International Day of Living Together in Peace 2023

• The International Day of Living Together in Peace is commemorated annually on May 16 with the purpose of advancing global unity, acceptance, inclusivity, empathy, and unity among individuals and communities.
• This observance serves as a reminder to prioritize peaceful cohabitation, mutual admiration, and cooperation among people from various cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds.

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Union Home Minister Inaugurated a Training Programme on Legislative Drafting in the National Capital

• In New Delhi, the training program on legislative drafting was inaugurated by Home Minister Amit Shah.
• The objective of this program is to enhance the comprehension of legislative drafting principles and methodologies among officers from Parliament, State Legislatures, different ministries, statutory bodies, and various government departments.

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Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Assumed the Position of Deputy Chief of the Air Staff

• Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed the position of Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. Having completed the Staff Course in Bangladesh and the National Defence College in New Delhi, he holds a distinguished educational background.
• With over 3300 hours of flying experience on fighter, trainer, and transport aircraft, the Air Marshal is not only a Qualified Flying Instructor but also an Experimental Test Pilot. He actively participated in Operation Safed Sagar and Rakshak.

Operation Safed Sagar

• Operation Safed Sagar was the code name assigned to the Indian Air Force's role in acting jointly with the Ground troops during the 1999 Kargil war that was aimed at flushing out regular and irregular troops of the Pakistani Army from vacated Indian Positions in the Kargil sector along the Line of Control. It was the first large scale use of Airpower in the Jammu and Kashmir region since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

Operation Rakshak

• Since its inception in June 1990 during the peak of insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, Operation Rakshak has been an ongoing military campaign focused on counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism.

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The US Senate Has Approved Geeta Rao Gupta as the Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues

• Indian American Geeta Rao Gupta has received confirmation from the US Senate as the Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues in the State Department.
• The department expressed anticipation for her endeavours in advancing the rights of women and girls through US foreign policy. Gupta's confirmation was secured with a vote of 51 to 47 earlier this week.
• Reference Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/world/indian-american-geeta-rao-gupta-confirmed-by-us-senate-to-be-ambassador-at-large-for-global-womens-issues-8606673/

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National Technology Week 2023 Concludes in Delhi

• On the 11^th of May each year, National Technology Day is observed to honour the remarkable technological achievements of the country.
• This significant date marks the momentous occasions of "Operation Shakti" and the successful flight test of "Hansa 3" in the year 1998, bringing immense pride to India.
• The event was inaugurated by the respected Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. Commending the event's theme of "School to Start-ups - igniting young minds to innovate," the Prime Minister emphasized the pivotal role that today's youth and children will play in shaping India's future.

Operation Shakti

• In May 1998, the Pokhran site became the venue for India's second series of nuclear tests, known as "Operation Shakti." Led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, these tests involved the detonation of five nuclear devices over a three-day period. The final test was a thermonuclear or hydrogen bomb.

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Ministry of Defence Approves 4th Positive Indigenisation List to Promote ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in Defence

• To advance self-sufficiency and reduce imports in the defence sector, Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has sanctioned the fourth Positive Indigenisation List (PIL).
• This list comprises 928 strategically significant Line Replacement Units (LRUs), subsystems, spares, and components, including high-end materials and spares.
• The total value of import substitution for these items is estimated at Rs 715 crore.
• The objective of this initiative is to enhance "Aatmanirbharta" (self-reliance) by encouraging indigenous production in Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).

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SCO Adopted India's Proposal to Adopt Digital Public Infrastructure

• Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, has stated that the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) are in favour of embracing Indian digital public infrastructure, including Aadhaar, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), DigiLocker, and CoWin.
• The SCO grouping includes Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and India.

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4^th Edition of India-Indonesia Bilateral Exercise Samudra Shakti-23

• The indigenously designed and constructed ASW Corvette, INS Kavaratti, has reached Batam, Indonesia, to take part in the 4^th edition of the India-Indonesia Bilateral exercise known as Samudra Shakti-23, scheduled from 14^th to 19^th May 2023.
• Alongside, an Indian Navy Dornier Maritime Patrol aircraft and Chetak helicopter will also be participating in the exercise.
• The Indonesian Navy will be represented by KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda, CN 235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft, and AS565 Panther Helicopter.
• The primary objective of Exercise Samudra Shakti is to strengthen interoperability, jointness, and cooperation between the Indian and Indonesian navies.
• Samudra Shakti-23 will serve as a platform to demonstrate the high level of interoperability between the two navies, highlighting their shared dedication to regional peace and stability.

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WHO Has Introduced a Framework Focused on Diminishing Anaemia Among Women of Reproductive Age

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched its inaugural all-encompassing framework aimed at decreasing anaemia, urging countries to expedite efforts to cut anaemia prevalence in women of reproductive age by 50% before 2025.
• Anaemia represents a significant global public health concern, impacting 571 million women and 269 million young children across the globe.
• The new framework sets forth ways to address the direct causes, risk factors and broad social inequities that are fundamental drivers for anaemia.

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Indian Navy Successfully Test Fired a BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile

• The Indian Navy successfully conducted a test launch of a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from its frontline guided missile destroyer INS Mormugao.

BrahMos Key Factors

• BrahMos is a medium-range missile jointly developed by India and Russia, capable of being launched from submarines, warships, aircraft, and land.
• The missile is named after two rivers, namely India's Brahmaputra and Russia's Moskva. It can carry nuclear warheads and has a speed of 2.8 Mach, almost three times the speed of sound.
• India has been exporting BrahMos missiles, and in January 2022, it signed a $375 million contract with the Philippines to supply three missile batteries.