Daily PIB 22nd February

• Flood Management and Border Areas Programme: It is a centrally sponsored Scheme. The Scheme has two components:   

Flood Management Programme (FMP) component: In this central assistance will be provided to State Governments for taking up critical works related to flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development and anti-sea erosion, etc. The pattern of funding to be followed is 90% (Centre): 10% (State) for Special Category States (8 North-Eastern States and Hilly States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and UT of Jammu & Kashmir) and 60% (Centre): 40% (State) for General/ Non-Special Category States. 

River Management and Border Areas (RMBA) component: Under this flood control and anti-erosion works on common border rivers with neighbouring countries including hydrological observations and flood forecasting, and investigation & pre-construction activities of joint water resources projects (with neighbouring countries) on common border rivers will be taken up with 100% central assistance.  

The Scheme has the provision of incentivizing the States which implement flood plain zoning, recognized as an effective non-structural measure for flood management. This is particularly relevant as the increased incidence of extreme events has been witnessed during the last few years in view of the likely impact of climate change and the situation may further aggravate in times to come exacerbating the problem of floods in terms of extent, intensity and frequency.  

• Rashtriya Udyamita Vikas Pariyojana: It is tailored specifically for beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi scheme, this unique National Entrepreneurship Development Project underscores the government’s steadfast commitment to nurturing job providers across the nation. It aims to equip individuals with comprehensive entrepreneurship training, creating job providers rather than job seekers. 

This initiative focuses on reskilling and upskilling employees to enhance their competitiveness and adaptability in an era of disruptive technology. It will offer comprehensive entrepreneurship training over a period of 22 weeks, combining theoretical knowledge with practical exposure through experiential learning. The training will be conducted through offline, online and hybrid modes, with certificates awarded upon completion, enhancing the course’s credibility. 

• Paruveta Festival: The festival, also known as the ‘mock hunting festival’, is celebrated at the Sri Narasimha Swamy temple in the town of Ahobilam, Andhra Pradesh. It is celebrated by all sections of people, irrespective of their caste. It is a festival of communal harmony, as devotees from other religious communities like Muslims also offer prayers to the Lord. 

According to folklore, Lord Vishnu, upon his incarnation as a man-lion (Narasimha) in Ahobilam, married Maha Lakshmi, born as a tribal girl Chenchulakshmi. The Kurnool District Gazetteers, published by Government Press in 1881, record several beliefs of the Chenchu tribes, including their reverence for Ahobila Narasimha as their brother-in-law and inviting him home for Makar Sankranti. While Paruveta rituals are commonly observed in many temples during Vijayadashami or Sankranti, at Ahobilam, it is conducted for a ‘mandala’ (forty days). 

During the festival, the deity from the temple’s inner sanctum is taken to the 32 Chenchu tribal villages surrounding Ahobilam town for a duration of 40 days. 

Chenchus take ‘Narasimha Deeksha’ by wearing yellow robes and ‘Tulasi Mala’ and observe celibacy during this period.