NATIONAL NEWS
Anurag Thakur launches logo, mascot jersey & anthem of Khelo India University Games 2021
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur and Governor of Karnataka, TC Gehlot launched the logo, jersey, mascot and anthem of the Khelo India University Games 2021 (KIUG 2021) on April 01, 2022, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The theme song has been composed by Kannada rapper Chandan Shetty. The KIUG 2021 will be held in Karnataka between April 24 and May 3, 2022. This will be the second edition of KIUG. The first edition was hosted by Odisha in 2020. KIUG 2021 was postponed for 2022 due to the Covid crisis. A Khelo India App for live updates on the Games has also been launched by Karnataka. Around 4500 athletes, representing 20 sports from across the country will participate in the KIUG 2021.
UP become India’s top vegetable producer
Uttar Pradesh has become the top producer of vegetables, getting back its first position by demoting West Bengal to the second position, with a difference of a million tonnes in production in 2021–22 Crop Year (CY) (July–June), after two years since 2020. Vegetable production in Uttar Pradesh is expected to be 29.58 million tonnes (mt) in the 2021–22 crop year (July–June), down from 29.16 mt in 2020–21, while West Bengal output is expected to dip to 28.23 mt in 2021-22 from 30.33 mt in 2020-21. Other top producers of vegetables as per the data in the current year 2021-22 include Madhya Pradesh at 20.59 mt, Bihar at 17.77 mt and Maharashtra at 16.78 mt. Andhra Pradesh remains the top fruit producer. India’s horticulture output is likely to drop marginally by 0.4% to 333.25 mt in 2021–22 from the previous year (2020–21) as production of vegetables, spices, and plantation crops is set to decline. In 2021–22, Andhra Pradesh is expected to produce 18.01 million tonnes of fruit, up from 17.7 million tonnes in 2020–21. Maharashtra is anticipated to produce 12.3 million tonnes of fruit, up from 11.74 million tonnes in 2020–21.
Dr. S Raju takes charge as DG of Geological Survey of India
Dr S Raju has taken over as the Director-General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) with effect from April 01, 2022. He succeeds R. S. Garkhal who superannuated on March 31, 2022. Prior to this, Dr Raju was holding the post of Additional Director General and National Head, Mission-III & IV at GSI HQ. Dr.S. Raju joined the Geological Survey of India in 1988. During the initial period of his career, he was instrumental in geological mapping of Bundelkhand Granitic Complex in Uttar Pradesh and also executed an investigation on gold mineralization and carried out a geo-environmental appraisal of Jhansi district of Bundelkhand Region, Uttar Pradesh. With his expertise, he has also supplemented in the geology of Tamil Nadu especially, establishing the metamorphic and techtono-magmatic history of the Satyamangalam Group of rocks.
Mahesh Verma named as chairperson of NABH
Vice-Chancellor of Indraprastha University, Mahesh Verma has been appointed as the new chairperson of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH). NABH is a constituent board of the Quality Council of India (QCI). This is responsible for setting benchmarks for quality and certifying hospitals and other health facilities. NABH is also a member of the board of the Asian Society for Quality in Healthcare (ASQua). Dr Verma is a recipient of Padma Shri as well as Dr. B. C. Roy award. He has also received the National Science and Technology award. He is currently the vice-chancellor of Delhi’s Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, and Professor Emeritus at Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences. He is the president of the India chapter of the International Association for Disability and Oral Health and the Indian Academy of Restorative Dentistry. He is also the president-elect of the International Association of Dental Research, India Division, and the Indian Society of Dental Research.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
International Children’s Book Day celebrates on 02 April
The International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) is organised annually on the 2nd of April since 1967, by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). IBBY is an international non-profit organization, to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children’s books. In 2022, Canada is hosting International Children’s Book Day with this chosen theme: Stories are wings that help you soar every day. Every year, a different international section of IBBY hosts a children’s books event on or around April 2 (which is the birthday of classic children’s book author Hans Christian Andersen). The host country picks a theme and invites a well-known author and illustrator to create a message for children around the world.
World Autism Awareness Day Observed on 2nd April 2022
World Autism Awareness Day is observed annually on 2nd April by the member states of the United Nations. The day is observed to raise awareness among its citizens about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder throughout the world. World Autism Awareness Day is organized by the UN Department of Global Communications and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with the support of civil society partners including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Global Autism Project and the Specialisterne Foundation. The theme for ‘World Autism Awareness Day 2022’ is Inclusive Quality Education for All. Access to education that was made easy for years, especially for autistic persons was disrupted after 2020 with the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
