• World Autism Awareness Day is observed on 2nd April every year around the world.
• This Day underscores the need to help improve the quality of life of persons afflicted with autism.
• It also promotes the full realisation of all human rights and fundamental rights for people afflicted with autism on an equal basis with other people.
• Designated by the UN General Assembly on December 18, 2007, April 2 has been observed as World Autism Awareness Day since 2008.
• The theme of World Autism Awareness Day this year is ‘Empowering Autistic Voices,’ aiming to provide more support and power to individuals with this condition to lead meaningful lives and pursue successful careers.

ABOUT AUTISM:

• Autism or Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain and is a lifelong condition. It mostly affects children and is manifested during the first three years of life. Autism spectrum disorder is also called a developmental disorder”.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has established a new global laboratory network called CoViNet.
• This network aims to identify and monitor potentially dangerous new coronaviruses that could emerge in the future.

ABOUT CORONAVIRUS NETWORK (COVINET):

• CoViNet is designed to facilitate and coordinate global expertise and capacities for the early detection, monitoring, and assessment of various coronaviruses.
• Beyond focusing solely on SARS-CoV-2, CoViNet will also assess other coronaviruses, including Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) with a particular emphasis on enhancing laboratory capacity and surveillance.
• MERS-CoV is a zoonotic virus(transmitted between animals and people). It has been identified and linked to human infections in dromedary camels in several Member States in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
• The establishment of CoViNet builds upon the foundation laid by the WHO Covid-19 reference laboratory network, initially set up during the early stages of the pandemic in January 2020.
• CoViNet includes 36 labs from 21 countries across all six WHO regions, with three Indian labs: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology in Pune, and Translational Health Science and Technology Institute.
• It emphasises a comprehensive One Health approach encompassing human, animal, and environmental health.
• The network’s objective is to equip WHO Member States with enhanced capabilities for early detection, risk assessment, and response to coronavirus-related health challenges.

ABOUT WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION:

• The World Health Organization (WHO), established in 1948, is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
• It connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health.
• Its headquarters are situated in Geneva, Switzerland.
• There are 194 Member States, 150 country offices, six regional offices.

• Tek Chand Dogra, former MLA from the Nachan Assembly constituency of Mandi district, died at his native Chhatar village after a prolonged illness.
• Dogra (77) was a staunch supporter of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
• He started his political journey in 1985 after voluntary retirement as a drawing teacher. He contested first election on the Congress ticket and reached the Assembly.
• He was elected the MLA of the Nachan constituency four times. He had contested seven Assembly elections from 1985 to 2012.

• An International Chess Federation (FIDE)-rated Rapid Chess Tournament will be hosted by IIT Madras.
• More than 35 players from the institute will take part in the event.
• The ‘6th Shaastra Rapid FIDE Rated Chess Tournament’ will witness the participation of six Grandmasters, sixteen International Masters, three Women Grandmasters and a Women International Master.
• The total prize fund of the tournament is ₹5,00,000 with the first prize being ₹65,000. The tournament not only offers substantial prize funds but also attracts a diverse range of player.

• The trailer and song launch of the first Hindi film on this subject, “IRAH,” took place in Mumbai.
• The movie features Rohit Bose Roy, Rajesh Sharma, Karishma Kotak, and Rakshith Bhandarry in prominent roles.
• The movie is Produced by Big Films Media and directed by Sam Bhattacharjee. The film is set to release nationwide in theaters on April 4th through Iamplex Digital Theatrical Distribution.
• The trailer of the film “IRAH” showcases the misuse of AI technology, shedding light on its negative aspects.

• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is hosting the 20th D. P. Kohli Memorial Lecture to commemorate the Raising Day of the Investigation Agency.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Chief Justice of India, Justice D. Y. Chandrachud, will deliver the lecture on the theme of “Adopting Technology to Advance Criminal Justice” at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
• This annual event is held in honor of the late Dharamnath Prasad Kohli, the founder Director of CBI, who served the Police Service from 1931
• Kohli headed the Delhi Special Police Establishment DSPE in 1955 to curb corruption in public services. He continued as the Director of CBI from its inception in 1963 until 1968.

ABOUT CBI

• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was created by the Government of India in 1963. Its primary function is to investigate cases of bribery and corruption as well as violations of central fiscal laws and serious crimes.
• The agency also collects intelligence to support its investigations. Over the last sixty years, the CBI has become the country’s premier investigating and prosecuting agency. In addition to its domestic role, the CBI serves as the National Central Bureau for INTERPOL in India.
• This means it coordinates international cooperation in law enforcement. The CBI’s power to investigate comes from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
• The Act gives the CBI jurisdiction to investigate offenses in the Union Territories only.
• The CBI is not a statutory body, but it derives its power to investigate from the DSPE Act.
• The beginning of the establishment was initiated by the Santhanam Committee from 1962-1964.

• Ace Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna rewrote his own record to continue to be the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion as he and his Australian partner Matt Ebden clinched the men’s doubles crown at the Miami Open here.
• The duo of Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden defeated the pair of Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and American Austin Krajicek despite losing the first set. With this victory, the duo of Bopanna and Eden reclaimed their world No.1 rank in the ATP men’s double ranking.
• At the age of 44, Bopanna also broke his own record to become the oldest player to win an ATP 1000 Masters Championship. Rohan Bopanna along with Ebden had won the Indian Wells tournament last year and at the age of 43 years, Bopanna set the world record of being the oldest player to win an ATP 1000 Master title.
• After Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupati and Sania Mirza, Bopanna became the fourth Indian to win the Miami Open title.

MIAMI OPEN 2024 TENNIS WINNERS

• Men’s singles: Jannik Sinner (Italy)
• Men’s doubles: Rohan Bopanna (India)/Matthew Ebden (Australia)
• Women’s singles: Danielle Collins (USA)
• Women’s doubles: Sofia Kenin/Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)

• Recently, “Vaikom Satyagraha,” one of the most Supported and recognised protests in India, marked its 100th anniversary.

ABOUT VAIKOM SATYAGRAHA

• Vaikom is a serene town in Kottayam, Kerala.
• The Vaikom Satyagraha was launched on March 30, 1924 against the ban imposed on members of marginalized communities in the surroundings of Vaikom Mahadevar Temple.
• It marked the dawn of temple entry movements across India.
• It was launched by leaders in Kerala such as K. Madhavan, K.P. Kesava Menon and George Joseph, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi.
• A march comprising of ‘upper caste’ Hindus who supported the reform commenced in Vaikom and ended at the capital of Trivandrum.
• They marched with 25,000 signatures of ‘forward caste’ Hindus, for opening the Vaikom’s temple roads to all castes.
• Large-scale participation of women was witnessed for the first time during the Satyagraha, marking the passage of women into the socio-political consciousness of the country.
• The protest sustained itself for more than one and a half years, leading to many arrests and satyagrahis being jailed.
• Even the Akalis from Punjab travelled to Vaikom to supply food to the protesters.

• The procurement of goods and services through the Government e-Market (GeM) portal has witnessed a significant surge, doubling to over Rs 4 lakh crore in the current fiscal year compared to Rs 2 lakh crore in the previous fiscal.
• GeM CEO PK Singh announced that as of March 28, the procurement of services from GeM has notably increased from Rs 66,000 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 2.05 lakh crore, while goods worth Rs 1.95 lakh crore have been procured.

DEFENCE PROCUREMENT MAJOR BUSINESS ACTIVITIES OF GEM:

• Defence procurement is one of the major business activities of this platform. The assembly of the BrahMos missile is being done through GeM as a service contract.
• In the defence sector, supplies ranging from eggs to missile parts are being made through the portal.
• GeM provides a level playing field to domestic businesses, especially small businesses, which are physically away from popular markets, to grow and flourish.
• The portal has collaborated with over 520,000 Common Service Centers (CSCs) and over 150,000 Indian Post Offices to connect remote locations in the country for seamless purchases.
• GeM offers a wide range of goods and services. This includes hiring of office stationery, passenger vehicles, helicopter services, waste management and webcasting.

ABOUT GOVERNMENT E-MARKET (GEM) PORTAL:

• GeM was launched in the year 2016 to facilitate procurement of goods and services by many government departments and organizations. It is an online platform launched by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
• GeM is open to all government departments, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies and other organizations.
• Currently South Korea’s KONEPS is the world’s largest online platform. GeM is at third place after Singapore’s GeBIZ.

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO)’s Executive Board has approved the addition of 18 new sites situated in Brazil, China, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, and Spain to the UNESCO Global Geoparks network.
• The total number of geoparks in the network becomes 213 geoparks in 48 countries.
• Newly designated UNESCO Global Geoparks:

ABOUT UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARKS (UGGPS):

• UGGPs are unique areas with global geological importance, managed with a focus on protection, education, and sustainable development.
• The UGGP concept started in the mid-1990s, officially forming in 2015.
• Governed by entities recognized legally under national legislation.
• The title of a geopark lasts four years before reassessment.
• Joining the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) is compulsory, promoting local pride, area identification, and geotourism revenue.

ABOUT GLOBAL GEOPARK NETWORK (GGN):

• Established in 2014 and governed by French law, the Global Geopark Network (GGN) is an NGO that encompasses all UNESCO Geoparks globally.
• Initially set up in 2004 as an international initiative under UNESCO, it now serves as UNESCO’s official partner for geopark operations, comprising 213 geoparks across 48 countries.