President Droupadi Murmu Gives Assent to Women’s Reservation Bill 2023
- President Droupadi Murmu has granted assent to the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023, which mandates
a 33% reservation (one-third of total seats) for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative assemblies,
and National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. This historic decision was officially approved by the
President on September 28, 2023.
- Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairperson, Jagdeep Dhankhar on September 28 signed the
women’s reservation Bill as passed by
Parliament before it was presented to
President Droupadi Murmu for her
assent.
- Following the President’s assent, this Bill
will be recognized as the Constitution
(106th Amendment) Act.
- The Women’s Reservation Bill 2023,
officially titled as The Constitution
(128th Amendment) Bill, 2023 and
commonly referred to as Nari Shakti
Vandan Adhiniyam, has been introduced
in the Indian Parliament.
- This bill, which aims to enhance gender representation, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 19th
September 2023 during a special parliamentary session.
- The Women’s Reservation Bill cannot be enacted into law until the year 2026.The bill can only become
effective after a process known as “delimitation” is carried out in the country.Delimitation is necessary to
allocate seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies in a manner that reserves a specific
percentage (in this case, 33 percent) for women
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Launched Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav and
Technology & Bharatiya Bhasha Summit
- Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the
Ministry of Education(MoE) and the Ministry
of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
(MSDE), launched the Bharatiya Bhasha
Utsav and inaugurated the two-day
Technology & Bharatiya Bhasha summit in
New Delhi, Delhi
- The 2-day summit, held from 30th September
to 1st October 2023, was organised as a part of
the 75-day Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav that
commenced on 28 September 2023 and will
conclude on 11 December 2023.
- An exhibition was also set up to showcase
Bharatiya Bhasha technology products, and
their applications by the industries, government
organizations, and start-ups.
About Ministry of Education (MoE):
Union Minister– Dharmendra Pradhan (Rajya Sabha Madhya Pradesh)
Ministers of State– Annpurna Devi (Constituency- Kodarma,Jharkhand); Dr. Subhas Sarkar (ConstituencyBankura, West Bengal); Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh (Constituency- Inner Manipur, Manipur)
SBI Life Insurance & State Bank of Sikkim Sign a Bancassurance Pact to Offer
Insurance Products
- SBI Life Insurance Company Limited
signed a bancassurance pact with the
State Bank of Sikkim (SBS) to make
insurance solutions accessible to the
residents of Sikkim
- The agreement was signed by P.
Wangdi Bhutia, Managing Director,
State Bank of Sikkim, and Jayant
Pandey, Regional Director- Bengal
region, SBI Life Insurance at the SBS’s
headquarters in Gangtok, Sikkim
- Bancassurance is an agreement between
a bank and an insurance company,
through which the insurer can sell its products to the bank’s customers.
- Through this partnership, the State Bank of Sikkim offers SBI Life’s diverse range of protection, wealth
creation, and savings insurance products to its customers
Captain Bana Singh PVC Nominated as Ambassador for ‘War Against Waste’ in J&K
- Directorate of Rural Sanitation, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) has nominated Param Vir
Chakra(PVC) Awardee Captain Bana Singh as the ambassador for the “War Against Waste”, initiative
to takle sanitation challenges in rural areas of J&K
- The “War Against Waste” campaign attempts to resolve waste
management and environmental conservation challenges in
rural J&K.
- Captain Bana Singh’s participation in the cause will create
awareness, encourage sustainable practices, and inspire local
populations to actively participate in waste reduction and the
preservation of J&K’s scenery.
- Charandeep Singh, Director of Rural Sanitation of J&K
announced the nomination of ambassador at Captain Bana
Singh Stadium, R. S. Pura, Jammu during the Swachhata Hi
Seva (SHS 2023) campaign.
Key Points:
- The Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS 2023) campaign was celebrated
from 15th September to 2nd October 2023 under the joint aegis
of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS)
and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
The theme of SHS-2023 is ‘Garbage Free India’ with a focus
on visual cleanliness and the welfare of SafaiMitras(sanitation
Workers).
- The campaign aims to mass movement through community participation to reinforce the concept of
Sanitation as everyone’s business.
- It also was part of Swachh Bharat Diwas (2nd October) with nationwide participation
About Jammu and Kashmir(J&K):Lieutenant Governor – Manoj Sinha
Dance Forms – Wuegi-Nachun, Bacha Nagma, Bhand Jashan
Festivals – Hemis Festival, Sindhu Darshan Festival, Amarnath Yatra
Mohamed Muizzu Elected as the President of Maldives
Mohamed Muizzu of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) was elected as the New President of
Maldives. He is set to be sworn in on 17th November 2023.
He defeated the incumbent President
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (2018 to 2023)
of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)
by securing 54% of the votes.
Key Points:
- The 45-year-old Mohamed Muizzu is
currently serving as the mayor of the
capital Male since 2021, and he is the first
mayor of Male to be elected by the people
- He had served as the minister of housing
and environment from 2012 to 2018 under
then-Maldives president Abdulla Yameen.
During his tenure as minister, he oversaw
the building of the China-Maldives friendship bridge that connects the capital Male’, the international
airport on Hulhule, and man-made Hulhumale Island.
- He had also served as the Governor of the Maldives for the Asian Infrastructure Development Bank
(AIDB).
About Maldives:
The Maldives is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, comprised of 1192 islands that stretch along a length
of 871 kilometers.
President – Mohamed Muizzu
Capital – Male
Currency – Maldivian Rufiyaa
Indian Army celebrated 197th Gunners Day – 28th September 2023
Regiment of Artillery, an operational arm of Indian Army, annually observes September 28th as the
“Gunners Day”.
The 28th of September 2023 marks the observance of the
197th Gunners day.
The day commemorates the raising of 5 (Bombay) Mountain
Battery, equipped with 2.5-inch Guns as the 8th Company of
the Golandaz Battalion, Bombay Foot Artillery (India’s first
Artillery unit), on 28th September 1827.
What is Artilley?
Artillery refers to a group of soldiers primarily armed with
some form of manufactured weapon or armour.
About Regiment of Artillery:
i.The Regiment of Artillery, the second-largest arm of the
Indian Army, has been a part of the Indian defence since its independence.
ii.The motto of the Regiment is Sarvatra Izat-o-Iqbal (Everywhere with Honour and Glory)
International Day of Older Persons 2023 – October 1
- United Nations (UN)’s International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) is annually observed across the globe
on October 1 to raise awareness of the contributions and achievements of older individuals (defined as
those aged 65 years or older) in society, as well as to promote their well-being and inclusion in all aspects
of life.
- 1st October 2023 marks the observance of the 33nd anniversary of
the IDOP.
- Theme: The theme for IDOP 2023 is “Fulfilling the Promises of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons:
Across Generations.”
- The theme highlights the unique needs of older people globally in
terms of their rights and reporting violations, in addition to
fostering solidarity through equity and reciprocity between the
generations offers long-term solutions to fulfil the Sustainable
Development Goals’ (SDG) promise.
International Coffee Day 2023- October 1
- International Coffee Day (ICD) is annually observed
across the globe on 1 October to celebrate and promote the
global love and appreciation for coffee. This day provides
an opportunity to recognize the significant cultural,
economic, and social impact of coffee around the world.
- ICD aims to recognise the millions of people across the
globe, from farmers to roasters, baristas, coffee shop
owners, and more, who work hard to create and serve the
beverage
- The 2023 theme of International Coffee Day is, “promoting
the right to a safe and healthy working environment in the
coffee supply chain”.
- ICD is celebrated by the International Coffee Organisation (ICO), with its 77 Member States and dozens
of coffee associations from around the world.
World Vegetarian Day 2023 – October 1
World Vegetarian Day(WVD) is annually observed across the
globe on October 1 to promote the joy, compassion and lifeenhancing possibilities of vegetarianism.
World Vegetarian Day marks the beginning of Vegetarian
Awareness Month, which begins on 1st October and
concludes on 1st November, World Vegan Day.
Key Points:
- World Vegetarian Day was formed in 1977 by the North
American Vegetarian Society (NAVS).
- The day was endorsed by the International Vegetarian
Union (IVU) in 1978.
- As of now World Vegetarian Day is celebrated in more than 180 countries around the world.
It is also recognized as a national day in several countries, including India, Brazil, China, France, and
Thailand.