Celebrated on May 16 each year.

Aim : to commemorate the first successful operation of the laser in 1960 by physicist Theodore Maiman.

Key Points:

• Organized By: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
• Purpose: To highlight the role of light in science, culture, art, education, and sustainable development.

Observed annually on May 16.

Aim :to raise awareness about dengue fever and its prevention.

Key Points:

• Organized By: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
• Theme for 2025: “Act Early, Stop Dengue: Clean Environment, Healthy Life.”
• Purpose: To promote awareness about dengue prevention, early detection, and control measures, especially before the onset of the monsoon season.

Current Context : The Himachal Pradesh PWD has set a 30 May 2025 deadline to reopen Saach Pass, reconnecting the tribal Pangi valley with Chamba amid intensive snow clearance operations.

About Saach Pass

• Formerly “Sach Pass”: High-altitude (14,000 ft) alpine route in Chamba district.
• Strategic Importance: Only overland link for Pangi’s remote communities, crucial for supplies, healthcare, and administration.
• Challenges: Heavy snow and glacial blockages between December–April; narrow, landslide-prone stretches.

Current Context: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar released the autobiography of Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatraya, titled “Janta Ki Kahani – Meri Aatmakatha”, on 9 May 2025 at Maharashtra Sadan, New Delhi.

About the Autobiography:

• Chronicles Dattatraya’s journey from grassroots activism to high constitutional office.
• Reflects his personal, social, and political evolution in Indian public life.

About Bandaru Dattatraya:

• He is serving as the current governor of the State of Haryana since 2021.
• Former Union Minister of state for Labour & Employment .
• Veteran BJP leader from Telangana, active in public service and political organization for over four decades.

Current Context: Indian lawyer and child rights activist Bhuwan Ribhu became the first Indian to receive the World Jurist Association’s Medal of Honour at the World Law Congress in the Dominican Republic.

About Bhuwan Ribhu:

• A child rights advocate with over two decades of legal activism.
• Co-founder of Just Rights for Children (JRC) – a global child justice legal platform.
• Played a key role in having the term CSEAM (Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material) recognised in Indian legal discourse.

About the World Jurist Association:

• An international organization promoting rule of law and democratic values.
• Conducts the World Law Congress, which honours legal luminaries for outstanding contributions to justice and human rights.

Current Context : Maharashtra Cabinet approved the “Adishakti Abhiyan”, timed to commemorate Ahilyabai Holkar’s 300th birth anniversary, to intensify delivery of women-and-child welfare schemes across the state.

About Adishakti Abhiyan

• Objective:
  • Eradicate malnutrition, reduce infant/maternal mortality, and combat child marriage and domestic violence.
  • Strengthen women’s participation in Panchayati Raj
• Structure:
  • Committees at village, taluka, district, division, and state levels.
  • Mandatory involvement of all Panchayat Samitis for grassroots outreach.
• Adishakti Awards:
  • Annual recognition (first week of March) for outstanding Gram Panchayats in women’s empowerment.
• Budget: ₹10.50 crore (FY 2025–26), managed by the State Women & Child Development Department.

Implementation Partners

• Anganwadi Workers and Taluka Protection Officers for community camps.
• NGOs for training on gender rights, nutrition, and legal aid.

Current Context : Bhutan’s Ministry of Information & Communications and Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) officially launched the world’s first national-level cryptocurrency tourism payment system, in partnership with Binance Pay and Druk Punjab National Bank.

System Overview

• Integration: Embedded in the Binance mobile app; supported by RMA-licensed Druk Punjab National Bank for on-ramp/off-ramp conversions.
• Currencies: Accepts 100+ cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, BNB, USDC.
• Mechanism: Tourists scan dynamic/static QR codes to pay; instant settlement in Ngultrum (BTN) at market rates.

Current Context : The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) initiated a consultation paper seeking stakeholder feedback on amending “safe harbour” provisions in the Information Technology Act, 2000, to curb the spread of online misinformation.

About Safe Harbour

• Definition: Shields intermediaries (social media platforms, hosting services) from liability for user-generated content if they follow due-diligence and takedown rules.
• India’s Provision: Section 79 of the IT Act; read with IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
• Key Conditions:
  1. Due Diligence: Must publish terms of service and appoint grievance/officer.
  2. Knowledge Test: Liability arises only if the intermediary “has actual knowledge” of unlawful content and fails to act within 36 hours of a takedown notice.

Court/Government Orders: Content removal mandated only upon a valid order or notification.

Current Context : The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) announced the appointment of Dr. Ajay Kumar, former Defence Secretary and 1985-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, as the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

He succeeds Preeti Sudan, whose tenure concluded on 29 April 2025.

About the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

• Constitutional Foundation:
  • Established under Article 315 of the Indian Constitution.
  • Entrusted with conducting examinations for appointments to the services of the Union.
• Composition:
  • Comprises a Chairman and up to 10 members.
  • Members are appointed by the President of India.
  • Each member serves a term of 6 years or until attaining the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

Observed annually  on 15 May.

Theme : “Family-Oriented Policies for Sustainable Development”, focusing on the role of families in achieving social development goals.

About the Day:

• Celebrated annually on 15 May, declared by the UN General Assembly in 1993.
• Highlights the importance of family as the basic unit of society.
• Aims to raise awareness about family-related issues and promote policies supporting families in areas such as health, education, gender equality, and children’s rights.