Rapid Fire Current Affairs | 18 May 2023
2023 SAFF Championship
The 2023 SAFF Championship is a biennial international men's football tournament for South Asian countries, organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The 14th edition of the tournament will be hosted by India in Bengaluru from June 21 to July 3, 2023. India is the defending champion, having won its eighth title in 2021 by defeating Nepal in the final. The tournament will feature eight teams, including two guest teams from outside the region: Kuwait and Lebanon. Sri Lanka was unable to participate due to its suspension by FIFA (Fédération internationale de Football Association), while Afghanistan withdrew from SAFF and joined the Central Asian Football Federation. The eight teams are divided into two groups of four each, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals. India is drawn in Group A with Kuwait, Nepal, and Pakistan, while Lebanon is in Group B with Maldives, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
SAFF was formed in 1997 by founding Member Associations from Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and SriLanka. The SAFF motto ‘Unity in Strength’ depicts the power and bond of these seven Member Associations which is currently epitomized by the leader and President of SAFF. The SAFF Secretariat currently operates from Dhaka, Bangladesh. The SAFF is a part of the larger Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Read more: Indian Football’s Vision 2047
Trimbakeshwar Temple
Maharashtra has set up a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate an incident in which members of the minority community were accused of trying to enter the Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik. As per the temple management, only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple, non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the temple.
Trimbakeshwar temple is an ancient and sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the town of Trimbak in the Nashik district of Maharashtra. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest shrines of Shiva, where he is worshipped as Trimbakeshwar, the lord of three worlds. The temple was built by the third Peshwa Balaji Bajirao in the 18th century on the site of an old temple, near the mountain of Brahmagiri, from where the river Godavari originates. The temple is built of black stone in the Nagara style of architecture and is enclosed in a spacious courtyard.
Read more: Temple Architecture
World Hypertension Day
The Union Health Ministry of India has unveiled a groundbreaking initiative, the "75/25" program, on the occasion of World Hypertension Day (WHD) on 17th May 2023. This ambitious undertaking aims to screen and provide standard care to a staggering 75 million individuals with hypertension and diabetes by the year 2025.
WHD is an annual event that aims to raise awareness and promote education about hypertension or high blood pressure, which affects millions of people worldwide and can lead to serious complications such as heart failure, stroke, kidney damage, and liver damage. The theme for 2023 is “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer”, which focuses on combatting low awareness rates, especially in low to middle-income areas, and accurate blood pressure measurement methods. The event was inaugurated in May 2005 by the World Hypertension League (WHL), a non-governmental organization that works with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners to prevent and control hypertension. World Hypertension Day encourages people to know their numbers, check their blood pressure regularly, adopt a healthy lifestyle and seek medical advice if needed.
Read more: Hypertension
Kiru Hydro-electric Power Project
An investigation into alleged corruption in the Kiru hydro-electric power project in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has led the Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) to search Delhi and Rajasthan locations.
The Kiru Hydro Electric Project is proposed on River Chenab, located in Kishtwar district of J&K. The project is envisaged as a Run of River Scheme.
Run-of-river hydro projects use the natural downward flow of rivers and micro turbine generators to capture the kinetic energy carried by water.
Chenab River rises in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh state. The river is formed by the confluence of two rivers, Chandra and Bhaga, at Tandi, Himachal Pradesh. It flows through the Jammu region of J&K into the plains of Punjab, Pakistan, before flowing into the Indus River. Some of the important projects/dams on Chenab are Ratle Hydro Electric Project, Salal Dam- the hydroelectric power project, Dul Hasti Hydroelectric Plant, and Pakal Dul Dam (under construction).
Read More: Chenab River
Project Collaboration Agreement on Assistive Technology
The Department of Health Research (DHR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and World Health Organization (WHO) signed a Project Collaboration Agreement to foster research, innovation, and capacity building aimed at increasing access to high-quality affordable assistive technology.
This collaboration aims to work towards drawing global attention toward access to assistive technology, fostering research and innovation and developing and disseminating appropriate training programmes.
Assistive technology is an umbrella term covering the systems and services related to the delivery of assistive products and services. Assistive products maintain or improve an individual's functioning and independence, thereby promoting their well-being. For Example, technologies and devices such as prosthetics, braces, walkers, special switches, special-purpose computers, screen readers and specialised curricular software.
Read More: Assistive Technology