Important Days

Important Days

World AIDS Day – 1 December

World AIDS Day has been observed on 1 December every year since 1988.
The International day is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease.
The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Theme for 2022 is “Equalize”

Note

Tamil Nadu stands first in the National AIDS Control Organisation ranking for big states for AIDS-related works.
Tamil Nadu has bagged the first rank for various programmes in AIDS control and prevention.
In Tamil Nadu, 0.18% of the population is infected with HIV and 0.24% at a national level.

Defence, National Security and Terrorism

Coastal Security Conference in Chennai

Coastal Security Conference (CoSC) under the aegis of Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) was inaugurated at Chennai.
The heads of the Coast Guard of member countries India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Mauritius and observer countries- Bangladesh and Seychelles–participated in the conclave.
The theme of the Coastal Security Conference 2022 is “collaborative efforts for coastal security”.
The 5 basic principles to address issues of Maritime Security include

Legitimate maritime trade
Settling maritime disputes by peaceful means
Mitigating natural disasters & maritime threats
Preservation & protection of maritime environment
Encouraging responsible maritime connectivity for increasing maritime trade through creation of sustainable infrastructure.

About Coastal Security Conference

The CSC, was formed in 2011 as a trilateral maritime security grouping of India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
The grouping is in line with India’s vision of “SAGAR: Security and Growth for all in the Region” and now it includes Mauritius as a full-time member and Bangladesh and Seychelles as observer countries.

World Organisations – Pacts and Summits

India assumes monthly presidency of UNSC

India assumed the monthly rotating presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on December 1 for the second time in its two-year tenure as an elected member of the Council in 2021-22.
India had earlier assumed UNSC presidency in August 2021.
Under India’s December presidency of UNSC, there are two signature events at the ministerial level, scheduled for December 14 (Reformed Multilateralism) and December 15 (Counter-Terrorism).
The other signature event planned is the high-level briefing on the theme “Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts: Global Approach to Counter Terrorism — Challenges and Way Forward”, scheduled for December 15.

About UNSC

One of the six organs of the UN.
Formation – 24 October 1945
Membership – 15 countries (5 permanent and 10 non permanent members)
The permanent members are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
10 non permanent members are elected for a term of two years.
At Present, India is a non permanent member whose tenure ends in December 2022.

Awards and Honour

Award for Best Schools

Under the Perasiriyar Anbazhagan School Development Scheme, 18,000 classrooms and toilets will be constructed in five years at a cost of ₹7,500 crore. This year, ₹1,300 crore has been sanctioned. As many as 2,500 schools that are functioning without adequate classrooms will get priority.
This year, Rs 1,400 crore has been earmarked for the development of the school education sector and to improve the infrastructural facilities of schools.
In honour of the centenary memory of former Minister Anbazhagan, a statue of Anbazhagan will be installed at the Tamil Nadu Government Department of School Education Commissionerate (TPI) premises.
Chief Minister M.K.Stalin has announced that the best schools that exhibit multifaceted development such as learning and teaching, teacher skill development, leadership and student development will be given an award in the name of former minister Anbazhagan.
Tamil Nadu nationalized 42 books written by Anbazhagan and gave the license fee to the family.

Idol Wing hands out ‘NFT’ medals to its personne

The Tamil Nadu Police’s Idol Wing is the first police unit in the world to mint Soul bound Tokens (SBTs), a non transferable form of NFTs, as ‘digital medals’ to motivate officers in the wing.
Digital rewards will only augment the existing reward system and will not replace any of the existing rewards in the Police Department
The Tamil Nadu Police is the second police force in the world, after Dubai, to mint its own non-fungible tokens or NFTs to award their personnel as rewards.

Note

The Idol Wing CID is the first police unit in the world to create a virtual museum (www.tnidols.com) using augmented and virtual reality images of seized idols. The virtual museum was launched on February 27, 2022.

About NFTs

NFTs are unique digital assets stored and corroborated using blockchain technology.
Anything that can be converted into a digital form can be an NFT. Everything from drawings, photos, videos, GIFs, music, in-game items, selfies, and even a tweet can be turned into an NFT, which can then be traded online using cryptocurrency.
Terra Nulius was the first NFT (started in 2015) on Ethereum Blockchain

Appointments – Who is who?

New Principal Accountant General for T.N.

Senior Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS) oﬃcer C. Nedunchezhian was appointed as the Principal Accountant General of Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Nedunchezhian was involved in the auditing of the Central and State government departments and also various agencies of the United Nations.
He is a 1996 batch IAAS oﬃcer.