Current affairs 19 June 2024

Youth Group created Mini-Forest in Raipur using Miyawaki Method.

• The Young India Group in Raipur developed a mini-forest using the Japanese Miyawaki method, planting over 2,500 saplings in 5,000 sq ft at Gandhi Udyan to combat air pollution.
• Miyawaki forests are known for absorbing 30% more CO2.
• The initiative aims to maximize plant density in small spaces, enhancing oxygen levels and reducing pollution, with plans to replicate the concept city-wide.

MRU installs Delhi NCR's 1st GNSS Receiver in collaboration with ISRO.

• Manav Rachna University (MRU) partners with ISRO and NARL to install a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, becoming the first university in Delhi NCR to do so.
• The installation, overseen by NARL-ISRO scientists, aims to enhance multidisciplinary research in atmospheric and space sciences, offering hands-on experience for students in various engineering and science departments.

Calcutta HC Orders 1% Job Reservation for Transgenders in Bengal.

• Previously, in National Legal Service Authority v. Union of India, the SC ruled that the third gender must have the same fundamental rights as men and women, legally recognizing them.
• The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019 prohibits discrimination in work, education, and healthcare, ensuring their rights under Articles 14, 15, 16, 19(1)(a), and 21 of the Indian Constitution.

NHAI to enhance Green Cover with Miyawaki Plantations along Highways.

• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will implement Miyawaki plantations on over 53 acres of land adjacent to highways in Delhi-NCR, including sites along the Dwarka Expressway and Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
• The Miyawaki method, a Japanese approach to afforestation, aims to create dense, native forests rapidly, enhancing groundwater retention, air and soil quality, and biodiversity.

Vinod Ganatra received Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award.

• Film-maker Vinod Ganatra has become the first Indian to be conferred the prestigious Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award of South Africa for his contribution to films.
• Ganatra has received 36 national and international awards, including the Janakinath Gaur Award and the Liv Ullmann Peace Prize for his film Harun-Arun.