1. India and the World
EIU Democracy Index 2020
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) recently released its report titled ‘Democracy in sickness and in health’ and also published the Democracy Index 2020.
The Index covers 167 countries in which Norway has topped the list.
India’s rank has degraded by two places to 53rd position from the previous years’ ranking.
Quick Fact: EIU is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
2.Summits and Conferences
Indian Ocean Region Defense Ministers’ Conclave
The Indian Ocean Region Defense Ministers’ Conclave was hosted by India taking place in the backdrop of Aero India 2021.
The theme of the Conclave was “Enhanced Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Indian Ocean”.
The Conclave seeks to promote dialogue in institutional, economic, and cooperative environments while helping countries to foster the development of peace & stability in IOR.
3.Economy
Lithium deposits found in Karnataka
The central government has confirmed in a written reply to Lok Sabha about the presence of 1600 tonnes of lithium deposits in the Mandya district of Karnataka.
The survey was done by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) under the Department of Atomic Energy.
India relies heavily on Japan, China, and Taiwan for lithium import which has increased the import bill of Lithium by 3 folds between 2017 to 2020.
Quick Fact: The first Lithium plant of India has been set up in Gujarat in 2021.
4.Environment
First Declaration issued for converting Kaliveli Wetlands into a Bird Sanctuary
Tamil Nadu has issued the first declaration under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 in a bid to declare Kaliveli wetlands as a bird sanctuary.
The decision will boost their efforts to protect the wetland which is home to diverse flora and fauna.
The Kaliveli Wetlands support around 20,000 birds every year and works as a feeding ground for long-distance migratory birds.
Quick Fact: The Kaliveli Wetlands is the second largest brackish water lake in South India.
5.Person in News
Birth Centenary Celebrations of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi begins
The year-long Birth Centenary celebration of legendary classical singer Pandit Bhimsen Joshi began recently.
The event to celebrate the Birth Centenary is named ‘SwarBhaskar 100’.
Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi was an Indian vocalist from Karnataka famous for his khayal form of singing and belongs to the Kirana Gharana of Hindustani Classical Music.
Quick Fact: Bhimsen was awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1998) and the Bharat Ratna (2009).
6.National Affairs
Government launches unified web portal for monitoring activities of GOBARDHAN
Agriculture Minister, Petroleum Minister, Animal Husbandry Minister, Jal Shakti Minister & Minister of State for Jal Shakti jointly launched the unified web portal.
GOBARDHAN aims to positively impact village cleanliness & generate wealth and energy from cattle as well as organic waste.
It focuses on managing and converting cattle dung and solid waste in farms to useful compost, biogas, and bio-CNG hence increasing the income of farmers.
7.International Affairs
Andy Jassy set to replace jeff Bezos as Amazon CEO
Amazon.com Inc founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos has announced that he would step down as the CEO of the company with effect from July 1, 2021.
Andy Jassy, who is currently serving as the Chief Executive of Amazon Web Services (AWS) will replace Bezos as the CEO of Amazon.
Bezos started the company 27 years ago on 5 July 1994 as an internet bookseller.
Quick Fact: Amazon.com Inc is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States.
8.Miscellaneous
‘Aatmanirbharta’ named Oxford Hindi word of 2020
The world’s leading dictionary publisher, Oxford Languages, has named ‘Aatmanirbharta’ as the Hindi word of the year 2020.
The Oxford Hindi word of the year is a word or expression that is chosen to reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupation of the previous year as well as have a lasting cultural significance.
The word was chosen as it validated the day-to-day achievements of the countless Indians who dealt with and survived the perils of a pandemic.
Quick fact: ‘Aatmanirbharta’ means self-reliance.
