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PIB – April 26 , 2019

Music has the power to overcome the tribulations of war and terrorism: Vice President

  • “CHIRAGH” concert of the South Asian Symphony Orchestra at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), in Mumbai was organized on 26 April.
  • Shri Naidu said that events such as the Concert organised by CHIARGH showcase India and its people’s commitment towards cooperation and co-existence among all nations.
  • The South Asian Symphony Orchestra (SASO) is promoting cultural diplomacy through music, among the nations of South Asia.
  • The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) is a multi-venue, multi-purpose Cultural Centre in Mumbai, India, which aims to promote and preserve India’s heritage of music, dance, theatre, film, literature and photography.
  • The Centre was founded in 1969 by JRD Tata and Dr. Jamshed Bhabha.

INS Vikramaditya

  • INS Vikramaditya, which refers to one having valour like the Sun, is a former USSR carrier vessel and entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013.
  • Launched in the early 1980s, the carrier, which was originally named as Baku, served the Soviet Navy from 1987 to 1991. Later it served Russian Navy as a carrier named as Admiral Gorshkov.
  • INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft The warship is capable of carrying over 30 aircraft and helicopters. It has the capacity to position the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) on its board.

  • INS Vikramaditya ship has efficiency of operating both in offensive and defensive modes with the support of as frigates, missile boats and attack submarines on board the vessel.
  • In news
  • A case of fire was reported onboard INS Vikramaditya on 26 April when the ship was entering harbour in Karwar, Karnataka.

Depression over East Equatorial Indian Ocean & adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal

  • Latest satellite imageries & surface observations indicate that a depression has formed over East Equatorial Indian Ocean & adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal.
  • It centered at east- southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), southeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and south-southeast of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh).
  • The low-pressure area over East Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining South-East Bay of Bengal has undergone a first round of intensification into being ‘well-marked.’

  • An India Meteorological Department (IMD) update said that it is very likely to intensify into a depression over the East Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining central parts of South Bay of Bengal.
  • Depressions
  • Depressions, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones, are areas of low pressure located between 300 and 600
  • Depressions develop when warm air from the sub-tropics meets cold air from the Polar Regions.
  • There is a favourite meeting place in the mid-Atlantic for cold polar air and warm sub-tropical air.
  • Formation
  • Depressions usually have well defined warm and cold fronts, as the warm air is forced to rise above the cold air. Fronts and depressions have a birth, lifetime and death; and according to the stage at which they are encountered, so does the weather intensity vary.
  • Depressions vary from between 200 and 2,000 miles in diameter; they may be deep when pressure at their centre is very low and the isobars are tightly packed.

Life cycle of a Depression

  • A depression develops like the propagation of a wave in water. Initially, a uniform boundary or front exists between cold air pushing southwards and warm air pushing northwards (in the Northern Hemisphere).
  • A wave-shaped distortion may appear on the front, and a small low-pressure centre develops at the crest of the wave.
  • In the immediately surrounding area the pressure begins to fall. A disturbance of this kind is called a wave depression.
  • As the “wave” develops, a warm sector of air forms bounded by the warm and cold fronts, which begins to tie over the engulfing cold air. Both the warm and cold fronts originate from the centre of the depression. On the ground, sudden changes in the wind direction may be experienced when fronts pass by.
  • Wave depressions can grow off the tail ends of primary cold fronts. The depression so formed is then called a secondary depression.

  • New centres may also develop from occluded fronts within the primary depression. The secondary system can then become the main system, and the primary occluded front becomes caught up in the developing circulation, effectively becoming a third front.
  • Warnings:
  • Heavy rainfall warning
  • Light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy falls at isolated places very likely over north coastal Tamil Nadu.
  • Wind warning
  • Squally winds with speed reaching up to 45 km/hr and gusting to 110 km/hr likely over East Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining South-East Bay of Bengal on Thursday.
  • Sea condition
  • The sea condition likely to be rough to very rough over East Equatorial Indian Ocean & adjoining central parts of south Bay of Bengal.
  • Fishermen Warning
  • The fishermen are advised not to venture into deep sea areas of East Equatorial Indian Ocean & adjoining central parts of south Bay of Bengal.
  • Those, who are out in deep sea areas are advised return to the coast.

15th Finance Commission meets Ministry of Panchayati Raj 

  • Finance Commission of India is established by President of India as per Article 280 of the constitution.
  • The first finance commission was established in 1951.
  • Article 280 states: President should, within two years of commencement of the Constitution and thereafter on expiry of every 5th year, or at such intervals as he/ she thinks necessary, would constitute a Finance Commission.
  • Members: A Finance Commission would consist of a Chairman and 4 other members who are all will be appointed by the President.
  • Functions
  • Distribution of net proceeds of taxes between Center and the States, to be divided as per their respective contributions to the taxes.
  • Determine factors governing Grants-in-Aid to the states and the magnitude of the same.
  • To make recommendations to the president as to the measures needed to augment the Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the panchayats and municipalities in the state on the basis of the recommendations made by the finance commission of the state.
  • Any other matter related to it by the president in the interest of sound finance.
  • A finance commission is an autonomous body which is governed by the government of India.

The Fifteenth Finance Commission

  • The Fifteenth Finance Commission was constituted by a Presidential Order in November, 2017.
  • Its Chairman is Shri N. K. Singh.
  • It is constituted for a period of 5 years i.e. April, 2020 to March, 2025.
  • Article 280 (3) (bb) of the Constitution specifies that the measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources  of  the Panchayats in the State should be on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission.
  • Amongst several proposals to the Finance Commission, the Ministry has proposed an allocation of Rs. 10,00,000 crores to Panchayats by the 15th Finance Commission.

Proposals of the Ministry which included:

  • Allocations to different categories of Panchayats.
  • Modification in modality for provision of Performance Grant.
  • Allocation of funds to non-part IX areas/ DPs & IPs and UT Panchayats.
  • Sustainable Development Goals linked to activities other than construction.
  • Need for increased adoption of Digital Technology by the Panchayats.
  • Augmentation of Own Source Revenue- Mechanism to be developed by State Govt.
  • Both the Ministry and the Commission agreed to the view that all three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions should receive fund devolution, and the proportionality should be within a specified band.

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