National
Madhya Pradesh's Annual Action Plan under Jal Jeevan Mission
- Madhya Pradesh presented their Annual Action Plan under Jal Jeevan Mission setting out the State’s action plan to provide tap water connections to rural households in 2021-22 as well as the saturation plan, so that every rural home of the State gets tap water supply. Annual Action Plan was presented on 17 April 2021.
Madhya Pradesh has 1.23 Crore rural households, out of which 37.69 lakh (31%) have tap water supply in their homes. In 2020-21, Madhya Pradesh has provided 19.89 lakh tap water connections.
Plan for 2021-22:
In 2021-22, the State has planned for saturation of 7 districts and 22 lakh new tap water connections.
Madhya Pradesh is likely to get about Rs 3,000 Crore Central fund in 2021-22.
Karnataka's Annual Action Plan under Jal Jeevan Mission
- Karnataka State presented their Annual Action Plan under Jal Jeevan Mission with details of the State’s action plan for the year 2021-22 as well as saturation plan for the whole State, thereby ensuring every rural household gets tap water connection. Karnataka presented their Annual Action Plan on 18 April 2021.
Karnataka State has 91.19 lakh rural households, out of which only 28.44 lakh (31.2%) have tap water supply.
Plan for 2021-22:
In 2021-22, the State plans to provide 25 lakh tap water connections in rural areas of the State.
National Level Climate Vulnerability Assessment Report
- National level climate vulnerability assessment report has been released by Department of Science & Technology, Secretary Professor Ashutosh Sharma on 17 April 2021.
Title of Report, & Aim:
The report titled ‘Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India Using a Common Framework’, which identifies the most vulnerable states and districts in India with respect to current climate risk and key drivers of vulnerability.
Participation:
A total of 94 representatives from 24 states and 2 Union Territories participated in the nation-wide exercise jointly supported by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) and the Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC).
Key Points of Report:
The National climate vulnerability assessment report has identified Jharkhand, Mizoram, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, and West Bengal as states highly vulnerable to climate change. The report pointed out that these states, mostly in the eastern part of the country, require prioritization of adaptation interventions.
Among all states, Assam, Bihar, and Jharkhand have over 60% districts in the category of highly vulnerable districts.
International
Venmo app launched Crypto Buying and Selling
- On 20 April 2021, California-based PayPal’s Venmo announced, it has started allowing users to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrencies on its app.
Venmo app users will be able to buy bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin and bitcoin cash for as little as $1 and publish transactions on the app’s feed.
Venmo is one of the most popular payment service apps in the United States owned by PayPal Holdings Inc.
Important Day
'International Day for Monuments and Sites' 2021
- UNESCO’s General Conference established 18 April as the International Day for Monuments and Sites in 1982.
Since after, International Day for Monuments and Sites also known as World Heritage Day is celebrated every year on 18 April.
Theme:
The UNESCO’s theme for the International Day for Monuments and Sites 2021 was “Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures”.
The day is promoted by ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) globally to preserve cultural heritage, monuments.
World Heritage Sites in India:
At present 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites are present in India out of 1121 World Heritage Sites identified around the world. In the list of India, ‘Jaipur City’ has been added as the 38th World Heritage Site under Culture in 2019.
Celebration in India:
On the occasion of World Heritage Day 2021, the Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture ( I/C), Shri Prahlad Singh Patel addressed a webinar ‘India’s Heritage: Powering Tourism’ organized by Ministry of Tourism. He also inaugurated the first-ever Online Exhibition on Ramayana.
Death
Bengali Poet, Shankha Ghosh
- Eminent Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh died on 21 April 2021 in Kolkata. He was 89.
He received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book “Babarer Prarthana” in 1977. He was conferrred with the Padma Bhushan award in 2011. He also received the Jnanpith Award in 2016.
Former Goa Minister, Somnath Juwarkar
- Former Goa minister Somnath Juwarkar died on Tuesday night, 20 April 2021. He was 74. He had represented Taleigao Assembly constituency from 1989 to 2002.