23 May 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)
2. World Turtle Day

1. Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)

Syllabus – GS2, Social Justice and Empowerment 

Prelims – Global Accessibility Awareness Day, celebrated every year on the 3rd Thursday of May.

Context – The DEPwD celebrated GAAD to promote inclusivity. 

Details 

• The DEPwD (Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, GoI is the nodal body responsible for the development of Persons with Disabilities in the country.
• With the objective to build an inclusive society in which equal opportunities are provided for the growth and development of Persons with Disabilities so that they can live a dignified life, the DEPwD celebrated Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), keeping ‘inclusion’ as the central mandate.
• The celebration and awareness generation of GAAD by the DEPwD is a national-level celebration to bring together all relevant stakeholders on a single day across different locations of India to share knowledge, ideas, and views and discuss the latest developments in the field of digital and technological accessibility.
• 80 institutes/organisations associated with DEPwD conducted various events at more than 80 places across the country to celebrate GAAD with the aim to make technology accessible and usable by persons with disabilities.

About GAAD – 

• Global Accessibility Awareness Day, celebrated on the third Thursday of May each year, is an initiative that aims to bring attention to the importance of digital accessibility and promote inclusivity. GAAD was first observed in 2012 and has since grown into a global movement, engaging organisations, individuals, and communities worldwide to take part in activities that raise awareness about accessibility and advocate for positive change.
• GAAD serves as a platform to raise awareness about the significance of digital accessibility and the impact it has on the lives of people with disabilities. It aims to educate and engage individuals from various fields, including technology, design, policy-making, and user experience, in discussions around accessibility challenges and solutions.

2. World Turtle Day

Syllabus – GS3, Conservation, Environmental pollution and degradation.

Prelims – World Turtle Day – May 23.

Context – On World Turtle Day, various events and activities were organised by NCSCM (National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management) to educate people about the critical need for sea turtle conservation.

Details –

• Every year May 23 is observed as World Turtle Day to spread public awareness of the need for turtle conservation. On World Turtle Day, various events and activities were organised by NCSCM to educate people about the critical need for sea turtle conservation and their nesting sites.
• More than 300 species of turtles exist on the planet and several of them are endangered due to pollution, habitat destruction and predation. These shelled reptilian species are found in diverse habitats across the world and play an important role in their respective ecosystems.
• Turtles mainly reside in the sea for a span of about 80 years while tortoises are land dwellers and can live upto 300 years.
• World Turtle Day is an opportunity to learn about different species of turtles, their ecological significance, and the measures to be taken to ensure their survival. Marine litter poses a great threat to the turtle population as turtles often mistake plastic bags and other debris as a part of their diet in coastal waters, which leads to serious health problems and even death for these reptiles. Beach clean-up initiatives near the area of turtle nesting sites can help protect them from harmful pollution, including plastic resembling turtle feed.

Read the previous PIB articles here.

May 23rd, 2023, PIB:- Download PDF Here