July 2nd Current Affairs

1. National Horticulture Board Centre.

IN NEWS:

• Union Agriculture Minister Sh. Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates National Horticulture Board Centre at Gwalior.
• Centre of NHB at Gwalior will boost horticulture in the region, will benefit 21 districts of Northern Madhya Pradesh.

KEY POINTS:

• NHB, which is mandated for integrated development of hi-tech commercial horticulture and post-harvest management/cold chain infrastructure in the country, is having centers/offices at various locations of the country and atleast one centre is there almost in each state for implementation, monitoring and coordination of its various Schemes and activities.
• Some of the bigger states like UP and Maharashtra are having more than one centre due to their geography and higher quantum of work.
• Madhya Pradesh, which is the second largest state in the Country, is rapidly diversifying into horticulture sector for the last few years. It is the third largest producers of vegetables in the country and 5th largest producers in Fruits.
• The horticulture segment has become the sunrise sector for MP. Gwalior Division of Madhya Pradesh is geographically located in Northern part of the State.
• Gwalior and Chambal divisions correspond to the Gird region of Madhya Pradesh.”

SOURCE:PIB

2. Tillanchong Island.

IN NEWS:

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) located and rescued a distressed fishing boat ‘RSN-TWO’ with seven crew onboard off the Tillanchong Island, approximately 350 kms south of Port Blair.

KEY POINTS:

About:

Tillanchong Island:

• Tillangchong, also known as Tillanchang,[4] is an island and a village in the Nicobar district of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
• The island belongs to the township of Nancowry of Teressa Taluk.
• The island is a part of the Nicobar Islands chain, located in the northeast Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.
• The island has the largest surviving populations of the endemic Nicobar megapode (Megapodius nicobariensis), and is a protected sanctuary.

SOURCE:PIB

3. UDISE+.

IN NEWS:

Union Education Minister released the Report on United Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2019-20 for School Education in India.

KEY POINTS:

• In 2019-20, total students in school education from pre-primary to higher secondary have crossed 26.45 crore. This is higher by 42.3 lakh compared to 2018-19.
• Gross Enrolment Ratio at all levels of school education has improved in 2019-20 compared to 2018-19. Gross Enrolment Ratio increased to 89.7% (from 87.7%) at Upper Primary level, 97.8% (from 96.1%) at Elementary Level, 77.9% (from 76.9%) at Secondary Level and 51.4% (from 50.1%) at Higher Secondary Level in 2019-20 (from 2018-19).
• In 2019-20, 96.87 lakh teachers have been engaged in school education. This is higher by about 2.57 lakh compared to 2018-19.
• The Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) has improved at all levels of school education. In 2019-20, the PTR for primary has become 26.5, PTR for upper primary and secondary has become 18.5 and PTR for higher secondary has become 26.1.
• Enrolment of Divyang students has increased by 6.52% over 2018-19.
• Gross Enrolment Ratio of girls has increased to 90.5% (from 88.5%) at Upper Primary level, 98.7% (from 96.7%) at Elementary Level, 77.8% (from 76.9%) at Secondary Level and 52.4% (from 50.8%) at Higher Secondary Level in 2019-20 (from 2018-19).
• More than 80% schools in India in 2019-20 had functional electricity. This is an improvement by more than 6% over the previous year 2018-19.
• Number of schools having functional computers increased to 5.2 lakh in 2019-20 from 4.7 lakh in 2018-19.
• Number of schools having internet facility increased to 3.36 lakh in 2019-20 from 2.9 lakh in 2018-19.
• More than 90% schools in India had handwash facility in 2019-20.
• This is a major improvement, as this percentage was only 36.3% in 2012-13.

SOURCE:TH

4. IONS

IN NEWS:

• 7th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) was hosted by the French Navy at Réunion island.
• It is a biennial event which was conceived by the Indian Navy in 2008.

KEY POINTS:

About:

• The IONS is a voluntary and inclusive initiative that brings together navies of Indian Ocean Region littoral states to increase maritime co-operation and enhance regional security.
• It also serves to develop an effective response mechanism and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) against natural disasters.
• The chairmanship of IONS has been held by India (2008-10), UAE (2010-12), South Africa (2012-14), Australia (2014-16), Bangladesh (2016-18) and Islamic Republic of Iran (2018-21).
• France assumed the Chairmanship in June 2021 for a two-year tenure.

Members:

• IONS includes 24 member nations that touch or lie within the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), and 8 observer nations.
• The members have been geographically grouped into the following four sub-regions:
• South Asian Littorals: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and United Kingdom (British Indian Ocean Territory)
• West Asian Littorals: Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
• East African Littorals: France (Reunion), Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania.
• South East Asian and Australian Littorals: Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

Significance For India:

• IONS fits into India’s three-fold ambitions in the region:
• Strengthening and deepening the relations with the Indian Ocean littoral states;
• Establishing its leadership potential and aspirations of being a net-security provider; and
• Fulfilling India’s vision of a rules-based and stable maritime order in the IOR.
• It will help India to consolidate its sphere of influence from the Straits of Malacca to Hormuz.
• IONS can be used to counter-balance the increasing presence of China in the region.

SOURCE:IE

5. National Doctors’ Day 2021

IN NEWS:

Indian Medical Association (IMA) observed the National Doctors’ Day on July 1 every year.

KEY POINTS:

• This day is observed to honour birth and death anniversary Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy who was a great physician and second chief minister of West Bengal.
• He was born on July 1, 1882 and died at the age of 80 on same date (July 1) in 1962.
• This day shows gratitude to doctors who have selflessly aided people in time of need and tirelessly worked for health of their patients.
• This year, India paid tribute to those doctors who ensured that India did not succumb to challenges that Covid-19 brought.
• Doctor’s Day is not only celebrated in India but across different countries. However, the date varies.
• In United States Doctor’s Day is celebrated on March 30 while in Cuba it is observed on December 3. Iran celebrates it on August 23.

Important Information:

Dr. B. C. Roy Award

• The Bidhan Chandra Roy Award was instituted in 1962 in memory of Dr. B. C. Roy by the Medical Council of India. It is presented by the President of India in New Delhi every year on July 1, National Doctors’ Day. It is also the highest honour that can be achieved by a doctor in India.
• The Award is given annually in each of the following categories: Statesmanship of the Highest Order in India, Medical man-cum-Statesman, Eminent Medical Person, Eminent person in Philosophy, Eminent person in Science and Eminent person in Arts.

SOURCE:IE