1. PM pays tributes to Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa on … and founded by Ramakrishna's chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on 1 May 1897. The mission, which is headquartered near Kolkata

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1. PM pays tributes to Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa on his birth anniversary

Topic: Culture

More about Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:

One of the most prominent religious figures of India during the nineteenth century, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa was a mystic and a yogi who translated complex spiritual concepts into lucid and easily intelligible manner.

His most prominent disciple Swami Vivekananda carried on his teachings and philosophy to the world through Ramakrishna Mission.

Ramakrishna was born as Gadadhar Chattopadhyay on February 18, 1836 to Khudiram Chattopadhyay and Chandramani Devi. The poor Brahmin family hailed from the Kamarpukur village of Hoogly district in Bengal Presidency.

Having practiced different facets of Hinduism as well of other religions like Islam and Christianity, he preached that all of these religions were different paths that lead up to a single goal – God.

Foremost among his innumerable disciples was Swami Vivekananda, who was instrumental in establishing the philosophy of Ramakrishna at a global stage. Vivekananda established the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897 to carry out the visions of his Guru Ramakrishna and dedicated the establishment in servitude of the society

Other disciples who renounced all ties to family life and participated in the formation of Ramakrishna Math along with Vivekananda were Kaliprasad Chandra (Swami Abhedananda), Sashibhushan Chakravarty (Swami Ramakrishnananda), Rakhal Chandra Ghosh (Swami Brahmananda), Sarat Chandra Chakravarty (Swami Saradananda) among others.

Apart from his direct disciples, Ramakrishna had profound effect on Sri Keshab Chandra Sen, an influential Brahmo Samaj leader.

Ramakrishna Mission:

Ramakrishna Mission named after Ramakrishna Paramhamsa is an Indian socio-religious organisation which forms the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as the Ramakrishna Movement or the Vedanta Movement.

The mission is named after and inspired by the Indian saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and founded by Ramakrishna's chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on 1 May 1897.

The mission, which is headquartered near Kolkata at Belur Math in Howrah, West Bengal, subscribes to the ancient Hindu philosophy of Vedanta. It aims at the harmony of religions and promoting peace and equality for all humanity.

An important aspect of the movement is its social work, inspired by the West. This aspect came to be a feature of many other Hindu movements.

The Ramakrishna mission conducts extensive work in health care, disaster relief, rural management, tribal welfare, elementary and higher education and culture.

It uses the combined efforts of hundreds of ordered monks and thousands of householder disciples.

The mission bases its work on the principles of karma yoga, the principle of selfless work done with dedication to God.The Ramakrishna Mission has centers around the world and publishes many important Hindu texts.

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2. Hyperloop to link Pune, Mumbai

Topic: Science and Technology

Why in news:

The Virgin Group on Sunday signed an ‘intent agreement’ with Maharashtra to build a hyperloop transportation system between Mumbai and Pune.

The •first hyperloop route will link central Pune with the megapolis as well as the Navi Mumbai international airport.

The route will allow travel at speeds up to 1,000 km per hour.

Hyperloop

A Hyperloop is a proposed mode of passenger and/or freight transportation, first used to describe an open-source vactrain design released by a joint team from Tesla and SpaceX.

Drawing heavily from Robert Goddard's vactrain, a hyperloop comprises a sealed tube or system of tubes through which a pod may travel free of air resistance or friction conveying people or objects at high speed while being very efficient

Elon Musk's version of the concept, first publicly mentioned in 2012, incorporates reduced-pressure tubes in which pressurized capsules ride on air bearings driven by linear induction motors and air compressors.

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Developments in high-speed rail have historically been impeded by the difficulties in managing friction and air resistance, both of which become substantial when vehicles approach high speeds.

The vactrain concept theoretically eliminates these obstacles by employing magnetically levitating trains in evacuated (airless) or partly evacuated tubes, allowing for speeds of thousands of miles per hour. However, the high cost of maglev and the difficulty of maintaining a vacuum over large distances has prevented this type of system from ever being built.

The Hyperloop resembles a vactrain system but operates at approximately one millibar (100 Pa) of pressure.

3. PM Modi to open IT World Congress today

Topic: Science and Technology

The stage is set for the inauguration of the prestigious World Congress on Information Technology and Nasscom India Leadership Forum 2018 .

Being organised by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance, the event will feature over 50 content¬rich sessions delivered by more than 200 global thought leaders.

The congress, bringing together over 2,500 participants, including visionaries, captains of industry, government leaders and academics, from over 80 countries

Planned as a seamless digital conference spread over three days, the congress would feature sessions on new technologies and startup demos in addition to more than 1,000 minutes of networking time.

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World Information Technology and Services Alliance

The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is a consortium of associations from the information and communications technology (ICT) industry around the world.

The group claims that it represents over 90% of the world ICT market through its global membership, and has a goal of advancing the growth and development of the ICT industry.

WITSA was founded in 1978 as the World Computing Services Industry Association, and participates in advocacy in international public policy that affects the "global information infrastructure".

It voices the concerns of the international IT industry in organisations such as the World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the G8.

WITSA represents IT industry associations in over 80 countries or economies. WITSA's motto is "Fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age".

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4. Education must mould a strong character and inculcate ethical and moral values among students: Vice President

Topic: Ethics

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that education must mould a strong character and inculcate ethical and moral values among students.

The Vice President called on parents, teachers, schools and colleges to ensure that the environment at home as well as in schools is de-stressed. He further said that it is unfortunate that many a time the parents fail to recognize the warning signs or fail to understand the mental stress their wards are coping with.

The Vice President said that education must empower and enlighten the youth, improve their analytical skills and make them to explore new vistas, discover and innovate.

Education must develop the overall personality of an individual in a truly holistic manner by enabling them to make informed choices on their careers and at every stage in their later part of the lives, he added.

He further said that merely adding more and more buildings without providing quality as well as inclusive education will not enable the creation of the ‘New India’. Education must not only be accessible but affordable too and it must empower and Enlighten people apart from providing employment, he added.

5. President of India graces function on Shivaji Jayanti

Topic: Culture

More about Shivaji:

Shivaji Bhonsle was an Indian warrior king and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out an enclave from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire.

In 1674, he was formally crowned as the Chhatrapati (Monarch) of his realm at Raigad.Shivaji established a competent and progressive civil rule with the help of a disciplined military and well-structured administrative organisations.

He innovated military tactics, pioneering unconventional methods which leveraged strategic factors like geography, speed, and surprise and focused pinpoint attacks to defeat his larger and more powerful enemies.

He revived ancient Hindu political traditions and court conventions and promoted the usage of Marathi and Sanskrit, rather than Persian, in court and administration.Shivaji had worked to integrate people beyond caste and other identities.

He used to appoint military and administrative officials on merit without any discrimination of caste and creed. He remains respected by people because of his good governance, generous and fair actions and for being engaged in public welfare.

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That is why Shivaji has a very special position in our history and folklore. The ideals of Shivaji’s social democracy are relevant even today.

6. 42 Indian languages stare at extinction

Topic: Culture

More about the issue:

More than 40 languages or dialects in India are considered to be endangered and are believed to be heading towards extinction as only a few thousand people speak them, officials said.

According to a report of the Census Directorate,there are 22 scheduled languages

and 100 non scheduled languages in the country,which are spoken by a large

number of people —one lakh or more. However, there are 42 languages which are

spoken by fewer than 10,000 people.These are considered endangered and may be

heading towards extinction, a Home Ministry official said.

A list prepared by UNESCO also mentioned the 42 languages or dialects that

areendangered, and they maybe heading towards extinction, the official said.

The languages or dialects include 11 from Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Great

Andamanese, Jarawa, Lamongse,Luro, Muot, Onge,Pu, Sanenyo, Sentilese, Shompen

and Takahanyilang), seven from Manipur (Aimol, Aka, Koiren, Lamgang, Langrong,

Purum and Tarao) and four from Himachal Pradesh (Baghati, Handuri, Pangvali and

Sirmaudi).

The other languages in the endangered category are Manda, Parji and Pengo

(Odisha), Koraga and Kuruba (Karnataka), Gadaba and Naiki (AP), Kota and

Toda(Tamil Nadu), Mra and Na (Arunachal Pradesh), Tai Nora and Tai Rong

(Assam),Bangani (Uttarakhand), Birhor ( Jharkhand), Nihali (Maharashtra), Ruga

(Meghalaya) and Toto (West Bengal).The Central Institute of Indian Languages,

Mysore, has been working for the protection and preservation of endangered

languages in the country under a central scheme, another official said.

7. UK and India upgrade joint research on clean water and clean energy

Topic: International relations

UK-India research projects on ‘Water Quality Research’ and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’ were launched .

The ‘Water Quality Research’ programme has eight projects and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’ programme has four projects, with a total joint investment of up to £15 million. These projects aim to deliver mutual benefits and

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research solutions not only to the UK and India but also to address shared global sustainable development goals – clean water and clean energy.

This meeting brought together senior Indian government officials, funding partners (DST, NERC and EPSRC with support from RCUK India), and scientists both from the UK and India.

Research on water quality is extremely critical for our national missions on Ganga rejuvenation and Swachha Bharat.

India-UK water quality programme, supported jointly by the Department of Science and Technology in India, and NERC, EPSRC and ESRC in the UK, aims to equip local communities, policymakers, regulators and businesses with the information and solutions they need to secure the provision of clean water, rejuvenate rivers and restore ecosystems. These eight collaborative research projects should bring benefits to both people and the environment.

8. Article 19 of Indian constitution:

Topic: Indian Polity

Actress moves to SC regarding her creative freedom under freedom of speech and expression.

The Constitution of India provides the right of freedom, given in articles 19, 20, 21 and 22, with the view of guaranteeing individual rights that were considered vital by the framers of the constitution.

The right to freedom in Article 19 guarantees the Freedom of speech and expression, as one of its six freedoms.

The preamble of our Constitution, which is said to contain the dreams of “We the People”, speaks of “freedom of thought and expression”. Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution of India guarantees the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression.

However, the said freedom is not absolute one; it is not an unbridled horse. In fact, Art. 19 (2) of the Constitution permits the State to impose reasonable restrictions on seven grounds, namely security of state, sovereignty and integrity of India, friendly relationship with foreign countries, public order, decency and morality, contempt of court, and defamation. Thus, the ban on a film is legally justifiable only on these seven grounds, and none else.

In the case of S. Rangarajan v. P. Jagjivan Ram and Ors. [(1989) 2 SCC 574] the Hon’ble Supreme Court proclaimed It is the duty of the State to protect the freedom of expression since it is a liberty guaranteed against the State. The State cannot plead its inability to handle the hostile audience problem.” Hence, the state cannot be permitted to abdicate its constitutional responsibility to protect and promote the creative arts.

The recent controversies reveal the immaturity and narrow minded approach in not accepting art as art.

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9. Global Digital Health Partnership Summit

Topic: International summits Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare addresses Global Digital Health

Partnership Summit at Australia.

Four major areas where India has implemented Digital Technology in healthcare are towards improving health service delivery, towards improving compliance of people towards health & care, engaging citizens in partnering with government for planning and management of health services delivery and Improving governance.

Health Ministry has rolled out large scale IT systems in different areas of healthcare ecosystem such asintegrated health surveillance program, public health management, hospital information system, supply chain management, online services, tele-medicine, programme monitoring and mHealth. “Such initiatives include systems for obtaining reliable information and near real-time data for policymaking, ensuring efficient program and service delivery.

India’s digital health care initiative National Health Portal is functioning as Citizen Portal for Healthcare, providing health-related information to citizens and stakeholders in different Indian languages.

Other initiatives include e-Hospital- developed by National Informatics Centre which is implemented in more than 173 Hospitals.

e-Sushrut– developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing Noida which is implemented in more than 80 hospitals.

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Online Registration System (ORS) is used for scheduling online appointments in public sector tertiary care hospitals.

Around 139 hospitals are currently using ORS application. “Patient engagement in improving service delivery through MyHospitalsystem which is used for collection of patient feedback on health services being rendered by public hospitals. The application is available in seven different languages and currently, more than 1067 hospitals, are covered in 23 States/UTs.

10. Clean Air for Delhi Campaign: Centre issues fresh

instructions on strict enforcement of dust mitigation measures

Topic: Environment and Ecology

Why in news:

Centre has requested State Governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to take all measures for mitigation of air pollution in adjoining cities such as Ghaziabad, NOIDA, Faridabad and Gurugram in a campaign mode, so that a visible improvement in air quality can be brought about in Delhi and adjoining areas.

More about the campaign:

The State Governments and other agencies have been directed to focus on large polluting activities, take adequate on-the-spot response in cases of vehicular pollution and traffic congestion, ensure strict implementation of ban on garbage burning and

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impose penalty on violators, management of fly ash, inspect brick-kilns to check if norms are being followed and encourage plantation of saplings in open areas.

Emphasis has also been laid upon creating mass awareness on air pollution. “Delhi is an air-shed and actions within Delhi impact pollution outside the capital, as well as action in adjoining cities such as Gurugram, Ghaziabad, NOIDA, Faridabad impact air quality in Delhi”.

The Centre has also directed DMRC, NHAI, PWD, CREDAI and NBCC to enforce strict dust mitigation measures as required under the recently notified dust standards. It is pertinent to mention that since the launch of Campaign, significant improvement in air quality has been noticed vis-a-vis business as usual scenario and with respect to last year on same dates.

11. “Agriculture 2022 - Doubling Farmers Income”

Topic: Social Justice

In budget, an announcement of Rs. 2000 crore for Agri Market Development Fund has been made, which shows the importance of the retail market in agriculture marketing. These markets have been called as GRAM (Gramin Retail Agriculture Market). Through these markets infrastructure of 22,000 Rural Haats and 585 APMC markets will be developed.

How to develop the Agri-sector:

Emphasis on irrigation along with end to end solution on creation of resources for ‘More crop per drop'

'Provision of quality seeds and nutrients according to the soil quality of each farm.

Large investments in warehouses and cold chains to prevent Post-harvest losses.

Promotion of value addition through food processing.

Implementation of National Agricultural Markets and e-platforms (e-NAM) to eliminate shortcomings of all the 585 centers.

To mitigate the risk, introduction of crop insurance scheme at a lower cost.

Promotion of allied activities such as Dairy-Animal husbandry, Poultry, Bee-keeping, Horticulture, and Fisheries.

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