Jharkhand Affairs
20 schools to get air quality monitors
To educate children about airpollution, air quality monitors will be setup at 20 schools by SwitchON Foundation, a non-profit organization. On the occasion of Earth Day, the foundation announced the installation of real-time air quality monitors in 80 prominent schools and institutions in West Bengal,Jharkhand, and Odisha.
According to World Air Quality Report, 2021, India ranked fifth most polluted among 117 countries, regions and territories.
The non-profit organization’s team, along with experts and advisors, will instruct students on how to use the air quality data from these monitors and government monitors, prepare reports, raise awareness on their campus and in their community, and take positive action throughout the academic year. The monitors will report minute-by-minute variations in air quality and issue alerts if pollution levels increase.
National and International Affairs
Tipu Sultansfabled sword was found in the private bedchamber as it has now broken all auction records for an Indian object for Bonhams in London by fetching overGBP 14 millionat its Islamic and Indian Art sale this week. The sword from Tipu Sultans reign between 1782 and 1799, is described as a fine gold koftgari hilted steel sword referred to as sukhela, which is an emblem of authority.
The sword was found in the private apartments of Tipu Sultan and the Army of the East India Company presented it to Major General David Baird as a token of their high esteem of his courage and conduct in the assault which resulted in the killing of Tipu Sultan.
The Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj,Shri Giriraj Singh, recently launched the SAMARTH Campaign on Promoting Digital Transactions in 50,000 Gram Panchayats under the AzadiKaAmritMahotsav in Lucknow. This campaign, initiated by the Ministry of Rural Development, aims to promote digital transactions in rural areas, with a particular focus on empowering women. The launch event witnessed the participation of various dignitaries, including Chief MinisterYogi Adityanathand Minister of State Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti.
Under the SAMARTH Campaign, the government seeks to foster the adoption of digital transactions in 50,000 Gram Panchayats across India. This initiative aligns with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modis AzadiKaAmritMahotsav, which commemorates 75 years of Indias independence. The campaign commenced on February 1, 2023, and will continue until August 15, 2023.
A panel inJapans health ministryhas approved the countrysfirst abortion pill,in a major step for reproductive rights decades after other countries made abortion medication widely available. The ministrys pharmaceutical board granted approval to theMeFeego Pack,an abortion pill manufactured by British pharmaceutical Linepharma, according to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
The medication consists of two types of pill, and can be used within nine weeks of pregnancy, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. In a clinical trial in Japan, 93% of participants had a complete abortion within 24 hours. The medication combines mifepristone and misoprostol, which the World Health Organization has included in its Essential Medicines List, described as safe and effective for pregnant people.
It would provide an alternative to a surgical procedure amid calls for progress in womens reproductive rights and gender . In Japan, abortions have been usually performed with Metal instruments. As this procedure is invasive, medical experts and others are calling for introduction of abortion pills in Japan.