DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 11 December 2021
C. Rajagopalachari Remembered on his Jayanthi
- Chakravarty Rajagopalachari (9 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and independence activist.
- Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India, as India soon became a Republic in 1950. He was also the first Indian-born governor-general, as all previous holders of the post were British nationals.
- He also served as leader of the Indian National Congress, Premier of the Madras Presidency, Governor of West Bengal, Minister for Home Affairs of the Indian Union, and Chief Minister of Madras state.
- Rajagopalachari founded the Swatantra Party and was one of the first recipients of India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
- He vehemently opposed the use of nuclear weapons and was a proponent of world peace and disarmament. During his lifetime, he also acquired the nickname ‘Mango of Salem’.
Global Health Security Index 2021
- It is an assessment and benchmarking of health security and related capabilities across 195 countries.
- It has been developed in partnership by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins Center.
- NTI is a nonprofit global security organization focused on reducing nuclear and biological threats imperiling humanity.
- Johns Hopkins Center was created to recognize the crucial role of communication in public health.
- The GHS Index assesses countries’ health security and capabilities across six categories: Prevention, Detection and Reporting, Rapid Response, Health System, Compliance with International Norms, Risk Environment.
- India, with a score of 42.8 (out of 100) has slipped by 0.8 points since 2019.
- Three neighbouring countries of India like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives have improved their score by 1-1.2 points.
- The world’s overall performance on the GHS Index score slipped to 38.9 (out of 100) in 2021, from a score of 40.2 in the GHS Index, 2019.
- In 2021, no country scored in the top tier of rankings and no country scored above 75.9.
UK Royal Gold Medal 2022
- Ahmedabad-based Balkrishna Doshi will receive the Royal Gold Medal 2022 by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the world’s highest honour for architecture. At 94, Doshi is being recognised for his career spanning seven decades, with over 100 built projects, across India. The Royal Gold Medal is “approved personally by Her Majesty the Queen and is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence on the advancement of architecture”. The award will be presented to Doshi at a special ceremony in 2022.
- Many of his iconic buildings include Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore; Sangath, his studio in Ahmedabad; Ahmedabad School of Architecture – renamed CEPT University in 2002 – which promoted collaborative learning; and Aranya Low Cost Housing (1989), Indore, which won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1995.
- The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has spoken to distinguished architect Shri Balkrishna Doshi and Congratulated him on being awarded the Royal Gold Medal 2022.
- In a tweet, the Prime Minister said.
- “Spoke to the distinguished architect Shri Balkrishna Doshi Ji and congratulated him on being awarded the Royal Gold Medal 2022. His contributions to the world of architecture are monumental. His works are globally admired for their creativity, uniqueness and diverse nature.”
16th UIC World Security Congress organised
- Organization of security during major events and emerging threats to railway security were the major themes that were discussed during the 16th UIC (Union of International Railways) World Security Congress 2021 which concluded on December 9, 2021. The Chairman of UIC Security Platform is Mr. Piotr Kurcz (PKP S.A., Poland), while the Vice Chairman is Mr. Sanjay Chander(DG, RPF, India). UIC has 194 members across 5 continents.
- During the 2-day Congress, eminent speakers from countries such as India, Russia, Germany, France, Japan, South Africa, Poland, Slovakia, and Ireland among others, as well as organisations like Europol participated in the deliberations.
- The Congress concluded with the consensus to the view that Emerging Technologies are one of the Prime Game Changers in the Evolution of the Society in the Present Times which brings great benefits, but we also need to understand the Risks involved. The Security Experts understand the Security Specifics. The Key is linking the two.
‘Convoke 2021-22’
- NITI Aayog in partnership with Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises, launched Convoke 2021-22.
- Convoke is a National research Symposium which aims at addressing challenges in imparting education and strengthening its quality with special focus on all teachers, educationists, heads of schools across India. Through this platform, School Teachers/ Heads/Principals of Government Schools and teachers from Bharti Foundation network will be encouraged to use research-based solutions through scientific approach, and showcase their efforts taken at the grass-root level in improving learning outcomes.
- The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 also recognises and identifies teachers and faculty as the heart of the learning process. It recommends that teachers will be recognised for novel approaches to teaching that improve learning outcomes in their classrooms. NEP recommends developing platforms so that teachers may share ideas and best practices for wider dissemination and replication.
- Teachers over the years have been producing innovative solution to help support students and even more during lockdown. Through Convoke they can now share their micro research papers. These research papers will be analyzed by a panel of Educationists. The shortlisted Research Papers will be presented during ‘National Research Symposium’ scheduled in January,2022.
Free WI-FI Service Available at over 6000 Railway stations
- Wi-Fi services have been provided at 6071 Railway Stations across India so far. These are available to the general public free of cost for the first half an hour of any day and on a chargeable basis, subsequently.
- Provision of Wi-Fi at Railway stations facilitates Railway passengers in accessing the internet while at the stations. Wi-Fi at Railway stations is helping the public to avail online services/information, thereby contributing towards Digital India initiative of the Government.
- The total data usage on these stations is of the order of 97.25 Terabytes per month approx.
- No separate funds have been sanctioned by Ministry of Railways for this scheme. Funds amounting to ₹ 27.22 crores have been sanctioned by Department of Telecom (DoT) under the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for provision of Wi-Fi services at 193 Railway stations in rural areas. Wi-Fi services at 1287 Railway stations (mostly A1 & A category stations) are being provided by M/s RailTel Corporation of India Limited (RCIL). In the remaining stations, Wi-Fi services have been provided under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Charity projects of various firms for which no capital expenditure is incurred.
UN General Assembly grants Observer Status to International Solar Alliance
- UN General Assembly has granted Observer Status to International Solar Alliance. In a tweet, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations T S Tirumurti termed the decision as historic. He said, in the last six years, International Solar Alliance has become an example of positive global climate action through partnerships to benefit global energy growth and development.
- The United Nations General Assembly has granted observer status to international organizations, entities, and non-member states, to enable them to participate in the work of the United Nations General Assembly, though with limitations.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
- ____ was not among the first recipients of the Bharat Ratna awarded in 1954.
- C. Rajagopalachari
- Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
- C. V. Raman
- Dr. Zakir Hussain
ANSWER: D
- Swatantra Party was established in
- 1959
- 1961
- 1962
- 1965
ANSWER: A
- Rajagopalachari was described by ____ as the “keeper of my conscience”.
- M K Gandhi
- Pandit Nehru
- Sardar Patel
- Vinobha Bhave
ANSWER: A
- The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) was established in
- 2001
- 2005
- 2008
- 2010
ANSWER: A
- HQ of The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)
- New York
- Washington DC
- Chicago
- Las Vegas
ANSWER: B
- The Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security was founded in
- 1995
- 1998
- 1999
- 2000
ANSWER: B
- The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) was founded in
- 1834
- 1835
- 1836
- 1837
ANSWER: A
- President’s Medals, Royal Gold Medal and the Stirling Prize sometimes seen in news are associated with
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Architecture
- Literature
ANSWER: C
- International Union of Railways was founded in
- 1915
- 1922
- 1932
- 1945
ANSWER: B
- HQ of International Union of Railways is in
- Geneva
- London
- Paris
- Brussels
ANSWER: C
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