National
Book 'Reflections on India's Public Policies: by India's Experienced Policy Makers'
⇒ The Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar released the book ‘Reflections on India’s Public Policies’, co-authored by 1984 batch officers of the Indian Administrative Service, at the Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas in New Delhi on 13 May 2023.
The 10 Civil Servants from the 1984 batch are:
Ashok Dalwai, Arvind Mehta, Aalok Shrivastava, Ajay Tyagi, Rina Ray, Rajesh Singh, Shailendra Joshi, Shreemat Pandey, Satish Tewary, Tarun Shridhar
About Book:
‘Reflections on India’s Public Policies’ brings together the insights and analyses of ten IAS officers of the 1984 batch, on tackling some of the most critical issues facing the country, across diverse areas of public policy.
International
2nd G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) Meeting
⇒ The 2nd G-20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) Meeting took place in Mumbai from May 23 – 25, 2023.
- This gathering brought together government delegates, DRR specialists, UN agency officials, representatives of community-based organizations, multilateral development banks and financial groups, and research organizations.
- The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), an important stakeholder, was also present in the deliberations. By identifying opportunities and examining creative financing mechanisms, the meeting aims to mitigate the impact of disasters on vulnerable communities.
- This meeting was strategically planned to immediately follow the Mid-Term Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, organized by the President of the General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from May 18 -19, 2023. It was also built upon the cross-cutting theme emerging from the 1st DRRWG “Financing for DRR”, held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from March 31 – April 1, 2023.
Day 1:
- Various measures taken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for prevention, mitigation, and preparedness for various emergency situations, the performance of the Emergency Operations Centre during various natural and man-made disasters in Mumbai so far, the equipment of the Emergency Management Department, the efforts made to increase public participation, etc. was presented and explained to the G-20 delegates.
- Apart from this, discussions on the sidelines of the 2nd DRRWG Meet highlighted key pathways toward financing disaster risk reduction. Delegates deliberated on the issues of enhancing financial structure that can support Disaster Preparedness.
- Further, discussions aimed at Financing Disaster Response, Recovery & Reconstruction. It explored ways to achieve it through Insurance & Social Related Mechanisms in order to enhance support for low-income populations & vulnerable sectors.
Day 2:
» On the second day, the meeting of the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) was inaugurated.
The second day began with delegates discussing the ‘Roadmap for Disaster Risk Management.’
- It was followed by the first technical session on ‘Financing Early Warning & Early Action’ aimed at leveraging risk assessment and preparedness to build disaster resilience.
- The focus of the second technical session of the day revolved around understanding various elements of financing disaster-resilient infrastructure.
- During the technical sessions, the G20 countries discussed a roadmap for DRRWG for the next three years.
Day 3:
» On the last day, the third technical session of the 2nd DRRWG Meet delved into discussions that highlighted the significance of adopting a ‘build back better’ approach.
- It culminated with the technical and functional level officials coming to an understanding of the importance of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and Financing for Disaster Risk Reduction as the central theme of any discussion on Disaster Risk Reduction.
» The meeting concluded with a side event on Eco-Based Approaches for Disaster Risk Reduction by NDMA, which was organized in collaboration with knowledge partners like United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), UN Major Group on Children and Young People, UNEP, and others.
Important Day
World Migratory Bird Day 2023
⇒ In 2023, World Migratory Bird Day was celebrated on May 13 in the spring and October 14 in fall.
The two peak days of World Migratory Bird Day 2023 are 13 May and 14 October, reflecting the cyclical nature of bird migration with varying migration periods in the northern and southern hemispheres.
Theme:
- The conservation theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2023 was “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”.
- World Migratory Bird Day 2023 was focused on the topic of “water and its importance for migratory birds”.
- For the bulk of their life cycles, migratory birds are dependent on water habitats.
Significance:
- An annual awareness-building initiative called “World Migratory Bird Day” emphasizes the need to protect migratory birds and their habitats.
- It has a global outreach and is an effective tool to help raise global awareness of the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance, and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.
History:
- In 1993, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology began celebrations of the International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD).
- Thereafter, the first World Migratory Bird Day was launched by AEWA and CMS in April 2006, at the famous wildlife reserve called ‘Ol Ari Nyiro, owned by Ms. Kuki Gallmann in Laikipia, Kenya.
AEWA/CMS:
- The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) is an intergovernmental treaty dedicated to the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago.
- Developed under the framework of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and administered by the United Nations Environment Programme, AEWA brings together countries and the wider international conservation community in an effort to establish coordinated conservation and management of migratory waterbirds throughout their entire migratory range.
Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti
⇒ Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti is celebrated on May 7 or 9, 2023, to commemorate the birth of the great Bengali poet, Rabindranath Tagore.
As per Hindu calendar, this day was celebrated on May 7, 2023. As per Bengali Calendar, Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti was celebrated on the 25th day of Boisakh which was on May 9, 2023.
» Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in collaboration with Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University and Sanrachna Foundation held Rabindra Jayanti Celebrations on 12th May 2023 in New Delhi.
- This year the 162nd birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore was celebrated.
» On this occasion ‘Vigyan Vaibhav’ portal developed by IGNCA was launched by Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs. Vigyan Vaibhav is dedicated to seventy-five Indian scientists.
About Rabindranath Tagore:
- Rabindranath Tagore was a famous Bengali poet and writer. He was born to mother Sarada Devi and father Debendranath Tagore, on 7th May 1861 in Jorasanko Thakurbai in Kolkata.
- He was popularly known as Bard of Bengal and people used to call him Gurudev. He has made his contribution in the field of art and literature and the contribution he has made for Bengal and English literature is beyond compare.
- In the year 1913, he was the first Non-European, who received the noble prize for poetry collection named ‘Gitanjali’ which was the biggest achievement.
- He also composed the national anthems of India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
- Viswa Bharti University, which was known as Shantiniketan founded by Rabindranath Tagore.