2nd June, 2022 Current Affairs

Archana Lakkavajula

NATIONAL
Defence Ministry signs Rs. 2,971-crore deal for indigenous Astra Beyond Visual Range missiles

The Defence Ministry has signed a contract with the defence public sector undertaking Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for the supply of the indigenously developed Astra Mk-I Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air to air missiles and associated equipment for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Navy at a cost of Rs. 2,971 Crore.
The missile, for which successful trials have already been undertaken by the IAF, is fully integrated on the Su-30 MK-I fighter aircraft and will be integrated with other fighter aircraft in a phased manner, including the Light Combat Aircraft.

Pride Month (June) 2022 Significance and History
LGBT Pride Month

Every year from June 1 to 30, all the members of the LGBTQ community and their allies celebrate their identities through Pride Month. They recognize their accomplishments and their struggles in maintaining their equality with the world. They celebrate this month by organizing various events across the world to progress their idea of equal identity and create awareness globally.
LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Pride Month occurs in the United States to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBT people have had in the world.
Every year, during the month of June, the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex community, LGBTQI) population and their allies come together to celebrate and recognize the influence LGBTQ+ people have had around the world. It is so important because it marks the start of huge change within the LGBTQ+ community. Society has come a long way since the Stonewall Riots of 1969, but we need to continue to raise awareness, challenge negative attitudes, celebrates sexual and gender diversity and encourage inclusiveness.
For LGBTQ+ people, Pride Month promotes their dignity, equal rights, self-affirmation and is a way of increasing society’s awareness of the issues they face.
Today, some barriers to equal rights and opportunities remain and contribute to some of the negative experiences that the LGBTQ+ population faces. It is therefore crucial that NHS employers have open conversations in the workplace about the experience of their LGBTQ+ staff. It is also important that employers educate colleagues so that they can help to create a more welcoming working environment for all.
Each year there is a specific theme to make people aware of the achievements and struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. The theme for 2022 is Politics in Art and it is based on art and design.

What were the Stonewall Riots?

The riots were prompted by a raid that took place during the early morning, at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. The LGBT community held a series of spontaneous, often violent demonstrations to protest against the raid and calling for the establishment of places that gay, lesbian and transgender people could go and be open about their sexual orientation. In such places there should be no fears of being arrested. The riots served as a catalyst for the rights of LGBT people, and within six months, two gay activist groups had formed in New York. Over the years since the event, many gay rights organizations have been formed around the world.

Celebrations
Pride month is all about parades, demonstrations and parties. The New York Pride Parade is one of the largest and most well-known parades that take place this month. Approximately 5 lakh people attend the parade every year.

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Telangana Formation Day (02 June) is being celebrated

Telangana Day, also known as Telangana Formation Day, is celebrated on June 2 every year. Being observed since 2014, when Telangana was carved out of erstwhile unified Andhra Pradesh, today marks the 9th Telangana Formation Day.
Telangana was India's 29th state when it was founded, but after Jammu and Kashmir was designated as a UT in 2019, the country's youngest state became the 28th state. Telangana Formation Day is observed with great pomp and fervor throughout the state. The day is a public holiday in Telangana and is observed by a range of events and cultural activities organized by both government and private organizations around the state.
Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao was elected as the first chief minister of Telangana.
Every year, various programs and events are organized by the state government to celebrate Telangana Formation Day.
The roots of the Telangana movement to make it a separate state can be traced back to 1955 when the States Reorganisation Commission's recommendation to keep Hyderabad as a separate state was ignored.
Significance: Because of the long-running Telangana movement, the day is noteworthy in the state's history. Telangana was approximately 50 years in the making until it was finally recognized as a separate state. This day, June 2, commemorates the Telangana movement's achievement in forcing Andhra Pradesh's bifurcation. This not only gave the people of the region a distinct identity but also changed India's map.

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INTERNATIONAL
New law introduced in Canada aims to ‘freeze’ handgun ownership

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has unveiled new legislation that would implement “some of the harshest gun control measures” in decades, including a “freeze” on the country’s handgun purchases and sales.
Trudeau cited a succession of mass shootings in Canada over the years, as well as recent assaults in the United States, as part of his government’s motivation to propose Bill C-21 during a press conference in Ottawa.

ECONOMY
India’s economic growth expected to be 8.7% in FY22, Q4 GDP to be 4.1 %

India’s economic growth fell to 4.1 percent in January-March 2021-22, a four-quarter low, reflecting the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic’s Omicron wave on the manufacturing sector and contact-intensive services.
The National Statistical Office reduced its year-on-year gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for the full fiscal year 2021-22 to 8.7%, down from 8.9% anticipated in February. In the years 2020-21, the economy shrank by 6.6 percent.
GDP growth in the fourth quarter was lower than the 5.4 percent recorded in the October-December quarter, but higher than the 2.5 percent experienced in January-March 2021.
The GDP figure for FY22 is noteworthy since it shows growth in the year following the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic in 2020.
The most recent estimate of GDP growth is lower than the second advance estimate of 8.9% (published on February 28) and the first advance estimate of 9.2%. (released in January).
India’s GDP growth rate is expected to be 7.2 percent in 2022-23, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

PERSONS
Rajesh Gera appointed DG National Informatics Centre

Senior scientist Rajesh Gera has been appointed as the Director-General, National Informatics Centre (NIC), a Personnel Ministry order issued. He is currently Deputy Director-General in the NIC. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Gera, Scientist ‘G’, to the post of Director-General.
The National Informatics Centre is an Indian government organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, was established in 1976 with the objective to provide technology-driven solutions to central and state governments.

Indian-origin academic appointed to Bank of England’s monetary panel

Leading UK-based academic, Dr. Swati Dhingra has been named as the first Indian-origin woman to be appointed as an external member of the Bank of England’s interest rate-setting committee.
Dhingra will replace current external member, Michael Saunders, who has been on the MPC since August 2016.
Dhingra, who studied at the University of Delhi and got her Masters’s from the Delhi School of Economics, will join the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on August 9 for a three-year term. Dhingra is an Associate Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics (LSE) having specialisation in international economics and applied microeconomics.

Maharana Pratap Jayanti is being celebrated today

The 13th king of Mewar, Maharana Pratap was among the very few rules that stood up against the Mughal Empire. Maharana Pratap was born in a year when his father ascended the throne of Mewar’s royal family. According to the English calendar, Maharana Pratap was born on May 9, 1540. Hence, his birth anniversary is celebrated twice by his follower- once on June 9 and the second time, according to the Hindu calendar.
In 2022, Maharana Pratap’s birth anniversary will be celebrated on June 2 as per Vikram Samvat muhurat. Here are some interesting facts about him:

Birth Date

- The oldest reference to Maharana Pratap’s birth date comes up in Abul Fazal’s book Akbar Nama which mentions his birth date as per Hijri Calendar. The first reference in Vikram Samvat can be traced to poet Charan’s 1710 book Rawal Rana Baat.

Ascension to Throne

Maharana Pratap took over the throne of Mewar’s royal family at the age of 32 after his father Uday Singh II died.

Battle of Haldigathi

Maharana Pratap fought several battles against the Mughals, but the most difficult of them all was the Battle of Haldighati against Akbar’s forces. The battle started on June 18, 1576. Akbar sent many proposals to Maharana Pratap to accept Mughal suzerainty but he refused to bow down. While Akbar eventually managed to win the battle, he could not kill or capture Maharana Pratap or his family.

Recapture of Chittor

Maharana Pratap reclaimed many of his territories from Mughals but could not regain control of the heart of the Mewar empire, Chittor. Maharana Pratap’s son Amar Singh I eventually accepted Mughal supremacy and was allowed to enter Chittor.

Maharana Pratap’s Loyal Horse Chetak

Maharana Pratap shared a special bond with his loyal horse, Chetak. During the battle of Haldighati, Maharana Pratap, riding on Chetak, was attacked by Mughal army leader Man Singh I of Amber, who was on an elephant. During the encounter, the tusks of the elephant went through Chetak’s rear leg. However, despite the fatal injury, Chetak took injured Maharana Pratap away from the enemies and saved his life.

Published date : 03 Jun 2022 06:32PM