Correct Answer :   24th February 2023

---

24th February 2023, the Supreme Court refused to hear a petition regarding menstrual leave for workers and students across the country, citing it as a policy matter.

* It emphasized that menstruation was a biological process, such leave could act as a "disincentive" for employers to hire female employees.

* The concept of menstrual leave for workers and students has been debated for centuries, but such policies are uneven and divisive, even among feminist circles.

News Summary :

* The Supreme Court ruled on 24th February 2023 that there are different "dimensions" to menstrual pain leave, which, while a biological process, may also act as a "disincentive" for employers from engaging women in their organization.

* A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud directed the petitioner to approach the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development to develop a policy.

* The court was hearing a petition seeking a directive to states to develop rules for granting menstrual pain leave to students and working women in workplaces.


What is Menstrual leave?

* Menstrual leave or period leave refers to all policies that allow employees or students to take time off when they are experiencing menstrual pain or discomfort.

* At the workplace, it refers to policies that allow for both paid or unpaid leave, or time for rest.


What kind of menstrual leave policies are in place globally?

Spain : Recently, Spain became the first European country to grant paid menstrual leave to workers, among a host of other sexual health rights. Workers now have the right to three days of menstrual leave— expandable to five days— a month.

Japan : It introduced menstrual leave as part of labour law in 1947, after the idea became popular with labor unions in the 1920s. At present, under Article 68, employers cannot ask women who experience difficult periods to work during that time.

Indonesia : It introduced a policy in 1948, amended in 2003, saying that workers experiencing menstrual pain are not obliged to work on the first two days of their cycle.

Philippines : In the Philippines, workers are permitted two days of menstrual leave a month.

Taiwan : It has an Act of Gender Equality in Employment in place. Employees have the right to request a day off as period leave every month, at half their regular wage. Three such leaves are permitted per year— extra leaves are counted as sick leave.

Zambia : Among the African nations, Zambia introduced one day of leave a month without needing a reason or a medical certificate, calling it Mother’s Day.

Others : The petition also mentioned that the United Kingdom, China and Wales have menstrual leave provisions.

Thus we can say that almost every alternate country has provisions for menstrual leave.


What are the Parliamentary Measures?

Menstruation Benefits Bill, 2017 : In 2017, Arunachal Pradesh MP Ninong Ering introduced the 'Menstruation Benefits Bill, 2017' in Parliament. It was represented in the Lok Sabha on the first day of the Budget Session in 2022, but was ignored as an "unclean topic," according to the petition.

Women's Sexual, Reproductive, and Menstrual Rights Bill in 2018 : Dr. Shashi Tharoor introduced the Women's Sexual, Reproductive, and Menstrual Rights Bill in 2018, proposing that public authorities make sanitary pads freely available to women on their premises.

Private Member's Bill : In the ongoing Budget session of the Parliament, Congress MP from Kerala Hibi Eden announced that he will introduce a private member's Bill seeking the right to paid leave during menstruation for working women, menstrual leave for female students, and free access to menstrual health products.

Right of Women to Menstrual Leave and Free Access to Menstrual Health Products Bill, 2022 : It mandates three days of paid leave for women and transwomen during menstruation. It also aims to broaden the benefit for students...

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   Uttar Pradesh

---

The representatives of Japan in GIS also praised the changed atmosphere of Uttar Pradesh. Investors signed MoU for the investment of Rs 7,200 crores. At the summit, the Japanese company "Hotel Management International Company Limited (HMI Group)" decided to open hotels in 30 cities including Agra, Ayodhya, and Varanasi.

* The efforts of the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government to harness UP’s tourism potential have not only resulted in an increased stream of domestic and foreign tourists, but would also produce numerous employment opportunities in tourist hotspots, an official release said on Sunday (26th Feb 2023).

* In 2022, Uttar Pradesh witnessed the arrival of 24.87 crore tourists to the state, of which the number of foreigners was 4.10 lakh. Owing to the sustained efforts of CM Adityanath, the tourism and hospitality sectors also garnered immense attention from the investors in the Global Investors Summit held recently in the state capital.

* The state government further highlighted the contribution of Japan in the making of hotels in 30 cities of Uttar Pradesh.

* A huge temple of Maryada Purushottam Shriram will also be built in Ayodhya by January 2024, boosting tourism in the state.

* More than 2 crore visitors visited Ayodhya in the first six months of 2022, according to the statement.

* Uttar Pradesh’s tourism and hospitality centres have received investment offers totaling Rs 98193 crores and Rs 20722 crores respectively. These industries would provide around 1.45 lakh job opportunities in the coming years.

* Further, the statement said that the under-construction Vishwanath Dham Corridor and Vindhya Dham helped some cities including Agra, Mathura, Chitrakoot, and Jhansi to develop their tourism potential.

* The building of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and Vindhya Dham in Vindhyachal is also progressing quickly.

* The large inflow of international and local investment in these areas will help ensure that young people have job prospects in their hometowns.

* The UP government received 397 tourism-related proposals, including bids from the top 20 industries. This has the potential to generate an investment of Rs 98,193 crore. More than 2.60 lakh employment would be created, with 437 bids received in the hospitality industry.

* According to the statement, around one lakh youth in Paschimmanchal, Purvanchal, Madhya Pradesh, and Bundelkhand would benefit from this.

Source : Travel and Tour World

Correct Answer :   Rs 5.5 Trillion

---

Transfer of assorted subsidies and sops to the beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has reached about Rs 5.5 trillion so far in the current financial year(FY2023), nearly the same as for the whole of FY21 and just 13% short of the achievement in the whole of FY22.

Given that a lot of dues are cleared in the last month of the year, the DBT transfers are expected to surpass Rs 6.3 trillion achieved in FY22.

Key Points :

* The DBT transfers are anticipated to surpass the Rs 6.3 trillion attained in FY22 because to the large number of dues that are paid in the final month of the year.

* While input costs and fertilizer prices almost doubled in just a year, farmers have received fertiliser subsidies totaling Rs 1.9 trillion so far this fiscal year, which is 53% more than the total of Rs 1.24 trillion in FY22.

* Given that there are still more than two months until the end of FY23, the amount of fertiliser that farmers received as subsidies for the entire year would be far larger than what has been previously reported.

* In contrast to the budget projection of Rs 1.05 trillion and the actual Rs 1.54 trillion (including dealer and manufacturer) in FY22, the overall fertiliser subsidy expense for the Centre is projected to be Rs 2.25 trillion for FY23 as against the budget estimate of Rs 1.05 trillion and the actual Rs 1.54 trillion (including dealer and manufacturer) in FY22.

* Subsidies worth Rs 1.5 trillion were transferred to beneficiaries via foodgrains under the public distribution system (PDS) so far in FY23. The food DBT through PDS will likely end the year around Rs 2.2 trillion in FY23, the same as in FY22. The elevated food DBT was due to the free grains scheme.

Among other major DBT schemes : The government’s assistance for beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana-Rural (PMAY-R) beneficiaries in FY23 would likely exceed the FY22 achievement of about Rs 40,000 crore.

* So far in the current fiscal, DBT in PMAY-R has reached Rs 38,638 crore.

* The government’s cumulative savings on expenditure, thanks to the DBT till FY21-end, was 2.23 trillion.

* The jump in DBT from FY19 onwards could be largely attributed to the increased use of Aadhaar-enabled DBT platforms for in-kind food and fertiliser subsidy distribution.

* According to an estimate by the Centre, the Aadhaar-enabled DBT platform helped eliminate 41.1 million fake LPG connections, 39.9 million duplicate ration cards and resulted in 10% savings on wages on account of the deletion of non-existent MGNREGS beneficiaries...

Source : Financial Express

Correct Answer :   Himanta Biswa Sarma

---

Assam Chief Minister "Himanta Biswa Sarma" on Saturday (25th February 2023) attended as chief guest at the foundation stone laying ceremony of North East India's first-ever compressed "biogas plant project" at Domora Pathar in Sonapur under Kamrup (Metropolitan) district, Assam.

Being set up by entrepreneurs Pankaj Gogoi and Rakesh Doley under the banner of Redlemon Technologies Private Limited, the plant proposed to be operational from November 2023, will have a production capacity of five tonne-per-day of compressed biogas that would be produced from raw materials such as cattle-dung, municipal solid wastes, etc.

Key Points :

* The Sonapur compressed biogas plant would significantly contribute to the Assam government’s goal of making a gradual transition to cleaner and greener energy.

* The compressed biogas facilities, like the one being developed in Sonapur, would not only help with municipal solid waste management issues, but they would also give farmers another source of income because they would be able to sell livestock dung to the biogas producers.

* The organic fertilisers that would be generated as a byproduct of methane in such compressed biogas facilities, he further expressed the expectation, would offer a safer alternative to chemical fertilisers currently used throughout the State.

* In reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pledges to reduce India’s carbon emissions on international platforms like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Chief Minister Sarma said Assam, like the other States, would do everything in its power to ensure that the nation is able to keep its commitments made on mitigating the effects of global warming...

Source : ANI News

Correct Answer :   Rajasthan

---

The President of India Draupadi Murmu will formally inaugurate and address the 14th edition of Sanskriti Mahotsav being held in Bikaner, Rajasthan 27th Feb 2023.

* The President will reach Bikaner in the afternoon and will address the Sanskriti Mahotsav being organized at Dr. Karni Singh Stadium.

* The 9-days long festival is being organized for the first time in Rajasthan. The festival, which started on Saturday (25th Feb 2023), will continue till 5th March 2023.  

* Performances of about one thousand well-known artists from across the country based on folk dance, folk music, drama and Sufi music are taking place in the festival. Apart from this,  sand sculpture, an exhibition based on crafts and other arts is also being organized.

* The objective of the festival is to preserve, promote and popularize the rich cultural heritage of the country.

Correct Answer :   February 27

---

The annual celebration of World NGO Day is carried out on February 27. The day is observed to honour the efforts of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their contribution to the lives of people residing in different parts of the world.

The Baltic Sea NGO Forum proposed World NGO Day for the first time in 2010 and since then it has become an annual event that appreciates the work of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) all around the world. The day allows NGOs to fight for policies that will help them achieve their future endeavours.


World NGO Day Theme 2023 : The theme for World NGO Day varies annually. This year the theme is 'Together for Impact, Innovate for Change and For a Just and Sustainable World'.


World NGO Day History and Significance :

* After the proposal made by the Baltic Sea NGO Forum in the year 2010, the annual event got approved in 2012.

* Originally, World NGO Day was exclusively observed by nations that participated in the forum, such as Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, and others.

* It was in the year 2014 when officials from organisations such as the United Nations and the European Union attended the event. Later, it started genuinely being celebrated in other nations.

* The primary goal of World NGO Day is to increase awareness about the activities of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their influence on the various sections of society.

* NGOs play a critical role in tackling social, economic, and environmental issues.

* This day's significance is addressing the non-profit groups that seek to achieve specific goals for existing civil societies.

* The size of NGOs varies from local groups to multinational organisations and they work on a variety of problems such as human rights, education, health, environmental preservation, and disaster relief..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   February 27

---

Marathi Bhasa Divas or Marathi Language Day is celebrated annually on February 27 to honour the birth anniversary of famous Marathi poet Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar, who was popularly known as ‘Kusumagraj’.

* Shirwadkar was an eminent Marathi poet, playwright, novelist, short story writer, and humanist. He wrote a lot about freedom, justice, and social evils like poverty.

* The day is celebrated to recognise and honour the greatness of Marathi literature. Marathi language contains some of the oldest literature of all modern Indo-Aryan languages, dating from about 900 AD.

* The government started celebrating ‘Marathi Rajbhasha Gaurav Din’ after Kusumagraj’s demise in 1999. Two special awards for individuals taking initiatives to promote Marathi literature were also started.

* Various cultural programmes are held across Maharashtra in schools and other institutions to celebrate Marathi Bhasha Diwas.

About Vishnu Vāman Shirwādkar (Kusumagraj) :

* Vishnu Vāman Shirwādkar (27 February 1912 – 10 March 1999), popularly known by his pen name, Kusumāgraj, was an Marathi poet, playwright, novelist and short story writer, who wrote of freedom, justice and emancipation of the deprived.

* In a career spanning five decades starting in India’s pre-independence era, he wrote 16 volumes of poems, three novels, eight volumes of short stories, seven volumes of essays, 18 plays and six one-act plays.

* His works like the Vishakha (1942), a collection of lyrics, inspired a generation into the Indian freedom movement, and is today considered one of the masterpieces of Indian literature.

* He was the recipient of the 1974 Sahitya Akademi Award in Marathi for Natsamrat, Padma Bhushan (1991) and the Jnanapith Award in 1987.

* He also served as the President of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan held at Margao in 1964..

Source : Me Mumbai

Correct Answer :   Narendra Modi

---

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Shivamogga airport in Karnataka on 27 February 2023. The airport has been built on 663 acres of land with an investment of ₹449.22 crore.

* Apart from this, the prime minister will inaugurate several other development projects in the poll-bound state.

* “Shivamogga airport is grand & beautiful. At this airport, one can see the combination of Karnataka's tradition and technology. This is not just an airport. it is the drive for a new journey of the dreams of the youth of this area," PM Modi said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of Shivamogga airport.

* Days ahead of his visit to Shivamogga, PM Modi said that the facility will boost commerce, connectivity and enhance tourism in the region.

About Shivamogga airport :

* Shivamogga airport is being built on 663 acres of land with an investment of ₹449.22 crore and the foundation was laid in June 2020 by former CM B S Yediyurappa.

* The Passenger Terminal Building of the airport can handle 300 passengers per hour.

* As per the government statement, the airport will improve connectivity and accessibility of Shivamogga and other neighbouring areas in the Malnad region.

* This is the 9th domestic airport in Karnataka. Currently the state's domestic airports are located at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Ballari, Bidar, Hubballi, Kalaburagi, Belagavi and Mangaluru.

* Bengaluru and Mangaluru airports are the two international airports in the state.

* The airport have the longest runway of 3,200 metres after Kempe Gowda International airport, Bengaluru and is designed to operate Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 type aircraft and can handle about 200 peak-hour passengers..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Lt Gen RS Reen

---

Lt Gen RS Reen took over as Director General Quality Assurance on February 24, 2023. A 1986-batch officer, Lt Gen Reen is an alumnus of Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

* The Officer had completed his BE (Electrical) from National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, Specialisation in Radio Engineering and post-graduation in Communication Engineering from MC EME, Secunderabad. He was a senior faculty at Defence Institute of Quality Assurance, Bengaluru.

* In addition, the Officer is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt from Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.

* He has done certification in Reliability Engineering from IIT, Kharagpur and is Qualified Lead Auditor in Quality Management System & Integrated Management System from Bureau Veritas, Bengaluru.

* The Officer has headed a Senior Quality Assurance Estt., Brig at Headquarters, Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) and was Controller (Missile System) in Secunderabad. The Officer headed the DQA(L) as Additional Director General (Electronics) at HQ DGQA, New Delhi.

* The DGQA is an Inter-Service Organisation functioning under the Department of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence.

* It is responsible for second party Quality Assurance of all defence stores and equipment, both imported as well as indigenous, for the Indian Army, Indian Navy (excluding Naval Armaments) and common user items for the Indian Air Force procured from private sector and public sector undertakings...

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Maharaja Sayajirao University

---

The Youth 20 India Summit will be held at the Maharaja Sayajirao University Vadodara in Gujarat which was attended by more than 600 delegates from 62 countries.

The international conference of The Youth 20 India Summit was inaugurated by Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, 25th Feb 2023.

The Youth 20 India Summit is organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India to mark the celebration of India’s G20 Presidency, the focus would be on ‘Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making sustainability a Way of Life’.

Key Points :

* In the Youth 20 India Summit conference, there were 167 delegates from G20 nations, 8 international scholars, 12 national scholars, 25 international delegates, 25 national delegates, 25 representatives of Youth Ministry, 50 start-ups working on the environment, 15 Shodh scholars, 10 NSS members and 250 students of different Universities studying subjects on urban planning, climate change, and environment studies participated.

* Different plenary sessions were organized at this international conference. The first plenary session was on ‘Role of Youth and Opportunities in the field of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction’ in which Dr.Tuomo Kauranne, President of Arbonaut OY Ltd., Finland; Ana Loboguerrero, Director, Alliance BI, and ITA, Columbia, and several dignitaries were present.

* The second plenary session was on ‘Research, Innovation, and Start-up related to Climate Change’ in which Bruce Campbell, Director, CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, Rome, and many more.

* The third plenary session was on ‘Experience Sharing, Best Practices related to Climate Change and Disaster-Risk Reduction’ in which Mr. Amgad Elmahdi, International Water and Natural Resources Management Specialist; Arun Govind, Consultant Red Deer, Canada Chairman, and many more.

* In the fourth plenary session, was a panel discussion on ‘Making Sustainability A way of Life’ in which Mr. Philippe Ciais, LSCE, The Climate Change Research Unit, IPSL, Paris; Prof. Charlotte Clarke, Executive Dean, Faculty of Social Science & Health, Durham University; Ms. Aarya Chavda, Young Environment Crusader; Hardeep Desai, Head of Farm Operations at Cotton Connect South Asia Pvt. Ltd and many more participated..

Source : PIB