1) International Day of Plant Health observed on 12th May 2022
•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. The United Nations declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH).
•The Year was extended until 1 July 2021 due to the postponement of some key initiatives caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development.
2) International Nurses Day 2022 Observed on 12th May
•May 12 is observed as International Nurses’ Day across the world to honour the services of nurses. It is the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the English social reformer, statistician and founder of modern nursing. She was also known as Lady with the Lamp. She was the founder of modern nursing and was a British social reformer and statistician.
The theme of International Nurses Day 2022:
•The theme for this year’s Nurses’ Day is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in Nursing and respect rights to secure global health”. Many hospitals across the world are observing International Nurses Week from May 6 to 12. As part of it, several activities, including yoga sessions and seminars are being organised.
3) India elected a new Chair of the Association of Asian Election Authorities for 2022-24
•India has been unanimously elected as the new Chair of the Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA) for 2022-2024 at the meeting of the Executive Board and General Assembly in Manila, Philippines. Commission on Elections, Manila was the current chair of AAEA. The new member of the Executive Board now includes Russia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Taiwan and the Philippines.
•The Election Commission of India 3-member delegation headed by Deputy Election Commissioner Shri Nitesh Vyas, along with CEO Manipur Shri Rajesh Agrawal and CEO Rajasthan Shri Praveen Gupta, attended the Executive Board meeting at Manila and presented the work plan for 2022-23 as also futuristic activities for 2023-24 to the Executive Board.
4) VP Venkaiah Naidu releases ‘Modi @20: Dreams Meeting Delivery’ book
•Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has released the book “Modi@20 Dreams Meet Delivery” in New Delhi. The book presents different facets of the distinct thought process, the pioneering, pro-active approach and the quintessential, transformational leadership style that Narendrabhai Modi has come to be so closely identified with.
•‘Modi@20’ is an anthology edited and compiled by BlueKraft Digital Foundation, and is a compilation of chapters authored by eminent intellectuals and domain experts, Rupa Publications.
5) Mamata Banerjee recieved Special Bangla Academy Award
•West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee received the Bangla Academy Award for her “relentless literary pursuit”. The award, introduced this year by Sahitya Academy, was presented to Banerjee for her book “Kabita Bitan”, which pays tribute to the best writers of West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee’s ‘Kabita Bitan’ was launched at the 2020 Kolkata Book Fair. The book contains 946 poems written by the TMC supremo.
•Despite being on the stage, Mamata Banerjee did not accept the award on her own and it was received by state Education Minister Bratya Basu on her behalf.
•Banerjee was given the award at the “Ravi Pranam” function organised by the government’s information and culture department on the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary. Bangla Academy has decided to reward those who are working tirelessly for the betterment of literature as well as other sectors of society.
6) RailTel introduced PM-WANI based access to its Wi-Fi at 100 Railway Stations
•RailTel, a micro Ratna PSU, launched the Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) scheme on Monday, providing access to its Public WiFi services across 100 train stations in 22 states. PM-WANI is a Department of Telecom (DoT) initiative to connect all silo Wi-Fi networks for simplicity of use and to increase broadband adoption among the general public.
