Daily Current Capsules 11^th April 2022

Prelims Factoids
Madhavpur Ghed Fair

What's the NEWS

• The President of India inaugurated five-day long Madhavpur Ghed Fair at Madhavpur Ghed, Porbandar in Gujarat
• Since 2018, the Government of Gujarat in association with the Ministry of Culture is organizing this fair every year to celebrate the sacred union of Lord Krishna and Rukmini.
• Born in today's Uttar Pradesh, Shri Krishna makes Gujarat his workplace and marries Rukmini, a princess from today's north-eastern region of our country.
• According to folk belief, the land of Madhavpur Ghed village has been a witness to their union.
• The Madhavpur Fair connects Gujarat with north-east region in an integral bond.

Know! more about the fest

• The Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat shares its connect to the Mishmi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.
• The Mishmi Tribe traces its ancestry to the legendary King Bhishmak and through him to his daughter Rukmini and Lord Krishna.
• The festival celebrates the immortal journey which Rukmini undertook from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat with Lord Krishna.
• Madhavpur Ghed is the place where, according to folklore, Lord Krishna married Rukmini, the daughter of King Bhishmaka.
• Madhavpur lies on the seashore, close to Porbandar.
• A 15th century Madhavrai temple marks the site.
• This event is commemorated by a cultural fair held every year, commencing on Ram Navami.
• A colourful chariot carrying the idol of Lord Krishna circumnavigates the village and the festivities usually continue for five days.

• The Vice-President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and Sangeet Natak Awards for the year 2018 , and Fellowships and National Awards of Lalit Kala Akademi for the year 2021 in the joint ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
• Forty-three eminent artists presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and Sangeet Natak Awards for 2018 while the Lalit Kala Akademi's Fellowship and National Awards for 2021 have be given to 23 people.

• It is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama.
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards are national honours bestowed by the government on performing artists as well as teachers and scholars in the field of performing arts
• It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists.
• The awards are given in the categories of music, dance, theatre, other traditional arts and puppetry, and for contribution/scholarship in performing arts.
• The recipients are selected by the Akademi's General Council, comprising distinguished musicians, dancers, theatre artists and scholars in these disciplines and nominees of the Government of India, state governments and Union Territories.

• It is an honour for the fine arts in India.
• It was given to eminent artists for their lifetime achievements in the field of visual arts.
• It is awarded by the Lalit Kala Akademi, India's National Academy of Art, it is the highest honour in the fine arts conferred by the Government of India.
• The first elected fellow, in 1947, was Mr. Hiralal Thakar the artist

• National Exhibition of Art is organised annually by the Lalit Kala Akademi as it's the most prestigious event, showcasing the brilliance and capacious oeuvre of the awarded artists.

Defence and Security/GSIII
Pinaka Mk-I (Enhanced) Rocket System and Pinaka Area Denial Munition Rocket Systems successfully flight-tested by DRDO & Indian Army

What's the NEWS

• Pinaka Mk-I (Enhanced) Rocket System (EPRS) and Pinaka Area Denial Munition (ADM) rocket systems have been successfully flight-tested by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Army at Pokhran Firing Ranges.
• A total of 24 EPRS rockets were fired for different ranges during the last fortnight.
• The Pinaka rocket system has been developed by Armament Research and Development Establishment, Pune supported by High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, another Pune-based laboratory of DRDO.
• The EPRS is the upgraded version of Pinaka variant which has been in service with the Indian Army for the last decade.
• The system has been upgraded with advanced technologies enhancing the range to meet the emerging requirements.
• After establishing the performance efficacy of the enhanced range version of Pinaka, the technology was transferred to the industries viz. Munitions India Limited (MIL) and Economic Explosives Limited Nagpur.
• Rockets manufactured by MIL under Transfer of Technology from DRDO were flight tested during this campaign.
• Different variants of munitions and fuzes which can be used in the Pinaka rocket system were also successfully test evaluated in the Pokhran Field Firing Range.

Environment/GSIII
First ever NTCA meeting outside National Capital held at Arunachal Pradesh

What's the NEWS

• The 20th Meeting of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was held in Pakke tiger reserve in Arunachal Pradesh under the chairmanship of Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change
• For the first time in history the NTCA meeting happened outside the national capital.

• The NTCA has prepared a Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) to deal with the reintroduction and supplementation.
• The SOP takes into account, the scientific knowledge available on the subject as well as conditions that may be typical to India.

• Forest Fires play a crucial role in maintaining the dynamics of forest.
• Fire can play a vital role in healthy forests, recycling nutrients, helping tree species regenerate, removing invasive weeds and pathogens and maintaining habitat for some wildlife.
• However, as populations and demands on forest resources have grown, cycle of fire has spun out of the balance and these uncontrolled and repeated fires at short succession are one of the major causes behind forest degradation and biodiversity loss.
• In order to help the tiger reserve managers assess their fire preparedness and manage complete life cycle of forest fires, the NTCA has prepared a Forest Fire Audit Protocol for Tiger Reserves and is now being released.

• India is amongst the selected countries in the world that have institutionalized the MEE Process.
• The globally accepted framework of Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of tiger reserves has paved way for successfully assessing the tiger conservation efforts in the country.
• The MEE exercise in tiger reserves was initiated in 2006 and four cycle has been completed.
• Since then a lot of experience has been gained and need was felt revisit and review the whole process.
• Accordingly, a committee was constituted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority to revisit and review the MEE criteria for the 5th cycle of MEE exercise starting 2022.
• Based on the suggestions made by the committee, the technical manual on Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Tiger Reserves in India is being released by NTCA.

• NTCA was established in December 2005, following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, constituted by the Prime Minister of India for reorganised management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves in India.
• The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 was amended in 2006 to provide for constituting the National Tiger Conservation Authority responsible for implementation of the Project Tiger plan to protect endangered tigers.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority is set up under the Chairmanship of the Minister for Environment and Forests.
• NTCA has been constituted under section 38 L (1) of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• The authority consists of the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forests ( as Chairperson), the Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment and Forests (as Vice-Chairperson), three members of Parliament, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests and other members.
• The authority derives its power from section 38 O (1) of WLPA, 1972 and functions under the guidance of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and members.
• A programme for protection called, 'Tiger Protection Program' (popularly known as Project Tiger) was started in 1973, by the Government of India in co-operation with WWF.

Social Issues/GSII
Chair Zonal Conference of 8 North-East States

What's the NEWS

• Union Minister for Women and Child Development, chaired the Zonal Conference of State Govts and Stakeholders of North-East region in Guwahati
• States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Nagaland will participate in the meeting.
• In order to ensure optimum impact of recently launched 3 Missions- POSHAN 2.0, Vatsalya and Shakti, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has initiated a series of Zonal Consultations with State Govts and Stakeholders in each region of the country.

• Empowerment and protection of women and children who constitute 67.7% of India's population and ensuring their wholesome development in a safe and secure environment is crucial for sustainable and equitable development of the country and for achieving transformational economic and social changes.

• To achieve this objective, Union Cabinet chaired has recently approved 3 important Umbrella Schemes of the Ministry to be implemented in mission mode, viz., Mission Poshan 2.0, Mission Shakti and Mission Vatsalya.
• These 3 Missions will be implemented during the 15th Finance Commission period,2021-22 to 2025-26.
• The Schemes under the Umbrella Missions are Centrally Sponsored Schemes which are implemented by the State Governments/UT Administrations on cost-sharing basis as per cost sharing norms.
• Scheme Guidelines are being shared with the States/UTs.
• The objective of the Zonal Conferences is to sensitise State Governments on the 3 Umbrella Missions of the Ministry to facilitate proper implementation of the Schemes over the next 5 years in the true spirit of co-operative federalism

• It is an Integrated Nutrition Support Programme.
• It seeks to address the challenges of malnutrition in children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers through a strategic shift in nutrition content and delivery and by creation of a convergent eco-system to develop and promote practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity.
• Poshan 2.0 will seek to optimize the quality and delivery of food under the Supplementary Nutrition Program.
• Poshan 2.0 will bring 3 important programmes/schemes under its ambit, viz., Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls and Poshan Abhiyan.

• It envisages a unified citizen-centric lifecycle support for women through integrated care, safety, protection, rehabilitation and empowerment to unshackle women as they progress through various stages of their life
• Mission Shakti has two sub-schemes ‘Sambal' and ‘Samarthya'. While the "Sambal" sub-scheme is for safety and security of women, the "Samarthya" sub-scheme is for empowerment of women.

• The objective of Mission Vatsalya is to secure a healthy and happy childhood for every child in the country; foster a sensitive, supportive and synchronized ecosystem for development of children; assist States/UTs in delivering the mandate of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015; achieve the SDG goals.
• Components under Mission Vatsalya will include statutory bodies; service delivery structures; institutional care/services; non-institutional community-based care; emergency outreach services; training and capacity building.