Key points:

• The Supreme Court of India had directed the governments of Rajasthan and Gujarat to ensure installation of bird-diverters on power lines before July 20, 2022.
• The move is aimed at protecting the Great Indian Bustard (GIB), the state bird of Rajasthan,and the lesser floricans in the area.

Great Indian Bustards (GIB):

• IUCN status:critically endangered.
• Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972 and in the CMS Convention and in Appendix I of CITES.
• Project Great Indian Bustard —state of Rajasthan — identifying and fencing off bustard breeding grounds in existing protected areas as well as provide secure breeding enclosures in areas outside protected areas.
• Protected areas:Desert National Park Sanctuary — Rajasthan, Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary – Andhra Pradesh and Karera Wildlife Sanctuary– Madhya Pradesh.
• Habitats in India:
• Only two districts in Rajasthan — Jaisalmer and Barmer — have a breeding GIB population in the wild.
• The bird can also be found in very small numbers in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Key Points:

• Indian Architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshiwas bestowed with the prestigious Royal Gold Medal 2022.
• Royal Gold Medal,one of the world’s highest honours for architecture, by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), London, United Kingdom (UK).
• The Royal Gold Medal is approved personally by Queen Elizabeth IIof the UK and the award is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture.

Recently, President conferred 13 Shaurya Chakras, including six posthumous, to the personnel of Armed Forces during Defence Investiture Ceremony (Phase-1).

Highest Gallantry awards

• Param Vir Chakra:It is India’s highest military decoration awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valor during wartime whether on land, at sea or in the air.
• Maha Vir Chakra:It is the second highest gallantry award for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy whether on land, at sea or in the air.
• Vir Chakra:It is the country’s third-highest wartime gallantry award after Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra

Key Points

1. The 12th edition of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships was kick-started in Istanbul, Turkey. In this event, more than 400 boxers from a record 93 countries are set to take part in this year’s event, which also marks the 20th anniversary of the prestigious event.
2. Olympian Lovlina Borgohain will represent the Indian country. The other representatives of this game are Pooja Rani (81 kg), Nandini (+81 kg) and Nikhat Zareen (52 kg), Nitu (48kg), Anamika (50kg), Shiksha (54kg), Manisha (57kg), Parveen (63kg) and Sweety (75kg).

About International Boxing Association (IBA)

• International Boxing Association (IBA) was formed in 1946
• Headquarters of IBA: Lausanne, Switzerland;
• President of IBA: Umar Nazarovich Kremlev.

Key Points:

• Russian chess grandmaster, Yuri Averbakh who was among the world’s best players for a decade, trained world champions and was the last surviving participant in one of the greatest competitions in history, has died in Moscow at 100.
• He won the Moscow Championship in 1949 and earned the Grandmaster title in 1952. In 1954, he became the champion of the USSR. He also chaired the Chess Federation of the USSR from 1972 to 1977.

Key Points

• May 12 is observed as International Nurses’ Day across the world to honour the services of nurses. It is the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the English social reformer, statistician and founder of modern nursing.
• She was also known as Lady with the Lamp. She was the founder of modern nursing and was a British social reformer and statistician.
• The theme for this year’s Nurses’ Day is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in Nursing and respect rights to secure global health”. Many hospitals across the world are observing International Nurses Week from May 6 to 12. As part of it, several activities, including yoga sessions and seminars are being organised.

Recently, the Supreme Court declared that State Election Commissions across the country cannot skip their constitutional obligation to conduct polls to Local Bodies every five years.

About Local Self Government:

• Local Self Government is the management of local affairs by such local bodies who have been elected by the local people.
• The local self-Government includes both rural and urban government.
• It is the third level of the government.
• There are 2 types of local government in operation – panchayatas in rural areas and Municipalities in urban areas.

Salient Features of 73rd Constitutional Amendment?

Compulsory Provisions:

• Organisation of Gram Sabhas;
• Creation of a three-tier Panchayati Raj Structure at the Zila, Block and Village levels;
• Almost all posts, at all levels to be filled by direct elections;
• Minimum age for contesting elections to the Panchayati Raj institutions be twenty one years;
• The post of Chairman at the Zila and Block levels should be filled by indirect election;
• There should be reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes in Panchayats, in proportion to their population, and for women in Panchayats up to one-third seats;
• State Election Commission to be set up in each State to conduct elections to Panchayati Raj institutions;
• The tenure of Panchayati Raj institutions is five years, if dissolved earlier, fresh elections to be held within six months;
• A State Finance Commission is set up in each State every five years.

Voluntary:

• Giving voting rights to members of the Central and State legislatures in these bodies;
• Providing reservation for backward classes; and
• The Panchayati Raj institutions should be given financial powers in relation to taxes, levy fees etc. and efforts shall be made to make Panchayats autonomous bodies

Key Points

• The Supreme Court collegium has made recommendations to five new Chief Justices of high courts.
• It is the system of appointment and transfer of judges that has evolved through judgments of the Supreme Court (SC), and not by an Act of Parliament or by a provision of the Constitution.
• The SC collegium is headed by the CJI (Chief Justice of India) and comprises four other senior most judges of the court.
• Judges of the higher judiciary are appointed only through the collegium system and the government has a role only after names have been decided by the collegium.

Key Points:

• National Technology Day is observed every year on 11th May across the country. National Technology Day has significant historical importance in India. Every year on this day, officials pay honour to India’s scientists for their achievements.
• This day is commemorated as an achievement of India’s technical advances, since on May 11, 1998, the country successfully tested nuclear weapons in Pokhran.
• The theme for National Technology Day 2022 is “Integrated Approach in Science and technology for sustainable future”.
• The theme was launched by Union Minister Jitendra Singh.

Key Points:

• World’s Largest Glass Bottom Bridge was opened in Vietnam. It is called as Vietnam’s Bach Long pedestrian bridge, which is 632m (2,073ft) long and located 150m (492ft) above a huge jungle.
• As per the reports, the Asian country has opened a glass-bottomed bridge suspended above a lush jungle. It surpasses a 526m Glass Bottom Bridge in Guangdong, China.
• The Bach Long pedestrian bridge which means ‘white dragon’ in Vietnamese. The bridge suspends above the rainforest The bridge can support up to 450 people at a time and the floor of the bridge is made from tempered glass.