Brief Current Affairs of May 2022

Pulitzer Prizes 2022

Awardees in important categories

Amrit Sarovar Mission

Important points

1. The mission was launched by the Prime Minister on 24th April 2022 with a view to conserve water for the future
2. The Mission is aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country as a part of celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
3. In total, it would lead to creation of 50,000 water bodies of a size of about an Acre or more.
4. Six ministries/departments namely - Dept of Rural Development , Department of land resources, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Department of Water resources, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate changes would be involved in implementing this mission.
5. Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Application and Geo-informatics(BISAG-N) has been engaged as Technical partner for the Mission.
6. The Mission Amrit Sarovar is to be completed by 15th August 2023.
7. Local freedom fighter, their family members, Martyr’s family members, Padma Awardee and citizens of the local area wherein an Amrit Sarovar is to be constructed, will be engaged at all stages.
8. On every 15th August, National Flag hoisting will be organised on every Amrit Sarovar site.
9. So far, 12,241 sites are finalised for construction of Amrit Sarovarsby States/Districts, out of which works has started on 4,856 Amrit Sarovars.
10. India's first Amrit Sarovar was inaugurated in Patwai, Rampur (Uttar Pradesh) on 13 May 2022 by the Union Minister Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

Khelo India University Games 2021

QUAD SUMMIT 2022

Venue: Tokyo

Date: 24 May 2022

Attended by: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, and President Joe Biden of the United States.

Highlights of the Joint Statement issued at the end of the Summit.

1. Steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.
2. Ukraine: Strong resolve to maintain peace and stability in the region.
3. ASEAN: Reaffirm unwavering support for ASEAN unit and centrality.
4. KOREA: Reaffirm commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs).
5. MYANMAR: Remain deeply concerned by the crisis in Myanmar, which has caused grave humanitarian suffering and posed challenges to regional stability.
6. TERRORISM: Condemn unequivocally terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterate that there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds whatsoever.
7. COVID-19 and Global Health Security: Commit, as members of the Group of Friends of UHC, to take global leadership to further strengthen and reform the global health architecture for enhancing PPR and promoting UHC in the lead up to the UN High Level Meeting on UHC to be held in 2023.
8. Climate: To steadfastly implement the Paris Agreement and deliver on the outcomes of COP26. Launch of "Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP)” with "mitigation” and "adaptation” as its two themes. Q-CHAMP includes ongoing activities under the Quad Climate Working Group on: green shipping and ports aiming for a shared green corridor framework building on each Quad country’s input; clean energy cooperation in clean hydrogen and methane emissions from the natural gas sector.
9. Cybersecurity: Recognize an urgent need to take a collective approach to enhancing cybersecurity.
10. Quad Fellowship: Official launch of the Quad Fellowship, which will bring 100 students from India, Japan and Australia to the United States each year to pursue graduate degrees in STEM fields, and is administered by Schmidt Futures. The first class of Quad Fellows will begin their studies in the third quarter of 2023.
11. Space: Each Quad partner will endeavor to improve public access to Earth observation satellite data and applications.
12. Maritime Domain Awareness and HADR: Establishment of the "Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the Indo-Pacific”. This Partnership will further strengthen the collaboration to effectively respond to disasters in the region.