To All the Doctors & Healthcare Workers on the Front Lines of the Battle.

Celebrated Each Year on July 06

This day commemorates the great French biologist Louis Pasteur, who in 1885, successfully administered the first vaccine against Rabies, a Zoonotic disease.

World Zoonoses Day is observed every year on July 6 to commemorate the first vaccination administered against a zoonotic disease like Ebola, Avian influenza, and West Nile virus.

WHAT ARE ZOONOSES?

Zoonoses are infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites that spread between animals and humans.

• Zoonosis is an infectious disease that spread from non-human animals to humans.

• Zoonotic pathogens can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic which can spread to humans through direct contact or through food, water, or the environment.

• Zoonoses comprise a large percentage of all newly identified infectious diseases like HIV, Ebola virus disease and salmonellosis. They started as a zoonosis but later mutate into human-only strains.

• The first vaccination against a zoonotic disease was successfully administered on July 6, 1885, by a French biologist, Louis Pasteur.

• The day is also celebrated to raise awareness about the risk of zoonotic diseases and their prevention.

• This year’s World Zoonoses Day theme is “Let’s Break the Chain of Zoonotic Transmission.”

How does the Zoonosis diseases spread?

• Animals play a significant part in spreading zoonotic diseases as 75 percent of new or emerging diseases originate from them.

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the transmission of zoonotic disease spreads through contact with the animals like the consumption of meat or using animal products.

• The disease can spread from pets, farm animals reared for meat or hunting, and butchering.

• The use of antibiotics in animals raised for food is also a major factor in increasing the potential for drug-resistant strains of zoonotic pathogens.

Prevention and control of Zoonotic disease

• There are various kinds of Zoonotic disease, their prevention and cure is also different.

• Some of the practices like safe and appropriate guidelines for animal care in the agricultural sector can help to reduce the potential for foodborne zoonotic disease.

• Standards for clean drinking water and waste removal, as well as protections for surface water in the natural environment, are also effective ways to curb the spread of such disease.

• Maintaining proper hygiene like doing handwash after contact with animals can reduce the community spread of zoonotic diseases.

SOME FACTS ABOUT ZOONOSES

75% Human diseases are zoonotic in origin

150+ Total known zoonotic diseases

20% Global animal production is lost to Zoonotic disease

$120Bn Impact of zoonoses from 1995-2008

December 28 1932 July 06 2002

Indian Business Tycoon. Billionaire.

Founder of Reliance Industries.

$25.6 Billion Net Worth upon death

Padma Vibhushan Awarded posthumously in 2016

1950s Worked at a gas station as an attendant in Yemen for 200 Rupees per month.

1958 Returned to India and set up a textile trading company "Majin"

1966 Set up 1st office of Reliance - 350 sq.ft. room with 1 table, 3 chairs & a phone.

1977 Credited with starting the equity cult in India, with launch of Reliance IPO.

July 11

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11.

The main purpose of this day is to draw attention towards the issues arising out of rising population across the globe.

India has the world’s second-largest populace after China.

United Nations has declared July 12, which is Malala Yousafzai's birthday, as Malala Day in honour of the young activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17 in 2014, and became the youngest recipient of the award. The day also honors the rights of children and women.

Early life & attack on her

Malala Yousafzai was born in Mingora, Pakistan, on July 12th, 1997. Malala’s father was an educator, and as a result, she developed a thirst for knowledge. In 2007 the Taliban took over the city in which she lived and banned girls from attending school. As young as she was, Malala demonstrated fierce bravery by standing up to the Taliban. On the morning of October 9th, 2012, gunmen from the Taliban shot Malala Yousafzai in the head. She was just 15 years old at the time. After four days in a military hospital, doctors transferred her to an ICU in Birmingham, England. Multiple surgeries and weeks of rehabilitative therapy later, Malala began attending school in Birmingham.

MALALA DAY HISTORY

July 12th holds special significance for Malala Yousafzai. It’s not only her birthday, but it’s also this date in 2013 that she spoke at the UN to call for worldwide access to education. Since that day, the UN has dubbed July 12th, Malala Day.

Malala has been felicitated with several awards and honours:

• In 2012, she was awarded the first-ever National Youth Peace Prize by the Pakistan government.

• In 2014, at age 17, She became the youngest-ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her efforts for children’s rights which had begun even before she was shot.

• The UN has declared her as “the most famous teenager in the world” in its Decade in Review report in late 2019.

• Malala has also been awarded honorary Canadian citizenship and became the youngest person to address the House of Commons in Canada.

• She also co-authored a book by the name, “I am Malala” that became an international bestseller.

• The documentary on the activist, He Named Me Malala, was shortlisted for the Oscars in 20.

Kumaraswami Kamaraj

Born on 15 July 1903, Kumaraswami Kamaraj was involved in the Indian Independence Movement and later became a prominent leader of Indian National Congress. Considered as the Kingmaker in Indian politics, Kumaraswami Kamaraj elevated Lal Bahadur Shastri as the prime minister of India post the death of Jawaharlal Nehru. He was the third chief minister of Tamil Nadu (then Madras State) during 1954-1963. K Kamaraj, known for his simplicity, was a Member of Parliament during 1952–1954 and 1967–1975. Kumaraswami Kamaraj was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, posthumously in 1976.

Nelson Mandela International Day is observed every year to shine the light on the legacy of a man who changed the 20th century and helped shape the 21st century.

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) declared 18 July as “Nelson Mandela International Day”.

In the Resolution establishing this international day, UNGA recognized Mandela’s values and his dedication to the service of humanity in: conflict resolution; race relations; promotion and protection of human rights; reconciliation; gender equality and the rights of children and other vulnerable groups; the fight against poverty; the promotion of social justice. The resolution also acknowledged his contribution to the struggle for democracy internationally and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world.

In December 2015, the UNGA decided to extend the scope of Nelson Mandela International Day to also be used to promote humane conditions of imprisonment, raise awareness about prisoners being a continuous part of society, and to value the work of prison staff as a social service of particular importance. It then adopted the revised United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and approved that they should be known as the “Nelson Mandela Rules.”

Remembering Mangal Pandey on his birth anniversary --- July 19 is observed as birth anniversary of one of the greatest Indian Solider.

• Freedom fighter Mangal Pandey needs no introduction as his contributions in India’s independence are remembered with pride till date.

• He was a fearless fighter and is known to have kept India before everything else till his last breath.

• He was born on July 19, 1827 in India’s Akbarpur and died on April 8, 1857.

• He is also known for spreading the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, also known as the first war of Indian Independence, across the length and breadth of the country.

• He is still remembered as a brave Indian who raged a war against the British, in a move to make India independent.

Here is a look at some facts about the legendary freedom fighter:

• He joined the British army at the young age of 22 years.

• He revolted against the East India Company for introducing cartridges that were greased with animal fat as it hurt the religious sentiments of the soldiers.

• This movement of rebels reached other parts of India and led to a mass revolt against the colonial rulers. Common people too came out and opposed anti-India laws.

• It is because of this huge mass movement that the Britishers were forced to recognise the trouble and had passed new rules through Government of India Act 1858.

• The movement of protest and rebellion came to be known as the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 also called the First War of Independence.

• He attacked two British officers on March 29, 1857. As a result of this, he was hanged till death on April 8, 1857 in Barrackpore. He was all of 29 when he was executed.

Today marks the death anniversary of our Revolutionary Freedom Fighter Batukeshwar Dutt. He was involved in the Central Legislative Assembly Bombing Case of 1929. He was also involved with Bhagat Singh's Hunger Strike to raise the voice against the abusive treatment of Indian prisoners.

Early life:

He was born on 18th November 1910 in Oari village, that is in district Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal. He did his schooling in Kanpur where he met revolutionary leaders like Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad.

Freedom Fight with Bhagat Singh:

Later he joined Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) and learned more about bombs and how to make them. On 8 April 1929, he, along with Bhagat Singh, exploded two bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly (New Delhi) with the slogans of ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ (Long live the revolution). Both were arrested. After the life imprisonment verdict in June 1929, he was sent to Cellular Jail in Port Blair. In the Jail, Bhagat Singh initiated a historic hunger strike protesting against the abusive treatment of Indian political prisoners. Batukeshwar Dutt joined the hunger strike till the end.

Legacy

He was one of the writers of the film Shaheed (1965) starring Manoj Kumar. He got recognition by a book titled 'Batukeshwar Dutt: Bhagat Singh ke Sahyogi' written by Anil Verma. A residential colony near AIIMS, is tributed to him by the colony's name 'B.K. Dutt Colony'.

Remembering Bal Gangadhar Tilak on his birth anniversary

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a social reformer, Indian nationalist and freedom fighter.

• He was an ardent follower of Swaraj and was famous with the name Lokmanya Tilak.

Some facts:

• He was born into a middle class-Brahman family. In 1876, he earned a bachelor's degree from Deccan College in Poona in Mathematics and Sanskrit. In 1879, he completed law from the University of Bombay (now Mumbai). Further, he decided to teach mathematics in a private school in Poona from where his political career began.

• He founded the Deccan Education Society in 1884, to educate people especially in the English language because at that time he and his associates believed that English is a powerful force for liberal and democratic ideals.

• He started awakening people through newspapers like ‘Kesari’ ("The Lion") in Marathi and in English ‘The Mahratta’. From these papers, he became famous and criticise Britishers and methods of moderates who advocate social reforms along Western lines and political reforms along constitutional lines.

• Two important festivals were also organised by Bal Gangadhar Tilak namely Ganesh in 1893 and Shivaji in 1895. Ganesha because the God is headed by the elephant and worshipped by all Hindus and Shivaji because he was the first Hindu ruler who fought against Muslim power in India and established the Maratha Empire in the 17th century.

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1890 and started self-rule. He was the first nationalist freedom fighter who brought the concept of 'Swaraj'.

• In India, he started the Swadeshi movement. Jamshed Tata and Tilak together established Bombay Swadeshi Stores to promote the national movement.

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai are known as 'Lal-Bal-Pal'. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was against the Age of Consent Act of 1891.

• To achieve the political aim, Bal Gangadhar Tilak wanted to generate a mass movement which is different from the opinion of moderates and so, in 1907 there was a split in moderates and extremist in Surat Session. British took the benefit of the situation and send Bal Gangadhar Tilak to the Mandalay jail in Burma (Myanmar) to serve a six-year prison sentence.

• He published The Arctic Home in the Vedas which represents the origin of Aryans and Srimad Bhagvat Gita Rahasya (1915).

• In April 1916, Bal Gangadhar Tilak launched the Indian Home Rule League with the rousing slogan “Swarajya is my birthright and I shall have it.”

• In September 1916, Annie Besant launched the Home Rule League at Madras (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu).

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak died on 1 August, 1920.

On July 24, 1860, income tax was introduced in India by Sir James Wilson to compensate the British government for the losses incurred during the First War of Independence in 1857.

I-T department decided in 2010 to mark July 24 as the day for the annual celebration to mark 150 years of this levy from that year onwards.

Income tax was first levied as a duty in the year 1860 and the authority to levy that duty came into force on July 24 of that year.

The week preceding the Aaykar Diwas is marked by various activities undertaken by the regional offices of the I-T department across the country. Several outreach programmes are usually organized every year across the country to promote the payment of taxes as a value norm and for sensitizing potential taxpayers that payment of taxes was an ethical duty of all citizens.

GST or Goods and Services Tax was introduced in July 2017 and is a gigantic tax reform in the Indian economy. Before implementation of Goods and Service Tax (GST), Indian taxation system was a farrago of central, state and local area levies. By subsuming more than a score of taxes under GST, road to a harmonized system of indirect tax has been paved making India an economic union.

• The Central Reserve Police Force came into existence as Crown Representative’s Police on 27th July 1939.

• It is the premier central police force of the Union of India for internal security. It is one of the oldest Central paramilitary forces.

• After Independence, the force was renamed as Central Reserve Police Force by an Act of Parliament on December 28, 1949. This Act constituted CRPF as an armed force of the Union.

• Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the then Home Minister, visualized a multi-dimensional role for it in tune with the changing needs of a newly independent nation.

Achievements

• CRPF has completed 83 years of glorious history.

• The Force has grown into a big organization with 246 Bns, 43 Group Centres, 22 Training Institutions, 03 CWS, 07 AWS, 03 MWS/SWS, 04 Composite Hospitals of 100 bed, 18 Composite Hospitals of 50 bed and 06 Field Hospitals.

• The force played a significant role during the amalgamation of the princely states into the Indian Union. It helped the Union Government in disciplining the rebellious princely States of Junagarh and the small principality of Kathiawar in Gujarat which had declined to join the Indian Union.

• In the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars also the Force fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the Indian Army, both on the Western and Eastern borders.

Rescue and Relief operations

• CRPF also undertook rescue and relief operations during various natural calamities like Orissa Super Cyclone (1999), Gujarat Earthquake (2001), Tsunami (2004), and J&K Earthquake (2005).

• CRPF has proved its mettle during various overseas UNdeployments like Srilanka (1987), Haiti (1995), Kosovo (2000) & Liberia (Women Contingent) (2007) also.

• CRPF is a gallant, glorious, vibrant, and resilient Force. Its past is replete with pinnacle performance and success in many fields. It is acknowledged by the public.

• World Hepatitis Day is one of 11 official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).

• This year’s theme is “Hepatitis can’t wait”, conveying the urgency of efforts needed to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

• The date of 28 July was chosen because it is the birthday of Nobel-prize winning scientist Dr Baruch Blumberg, who discovered hepatitis B virus (HBV) and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine for the virus.

Hepatitis

• The word hepatitis refers to any inflammation of the liver — the irritation or swelling of the liver cells from any cause.

• It can be acute (inflammation of the liver that presents with sickness — jaundice, fever, vomiting) or chronic (inflammation of the liver that lasts more than six months, but essentially showing no symptoms).

Causes

• Usually caused by a group of viruses known as the “hepatotropic” (liver directed) viruses, including A, B, C, D and E.

• Other viruses may also cause it, such as the varicella virus that causes chicken pox. SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing Covid-19 may injure the liver, too.

• Other causes include drugs and alcohol abuse, fat buildup in the liver (fatty liver hepatitis) or an autoimmune process in which a person’s body makes antibodies that attack the liver (autoimmune hepatitis).

Treatment

• Hepatitis A and E are self-limiting diseases (i.e. go away on their own) and require no specific antiviral medications.

• For Hepatitis B and C, effective medications are available.

Global Scenario

• Hepatitis B and C together are the most common cause of deaths, with 1.3 million lives lost each year.

• In 2016, 194 governments across the globe adopted WHO’s global strategy which aims at eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030.

Indian scenario

• 40 million people are chronically infected with Hepatitis B virus and 6 to 12 million with Hepatitis C virus.

• In 2018, the government launched the National Viral Hepatitis Program. The program is the largest program for Hepatitis B and C diagnosis and treatment in the world.

International Tiger Day

• International Tiger Day or Global Tiger Day is observed every year on July 29 to raise awareness about tiger conservation.

• The day was created at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia in 2010.

• It aims aims to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.

• The population of wild tigers had dropped by more than 95 per cent since the beginning of the 20th century.

• When the global tiger numbers in the wild hit an all-time low as few as 3,200 individuals in 2010, the governments of all 13 tiger range countries came together at the world’s first-ever global tiger summit and agreed on a “TX2” commitment to double the number of wild tigers by 2022.

Indian Scenario

• As per the 2018 census report, of the 2,967 tigers in India, Karnataka was home to 524 tigers, slipping to second position, while Madhya Pradesh had 526.

• Karnataka had then added 112 tigers compared to the previous count.

Related information

• The theme for this year International Tiger Day is- "Their Survival is in our hands”.

• Tiger population has increased in several countries including India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Russia.

• The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and the Uttar Pradesh Forest department last year bagged the first-ever international award, TX2, for doubling the number of tigers in four years against a target of 10 years.

• It is necessary as well as important to focus on the matter of tiger conservation as it plays a key role in protecting and maintaining a balanced ecosystem.

• The World Ranger Day is observed annually on July 31 to honour these brave people.

• The first World Ranger Day was observed in 2007 on the 15th anniversary of the founding of the International Ranger Federation.

• Every year, thousands of rangers across the world risk their lives to protect protected areas from threats such as poaching and vandalism.

Objective

• World Ranger Day recognises and celebrates the accomplishments and work done by rangers around the world, giving their lives to protect natural and cultural resources," according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

• According to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) 2018 report, one in 15 wildlife rangers surveyed across Asia and Central Africa had broken a bone on the job during the same timeframe while one in eight had sustained another type of serious injury within the last 12 months of the survey.

• The survey also revealed that 82 percent of rangers in Africa and 63 percent of rangers in Asia had faced a life-threatening situation while performing their duty.

On July 31, 1940 the great Indian freedom fighter Udham Singh was hanged at London's Pentonville prison. Singh was sent to the gallows after he assassinated British general Michael O’Dyer, the Lt. Governor of Punjab, who was the architect of the Jallianwala massacre. He was an activist from the Punjab born on 26th December, 1899 in a Dalit Sikh family and brought up in an orphanage. He was closely linked to communist activists and parties associated with the independence movement.

Singh, born in Sunam in Punjab’s Sangrur district in 1899, was a political activist who got associated with the Ghadar Party while in the US. The multi-ethnic party was believed to have communist tendencies and was founded by Sohan Singh Bhakna in 1913. Headquartered in California, the party was committed to the ouster of the British from India. In 1934, Singh made his way to London with the purpose of assassinating O’Dwyer, who in 1919 had been the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab and, unsurprisingly, Singh considered O’Dwyer to be responsible for the massacre.

The assassination of O’Dwyer

On March 13, 1940, Udham Singh shot O’Dwyer at a meeting of the East India Association and the Royal Central Asian Society at Caxton Hill. He was immediately arrested and held in Brixton prison. At the prison, Singh staged a 36-day hunger strike and in police statements and at the court referred to himself as Mohamed Singh Azad, to symbolise Hindu-Sikh-Muslim unity in the fight for India’s freedom. He was sentenced to death and was hanged on July 31, 1940 at Pentonville Prison. In 1974, his remains were sent back to India and he was cremated in his village in Sunam.

For avenging the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Singh is seen by many as a hero. Gandhi, though, had famously decried Singh’s revenge as an “act of insanity”.