International Day of Cooperatives 2023

• International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated on the first Saturday of July every year.
• It was first celebrated under the auspices of the United Nations in 2005, though its history as a day celebrated by the international cooperative movement and the International Co-operative Alliance goes back 1923.
• The primary objective of the International Day of Cooperatives is to acknowledge the valuable contributions made by cooperatives in addressing major international issues, which have garnered the attention of the United Nations.
• The chosen theme for the International Day of Cooperatives 2023 is "Sustainable Development through Cooperatives."

Children's Writer Michael Rosen Received PEN Pinter Prize 2023

• Michael Rosen, a celebrated children's author and performance poet, aged 77, has been recognized with the prestigious PEN Pinter Prize 2023.
• This esteemed award is bestowed upon a writer from the United Kingdom, Ireland, or the Commonwealth, whose extensive body of work fearlessly exposes and illuminates truths about the complexities of contemporary life.

‘Jagananna Amma Vodi’ Scheme

• Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh has embarked on a noteworthy endeavour to promote education and empower mothers by introducing the Jagananna Amma Vodi scheme.
• With a budget allocation of ₹6,392 crore, this program seeks to extend financial support to approximately 42 lakh mothers, granting them an annual sum of ₹15,000 as an incentive for sending their children to school.

P M Prasad as the Chairman and Managing Director of CIL

• P M Prasad, the current Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), has been appointed as the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Coal India Limited (CIL), a Schedule ‘A’ Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).
• Previously, he held the position at CCL, a subsidiary of Coal India situated in Jharkhand, effectively guided the company to meet its production goals in the fiscal year 2022-23.

Kameshwar Rao Kodavanti as CFO of State Bank of India

• Kameshwar Rao Kodavanti, an experienced banking expert, has been designated as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of State Bank of India.
• Kodavanti was chosen to fill the position following the resignation of Charanjit Surinder Singh Attra. His appointment became effective as of July 1, 2023.

Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol on which aims to eradicate anaemia by 2047.
• The objective of this mission is to address the pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population.
• The mission's implementation will cover a total of 278 districts across 17 states in India. These states include Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.

Sickle Cell Anaemia

• Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA), as defined by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), encompasses a group of inherited conditions affecting red blood cells that play a crucial role in oxygen transportation throughout the body.
• In individuals with SCA, the haemoglobin responsible for carrying oxygen becomes defective, causing the red blood cells to adopt a hardened and adhesive form, resembling the characteristic shape of a 'sickle' – a curved farm implement.