NATIONAL:
1. 130 years of Durban Satyagraha
Why in news - Indian Navy (INS Trishul) commemorated 130 years of Gandhi’s Satyagraha in Durban.
Key Points –
• It marked 130 years of the start of struggle against apartheid.
• June 7, 1893 – Mahatma Gandhi was thrown off the train’s first-class “whites-only” compartment at Pietermaritzburg station in South Africa for refusing to give up his seat.
• April 25, 1997 - President of South Africa Nelson Mandela the Freedom of Pietermaritzburg was conferred posthumously on Mahatma Gandhi.
• Mahatma Gandhi arrived in Durban, South Africa, in 1893 to serve as legal counsel to the merchant Dada Abdulla.
• It was his weekly newspaper “India Opinion” that coined the word Satyagraha.
2. Ishad Mango
Why in news - Kari Ishad mango of Ankola in Uttar Karnataka gets GI tag.
Key Points –
• 2 variants - Kari Ishad and Bili Ishad.
• GI tag is valid for 10 years. E.g., for Ishad mango valid till March 1, 2032.
3. Manipur Peace Committee
Why in news - Union government has constituted a peace committee in Manipur under the chairmanship of Governor Anusuiya Uikey.
Key Points –
• Aim - to facilitate the peace-making process among various ethnic groups of the State.
• Nagas and Kukis protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status.
Value Addition –
• “Commission of Inquiry” members - Ajai Lamba (chairman), Himanshu Shekhar Das and Aloka Prabhakar.
• Aim – to look into the complaints or allegations that may be made before it by any individual or association.
4. Birsa Munda's 123rd Death Anniversary
Why in news - India observed the 123rd death anniversary of freedom fighter and tribal leader Birsa Munda.
Key Points –
• He passed away on June 9, 1900, in Ranchi Jail at age 25.
• Birsa Munda led the Ulgulan (great tumult) against the British troops between 1897 and 1900.
• The British army routed Mundas and their allies on the banks of the Tanga River in 1898.
• On March 3, 1900, Birsa Munda was detained when he was taking a nap in Chakradharpur's Jamkoipai forest.
Value Addition –
• Birsa’s teacher - Jaipal Nag.
• Books –
(a) Life and Times of Birsa Munda - SP Sinha (1964).
(b) The Dust-Storm and the Hanging Mist: A Study of Birsa Munda and His Movement in Chotanagpur (1874–1901) - KS Singh (1966).
(c) Aranyer Adhikar (won Sahitya Academy Award in 1977) - Mahasweta Devi.
• British government enacted the Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act in 1908, recognizing the customary land rights of the Adivasis in the area.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. Kilauea Volcano
Why in news - The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island erupted.
Key Points –
• Kilauea is the youngest and most active volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.
• It is a shield volcano with gentle slopes.
• Volcano’s main crater - Halemaʻumaʻu,.
Value Addition -
• Gases released –
(a) 99% - water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
(b) 1% - Hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride etc.
• World’s largest active volcano - Mauna Loa.
• Almost all lava that comes from Hawaiian volcanoes is basalt in composition.
• Eruptions of Hawaiian volcanoes are weakly explosive or nonexplosive and relatively benign.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES:
1. SAGAR SAMRIDDHI
Why in news - Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) launched ‘SAGAR SAMRIDDHI’.
Key Points –
• It is an online dredging monitoring system in order to accelerate “Waste to Wealth” initiative.
• Presently Cochin Port and Mumbai Port, have adopted the system.
• Developed by - National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) at IIT Madras.
• MoPSW issued ‘Dredging Guidelines for Major Ports’ in 2021.
Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 –
• Estimates investments of Rs. 1,00,000–1,25,000 crore for development of world-class infrastructure at Indian Ports.
• At present, India is not having landside mega-port and terminal infrastructure to deal with Ultra-large container ships.
• The upcoming ports at Vizhinjam (Kerala) and Vadhavan (Maharashtra) would enable ultra large container and cargo vessels to call on the ports.
SECURITY:
1. 12th Ex Ekuverin
Why in news - 12th edition of the exercise between the India and Maldives has commenced at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand.
Key Points –
• Duration – June 11 to 24, 2023.
• Ekuverin meaning ‘Friends’.
2. Twin CBG Operation
Why in news - The Navy carried out a massive Carrier Battle Group (CBG) operation involving more than 35 aircraft in the Arabian Sea.
Key Points –
• A CBG is a naval fleet comprising an aircraft carrier and its multiple escort vessels.
• It involved both of India’s aircraft carriers i.e., INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant.
• The two carriers served as ‘floating sovereign airfields’.
• INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier purchased by India from Russia in 2013.
• Indigenously-built INS Vikrant was inducted in September 2022.
IMPORTANT DAYS:
1. International Albinism Awareness Day 2023
Why in news – It is observed annually on June 13.
Key Points –
• Theme 2023 - Inclusion is strength.
About Albinism –
• Rare and genetic conditions that can lead to the absence of melanin production in the human body.
• Lack of pigmentation (melanin) in the hair, skin and eyes, causes vulnerability to the sun and bright light.
• Almost all people with albinism are visually impaired and are prone to developing skin cancer.
• The production of melanin occurs within melanocytes, specialized cells that are present but not fully functional in albino mammals.
• No cure for the absence of melanin.
POINTERS:
• Which state has launched the Integrated Water Resources Action Plan 2023-25 – Haryana.
• India has won the Women's Junior Hockey Asia Cup for the first time by defeating which country by 2-1 - To South Korea.
• Which High Court has quashed the Nagaland government's notification banning trade and sale of dog meat - Gauhati High Court (Kohima bench).
• NHRC has posted Director General (Investigation) as Special Human Rights Observer in which state - West Bengal.
• By whom has the Girl Empowerment Mission (GEM)-2023, a four-week residential workshop program for 40 underprivileged rural girls been launched - NTPC Kanti.
• Recently United Nations World Food Programme has temporarily suspended food aid for which country – Ethiopia.
• Which Indian-American has been appointed as the vice president for finance and chief financial officer at Harvard University - Ritu Kalra.
• Who has conducted the first combat trial of Varunastra Torpedo - Indian Navy.
• Recently, Mazagon Dock has tied up with which country for the construction of diesel submarines - Germany.
• Where has the foundation stone of ONGC National Disaster Mitigation Center been laid – Jammu.