Why in news?

• MeghEA’s e-proposal system recently won UN World Summit on Information Society Forum (WSIS) award 2022.
• MeghEA project aims to improve service delivery and governance for people using power of Digital technologies.
• It was launched by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
• It’s spread across 6 pillars i.e. Governance, Human Resources, Entrepreneurship, Primary Sector, Infrastructure and Environment, and envision to make Meghalaya a high income state by 2030.
• This is a first of its kind project which is based on India’s National Enterprise Architecture (IndEA) framework.

Why in news?

• The Kerala government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Netherlands for the ‘Cosmos Malabaricus Project’, which aims to illustrate the historical significance of Kerala using the 18th century documents. In addition, the agreement aims to establish painting academics in Kerala’s Kollam and Malappuram.
• The Cosmos Malabaricus project is being jointly implemented by the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), the National Archives of the Netherlands, and the Leiden University in the Netherlands. The project is expected to be completed in six years.

About the Cosmos Malabaricus Project:

• The project focuses on the Dutch documents on Malabar from the 18th century, which are often regarded as the most comprehensive source of information on the period in Kerala between 1643 and 1852.
• It contributes to a better knowledge of Kerala’s political, social, economic, and cultural histories.
• It intends to make digitised Dutch archival material available to a wide range of audiences, international and Indian scholars and the people of Kerala.
• It will be accomplished through the translation and publication of English summaries.
• The material is written in classical Dutch language and is available in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Netherlands.

Why in news?

• Recently, Pakistan objected to the construction of Rattle and Kwar hydroelectric projects on the Chenab River in Kashmir.
• Chenab River is formed by the confluence of Chandra and Bhaga streams (originating from Baralacha La) in Lahaul and Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh.
• It flows through Pangi valley (parallel to the Pir Panjal Range) before entering Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir and enters Sialkot (Pakistan) via Akhnoor of J&K.
• In Pakistan, Jhelum, Ravi and Satluj rivers merges with Chenab to form Panjnad River before draining into the Arabian Sea after its confluence with Indus River.

Why in news?

• UBA 2.0 has completed four years.
• UBA is a flagship programme of Ministry of Education which aims to involve Higher Education Institutions (HEI) of the country in indigenous development of self-sufficient and sustainable village clusters.
• Major areas of intervention are Human development and Material (economic) development.
• UBA 1.0 was the Invitation Mode in which Participating Institutions were invited to be a part of UBA. Whereas UBA 2.0 is the Challenge Mode where all HEI are required to willingly adopt at least 5 villages.
• IIT Delhi is the National Coordinating Institute for UBA.

Why in news?

• On April 23, at the “Veer Kunwar Singh Vijayotsav” programme in Bihar’s Bhojpur district, 78,220 Indians waved the tricolour. With this, the country has marked its name in the Guinness Book of World records.
• Popularly known as Veer Kunwar Singh, he was born in the Ujjainiya clan of the Parmar Rajputs of Jagdishpur, part of present-day Bhojpur district, Bihar.
• He was a freedom fighter and at the age of 80 he led the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company in Bihar.
• An expert of guerilla warfare, he fought various battles against the British at Arrah, Azamgarh, Kanpur, Baliya etc.

Why in news?

• Max Verstappen (Formula One) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (Athletics) have been named Laureus World Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year (2021) respectively.
• First held in 2000, annual event honours greatest and most inspirational sporting triumphs of the year and showcases work of Laureus Sport for Good.
• Shortlists for six categories (Sportswoman, Sportsman, Team, Breakthrough, Comeback and Action) are created.
• American golfer Tiger Woods was the first winner in 2000.
• Winner list is dominated by Tennis players (11 times), athletes (5) and Formula One drivers (5).
• Roger Federer received this award maximum number of times (5).

Why in news?

• World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated on the 26th of April to learn about the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity. The day recognizes the huge potential of young people to find new and better solutions that support the transition to a sustainable future.
• This year, World Intellectual Property Day 2022’s theme focuses on IP and Youth innovating for a Better Future. It is an opportunity for young people to find out how IP rights can support their goals, help transform their ideas into reality, generate income, create jobs and make a positive impact on the world around them. With IP rights, young people have access to some of the key tools they need to advance their ambitions.
• The event was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000to “raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life.”
• April 26^th was chosen as the day to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day as it coincides with the date when the convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization came into effect in

Why in news?

• On 25^thApril 2022, the Raisina Dialogue was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The chief guest of the event was European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen.
• The Raisina dialogue began on 25^thApril and will be held in person over three days concluding on 27^th
• It is the flagship geo-economics and multilateral foreign policy conference of the country.
• “Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled” is the theme of the Raisina Dialogue 2022. The six thematic pillars on which it has been modelled are:
  • End of Multilateralism- a networked global order
  • Rethinking Democracy- trade, technology, and ideology
  • Communities Inc- first responders to health, development, and planet
  • Water Caucuses- turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific
  • Samson vs Goliath- the persistent and relentless technology wars
  • Achieving Green Transitions- common imperative, diverging realities
• This year’s dialogue is scheduled to have near about 100 sessions with more than 210 speakers from 90 different countries. In this dialogue, there will be various conversations and panel discussions across multiple formats on the six thematic pillars. The United States and Germany will also be hosting side events. Along with this, the Raisina young fellows programme will also be conducted in tandem with the conference.

About Raisina Dialogue

• This dialogue is the country’s premier conference on geo-economics and geo-politics.
• In the year 2016, the Raisina Dialogue was started. The conference aims to address the most challenging issues that are being faced by the global community.
• The Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) organizes this conference. This conference brings together various leaders in business, politics, civil society, and media annually to explore cooperation opportunities and to discuss the current state of the world.

Why in news?

• National Panchayati Raj Day is a national holiday in India that honours the Panchayati Raj system. Every year on April 24th, it is commemorated. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which was passed in 1992, is also commemorated on this day. The Panchayati Raj system, which is one of the country’s oldest governing organisations, governs about 6 lakh communities in India.
• The day was initially observed in April 2010to commemorate the decentralisation of power, which is considered one of India’s most significant milestones.
• Every year, the Prime Minister meets with members from Gram Panchayats and reviews their progress reports. In addition, a variety of village-level festivities, seminars, and other events are held. This year, however, it will be held without a theme.
• The award ceremony, which will honour the outstanding work of panchayats across the country for their participation under the Panchayat Empowerment Accountability Incentive Scheme, will be the centrepiece of the event this year. On National Panchayati Raj Day, the Central government honours around 170 Panchayati Raj institutions.
• The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act of 1992, which took effect on April 24, 1993, gave Panchayati Raj institutions constitutional standing. As a result, this date symbolises a watershed point in the history of decentralisation of governmental power to the people. The 73rd Amendment‘s influence on rural India is palpable, as it has irreparably altered power dynamics. As a result, the Indian government decided, in conjunction with the states, to commemorate April 24th as National Panchayati Raj Day. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is leading the commemoration.

Why in news?

• Every year on April 25th, World Malaria Day is commemorated to raise awareness about this life-threatening disease that continues to be a menace to humanity. Malaria affects over half of the world’s population, with the chances of people living in poor nations catching the disease being substantially higher.
• The theme for World Malaria Day this year is “Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives”.
• The day grew out of African Malaria Day. Since 2001, African governments have observed Malaria Day. However, it was only in 2007, during the World Health Organization’s 60th session, that it was recommended to designate Africa Malaria Day as World Malaria Day in order to recognise the disease’s global impact. In 2008, the inaugural World Malaria Day was observed.

About Malaria

• Malaria is spread through the female Anopheles mosquito’s bite (which is infected with the malaria-causing plasmodium parasite).
• Malaria affects over half of the world’s population, with the chances of people living in poor nations catching the disease being substantially higher.
• According to WHO figures, as many as 241 million people would be affected with this deadly disease in 2020, with the majority of cases occurring in Africa.
• Despite the fact that the WHO states that malaria is a curable and preventable disease with proper treatment, many people continue to die due to a lack of competent healthcare.