About:

• History: 2 May 2017 was the first internationally recognized World Tuna Day. In December 2016 the United Nations General Assembly voted to officially observe the Day in its resolution 71/124.
  
  
• Objective: The move underlined the importance of conservation management to ensure that we have systems in place to prevent tuna stocks from crashing.
  
  
• Importance:
  • Many countries depend heavily on tuna resources for food security and nutrition, economic development, employment, government revenue, livelihoods, culture and recreation.
    
    
  • At present, over 96 countries are involved in the conservation and management of tuna with an annual value of almost 10 billion USD, at landing.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• SIPRI’s Global Registry of Violent Deaths (GReVD) will count deaths caused by all forms of violence and display these in an open-source database.
  
  
• This will allow researchers, policymakers and the general public to track trends in violence at global, regional, national, provincial, city and municipal levels.
  
  
• The database will hold a single entry for every violent death, including time, location, perpetrator, victim and type of violence.
  
  
• The sources will be verifiable news reports of lethal events and processing will involve machine coding to handle the volume of entries, as well as human coding to ensure accuracy and consistency.
  
  
• The first-phase of the project is funded by the Swedish Postcode Foundation and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development.
  
  

About:

• Background: NHRC was established in 1993. It is in conformity with the Paris Principles, adopted at the first international workshop on national institutions for the protection of human rights held in Paris in 1991.
  
  
• Status: It is a statutory organization established under the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993.
  
  
• It is headquartered in New Delhi.
  
  
• Functions:
  • The purpose of the NHRC is, suo moto or through the petition of a person, to investigate the violation of human rights or the failures of the state or other to prevent a human rights violation.
    
    
  • The commissions may also take on research about human rights, create awareness campaigns through various mediums, and encourage the work of NGOs.
    
    
  
  
  
• Composition:
  • The Commission consists of a Chairperson, four full-time Members and four deemed Members.
    
    
  • The statute lays down qualifications for the appointment of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission. A Chairperson, should be retired Chief Justice of India.
    
    
  
  
  

Key Findings of report:

• Curbs by Government: illiberal-minded governments across the world are increasingly clamping down on press freedom by enacting new laws and, in many cases, deliberately erode the credibility of independent media. E.g. In Bangladesh, journalists can face up to life imprisonment for violating the country’s new Digital Security Act.
  
  
• Killings: On the other hand, as many as 55 journalists around the world have been killed since May 2018. Besides killings, in the past year journalists have faced an increasing number of physical attacks while carrying out their work.
  
  
• Arrest: Some 70 cases of arrests of journalists globally were reported in the first quarter of this year. With 139 journalists in prison and many more sentenced to jail terms, Turkey remains the world’s top jailer of journalists.
  
  
• The United States criminal indictment against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has raised concerns around broader implications for press freedom.
  
  

About:

• History: World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference.
  
  
• Date of observance: Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.
  
  
• Objective of the Day: To celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess the state of press freedom throughout the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence, and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
  
  
• Theme of this year: This year's theme “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation” discusses current challenges faced by media in elections, along with the media’s potential in supporting peace and reconciliation processes.
  
  

About: 

• Names: Sri Vedanta Desikan (1268–1369), born in present day Tamil Nadu is also known as Swami Desika, Swami Vedanta Desika, Thoopul Nigamaantha Desikan.
  
  
• Who was he? He was a multi-faceted personality – a spiritual teacher, a scientist, a logician, a mathematician, a literary genius, a linguist, a military strategist and much more. He was conferred the title of ‘Sarva-tantra-svatantra’ or master of all arts and crafts.
  
  
• Philosophy: He was one of the prominent philosopher in the in the Srivaishnava tradition in post-Ramanuja period. One of the essential features of his philosophy was the aspect of inclusion. Anyone, irrespective of caste and creed could join the Sri Vaishnava fold.
  
  
• Literary works:
  • He had authored brilliant poems, prose, drama, epics, commentaries, scientific texts and philosophical treatises in Sanskrit, Tamil, Prakrit and Manipravalam (a mixture of Sanskrit and Tamil).
    
    
  • Some of his prominent works are Hayagriva Stotram, Abheethistavam, Achyutha Satakam, Bhagavat Dhyana Sopanam and Kamasikasthaka
    
    
  • He received other titles such as ‘Kavitarkika-kesari’ and ‘Kavitarkika-simham’, the lion amongst poets.
    
    
  
  
  
• Global Celebrations: In July 2018, British parliamentarians cutting across party lines joined several Hindu leaders in the UK at the House of Commons complex in London to commemorate the 750th birth anniversary of Vedanta Desika.
  
  

About:

• Partners: The MoU has been signed by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi).
  
  
• Mandate of the centre: Implementation of sustainable, scientific and technological solutions for waste management, through validation and deployment of available technologies for transformation of waste to wealth.
  
  
• Parent body: The waste to wealth mission project has been approved under the recently constituted Prime Minister’s Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC), which is an overarching body for assessment, creation and implementation of major scientific, technology and innovation interventions for India.
  
  

About: 

• Names: Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project was previously known as Pranahita-Chevella Lift Irrigation Project.
  
  
• Location: It is an under-construction multi-purpose irrigation project at the confluence point of Pranhita River and Godavari River i.e, at Kaleshwaram village in Telangana. Pranahita river in itself is a confluence of various other smaller tributaries like Wardha, Penganga and Wainganga Rivers.
  
  
• Project Highlights: Under the scheme, 89 cumecs (cubic metres per second) of water will be lifted to a height of 106 metres from the Sripada Yellampalli reservoir to Medaram reservoir and will be used for irrigation and water supply in nearby drought-prone areas.
  
  
• Executing agency: The Central Public Sector undertaking Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). BHEL is presently executing hydro-electric projects of more than 2,900 MW across the country, in addition to 3,904 MW in Bhutan and Nepal.
  
  

Working:

• In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) includes voice, data and video services over Indian airspace for domestic, international and overflying flights in Indian airspace.
  
  
• Flyers on board an aircraft will be able to make calls and remain connected to the Internet while travelling through the Indian airspace, once an aircraft reaches an altitude of 3000 metres.
  
  
• In-flight WiFi services rely on geostationary satellites which beam signals directly to antennas installed on the airline.
  
  
• The direct transmission of internet through satellites will be carried over the Ku and Ka bands. The former has a smaller range of 12-18 gigahertz (GHz) while the latter has a range of 26-40GHz, resulting in better bandwidth.
  
  

Implementation in India:

• In May 2018, Telecom Commission, the highest decision making body in the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), approved almost all of TRAI’s Recommendations on In-flight Connectivity.
  
  
• This facility will also be applicable to communication on ships.
  
  
• The service will be provided through Indian Satellites or through satellites approved by Department of Space for communication purposes, with gateways in India.
  
  
• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will create a new category of licensees called In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) providers. They will provide internet and voice services on flights operating within India and need not necessarily be Indian entities.
  
  

Significance:

• Users will be able to better utilize the time spent travelling. Passengers will be able to order products while flying and have them delivered to their homes, or the hotel on arrival at their destination.
  
  
• Cabin crews can help passengers to change their onward transit plans to accommodate for changes to their flight, while they are still in the air.
  
  
• It will bring Indian aviation sector at par with others in this aspect. According to a January 2018 report, 82 countries and over 30 airlines offer onboard connectivity.
  
  

About:

• Apurvi Singh Chandela is an Indian sport shooter from Jaipur who competes in the 10 metre air rifle event.
  
  
• She shot a world record score of 252.9 to clinch gold at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in February.
  
  
• She is a gold medallist at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Game and a bronze winner in the next edition at Gold Coast.
  
  
• In the 2018 Asian Games, Chandela had won a bronze medal in the 10m mixed rifle event.
  
  

About: 

• Name of the law: The Digital Economy National Programme. 
  
  
• Features: 
  • It is aimed at isolating the country's internet (Runet) from the rest of the world to ensure it could remain available and secure in the event of a cyber-attack or other incident. 
    
    
  • This means that data from its own organisations and users would remain within Russia, rather than being distributed globally. 
    
    
  • Internet pre-filtering centres will also be introduced and the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (also known as the Roskomnadzor) will be able to regulate traffic routing. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Arguments in favour: It will increase the cyber security and stability of Russian internet in the event of foreign interference. 
  
  
• Arguments against: It is just one more layer of censorship from the government, which will further isolate consumers from the outside world. 
  
  

About:

• Timeline: Chandrayaan-2 will be launched on a day between 9 and 16 July this year. Chandrayaan-2’s lander will touch down near the Moon's south pole on 6th September.
  
  
• Modules: It will have three modules namely Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) & Rover (Pragyan).
  
  
• Launcher: It will be launched using India's most powerful rocket GSLV-Mark-3.
  
  
• Project detail:
  • The Orbiter and Lander modules will be stacked together as an integrated module and accommodated inside the GSLV MK-III launch vehicle. The Rover is housed inside the Lander.
    
    
  • After launch into earth bound orbit by GSLV MK-III, the integrated module will reach Moon orbit using Orbiter propulsion module. Subsequently, Lander will separate from the Orbiter and soft land at the predetermined site close to lunar South Pole.
    
    
  • Further, the Rover will roll out for carrying out scientific experiments on the lunar surface. Instruments are also mounted on Lander and Orbiter for carrying out scientific experiments.
    
    
  
  
  
• Objectives: The payloads will collect scientific information on lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.
  
  

Comments on India: 

• According to the Commission, India continues to remain a Tier 2 country, a list it has been unable to get off of since 2009. 
  
  
• In India, religious freedom is declining, apart from increased securitisation and politicisation of religion. 
  
  
• it is increasingly difficult to separate religion and politics, a tactic that is sometimes intentional by those who seek to discriminate against certain religious communities. 
  
  
• Conditions for minorities have deteriorated over the last decade due to the extremist groups, anti-conversion laws, cow-protection lynch mobs, concerns that millions from Assam will be incorrectly left out of the NRC and a denying international NGOs registration. 
  
  
• Tenzin Dorjee, Commission Chairperson gave a dissenting view and argued that India is an open society with a robust democratic and judiciary system where religious harmony exists. 
  
  
• There were “positive developments”. E.g. communal attacks dropped by 12 % in 2018 from their 2017 levels, an 12% increase in the budget of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Supreme Court’s push for a 11-point plan to counter mob violence. 
  
  

India’s Oil import (data from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics): 

• Total crude oil import: India imported 207.3 mt of crude oil in 2018-19, down from 220.4 mt in the previous financial year. India is 80 % dependent on imports to meet its oil needs. 
  
  
• Iraq: Iraq has, for the second year in a row, become India’s top crude oil supplier, meeting more than a fifth of the country’s oil needs in 2018-19 fiscal year. Iraq sold 46.61 million tonnes (mt) of crude oil to India in 2018-19. 
  
  
• Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia has traditionally been India’s top oil source, but it was for the first time dethroned by Iraq in 2017-18 fiscal year. In 2018-19, Saudi exported 40.33 mt of crude oil. 
  
  
• Iran: While India stopped importing crude oil from Iran following reimposition of economic sanctions this month by the U.S., the Persian Gulf nation was the third largest crude oil supplier to India. It sold 23.9 mt of crude in 2018-19, up from 22.59 mt in the previous year.
  
  
• UAE: UAE crossed Venezuela to become India’s fourth-largest crude supplier. It sold 17.49 mt of crude oil to India.
  
  
• Other countries: Nigeria was the next biggest supplier with 16.83 mt of exports in 2018-19, down from 18.11 mt in the previous year. Kuwait supplied 10.78 mt of oil and Mexico another 10.28 mt.
  
  
• United States: The U.S., which began selling crude oil to India in 2017, is fast becoming a major source. Supplies from the U.S. jumped more than fourfold to 6.4 mt in the 2018-19 fiscal year.
  
  

About:

• Name: Asteroid Apophis is named after an ancient Egyptian “lord of chaos”.
  
  
• Discovery: This asteroid has been known since 2004. 
  
  
• Orbit: It is a near-Earth object (NEO); that is, its orbit – which is less than one earthly year long – brings it near Earth periodically. 
  
  
• Size: The asteroid is 340 m wide. 
  
  

Probability of Hitting Earth?

• Apophis is one of about 2,000 currently known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids.
  
  
• In 2004, when it was discovered, there was, for a time, a probability of up to 2.7 % that it would hit Earth on April 13, 2029. This set the record for the highest rating on the Torino scale, reaching level 4 on by the end of 2004. 
  
  
• However with more studies of its orbit, astronomers have entirely ruled out a strike in 2029. On April 13, 2029, it will cruise harmlessly by Earth, about 31,000 km above the surface.
  
  
• However, the astronomers are drawing up plans 10 years in advance for its observation and hoping to get insights about an asteroid’s interior. This observation could one day be used for planetary defence. 
  
  

About: 

• Who is Masood Azhar? Masood Azhar is the chief of Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed. He has masterminded many terror attacks in India including 2001 Parliament strike and the recent Pulwama carnage in February. 
  
  
• Past attempts by India to designate him a global terrorist: India had initiated the move in UN to list him as global terrorist in 2009. However, on all occasions China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, blocked the proposals from being adopted by the Sanctions Committee. 
  
  
• Recent development: Now, the 1267 Sanctions Committee of UN has designated Masood Azhar, as a UN proscribed terrorist. The recent proposal was the fourth attempt by India. 
  
  
• Reason for china not using Veto: It appears that China has responded to the growing global concern in relation to Jihadi terror, most recently seen in Sri Lanka. 
  
  
• Significance of recent move: 
  • A "global terrorist" designation will subject Azhar to an assets freeze, travel ban and an arms embargo. 
    
    
  • The step is in the right direction to demonstrate the international community's resolve to fight against terrorism and its enablers. 
    
    
  • It is also an important symbolic victory for India in relation to terrorism emanating from groups in Pakistan as Masood Azhar is a blue-eyed boy of Pakistan's spy agency ISI. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Way ahead for India: However, India should remain steadfast in ensuring that the perpetrators of the Pulwama attack and 26/11 Mumbai are brought to book.
  
  

Key Findings of the annual update of the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database:

• World military expenditure: It has grown to $1.8 trillion in 2018. World military spending in 2018 represented 2.1 % of global gross domestic product (GDP) or $239 per person.
  
  
• The five biggest spenders in 2018 were: the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, India and France, which together accounted for 60 % of global military spending.
  
  
• United states: US military spending grew—for the first time since 2010—by 4.6 %, to reach $649 billion in 2018. The USA remained by far the largest spender in the world, and spent almost as much on its military in 2018 as the next eight largest-spending countries combined.
  
  
• China: China, the second-largest spender in the world, increased its military expenditure by 5 % to $250 billion in 2018. This was the 24th consecutive year of increase in Chinese military expenditure.
  
  
• India: In 2018 India increased its military spending by 3.1 % to $66.5 billion.
  
  
• Pakistan: Military expenditure by Pakistan grew by 11 % (the same level of growth as in 2017), to reach $11.4 billion in 2018.
  
  
• Russia: At $61.4 billion, Russian military spending was the sixth highest in the world in 2018. Its spending decreased by 3.5 % compared with 2017.
  
  
• Reason for Rising military expenditure: The tensions between countries in Asia as well as between China and the USA are major drivers for the continuing growth of military spending. In 2018 the USA and China accounted for half of the world’s military spending.
  
  

Battery Cages:

• The Delhi High Court (HC) had asked the government on April 10 to come out with rules to end cruelty to egg-laying hens after it got to know that hens used for production of eggs were reared in small, barren wire cages (size of an A4 sheet) called ‘battery cages’, a name given due to the arrangement of cages placed side by side.
  
  
• Criticism:
  • The battery cages are so small that the animals are unable to stand up straight or spread their wings without touching the sides of the cage or other hens.
    
    
  • This has led to sore feet, minor and major abrasions, broken bones and other bodily injuries to the birds. It also increases the risk of diseases in the flock.
    
    
  
  
  

Salient Features of Draft Rules by the agriculture ministry:

• It prohibits keeping hens in cramped ‘battery cages’ by the poultry industry.
  
  
• It prohibits use of ‘growth promoters’ in feed of hens. Prohibitions with regard to feed also include a complete ban on feeding hens with “remains of dead chicks” and the practice of withdrawal of feed to induce molt in birds.
  
  
• It restricts the use of ‘antibiotics’ for therapeutic (disease treatment) purposes only.
  
  
• It is mandatory to keep minimum 550 sq cm of floor space per bird. Each cage should also accommodate preferably a minimum of 6-8 birds, ensuring reasonable space for hens and access to feed and water.
  
  

Way ahead:

• Stakeholders can raise objections on the draft, if any, within 30 days so that it can finalise legally valid guidelines to end such cruel practices under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act.
  
  
• Once the final rules are notified, it will come into force from January 1, 2020, and poultry farms will have to make changes under the new guidelines before January 1, 2025.
  
  

About: 

• Background: The bilateral naval exercise was initiated in 1983 and was christened as ‘Varuna’ in 2001.
  
  
• Objective of the exercise: Developing interoperability between the two navies and fostering mutual cooperation by learning from each other’s best practices to conduct joint operations.
  
  
• Significance: The exercise form a vital part of the Indo-French strategic partnership. It is in line with the Joint Strategic Vision of India-French Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region signed by President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the former’s State visit to India in 2018.
  
  
• Phases: The upcoming 17th edition of this exercise will be conducted in two phases.
  • The first part, Varuna 19.1, will be conducted off the Goa coast from 1st to 10th May 19.
    
    
  • The second part, Varuna 19.2, is scheduled to be held at the end of May in Djibouti.
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• Location: Manesar, Haryana. 
  
  
• Parent body: It is a division of NATRIP Implementation Society (NATIS) under the Department of Heavy Industries, Government of India. 
  
  
• Mandate: 
  • It is a leading world class automotive testing, certification and R&D service provider with a mission to assist the automotive industry in adopting cutting edge technologies in vehicle evaluation and component development. 
    
    
  • ICAT is also supporting the automotive industries for ISO/IEC 17025:2005 implementation and NABL accreditation of their laboratories. 
    
    
  
  
  
• NuGen Mobility Summit, 2019: At the end of this year, the ICAT will be organizing a NuGen Mobility Summit, 2019 to share new ideas for faster adoption, assimilation and development of advanced automotive technologies for a smarter and greener future. 
  
  

About: 

• The Supreme Court declared the government’s amalgamation of the National Spot Exchange Ltd. (NSEL) with Financial Technologies India Ltd. (FTIL), now known as 63 Moons Technologies Ltd., as a violation of both the Section 396 of the Companies Act and contrary to Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution. 
  
  
• 63 Moons, formerly known as FTIL, had approached the Supreme Court after the Bombay high court approved a 2016 order of the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) to merge FTIL and its subsidiary NSEL after a Rs 5,600-crore scam made the exchange defunct in 2013. 
  
  
• This was the maiden attempt by the Indian government to merge two private companies in public interest. 
  
  
• According to Supreme court, there was “complete non-application of mind by the authority assessing compensation to the rights and interests of the shareholders and creditors of FTIL under Section 396(3) of the Companies Act”. 
  
  
• Had the apex court agreed to the merger, FTIL would have been Saddled with the trading platform’s liabilities. 
  
  

About: 

• GSTN has been jointly registered by the Central and State Governments as a not-for-profit Company under Section 8 of the Companies act, 2013 (under new companies Act, not for profit companies are governed under section 8).
  
  
• It was incorporated in 2013.
  
  
• It has been set up primarily to provide IT infrastructure and services to the Central and State Governments, tax payers and other stakeholders for implementation of the GST.
  
  

Ownership:

• In September 2018, Union Cabinet approved a proposal to convert Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) into a government-owned company.
  
  
• Currently, the Centre and states together hold 49 % stake in the GSTN. Balance 51% equity is with non-Government financial institutions.
  
  
• The restructured GSTN, with 100% government ownership shall have equity structure between the Centre (50%) and the States (50%).
  
  

About: 

• The 59-year old Naruhito took the throne after Akihito's abdication, the first in more than 200 years. 
  
  
• He is the nation’s 126th emperor in the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy from the 5th century. 
  
  
• Akihito (85), took the throne in 1989 and devoted his career to making amends for a war fought in his father’s name while bringing the aloof monarchy closer to the people. He is the first emperor in Japan’s modern history whose era did not have a war. 
  
  
• Japan has witnessed a tumultuous change from 1989 when it last ushered in a new era. Now, Japan is battling sluggish growth and chronically low inflation with a population in decline that will soon become the world's first "ultra-aged" society, with 28 percent of people over 65. 
  
  

Key highlights of the Madras High Court judgement: 

• The Administrator of Puducherry (the term used in the Constitution to refer to the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G)) could not interfere with the day-to-day administration of the Union Territory when an elected government was in place as that amounts to running a “parallel government.” 
  
  
• Articles 239A vs 239AA: 
  • There are significant differences in the powers conferred on the legislatures of Puducherry and Delhi under Articles 239A and 239AA of the Constitution. 
    
    
  • Though Article 239AA imposes several restrictions on the legislature of Delhi, no such restrictions had been imposed explicitly in the case of Puducherry under Article 239A. 
    
    
  • This symbolises the supremacy of the Legislature above the Administrator in case of the Puducherry. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Section 44 of the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963: 
  • It states that there shall be a Council of Ministers in each UT to aid and advice the Administrator who shall act in his/her discretion only in so far as any ‘special responsibilities’ were concerned. 
    
    
  • However, since the Act does not specify the ‘special responsibilities’ the Administrator and the Council of Ministers should leave the political differences apart to facilitate the smooth functioning of the government.
    
    
  
  
  
• Power over service matters:
  • The elected government has powers over service matters and cancelled two clarification orders by the centre in 2017 on the powers of the Lieutenant Governor.
    
    
  • Government secretaries of the Puducherry administration were required to report to the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister on all official matters. The secretaries are not empowered to issue orders on their own or upon the instructions of the Administrator.
    
    
  
  
  
• Means of communication:
  • The court also disapproved of the alleged practice of government officials being part of social media groups through which the L-G was issuing instructions to them.
    
    
  • It reminded them that as per rules, they were bound to use only authorised medium of communication when it came to issues related to administration.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Meaning: Co-location refers to the system wherein a broker’s server is kept in the exchange premises to reduce latency, or delay in computing terms, while executing trades.
  
  
• Scam: In 2015, SEBI received complaints against NSE where it was alleged that the system that NSE used while disseminating data through co-location facilities allowed certain users to get information before others, thereby creating an information asymmetry.
  
  

About: 

• What is it? Yeti is a mythical creature believed to exist in the Himalayan areas of India, Nepal and Tibet. 
  
  
• Names: The term Yeti comes from the Nepali dictionary and means ‘abominable snowman’. It is also called Meh-Teh in the Tibetan folklore. 
  
  
• Features proposed: According to urban legends, Yeti is a two-legged white, shaggy ape-like animal and is described to be 10-20 feet tall. According to locals, a race of wild, hairy men are found in the “wildest and most inaccessible mountains”. 
  
  
• Debate on existence:
  • There is no authentic evidence of its existence. It has never been sighted, and most scientists believe no such creature exists.
    
    
  • Debate on the existence of Yeti is going on since the last century. In 1921, British explorer Charles Howard-Bury claimed to found the footsteps of Yeti near Lakhpa La pass while on an expedition in the Himalayas.
    
    
  • This debate resurfaced when the Indian Army claimed it had discovered fresh “mysterious footprints” of Yeti during an Army expedition to Mount Makalu (8485m).
    
    
  
  
  
• In Popular culture: In 2013, the National Geographic released a documentary on the legend of Yeti in the Himalayas. From Tintin and Scooby Doo to Monsters Inc, Yeti has been recreated several times in popular culture, folklore and cartoons.
  
  

About: 

• The boards are unvieled at two important geological sites in the State namely Mawmluh cave and Therriaghat, Sobhar in East Khasi Hill District. 
  
  
• These geological display boards with geo-scientific information will help in creating awareness among visiting tourists, students and the general public. 
  
  

Mawmluh cave: 

• Mawmluh cave made headlines earlier as high resolution stable isotopic studies of the stalagmites from the cave have shown that there was a major climatic event about 4200 years ago. 
  
  
• The stalagmite in the Mawmluh cave has been tagged a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) which is the first formally ratified marker of a geological time period in India. 
  
  

Therriaghat: 

• Therriaghat marks the Cretaceous (K)-Palaeogene (Pg) mass extinction event. 
  
  
• The Um-Sohryngkew (Wahrew) river section at Therriaghat is known for having the most complete records of the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary transition in India. 
  
  

About: 

• Name: International Labour Day/international Workers Day is often referred to as May Day. 
  
  
• What is it? The day is celebrated to honour the contribution of working men and women and to pay tribute to workers sacrifices in achieving economic and social rights all over the world. 
  
  
• Date of observance: 
  • It is observed on May Day (1^st May), an ancient European spring festival. 
    
    
  • The date was chosen by a pan-national organization of socialist and communist political parties to commemorate the Haymarket affair, which occurred in Chicago on 4 May 1886. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Indian scenario: In India, the first Labour day or May Day was celebrated in 1923 in Chennai.
  
  

About: 

• At the national level, Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) are the key committees involved in the top-level decision-making wrt Disaster Management (DM). 
  
  
• It deals with major crisis which have serious or national ramifications. 
  
  
• Key functions: 
  • Oversee the Command, Control and Coordination of the disaster response. 
    
    
  • Give direction to the Crisis Management Group (CMG) as deemed necessary. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Composition: 
  • Cabinet Secretary (Chairperson). 
    
    
  • Secretaries of Ministries / Departments and agencies with specific Disaster management responsibilities.