1) National Technology Day: 11 May
•The National Technology Day 2018 theme is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”. The first nuclear test Pokhran with a code named as ‘Smiling Buddha’ was carried out in May, 1974.
•Pokran II or Operation Shakti was initiated on 11th of May, 1998 with the detonation of two fission bombs and one fusion bomb. Two additional fission bombs were detonated on 13th of May, 1998 and the Government of India run by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister shortly convened a press conference for the declaration of India as a full-fledged nuclear state.
2) India Pavilion Inaugurated At Cannes Film Festival 2018
•A meeting between the Indian delegation and Ms. Isabelle Giordano, Director General, Unifrance, M. Loic Wong, Director of International Department, CNC, France was held to explore co-production opportunities between India and France.
3) SCO Tourism Ministers’ Conference Held In China
•The Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism and Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, K. J. Alphons attended the Tourism Ministers’ conference by Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Wuhan, China.
•At the inaugural session, the Minister stated that India’s Tourism sector is fast growing and has got an emerging market for outbound travel and a tremendous potential for tourism co-operation with the SCO region.
4) Gujarat-Poland Sign MoU On Organizing Independence Centenary
•The department of youth and cultural affairs of the Gujarat government will be co-organisers for the centenary celebrations to mark independence of Poland in Delhi and other parts of the world.
•An MoU was signed in this regard between the Gujarat government and the Poland government. The MoU was signed by Polish ambassador to India Adam Burakowski and principal secretary of youth and cultural affairs department V P Patel in presence of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
5) CM Pema Khandu Inaugurates Arunachal Pradesh’s Biggest Solar Plant
•Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu inaugurated the state’s biggest solar power plant at Energy Awareness Park in the presence of Power Minister Tamiyo Taga in Itanagar.
•The plant, with a capacity of 1 MW, was commissioned on April 1 at an estimated investment of Rs 8.50 crore. The officials of Arunachal Pradesh Energy Development Agency (APEDA) successfully implemented the project.
6) Telangana Government Launches Rythu Bandhu Scheme For Farmers
•The Telangana government introduced Rythu Bandhu, a scheme to provide Rs4,000 per acre each to land-owning farmers for Rabi and Kharif seasons, and issued special passbooks for them.
•The programme was flagged off by chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, who distributed 298 cheques to farmers at Huzoorabad Mandal in Karimnagar district. Beneficiaries will get the amount even if they do not take up farming. The state government has set aside Rs12,000 crore in the 2018-19 budget for Rythu Bandhu.
7) Malaysia Gets Oldest Prime Minister In The World
•Mahathir Mohamad was sworn in as Prime Minister of Malaysia. He took the oath at the Istana Negara Palace in Kuala Lumpur. Mahathir’s coalition, Pakatan Harapan, won 113 of the total 222 seats. He has replaced Najib Razak.
•His coalition defeated the governing Barisan Nasional coalition, led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, which has been in power for more than 60 years. Ninety-two-year-old, Mahathir becomes the oldest Prime Minister in the world.
8) U.S.- India Aviation Summit Held In Mumbai
•In collaboration with the U.S.-India Aviation Cooperation Program and the Government of India, US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is hosted the 6th U.S.-India Aviation Summit in Mumbai, India.
•The two-day Summit promoted a high-level dialogue on bilateral aviation issues and will provide a forum to identify solutions that support the rapid growth of India's aviation sector. The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) is organizing this visit on behalf of USTDA.
