TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. TKDL Access Agreement with EAPO 2. International Mother Language Day, February 21 3. World Social Justice Day, February 20
1. TKDL Access Agreement with EAPO
Syllabus – GS2, Bilateral Groupings and Agreements.
Prelims – EAPO, CSIR, TKDL
Context – The Eurasian Patent Organisation (EAPO) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) entered into a cooperation on Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) Access.
Details –
- EAPO and CSIR entered into a cooperation on Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) Access. The agreement was exchanged on the sidelines of the Global Intellectual Property Convention, 2023.
- EAPO is an international intergovernmental organisation of the Eurasian Patent Convention, Moscow.
- To perform administrative tasks relating to the functioning of the Eurasian patent system and grant of Eurasian patents, the Eurasian Patent Convention (EAPC) established the Eurasian Patent Organization with the Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO) acting as its executive body.
- The EAPO shall now have access to the TKDL database for the purpose of search and examination of prior art related to traditional knowledge in patent applications, for the purposes of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) grants.
- Now, the number of patent offices worldwide that have access to TKDL is 16.
- This agreement marks the beginning of a new partnership in the field of IPR as well as Traditional Knowledge between member states of EAPO and India.
- The contracting states of the Eurasian Patent Convention include the Eurasian Patent Office, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, the Azerbaijan Republic, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Armenia.
About TKDL –
- The TKDL was established in 2001 by the GoI through a collaboration between the Ministry of Ayush and CSIR.
- Its objective is to prevent the erroneous grant of patents on Indian Traditional Knowledge (TK) and deter the misappropriation of the country’s traditional knowledge.
- It has over 4.4 lakh formulations and techniques of Indian systems of medicines like Sidha, Unani, Ayurveda, Sowa Rigpa as well as Yoga.
- The digitised format is in five international languages – German, English, French, Spanish and Japanese for easy understanding of the patent examiners.
- It is available to only patent offices through TKDL Access Agreements.
2. International Mother Language Day, February 21
Syllabus – Miscellaneous.
Prelims – International Mother language Day.
Context– The Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah extended his best wishes to all on International Mother language Day.
Details –
- The Union Home Minister said that when a child reads, speaks and thinks in his mother tongue, it enhances his potential to think, reason, analyse and research. Keeping this in mind, the GoI has emphasised on education in the mother tongue through the National Education Policy. This will become the basis of India’s bright future.
About International Mother Language Day
- Every year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) celebrates 21 February as International Mother Language Day to promote mother tongue-based multilingual education.
- The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh and was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference.
- The theme of the 24th edition of International Mother Language Day is ‘Multilingual Education – A Necessity to Transform Education’.
- At least 43 percent of the estimated 6,000 languages spoken in the world are endangered. Only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain, and less than a hundred are used in the digital world.
- Eminent linguist and folklorist Mahendra Kumar Mishra from Odisha has been nominated for UNESCO’s International Mother Language Award 2023 for his lifetime service in the promotion of the mother language in India.
Also read – International Mother Language Day.
3. World Social Justice Day, February 20
Syllabus – GS2, Social Empowerment
Prelims – World Social Justice Day
Context – Department of Empowerment of PwD celebrated World Social Justice Day.
Details –
- The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities celebrated World Social Justice Day by holding a conclave at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi in collaboration with Change Inkk.
- The conclave emphasised the steps taken by the GoI for the upliftment of persons with disabilities (PwD) like the recognition of 21 types of disabilities by the RPWD Act (earlier it was 7 only).
- The conclave intended to bring the stakeholders together to work for the unique strengths towards the vision for the inclusion of women, the marginalised and the differently-abled.
- Other important key points of the conclave were how to create opportunities for the employment of persons with disabilities, identifying best practices and successful models of inclusion, and strengthening stakeholder capacity for the employment and inclusion of persons with disabilities in India.
About World Social Justice Day
- On 26 November 2007, the General Assembly declared that 20 February will be celebrated annually as the World Day of Social Justice.
- On June 10, 2008, the International Labour Organization unanimously adopted the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for Fair Globalization. This is the International Labour Conference’s third major statement of principles and policies since the ILO’s Constitution of 1919.
- The theme for World Social Justice Day, 2023 – “Overcoming Barriers and Unleashing Opportunities for Social Justice”.
- The main goal of this day is to raise a voice against social injustice and to bring together diverse communities around the world in an effort to eradicate poverty, physical discrimination, gender inequalities, religious discrimination and illiteracy, and create a society that is socially integrated.
Read the previous PIB articles here.
February 21st, 2023, PIB:- Download PDF Here
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