Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships & Awards for the year 2022 & 2023 (GS Paper 1, Culture)
Why in news?
- Recently, the President of India conferred Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (AkademiPuraskar) for the years 2022 and 2023 to 91 eminent artists (two joint award) in the field of performing arts.
- Apart from the presentation of Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards, the President has also conferred the Sangeet NatakAkademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) to eminent artists for their exceptional contribution to his/her field in performing arts in award ceremony.
Sangeet NatakAkademi Fellowship:
The Sangeet NatakAkademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) is the highest honour given to the artists in the field of performing arts.
- Vinayak Khedekar, Goa , Indian Music
- R. Visweswaran, Karnataka, Indian Music
- SunayanaHazarilal, Maharashtra, Indiana Dance
- Raja & Radha Reddy, Delhi, Indian Dance (Joint Fellowship)
- Dulal Roy, Assam, Indian Theatre
- D.P. Sinha, Uttar Pradesh, Indian Theatre
Akademi Awards:
- The Akademi Awards are being conferred since 1952.
- These honours not only symbolize the highest standard of excellence and achievement, but also recognize sustained individual work and contribution.
- The honour of Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of Rs.3, 00, 000/- (Rupees three lakhs) while the Akademi Award carries a purse money of Rs.1,00,000/- (Rupees one lakh), besides a Tamrapatra and Angavastram.
2023 El Nino is among the strongest on record, WMO
(GS Paper 1, Geography)
Why in news?
- The 2023-2024 El Niño has peaked as one of the five strongest on record and will continue to affect climate in the coming months despite a weakening trend, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said recently.
Key Highlights:
- The above-normal temperatures are predicted over almost all land areas between March and May. The prevailing El Niño conditions have already fuelled record temperatures and extreme events worldwide, with 2023 being the warmest on record.
- There is about a 60% chance of the El Niño persisting during March-May and an 80% chance of neutral conditions (neither an El Niño nor a La Niña) during April-June.
- Scientists closely tracking the development in India have said La Niña conditions setting in by June-August could mean monsoon rains will be better in 2024 than they were in 2023.
El Niño:
- El Niño is the periodic warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It occurs every two to seven years on average and typically lasts nine to 12 months at a time.
- It is associated with more rainfall in the Horn of Africa and the southern U.S. and dry and warm conditions in Southeast Asia, Australia, and southern Africa.
Current El Nino event:
- Scientists say an El Niño typically has the greatest impact on the climate in the second year of its development, 2024 in this instance.
- The continuing, albeit weaker, El Niño and predicted above-normal sea-surface temperatures over much of the global oceans are expected to lead to above-normal temperatures over almost all land areas in the next three months.
- The current El Nino event, which developed in June 2023, was strongest in November-January. It induced a peak value of about 2 degrees C above the 1991-2020 average temperature in the eastern and central tropical Pacific Ocean. This made it one of the five strongest El Niño events ever.
Way Forward:
- El Niño events have a major impact on societies and economies. Accurate seasonal forecasts from the WMO community helped countries prepare in advance to try to limit the damage in climate sensitive sectors like agriculture, water resources and health.
