NATIONAL:
1. National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) report
Why in news - The report of the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) was released.
Key Points –
• The NFHS-5 survey was conducted in around 6.37 lakh sample households from 707 districts in 28 states and 8 UTs, covering 7,24,115 women and 1,01,839 men.
• India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has come down from 2.2 to 2.0 at the national level.
• Only five States — Bihar (2.98), Meghalaya (2.91), Uttar Pradesh (2.35), Jharkhand (2.26) and Manipur (2.17) have above the replacement level of fertility of
• The contraceptive prevalence rate has increased from 54% to 67% in the country.
• Institutional births have increased from 79% to 89% in India. (Rural- 87% and urban-94%).
• Institutional births increased by a maximum of 27 percentage points in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Stunting among children under the age of five has decreased slightly from 38 to 36 percent.
• At the national level, obesity rises from 21% to 24% among women and 19% to 23% among men.
About NFHS –
• It is conducted by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• The NFHS-1 was conducted in 1992-93.
• The survey provides information for India on – Fertility, Infant and child mortality, The practice of family planning, Maternal and child health, Reproductive health, Nutrition, Anaemia, Utilization and quality of health and family planning services.
2. Railways to manufacture own Vande Bharat train wheels
Why in news - India’s plans of importing wheels for Vande Bharat trains from Ukraine got stalled due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Key Points –
• Indian Railways has decided to manufacture them at Railway Wheel Factory in Yelahanka in Bengaluru.
• Presently, concerning 20 manufacturing facilities globally manufacture these wheels.
About Vande Bharat Trains –
• It is an indigenously designed and manufactured semi high speed and self-propelled train (operate without a locomotive).
• It is based on a propulsion system called Distributed Traction Power Technology.
• It can achieve a maximum speed of 160 kmph.
• Currently, two Vande Bharat Expresses are operational —one between New Delhi and Varanasi and the other from New Delhi to Katra.
3. India’s ‘first’ tribal health observatory
Why in news - Odisha is set to come up with India’s “only” observatory that will establish a repository on the health of the tribal population in the state.
Key Points –
• The Tribal Health Observatory (TriHOb) will be first in the “first in the country”.
• It will monitor illness burden, health-seeking behaviour, and the healthcare delivery system in relation to tribal health in the state.
• Odisha’s other initiative ‘Mo School’ (My School) program aims to connect, collaborate, and contribute to the renovation of government and government-aided schools in Odisha.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. Il-80 Maxdome (Ilyushin Il-80) plane
Why in news - Vladimir Putin's special 'Doomsday' plane which allows him to continue ruling Russia during a nuclear war has been seen flying around Moscow.
Key Points –
• It is a command and control aircraft.
• The huge Soviet-era aircraft is also known as the “Flying Kremlin”.
• The Ilyushin II-80 flew for the first time in 1985.
• Soon, these planes would be replaced by more advanced Ilyushin 96-400Ms.
ECONOMY:
1. SC formed panel for the recovery of money from NSEL defaulters
Why in news - The Supreme Court formed a high-level committee, headed by retired Bombay High Court Judge Pradeep Nandrajog, for recovery of money from NSEL defaulters.
Key Points –
• NSEL has secured decrees and arbitration award of ₹3,534 crores against the defaulters.
• The apex court exercised its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to constitute committee.
ENVIRONMENT:
1. UN launches ‘Energy Plan of Action Towards 2025’
Why in news - The United Nations (UN) unveiled its ‘Energy Plan of Action’ in a bid to provide clean and affordable energy to all by 2025.
Key Points –
• Around 30 important organisations, including UN-Energy, launched the ‘Plan of Action.’
• Energy Compact Action Network has been established to connect nations seeking support for their clean energy ambitions. It has pledged more than $600 billion to support these commitments.
SCI TECH:
1. Flow Chemistry Tech Hub
Why in news - India’s first Flow Chemistry Technology hub (FCT hub) set up in Hyderabad.
Key Points –
• It has been launched at Dr Reddy’s Institute of Life Sciences (DRILS), Hyderabad.
• The Government of Telangana, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Laurus Labs are partners in establishing the Centre of Excellence.
• It will help in creating local capabilities in green manufacturing processes in the API and intermediate industry.
• Hyderabad is the life sciences capital of India.
AGREEMENTS:
1. Canara Bank tied up with ASAP to launch skill loans
Why in news - Canara Bank has launched ‘skill loans’ in collaboration with the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) Kerala.
Key Points –
• Loans ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹1.5 lakh can be availed of by students pursuing skill training programs.
• Loan will be provided without any collateral and have a repayment period of three to seven years.
2. Ministry of Skill Development signs MoU with ISRO
Why in news - The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has signed an MoU with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to launch ISRO Technical Training Programme.
Key Points –
• More than 4000 ISRO technical employees would be trained over the course of the next five years.
• The training would be imparted at the National Skill Training Institutes (NSTI) under MSDE located across India.
APPOINTMENTS:
1. Karine Jean-Pierre
Why in news - US President Joe Biden named Karine Jean-Pierre as the new press secretary for the White House.
Key Points –
• She will replace Jen Psaki.
• She will be the first Black woman and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as the White House Press Secretary.
• Jean-Pierre was born in Martinique to Haitian parents.
AWARDS & HONOURS:
1. World Food Prize 2022
Why in news - Cynthia Rosenzweig has received the 2022 World Food Prize from the World Food Prize Foundation.
Key Points –
• She was awarded the $250,000 as prize money.
• She was recognized for her innovative modeling of the impact of climate change on food production.
• The World Food Prize is a prestigious international award conceived as the “Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture”.
2. Priyanka Mohite:
Why in news - Priyanka Mohite has become the first Indian woman to scale five peaks above 8,000 metres.
Key Points –
• The five peaks are - Mount Everest (8,849 m), Mount Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), Mount Lhotse (8,516 m), Mount Makalu (8,485 m) and Mt Annapurna (8,091 m).
• She was awarded the Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award in 2020.
• She is also the recipient of the Maharashtra Government's Shiv Chhatrapati State award for adventure sports for 2017-2018.
SECURITY:
1. Operation Satark
Why in news - Railway Protection Force (RPF) has recently started “Operation Satark”.
Key Points –
• Op Satark aimed at taking action against illicit liquor/FICN/illegal tobacco products/unaccounted gold and any other items being transported through the railway network.
• It ran from 5th April to 30th April 2022 wherein 26 cases of transportation of illegal tobacco products were detected with seized worth more than Rs 44 Lakh.
• RPF was formed in 1872 under the Railway Protection Force Act, 1957.
IMPORTANT DAYS:
1. World Athletics day 2022
Why in news - World Athletics Day is celebrated on May 7 every year to spread awareness among youth and children regarding the importance of sports and fitness.
Key Points –
• The day was founded by IAAF president Primo Nebiolo in 1996.
• It was introduced as a social responsibility project titled ‘Athletic for a better world’ by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
• IAAF was founded on July 17, 1912 in Sweden’s Stockholm.
STATES/UTs:
1. Haryana’s ‘Vehicle Movement Tracking System’
Why in news - Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar launched a Vehicle Movement Tracking System (VMTS) mobile app that will help in tracking vehicles.
Key Points –
• Vehicle details like vehicle number, vehicle type, moving from, moving to, along with driver details, like name, driver mobile number and driver license number, will be stored into it.
• It will help in tracking vehicles carrying sand and other mining material.
• The app has been designed and developed in-house by National Informatics Centre, Haryana.
2. Telangana’s ‘Nethanna Bima’ Scheme
Why in news - Telangana has announced the extension of insurance coverage to handloom and power loom weavers under ‘Nethanna Bima’ (Weaver’s Insurance) Scheme.
Key Points –
• The insurance coverage will be extended to weavers in the age group of 18 to 59 years.
• It provides a insurance coverage of 5 lakh rupees for weavers.
BIHAR:
1. Bihar Animal Science University (BASU) in Patna.
Why in news – Hon CM Nitish Kumar laid the foundation stone and launched the commencement of construction works for the proposed buildings of the Bihar Animal Science University (BASU) in Patna.
Key Points –
• The proposed buildings would be constructed at the cost of Rs 889.26 crores.
• The country's largest animal hospital will also be housed in this university campus.
• It is expected to be completed by May 05, 2025.
• CM Nitish Kumar also said that a veterinary hospital would be constructed in every eight to ten panchayats in the state under Saat Nischay Part-II.
• The target of fish production was set at eight lakh metric tonnes, out of which seven lakh 61 thousand metric tonnes of fish are being produced. Now fish is also being sold outside Bihar.
2. Amrit Sarovar Scheme in Bihar
Why in news – Amrit Sarovar will be built in the memory of the martyrs of Bihar in their villages.
Key Points –
• The work of marking 75-75 ponds in each district has been started from the state government level.
• In the first phase, the Rural Development Department has identified the villages of five matyrs where ponds will be made in one acre each.
• The identified sites are –
A. Veer Kunwar Singh in Bhojpur (Ara) district,
B. Dhruv Kundu in Katihar district,
C. Syed Mohd Sharfuddin Qadri in Nawada district.
D. Ram Pratap Yadav and Thakur Jugal Kishore Sinha in Sitamarhi district.
E. Sukalu Lohar village in Kaimur district.
• Phase wise 2,850 ponds will be developed in the state.
3. National Waterway 1
Why in news – The cargo ship left for Kolkata from Patna's Gaighat port through the National Waterway 1 developed in the Ganges connecting Bihar, UP, Jharkhand, West Bengal.
Key Points –
• 128 tonnes of broken rice from Bihta has been loaded in six containers of a cargo ship named Ravidra Nath Tagore.
• The National Waterway 1 or Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system is located runs from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal via Patna and Bhagalpur in Bihar across the Ganges river.
• It is 1,620 km long, making it the longest waterway in India.
POINTERS:
• Which has become the longest vessel ever to sail from Ganga to the Brahmaputra - MV Ram Prasad Bismil.
• In which country the 31st Southeast Asian Games 2022 will be held in which country- Vietnam.
• Which Indian state/UT recently passed a ‘Startup Policy’, to support 15,000 start-ups by 2030 - New Delhi.
• Which state has announced incentives for farmers opting for Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) – Punjab
• In which city the National Senior Chess Championship 2022 has been held- Kanpur.
• Which state has hosted the 83rd National Table Tennis Championship 2022- Meghalaya.
• Which country has topped South Asia in terms of women on the boards of listed companies recently – Bangladesh.
• In which state the 1st World Deaf T20 Cricket Championship will be held in January 10-20, 2023 – Kerala.
• Where has ‘Sahityotsav 2022’ been organized recently – Delhi.
• Recently ‘Gender Dialogue’ has been organized by the Ministry of Rural Development – Ministry of Rural Development