International
Japan supports India on eastern Ladakh standoff with China
- Japan said it opposed “any unilateral” attempts to change the status quo in the region.
- Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki said Japan hoped for peaceful resolution of the row through dialogues.
- Navies of the two countries held a joint exercise in the Indian Ocean. Four vessels belonging to the Indian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Forces (JMSDF) participated in the exercise, which was held in the backdrop of LAC tensions in Ladakh.
MoD approves 33 new fighter jets for IAF
- The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Thursday approved deals worth ₹38,900 crore. This includes procurement of 21 MiG-29 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF), upgrade of 59 of them and acquirement of 12 Su-30 MKI aircraft.
President Emmanuel Macron named Jean Castex as his new Prime Minister
- President Emmanuel Macron named Jean Castex, a top civil servant and local Mayor who orchestrated France’s COVID-19 lockdown exit strategy, as his new Prime Minister
- French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has earlier resigned
- Macron is reshaping his government as France grapples with the deepest economic depression since Second World War, a sharp downturn that will shrink the economy by about 11% in 2020.
India opposes Pakistan’s announcement of holding polls in Gilgit-Baltistan
- the Pakistan Supreme Court allowed Islamabad to amend a 2018 administrative order to conduct general elections in the region. The Gilgit-Baltistan Order of 2018 provided for administrative changes, including authorising the prime minister of Pakistan to legislate on an array of subjects.
- India also clearly conveyed to Pakistan that the entire union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of the country.
Over 350 elephants found dead in Botswana
- Hundreds of elephants have died mysteriously in Botswana’s famed Okavango Delta
- The landlocked southern African country has the world’s largest elephant population, estimated to be around 130,000.
National
PM visits Nimu in Ladakh to interact with Indian troops
- PM pays homage to those who died in the Galwan Valley.
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi travelled to Nimu in Ladakh to interact with Indian troops.
- Nimu is surrounded by the Zanskar range and is on the banks of river Indus.
- The Prime Minister met the top leadership of the Indian Army and later interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP.
- Prime Minister recalled the greatness of Ladakh’s culture as well as the noble teachings of KushokBakulaRimpoche. He described Ladakh as a land of sacrifice and a land that has given several patriots.
‘PRERAK DAUUR SAMMAN’ Introduced
- Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) announced a new category of awards titled ‘PrerakDauur Samman’ as part of Swachh Survekshan 2021.The PrerakDauur Samman has a total of five additional sub- categories -Divya (Platinum), Anupam (Gold), Ujjwal (Silver), Udit (Bronze), Aarohi (Aspiring) – with top three cities being recognized in each. In a departure from the present criteria of evaluating cities on ‘population category’, this new category will categorize cities on the basis of six select indicator wise performance criteria which are as follows:
- Segregation of waste into Wet, Dry and Hazard categories
- Processing capacity against wet waste generated
- Processing and recycling of wet and dry waste
- Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste processing
- Percentage of waste going to landfills
- Sanitation status of cities
‘Fit Hai to Hit Hai India’ launched under Fit India campaign
- Union HRD Minister and Sports Minister launch ‘Fit Hai to Hit Hai India’ under Fit India campaign for school children
- 13,868 schools affiliated to CBSE have participated in various Fit India programs and 11,682 schools have also received the Fit India flag- Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
- Fit India Campaign try to make children both mentally and physically healthy
Dharma Chakra Day
- Dharma Chakra Day commemorates Buddha’s first sermon to his first five ascetic disciples at the Deer Park, Rsipatana in the present day Sarnath near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
- The day is also celebrated by Buddhists all over the world as the day of Dharma Chakra Parvattana or “Turning of the Wheel of Dharma”.
- This day is also aptly observed as Guru Poornima by both Buddhists and Hindus as a day to mark reverence to their gurus.