Current Affairs 15 May 2021 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 15 May 2021  focuses on Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

1. Financial Benefit Under PM-KISAN
2. Tauktae Cyclonic Storm
3. Basava Jayanthi
4. Covid-19 in Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

Financial Benefit Under PM-KISAN

Source : PIB
GS II : Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Why in News?

Financial Benefit Under PM-KISAN 8^th instalment of financial benefit of Rs 19,000 crore to 9.5 crore beneficiary farmers under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme.

Key Facts

• Disbursement of financial benefit will be the first instalment of PM-Kisan for the ongoing financial year.
• Approximately 11 crore farmer families have got Rs 1.35 lakh crore under the scheme till date.
• For the first time, the farmers of West Bengal would be getting the benefit of this scheme.

How the Scheme Works

• The money is transferred to bank accounts of beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.
• According to scheme guidelines, state governments are required to send correct and verified data of farmers, which State Nodal Officers (SNOs) authenticate and upload to the scheme portal in batches.
• Based on the verified data, SNOs sign the Request For Transfer (RFT), with the total number of beneficiaries.
• The Public Finance Management System (PFMS) then issues a Fund Transfer Order (FTO) based on which the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare in the central Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare issues the transaction order for the mentioned amount.

PM-Kisan Scheme

• The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) is a 100 per cent centrally funded scheme under which Rs 6,000 is transferred in three equal installments to eligible farmer families in a year.
• It was implemented from December 1, 2018, when the first installment for December-March, 2018-19 was released.

Tauktae Cyclonic Storm

Source : PIB
GS I : Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

Why in News ?

Tauktae Cyclonic Storm Intensify during next 12 hours and is very likely to intensify further during the subsequent 24 hours.

• Cyclone Tauktae is likely to intensify into a “severe cyclonic storm” within six hours, and may hit the Gujarat coast.

Key Facts

• Tauktae Cyclonic Storm Intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm.
• First cyclonic storm this year as India.
• Rainfall is expected Lakshadweep Islands, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Konkan & Goa, Gujarat, Southwest Rajasthan.
• How recautions taken by authority during Tauktae Cyclonic Storm?
  • Ships are advised to avoid the area
  • Naval base operations may maintain necessary pre-cautions
  • Fishermen are advised not to venture into Arabian Sea
  • Tourism activities may be restricted over the area specified.

What is a Tropical Cyclone?

• A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain.
• Tropical cyclones typically form over large bodies of relatively warm water.
• They derive their energy through the evaporation of water from the ocean surface, which ultimately recondenses into clouds and rain.
• The strong rotating winds of a tropical cyclone are a result of the conservation of angular momentum imparted by the Earth’s rotation as air flows inwards toward the axis of rotation.
• Tropical cyclones are typically between 100 and 2,000 km (62 and 1,243 mi) in diameter.
• Wind blowing counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
• The opposite direction of circulation is due to the Coriolis effect.

Tauktae name was suggested by Myanmar which in Burmese means gecko, a highly vocal lizard.

How is a cyclone named?

• Who/Authority : World Meteorological Organisation, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (WMO/ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC).
• Why naming cyclone ?
  • Avoid confusion if two or more cyclones are occurring simultaneously over the region.
  • Naming helps in future reference.
• Who are the member countries ? : India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Maldives, Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
• Naming from the list
  • With 8 countries in 2004 there was a list of 64 names eight names from each country.
  • Later years the member countries increased to 13 combined released 169 names of cyclones with 13 names from each countries.
• Conditions for naming :
  • Names of the cyclones should be short, simple and easily understood.
  • culturally sensitive or convey any inflammatory meaning.

Basava Jayanthi

Source : PIB
GS I : Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Why in News ?

PM speech on Basava Jyanthi. 

Basava Jayanthi

• Basava Jayanthi is traditionally observed by the Lingayats and is observed as a holiday in the Indian state of Karnataka.
• It marks the birthday of Basavanna, 12th-century poet-philosopher, and the founding saint of the Lingayat religion.
• Government of Maharashtra and Karnataka declared Government Holiday on Basava jayanti.
• Basavanna who established spiritual democracy called Anubhava Mantapa in the 12th century in India.
  • It is an academy which included Lingayat mystics, saints, and philosophers
• Anubhava Mantapa which is also called as the “FIRST PARLIAMENT CONCEPT OF THE WORLD”.
• It gave practical solutions to all kind of problems mankind was suffering at that time.
• In Prominent Culture
  • Basavanna believed in a society free of the caste system with equal opportunity for all.

Lingayats

• Lingayatism is a version of Shaivite religious tradition in India. Its worship is centered on Hindu god Shiva as the universal god in the iconographic form of Ishtalinga.
• The adherents of this faith are known as Lingayats. Lingayatism was founded by the 12th-century philosopher and statesman Basava and spread by his followers, called Sharanas.

Covid-19 in Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

Source : The Hindu
GS II : Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources

Why in News?

With the second wave of COVID19 in the rural area of Odisha infections are being reported among the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

Key Facts

• 21 tribals across eight different PVTGs in the State have so far tested positive, including two from the Bonda tribe, Four from Dongria Kondh another PVTG.
  • Bonda people live in highlands, 3,500feet above sea level, in Malkangiri, the southernmost district of Odisha.
  • Bonda tribe, known for its secluded lifestyle.
• Concern for the spread among tribe
  • It very tough to stop faster spread if virus makes further spread into tribal communities.
  • Many  tribals live in tiny huts, it makes transmission very difficult to contain and isolate.
• Measure Taken by Authority
  • To keep tribal communities safer during the pandemic, the State government had earlier stopped weekly
    markets where tribals come in contact with outside world.

PVTG Tribes in Odisha

• Odisha has among the largest and most diverse tribal populations in the country.
• Of the 62 tribal groups residing in Odisha, 13 are recognised as PVTGs.
• According to the 2011 Census, Odisha’s share of the country’s total tribal  population was 9%.
• Tribals constitute 22.85% of State’s population.
• Stagnant or  Diminishing populations
  • Bonda, Birhor, Chuktia Bhunjia, Didayi, Dongaria Kandha, Hill Kharia, Juang, Kutia Kondh, Lanjia Saora, Lodha, Mankirdia, Paudi Bhuyan and Saora have been identification on the basis of stagnant or  diminishing populations
  • The reason is associated with pre-agricultural stages of hunting, food gathering and shifting cultivation, and relative physical isolation.

Scheme for PVTGs

• PVTG Empowerment and Livelihood Improvement.
• Scheme for Development of Primitive Vulnerable Tribal Groups
• India have Ministry of Tribal Affairs solely responsible for tribal related matters. 

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See Also : Great Andaman Tribe PVTGs Test Positive