January

Date Day Observed by Remarks
1 Jan World Family Day / Global Family Day
(Informal/Unofficial) Peace activists, NGOs, some communities It was inspired by a book called “One Day In Peace, 2000” by Steve Diamond and Linda Grover
4 Jan World Braille* Day United Nations To mark the birthday of Louis Braille, creator of this writing system.
6 Jan World War Orphans Day Initiated by the French organization, SOS Enfants en Detresse The day aims to raise awareness about children who have been orphaned due to wars.
9 Jan NRI Day Government of India To commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January 1915.
10 Jan World Hindi Day Indian Embassies all over the World To mark the first World Hindi Conference which was held in Nagpur on 10 January 1975. Hindi Divas is celebrated by the Government of India on 14 September.
12 Jan National Youth Day Government of India To mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. International Youth Day is observed by the UN on 12 August.
15 Jan Indian Army Day Government of India The Indian Army got its first army chief, Lieutenant General KM Cariappa, and also to honour the soldiers of the country for selfless work.
25 Jan National Voters Day Government of India To mark the foundation day of Election Commission of India.
25 Jan India Tourism Day Ministry of Tourism, India This day is observed by the government to encourage tourism and explain the essential role of tourism in the growth of the country.
26 Jan India’s Republic Day India Honours the date when the constitution of India came into effect in 1950.
26 Jan International Customs Day World Customs Organisation (HQ: Brussels, Belgium) To commemorate the vital role of customs officials in handling the entire flow of goods across international borders.
27 Jan International Holocaust* Remembrance Day UNESCO To pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust (who were murdered by Nazi Germany during world war 2) and reaffirm its unwavering commitment to counter anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of intolerance.
30 Jan Martyrs’ Day Government of India To mark the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 by Nathuram Godse.
Last Sunday of Jan World Leprosy* Eradication Day World Health Organisation To raise awareness about leprosy disease (Hansen’s disease) and teach people about it. This date was chosen by French humanitarian Raoul Follereau as a tribute to the life of Mahatma Gandhi who had compassion for people afflicted with leprosy.

*Braille is a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision.

*Holocaust’s synonyms is Genocide, Carnage, Massacre.

*Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. It primarily affects the skin, nerves, and mucous membranes, leading to skin lesions, nerve damage, and deformities if left untreated.

MCQ Quiz: Important Days in January

February

Date Day Observed by Remarks
1 Feb Indian Coast Guard Day Indian Coast Guard, Ministry of Defence The ICG was formally established on February 1, 1977, by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 of the Parliament of India. It operates under the Ministry of Defence.
2 Feb World Wetlands Day Ramsar Secretariat To mark the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 and to raise global awareness about the vital roles of Wetlands for the people and the planet.
4 Feb World Cancer Day Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) To raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection and treatment.
6 Feb International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation United Nations General Assembly To raise awareness and educate people about the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
2nd day of 2nd week of Feb Safe Internet Day Insafe (a European network of Awareness Centres promoting safer and better usage of internet) To promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.
10 Feb National Deworming Day National Health Mission To deworm all preschool and school age children (enrolled and unenrolled) between the ages of 1–19 years through the platform of schools and Anganwadi centres to improve overall health, nutritional status, access to education and quality of life.
11 Feb International Day of Women and Girls in Science United Nations To end gender inequality in the field of science and technology and to encourage women and girls to contribute to the STEM fields.
12 Feb National Productivity Day National Productivity Council, India To promote productivity culture in India.
13 Feb World Radio Day UNESCO To raise greater awareness among the public and the media of the importance of Radio.
13 Feb National Women’s Day India To mark the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu. World Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March.
14 Feb Valentine’s Day — To honour one or two early Christian Martyrs named Saint Valentine and is recognized as a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love.
20 Feb World Day of Social Justice United Nations To encourage people to look at how social justice affects poverty eradication.
21 Feb International Mother Language Day UNESCO To promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism.
24 Feb Central Excise Day Central Board of Excise and Custom (CBEC), India To encourage the employees of the excise department to carry out the central excise duty in a better way.
28 Feb National Science Day India To commemorate the discovery of the Raman effect.

March

Date Day Observed by Remarks
1 Mar Zero Discrimination Day United Nations and other international organisations To promote equality before the law and in practice throughout all of the member countries of the UN.
1 Mar World Civil Defence Day International Civil Defence Organisation (ICDO) To commemorate the day when the ICDO Constitution came into force as an intergovernmental organization in 1972.
3 Mar World Wildlife Day United Nations To celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that their conservation provides.
3 Mar World Hearing Day World Health Organisation To raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world.
4 Mar National Security Day India To mark the day of establishment of the National Security Council (NSC) of India.
8 Mar International Women’s Day United Nations To celebrate women’s achievements in the social, economic, cultural, and political spheres, also brings attention to gender parity and women’s rights.
10 Mar CISF Raising Day Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) The CISF came into being after an act of Parliament of India on 10 March 1969.
2nd Wednesday of Mar No Smoking Day India To spread awareness about the harmful health effects of tobacco consumption through cigarette and other modes and to encourage people over the world to quit smoking.
2nd Thursday of Mar World Kidney Day Joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF) To raise awareness of the importance of kidneys to our health and to reduce the impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.
14 Mar Pi Day / International Day of Mathematics UNESCO Pi Day is observed on March 14 (3/14 in the month/day format) since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. UNESCO’s 40th General Conference designated Pi Day as the International Day of Mathematics in November 2019.
14 Mar International Day of Action for Rivers — It is a day dedicated to save, celebrate and make people around us aware about our life-giving source of water.
15 Mar World Consumer Rights Day — To raise global awareness about consumer rights and needs and to protest against market abuses and social injustices which undermine those rights.
16 Mar World Sleep Day — To raise awareness of sleep as a human privilege that is often compromised by the habits of modern life.
16 Mar National Vaccination Day Government of India The prime purpose behind the celebration of National Vaccination Day is to make all people aware of arming against polio and eradicating it completely from the world.
18 Mar Ordnance Factories Day Ordnance Factory Board, India To commemorate the foundation of the first Ordnance Factory in the country in 1802 at Kolkata.
20 Mar International Day of Happiness United Nations To recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.
20 Mar World Sparrow Day Nature Forever Society (NFS) of India, founded by Mohammed Dilawar To raise awareness of the house sparrow and then other common birds to urban environments, and of threats to their populations.
21 Mar World Forestry Day United Nations To raise awareness on the importance of all types of forests.
21 Mar World Down Syndrome Day United Nations To signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.
21 Mar World Poetry Day United Nations To honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.
22 Mar World Water Day United Nations To raise awareness about the importance of freshwater, and about taking action to tackle the global water crisis.
23 Mar World Meteorological Day World Meteorological Organization (HQ: Geneva, Switzerland) To commemorate the entry into force in 1950 of the convention that created the World Meteorological Organization and to highlight the contribution that National Meteorological and Hydrological Services make to the safety and well-being of society.
24 Mar World Tuberculosis Day World Health Organisation To raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.
27 Mar World Theatre Day International Theatre Institute (HQ: Paris, France) To celebrate the importance of theatre arts, their role in the field of entertainment and the changes that theatre brings in life.

April

Date Day Observed by Remarks
2 Apr World Autism Awareness Day United Nations To recognise and celebrate persons with Autism.
4 Apr International Day for Mine Awareness United Nations To raise awareness of the ongoing threat posed by mines, call on those states that have not yet signed the Treaty to do so, and mobilise resources to help the countries affected.
5 Apr National Maritime Day India To create awareness in supporting intercontinental commerce and the global economy as the most well-organized, safe and sound, environmentally responsive approach of transporting goods from one corner to another of the world.
Date Day Observed by Remarks
7 Apr World Health Day World Health Organisation To raise global awareness of specific health themes highlighting priority areas of concern for the World Health Organization (WHO).
10 Apr World Homeopathy Day World Health Organisation To promote the benefits of the Homeopathy system.
11 Apr National Safe Motherhood Day Government of India To raise awareness about adequate access to care during pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal services.
17 Apr World Haemophilia Day World Federation of Haemophilia To raise awareness about Haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders.
18 Apr World Heritage Day UNESCO To celebrate and raise awareness about the efforts of the organizations working for and to maintain the world’s rich heritage which has been given to us by our ancestors.
19 Apr World Liver Day — To spread awareness related to the second largest organ in the body and diseases linked to it.
21 Apr National Civil Services Day India To commemorate the date when the first Home Minister of Independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers (IAS) in 1947.
22 Apr World Earth Day United Nations To show awareness and responsibility towards environmental protection.
23 Apr World Book and Copyright Day UNESCO To celebrate the anniversary of the deaths of William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes, and to mark the importance of books and reading and to promote copyright awareness.
24 Apr National Panchayati Day Ministry of Panchayati Raj To commemorate the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, 1993.
25 Apr World Malaria Day World Health Organisation To promote and learn about the efforts made to prevent and reduce Malaria around the world.
26 Apr World Intellectual Property Day World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, Switzerland To raise awareness about the importance of IP laws and encourage creativity and innovation.
28 Apr World Day for Safety and Health at Work International Labour Organisation To raise awareness on the adoption of safe practices in workplaces and the role of occupational safety and health (OSH).
29 Apr International Dance Day International Theatre Institute To celebrate the birth anniversary of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727–1810), the creator of modern ballet. These events are celebrated all over the world.
30 Apr Ayushman Bharat Diwas — To promote affordable medical facilities in remote areas of the country.
Last Saturday of Apr World Veterinary Day World Veterinary Association (HQ: Brussels, Belgium) To promote the work of veterinarians to improve animal health and welfare, as well as public health, food safety, animal transport conservation and protection.

May

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June