Today's Brief 19/02/2025

IE Analysis:https://youtu.be/9uSUMwZGpSo?si=m0Zh0iGnBPdetySb

JS Analysis:https://youtu.be/s8HsXg8llLc?si=frgyau1IJp-qsrYF

1 .India Meteorological Department (IMD): To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), an open-air art wall museum has been inaugurated at Mausam Bhawan in New Delhi.

IMD is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India. It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology.

IMD is headquartered in Delhi and operates hundreds of observation stations across India and Antarctica.

This unique museum showcases 38 murals depicting India's meteorological history, the evolution of weather forecasting, and its impact on various aspects

of life.

India is fortunate to have some of the oldest meteorological observatories of the world. The British East India Company established several such stations, for example, those at Calcutta in 1785 and Madras (now Chennai) in 1796 for studying the weather and climate of India.

The Asiatic Society of Bengal founded in 1784 at Calcutta, and in 1804 at Bombay (now Mumbai), promoted scientific studies in meteorology in India.

Captain Harry Piddington at Calcutta published 40 papers during 1835-1855 in the Journal of the Asiatic Society dealing with tropical storms and coined the word "cyclone", meaning the coil of a snake.

In 1842 he published his monumental work on the "Laws of the Storms". In the first half of the 19th century, several observatories began functioning in India under the provincial governments.

The initiative aims to engage the public with the story of weather science and highlight IMD's contributions to India's socio-economic development.

2 . Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano located in Sicily, Italy, has once again erupted.

While the exact date of this most recent activity isn't specified, it's important to remember that Etna is known for its frequent eruptions.

This volcano experiences both summit eruptions, often involving explosive activity and lava flows from its summit craters, and flank eruptions, which occur less often but can pose a greater risk to populated areas.

Etna has been particularly active in recent years, with eruptions occurring multiple times a year, showcasing a variety of activity including lava flows, ash plumes, and Strombolian activity.

Due to this frequent activity, Mount Etna is closely monitored by scientists at the Osservatorio Etneo (INGV), who track the volcano and provide warnings about potential hazards.

3 .PM-AASHA:(GS Paper II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)stands for Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan. It's a comprehensive scheme launched by the Indian government in 2018 to ensure farmers receive remunerative prices for their produce.

Objective: The core goal is to protect farmers' income by ensuring they get at least the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops. This helps to stabilize agricultural markets and encourage farmers to continue production.

PM-AASHA is an umbrella scheme with three main components:

• Price Support Scheme (PSS):  Government agencies directly procure crops like pulses, oilseeds, and copra at the MSP from farmers.

• Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS): Instead of physically buying the crops, the government pays farmers the difference between the MSP and the market price. This is particularly useful for perishable goods.

• Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme (PPSS): This encourages private players to participate in crop procurement, further boosting market competition and ensuring better prices for farmers.

• Implementation: States have the flexibility to choose which component of PM-AASHA they want to implement based on their specific needs and the crops grown in their region.

• Significance: PM-AASHA is a crucial step towards addressing the challenges faced by Indian farmers, such as price fluctuations and market volatility. By ensuring a stable income, it aims to improve their livelihoods and promote sustainable agriculture.

  
  

Essentially, PM-AASHA is a safety net for farmers, designed to provide them with a fair price for their hard work and contribute to the overall growth of the agricultural sector in India.

4 .Prime Minister’s Yoga Awards: (GS Paper II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations) are prestigious awards given by the Indian government to recognize individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the promotion and development of Yoga, both nationally and internationally.

These awards were established to honor the profound impact of Yoga on society, with a focus on its role in disease prevention, health promotion, and the management of lifestyle-related disorders.

• Categories: The awards are presented in four categories:

  • National Individual

  • National Organization

  • International Individual

  • International Organization

    
    

• Eligibility: Individuals applying for the National Individual category must be 40 years or older and have at least 20 years of dedicated service in Yoga promotion.

  
  

• Award: Winners in each category receive a trophy, certificate, and a cash award of Rs. 25 lakh.

5 .Aadi Mahotsav 2025:(GS Paper II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)the flagship initiative of the Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, was inaugurated today by Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi.

TRIFED stands for the Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India. It's a national-level organization under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India

 Organised from February 16 to 24, 2025, this vibrant festival celebrates India’s rich tribal heritage, culture, arts, crafts, cuisine, and commerce.

Aadi Mahotsav 2025 brings together:

• 600+ tribal artisans from 30+ States and Union Territories.

• 500 performing artists showcasing mesmerizing tribal dance forms.

• 25 tribal food stalls presenting indigenous cuisines from different regions.

The inaugural ceremony featured captivating performances by Tribal artists that included: Chhau Dance (Jharkhand), Kalbelia Dance (Rajasthan), Gaur Mariya Dance (Chhattisgarh), Siddhi Dhamal Dance (Gujarat), Angi Ger Dance (Rajasthan).

6 .EXERCISE KOMODO:(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

The Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK) 2025 is a week-long international naval exercise hosted by the Indonesian Navy. The exercise, named after the Komodo dragon, a symbol of Indonesia's unique biodiversity, aims to enhance maritime cooperation, strengthen regional security, and promote interoperability among participating navies.

 MNEK typically involves a wide range of activities, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) drills, maritime search and rescue (SAR) operations, and tactical naval maneuvers.

7 .India's export contracts have indeed contracted, showing a decrease of 2.38% in January 2025. 

This means that the total value of goods and services that India agreed to sell to other countries in January was lower than the same period last year. This contraction in exports, coupled with a rise in imports, has led to a widening of India's trade deficit, which is the difference between the value of imports and exports