Padma Shri awardee Lavani Singer Sulochana Chavan passes away at 92

Renowned Marathi Lavani singer Sulochana Chavan has passed away at the age of 92. 

• Earlier this year, Chavan was awarded the Padma Shri and also conferred the title of ‘Lavani Samradnyi’ (Queen of Lavani) for her contribution to the traditional Maharashtrian musical genre of Lavani, associated with the folk theatre of Tamasha. 
• Aunda Lagin Karachain, Kasan Kay Patil Baran Hi Ka’, ‘Kalidar Kapuri Paan’, ‘Khelatan Rang Bai Holicha’, ‘Padarawarti Zartarichi MorNachraHawa’ and many more of Chavan’s songs are popular even today.
• She was honoured with the Lata Mangeshkar Award, instituted by the Government of Maharashtra, in 2010. She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2012.

Tamil Nadu Becomes First State to Launch Its Own Climate Change Mission

• Tamil Nadu is set to become the first state to launch its own Climate Change Mission. It had launched the Green Tamil Nadu Mission last September and the Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission this August. 
• A Special Purpose Vehicle–the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC)–will implement the State Climate Action Plan.
• Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin said that the state is set to achieve carbon neutrality much ahead of the national target of 2070.
• Stalin’s government has also set up the Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change, the first such to be headed by a Chief Minister. The council will provide policy guidance to the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission, provide advice on adaptation to climate change and mitigation of climate change impacts, formulate the Tamil Nadu State Climate Change Action Plan and provide appropriate guidelines for its implementation.

Govt. to turn 36,428 villages as ‘model tribal villages’

• The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs is now workingto develop 36,428 villageswith at least 50% tribal population and 500 STs across the country into‘model tribal’ villages, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh told theLok Sabha on Monday.
• These efforts were part of the existing Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub­Scheme (SCA to TSS), which has now been renamed to the Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna (PMAAGY), for implementation from 2021­22to 2025­26.
• This project is meant to cover as many as 4.22 crore tribal people in the country, which comprises around 40% of the total ST population in India.
• Of the target number of villages, during 2021­22and 2022­23, a total of about 16,554 villages have been taken up. 
• An amount of ₹1,927crore had been released toStates and the Village Development Plans for 6,264 villages had been approved so far.