Published on: May 24, 2023

Snippets:21-23 MAY 2023

Snippets:21-23 MAY 2023

  • In a significant political development, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress party president, announced Siddaramaiah as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka. This decision concluded the contest primarily between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, who was subsequently appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister at the swearing-in ceremony. Article 164 of the Indian Constitution deals with the appointment of the states’ council of ministers. While it specifies the appointment of the Chief Minister by the Governor, it does not explicitly mention the Deputy Chief Minister’s post. However, the Deputy CM is generally considered equivalent to the rank of a cabinet minister and enjoys similar privileges and perks.
  • Jallikattu, the traditional rural sport involving bulls, has received judicial approval. A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has ruled that the amendment made in 2017 by the Tamil Nadu Assembly to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, facilitating the smooth conduct of the sport with stringent regulations, is valid.
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to withdraw ₹2,000 denomination banknotes from circulation in pursuance of its “Clean Note Policy”. However, the ₹2,000 notes will continue to be legal tender. A similar withdrawal of notes from circulation was undertaken in 2013-2014.
  • Bhopal has become the first city in India to join the growing global movement on localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) following the release of its Voluntary Local Review (VLR).
  • Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have proposed a new metric, which can help quantify image quality of the Sun taken from ground-based telescopes.
  • The annual G7 was held from May 19 to 21 in Hiroshima, Japan and was attended by Indian PM Narendra Modi and British PM Rishi Sunak. Various issues of global importance like the Ukraine war, generative AI, economy, military relations and more were discussed
  • World Bee Day is an annual event held on May 20th to increase understanding and recognition of the vital role bees and other pollinators play in our ecosystem. Theme: “Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production.”
  • The International Day for Biological Diversity, celebrated on May 22, is a global observance that highlights the importance of biodiversity and its crucial role in sustaining life on Earth. The theme for this year’s commemoration is “From Agreement to Action: Building Back Biodiversity.”
  • In a special ceremony at the Government House, H.E. Sir Bob Dadae, Governor-General of Papua New Guinea (PNG) conferred Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi with the Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu (GCL). This is the highest civilian award of PNG and recipients of the award are titled “Chief”.
  • Prime Minister Rabuka bestowed Prime Minister Modi with the highest honor of the Republic of Fiji – the Companion of the Order of Fiji (CF).
  • Ministry of Education, Government of India and US Department of State launched the India-US Working Group on Education and Skill Development in virtual mode, with the aim to enhance cooperation and collaboration between the two countries in the field of education and skill development. The establishment of the India-US Working Group on Education and Skill Development was announced by the leaders on the sidelines of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held between India and US in Washington DC.
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) issued new guidelines advising against the use of non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) like aspartame, saccharin, stevia and other derivatives as a “healthy” alternative to sugar.
  • Jyothi Surekha has claimed her maiden individual gold medal in the Archery World Cup Stage-1 in Antalya, and two mixed team gold medals in the first two stages of the World Cup