asia Group, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade led the New Zealand side.

IIM Indore Partners With GIZ, India To Help Businesses Tackle Post-Covid Challenges

Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Indore has partnered with The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to identify the challenges across pandemic-hit sectors and to figure out ways to tackle them.

Key points:
i.IIM Indore received a research grant of Rs. 85.3 Lakhs.
ii.The collaboration includes two book projects, research and case studies.
iii.The institutions will study the impact of the pandemic across many sectors to understand the COVID19 effect.
iv.The book projects will capture the challenges faced by the industrial sector and the actions taken. v.The details of the employee experience of the industrial sector will be included in research papers. vi.The research would be based on interviews with management and government officials.

Global Average Temperature could pass 1.5° C during 2021-25: WMO, UK Met Office

According to the Annual Climate Update provided by the United Kingdom (UK) Met Office and World Meteorological Organization (WMO), there is a 40% possibility of the annual average global temperature temporarily reaching 1.5° C(2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre industrial levels in one of the next 5 years (2021-25).

• Average temperatures are likely to be at least 1° C (estimated to be between 0.9° C and 1.8° C) warmer in each of the coming five years (2021-25).

• At least one year between 2021-2025 will become the warmest year on record, replacing 2016.

• The temperature rise is significant, because as per the Paris Agreement signed in 2015, global leaders had committed to limit global warming to 1.5° C and well below 2° C by the end of the century.

UN Bodies set up ‘One Health’ Panel to Advise on Animal Disease Risks

United Nation (UN) bodies viz, the World Health Organization(WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the Food and Agriculture Organization  (FAO) formed a team of experts under ‘One Health High-Level Expert Panel’ to help develop a global plan of action to prevent the spread of diseases from animals to humans.

• WHO stated animals(wildlife) as the originating source of three-quarters of all emerging infectious diseases in the world.

Purpose of the Expert team:

i.The One Health – team of experts put together by the WHO, UNEP, OIE, and FAO will advise them on developing risk assessment and surveillance frameworks and establish good practices to prevent and prepare for Zoonotic outbreaks of diseases like Zika, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Ebola, COVID-19, etc.

ii.The panel will also consider potential transmission risks in food production and distribution, urbanisation and the construction of infrastructure, international travel and trade, and activities that lead to biodiversity loss and climate change.

IMF Plans to Include Climate, Digital tech into Economic Assessments

In May 2021, the International Monetary Fund(IMF), plans to update the way it conducts economic assessments to report the risks related to climate change, inequality and demographics, as well as evolving digital technologies.

• The new approach was agreed upon by the IMF’s executive board after the IMF’s first comprehensive review of its surveillance work since 2014.

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa Launched ’Akanksha’ – Online Portal on CSR Activities

Karnataka Chief Minister(CM) B S Yediyurappa, launched an online portal named ‘Akanksha‘ to provide comprehensive details on all the Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) activities in the state. It is the first of its kind initiative in India.

• The portal was created by the Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics, Karnataka in collaboration with UNDP’s (United Nations Development Programme) Sustainable Development Goals Coordination Centre (SDGCC).

• Objective: To make CSR fund utilisation easy, simple and transparent.

 “Ankur”:A Scheme To Award People For Planting Trees In MP

The Madhya Pradesh(MP) government announced the launch of Ankur, a scheme under which citizens will be awarded for planting trees during monsoon. The Award named “Pranvayu” will be given to People who take the initiative to plant saplings.

About Ankur Scheme:
i.People can participate in the tree plantation drive by registering themselves on the Vayudoot app.
ii.A picture has to be uploaded while planting the sapling and another photograph after taking care of the sapling for 30 days.
iii.After verification, the Pranvayu Award to winners selected from each district will be given by the chief minister.
Gujarat Governor gives assent to Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2021

Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat gave his assent to the ‘Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2021’, which provides imprisonment of up to 10 years for fraudulent/forcible conversion by marriage.

• Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2021 replaces the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003.

• The Bill was one among 7 other Bills approved by the Gujarat Governor.

J&K Launched Scheme ‘SASCM’ for families lost bread earner to COVID-19 pandemic

Manoj Sinha Lieutenant Governor (Lt G) of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) launched ‘स􀆗म’ or ‘Special Assistance Scheme for Covid Mortalities (SASCM), a special scheme to provide financial assistance to the families that lost breadwinners to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The government of J&K has created a ‘Special Cell’ under the Social Welfare department to identify and support the families in distress.

• The assistance under this scheme will be provided starting from June 2021.

Aim: To take care of the day to day lives and ensure the financial security of the families that lost their breadwinners.

 “Mission Oxygen Self-Reliance” Launched By Maharashtra Government

The Mission Oxygen Self-Reliance scheme was launched recently by the Maharashtra Government to address the state’s oxygen shortage.

Key points:
i.Under this scheme, special incentives will be provided by the state government for the oxygen producing industries.
ii.It seeks to increase the state’s current oxygen generation capacity of 1,300 MT per day to 3,000 MT oxygen per day.
iii.Under this scheme, the government will provide incentives like minimising power costs and interest subsidy for MSMEs with fixed capital investment of up to Rs.50 crore.
iv.Only those applying before June 30 will get the benefits of this policy.
Chinese Agronomist, “Father Of Hybrid Rice”, Yuan Longping Passed Away

The Chinese agricultural scientist,Yuan Longping also known as the “father of hybrid rice”, has passed away.He was born on September 7, 1930 in Beijing, Republic of China.

About Yuan Longping:
i.Yuan Longping was known for developing the first hybrid rice varieties in the 1970s.
ii.His discovery of Nan-you No. 2,transformed China into a grain surplus country for the first time by increasing China’s rice production from 5.69 billion tonnes in 1950 to 19.47 billion tonnes in 2000.
iii.In 2004, he was honoured with the World Food Prize for his achievement in developing the genetic materials and technologies essential for breeding high-yielding hybrid rice varieties.
iv.The minor planet ‘8117 Yuanlongping’ was also named after him.

v.He was also awarded with many international awards, such as

• Gold Medal Award for the Outstanding Inventor of the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization.

• Science Prize of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

• Rank Prize for Agronomy and Nutrition of the United Kingdom.

• Medal of Honor for Food Security and Sustainable Development of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

• Fukui International Koshihikari Rice Prize of Japan.

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