PIB Summary- 15th May, 2022 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Lumbini, Nepal

Details:

• The Indian Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Lumbini in Nepal.
  (i) Lumbini is the holy place where according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama at around 623 B.C.
  (ii) Emperor Ashoka is believed to have visited Lumbini. To commemorate his visit to Lumbini, a sandstone pillar (minor pillar edict) has been erected. The pillar has a Pali inscription in Brahmi script.
  (iii) Lumbini is home to excavated remains of Buddhist viharas (monasteries) of the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD and the remains of Buddhist stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD.
  (iv) Lumbini is a major Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature.
  (v) Lumbini was included in the list of World Heritage areas by UNESCO in 1997.
• The Prime Minister will be visiting the Mayadevi Temple and participating in the “Shilanyas” ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone during his official visit to Lumbini on Vaishakha Buddha Purnima.
  (i) Vaishakha Buddha Purnima day is recognized as the thrice blessed day that marks the Birth, Enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana of Lord Buddha.
  (ii) While Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal, he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya in Bihar, preached his first sermon at Sarnath and attained Nirvana in Kushinagar, in Uttar Pradesh.
• The Prime Minister will also attend celebrations to mark the occasion of Buddha Jayanti organised by the Government of Nepal.
• The visit apart from its cultural significance also offers an opportunity for deepening of the India-Nepal bilateral ties in multiple areas, including in hydropower, development, and connectivity.

Shri Rajiv Kumar assumes charge as the 25th CEC of India

Context
Shri Rajiv Kumar has assumed charge as the 25th Chief Election Commissioner of India.

Details:

• Rajiv Kumar would be succeeding Sushil Chandra, who retired recently. Rajiv Kumar will preside over the 2024 Lok Sabha election as his tenure as the CEC is till February 2025.
  (i) The Chief Election Commissioner have a tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
• Notably, Shri Rajiv Kumar has been serving in ECI as Election Commissioner and is also a former Finance Secretary.
  (i) As per the Constitution of India, the Election Commission shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and such number of other election commissioners, if any, as the President may from time to time fix. Presently, it consists of the CEC and two Election Commissioners.
  (ii) Neither the Constitution nor the Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business)] Act, 1991have any explicit prescriptions regarding the qualifications for the appointment of a person as the Chief Election Commissioner.
• The new CEC stated that technology would be used further to simplify processes and to bring about transparency and ease of voter services for better election management and operations.

Thomas Cup

• The Indian men’s badminton team has created history by winning the coveted Thomas Cup for the first time with a 3-0 victory over 14-time champion Indonesia in the final in Bangkok.
• The Thomas Cup is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport’s global governing body. It is also referred to as the World Men’s Team Championships for Badminton.