Current Affairs – 15th Jan 2024

Articles covered:

  • PM releases first instalment to 1 lakh PMAY(G) beneficiaries under PM-JANMAN
  • Rare Tibetan Brown Bear Discovered in Sikkim
  • Indian Army celebrates 15 January every year as Army Day
  • 82 crore Indians escaped Multidimensional Poverty in the last 9 years.
  • India Meteorological Department celebrates 150th Year of its establishment and service to the nation
  • In a big push to India’s energy security, ONGC makes two significant gas discoveries in the Mahanadi basin block.
  • PM Modi Feeds Punganur Cows On Makar Sankranti, Here’s Why You Should Adopt This ‘Golden’ Breed
  • The nominations for Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2024 awards are invited on Award Portal of Ministry of Home Affairs.

PM releases first instalment to 1 lakh PMAY(G) beneficiaries under PM-JANMAN:

  • PM-JANMAN was launched for the socio-economic welfare of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) on 15th November 2023, on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.
  • PM-JANMAN, with a budget of approximately Rs 24,000 crore, focuses on 11 critical interventions through 9 Ministries and is aimed to improve socio-economic conditions of the PVTGs by saturating PVTG households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, electricity, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Background:

  • The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in November 2023 has approved Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) with total outlay of Rs.24,104 crore (Central Share:Rs.15,336 crore and State Share: Rs.8,768 crore) to focus on 11 critical interventions through 9 line Ministries.
  • The Prime Minister announced the Abhiyan on Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas from Khunti.
  • As announced in the Budget Speech 2023-24, “to improve socio-economic conditions of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), Pradhan Mantri PVTG of Development Mission will be launched.
  • This will saturate PVTG households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
  • An amount of Rs.15,000 crore will be made available to implement the Mission in the next three years under the Development Action Plan for the Scheduled Tribes (DAPST).”
  • India has ST population of 10.45 crore as per 2011 census, out of which 75 communities located in 18 States and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been categorised as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).  These PVTGs continue to face vulnerability in social, economic and educational fields.

𝗥𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗸𝗸𝗶𝗺:

  • In the first-ever confirmed record of the Tibetan brown bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus) in India, camera traps installed by the Sikkim Forest Department and WWF-India recorded this rare species in the high-altitudes of North Sikkim. This discovery adds a new subspecies to the mammal diversity of the country.
  • Over the last many decades during interactions with the Dokpas – the nomadic herders from the high-altitude areas of Tso Lhamo plateau and Muguthang, there was always a mention of a large unidentified animal stealing sugar and oil stored in the herder camps. This creature, due to its elusive nature, has also inspired the folklore of the Yeti across the Himalayas.
  • It is an omnivore with its diet generally consisting of marmots and alpine vegetation. This rare bear is very different from the more commonly found Himalayan Black Bear in terms of its appearance, habitat and behaviour. It inhabits high-altitude alpine forests, meadows and steppes above 4000 m. Also, it is very shy of human contact and therefore very seldom observed. In contrast, the Himalayan Black Bear has a distinctive ‘V’ shaped white chest mark, inhabits temperate forests below 4000 m and comes in frequent contact with humans often resulting in conflict.
  • The Tibetan brown bear also known as the Tibetan blue bear is one of the rarest subspecies of bears in the world, and is rarely sighted in the wild. It is uniquely adapted to the harsh conditions of the Tibetan Plateau. Until now, there were only a few confirmed records from Nepal, Bhutan and the Tibetan plateau.
  • Consequently, it has been accorded the highest protection status under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 by listing it under Schedule-I.
  • It is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) as a protected species.

Indian Army celebrates 15 January every year as Army Day:

  • Indian Army Day is celebrated every year on January 15.
  • On the special occasion of Army Day, the officials will perform a parade in the presence of higher dignitaries, and its salute is taken by the Indian Army Chief.
  • On January 15, 1949, Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa became the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, and took over authority from the British Commander-in-Chief General Francis Butcher, and became the first Indian to command the Army in its long, rich history.
  • From 1949 until 2022, the Army Day parade was organised at the Cariappa Parade Ground in the Delhi Cantonment.
  • In 2023, the Southern Command was responsible for the parade in Bengaluru. It was the first time the Army Day parade was held outside the country’s capital.
  • This year, the parade will be held under the command of Army’s Central Command, which is headquartered in Lucknow.
  • The theme of Indian Army Day 2024 is “In Service of the Nation”.
  • This year’s theme also resembles the motto of the Indian Army, “Service Before Self.”

24.82 crore Indians escaped Multidimensional Poverty in the last 9 years:

  • 82 crore people escaped multidimensional poverty in the last nine years.
  • Findings of NITI Aayog’s Discussion Paper ‘Multidimensional Poverty in India since 2005-06’ give credit for this remarkable achievement to significant initiatives of the government to address all dimensions of poverty between 2013-14 to 2022-23.
  • The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is a globally recognized comprehensive measure that captures poverty in multiple dimensions beyond monetary aspects.
  • MPI’s global methodology is based on the robust Alkire and Foster (AF) method that identifies people as poor based on universally acknowledged metrics designed to assess acute poverty, providing a complementary perspective to conventional monetary poverty measures.
  • According to the Discussion Paper, India has registered a significant decline in multidimensional poverty in India from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23 i.e. a reduction of 17.89 percentage points.
  • Uttar Pradesh registered the largest decline in the number of poor with 5.94 crore people escaping multidimensional poverty during the last nine years followed by Bihar at 3.77 crore, Madhya Pradesh at 2.30 crore and Rajasthan at 1.87 crore.
  • Noteworthy initiatives like Poshan Abhiyan and Anaemia Mukt Bharat have significantly enhanced access to healthcare facilities, leading to a substantial decrease in deprivation.
  • Operating one of the world’s largest food security programs, the Targeted Public Distribution System under the National Food Security Act covers 81.35 crore beneficiaries, providing food grains to rural and urban populations.
  • Recent decisions, such as extending free food grain distribution under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana for another five years, exemplify Government’s commitment.
  • Various programs addressing maternal health, clean cooking fuel distribution through Ujjwala Yojana, improved electricity coverage via Saubhagya, and transformative campaigns like Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission have collectively elevated living conditions and overall well-being of people.
  • Additionally, flagship programs like Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and PM Awas Yojana have played pivotal roles in financial inclusion and providing safe housing for the underprivileged.

India Meteorological Department celebrates 150th Year of its establishment and service to the nation:

  • India Meteorological Department (IMD) celebrated 150th Year of its establishment and service to the nation today.
  • The Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankar graced the occasion as Chief Guest in the inaugural ceremony celebration of 150th years of its establishment. Shri Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Earth Sciences graced the occasion as Guest of Honour.

On the occasion of 150th year celebrations of IMD, the Vice President released and launched the following:

  1. Souvenir on Evolution of IMD and its services since 1875

The souvenir brings out the evolution and achievements of organisational structure, observations, communication, modelling and services of IMD since 1875.

  1. Indigenously developed Decision Support System
  • The India Meteorological Department has developed the in-house Web-GIS-based integrated Decision Support System (DSS) known as the Weather Analysis and Forecast Enabling System (WAFES), inspired by Pancha Mahabhuta i.e. Water, Air, Fire, Earth and Sky.
  • The WAFES serves as a visualisation platform to analyse meteorological observations and prediction models, aiding decision-making for severe weather phenomena and their socio-economic impact.
  • The DSS includes the Meteorological Information Communication System (MICS), Data Information Processing System (DIPS), Synthesised Integrated Visualization System (SIVS), and Public Weather Information System (PWIS).
  • It incorporates specialised modules for severe weather events and utility tools for visualisation, analysis, and response actions based on IMD’s early warnings.
  • It provides real-time information for various sectors such as Urban, Power, Hydrology, Health, Energy, Agriculture, Transport and Tourism under the “UPHHEATT” initiative (for the cause of welfare).
  1. Panchayat Mausam Seva for farmers
  • India Meteorological Department, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Green Alert Mausam Sewa have jointly developed Panchayat Mausam Sewa Portal.
  • Through this portal, weather forecasts in English, Hindi and twelve regional languages will be provided to every panchayat head and panchayat secretary to reach every village of the country.
  • This initiative will enrich every farmer of the country with weather alerts, warnings, medium range weather forecasts to help them in planning the agricultural activities like sowing, transplantation, application of irrigation, fertilisers, pesticides, etc.
  • It will help in reducing the input cost and crop loss due to aberrant weather, and finally increase the production and income.
  • The URL of the developed web page is : https://mausam.imd.gov.in/greenalerts
  1. IMD’s Mobile App and Mausamgram
  • IMD launched an integrated GIS based interactive mobile app MAUSAM for all weather-related services like current weather, forecast of every hour to 7 days, Rainfall, Humidity, Sunrise/Sunset, Moonrise/Moonset, Rain Alert, Lightning Alert, Cyclone Alert, Aviation and Agro-Meteorological advisories.
  • The app supports 12 Indian languages for varied users in India.
  • Upholding the vision “Har Har Mausam, Har Ghar Mausam,” IMD introduces “mausamgram,” available through the Mobile App “Mausam”.
  • It allows the public to view observations, forecasts, and warnings for their location through a map or search function using place names, pincodes, or coordinates.
  • Forecasts and warnings are disseminated in text and graphics format in this mobile App.
  • This platform empowers the common person to access detailed weather forecasts for their chosen location with a simple click on the map including the oceanic area.
  • The forecasts are available on an hourly, 3-hourly, and 6-hourly basis upto next 10-days, covering crucial weather parameters such as rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and cloud cover. The module is developed indigenously within IMD using state-of-the-art tools and technologies, ensuring accuracy and reliability.
  • The “mausamgram” can be availed also through IMD Website (https://mausamgram.imd.gov.in).
  1. National Framework of Climate Services (NFCS)
  • India Meteorological Department introduces the National Framework of Climate Services (NFCS).
  • IMD prepares the climatology of basic meteorological parameters like rainfall, temperature, wind & pressure and the climate extremes like heat wave, cold wave, thunderstorm, cyclones, depression, lows, heavy rainfall etc. It is being updated every 10 years.
  • IMD has digitised all observational data since 1901.
  • In 2021, the India Meteorological Department introduced a visualisation tool for the public to observe different climate parameters, extremes, climate hazards and vulnerability maps for severe weather events.
  • IMD provides a climate forecast for each month and season based on the dynamical multi model ensemble climate forecast system from 2021.

In a big push to India’s energy security, ONGC makes two significant gas discoveries in Mahanadi basin block:

Mahanadi River Basin:

  • Positioned as the 8th largest river basin in India, the Mahanadi River Basin boasts a vast catchment area covering 139,681.51 sq. km, constituting approximately 4.28% of the country’s total geographical expanse.
  • Encompassing major sections of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, along with smaller portions of Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, the basin features a diverse landscape.
  • With dimensions stretching up to 587 km in length and 400 km in width, the basin is bordered by the Central India hills to the north, the Eastern Ghats to the south and east, and the Maikala range to the west.
  • Physiographically, the basin can be categorised into four regions: the northern plateau, the Eastern Ghats, the coastal plain, and the erosional plains of the central tableland.
  • Predominantly characterised by hilly terrains, the northern plateau and Eastern Ghats contrast with the fertile delta area of the coastal plain, while the central tableland is marked by the river’s meandering course and its tributaries.
  • Monsoons play a pivotal role, contributing around 90% of the basin’s annual rainfall.
  • Agricultural land covers a substantial portion of the basin, accounting for 54.27% of the total area, while water bodies constitute 4.45%.
  • Red and yellow soils are the prevalent soil types in the Mahanadi River Basin.

Mahanadi River Highlights:

  • As a significant east-flowing peninsular river in India, the Mahanadi River originates from the Sihawa range of hills in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district.
  • Ranking second in water potential among peninsular rivers, the river spans a total length of 851 km, with 357 km in Chhattisgarh and 494 km in Odisha.
  • Key tributaries include the Seonath, Hasdeo, Mand (from the left), and the Ong, Tel, Jonk (from the right).
  • The Hirakud Dam, recognized as the world’s longest earthen dam spanning 26 km, is situated on the Mahanadi River near Sambalpur in Odisha.

PM Modi Feeds Punganur Cows on Makar Sankranti:

Punganur Cow:

  • Recognized as one of the world’s most diminutive cattle breeds, the Punganur Cow stands at a height of merely 70-90 cm and weighs less than 200 kg.
  • Indigenous to Punganur village in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, this breed exhibits remarkable resilience to drought conditions and a capacity to thrive on low-quality feed.
  • Renowned for its milk, the Punganur Cow produces a rich yield with higher fat content, particularly suitable for ghee production.
  • Milk production ranges from 1 to 3 litres per day, featuring an impressive milk fat content of 8%, surpassing the 3 to 4% typical of other native breeds.
  • Beyond its high-fat milk, the Punganur Cow’s milk is nutritionally rich, containing Omega fatty acids, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
  • Displaying a varied colour palette of white, grey, light brown to dark brown, or red, some cows exhibit patches of white mixed with red, brown, or black.
  • Physical attributes include a broad forehead and short, crescent-shaped horns that curve backward and forward in males and laterally and forward in females.
  • Recognized for its eco-friendly nature, Punganur cows demand less water, feed, and space in comparison to hybrid breeds.
  • Punganur cows hold cultural importance, notably in Andhra Pradesh, where many temples, including the revered Tirupati Tirumala Temple, utilise the milk for Ksheera Abhishekam, a ritualistic milk offering to the deity.

Nominations for the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2024 awards are invited on the Award Portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs, spanning from January 14th, 2024, to February 28th, 2024:

Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2024 Overview:

  • Nominations for the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2024 awards are invited on the Award Portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs, spanning from January 14th, 2024, to February 28th, 2024.
  • Instituted by the Government of India, the “Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar” is a prestigious recognition in the realms of Science, Technology, and Innovation.
  • This National Award aims to acknowledge and celebrate exceptional scientific, technological, and innovative contributions made by researchers, technologists, and innovators.
  • Awards are categorised into four distinct segments:
    • Vigyan Ratna (VR): Up to three awards, honouring lifetime achievements and significant contributions in a specific field of Science and Technology.
    • Vigyan Shri (VS): A maximum of 25 awards recognizing distinguished contributions in the field of Science and Technology.
    • Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (VY-SSB) Award: Up to 25 awards, specifically aimed at recognizing and encouraging young scientists who have made exceptional contributions in Science and Technology.
    • Vigyan Team (VT) Award: A maximum of three awards may be conferred upon teams of three or more scientists, researchers, or innovators who have demonstrated outstanding teamwork in a given field of Science and Technology.
  • The awards span across 13 domains, including Physics, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Mathematics & Computer Science, Earth Science, Medicine, Engineering Sciences, Agricultural Science, Environmental Science, Technology & Innovation, Atomic Energy, Space Science and Technology, and Others.
  • Coordination for the awards this year is under the auspices of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) within the Ministry of Science and Technology.
  • Award announcements are scheduled for National Technology Day on May 11th, with the Award Ceremony slated for National Space Day on August 23rd.
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