Current Affairs in English – May 12 2023

National Events:

Right to Walk:

As deaths of pedestrians and cyclists continued to rise, the state of Punjab enacted the Right to Walk Act, which mandated all agencies, including the NHAI, to provide footpaths and cycle lanes.
The right has been given as the number of pedestrians killed in road accidents has increased from 25,858 in 2019 to 29,124 in 2021, according to the government.

Rajiv Dhar:

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL) has appointed Rajiv Dhar, Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer as the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of NIIFL on an interim basis, effective May 11, 2023.
The planned succession follows Sujoy Bose’s request to relieve him from his current responsibilities as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, a position he held since 2016 in the company.

SCO:

India recently hosted the third edition of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Startup Forum in the form of the first-ever physical event in New Delhi.
The event was organized by Startup India, the Department of Promotion for Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce.
The forum aimed to expand startup interactions among SCO Member States and encourage innovation, employment generation, and talent building.

Ministry of Ayush & ICMR:

The Ministry of Ayush and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote and collaborate on integrative health research.
This cooperation is a significant step towards providing scientific evidence to the Ayush system of medicines and creating a niche for traditional medicine knowledge.

LBSI:

The Lal Bahadur Shastri International (LBSI) Airport here has become the first in India to have a reading lounge.
Apart from books on Kashi, the lounge`s library has a collection of literature and books in many international languages besides books of youth authors published under Prime Minister Yuva Yojana.
The Varanasi airport has become the first airport in the country to have a free reading lounge. The lounge has been established with the assistance of National Book Trust (NBT), an Indian publishing house and autonomous body under the ministry of education of the Union government.

ONGC:

ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) has made significant discoveries of crude oil and natural gas in two offshore blocks in Mumbai, signaling a positive boost for India’s energy sector.
The discoveries, which have been named ‘Amrit’ and ‘Moonga’. ONGC’s discoveries are expected to attract investment and foster development, creating opportunities for job creation and economic growth.

Assam government:

The Assam government has constituted a 4-member expert committee to examine the legislative competence of the state legislature to enact a law to end polygamy.
The panel, headed by Justice (Retired) Rumi Phookan. Other members of the committee are Assam advocate general Debajit Saikia, additional advocate general Nalin Kohli and senior advocate Nekibur Zaman.

All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA):

The All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) plans to set up an online ‘Bank Clinic’ to assist bank customers with grievance redress.
With the Bank Clinic, AIBERA hopes to earn goodwill of customers’ and give feedback to Banks on the areas where there is deficiency in service.
By launching the Bank Clinic, the Association hopes to earn goodwill of customers’ and give feedback to Banks.

Ministry of Power and Ministry of Environment:

The Ministry of Power and Ministry of Environment will develop Carbon Credit Trading Scheme for Decarbonisation.
Government plans to develop the Indian Carbon Market with the objective to decarbonize the Indian economy by pricing the Green House Gas emission through trading of Carbon Credit Certificates.

“Open challenge programme (OCP) 2.0′:

Rashtriya Ispat Nigam – launches “Open challenge programme (OCP) 2.0′. Atul Bhatt, CMD, RINL launched ‘Open challenge progam 2.0’.
The program is the second program in the series of OCP programs that are being launched by Kalpataru-CoE (Centre of entrepreneurship). This open challenge program is for selecting the startups in the field of Industry 4.0 technologies.

Supreme Court:

The Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions seeking right to marriage for members of the LCBTQIA+ community.
Under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, which faced stiff Opposition from the Centre and state governments, while dropping broad hints that it could consider issuing a constitutional declaration for same sex couples that may fall short of giving marriage rights to them.

International Events:

SpaceX:

SpaceX, the private aerospace company, has announced its ambitious plan to launch the world’s first commercial space station by 2025. It will mark a significant milestone in the commercialization of space exploration.
Shortly after the first station, a small module called Haven-I is launched, crew members will be sent there via SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.

International Day of Plant Health:

The United Nations designated 12 May the International Day of Plant Health (IDPH) to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment, and boost economic development. Plants are essential for life on Earth.
They provide us with food, oxygen, and shelter. They also play a vital role in the environment, helping to regulate the climate and prevent soil erosion. However, plants are also vulnerable to pests and diseases.
These can cause significant damage to crops, leading to food shortages and economic losses.

International Nurses Day:

International Nurses Day is observed on the 12th of May every year to commemorate the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, who was born on May 12, 1820.
International Nurses Day is a Global celebration that acknowledges and celebrates the commitment and bravery of nurses around the world.

WHO:

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on May 11 that the global health emergency for mpox, a viral disease formerly known as monkeypox, has ended after 10 months.
This came after confirmed cases in over 100 countries since the disease started spreading globally in May 2022.
The emergency committee of the WHO made the recommendation to end the health emergency, and WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the decision during a press conference.

Sports Events:

Ayushmann Khurrana:

Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana has been chosen to inspire and support the Indian contingent participating in the upcoming Special Olympics for individuals with intellectual disabilities, set to take place in Berlin from June 16 to June 25.
Expressing gratitude, the actor considers himself lucky to have met numerous exceptional individuals throughout his journey.

‘AIFF Grassroots Day’:

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has declared June 23 as the ‘AIFF Grassroots Day’ to honor the legacy of late Indian football icon Pradip Kumar Banerjee.
Banerjee, who passed away in 2020, was a former India captain and coach who led the national team to the Asian Games gold medal in 1962. He was also the first Indian to coach a foreign club when he took charge of East Bengal in 1970.