• Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor has assumed charge as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command. He was commissioned into the Fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on the 06th of December 1986.
• A Qualified Flying Instructor and a Fighter Combat Leader, he has more than 34 hundred hours of flying experience.
• In recognition of his meritorious service, the Air Marshal was awarded with Vayu Sena Medal in 2008 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022.

COMMANDS OF INDIAN AIR FORCE:

• Eastern Air Command (HQ: Shillong)
• South-Western Air Command (HQ: Gandhinagar)
• Southern Air Command (HQ: Thiruvananthapuram)
• Western Air Command (HQ: New Delhi)
• Central Air Command (HQ: Allahabad)
• Maintenance Command (HQ: Nagpur)
• Training Command (HQ: Bangalore)

• Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, AVSM, VSM assumes charge as Vice Chief of Naval Staff on 01 May 2024.
• He was Commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 Jul 87 and is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla; the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham, United Kingdom; the College of Naval Warfare, Karanja; and the United States Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
• A recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.
• He Commanded the missile vessels INS Vidyut and INS Vinash; the missile corvette INS Kulish; the guided missile destroyer INS Mysore and the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

• The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India, through the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), will host the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM 46) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP 26) from May 20 to 30, 2024, in Kochi, Kerala.
• This is in line with India’s poise to facilitate constructive global dialogue on environmental stewardship, scientific collaboration, and cooperation in Antarctica.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• The ATCM and meetings of the CEP are pivotal in the international community’s on-going efforts to safeguard Antarctica’s fragile ecosystem and promote scientific research in the region.
• The Meetings are organised annually under the Antarctic Treaty System, these meetings serve as forums for Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties and other stakeholders to address Antarctica’s pressing environmental, scientific, and governance issues.
• The Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959 and entered into force in 1961, established Antarctica as a region dedicated to peaceful purposes, scientific cooperation, and environmental protection. The Treaty has 56 countries currently party to it.
• The CEP was established under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (the Madrid Protocol) in 1991. The CEP advises the ATCM on environmental protection and conservation in Antarctica.

ABOUT ANTARCTIC TREATY:

• India has been a Consultative Party to the Antarctic Treaty since 1983. It participates in the decision-making process along with other 28 Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty to date.
• India’s first Antarctic research station, Dakshin Gangotri, was established in 1983.
• At present, India operates two year-round research stations: Maitri (1989) and Bharati (2012).
• The permanent research stations facilitate Indian Scientific Expeditions to Antarctica, which have been on-going annually since 1981.
• In 2022, India enacted the Antarctic Act, reaffirming its commitment to the Antarctic Treaty.

• The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs celebrated Swachhata Pakhwada from 16th to 30th April This was celebrated as per the Calendar of Swachhata Pakhwada for the year 2024, released by the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Government of India.
• The Swachhata Pakhwada commenced with administering of ‘Swachhata Pledge’ by Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs on 16th April, 2024.
• During Swachhata Pakhwada, cleanliness drive was carried out and reviewing, recording and weeding out of old Physical Files were done by various Sections of the Ministry and old and obsolete items were identified for auction. Cleaning and regular maintenance of rooms and appliances were also carried out in ministry offices located in Samvidhan Sadan.
• As part of the programme, Swachhata Pledge was administered to students of Kerala Senior Secondary School, Vikaspuri to spread awareness and develop a culture of cleanliness. An essay competition was also held in the school and winners were awarded with cash prizes with certificates.
• Swachhata Pakhwada, 2024 concluded with Prize Distribution to top three Sections of the Ministry who stood best on Swachhata Parameters.

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar received a copy of the book ‘India’s Nuclear Titans’.
• The book ‘India’s Nuclear Titans’ edited by Soumya Awasthi and Shrabana Barua.
• The book traces the evolution of India into a nuclear state while analysing the role played by stalwarts like Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, Abdul Kalam, K Subrahmanyam, among others.

• The members of the Shompen tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTGs) from the Great Nicobar Islands exercised their votes for the first time in Lok Sabha polls in the Union territory.
• Not only did they vote but also posed for selfies at polling station 411 named as ‘Shompen Hut’.
• The ECI in the last two years has made efforts for the inclusion of PVTG communities and other tribal groups for their enrolment as voters and also participation in the voting process in various states/Union Territories in phase 1 and phase 2 of the general election 2024 at polling stations.
• India has an 6% tribal population which includes 75 groups of tribals which are PVTGs. The location of new polling booths in previously inaccessible areas has led to the large-scale inclusion of PVTGs.
• According to the ECI, in last 11 state legislative elections, there were around 900,000 eligible voters from 14 PVTG communities namely Kamar, Bhunjia, Baiga, Pahadi Korwa, Abujhmadia, Birhor, Sahariya, Bhariya, Chenchu, Kolam, Thoti, Kondareddy, Jenu Kuruba and Koraga.

• Atul Verma was recently appointed the new Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police.
• Verma–the 1991-batch IPS officer–will replace Sanjay Kundu, who has retired.
• Atul Verma is currently posted as the Director General of the Himachal Pradesh CID.

• Supersonic Missile-Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) system was successfully flight-tested recently from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
• SMART is a next-generation missile-based light-weight torpedo delivery system, designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to enhance the anti-submarine warfare capability of the Indian Navy far beyond the conventional range of lightweight torpedo.
• The missile was launched from the ground mobile launcher. Several state-of-the-art mechanisms such as symmetric separation, ejection and velocity control have been validated in this test.
• The canister-based missile system consists of several advanced sub-systems, namely two-stage solid propulsion system, electromechanical actuator system, precision inertial navigation system etc.
• The system carries advanced light-weight torpedo as payload along with parachute-based release system.

• Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has appointed A Ganesh Kumar and Debasis Kundu as members of the National Statistical Commission, which is mandated to strengthen the country’s statistical system and firm up surveys to be undertaken to provide administrative statistics.
• The appointments will take the panel’s strength to the mandated five, including its chairman.
  • The Commission has a part-time Chairperson, four part-time Members and an ex-officio Member.
• The National Statistical Commission was set up in 2005 on the recommendations of a panel headed by former RBI governor C Rangarajan, with an objective to provide “strategic direction and leadership to the national statistical system in MoSPI, line ministries and state governments”.
• The commission’s purpose is to serve as the country’s nodal body for core statistical activities, suggest standards for statistical surveys and ensure coordination with other departments.

• Google’s DeepMind has introduced TacticAI: an AI system that can provide experts with tactical insights, particularly on corner kicks, through predictive and generative AI.
• DeepMind developed and evaluated TacticAI in a multi-year research collaboration with experts from Liverpool Football Club.
• TacticAI has incorporated both a predictive and generative component to allow coaches to effectively sample and explore alternative player setups for each corner kick, and to select those with the highest predicted likelihood of success.