Important day
India Meteorological Department’s 150th Foundation Day
▪ The India Meteorological Department celebrated its 150th anniversary on January 14. Prime Minister launched “Mission Mausam,” aimed at preparing the country for weather changes and climate adaptation.
▪ The IMD’s Vision 2047 document was also released. Established in 1875 after storm disasters and monsoon failures, IMD has now become one of the world’s leading weather forecasting centers.
▪ As of 2023, it operates with 39 Doppler weather radars, INSAT satellites, 806 automatic weather stations, 200 agro-meteorological stations, and 5,896 rain monitoring stations.
Awards and Honours
Governor’s Awards Announcement for Social Service and Environmental Protection
▪ The Governor’s Award-2024 recipients and details have been announced at the Governor’s House:
Social Service (Institution) Category:
▪ ‘Idhayangal’ from Coimbatore district and ‘Hope Public Charitable Trust’ from Chennai district will receive Rs. 5 lakhs and certificates of appreciation.
Social Service (Individual) Category:
✓ S. Ramalingam from Chennai district
✓ J. Sornalatha from Coimbatore district
✓ A. Rajkumar from Madurai district
▪ Each will receive Rs. 2 lakhs and certificates of appreciation.
Environmental Protection (Institution) Category:
▪ ‘Chitlapakkam Rising Charitable Foundation’ from Chennai will receive Rs. 5 lakhs and a certificate of appreciation.
Books and Authors
Ambedkar’s 10 Books Released
▪ The Tamil Development Department and New Century Book House have collaborated to translate and publish Dr. Ambedkar’s works in Tamil for the public. Ten important books have been created:
✓ Castes in India
✓ Who were the Shudras? (Part 1)
✓ Who were the Shudras? (Part 2)
✓ Who were the Untouchables? Why did they become Untouchables?
✓ The Untouchables or Children of India’s Ghettos
✓ Untouchability – Essays on Society and Religion
✓ Untouchability: Political Essays
✓ Philosophy of Hinduism
✓ Ancient India: Revolution Counter-Revolution Part 1
✓ Ancient India: Revolution Counter-Revolution Part 2
▪ These 300-page books were compiled and translated by Scholar Senthalai N. Gauthaman, Professor V. Arasu, Dr. M. Valarmathi, and A. Mathivanan. They were released under Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s leadership.
