• The Uttarakhand government has suspended the Char DhamYatra, which was scheduled to begin in May. Only priests will perform the rituals inside the shrines.
• The Chota Char Dham is an important Hindu pilgrimage circuit located in the Indian Himalayas, in the Garhwal region of the state of Uttarakhand.
• The circuit consists of four sites: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.

• The United States Trade Representative recently released the Special Report 301.
• According to the report, India has been put on the “Priority Watch List” along with eight other countries. Another twenty-three countries were also put on “Watch List”.
• It is published under Section 301 of Trade Act of 1974 and hence the name. It is being published since 1989. The report basically lists the countries that do not provide sufficient IP rights to American companies.

• Around 30 Countries from across the oceans have joined the GloLitter Partnerships Project to tackle marine plastic litter.
• GloLitter Partnerships Project was launched by the International Maritime Organization(IMO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO).
• The Government of Norway provided initial funding for the project.
• Aim: The project aims to help the maritime transport and fishing sectors to adapt to a low-plastic future. To achieve this goal, this initiative will assist developing countries to apply best practices for prevention, reduction, and control of marine plastic litter from those sectors.
• Participating Countries: 30 Countries will be participating in the project. India is one of the participating countries.

• India’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) GC Murmu selected as an external auditor to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). His term will be for 3 years, starting in 2021.
• OPCW is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention. This convention is in force since 1997 and 193 members. Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands.

• The Japanese Government recently awarded the “Order of Rising Sun” to a Bengaluru based Japanese teacher, Shyamala Ganesh.

About Shyamala Ganesh

• Shyamala is a Japanese teacher at the Septuagenarian institution and also at the Ohara School of Ikebana in RT Nagar, Bengaluru. She has tutored more than hundreds of students since its inception 38 years ago. Ikebana is Japanese art of flower arrangement.
• Shyamala along with her husband Ganesh started a Japanese language school in 1983 in Bengaluru.

Order of Rising Sun

• The award is presented by the Emperor of Japan.
• It was created in 1875.
• The award is presented to those who have made distinguished achievements in promotion of Japanese culture, achievements in international relations, advancements in their field and conservation of environment.
• It was also awarded for exemplary military service before World War II.
• It is the third highest award presented by the Japanese Government.
• The culture of presenting the award to Non-Japanese recipients began in 1981.
• Women are presented with the award since 2003.
• The award can also be presented posthumously.

• The United Nations recently released the Global Forest Goals Report, 2021.
• According to the report, the COVID-19 has increased the challenges faced by countries in managing their forests.
• During COVID-19 the forest dependent population faced reduced income, job losses, diminished access to markets and information. Most of the forest dependent population faced difficulty in accessing healthcare and basic services.

According to the report,

• Around 1.6 billion people rely on forests. This is 25% of global population.
• Of the rural areas in the world, more than 40% live in Savannah and forests. This is 20% of the global population.

Key goals as identified by the report:

• Australia: To plant 20 million trees by 2020. This is to be increased to billion plantations by 2030
• Brazil: To increase the planted areas to two million hectares
• India: To add 200,000 hectares of tree and forest cover per year etc

The report provides an overview of the six Global Forest Goals out of the twenty-six targets of National Strategic Plan for Forests. The six goals are as follows:

• Reverse Forest Cover Loss
• Improve Forest Benefits and Livelihoods
• Protect Forests and use sustainable forest products
• Mobilise resources
• Promote inclusive forest governance
• Cooperate and work across the sectors

• Russia recently produced the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines for animals. The name of the vaccine is Carnivac-Cov.
• It was produced by Rosselkhoznadzor, a federal service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance in Russia. The Russian scientists believe that the use of the vaccine will help to prevent virus mutations.
• About COVID-19: It mainly spreads through human-to-human transmission. However, there is evidence of human to animal transmission. This is possible mainly because it is a zoonotic virus.

• The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Russian President Vladimir Putin recently agreed to establish “2+2 Ministerial Dialogue”. The “2+2 Ministerial” dialogue is held between the defence ministers and foreign ministers.

 About 2+2 Dialogue:

• India holds similar dialogues with US, Australia and Japan.
• Russia is the first non-QUAD member with which India is to hold the dialogue.
• In 2021, President Vladimir Putin is to visit India to hold the India-Russia bilateral summit. The summit is alternatively held in India and Russia.

• May Day is also called International Workers Day or Labour Day.
• The theme of International Labour Day 2021 is yet to be announced. The 2020 theme was“Maintaining safety and security at the workplace”.
• The first Labour Day in India was hosted by the Labour Kisan Party in Madras in 1923. It was initiated from the Labour Union Movement.
• Labour Union Movement: The Labour Union Movement began in response to the attacks of industrial capitalism. In Europe, the Labour Union Movement began during the industrial revolution.
• Labour Movement in India: In 1920, the Indian National Trade Union Congress was established. With the establishment of the Union, the Labour Union Movement got a major fillip.

• Former Attorney General of India Soli Sorabjee passed away on April 30, 2021. He was 91.
• The Padma Vibhushan awardee was first appointed as the attorney general of India from 1989-90 and was reappointed from 1998-2004.
• He was most distinguished Indian jurist.