UPSC PT Pointers

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared January 24 as the International Day of Education in 2018. The day celebrates the role of education in peace and development and aims to raise awareness of the value and impact of quality education. In 2024, UNESCO is focusing on promoting anti-racist guidelines and addressing racism in textbooks with the theme - ‘learning for lasting peace’.

Religious processions

The Supreme Court ruled that the concentration of a religious community in a particular area is not a valid reason to deny permission to another religious community to hold events or prayer meetings. The court also ruled that religious processions cannot be rejected based on religious grounds.

Operation AMRITH

The Kerala Drug Control Department launched Operation Amrith (AMRITH - Anti Microbial Resistance Intervention for Total Health) recently. It is a strategy launched to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The initiative aims to reduce the use of antibiotics by conducting surprise raids on retail medical shops to detect the sale of antibiotics without a prescription.

Project BHISHM

BHISHM -Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri). It is a project that aims to provide immediate medical assistance during humanitarian crises or natural disasters. It is a joint project of the Indian Navy and the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation). The project also includes the world's first indigenous portable hospital.

IInvenTiv

The 2nd edition of the Ministry of Education’s flagship R&D Innovation Fair, IInvenTiv-2024 was inaugurated by Union Education Minister recently. It aims to showcase the holistic impact of the research and innovation carried out by the country's top higher education institutes.

National Sports and Adventure Awards 2023

The National Sports and Adventure Awards were established in 2002 to honor athletes who contribute to sports and continue to promote sports events after retirement. The 2023 awards included Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awards-2023; Dronacharya Awards-2023; Arjuna Awards-2023; Dhyan Chand Awards-2023; Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards-2022; Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar-2023; and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy-2023.

National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)

National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) was set up as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 on 2005 with a mandate of creating dope-free sports in India.

SC Legal Services Committee

Supreme Court judge Justice BR Gavai has been nominated as the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC) recently. The SCLSC is a statutory body constituted under Section 3A of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. It gives free legal services to the poor, marginalized, and unprivileged.

Project ‘Veer Gatha’

The 3rd edition of Project ‘Veer Gatha’, a joint initiative of Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education will take part in Republic Day celebrations. Project Veer Gatha is a project that was established in 2021 under the Gallantry Awards Portal (GAP). Aim – To disseminate the details of the bravery and sacrifice of the Gallantry Awardees (Soldiers of Armed Forces) among the students so as to raise the spirit of patriotism.

Pariksha Pe Charcha 2024

Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC) is an annual event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with students, teachers, and parents. Students of Classes 6 to 12 are eligible to participate in this event. The event is part of the larger movement, 'Exam Warriors', which aims to create a stress-free environment for young people. PPC 2024 is the 7th edition of the event and will take place in Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.