Important Dates & Festivities - Current Affairs for June, 2017

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the centenary celebrations of Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.

The Prime Minister has also released the coin and postal stamp in the honour of Shrimad Rajchandraji on his 150th birth anniversary at Abhay Ghat.

Shrimad Rajchandraji was the guru to Mahatma Gandhi

Sabarmati Ashram: Know More

- Sabarmati Ashram otherwise called as Gandhi Ashram, Harijan Ashram, or Satyagraha Ashram is located on the banks of the River Sabarmati.

- Sabarmati Ashram served as one of the residences of Mahatma Gandhi for twelve long years. The ashram has been declared as a national monument by the Indian government.

- Gandhiji started the Dandi march also called as Salt Satyagraha from Sabarmati Ashram on 12 March 1930.

Shrimad Rajchandraji: Know More

- Shrimad Rajchandra is a Jain poet, philosopher, scholar and reformer born in the year 1867 in Vavania near Morbi.

- His mother was a Jain and father a Vaishnava Hindu.

- He was the spiritual guide to Mahatma Gandhi. He is known for his teachings on Jainism.

- He has written a large number of letters and commentaries and also translated some religious texts. He was known for performing Avdhan, a memory retention and recollection test which gained him popularity.

The 2017 Day of the Seafarer (DotS) was observed on 25 June 2017 by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) with the theme ‘Seafarers Matter’.

This year’s theme aims to particularly engage ports and seafarer centres to demonstrate how much seafarers matter to them.

The idea is for ports and seafarer centres to share and showcase best practices in seafarer support and welfare, and organise special activities for seafarers on the day.

Day of Seafarer: Know More

• The Day of the Seafarer (DotS) was established in a resolution adopted by the 2010 Diplomatic Conference in Manila.
• The Day was proclaimed with an aim to recognize the unique contribution made by seafarers from all over the world to international seaborne trade and civil society as a whole.
• The resolution encourages governments, shipping organizations, companies, shipowners and all other parties concerned to promote the Day of the Seafarer and take action to celebrate it meaningfully.

The 2017 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was observed on 26 June 2017.

The day was observed with the theme Listen First – Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe.

The theme for the year is an initiative to increase support for prevention of drug use that is based on science and is thus an effective investment in the well-being of children and youth, their families and their communities.

On 7 December 1987, the United Nations general Assembly (UNGA) via resolution 42/112 decided to observe 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

It was decided to observe the day as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.

This resolution recommended further action with regard to the report and conclusions of the 1987 International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

In April 2016, the United Nations held a Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs. This session marked an important milestone in achieving the goals set in the policy document of 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem.


The plan defined action to be taken by Member States as well as goals to be achieved by 2019. Measures to address demand and supply reduction and to improve access to controlled medicines while preventing diversion.

It also cover the areas of human rights, youth, children, women and communities; emerging challenges, including new psychoactive substances; strengthening international cooperation; and alternative development.

The text puts new emphasis on proportionate national sentencing policies and practices for drug-related offences, and features a strong focus on prevention and treatment.

The International Widows Day was observed globally on 23 June 2017.

The day is an opportunity for action towards achieving full rights and recognition for widows, who have been living with an invisible status for too long invisible.

The lack of reliable data remains one of the main obstacles to developing the policies and programmes to address the poverty, violence and discrimination faced by widows.

Hence, there is a need for more research and statistics separated by marital status, sex and age, in order to help reveal the incidence of widow abuse and illustrate the situation of widows.

Programmes and policies for ending violence against widows and their children, poverty alleviation, education and other support to widows of all ages also need to be undertaken.

The United Nations General Assembly decided to observe International Widows Day on 23 June each year through a resolution that was adopted on 21 December 2010 to give special recognition to the situation of widows of all ages and across regions and cultures.

The abuse of widows and their children constitutes one of the most serious violations of human rights and obstacles to development International Widows Day.

Millions of the world’s widows endure extreme poverty, ostracism, violence, homelessness, ill health and discrimination in law and custom.

Many widows in traditional societies have no rights or very limited rights to inheritance or land ownership under customary and religious law.

Without inheritance rights, they often find themselves financially insecure and totally dependent on the charity of their husband’s relatives.

In India, where widowhood is stigmatized and seen as a source of shame, thousands of widows are disowned by relatives and made homeless, forcing them to seek unskilled work such as domestic labourers or turn to begging or prostitution.

Widows in developed countries also face many difficulties including loss of insurance coverage, difficulties in accessing credit, becoming solely responsible for childcare and in some cases, they also become liable to pay the debts of their deceased spouse.

June 20 marks World Refugee Day, celebrated around the globe to raise awareness about the millions of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), who had to flee their countries due to conflicts and poverty.

The recent years have marked the most large-scale movements of people through the boundaries in almost seven decades.

According to the UNHCR, a total of 65.6 million people have been forcibly displaced around the world.

This number includes 22.5 million refugees, comprising 17.2 million under the UNHCR mandate and 5.3 million Palestinian refugees registered by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the number of unaccompanied children, as well as of children, who have become refugees and migrants has increased fivefold.

In 2015-2016, about 300,000 unaccompanied children moved to other countries to find asylum there. According to UNICEF, approximately 170,000 children sought asylum in Europe.

At the same time, about 92 percent of boys and girls were unaccompanied, when they arrived in Italy by sea from a number of states, including Eritrea, Gambia, Nigeria, Egypt and Guinea.

The Ministry of Tourism on 21^st June 2017 celebrated the 3rd International Day of Yoga (IDY) through various initiatives:

A 30 second Radio Spot promoting Yoga was developed and is airing on 17 AIR FM stations starting 14th June.

A 60 second Television commercial promoting India as a land of Yoga has been developed. A month long TV campaign promoting Yoga is to be launched on Doordarshan network on 21st June.

A campaign promoting Yoga is running on all social network channels of Ministry of Tourism from 15^th May 2017 to 21^st June 2017.

IDY 2017 posters and standees developed to be used by Indiatourism international and domestic offices.

The International Day of Yoga was highlighted at the India stand at SATTE, Delhi in Feb 2017 and Yogshala Expo held in Delhi in June 2017.

A group of 53 international guests comprising of tour operators promoting Yoga, Journalists and photographers, Yoga Gurus and opinion makers from across the globe have been invited by Ministry of Tourism on a familiarisation trip.

The group will participate in the main IDY celebrations to be held on 21^st June at Lucknow in which the Prime Minister is participating.

The group will then visit various Yoga institutions and Wellness Centres in the country in order to have a first hand knowledge and promote India as a destination for Yoga in their own countries.

The Indiatourism offices overseas are organising and playing a prominent role in the organising of International Day of Yoga celebrations in the countries under their jurisdictions.

Indiatourism offices in India, Institutes of the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT) and Indian Institutes of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) will also be organising International Day of Yoga events.

The private sector is also encouraging participation in Yoga Day events with Tour Operators planning special trips to Yoga camps and special Yoga Experiences for groups who are visiting on the Yoga Day.

The International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict was observed globally on 19 June 2017 with the theme ‘Preventing Sexual Violence Crimes through Justice and Deterrence’.

The United Nations will be hosting a panel discussion to commemorate the day at its headquarters in New York on 20 June 2017.

The common public would be able to follow the conversation on social media with the hashtag #EndRapeinWar.

The United Nations General Assembly on 19 June 2015 proclaimed the day as the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

The day was designated in order to raise awareness of the need to put an end to conflict-related sexual-violence.

It was also to honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world and to pay tribute to all those who have courageously devoted their lives to and lost their lives in standing up for the eradication of these crimes.

The particular date was chosen to commemorate the adoption of Security Council resolution 1820 (2008) on 19 June 2008, in which the Council had condemned sexual-violence as a tactic of war and an impediment to peace building.

Endemic sexual violence including rape, abduction, human trafficking, sexual slavery and forced marriage contributes to the disproportionate suffering of women and girls in conflict.

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought was observed globally on 17 June 2017 with a campaign ‘Our land. Our home. Our Future’ to promote public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification.

This year, the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought examined the important link between land degradation and migration.

The day reminds everyone that land degradation neutrality is achievable through problem-solving, strong community involvement and co-operation at all levels.

Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations.

Over 250 million people are directly affected by desertification, and about one billion people in over one hundred countries are at risk.

These people include many of the world‘ s poorest, most marginalized and politically weak citizens.

In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 17 as the Day through its resolution to promote public awareness and to implement United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in countries experiencing serious drought and desertification particularly in Africa.

World Blood Donors DayWorld Blood Donors Day (WBDD) was observed on 14 June 2017.

The theme of the 2017 World Blood Donor Day is Give Blood. Give Now. Give Often.

This year’s campaign focuses on blood donation in emergencies.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) via the theme is emphasizing on the role that every individual can play in preparing for the next unforeseen emergency by giving blood now.

Of the 112.5 million blood donations collected globally, approximately half of these are collected in high-income countries.

In low-income countries, up to 65% of blood transfusions are given to children under 5 years of age; whereas in high-income countries, the most frequently transfused patient group is over 65 years of age.

67 countries report collecting fewer than 10 donations per 1000 people.

Of these, 38 countries are in the WHO African Region, 5 in the WHO Region of the Americas, 6 in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region, 5 in the WHO European Region, 6 in the WHO South-Eastern Asia Region, and 8 in the WHO Western Pacific Region.

126 countries have national guidelines on the appropriate clinical use of blood. 57 countries collect 100 per cent of their blood supply from voluntary, unpaid blood donors.

Blood donation by 1 per cent of the population can meet a nation’s most basic requirements for blood.

WBDD: Know More

• The World Blood Donors Day was established in 2004 to raise awareness of the need for safe bold and blood products, and to thank donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood.
• It is one of the eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO) along with World Tuberculosis Day (24 March), World Health Day (7 April), World Immunization Week (last week of April), World Malaria Day (25 April).
• Others include World No Tobacco Day (31 May), World Hepatitis Day (28 July), and World AIDS Day (1 December).

The World Day against Child Labour was observed globally on 12 June 2017 with the theme In conflicts and disasters, protect children from child labour.

The 2017 World Day against Child Labour focuses on the impact of conflicts and disasters on child labour.

As per the United Nations, over 1.5 billion people, globally, live in countries that are affected by conflict, violence and fragility.

At the same time, around 200 million people are affected by disasters every year. A third of them are children.

A significant proportion of the 168 million children engaged in child labour live in areas affected by conflict and disaster.

World Day Against Child Labour: Know More

• The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched the World Day against Child Labour in 2002.
• It aims to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it.
• Each year on 12 June, the Day brings together governments, employers and workers organizations, civil society to highlight the plight of child labourers and what can be done to help them.

The World Oceans Day was observed across the world on 8 June 2017 with the theme “Our oceans, our future.”

This year’s theme is connected to the Ocean Conference which took place from 5 to 9 June at United Nations headquarters in New York.

The concept of a World Oceans Day was first proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro as a way to celebrate world’s shared oceans as well as to raise awareness about the crucial role the ocean plays in our lives and the important ways people can help protect it.

Following this, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 5 December 2008 designated 8 June as the World Oceans Day through its resolution.

The World’s oceans cover about two-thirds of the surface of the Earth and are the very foundations of life.

They generate most of the oxygen that we breathe, absorb a large share of carbon dioxide emissions, provide food and nutrients and regulate climate.

Unfortunately, human pressures including overexploitation, illegal and unregulated fishing, destructive fishing, marine pollution, habitat destruction, climate change and ocean acidification are putting threat to these oceans.

The United Nations Russian Language Day was observed on 6 June 2017. The day is observed yearly to maintain the equality of all six official UN languages.

These six official languages are English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and French.

The decision to hold days of languages was adopted by the UN Department of Public Information on the eve of the International Mother Language Day.

This is celebrated annually on 21 February, at the initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The aim of the days of the UN languages is to raise awareness of the history, culture and the development of each of the six official UN languages among the staff of the Organization.

The UN Russian Language Day coincides with the birthday of Aleksandr Pushkin, a Russian poet who is considered the father of modern Russian literature.


Aleksandr Pushkin

• He was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.
• He is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. He published his first poem at the age of fifteen.
• While under the strict surveillance of the Tsar’s political police and unable to publish, Pushkin wrote his most famous play, the drama Boris Godunov.