UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of past week | April 22 to 28, 2024

• The National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated annually on April 24th. This year, it marked its 31st anniversary.
• This year there is no dedicated theme for this day.
• On April 24, 1993, the 73rd Amendment Act of 1992 came into effect. It gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), marking a significant moment in the history of decentralisation of political power to the grassroots level.

—Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)

• The Supreme Court has passed a judgment on a batch of petitions seeking 100% verification of the votes recorded in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips.
• It was first proposed by the Election Commission in 1977.
• They were used for the first time at 50 polling stations in the Parur Assembly seat of Kerala in 1982 before the Supreme Court ruled that they could not be used without legal backing.
• In 1988, Parliament amended the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to allow the EC to use EVMs.
• In the 2004 General election, EVMs were used in every booth.
• The life span of EVMs is 15 years.

—Indelible Ink

• The first phase of voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections started on April 19, the classic symbol of Indian polls is visible everywhere – a left hand with only its index finger extended, marked by a purple-black indelible ink.
• Mysore Paints & Varnish Ltd., a Karnataka Government Undertaking is the sole manufacturer of the ink used in electoral elections in India.
• Currently, the indelible ink is exported to more than 25 countries including Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, Mongolia, Malaysia, Nepal, South Africa, and the Maldives.

Science and Technology

—Skyroot Aerospace – launched India’s first privately designed space

• In 2022, Skyroot Aerospace, a Hyderabad-based exploration start-up, launched India’s first privately built and designed rocket Vikram-S rocket from ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

— Potato Research Center

• Peru-based International Potato Center (CIP), the premier research-for-development organisation with a focus on potato and sweet potato, is going to open in India. The CIP-South Asia Regional Centre (CIP-SARC) is expected to come up in Agra.
• In 2017, the CIP, which is headquartered in Lima, set up its first Asia centre in China, the world’s top potato producer and consumer.
• It will be the second major international agricultural research institute in India.
• In 2017, the Agriculture Ministry supported the establishment of a regional centre of the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Varanasi.

—Ethylene Oxide

• Authorities in Hong Kong and Singapore have withdrawn four spice mixes from two of India’s top manufacturers, MDH and Everest, after finding high levels of the carcinogen ethylene oxide in them.
• Ethylene oxide is a pesticide that has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
• It is a colourless, highly flammable, and very reactive gas that kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi
• It is used by the spice industry as a fumigant to reduce microbial contamination, such as E. coli and Salmonella.
• The Food Safety and Standards of Authority India (FSSAI) doesn’t permit the use of ethylene oxide in any food product.

—Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)

• This is the first moon landing mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), that landed on the lunar surface in January 2024.
• Japan is only the fifth nation to successfully place a probe on the moon followed by the United States, the Soviet Union, China, and India.
• The SLIM mission is called the Moon Sniper because it attempted to land within 100 metres of its target.

Environment

Earth Day 2024: Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 every year and is a day when we focus on environmental conservation efforts and plans. (Image credit: shameersrk on Pixabay)

— World Earth Day

• World Earth Day, also known as International Mother Earth Day, is celebrated annually on April 22.
• EARTHDAY.ORG has announced the theme for 2024: ‘Planet vs. Plastics’.
• It highlights the threat plastics pose to the planet and human health, thereby calling an end to all plastic waste by demanding a 60% reduction in the production of plastics by the year 2040.

—Argeli, an evergreen, yellow flowering shrub

• It is found in the wild of the Himalayas.
• It is similar to the Mitsumata plant that was used by Japan to print its banknotes.

International Affairs

—Operation Indravati

• India on Thursday (March 21) launched ‘Operation Indravati’ to evacuate its citizens from the turmoil-stricken Haiti to the neighboring Dominican Republic.
• Haiti, situated in the Caribbean, has plunged into chaos with armed gangs seizing control of the streets, resulting in the virtual disappearance of the government.

Reports

—SIPRI Report

• According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report, India was the fourth largest military spender in 2023 with military expenditure worth $83.6 billion.
• According to the report, Indian spending was up by 4.2 per cent from 2022 and by 44 per cent from 2014.
• The United States, China, and Russia remained the top three military spenders globally followed by India and Saudi Arabia.

—2024 Special 301 Report

• This report was released by the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
• It has retained India in the ‘Priority Watchlist’, along with six nations, on the adequacy and effectiveness of US trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights.
• The World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated on April 26.
• The theme of this year is IP and the SDGs: Building our common future with innovation and creativity.

(Source: Reuters)

—State of the Climate in Asia 2023 Report

• The report is released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
• As per the report, Asia remained the world’s most disaster-hit region due to weather, climate, and water-related hazards.

People in News

India’s D Gukesh Gukesh became the youngest Candidates winner of all time on Monday. (FIDE)

—D Gukesh

• He won the 2024 FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto, Canada.
• This made him the youngest man ever to cut the World Chess Championships.
• He is only the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to win the Candidates Tournament and earn the right to challenge the reigning World Champion.

—Salman Rushdie

• He has recently published the book “Knife: Meditation after an Attempted Murder”.
• In Knife, Rushdie speaks of coming face to face with hatred and finding his way back to love.

—Sudhir Kakar

• Sudhir Kakar, the father of Indian psychoanalysis, died on 22nd April 2024.
• He was the author of The Inner World (1978), the Ascetic of Desire (1998), and many more.

—Choba Devi

• She is set to become coach of the Indian women’s football team.

—Naima Khatoon

• She has been appointed as the Aligarh Muslim University’s first woman Vice-Chancellor.

Events in News

—Global Spirituality Mahotsav

• The Ministry of Culture in association with the non-profit organisation Heartfulness hosted a four-day Global Spirituality Mahotsav at Kanha Shanti Vanam near Hyderabad.

— International Rainbow Tourism Conference

• The first International Rainbow Tourism Conference was organised by Mayako Pahichan Nepal, a non-governmental organisation in Kathmandu, Nepal
• The conference’s main objective is to position Nepal as an LGBT-friendly tourism destination.

—International Conference on Disaster Resilience Infrastructure (ICDRI)

• It was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, between 24-25 April 2024.
• It was organised by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) which was launched by India in 2019.
• The theme of ICDRI 2024 is “Investing today for a more resilient tomorrow.”

—India-Japan Consultations on Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Export Control

• The 10th Round of India-Japan Consultations on Disarmament, Non-Proliferation, and Export Control was held in Tokyo on 24 April 2024.
• The two sides exchanged views on developments in the areas of disarmament and non-proliferation relating to nuclear, chemical, and biological domains, outer space security, non-proliferation issues, conventional weapons, and export control.

Awards

—Padma Awards

• Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian awards in the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
• The awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day every year.
• The awards are given in various disciplines and fields of activities – art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.
• Padma Shri is awarded for distinguished service in any field.
• A total of 132 Padma awards have been conferred by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 22nd April 2024— five Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri.

Following are the five Padma Vibhushan Awardees for 2024:

Following is the list of 17 Padma Bhushan Awardees for 2024:

(Source: padmaawards.gov.in)

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