1) International Turban Day celebrates on April 13
•International Turban Day is celebrated every year on April 13 since 2004 to bring awareness of the strict requirement on Sikhs to put the turban as a mandatory part of their religion. The 2022 Turban Day marks the 553rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev and the festival of Baisakhi. The turban, also known as “dastar” or “pagri” or “pag” refers to the garment worn by both men and some women to cover their heads.
2) 38th Siachen Day celebrates on 13 April 2022
•Indian Army marks Siachen Day on April 13 every year. The day is observed to commemorate the courage of the Indian Army under “Operation Meghdoot”. The Day also honours Siachen Warriors serving their motherland successfully from the enemy. Every year this day is observed to pay solemn tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives to capture the icy heights of Siachen 38 years ago. The day commemorates the courage and fortitude displayed by Indian Army troops in securing the highest and coldest battlefield in the world.
3) PM Narendra Modi to be honoured with 1st Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be honoured with the inaugural Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award which is instituted in the memory of the veteran singer of Lata Mangeskar. PM Modi will receive the award for selfless service to the nation and society. The award ceremony will be held on April 24 which marks the 80th death anniversary of Master Deenanath Mangeshkar (singing legend’s father).
•Among the other awardees will be singer Rahul Despande, who will receive the Master Deenanath Award besides three other special awardees including veteran actress Asha Parekh, actor Jackie Shroff and the Mumbai Dabbawalas, represented by Nutan Tiffin Suppliers.
4) NASA released the Data on India’s Space Debris
•According to the most recent report of NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office’s Orbital Debris Quarterly News, there are 25,182 pieces of space debris larger than 10 cm in lower earth orbits near 2,000 kilometres of the planet’s surface. India is responsible for only 114 space debris items, whereas the United States has 5,126 space debris objects in Earth’s orbit and China has 3,854 space debris objects in Earth’s orbit, including spent rocket bodies.
•According to the research, India’s space debris levels have returned to those of 2018, following a rise in 2019 when the country conducted its first-ever anti-satellite test.
5) India’s gold imports increased by 33.34% to Rs 46.14 billion in 2021-22
•According to the official data, the import of gold in India has been rose by 33.34% to Rs 46.14 billion on account of higher demand in 2021-22. The import of gold in 2020-21 was about Rs 34.62 billion. The increase in gold imports has contributed to the widening of the trade deficit to $192.41 billion, against $102.62 billion in 2020-21.
•India is the world’s second-biggest gold consumer after China. The imports are largely driven by the jewellery industry. The export of gems and jewellery grew by about 50% to about $39 billion during 2021-22.
6) Harsh Vardhan Shringla named India’s G20 chief coordinator
•Foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will take over next month as G20 chief coordinator, the government officially announced. The appointment is significant as India will assume the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022, from Indonesia, and will convene the G20 Leaders Summit for the first time in India in 2023.
•Shringla will retire on 30th April 2022, handing over charge to foreign secretary-designate V M Kwatra, who is currently India’s ambassador to Nepal. The G20 sherpa will remain to be Piyush Goyal, the Indian Commerce Minister.
7) Commerce Ministry: Number of patent filings rises to 66,440 in FY22
•As per the data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the number of domestic patent filings at the Indian patent office exceeded that of international filings for the first time in the last 11 years. During the January-March quarter of 2022, a total of 19796 patent applications were filed, which included 10,706 patents filed by Indian applicants and 9,090 by non-Indian applicants.
8) Ecuador became 1st country to give legal rights to wild animals
•Ecuador, a South American Country, became the first country in the world to give legal rights to wild animals. The highest court in the country has ruled in favour of the case that focused on a woolly monkey named “Estrellita” who was taken from her home to a zoo, where she passed just a week later.
•The court decided to rule in favour of Estrellita and said that her rights had been violated by the government. However, they added that the animal’s rights were also violated by the owner when she removed her from her natural habitat at a young age. The Court has finally stated that animals are subject to rights protected by the rights of nature.
9) Amrit Samagam inaugurated by Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah
•Shri Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, launched the Amrit Samagam, a summit of the country’s tourism and cultural ministers, in New Delhi. The Ministry of Culture is hosting a two-day conference, as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
10) 1st Khelo India National Ranking Women Archery Tournament held in Jamshedpur
•The first Khelo India National Ranking Women Archery will be held in Tata Archery Academy, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has approved Rs 75 Lakh to host the Khelo India National Ranking Women Archery Tournament over six phases.
•The tournament will be conducted as per the World Archery Rules, held in the senior, Junior, and Cadet Categories across the Recurve and Compound events. The Archery Association of India (AAI), in collaboration with the Jharkhand Archery Association and TATA Steel, is organizing the tournament.
•The Khelo India National Ranking Women Archery Tournament, now, will provide more competition and exposure at domestic levels for second, third and fourth lines of Archers, in line with Women Empowerment. This will also help to provide them exposure to matches to develop their mental toughness and competitiveness.
