Why in news?

• National Productivity Day is observed every year in India on February 12.
• The objective of the National Productivity Council is to stimulate and promote productivity and quality consciousness across all sectors in the country.
• The main observance of the day is to encourage all stakeholders in the implementation of productivity tools and techniques with contemporary relevant themes.
• The day is celebrated by the National Productivity Council (NPC)to promote productivity culture in India.
• National Productivity Council (NPC) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Government of India is a premier institution for propagating productivity movement in India. NPC works for providing solutions towards accelerating productivity, enhancing competitiveness, increasing productivity.

Why in news?

• Department of Social Justice & Empowerment launched the “SMILE: Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise” scheme on February 12, 2022, in New Delhi.

About SMILE Scheme

• SMILE is a Central Sector scheme. It was launched by Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment. The scheme has been designed for providing welfare measures to Transgender community and people engaged in begging.
• The scheme comprises of two sub-schemes namely,
  • Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons.
  • Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging.
• Objectives of the scheme- SMILE scheme seeks to strengthens and expands the reach of Rights that give necessary legal protection and secured life to targeted group. It keeps in mind the social security required through multiple dimensions of identity, education, medical care, shelter, and occupational opportunities.
• Ministry has allocated Rs. 365 Crore for the scheme for the financial year 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• Components of ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons’
• It includes:
  • Scholarships for Transgender Students studying in IX and till post-graduation to complete their education.
  • Skill Development and Livelihood under PM-DAKSH scheme
  • Composite Medical Health package in convergence with PM-JAY to support Gender-Reaffirmation surgeries through selected hospitals
  • Shelter Homes ‘Garima Greh’, where all the basis facilities (food, clothing, medical support) recreational facilities and skill development opportunities, will be provided.
  • Transgender Protection Cell will be set up in each state for monitoring cases of offences and ensuring timely registration, investigation and prosecution.
• Components of ‘Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging’
  • Survey and Identification of beneficiaries by Implementing Agencies.
  • Outreach work will be done for mobilising the persons engaged in begging to avail services available in Shelter Homes.
  • Shelter homes will facilitate education for children engaged in the act of Begging.

Why in news?

• Luc Montagnier,a French virologist who shared a Nobel Prize in 2008 for discovering the virus that causes AIDS, passed away. He was 89.
• Luc Antoine Montagnier (born 18 August 1932) was a French virologist and joint recipient, with Françoise Barre-Sinoussi and Harald Zur Hausen, of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
• He has worked as a researcher at the Pasteur Institute in Paris and as a full-time professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.
• The discovery of H.I.V. began in Paris on Jan. 3, 1983 when Dr. Montagnier, who directed the Viral Oncology Unit at the Pasteur Institute, received a piece of the lymph node that had been removed from a 33-year-old man with AIDS.

Why in news?

• India has ranked 46^th position in the 2021 Democracy Index’s global ranking, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit.
• With the highest score of 9.75, Norway topped the Democracy Index 2021 by Economist Intelligence.
• India scored 6.91 to rank 46th on the list. Pakistan has been placed further below in the hybrid regime with a rank of 104.
• Top 10 countries in the list: Norway, New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Ireland, Taiwan, Australia, Switzerland.

About Economist Intelligence Unit

• The Economist Intelligence Unit is the research and analysis division of the Economist Group, providing forecasting and advisory services through research and analysis, such as monthly country reports, five-year country economic forecasts, country risk service reports, and industry reports
• The Economist Intelligence Unit was founded in 1946.
• Its headquarters are located in London.

Why in news?

• India’s Goa Shipyard Ltddelivered the 5th and final vessel of the 5 Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vehicle (CGOPV) Project ahead of contractual schedule. The vessel was named ICGS ‘Saksham’. The point to be underlined- all 5 vessels have been delivered before time to the Indian Coast Guard. The contract for 5 CGOPVs was signed by GSL with the Ministry of Defence on 26 August 2016.

About the vessels:

• All the five CGOPVs will be the most advanced patrol vessels in service with the coast guard. Also, the 2,400 tonnes vessels are fitted with additional features including quick response boats for rescue and anti-piracy and gunnery simulators.
• The hull is designed to provide fuel efficiency, crew comfort and enhanced sea keeping qualities.
• With computerised control systems, they are the most advanced patrol vessels in service with the Coast Guard. It has an indigenous content of about 70% and weighs around 2400 tonnes.

Why in news?

• IndianNational Women’s Day is observed every year on 13 February to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu.
• This year Nation celebrates its 143rd Birth Anniversary. She was born on February 13, 1879.
• She was famous for her nickname ‘Nightingale of India’ or ‘Bharat Kokila’because of her poems. Sarojini Naidu is well-known across the globe for her contributions to literature.

About Sarojini Naidu:

• Sarojini Naidu, born in Hyderabad and educated in Cambridge was the powerful face of Women in the Indian Independence struggle.
• Anti-imperialistic, Universal Suffragist, Women rights activist Mrs. Naidu paved the path for women’s movements in India.
• Indian Nightangle Sarojini Naidu shines both as an activist and as a poet.
• In 1925 Sarojini Naidu became the president of the Indian National Congress.
• Sarojini Naidu was one of the forefront leaders who led the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement.
• When she graces the United Provinces as Governor in 1947, she rewrites the history by becoming the first woman to hold the office of Governor in the Dominion of India.
• For Women’s Rights, suffrage and representation in organizations and assemblies she established the Women’s India Association in 1917.

Why in news?

• World Radio Dayis celebrated on 13 February each year to recognize radio as a powerful medium, which brings people together from every corner of the globe, to promote diversity and help build a more peaceful and inclusive world.
• The day was proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO and after being adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD).
• On the occasion of World Radio Day 2022, UNESCO calls on radio stations to celebrate the Day through three sub-themes:
  • Trust in radio journalism: Produce independent and high-quality content;
  • Trust and accessibility: Take care of your audience;
  • Trust and viability of radio stations: Ensure competitiveness.

Why in news?

• The PM paid his obeisances to Sri Madhwacharya on the occasion of Madhwa Navami.

About Sri Madhawacharya

• He is regarded as an incarnation of wind-god Vayu and was born in year 1238 AD in Kanara district of Karnataka.
• He was a great exponent of the Dvaita School of philosophy.
• According to his philosophy, the Supreme Being is Vishnu.
• He, argued that a body of canonical texts called ‘Vedanta’ or ‘end of veda’ taught the fundamental difference between the individual self or atman and the ultimate reality, Brahman.
• He wrote 37 works in Sanskrit, mostly commentaries on Hindu sacred writings and treatises on his own theological system and philosophy.
• He insisted that knowledge is relative, not absolute.

Why in news?

• Recently Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change in Rajya Sabha provided information on National Natural Resource Management System.
• About National Natural Resource Management System
• The Scheme “National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS)” is a Central Sector Scheme of Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
• Objective-The prime objective of NNRMS scheme is utilization of Remote Sensing Technology for Inventorization, Assessment and Monitoring of the country’s natural resources.
• NNRMS carries out the following tasks:
• Mapping of forests and grasslands.
• Monitoring of forest encroachment and shifting cultivation Forest fire surveillance.
• Mapping and monitoring of biosphere reserves.
• Eco-system management related studies for environmentally fragile/sensitive regions like the Himalayas, Western Ghats etc.
• Development of Environment/Forest Resources Information System (ERIS/FRIS).
• Establishment of State Forest Data Management Centres, with linkages to National System.
• Resources assessment of fuel wood.
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) involving land, water and air pollution
• Environmental hazard related studies (landslide, volcano, earthquake).
• Mapping/monitoring of Coastal Regulation Zone/coastal areas, etc.

Why in news?

• NASA selected two science missions namely, Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) and HelioSwarm, for improving our understanding on dynamics of the Sun, constantly changing space environment and Sun-Earth connection.
• Both the mission will provide deeper insights into universe as well as offer critical information, for protecting astronauts, satellites, and communications signals like GPS.
• Missions will provide new and deeper insight into solar atmosphere and space.
• They further extend the science of other heliophysics missions as well as provide a unique perspective and novel approach for understanding mysteries of star.

About MUSE Mission

• The MUSE Mission will help the scientists in understanding driving forces of Sun’s corona heating. It will also help in understanding the eruptions in outermost region which are at the foundation of space
• It will offer deeper insight on physics of solar atmosphere by using an instrument called multi-slit spectrometer, which will observe extreme ultraviolet radiation of Sun and obtain highest resolution images of Solar transition region and the corona.
• Mission will further provide complementary observations from heliophysics research like ground-based observatories and Extreme Ultra-Violet Spectroscopic Telescope.

The Helio Swarm mission

• This mission is a constellation or “swarm” of nine spacecraft. It will be launched to capture first multiscale in-space measurements of fluctuations in magnetic field as well as motions of solar wind, called as solar wind turbulence.
• The outermost atmospheric layer of Sun called the heliosphere, encloses an enormous region of solar system. Solarwinds spread through heliosphere. Their interactions with planetary magnetospheres and disruptions like coronal mass ejections affect the turbulence. This mission will provide a unique ability to investigate turbulence. Mission’s budget is USD 250 million.