• Vigyan Vaibhav portal is dedicated to seventy-five Indian scientists.
• It identifies the contribution of women and men in equal numbers.
• It is developed by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).
  • The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) was established in 1987 as an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, as a centre for research, academic pursuit and dissemination in the field of the arts.

• World Telecommunication Day, now called World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, is observed on May 17^th under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• The theme for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2023 is “Enabling the least developed nations through information and communication technologies.”
• World Telecommunications Day was established on May 17, 1969, to commemorate the founding of the ITU.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION

• It was originally known as the International Telegraph Union.
• The ITU was created with the signing of the inaugural International Telegraph Convention on May 17, 1865, in Paris.
• In 1932, it changed its name to the International Telecommunication Union.
• It became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1947.
• HQ : Geneva, Switzerland

• Amy E. Pope of USA has been elected the next Director General of IOM.
  • She will become the first woman to head IOM.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION

• IOM is a part of the United Nations system, as a related organization.
• IOM was established in 1951 as Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) to help resettle people displaced by World War II.
• It was granted Permanent Observer status to UN General Assembly in 1992.
• It is leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration.
• It has 175 member states (including India).
• Publication
  • World Migration Report is published annually by IOM.
• IOM works in four broad areas of migration management:
  • Migration and development,
  • Facilitating migration,
  • Regulating migration and
  • Forced migration

• Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) recently organised National Workshop on Inclusive Learning.

ABOUT REHABILITATION COUNCIL OF INDIA

• RCI was initially set up as a registered society in 1986.
• In 1992, the Rehabilitation Council of India Act was enacted by Parliament, and it became a Statutory Body in 1993.
• It is under the purview of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
• Functions
  • To develop, standardize and regulate training programmes/ courses at various levels in the field of Rehabilitation and Special Education.
  • Standardise the syllabus of special education.
  • Maintain a Central Rehabilitation Register (CRR) of all qualified professionals and personnel working in the field of rehabilitation and special education.
  • To take punitive action against unqualified persons delivering services to persons with disabilities.

• The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Defence, has signed its 250^th contract – the first under Mission DefSpace – and 100th SPRINT (Navy) contract
  • The contract is for Micropropulsion system for cubesats with the Indian private entity InspeCity.
• The ‘SPRINT’ initiative, a total of 75 Challenge statements for the Indian industry was unveiled during the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar ‘Swavlamban’ in July 2022.
  • The initiative aims at inducting at least 75 technologies/products into the Indian Navy by August 2023.
• Mission Defspace
  • It is an ambitious effort to develop innovative solutions for the three Services (Indian airforce, Navy and Army) in the space domain through the Indian industry and start-ups.
  • Startups, innovators and the private sector will be invited to find solutions for the problems that will include both offensive and defensive capabilities.

ABOUT IDEX

• It was launched in 2018.
• iDEX aims to promote innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging industries which include MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes & academia.
• iDEX is being implemented by Defence Innovation Organisation(DIO), established under the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence.

• The ‘large-scale’ outbreak of the Moroccan locust across eight provinces in Afghanistan’s wheat basket is likely to destroy 700,000-1.2 million tonnes of wheat or 25% of the total annual harvest, alerted the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• If the Moroccan locust population is left untreated, its population can increase a 100 times in the next year.
• The Moroccan locust eats more than 150 species of plants, including tree crops, pastures, and 50 food crops, all of which grow in Afghanistan.

ABOUT MOROCCAN LOCUSTS

• These are known as the most economically damaging plant pests worldwide.
• Scientific name- “Dociostaurus maroccanus”.
• They belong to the family Acrididae, which includes grasshoppers and locusts.
• These locusts are known for their ability to form swarms, causing significant agricultural damage in the regions they infest.
• These are medium to large-sized insects, with adults typically measuring around 4-5 centimeters in length.
• They have a robust body, short antennae, and powerful hind legs adapted for jumping.
• The coloration of their bodies can vary, ranging from greenish brown to reddish-brown.

• For the first time in the country, Kerala government has launched a welfare fund board for the workers registered for the MGNREGS and the state’s urban job guarantee scheme — Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme.
• It has been formed as per the Kerala Employment Guarantee Workers’ Welfare Fund Act, 2021.
• Eligibility
  • Any worker between the age of 18 and 55 can take the membership in the fund board.
  • They have to pay an amount as premium (Rs 50 tentatively fixed) every month until the age of 55 and the government will also contribute an equal amount.
  • The government can revise the contribution once every three years.
  • A member who has paid the contribution for at least 10 years will be eligible for pension.
• Apart from that, the fund mobilised by the board will be utilised for meeting various welfare and relief requirements of the workers such as educational and marriage expenses.

• After a 3 decade absence, a Gharial, unique crocodilian species native to the Indian subcontinent, has been spotted in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
• Experts suggested that the gharial may have come from India during floods and settled in the Satluj river, near the border.
• The Harike wetland, located 50 km from the border, where the Beas and Satluj rivers meet, served as the release site for 94 gharials under a conservation program initiated by the Punjab government in India between 2017 and 2021.

ABOUT GHARIALS

• Gharials are a species of crocodilian found in the fresh waters of the northern part of India, primarily in the Chambal River.
• Scientific name – Gavialis gangeticus
• They are known for their long, thin snouts.
• Protection status
  • IUCN Red List-critically endangered
  • CITES –Appendix I
  • Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• They are an indicator species of clean river water.
• Threats– river pollution, dam construction, fishing operations, floods, illegal sand mining, and poaching.

• Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri was recently given the charge of Cooperation Department, in addition to his three current portfolios.
• He would now look after Jal Shakti, Transport, Language, Art and Culture and Cooperation departments.

• International Day of Families is celebrated on May 15^th to raise awareness of the importance of families and their role in society.
• The theme of International Day of Families 2023 is ‘Demographic Trends and Families’.
• The first International Day of Families was celebrated in 1994.