International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

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Civil Services Day is celebrated on April 21 every year in India. This day is celebrated to commemorate the day when the first home minister of Independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, addressed administrative services officers in 1947.

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The Human Rights Day (HRD) is observed every year on December 10 to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration was adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948 as the shared standard benchmark to protect human rights across the world.

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BIMSTEC-Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
The BIMSTEC is sub-regional grouping comprising of seven countries of South Asia- India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and South East Asia- – Myanmar, Thailand. It was established on 6 June 1997 through Bangkok Declaration. It is headquartered at Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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Pinaka is a multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for the Indian Army. The DRDO began developing the Pinaka in the late 1980s as an alternative to Russian-made systems. The Pinaka can fire 12 rockets and is designed to engage targets at a range of up to 40 km. It was used extensively by the Army during the Kargil War.
The Pinaka is named after “Pinaka”, the bow of Lord Shiva.

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The Universal Health Coverage Day (UHCD) is observed annually on December 12 to promote the human right to health. The day is the anniversary of the first unanimous United Nations resolution calling for all nations to provide for their citizens affordable, quality health care and is promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Nuclear Suppliers Group was formed by  seven countries viz. Canada, West Germany, France, Japan, the USSR, the United Kingdom, and the United States in response to the ‘Smiling Buddha’ (Pokharan-I) of India in 1974. 

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The SAARC Food Bank was established during the 15th SAARC Summit held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2008. This initiative aimed to address food security issues among member countries by providing a mechanism for food assistance during crises. The food bank is a important step towards regional cooperation in agriculture and food security within South Asia, which is home to a large population facing food scarcity challenges.

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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 37 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. It is headquartered at Paris, France. The OECD publishes and updates a model tax convention that serves as a template for allocating taxation rights between countries.

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International Bill of Human Rights consists of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted in 1948),
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) with its two Optional Protocols and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966).
The two covenants entered into force in 1976, after a sufficient number of countries had ratified them.

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The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was an international treaty which was organized in 1987. The UN General Assembly celebrate 16th September in memory of the date in 1987 when nations inked the Montreal Protocol.