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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS
Russia Victory Day 2022: 9 May
- Russia Victory Day commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
- The German Instrument of Surrender was signed late in the evening of May 8, 1945.
- Victory Day in Russia marks the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 and falls one day after Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) is celebrated in the UK and Western Europe.
- The Soviet government declared victory early on May 9th, following the signing ceremony in Berlin.
- Even though the holiday was declared in 1945, it was not declared a non-working day until 1965, and then only in a few Soviet countries.
International Day of Argania -10th May:
- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 10 May the International Day of Argania.
- The resolution, submitted by Morocco, was once co-sponsored by 113 member states of the United Nations and adopted by using consensus.
- The argan tree with the name Argania Spinosa is a native species of the sub-Saharan place of Morocco, in the southwest of the country, which grows in arid and semiarid areas.
- The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated 1988 the endemic production area as the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve.
- Also, all know-how concerning the argan tree was inscribed in 2014 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
- Moreover, in December 2018, FAO recognized the Argan-based agro-salvo-pastoral system within the area of Ait Souab Ait Mansour in Morocco as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.
- And lastly, in 2021, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 10 May the International Day of Argania.
International Nowruz Day: 21 March
- International Nowruz Day is being celebrated globally on 21 March every year.
- International Nowruz Day is being observed to celebrate “Nowruz, “ an ancestral festivity that marks the first day of spring and the renewal of nature.
- It also encourages values of peace and solidarity among generations and within families hence contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples as well as in different communities.
- Nowruz marks the first day of spring which has been celebrated on the occasion of the astronomical vernal equinox that generally occurs on 21 March.
- International Nowruz Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010, at the initiative of several countries that share this holiday.
- Under the agenda item of culture of peace, the member states of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iran (the Islamic Republic of), India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan prepared and introduced a draft resolution entitled International Day of Nowruz to the ongoing 64th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations for its consideration and adoption.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin announces nutritious breakfast scheme
- To mark the completion of DMK government’s first anniversary, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that all Government primary school students from 1st to 5th standards will be provided nutritious breakfast on all working days.
List of 5 schemes announced by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin the T.N. Assembly:
- Free breakfast for Class I-V government school children in a phased manner
- Initiatives to eradicate nutrition deficiency
- Setting up of Schools of Excellence
- Setting up of primary healthcare-like centres in urban areas
- Expanding the ‘CM in Your Constituency’ (Ungal Thogudhiyil Mudalamaichar) grievance redressal scheme to all 234 constituencies in the State.
- The free breakfast scheme was launched based on the available information that the government school children skip breakfast while going to school because of the distance and family situation.
- In the first phase, the scheme would be launched in some Corporations, municipalities and villages & in this 708 urban health centres will be established in 21 corporations and 63 municipalities across the state.
- The scheme would be implemented through the local bodies and expanded to all parts of the State in phases.
Note :
- Tamil Nadu is set to become the first state in the country to offer breakfast in government schools, along with the mid-day meal.
About Tamil Nadu :
- Governor: R. N. Ravi
- Capital: Chennai
- Chief minister: M. K. Stalin
Rajasthan Becomes First 10 GW Solar State of India
- As per Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, Rajasthan became the first state in India to surpass 10 GW of cumulative large-scale solar installations.
- Rajasthan has a total of 5 GW of installed power capacity, with renewables contributing 55%, followed by thermal energy at 43%, and nuclear energy making up for the remaining 2%.
- Solar is the predominant source which accounts for around 36% of the power capacity mix and 64% amongst renewables.
- Rajasthan has over 16 GW of solar projects under development.
- Rajasthan has highest solar irradiation levels in the country, along with other favorable factors like land availability and minimal power curtailment issues.
- These attractive conditions have also encouraged other states like Maharashtra to develop projects in Rajasthan to procure power.
- Other significant projects include the ones developed by NTPC and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and projects developed under the Rajasthan State Solar Policy.
- SECI-awarded projects amount to 6 GW, of which 6.2 GW are interstate transmission system (ISTS) projects.
About Rajasthan :
- Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot
- Governor: Kalraj Mishra
- Capital: Jaipur
Mukhyamantri Muft Sewer Connection Yojana
- Under the Mukhyamantri Muft Sewer Connection Yojana, a total of 25,000 households in East Delhi will be provided free sewer connections.
Aim :
- To prevent sewage from landing in the Yamuna river.
- These free connections will be provided in 12 colonies in Karawal Nagar, Mustafabad, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Chandu Nagar, and parts of Khajuri Khas.
- For this an amount of Rs 19 crore has been allocated.
- The decision was taken at a board meeting of the DJB chaired by Water Minister Satyendar Jain.
- The households will be connected to the existing sewer network, which will carry the waste to the Yamuna Vihar sewage treatment plant.
- Also, a project to lay around 10 km of sewer lines in unsewered areas of Narela and 25 km in Burari was approved at the meeting.
- While the Rithala STP with a capacity of 40 MGD will be upgraded to reduce the biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids in the treated water, a new 7 MGD STP will be set up at Sonia Vihar.
- The board also decided to set up 30 RO plants at JJ colonies to increase the drinking water supply.
- Each plant will provide around 50,000 litres of water per day & the supply will be free.
- At Okhla, a small 6 MGD water treatment plant will come up with the capacity to treat ammonia up to 10 ppm (parts per million).
- The DJBs WTPs can currently treat ammonia only up to a level of 0.9 ppm.
- According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the acceptable limit for ammonia in drinking water is 0.5 ppm.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE
SEBI forms advisory committee for ESG-related matters
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India has formed an advisory committee for advising on Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) related matters pertaining to the securities markets.
- The committee will be chaired by Navneet Munot, the chief executive officer of HDFC Asset Management Company.
Highlights :
- In terms of the Business Responsibility and Sustainability report the committee will look at reviewing leadership indicators that may be made essential – including those related to value chain along with developing sector specific sustainability disclosures.
- It will also examine evolving disclosures / metrics relevant to the Indian context, as well as suggesting areas for assurance and a plan for implementation.
- Furthermore, the committee will oversee the development of a second or parallel approach for ESG ratings tailored to emerging markets, such as a focus on S including job creation, and so on.
- This will also include developing uniform indicators of G as input to ESG ratings and / or credit ratings.
- In the case of ESG investing, the advisory committee will assess the ongoing improvement of disclosures relevant to ESG Mutual Fund Schemes, with a special focus on risk mitigation of mis-selling and greenwashing hazards.
- The committee will examine whether ESG funds should have any particular prudential norms. While also evaluating the long term plan to prescribe ESG disclosures for all mutual fund schemes.
About SEBI :
- Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Chairman : Madhabi Puri Buch
- SEBI was established on 12 April 1988 and given Statutory Powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Rodrigo Chaves Takes Office as New President of Costa Rica
- Rodrigo Chaves, has been sworn in as the new President of Costa Rica for the period of four year term 2022-2026 promising to fight corruption and revive the economy.
- He will succeed Carlos Alvarado Quesada.
- Also sworn in at the ceremony were the first vice president, Stephan Brunner, and the second vice president, Mary Munive.
About Rodrigo Chaves :
- Rodrigo Chaves is an economist and former World Bank (WB) official.
- He worked as the World Bank country director for Indonesia and countries of America, Europe and Asia.
- He became the 49th president of Costa Rica.
- He would rework a $1.78 billion financial support package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- In a bid to consolidate finances in the country with the heaviest debt load in Central America, at 66.5% of gross domestic product.
- Three quarters of Costa Rica’s $42.62 billion total debt is internal while the rest is external.
- The 60-year-old had served as the Finance Minister from 2019-2020 under President Carlos Alvarado Quesada.
About Costa Rica :
- President: Rodrigo Chaves Robles
- Capital: San José
- Currency: Costa Rican colón
CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONORS
Gurusamy Krishnamoorthy to receive British honour for his service during pandemic
- Chief executive officer of Penlon, a British medical device manufacturing firm, Gurusamy Krishnamoorthy is all set to receive the Member of the Royal Order of British Empire (MBE) recognition from the Queen at Buckingham Palace, London, UK.
- Penlon did a commendable job and went on to produce 11,682 ventilators in a short span of 12 weeks and suppied them to NHS (National Health Service) & they sourced components from all over the world and a dedicated team of 4000 staff worked round the clock to ensure smooth production.
- This project has earned Penlon the President’s Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering and also the second place in the Management Consultants Association in the UK.
About Guruswamy Krishnamoorthy :
- Guruswamy Krishnamoorthy hails from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.
- He is an engineering graduate from the College of Engineering Guindy.
- He has been in the medical device industry for the past 30 years.
- He started his career with Wipro GE Medical Systems and later co-founded a Med tech start up in Chennai.
- Then, he joined BPL Medical Technologies as Director for International and Strategic business
- He moved on to Penlon, a reputed global Medical devices company with its headquarters in the UK as its CEO.
About the Member of the Royal Order of British Empire (MBE) :
- This award is given to individuals who make a great impact on society.
About Penlon :
- Established : 1943
- Headquarters : Abingdon, United Kingdom
- Penlon deals with design and manufacture of anesthesia ventilators, anesthesia machines and vaporizers.
Pulitzer Prize: 2022 Winners List
- The winners of Pulitzer Prize 2022 in journalism, books, drama and music were announced.
Pulitzer Prize in Journalism :
| S.No | Categories | Winners |
| 1 | Public Service | The Washington Post for covering the assault on Capitol on January 6, 2021. |
| 2 | Breaking News Reporting | The Staff of the Miami Herald for covering the collapse of Seaside apartment towers in Florida |
| 3 | Investigative Reporting | Corey G. Johnson, Rebecca Woolington, and Eli Murray of the Tampa Bay Times for exposing highly toxic hazard inside only battery recycling plant in Florida |
| 4 | Explanatory Reporting | Staff of Quanta Magazine, notably Natalie Wolchover on how the Webb Space Telescope works |
| 5 | Local Reporting | Cecilia Reyes of Chicago Tribune and Madison Hopkins of the Better Government Association |
| 6 | National Reporting | The Staff of the New York Times |
| 7 | International Reporting | The Staff of the New York Times |
| 8 | Feature Writing | Jennifer Senior of The Atlantic |
| 9 | Commentary | Melinda Henneberger of the Kansas City Star |
| 10 | Criticism | Salamishah Tillet, contributing critic at large for The New York Times |
| 11 | Editorial Writing | Lisa Falkenberg, Michael Lindenberger, Joe Holley and Luis Carrasco of The Houston Chronicle |
| 12 | Illustrated Reporting and Commentary | Fahmida Azim, Anthong Del Col, Josh Adams, Walt Jockey of Insider |
| 13 | Breaking News Photography | Marcus Yam of Los Angeles Times for images of US departure from Afghanistan
Win McNamee, Drew Angerer, Spencer Platt, Samuel Corum and John Cherry of Getty Images for photos of attack on US Capitol
|
| 14 | Feature Photography | Late Danish Siddiqui of Reuters, Adnan Abidi, Sanna Irshad Mattoo, and Amit Dave for images of COVID toll in India |
| 15 | Audio Reporting | Staffs of Futuro Media and PRX for Suave- an immersive profile of a man re-entering society after more than 30 years in Prison |
Pulitzer Prize 2022 Special Citation :
| Category | Winner |
| Special Awards & Citations | The Journalists of Ukraine |
Pulitzer Prize 2022 in Books, Drama & Music :
| S.No | Category | Winners |
| 1 | Fiction | The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family, by Joshua Green |
| 2 | Drama | Fat Ham, by James Ijames |
| 3 | History | Covered with Night, by Nicole Eustace (Liveright/Norton)
Cuba: An American History, by Ada Ferrer (Scribner)
|
| 4 | Biography | Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of Jim Crow South, by the late Winfred Rembert as told to Erin. I Kelly (Bloomsbury) |
| 5 | Poetry | frank: sonnets, by Diane Seuss |
| 6 | General Notification | Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City, by Andrea Elliott |
| 7 | Music | Voiceless Mass, by Raven Chacon |
About Pulitzer Prize :
- Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in magazines, newspapers, online journalism, musical composition, and literature.
- Pulitzer was established in 1917 by the provisions in the will of Joseph of Pulitzer, who made his fortune as a newspaper publisher and is administered by Columbia University.
- Pulitzer Prizes are awarded yearly in 21 categories.
- In 20 of the categories, each winner received a certificate and a US $15,000 cash award.
- The Pulitzer winner in the Public Service Category was awarded a Gold Medal.
Bengali translation of French novel Meursault, contre-enquête wins Romain Rolland Book Prize 2022
- The Bengali translation of French novel Meursault, contre-enquête (The Meursault Investigation) has won the fifth Romain Rolland Book Prize.
- The award, announced during the French LitFest 2022.
- The award was given to translator Trinanjan Chakraborty and publisher Patra Bharati & this is the first time Patra Bharati has received this award.
- It is chaired by the French Institute in India / Embassy of France in India.
About Romain Rolland Book Prize :
- Started : 2017
Aim :
- To award the best translation of a French title into any Indian language, including English.
- As part of the prize, the winning publisher and the translator will be awarded a curated trip to the Paris Book Fair, 2023 (Livre Paris).
- The jury, composed of professors from different universities in France and India, and literary translators from both countries to assess the quality of the translations.
About French LitFest 2022 :
- The French LitFest 2022 held at Bikaner House in New Delhi.
- It was part of the ongoing Bonjour India, an art and culture summer festival which celebrates the relationship India and France share.
- The festival, funded by the government of France and supported by the France Embassy, is travelling to 19 cities with over 200 events.
About Meursault, contre-enquêteto :
- It is the debut novel of Algerian writer and journalist Kamel Daoud.
- It is a retelling of Albert Camus 1942 novel, The Stranger.
- It won the prize beating the other shortlisted book, the Hindi translation of Marjane Satrapis cult comic Persepolis.
Note :
- In 2021 the prize was won by the Tamil translation of the French novel Le mariage de plaisir.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & PORTALS
MHA launches employment portal for retired CAPF & Assam Rifle personnel
- The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched a portal named CAPF Punarvaas through the Welfare and Rehabilitation Board (WARB) for the benefit of personnel belonging to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) like CRPF and BSF seeking re-employment after their retirement.
About CAPF Punarvaas :
- The portal will help retired personnel seeking re-employment to find an appropriate match by uploading their personal details on the WARB website along with their area of expertise and preferred employment location.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs also runs a portal under Private Security Agencies Regulation Act (PSARA) for the registration of Private Security Agencies (PSAs).
- Both websites have now been interlinked whereby the database of retired CAPFs personnel who have applied on CAPF Punarvaas can be accessed by PSAs through PSARA website resulting in a single platform for both job seekers and job providers.
- This new initiative of the Home Ministry provides access to the database under CAPFs Punarvaas to PSAs digitally.
About MHA :
- Union Minister : Amit Shah
- Minister of State : Nityanand Rai, Nisith Pramanik, Ajay Kumar Mishra
CURRENT AFFAIRS: MERGERS AND ACQUISITION
RBI approved the merger of Equitas Holdings and Equitas SFB:
- Equitas Holdings Ltd (EHL) and Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd (ESFBL) has received no objection from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the voluntary amalgamation of both units
- The RBI no-objection comes with conditions.
- The merger is being effected to comply with the RBI norms on small finance banks, mandating the promoter to reduce the stake in the subsidiary to 40 per cent within five years of commencement of operations by the SFB (Small Finance Bank).
- However, The EHL must divest its shareholding in its subsidiary Equitas Technologies P Ltd prior to the amalgamation.
- Besides, Equitas SFB will have to seek RBI approval for bringing Equitas Development Initiatives Trust (EDIT) and Equitas Healthcare Foundation (EHF) under its ambit prior to the scheme taking effect.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS
Abhinav Deshwal wins mens 10m air pistol gold at Deaflympics
- India won its second gold medal in shooting at the ongoing 24th Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, with Abhinav Deshwal claiming the men’s 10m air pistol
- The 15-year-old from Roorkee, Uttarakhand, was tied with silver winning Ukrainian Oleksii Lazebnyk at 234.2 points apiece at the end of the 24-shot final, before winning gold in a shoot-off where he shot a 10.3 to his opponent’s 9.7.
- Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Ming-Jui won the
- Abhinav made the top eight final round after finishing second in the 60-shot qualification round with a score of 575 out of 600.
- He was tied on points there too with Kim Kihyeon, but the Korean topped on account of more inner 10s.
- Shubham Vashist, the second Indian in the field, also made it to the finals, finishing sixth with a score of 563.
- He bowed out in the same position in the finals as well.
Max Verstappen wins the first-ever Miami Grand:
- Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen won the first-ever Miami Grand Prix after sprinting past Charles Leclerc who started at the pole position.
- Leclerc (Ferrari) finished second and Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) placed third in the Miami Grand Prix 2022.
- The victory cut Leclerc’s lead over Verstappen to 19 points in the championship, while the Monegasque’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz completed the podium.
Carlos Alcaraz won the men’s singles title at the Madrid Open title 2022:
- Rising Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz clinched the Madrid Open title, beating defending champion Alexander Zverev.
- The victory took the 19-year-olds winning streak to 10 matches.
- Alcaraz beat Rafael Nadal and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic on his way to the final, the first such instance in a clay-court tournament.
- It is his second Masters 1000 crown after Miami last month and his fourth title of the year.
- Earlier, Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur clinched the women’s singles title to become the first African player to win a WTA 1000 event.
- The 27-year-old, the world number 10, trailed 4-1 early on and failed to win a game in the second set but still beat American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 0-6, 6-2.
- She was the first Arab player, male or female, to break into the world’s top 10.
- The pair of Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski defeated Juan Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah to win the men’s doubles tennis title at the Madrid Open.
Indian GM Gukesh wins Sunway Formentera Open chess tournament:
- Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh has emerged champion in the 1st Chessable Sunway Formentera Open 2022 chess tournament.
- It was a hat-trick of titles for him after he had previously won the La Roda tournament and the Menorca Open.
- The 15-year-old Gukesh settled for a draw with Armenian GM Haik M Martirosyan in the final round to win the title with eight points.
- He had defeated compatriot and second-seed K Sasikiran in the ninth and penultimate round.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES
Padma Shri Odia Writer Rajat Kumar Kar has passed away:
- Eminent Odia litterateur Rajat Kumar Kar, a Padma Shri awardee, died in Bhubaneswar.
- He was 88 years old and had heart-related ailments
- Kar, who was conferred with Padma Shri in 2021 for literature and education, had heart-related ailments and was under medication.
- An orator of Jagannath culture, he was known for his commentary during the annual Ratha Jatra on TV and radio for six decades.
- He was also instrumental in the revival of Odisha’s dying art of Pala.
- He was a prolific writer on Upendra Bhanja literature and has seven non-fictions to his credit.
- He has also written a few books on Lord Jagannath.
- Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik, State BJP president Samir Mohanty and many others condoled the death of Kar.
Daily CA On May 11 :
- Russia Victory Day commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 10 May the International Day of Argania.
- International Nowruz Day is being celebrated globally on 21 March every year.
- To mark the completion of DMK government’s first anniversary, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that all Government primary school students from 1st to 5th standards will be provided nutritious breakfast on all working days.
- As per Mercoms India Solar Project Tracker, Rajasthan became the first state in India to surpass 10 GW of cumulative large-scale solar installations.
- Under the Mukhyamantri Muft Sewer Connection Yojana, a total of 25,000 households in East Delhi will be provided free sewer connections.
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India has formed an advisory committee for advising on Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) related matters pertaining to the securities markets.
- Rodrigo Chaves, has been sworn in as the new President of Costa Rica for the period of four year term 2022-2026 promising to fight corruption and revive the economy & he will succeed Carlos Alvarado Quesada.
- Chief executive officer of Penlon, a British medical device manufacturing firm, Gurusamy Krishnamoorthy is all set to receive the Member of the Royal Order of British Empire (MBE) recognition from the Queen at Buckingham Palace, London, UK.
- The winners of Pulitzer Prize 2022 in journalism, books, drama and music were announced.
- The Bengali translation of French novel Meursault, contre-enquête (The Meursault Investigation) has won the fifth Romain Rolland Book Prize.
- The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched a portal named CAPF Punarvaas through the Welfare and Rehabilitation Board (WARB) for the benefit of personnel belonging to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) like CRPF and BSF seeking re-employment after their retirement.
- Equitas Holdings Ltd (EHL) and Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd (ESFBL) has received no objection from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the voluntary amalgamation of both units
- India won its second gold medal in shooting at the ongoing 24th Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, with Abhinav Deshwal claiming the men’s 10m air pistol
- Red Bulls reigning champion Max Verstappen won the first-ever Miami Grand Prix after sprinting past Charles Leclerc who started at the pole position.
- Rising Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz clinched the Madrid Open title, beating defending champion Alexander Zverev.
- Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh has emerged champion in the 1st Chessable Sunway Formentera Open 2022 chess tournament.
- Eminent Odia litterateur Rajat Kumar Kar, a Padma Shri awardee, died in Bhubaneswar.
