Today in History (Apr 29^th, 1848)

Birth of Raja Ravi Varma on 29th April 1848. He was an Indian painter and artist. He is one of the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. He was notable for making affordable lithographs of his paintings available to the public, which greatly enhanced his reach and influence as a painter. Raja Ravi Varma was born on 29 April 1848 in Kilimanoor at Kilimanoor (present Kerala).

Let’s revise

A) EVMs were first used in 1982 in the State Legislative Assembly elections in________

1. Kerala
2. Karnataka
3. Tamil Nadu
4. Goa

Ans. (a)
B) For cross-verification of all EVMs and VVPATs across the country. Now, only _______% of EVM-VVPAT counts are randomly verified in any constituency.

1. 15
2. 5
3. 25
4. 35

Ans. (b)

C) The first time election for first Lok Sabha were held in ____

1. 1947-48
2. 1948-49
3. 1951-52
4. It was not elected Lok Sabha

Ans. (c)
D) The recently meeting of defence ministers of SCO was held in____

1. Astana
2. New Delhi
3. Beijing
4. Islamabad

Ans. (a)

E) The quantity of solar radiation available to be converted by solar panels to electricity is showing an “alarming decreasing trend” in several locations in India. It has been reported by_________

1. India Meteorological Department (IMD)
2. NITI Aayog
3. Ministry of Science and Technology
4. Ministry of Space Sciences

Ans. (a)

F) Where are the headquarters of SCO-Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?

1. Beijing
2. Moscow
3. Astana
4. SCO has no permanent office

Ans. (a)

G) ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ was the headline of which meeting?

1. SCO defence minister meeting
2. G20 India meeting
3. G7 meeting
4. None of the above

Ans. (b)

Summary of Today’s News

NHRC accreditation status will face review test this week

• It was on hold in 2023
• The meeting of the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the UN-recognised Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) worldwide will be held on May 1

• • GANHRI is the global association of NHRIs which promotes and strengthens NHRIs to operate in line with the Paris Principles and provides leadership in the promotion and protection of human rights.

• It is as part of the five-year peer review for each member of the 114-member alliance.
• In this meeting the decision will be taken on whether India’s human rights body will retain its “A status” or not.
• The decision over whether the NHRC is given an A or B rating will affect its ability to vote at the UN Human Rights Council and some UNGA bodies.
• Last year-2023-The NHRC’s ratings were put on hold based on the concerns on

• • its composition procedure,
  • the presence of police personnel in human rights investigations, and
  • The lack of gender and minority representation.

• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is understood to have reached out to various countries involved in the review process to make its case through diplomatic channels. This is the second time the Modi government is facing a possible listing downgrade.
• They also cited the “undue influence” of international civil society organisations that have been critical of India since 2014.
• Last week, the MEA had also reacted sharply to the U.S. State department’s global report that spoke of “significant” human rights concerns in India, calling the report “biased” and reflecting a “poor understanding of India”.
• While the NHRC Chairperson, retired Supreme Court judge Justice Arun Kumar Mishra had travelled to Geneva last year for the GANHRI SCA meeting on India, the NHRC is expected to attend this year’s review meeting on Wednesday online.

Key Points about National Human Rights Commission

• Established on 12th October 1993, under the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993.
• It is India’s independent national statutory body.
• It ensures the protection of rights related to life, liberty, equality, and dignity of individuals.
• Rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution and international covenants enforceable by Indian courts.
• The Commission consists of a chairperson, five full-time Members and seven deemed Members.
• Chairman is a former Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge.

Bru community

For the first time, Bru voters exercised their franchise in Tripura Lok Sabha election.

Key Points about Bru Community
• Bru community members are also known as Reangs
• Bru community have historically residence in Mizoram, Tripura, and parts of southern Assam.
• Reangs in Tripura are categorised as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
• They are ethnically distinct from the Mizos of Mizoram.
• Over 30000 Brus fled Mizoram following ethnic clashes with Mizo tribes in 1997 and were forced to live in the refugee camps in Tripura.
• In 2020, a quadripartite agreement (among Centre, Governments of Tripura and Mizoram, and Bru-Reang representatives) was signed to facilitate permanent settlement of Bru refugees in Tripura.

World Energy Council

The 26th World Energy Congress, co-hosted by the World Energy Council (WEC), concluded in Rotterdam (Netherlands).

Key Points about World Energy Council
• It was formed in 1923.
• The WEC is an UN-accredited not for-profit global energy body.
• Its mission is to enable access to clean, affordable and reliable energy for better lives and a healthier planet.
• It plays very important role by developing practical solutions and by convening network of global energy transition leaders and practitioners.