Daily Current Affairs – 09-02-2025
Tamil Nadu
Fourth DISHA
Meeting – Tamil Nadu
® Fourth state-level review meeting of the District Development, Coordination and Monitoring (DISHA) Committee held at the Secretariat.
Key Issues:
® Pending Payment: Rs 2,118 crore due from the Centre as wage arrears for MGNREGA workers.
Key Achievements:
® MGNREGA Workdays: Tamil Nadu provided 59 days of work in 2023-24, exceeding the national average of 52 days.
® Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY): Tamil Nadu was a pioneer in implementing the scheme.
® PM Housing Scheme: 3,43,958 houses out of 3,61,591 sanctioned for 2021-22 were completed.
® Financial Assistance to Pregnant Women: In 2023-24, Rs 45.52 crore was provided to 1,51,674 pregnant women.
® In the current year, financial assistance is also provided to mothers giving birth to their first child and second daughter.
9 Growth Centers
Around Chennai
® Tamil Nadu government preparing new town development schemes for nine growth centers around Chennai.
® Nine Growth Centers: Minjur, Tiruvallur, Thirumazhisai, Mamallapuram, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Maraimalainagar, Thiruninravur, and Parandur.
Objectives of Development Schemes:
® Decongest Chennai.
® Boost economic growth in suburbs.
® Enhance transport connectivity.
® Ensure sustainable growth for both Chennai and its surrounding areas.
Tamil Nadu Prison
Rules 2024
® New Rule 348 of the Tamil Nadu Prison Rules (effective November 2024) defines eligibility criteria for life convicts seeking premature release.
Recent Amendments:
® Prisoners convicted for sexual offences or under the POCSO Act, 2012 are not eligible for premature release.
® Amendments to the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.
® Changes to the application of BNS and BNSS laws in Tamil Nadu.
Objective:
® To provide strict punishments for certain sexual offences.
® Enable complainants of sexual harassment to obtain protection orders preventing the accused from contacting them in the future.
Additional State
Expert Appraisal Committee – Tamil Nadu
® Tamil Nadu government plans to set up an additional State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC).
Objective:
® Speed up clearances for the increasing number of infrastructure and development projects in the state.
Timeline:
® The current tenure of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and SEAC ends in April 2025.
® Reconstitution Proposal: The Tamil Nadu government has requested expedited clearance for reconstituting these panels.
Green Shield Project:
® Proposal for a project to enhance coastal and forest ecosystems in Thoothukudi district.
® Objective: To halt sea erosion in coastal areas through nature-based solutions.
Project VISTAAR
®
IIT Madras , in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare ( MoA&FW ), has launched Project
VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources).
®
The project aims to digitalise the agricultural extension system across India.
®
The project will enable farmers and other stakeholders to access advisory services related to crop production, marketing, value addition, supply chain management, and government schemes.
Mission Mausam
launched
®
The central government has approved ‘Mission MAUSAM’ of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) with an outlay of ₹2,000 crore .
®
The mission aims to make India ‘Weather Ready’ and ‘Climate Smart’
by 2026 .
®
The MoES will implement the mission through the India Meteorological Department (IMD), National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).
Crop insurance schemes extended
® The central government has extended the PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) until 2026 .
® The total outlay for both schemes has been increased to ₹69,515.7 crore .
® A separate Fund for Innovation and Technology (FIAT) with a corpus of ₹824.77 crore has been created to support technological initiatives.
® These initiatives include: Yield Estimation System using Technology (YES-TECH) and Weather Information and Network Data Systems (WINDS)
® YES-TECH uses remote sensing technology for yield estimation, with a minimum 30% weightage given to technology-based estimates.
® YES-TECH is currently being implemented in nine major states.
® Madhya Pradesh has fully adopted technology-based yield estimation.
® WINDS aims to establish Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) at the block level, and Automatic Rain Gauges (ARGs) at the panchayat level.
® WINDS will increase network density fivefold to generate hyper-local weather data.
® WINDS is being implemented in nine major states.
® PMFBY is India’s largest crop insurance scheme and the third
largest globally in terms of total premiums.
® PMFBY is being implemented in around 23 states and UTs.
Kho Kho World Cup
Trophies Unveiled
®
The Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) has unveiled the trophies and mascots of the inaugural edition of the Kho Kho World Cup 2025 .
®
The tournament will be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi.
®
The tournament will have participation from men’s and women’s teams from 24 countries .
®
Men’s trophy is blue (representing trust, determination, and universal appeal).
®
Women’s trophy is green (representing growth and vitality).
®
The mascots are named ‘Tejas’ and ‘Tara’ .