Current Affairs April 2016 - Important Days

News 1 - World Autism Awareness Day 2016 observed

The 9^th annual World Autism Awareness Day was observed on April 2, 2016 around the world. The theme was Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neurodiversity. The day aims to increase people's awareness about people, especially children, with autism.

Different public organizations including the Ministry of Social Welfare, Social Welfare Department, National Disability Development Foundation, National Disability Forum, socio-cultural bodies and non-government organizations are holding elaborate programs to observe the day.

News 2 - International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action observed

The International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed on 4^th April every year throughout the world. The theme of the year 2016 is Mine Action is Humanitarian Action because mine action saves life. This day aims to raise awareness about landmines and progress towards their eradication.

It also includes assisting victims, teaching people how to remain safe in a mine-affected environment, advocating for universal participation in international treaties related to landmines, explosive remnants of war and their victims, and destroying landmines stockpiled by governments and non-state armed groups.

News 3 - India celebrates 5^th April as National Maritime Day

National Maritime Day of India recalls the sailing of India’s first steamship Loyalty on April 5^th 1919 from Mumbai to London.

The day since 1964 has been observed as National Maritime Day and all major ports observe this day celebrating India’s seafaring traditions. About 7516 kms of coastline serviced by a total of 182 ports are in India, out of which 12 of them are Major Ports being under the purview of the Central Government. 70 other ports termed as minor ones come under respective State Governments.

News 4 - International Day of Sport for Development and Peace 2016

The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) 2016 was observed across the world on 6 April 2016. The United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) launched a campaign Let’s play for Sustainable Development Goals.

The day recognizes the power of sport in promoting peace and erasing cultural barriers worldwide. The day promotes healthy lifestyles and emphasizes the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) focus on giving as many people as possible access to sport.

News 5 - World Health Day 2016 observed around the globe

The World Health Day (WHD) 2016 was observed all around the world. It is observed annually on 7^th April on the founding day of the World Health Organization. The theme for this year is Halt the Rise: Beat Diabetes. The WHO puts together regional, local, and international events on this day related to the theme.

The goals of the World Health Day 2016 are – Scale up prevention, strengthen care, enhance surveillance.

News 6 - World Health Day 2016 in India

Celebrating the World Health Day on 7^th April, the Health Minister Shri J P Nadda launched the ‘Swasth Bharat Mobile application’ and ‘ANM Online application-ANMOL’. ANMOL is a tablet-based application that allows ANMs to enter and updated data for beneficiaries of their jurisdiction.

He also launched ‘E-RaktKosh initiative’ and mobile application ‘India Fights Dengue'. The former is an integrated Blood Bank Management Information System. This web-based mechanism interconnects all the Blood Banks of the State into a single network. The latter empowers the community members how to contribute towards prevention of Dengue.

News 7 - International Romani Day celebrated on April 8^th across Europe

International Romani Day was celebrated on 8^th April 2016 across Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). It is to celebrate the Romani culture. International Roma Day draws attention to discrimination directed at Roma and Gypsy communities globally and is a call for the human rights of all to be respected and observed.

Europe’s largest ethnic minority, they have an estimated 10 million Romani’s live in Europe and six million within the EU, which is often subject to discrimination and social exclusion.

News 8 - World Homoeopathy Day observed

The World Homoeopathy Day was observed on 10^th April 2016 to commemorate the 261^st birth anniversary of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German Physician and Father of Homeopathy.

The Homoeopathic fraternity organizes various symposia, road shows, medical camps and conferences and memorial events to popularize the strength of Homoeopathy. In 2016, LMHI (Liga Medicorum Homoeopathica Internationalis), the international professional body of Homeopaths, designated India to organize the World Homeopathy day.

News 9 - International Day of Human Space Flight observed

The International Day of Human Space Flight was observed on the 12^th of April. It is celebrated annually on this day to remember the first human space flight on April 12, 1961.

This day celebrates the start of the space era for humankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology. It also aims to promote aspirations to explore and maintain outer space for peaceful purposes. The first human space flight was carried out by Yuri Gagarin on 12^th April 1961. This historic event opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity.

News 10 - World Hemophilia Day 2016 observed on 17^th April

World Hemophilia Day was celebrated on 17^th April 2016. The theme for this year is - Treatment for all is the vision of all.

World Hemophilia Day is an international observance observed annually by the World Federation of Hemophilia. The day aims at raising awareness about Hemophilia and increase support for those living with an inherited bleeding disorder. Globally 1 in 1,000 people has a bleeding disorder. The date of 17^th April was chosen to honor Frank Schnabel, the founder of WFH, whose birthday falls on the same date.

News 11 - World Heritage Day observed on 18^th April

The 18^th of April is annually observed as the International Day for Monuments and Sites (IDMS). It aims to highlight the need to conserve monuments and sites as our cultural heritage and to “celebrate the diversity of this heritage”. The day is traditionally popular as "World Heritage Day".

The 2016 theme for this year is: The Heritage of Sport. The theme was decided by the International Council for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) considering the Rio Olympics 2016 that is to be hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 2016.

News 12 - International Mother Earth Day observed across the world

The International Mother Earth Day was observed across the world on 22^nd April 2016. The theme for this year is ‘Trees for the Earth’. The aim is to plant 7.8 billion trees over the next five years. This day provides an opportunity to raise public awareness around the world to the challenges regarding the well-being of the planet and all the life it supports.

This year, Earth Day coincides with the signing ceremony for the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which will take place at UN Headquarters in New York. The Agreement was adopted by all 196 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at COP21 in Paris on 12^th December 2015.

News 13 - World Book and Copyright Day observed on 23^rd April

The World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated annually on April 23^rd. UNESCO undertakes the responsibility of the event and aims to inculcate reading habits among people and highlight the various issues, specially, the copyright issue surrounding authors, publishers and other related parties.

Each year a World Book Capital is selected for a one-year period, effective 23^rd April each year. The city of Wroclaw, Poland was chosen this year for its commitment to spreading the message of the power of books to nurture creativity and advance dialogue between women and men of all cultures.

News 14 - World Immunization Week 2016

The World Immunization Week 2016 is being held between 24^th to 30^th April across the globe. This week’s campaign is ‘Close the Immunization Gap". WHO highlights recent gains in immunization coverage, and outlines further steps countries can take to “Close the Immunization Gap” and meet global vaccination targets by 2020.

The “Global Vaccine Action Plan” envisions a world where everyone lives life free from vaccine preventable diseases by 2020. The WHO Director-General is Dr. Margaret Chan.

News 15 - World Malaria Day 2016 observed

The World Malaria Day 2016 was observed on the 25^th April. It is an annual event. The theme for 2016 is End Malaria for Good. The day recognizes global efforts to control malaria. WMD is one of eight official global public health campaigns currently marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Some of its key facts are – In 2015, there were 214 million cases, and 438000 deaths from Malaria. About 78% of people who die from malaria are children under the age of five years. Close to 2 million Indians effected annually and over 50,000 killed.

News 16 - 24^th April: National Panchayati Raj Diwas

The National Panchayati Raj (PR) Diwas was observed across the nation on 24^th April. It is an annual event which marks the passing of the Constitution (73^rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24^th April 1993. Best performing Gram Panchayats are conferred with Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

The Amendment Act helped in decentralization of political power to the grassroots level. In turn it had led to institutionalization of Panchayati Raj (PR) through the village, Intermediate and District Level Panchayats.

News 17 - World Intellectual Property Day 2016 observed globally

The World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated annually on 26^th April. The theme for this year was Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined. The day aims to increase people’s awareness and understanding of intellectual property (IP).

It highlights the role intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright) play in encouraging innovation and creativity. It helps people working in the creative sector get properly paid for their work, so they can keep creating.

News 18 - Remembrance Day observed for all Victims of Chemical Warfare 2016

The Day of Remembrance for all the Victims of Chemical Warfare is a UN observance. This Day gives people the chance to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare and to make commitment to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of any sort in any country.

The Chemical Weapons Convention came into force on the 29^th of April and since then the day is observed as Remembrance Day.