• World Schizophrenia Awareness Day is observed every year on May 24^th.
• It was first observed in 1984 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations

ABOUT SCHIZOPHRENIA

• Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe mental disorder that affects the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others.
• It mostly affects young adults in the productive age group.
• One in every 100 people experiences schizophrenia.
• Men are twice as likely to develop this condition as compared to women.
• Symptoms differ from person to person, but they generally fall into three main categories:
  • Psychotic symptoms– Hallucinations, Delusions, thought disorder, Movement disorder.
  • Negative symptoms– loss of motivation, loss of interest or enjoyment in daily activities, withdrawal from social life, difficulty showing emotions, and difficulty functioning normally.
  • Cognitive symptoms– problems in attention, concentration, and memory.
• There is no cure for schizophrenia. However a variety of antipsychotic medications are effective in reducing the psychotic symptoms.

• The New Development Bank (NDB) has announced the launch of its Indian Regional Office (IRO) in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City).
• The launch of the Bank’s IRO aims to cater to infrastructure and sustainable development needs in India and Bangladesh, contributing to economic growth and sustainable development in South Asia, in line with the NDB’s mandate.
• Working in close coordination with the NDB Headquarters at Shanghai (China), the Indian Regional Office will focus on project origination, pipeline development, project implementation and monitoring as well as regional portfolio management
• Other regional centres
  • Africa Regional Center (ARC) in Johannesburg in 2017
  • Americas Regional Office (ARO) in São Paulo with a sub-office in Brasília in 2019
  • Eurasian Regional Centre (ERC) in Moscow in 2020

ABOUT NDB

• It is a Multilateral development bank established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) in 2015 to mobilise resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries.
• It became fully operational in February 2016.
• Members: BRICS, Bangladesh, UAE, Uruguay, Egypt
• HQ: Shanghai, China
• India is 2^nd largest recipient of NDB’s financial support after China.

ABOUT GIFT CITY

• GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) City is located in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• It consists of a multi-service Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which houses India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and an exclusive Domestic Tariff Area (DTA).
• GIFT city is envisaged as an integrated hub for financial and technology services for India and the world.

• PM will install a historic golden sceptre, called Sengol, near the Speaker’s seat in new parliament.
• Background
  • Before independence in 1947, the then Viceroy – Lord Mountbatten asked the to-be Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru about any ceremony symbolise the transfer of power from British to Indian hands.
  • PM Nehru consulted C. Rajagopalachari, commonly known as Rajaji who suggested that the Chola model of handing over the Sengol sceptre could be adopted as a suitable ceremony for India’s independence. He said that it would reflect India’s ancient civilisation and culture, as well as its unity in diversity.
    • Rajaji went on to become the last Governor-General of India.

ABOUT SENGOL

• Sengol gets its name from Tamil word ‘semmai’, meaning righteousness.
  • It was inspired by ceremony (for transfer of power) performed during Chola dynasty.
• It is believed to be in practice since Sangam Age and finds mention in texts like Purananooru, Kurunthogai, Perumpaanatrupadai and Kalithogai.
• The Sengol sceptre was presented to PM Nehru by Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam (a 500-year-old Saivaite monastery in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu) on August 14^th, 1947.
• It was crafted by Vummidi Bangaru Chetty, a famous jeweller in
• It is a 5 feet long, stick-like item made of silver and covered in gold. The sceptre has a carving of a bull, called a Nandi, at the top which signifies ‘Nyaya’.

• International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has recommended the inclusion of Santiniketan in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

ABOUT SANTINIKETAN

• Santiniketan is a renowned cultural and heritage place located in Birbhum District, West Bengal.
• It was the home of Rabindranath Tagore, where he lived and composed many of his literary works, including songs, poems, and novels.
• The Santiniketan campus is adorned with splendid sculptures, frescoes, murals, and paintings created by renowned artists such as Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar, Binodbehari Mukhopadhyay, and others.
• The region of Birbhum District, where Santiniketan is located, is also famous for its fairs and festivals.
• Santiniketan celebrates unique festivals like Briksharopan (festival of Planting Saplings) and Halakarshan (festival of Plowing the Fields) on the 22nd and 23rd days of Sravana (August), respectively.
• Poush Mela is an annual fair and festival held in Santiniketan, starting on the 7th day of the month of Poush. The fair lasts for three days.
  • It is known for live performances of Bengali folk music, particularly by bauls (traditional wandering minstrels), and also features tribal dances.
    

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES (ICOMOS)

• Established in 1965 as an outcome of 2^nd Congress of Architects and Specialists of Historic Buildings, held in Venice in 1964.
• It is a global non-governmental organization associated with UNESCO.
• Mission– to promote the conservation, protection, use and enhancement of monuments, building complexes and sites.
• HQ: Paris, France
• It comprises professionals, experts, representatives from local authorities, companies and heritage organizations from around 151 countries including India.
• It is also an Advisory Body of World Heritage Committee for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention of UNESCO.

• For the second time in a decade, the N.-recognised Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) has deferred the accreditation of National Human Rights Commission of India.
• It cited objections like political interference in appointments, involving the police in probes into human rights violations, and poor cooperation with civil society.
• The United Nations’ Paris Principles, adopted in 1993 by the U.N. General Assembly, provide the international benchmarks against which National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) can be accredited.

ABOUT GANHRI

• Established in 1993 as International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for promotion and protection of human rights (ICC).
• Highest deliberative body is General Assembly.
• The Bureau is the GANHRI’s executive committee. It is comprised of 16 members, 4 from each of GANHRI regional networks of Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.
• HQ: Geneva, Switzerland
• The GANHRI consists of sixteen, ‘A’ status NHRIs, 4 from each region.
  • ‘A’ status accreditation also grants participation in the work and decision-making of the GANHRI, as well as the work of the Human Rights Council and other U.N. mechanisms.
• The GANHRI, through the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) is responsible for reviewing and accrediting NHRIs in compliance with the Paris Principles every five years.

ABOUT NHRC

• NHRC of India is an independent statutory body established on 12 October, 1993 as per provisions of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993(later amended in 2006).
• HQ- New Delhi.
• It is the watchdog of human rights in the country, i.e. the rights related to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by Indian Constitution or embodied in the international covenants and enforceable by courts in India.
• It was established in conformity with the Paris Principles.
• With respect to GANHRI accreditation
  • It has been accredited as an ‘A’ Status NHRI since the beginning of the accreditation process for NHRIs in 1999, which it retained in 2006, 2011, and in 2017.
  • In 2016, NHRC’s accreditation was deferred by a year and later in its recommendations in 2017 GANHRI asked the NHRC to address its lack of diversity (regarding women representatives from other marginalised social groups).
  • An amendment to Protection of Human Rights Act in 2019 sought to address these concerns. It increased members of NHRC and made chairpersons of National Commission for Backward Classes and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, and Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities deemed members of NHRC.

• Mountaineers of the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) in Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh are on a unique expedition named Har Shikhar Tiranga.
• The mission is to hoist the national flag on the highest point of every state of India for the first time.
• It is a campaign under the aegis of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to take the tricolour to all the states of the country and hoist it on the summits to mark the 75th year of independence and to commemorate India’s G20 presidentship.
• The team summited Mt Purgyal or Reo Purgyal (6,816 m) in Himachal Pradesh
  • It is located in Kinnaur district.
• It is at the LAC and has been climbed for the first time in May.
  • The peak is usually climbed in July or August when snow is less.

• Georgi Gospodinov’s novel, “Time Shelter,” translated by Angela Rodel, has been awarded the prestigious 2023 International Booker Prize.
• It marks the first time a Bulgarian novel has been awarded this literary honor.

• More than 2 lac people have been displaced due to flash flooding in Shabelle River in Somalia.
• The Shebelle River originates in the highlands of Ethiopia, and then flows southeast into Somalia towards Mogadishu.
• Major tributaries- Erer, Galetti, Wabe.

• A report titled “Thriving: Making Cities Green, Resilient, and Inclusive in a Changing Climate” was released recently by the World Bank.
• It highlighted the role of cities in addressing global climate challenge.

MAJOR FINDINGS

• Number of people living in cities increased from 1.19 billion to 4.46 billion between 1970 and 2022.
• Cities are responsible for approximately 70%of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• North American cities are the largest per capita emitters, while cities in Sub-Saharan Africa remain lowest per capita emitters on average.
• Cities in lower-income countries account for only 14% of global urban CO2 emissions.

• The AI Supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’, installed at C-DAC, Pune has been ranked 75^th in the world.
• It was declared so in the 61st edition of Top 500 Global Supercomputing List at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC 2023) in Germany.
• The system is installed under National Program on AI by Government of India.
• AIRAWATis manufactured by Netweb Technologies.
• It is India’s largest and fastest AI supercomputing system, with a remarkable speed of 13170 teraflops.
• The supercomputer runs on AMD EPYC 7742 64C 2.25GHz processor with 81334 cores.

OTHER INDIAN SUPERCOMPUTERS IN THE TOP 500 LIST

• PARAM Siddhi-Al supercomputer ranked at No.131
  • Also installed at C-DAC, Pune.
• Pratyush supercomputer ranked at No.169
  • It is installed at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.
• Mihir supercomputer at No. 316:
  • It is installed at the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting.