• National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) International (NSDCI) and Hindustan Ports Private
• Limited (HPPL), the Indian unit of United Arab Emirates(UAE)’s DP World have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up Skill India International Centre at Varanasi.
• This aims to skill Indian youth for pursuing overseas employment opportunities in logistics, port operations and allied areas.
• The centres would host training facilities as per the demand of international employers like UAE, Canada, Australia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions.

• The first “Amrit Sarovar” in India was inaugurated on 13th May 2022 by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union Minister for Minority Affairs and Swatantra Dev Singh, Uttar Pradesh Jal Shakti Minister at Patwai, Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.
• On 24^thApril 2022, Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched by PM Modi with the broad aim of water conservation for the future. By 15^th August 2023, the Mission will be completed.

Objective of Mission Amrit Sarovar

• The aim of this mission is to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district of India as a part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration.
• Under this mission, 50,000 water bodies will be created and each of these water bodies will be an Acre or more in size.

The significance of this Amrit Sarovar of Patwai is that will help to conserve water and protect the environment

·      The participating ministries/departments under Mission Amrit Sarovar are Department of land resources, Dept of Rural Development, Department of Water resources, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate changes and Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

·      For Mission Amrit Sarovar, the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Application and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) has been engaged as the technical partner.

• The fossil of a Madtsoiidae snake was recently discovered in the mountains of Ladakh.
• It is an extinct group of snakes, which grows up to 30 feet in length. They first appeared during the later part of the Cretaceous period.
• They were mainly found in the Gondwanan landmasses (Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, the Indian subcontinent, and the Arabian Peninsula).

Purpose of YUVA Tourism Clubs

• To develop young ambassadors of the Indian tourism sector who would become aware of the potential for tourism in India, appreciate India’s rich cultural heritage, and ignite a passion for tourism.
• These clubs will also promote national integration and carry forward the vision of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. This is also in line with Dekho Apna Desh initiative of the Prime Minister.
• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) pledged to support the YUVA Tourism Clubs initiative. CBSE issued instructions to its affiliated schools to form Yuva Tourism Clubs

The Delhi High Court has ordered the Centre to file its submissions in response to a petition seeking restoration of Anglo-Indian representation by nomination in parliament 

While hearing a petition challenging the Constitutional (One Hundred and Fourth Amendment) Act, 2019,

Delhi High Court asked the Centre to file its submissions. The amendment removed the nomination-based representation of the Anglo-Indian community in Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies. Erstwhile constitutional provisions

Article 331: Provision for nomination of two Anglo-Indians to Lok Sabha.

Article 333: Provision for nomination of one member of that community to the Legislative Assemblies

Article334: has laid down provisions for reserving the seats for SCs and STs and nomination of Anglo-Indians to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, which shall cease to be in effect on the 25 January 2020, if not extended further.

The Tamil Nadu government stated that carbon dating of excavated artefacts in the state dates evidence of iron use in India back to 4,200 years ago, based on an archaeological assessment. Excavations site: Mayiladumparai near Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu.

Key point:

• Tough terrains, high altitudes and changing weather conditions make the pilgrimage a tough one, especially for senior citizens.
• Those visiting are affected by sudden low temperature, low humidity, increased ultraviolet radiation, low air pressure, and low oxygen levels.
• Due to low humidity, within the first few hours of altitude exposure, water loss also increases, resulting in dehydration.
• The Supreme Court has urged its former Justice AK Sikrito take over as the Chairman of the high-powered committee constituted by it to “consider the cumulative and independent impact of the Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojana (Char Dham Highway Development Project) on the entire Himalayan valley”.

Key points

• The Indian Badminton Team defeated 14-time champions Indonesia by 3-0 in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Thomas Cup is an international badminton competition. The 16 teams that compete for the prestigious title are representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
• The championship was started by a legendary badminton player of England Sir George Alan Thomas, who was inspired by Tennis’s Davis Cup and Football’s World Cup.
• Team India had participated in 1952 for the first time in this tournament and after a wait of 70 years, they have finally clinched the title.
• This is so far the best performance of India in the competition, the last time the country was closest to the title was in the year 1979 when they made it to the semi-finals.

Key Points:

• India and Israel celebrate 30 years of establishment of diplomatic relations.
• Israel has shown his interest in upgrading the Centres of Excellence (CoE) established by Israel in India.
• Both sides have agreed to complete the process of finalizing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of June 2022.

• 12th Meeting of BRICS Health Minister virtually hosted by China:
• BRICS Countries Agreed to Launch Pandemic Early Warning System for large scale pandemics.
• China is set to host the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China in June 2022.

• Design and development of the HS200 booster were completed at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC),

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

• HS200 booster loaded with 203 tons of solid propellant was tested for a duration of 135 seconds.
• The 20m long and 3.2m diameter booster is the world’s second-largest operational booster with solid propellant.

Human Rating

1. S200 rockets tested for the human rating would be called HS200 (Human rated S200) Rocket System.
2. Now, ISRO names the human rated version of the GSLV MkIII as the HRLV (Human Rated Launch Vehicle).

• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV MkIII) has a three stage propulsion system.

Background

2022. Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared earlier in 2018 that India will send its first man or woman into space by 2022. Thus initiating ambitious Gaganyaan programme.
2023. The heavy lift launcher, GSLV MkIII’s identification and the process for human rating of GSLV MkIII for India’s historic space mission was completed in 2020.

• But the plans are spoiled due to COVID-19 thus postponing the launch to 2023 through official communication by Union Minister Jitendra Singh in Rajya Sabha.

Why GSLV is used for Human Mission

Following the successful launch of Chandrayaan Mission-2 by GSLV MkIII into geosynchronous orbit of the

Earth, GSLV is identified as the perfect launch vehicle to take humans into space by ISRO’s venture.

Gaganyaan Programme

1. Envisages undertaking the demonstration of human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in the short-term and will lay the foundation for a sustained Indian human space exploration programme in the long run.
2. The objective of Gaganyaan programme is to demonstrate indigenous capability to undertake human space flight mission to Lower Earth Orbit (LEO).