National
Chief Secretary of Bihar
⇒ Senior IAS officer Shri Tripurari Sharan has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Bihar. Mr Sharan is an IAS officer of 1985 batch of Bihar cadre. He will continue to remain at the helm as the state chief secretary till June 30, when he is scheduled to retire.
Jharkhand presented their Jal Jeevan Mission Annual Action Plan
⇒ The State of Jharkhand presented their Jal Jeevan Mission Annual Action Plan for financial year 2021-22. During presentation, the State of Jharkhand reiterated its commitment to achieve ‘Har Ghar Jal’ target by 2024.
Achievement:
The State has 58.95 lakh rural households, out of which 7.40 lakh (12.6%) have assured tap water supply. Since the announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in August, 2019, over 4 lakh tap water connections have been provided.
Plan for 2021-22:
For the year 2021-22, Jharkhand plans to provide 7.50 lakh tap connections across the state. In the 2021-22, Jharkhand is likely to get about Rs 1,400 Crore as Central grant to take up various works under Jal Jeevan Mission.
Snake named after Herpetologist Deepak Veerappan
⇒ A tiny snake of just 20 cm length with iridescent scales has been named after Herpetologist Deepak Veerappan, called ‘Xylophis deepaki’. This tiny snake was firstly spotted in a coconut plantation in Kanyakumari.
The snake is now reported to be an endemic species of Tamil Nadu. It has also been sighted in a few locations in the southern part of the Western Ghats.
For this species, common name suggested is ‘Deepak’s wood snake’.
International
Chargé d’Affaires at United States embassy in New Delhi
⇒ Ambassador Daniel Smith, the Director of the Foreign Service Institute who recently served as acting Secretary of State and Acting Deputy Secretary of State, has been appointed as Chargé d’Affaires at United States embassy in New Delhi.
Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2021
⇒ First-ever person from India Dr Tahera Qutbuddin won the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2021. This was the 15th Sheikh Zayed Book Award.
The Indian origin & US citizen professor won the award for her book ‘Arabic Oration: Art and Function’. The book was published by Brill Academic Publishers of Leiden in 2019.
ABOUT AWARD:
The literary award was established in UAE in 2007, in the memory of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the principal architect of United Arab Emirates, the authoritarian ruler of Abu Dhabi. The award is also known as Arabic world’s Nobel Prize.
Important Day
Statehood Day
⇒The Indian state of Gujarat and Maharashtra celebrated their Statehood Day on 01 May 2021.
International Labour Day
⇒ International Labour Day also known as May Day is celebrated every year on 1 May Globally. International Labor Day is dedicated to workers around the world to become aware of their rights.
The Labour Day is celebrated to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago, USA. In India, the first Labour Day or May Day was celebrated in the year 1923 by the Labour Kisan Party in Chennai.
Death
Sitar maestro, Pandit Debabrata Chaudhuri
⇒ Legendary sitar maestro Pandit Debabrata Chaudhuri died on 01 May 2021in New Delhi. He was 85.
He wrote six books including ‘Sitar and It’s Techniques’, ‘Music of India’ etc. He also composed eight new ragas including Bisweswari, Palas-Sarang, Anuranjani etc.
He was conferred with the Padma Bhushan award in 1992 in the field of Art. He was also honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution in the field of music.
Tamil Filmmaker, Thamira
⇒ Tamil Filmmaker, Thamira died on 27 April 2021 in Chennai. He was 53. He was a director of film such as ‘Rettaisuzhi’, & ‘Aan Devathai’.