Facts in News

Facts in News
Co-WIN	Co-WIN(Covid Vaccine Intelligence Work) is a platform for the citizens of India to register for COVID-19 vaccination and schedule their vaccination slots at the nearest vaccination centres. It is also an upgraded version of the eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network). The application would have five modules – administrator module, registration module, vaccination module, beneficiary acknowledgement module and report module. It was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The application is currently in the pre-product stage. It has the data of health officials who will be first in line to get the vaccination.
India Toy Fair, 2021	The government of India is organizing ‘The India Toy Fair, 2021’ from 27th February 2021 to 2nd March 2021 on a virtual platform. This initiative is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a global hub for the Toy Industry. It is the first-ever digitally accessible exhibition and platform which will provide an opportunity to explore and buy a variety of toys from over 1,000 exhibitors across states and union territories. It will promote dialogue for the holistic development of the industry and present to the globe the richness and vastness of India’s toy manufacturing capabilities. It aims to provide an impetus to the underlying themes of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and “vocal for local” campaigns, launched by the Government to promote indigenous industries.
Sri Mannathu Padmanabhan	The Prime Minister of India has paid tributes to Sri Mannathu Padmanabhan on his Punya Tithi. About He was born in Perunna, on 02 January 1878 AD, which is a small town in Kerala. He was a great philanthropist who dedicated his life to the upliftment of society and the Nair community. Career He started his career as a teacher in 1893 in a Government Primary School. In 1905, he started practising law in the Magistrates Courts and soon became a leading member of the Bar. In 1914 “Nair Bharatiya Jana Sangh” was formed by him to organise and bring social upliftment to the Nair community. In 1924 he took part in the Vaikkom and Guruvayoor temple-entry campaigns and led the famous “Savarna Jadha”, an anti-untouchability agitation. He led the famous “Guruvayoor Sathyagraham” In 1950 he renamed himself as “Padmanabhan ” removing the surname, stating that cast should not be a dividing factor amongst human beings. In 1959, the President of India, for his outstanding and unselfish social service conferred him with the title of “Bharatha Kesari” [Lion of India]. He was also awarded the “Padma Bhushan” in 1966, by the Government of India.
Mahamrityunjaya Temple	The Puja Pran Prathishta Mahotsav of Maha Mrityunjay Temple started on February 22 and will end on February 25. The Maha Mrityunjay Temple situated in Nagaon, Assam is the world’s largest Shivalinga with a height of 126-feet. The construction of the temple started in 2003 with the help of Acharya Bhrigu Giri Maharaj. Bhrigu Giri Maharaj chose this place after performing meditation. According to the Maharaj, in ancient times, demon guru Shukracharya performed Yagna at the site of the temple.
Black-Necked Cranes	Blacknecked cranes were sighted in the countryside of the outskirts of the Panbari range of Manas National Park, the first ever record in Assam. It is a medium-sized crane that breeds on the Tibetan Plateau and remote parts of India and Bhutan. They have been mostly recorded in high altitudes of Jimithang and Sangti valley in western parts of Arunachal Pradesh in India. Locals of Panbari have named bird deu korchon (Deu means related to God and mythology, and Korchon means crane) as it has mythological importance in Buddhist culture.” IUCN Status: Not Threatened It is listed in Appendix I of CITES. A festival in Bhutan celebrates the bird. Indian UT of Jammu and Kashmir considers it as the state bird.
2nd Khelo India National Winter Games	PM inaugurates 2nd edition of Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg. The games are being organised by the Sports Ministry and the Winter Games Association of Jammu and Kashmir. The winter games are based on a holistic approach of “From the Khelo India Campaign to Olympic Podium Stadium”. The games will see various sports including skiing, snowboarding, snowshoe, ice stock, ice hockey, ice skating and ski mountaineering. J&K can become a new hub of the Winter Games. NEP has sports not only as an extracurricular activity but as part of the curriculum now.
International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD)	It is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to the sharing of professional information and knowledge of the design, construction, maintenance, and impact of large dams. It was founded in 1928 and has its Headquarters in Paris, France. Symposium on “Sustainable Development of Dams and River Basins” under the aegis of ICOLD at New Delhi as Hybrid event from 24th – 27th February 2021 was organised by International Commission on Large Dams (INCOLD). Central Water Commission (CWC). Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project (DRIP). National Hydrology Project (NHP) is organised. Key Highlights of the inaugural speech India reiterated its wish for diversifying its energy basket with more non-fossil fuels such as hydro, solar, wind, bioenergy. Commitments of India to the Paris Climate Agreement were also highlighted. India’s per capita income is one-third of the world average. Despite that India is the only major economy whose actions are on track to preventing the global temperature from rising above 2 degrees Celsius. Flagship programmes of the Ministry of Jal Shakti namely the Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project (DRIP) was highlighted. It’s aim was improving the safety and operational performance of large dams and their appurtenances structures National Hydrology Project (NHP) with World Bank assistance will be presented to the Global Dam Community. Dam Safety Bill was passed to provide for proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all dams in India. Special Sessions on the following topics will be key highlights of the 4-day conference. Innovative Financing in Dam Projects Use of Geo-synthetics in Dam Engineering besides six workshops on Numerical Analysis of Dams Roller Compacted Concrete Dams Reservoir Operation for Handling of Extreme Events Life Extension Technologies and Strategies for Aging Dams Sedimentation Management in Reservoirs in Sustainable Development Seismic Analysis of Dam Design and Safety Evaluation of Existing dams
National Commission for Scheduled Castes	It is a constitutional body and was established by Article 338 of the Constitution. The separate Commission for SCs came into existence in 2004. The Constitution (89th Amendment) Act, 2003 inserted Article 338A which replaced the erstwhile National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes by the NCSC (NCSC) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) in February 2004. It consists of a chairperson, a vice-chairperson and three other members. They are appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal. Their conditions of service and tenure of office are also determined by the President. Aim To provide the SCs with society safeguards against exploitation. To promote their social, economic, educational and cultural development.
Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary	Location: It covers over 175 square kilometre area in Kalahandi district, Odisha. Features The undulated topography of the sanctuary, with hills, valley, perennial streams and deep water pools gives it an unique charm. A beautiful waterfall, ‘Phurlijharan’ has been developed as a picnic spot for the local visitors and draws large numbers of tourists. Flora: Lush green dry deciduous forest. Fauna: Leopard, sambar, barking deer, mouse deer, soft claws ottawa, etc., birds like green munia, great-eared nightjar, etc. and reptiles like monitor lizards, etc. The Government of Odisha has taken various initiatives to preserve and conserve sanctuary for a healthy wildlife population in order to strike a balance in the ecosystem. (Map Courtesy: OWO)