VISION

1)  National Dengue Day: 16 May

•In India, the National Dengue Day is observed every year on 16 May. The day is an initiative by the Ministry of Healthy and Family Welfare, to raise awareness about dengue and its preventive measures, and preparedness for control of the vector-borne disease before the transmission season begins.

2)  International Day of Light celebrated on 16 May

•The International Day of Light (IDL) is celebrated on 16 May each year to mark the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser in 1960 by physicist and engineer, Theodore Maiman. The day celebrates the role that light plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development, and in fields as diverse as medicine, communications, and energy to help achieve the goals of UNESCO – ‘education, equality, and peace. The message of 2021 International Day of Light is “Trust Science”.

•The celebration of the International Day of Light will enable various sectors of society worldwide to get indulge in activities that display how science, technology, art and culture can help in achieving the goals of UNESCO i.e. building the foundation for peaceful societies.

3)  6th UN Global Road Safety Week: 17-23 May 2021

•The 6th UN Global Traffic Safety Week, which this year is celebrated between 17 and 23 May, call for 30 km/h (20 mph) speed limits to be the norm for cities, towns and villages worldwide. UN Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW) is a biennial global road safety campaign hosted by WHO.

•Each UNGRSW has an advocacy theme.  The theme for the 6th UNGRSW is Streets for Life, under the tagline #Love30. It brings together individuals, governments, NGOs, corporations, and other organizations from around the world to raise awareness of road safety and make changes that will reduce the number of road deaths.

4)  International Day of Living Together in Peace: 16 May

•The International Day of Living Together in Peace is held on 16th May every year since 2018. The UN General Assembly, declared 16 May the International Day of Living Together in Peace, as a means of regularly mobilizing the efforts of the international community to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity. The Day aims to uphold the desire to live and act together, united in differences and diversity, in order to build a sustainable world of peace, solidarity and harmony.

5)  World Hypertension Day: 17 May

•World Hypertension Day (WHD) is celebrated on 17 May worldwide to promote public awareness of increasing high blood pressure (BP) and to encourage citizens of all countries to prevent and control this silent killer. The day was held for the first time in May 2005.

•World Hypertension Day (WHD) is an initiative of the World Hypertension League (WHL), an affiliated section of the International Society of Hypertension. The theme for World Hypertension Day 2021 is Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer.

6)  World Telecommunication and Information Society Day: 17 May

•The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is observed every year on 17 May since 1969, to commemorate the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The theme of 2021 is “Accelerating Digital Transformation in challenging times”.

7)  China’s First Mars Rover ‘ZhuRong’ Successfully Lands on Mars

•China successfully achieved the feat of landing its first Mars Rover ‘Zhu Rong’ on the red planet, on May 15, 2021, becoming the only second nation to do so. Till date, only the United States has successfully landed its rover on Mars. All other countries that have tried have either crashed or lost contact soon after reaching the surface.

•The vehicle used a combination of a protective capsule, a parachute & a rocket platform to make the descent. Zhurong, which means God of Fire, was carried to Mars on the Tianwen-1 orbiter. China’s Mars rover, called Zhurong after an ancient fire god in Chinese mythology, will part ways with the lander by driving down a foldable ramp. Once it has deployed, the rover is expected to spend at least 90 Mars days. 

8)  Cyclone Taukate hits many states

•Cyclone Taukate has obtained its maximum intensity in the wee hours of Sunday and has now become a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (wind speed of 118 to 166 km/hr). The latest cyclone alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that this storm would reach close to Gujarat coast, Maharashtra, Goa. Light to moderate intensity rainfall is expected to continue over coastal Karnataka and Kerala till Monday.

9)  Nagaland conservationist Nuklu Phom gets prestigious Whitley Awards 2021

•An environmentalist from Nagaland’s remote Longleng district, Nuku Phom has won this year’s Whitley Awards 2021, also known as the Green Oscar. Nuku Phom’s name, along with that of five others, was announced recently in a virtual award ceremony organized by the UK-based Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN). Nuku and his team want to offer alternatives that engage communities in conservation using the Amur falcon as a flagship.

•The award recognises Phom’s efforts at establishing a new biodiversity peace corridor changing the fate of Amur Falcons, which come to roost in Nagaland each year, from being hunted by locals. Worth £40,000, the award is for creating a new network of community-owned forests to protect Amur Falcons and increase biodiversity in Nagaland.

10)  Himachal Government launches ‘Ayush Ghar-Dwar’ program

•Himachal Government has launched the ‘Ayush Ghar-Dwar’ program to keep the home isolated Covid-19 positive patients healthy by practising Yoga. This program has been started by the Department of AYUSH in collaboration with the Art of Living organisation. Yoga Bharti’s instructors would provide their services in the program. During the launch, about 80 home isolated Covid positive patients from all over the state were also connected virtually.

•Under the program, approximately 1000 virtual groups on social media platforms like zoom, WhatsApp and Google meet will be formed to connect with COVID positive patients in home isolation. The initiative intends to provide a holistic healthcare approach through AYUSH to ensure not only physical but also mental, social and spiritual wellbeing.

11)  Footwear Brand Bata India appoints Gunjan Shah as new CEO

•Footwear company Bata India has appointed Gunjan Shah as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will join Bata in his new role from 21 June 2021, for a period of five years. Shah replaces Sandeep Kataria, who has been elevated as the Global CEO of Bata Brands in November 2020.

•Prior to this, Shah was the Chief Commercial Officer (COO) at Britannia Industries. Bata Corporation is a multinational footwear and fashion accessory manufacturer and retailer, with its headquarter located in Lausanne, Switzerland and an Indian branch based in Gurugram, Haryana.

12)  Andrea Meza crowned 69th Miss Universe 2020

•Miss Mexico Andrea Meza has been crowned as the 69th Miss Universe 2020. On the other hand, Miss India’s Adline Quadros Castelino made it to the Top 4.  Brazil’s Julia Gama is the first runner-up, Peru’s Janick Maceta is the second runner-up while India’s Adline Castelino and Dominican Republic’s Kimberly Perez are third runner-up and fourth runner-up, respectively.

•This year, the pageant is being held in Miami, Florida’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood. Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa crowns her successor in the event.

13)  Rafael Nadal wins 10th Italian Open title

•Rafael Nadal beat world number one Novak Djokovic to win a 10th Italian Open title. Second seed Nadal won through 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in 2hr 49min against the defending champion in the 57th career showdown between the pair. The victory also earned Nadal a 36th ATP Masters 1000 crown, equalling Djokovic’s record since the series was established in 1990.

•In the women’s category, Polish teenager Iga Swiatek crushed Czech ninth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-0 to win the Italian Open title. Swiatek, ranked 15, claimed her third WTA title.

📰 Artless and heartless: On Central Vista project

📰 186 elephants killed on railway tracks in over 10 years: MoEFCC

1)  WHO classified Indian coronavirus variant as a “global variant of concern”

•The World Health Organization has classified a coronavirus variant found in India as a global “variant of concern”. This variant has been named B.1.617. According to World Health Organization, this variant is already spread to more than 30 countries. It is more transmissible than other variants. This variant is also called the “double mutant variant”. It was 1st identified by the United Kingdom health authorities.

2)  China becomes the world’s first country to ban synthetic cannabinoids

•China will become the world’s first country to ban all synthetic cannabinoid substances. The ban is likely to come into effect on July 1. The move comes as China tries to curb the manufacturing & trafficking of the drug. The synthetic cannabinoids are highly camouflaged, as some are found in e-cigarette oil, and some are found in cut tobacco made from various flower petals, or plant stems and leaves. In Xinjiang, it has a commonly known nickname of “Natasha.”

3)  Uttarakhand Police Launches ‘Mission Hausla’

•The Uttarakhand Police has launched a drive called “Mission Hausla” to help people get oxygen, beds, ventilators, and plasma for Covid-19 patients. Besides these, police will also help the public to get medicines meant for Covid-19 management as part of the mission and rations.

•Delivering medicines, oxygen and ration at the doorsteps of families battling the coronavirus and coordinating between plasma donors and those in need of it will also be some of the activities to be taken up by the police as part of the mission. Police stations will serve as nodal centres for managing crowds in market areas and ensuring COVID- appropriate behaviour by people like wearing masks and social distancing in public places, he said. Stern action will be taken against those who violate the norms.

4)  Sir David Attenborough named COP26 People’s Advocate

•Sir David Attenborough, world-renowned broadcaster & natural historian, has been named COP26 People’s Advocate for the U.K.’s Presidency of UN climate change summit in Glasgow this November. Attenborough has already inspired millions of people in the U.K. & around the world with his passion & knowledge to act on climate change and protect the planet for future generations.

5)  RBI cancels licence of United Co-operative Bank

•Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of United Co-operative Bank Ltd over inadequate capital, regulatory non-compliance, based in Bagnan, West Bengal. Through an order dated May 10, 2021, the central bank has prohibited the co-operative lender from carrying on banking business, with effect from the close of business on May 13, 2021.

•RBI said it cancelled the licence as United Co-operative Bank did not have adequate capital and earning prospects. “As such, it does not comply with the provisions of section 11(1) and section 22(3)(d) read with section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

 What is the issue?

• West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar made a visit to areas hit by post-poll violence in Cooch Behar.
• In this context, it is imperative to understand if this would constitute a transgression of the bounds of constitutional propriety.

What are the recent disagreements?

• Governor Dhankhar has been a habitual critic of the Mamata Banerjee (Chief Minister) regime in West Bengal.
• He has been seen ignoring the principle that constitutional heads should not air their differences with the elected regimes in public.
• As recently as December 2020, Ms. Banerjee had appealed to the President to recall the Governor.
• This was for political statements that she believed were being made by him at the behest of the BJP-led Union government.

What is the larger concern in this regard?

 What is the issue?

With increasing emphasis on achieving the net-zero emission target by 2050, here is an assessment of its suitability for India.

What is net-zero emissions?

• The net-zero emission target aims that by 2050, the net carbon emissions of the countries would be balanced by carbon sequestration and removal to the same extent.
• It should thus contribute net-zero carbon to the environment.
• This would help keep the rise in temperatures to within 1.5oC of the pre-Industrial Revolution temperature, thus preventing climate change.
• Europe, Japan and South Korea have announced net zero by 2050, and China before 2060.

How does it suit India’s case?

• The power generation capacity in India is about 380 GW.
• Of this, about 62% is thermal (mainly coal, 53% of total).
• The celebrated Hechsher-Ohlin theorem tells that a country’s competitive advantage should be based on its abundant resource.
• As known, India is abundant in coal.
• In this light, adopting a net-zero carbon goal by 2050 would be a sub-optimal strategy for India.

Why is net-zero by 2050 unfeasible for India?

• India is the third-largest carbon emitter in the world, after China and the US.
• However, Indian per-capita carbon emissions are an eighth of those of USA and less than a third of China.
• The developed countries have used the emissions route to development, while India is still developing.
• Also, any substantive compensation mechanism from the developed world to the developing world in terms of finances and technology has not materialised.
• So, any pre-mature adoption of the net-zero targets will mean that the vast proportion of India’s population remain in poverty for generations.

What alternatives does India have?

• India is already among the very few countries which are well on their path to achieving their voluntary Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
• This is part of the Paris Accord (Conference of Parties 21, or COP 21, Paris, 2015).
• This includes decreasing the carbon intensity of its GDP by 33-35% compared to 2005 levels by 2030.
• Also, the non-fossil fuel capacity of the total electricity capacity of the country would have to go up to 40% by 2030.
• Also, the country has accordingly planned for renewable capacity of 450 MW by that year.
• There is progress in solar power sector such as grid parity and favourable auction prices.
• So, the renewable energy (RE) transition is already helping achieve India’s voluntary obligations aimed at preventing disastrous climate change.

What are the challenges though?

GS SCORE FACT FILE- Economic Financial Marketing PDF

 What is the issue?

• Air strikes and rocket attacks are witnessed from both sides in the recent Israel-Palestine conflict.
• Videos on social media showed rockets fired from Gaza being intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome air defence system; here is a look at the features of an Iron dome.

What is the Iron Dome?