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Current Affairs 15th May, 20 (Friday) TOPICS COVERED: GS-1: Sukhdev Thapar (History)…………………………………………………………....2 GS-2: SAMARTH Programme……………………………………………………………...3 Gilgit Baltistan…………………………………………………………………….......4 32nd Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting…………………………………….5 GS-3: Second tranche of the Economic Stimulus package (Economy)…………………….6 Parkinson’s disease (Science)………………………………………………………...8 COBAS 6800 testing machine………………………………………………...............9 Jal Jeevan Mission (Envt.)………………………………………………..................10 Global Forest Resource Assessment (Envt.)………………………………………..11 Integrated Battle Groups (Security)………………………………………………..12 1 Current Affairs GS-1: Modern Indian History from about the middle of the 18th century until the present-significant events, personalities, issues. Birth of revolutionary Sukhdev: Context: Punjab Government led by Capt. Amarinder Singh remembers the legendary revolutionary Shaheed Sukhdev Ji on his 144 birth anniversary. Sukhdev Biography: Shaheed Sukhdev Thappar: Sukhdev Thapar was born to 15th May, 1907 in Ludhiana, Punjab. He showed a defiant spirit from an early age itself. During his school days, he would refuse to salute the British officers who visited his school. Having lost his father at an early age, Sukhdev was raised by his uncle. It was the arrest of his uncle that led him to revolutionary activities for freedom from colonial rule. Sukhdev joined the Naujawan Bharat Seva, which had been started by Bhagat Singh in 1926. The two became close friends and associates. He was also an active member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). The HSRA was a radical organisation actively involved in revolutionary activities against the British government. In an anti-Simon Commission rally in 1928, veteran Congress leader Lala Lajpat Rai was cruelly beaten by a lathi by a British police officer named James A Scott. Lajpat Rai succumbed to injuries sustained a few days later. The young revolutionaries including Sukhdev decided to avenge Lajpat Rai’s death. However, on 17th December 1928, Bhagat Singh and his accomplices Sukhdev and Rajguru killed an Assistant Superintendent of Police, John P. Saunders in a case of mistaken identity. They still declared that Lajpat Rai’s death had been avenged. After committing the act, the trio escaped. They fled from Lahore by rail to Lucknow. Rajguru went on to Benares from Lucknow. He returned to Lahore a few days later. The British government managed to capture all the people involved in the assassination. All three were sentenced to death by hanging in the trial that ensued. Despite tremendous pressure on the government to spare the youngsters, the trio was executed by hanging on 23rd March 1931. 2 Current Affairs GS-2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. SAMARTH Programme: Context: Department of Higher Education, M/o Human Resource Development, has mission to provide quality education to students across all Universities & HEIs. For this, M/o HRD has developed an e-Governance platform, SAMARTH(Enterprises Resource Planning) ERP, under National Mission of Education in Information and Communication Technology Scheme (NMEICT). What is ERP SAMARTH? ERP, SAMARTH, is an Open Standard Open Source Architecture, Secure, Scalable and Evolutionary Process Automation Engine for Universities and Higher Educational Institutions. It caters to faculty, students and staff at a University/Higher Educational Institutions. Now, the ERP, SAMARTH, has been implemented at National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, a participating unit under the World Bank supported Technical Education Quality Improvement Program (TEQIP). The objective of this initiative is to automate the processes of the Institute. This initiative will enhance the productivity through better information management in the institute by seamless access to information, and its utilization for various purposes. The software was provided by the SAMARTH team free of cost to NIT, Kurukshetra; the rollout by done through an in-house team at no additional cost through a collaboration between NMEICT and TEQIP teams in MHRD. Currently, the platform offers 38 modules to the institution. Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP): TEQIP is an initiative of the National Project Implementation Unit (NPIU) which implements World Bank Assisted Projects in Technical Education. The initiative is aimed at improving the quality of engineering graduates. Under this project, all the Government engineering colleges are selected for direct intervention, and all private engineering colleges are selected for indirect intervention. The focus is on the most-backward states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, North-East, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh Etc. The measures include: Institution based: accreditation of the courses through NBA, governance reforms, improving the processes, digital initiatives, securing autonomy for the colleges. Student based: improving the quality of teaching, teacher training, equipping the class rooms, revision of syllabus, industry interaction, and compulsory internships for students, training the students in industry - relevant skills, preparing them for the GATE exam etc. 3 Current Affairs GS-2: India and its neighbourhood- relations. Gilgit-Baltistan: Context: As per Army Chief Gen. Naravane, The recent incidents of face-off between the troops of India and China are neither “co-related” nor have any connection with other global or local activities. The statement was supplemented by official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava who reminded China about India’s claims over Gilgit-Baltistan where China has teamed up with Pakistan to build the Diamer-Bhasha dam. Gilgit-Baltistan has functioned as a “provincial autonomous region” since 2009. Besides, India has conveyed that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of India by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession. Where is Gilgit Baltistan located? Located in the northern Pakistan. It borders China in the North, Afghanistan in the west, Tajikistan in the North-West and Kashmir in the south-east. It shares a geographical boundary with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and India considers it as part of the undivided Jammu and Kashmir, while Pakistan sees it as a separate from PoK. It has a regional Assembly and an elected Chief Minister. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) also passes through this region. Gilgit-Baltistan is home to five of the “eight-thousands” and to more than fifty peaks above 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). Three of the world’s longest glaciers outside the Polar Regions are found in Gilgit-Baltistan. How Pakistan took over it? The British sold it, along with the rest of Jammu and Kashmir, to the Dogra ruler of Jammu, Gulab Singh, after defeating the Sikh army in 1846, but retained controlled over the area through a lease extracted from the Maharaja. This lease was last renewed in 1935. In 1947, a British army officer of the rank of Colonel imprisoned Maharaja Hari Singh’s governor in the region, and handed over the area for accession to Pakistan. Recent developments: Pakistan, in 2017, proposed to declare the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region as its fifth Province. Diamer-Bhasha Dam: o It is a dam being built by Pakistan on Indus river in Gilgit-Baltistan region o Both World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have refused to fund the project due to India’s objections. o China has come forward to fund and build the project. 4 Current Affairs GS-2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. 32nd Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting: Context: Recently, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare participated in the 32nd Commonwealth Health Ministers' Meeting through Video Conference on 14 May. The timely, graded, and proactive measures taken by the Indian government towards COVID-19 management were highlighted during the meeting. Highlights: The theme of the conference was "Delivering a co- ordinated Commonwealth COVID-19 response." Government of India's aim to protect lives by mitigating the explosive growth of the disease and by ensuring that the healthcare system is able to cope up with the growth of the disease was discussed. The need to work on the causes of the pandemic and discover drugs and vaccines to control transmission and prevent a recurrence. The Indian government has announced an economic package of more than $265 billion to support economic recovery and to support vulnerable segments of the population. India has provided essential medicines such as Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to around 100 needy countries, extending solidarity and support during this time of crisis. 5 Current Affairs GS-3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment. Second tranche of the Economic Stimulus package: Context: Announcing the 2nd Tranche of measures to ameliorate the hardships faced specifically by migrant labours, street vendors, migrant urban poor, small traders self-employed people, small farmers and housing, Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in her press conference detailed the short term and long-term measures for supporting the poor, including migrants, farmers, tiny businesses