National
Textbook on "Introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems: Concepts and Applications”
⇒ On the occasion of Buddha Purnima, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education and Skill Development launched a textbook on “Introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems: Concepts and Applications” on 16 May 2022.
Textbook Curriculum Developed by:
The textbook curriculum is developed by Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore in association with VYASA Yoga Institute, Bengaluru, and Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Ernakulam.
Written by:
It is written by Prof. B Mahadevan, IIM Bangalore and co-authored by Assoc Prof. Vinayak Rajat Bhat, Chanakya University, Bengaluru, and Nagendra Pavana R N, with the school of Vedic Knowledge Systems at Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Ernakulam.
» This book seeks to fill in the gap for offering a required course on IKS, recently mandated by AICTE. Moreover, the New Education Policy (NEP) has also provided a clear trajectory for imparting IKS in the higher education curriculum, necessitating a book of this kind in several higher education institutions in the country in the days to come.
About IKS division:
- Established in October 2020, Indian Knowledge System (IKS) is an innovative cell under Ministry of Education (MoE) at AICTE, New Delhi.
- It seeks to promote interdisciplinary research on all aspects of IKS, preserve and disseminate IKS for further research and societal applications, actively engage for spreading the rich heritage of our country and traditional knowledge in the field of Arts and literature, Agriculture, Basic Sciences etc.
International
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited to Lumbini
⇒ Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Lumbini on 16 May 2022 on the occasion of Buddha Purnima at the invitation of the Hon’ble Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister of Nepal.
- As Prime Minister, this was Shri Narendra Modi’s fifth visit to Nepal and first to Lumbini since 2014.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited the Mayadevi Temple in Lumbini on May 16, 2022 as the first stop of his one-day visit to Lumbini.
India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage:
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, along with Prime Minister of Nepal Hon’ble Sher Bahadur Deuba, performed the shilanyaas ceremony for construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone, Lumbini, Nepal.
About Centre:
» The Centre will be constructed by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi, on a plot allocated to IBC by the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT), under an agreement between IBC and LDT signed in March 2022.
- International Buddhist Confederation, is a grantee body under the Ministry of Culture.
» The unique ‘India International Center for Buddhist Culture & Heritage’ will be constructed with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
» The built-up area is 6300 Sq metre and the cost of the project is around Rs 9846.46 Lakhs.
» The Buddhist Centre will be the first ‘Net Zero Emission’ building in Nepal, which it aims to achieve with Radiant Cooling technology & water bodies.
» Once completed, the Centre will be a world-class facility welcoming pilgrims and tourists from all over the world to enjoy the essence of spiritual aspects of Buddhism.
2566th Buddha Jayanti:
Shri Modi also attended the 2566th Buddha Jayanti Celebrations at International Convention Center and Meditation Hall at Lumbini.
- He addressed the Buddha Jayanti event organized by the Lumbini Development Trust under the aegis of the Government of Nepal.
Bilateral Meeting:
Both Prime Ministers held a bilateral meeting, during which they followed up on their discussions held on April 2 in New Delhi.
- They discussed specific initiatives and ideas to further strengthen cooperation in various sectors, including culture, economy, trade, connectivity, energy and development partnership.
- The two sides agreed in principle to establish sister city relations between Lumbini and Kushinagar, that are among the holiest sites of Buddhism and reflects the shared Buddhist heritage between the two countries.
List of MoUs/Agreements signed and exchanged during Prime Minister’s visit to Lumbini:
- Memorandum of Understanding between Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Lumbini Buddhist University on the establishment of Dr. Ambedkar Chair for Buddhist Studies
- Memorandum of Understanding between Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and CNAS, Tribhuvan University on the establishment of ICCR Chair of Indian Studies
- Memorandum of Understanding between Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Kathmandu University (KU) on the establishment of the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies
- Memorandum of Understanding in collaboration between Kathmandu University (KU), Nepal and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), India
- Letter of Agreement (LoA) between Kathmandu University (KU), Nepal and Indian Institute of Technology (IITM), India [ For Joint degree program at Master’s level]
- Agreement between SJVN Ltd and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) for Development and implementation of Arun 4 Project
About Lumbini:
Lumbini is the holy place where according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama at around 623 BC Lord Buddha, was born in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage.
Sports
YAI Multiclass Sailing Championship 2022 (IN-MDL Cup 2022)
⇒ YAI Multiclass Sailing Championship 2022 (IN-MDL Cup 2022) was conducted at Indian Naval Watermanship Training Centre Mumbai under the aegis of the Yachting Association of India and Indian Navy Sailing Association for senior Olympic classes of boats from 08 May to 15 May 2022.
Sponsored by:
The event was sponsored by M/s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and was a YAI ranking event as well as selection trials for the Asian Games.
- The races were conducted off Mumbai Harbour.
Participation:
A total of 97 sailors from 10 sailing clubs across the country participated in the keenly contested event. It was the first time in the history of Indian Sailing when medal race for five classes viz ILCA 7, ILCA 6, 49er, 470 (mixed) and RS:X were conducted.
Medals:
The participants from Indian Navy’s Sailing and Windsurfing teams exhibited a stellar performance in the YAI Multiclass Sailing Championship 2022 by winning two Gold (Nacra 17 and 470 mix classes), one Silver (470 mix class) and two Bronze medals (49er and iQFoil classes).
Important Day
47th Statehood Day of Sikkim
⇒ The 47th Statehood Day of Sikkim was celebrated on 16 May 2022.
Background:
On May 16, 1975, Sikkim became the 22nd state of the Union of India after the 36th amendment of the Constitution.