Heatwave Condition & Heat Strokes

In News

• Recently, eleven people died due to heatstroke in Mumbai.
  • The event brings back the spotlight on potential risks from heat waves, whose intensity and frequency is expected to rise because of climate change.

What is a heat stroke?

• Meaning:
  • A heat stroke or sunstroke is the result of overheating of the body as a result of exposure to high temperatures and humidity, or due to prolonged physical exertion at high temperatures. 
  • A heat stroke is considered a medical emergency requiring prompt attention.
• How?
  • When the body fails to sweat (especially due to high humidity) and is therefore unable to lose heat by evaporation, there is an increase in the core temperature of the body. 
  • If the body fails to cool down, its core temperature can shoot up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit within a few minutes. 
  • This can cause severe health implications including death.
• Symptoms:
  • Persons suffering from heat exhaustion experience fatigue, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, hypotension (low blood pressure) and tachycardia (increased heart rate).

Do’s and don’ts while going out in the heat

• Staying hydrated. Drinking water as often as possible, even if not thirsty.
• Cover yourself well. Wear lightweight, light-coloured, loose, and porous cotton clothes.
  • Use sunglasses, umbrellas or hats.
  • Use a damp cloth on your head.
• If you are aware of underlying health issues, avoid standing under the Sun for long.
• Avoid alcohol, tea, coffee and carbonated soft drinks. They are not a substitute for water. 
• Avoid high-protein food.

Government’s recent actions

• Monitoring and management:
  • Monitoring and management of heatwaves has undergone a big improvement in the past few years and that has resulted in a sharp decline in deaths caused by heatwaves. 
• Heat action plans:
  • Almost every vulnerable state now has a heat action plan in place, consisting mainly of early warning, provision of water and ORS at public places, and flexible working hours in offices and education institutions. 
  • Special arrangements are made for people working outdoors.
• Declined deaths:
  • In the 10 years between 2010 and 2020, reported heatwave-related deaths in India came down by more than 90 per cent.
  • Officials say the increase in heatwave-related deaths could also be because of improved monitoring and reporting of incidents.

What is Heat Wave?It is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the summer season.It typically occurs between March and June, and in some rare cases even extends till July. The extreme temperatures and resultant atmospheric conditions adversely affect people living in these regions as they cause physiological stress, sometimes resulting in death.Criterion for declaring heat waves in IndiaHeat wave is considered if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C or more for Plains and at least 30°C or more for Hilly regions.Based on Departure from Normal Heat Wave: Departure from normal is 4.50°C to 6.40°C.Severe Heat Wave: Departure from normal is >6.40 degree C.Based on Actual Maximum Temperature Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥ 45 degree C. Severe Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥47 degree C.If the above criteria met at least in 2 stations in a Meteorological subdivision for at least two consecutive days and it was declared on the second day.Causes The prevalence of extreme temperatures around the world is the result of local factors and also global warming.Scientists have made clear how greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions exacerbate temperatures in the oceans, leading to soaring temperatures. Anthropogenic GHG emissions are culprit in the current plight from intense weather.Crucially, heatwaves and wildfires are ‘unimaginable’ without human-caused climate change.

Possibility of intense heatwaves

• Excessively hot summer:
  • The summer this year is predicted to be excessively hot because of the end of the strong La Nina phase in equatorial Pacific Ocean, something that has a general cooling effect on the earth’s atmosphere. 
• Possibility of El Nino’s occurrence: 
  • New forecasts suggest that El Nino, which has the opposite impacts of La Nina, is expected to kick in from the May-July period itself, earlier than expected. 
  • El Nino also tends to result in suppression of monsoon rainfall over India. 
• Shortfall in rain:
  • A shortfall in rains is already being apprehended, which could exacerbate the effects of a hot summer, even though the India Meteorological Department has predicted a normal monsoon.

Way ahead

• Population exposure to heat is increasing due to climate change, and this trend will continue. 
• Globally, extreme temperature events or heat waves are observed to be increasing in their frequency, duration, and magnitude.
• Heat related deaths can be prevented.
  • Relatively simple measures like access to water, ORS, and shade can prevent hundreds of deaths. 
  • But these do not happen on their own. The local administration needs to be vigilant and pro-active. And the implementation needs to be monitored by higher authorities on a daily basis.

Rohingya Crisis

In News

The International Court of Justice at The Hague rejected the Myanmar junta’s appeal for a 10-month reprieve to file a counter-memorial — or reply — to The Gambia’s case that Myanmar was in breach of the International Genocide Convention.

• The case relates to the Myanmar military’s “clearing” operations in 2017 in Rakhine state, in which many Rohingya were killed.

Genocide ConventionThe Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) is an instrument of international law that codified for the first time the crime of genocide. It was the first human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948 and signified the international community’s commitment to ‘never again’ after the atrocities committed during the Second World War. Its adoption marked a crucial step towards the development of international human rights and international criminal law as we know it today.

Who are Rohingya?

• They are an ethnic group, largely comprising Muslims, who predominantly live in the Western Myanmar province of Rakhine. 
• They speak a dialect of Bengali, as opposed to the commonly spoken Burmese language.
• Though they have been living in the South East Asian country for generations, Myanmar considers them as persons who migrated to their land during Colonial rule.
  • Myanmar has classified them as “resident foreigners” or “associate citizens.

Crisis and Atrocities linked to them 

• They have suffered decades of violence, discrimination, and persecution in Myanmar.
• They were forced to leave Myanmar in large numbers after several waves of violence, which first began in 2012. The Myanmar army revived the attacks in 2017 and lakhs took shelter in Bangladesh.
  • Many walked for days through jungles and undertook dangerous sea journeys across the Bay of Bengal to reach safety in Bangladesh.

Implications 

• Besides being a burden on the limited resources of the country also aggravates the security challenges posed to the country.
•  It also said the rise in terrorism in the last few decades is a cause for concern in most nations and that illegal migrants are more vulnerable to getting recruited by terrorist organisations.

India’s Stand on Refugees

• India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol.
  • All foreign undocumented nationals are governed as per the provisions of The Foreigners Act, of 1946, The Registration of Foreigners Act, of 1939, The Passport (Entry into India) Act, of 1920, and The Citizenship Act, of 1955.
• The MHA informed that “foreign nationals who enter into the country without valid travel documents are treated as illegal immigrants.

WTO panel rules against India in ICT tariff dispute with EU, others

In News

• A World Trade Organization panel said that India had violated global trading rules in a dispute with the European Union, Japan and Taiwan over import duties on IT products.

More about News

• The WTO panel recommends India bring such measures into conformity with its obligations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT 1994).
• The panel further suggested that India should amend its tariffs on these products to align with global trading rules.
• The EU has also approached India to resolve the matter through a multi-party interim appeal arbitration arrangement (MPIA).

Why does the dispute arise?

• India, which is signatory to the 1996 Information Technology Agreement (ITA), is required to eliminate tariffs on a range of products, including mobile handsets.
• However, starting the 2007-08 Union Budget, India imposed tariffs on a clutch of electronic items to curb cheap electronic imports from China and promote India’s home-grown manufacturing.
• In 2019, the EU challenged India’s introduction of import duties of between 7.5% and 20% for a wide range of IT products, such as mobile phones and components, as well as integrated circuits, saying they exceeded the maximum rate. Japan and Taiwan filed similar complaints that same year.

Impact of ruling

• Since the appellate body of WTO — its highest adjudicating authority — is dysfunctional due to the absence of judges, the adverse report of the dispute settlement panel will not have any immediate impact.
• The Commerce ministry said that India will appeal against this ruling.

How imposition of tariff benefitted India?

• It resulted in significant investments, including those from Apple and Foxconn.
• India became the second largest producer of mobile phones with a valuation of 5277 crore in FY22.
• The mobile phone exports crossed $10 billion in FY23.

MPIA (Multi-party interim appeal arbitration arrangement)It is an alternative system for resolving WTO disputes that are appealed by a member in the absence of a functioning and staffed WTO Appellate Body.The MPIA embodies the WTO appellate review rules and in a dispute between members, it will supersede the previous appeal processes and also apply to future disputes between members.Any member can join the MPIA by notifying the Dispute Settlement Body and a range of members have done so.However, India is against MPIA as a mechanism and is in favor of the restoration of the WTO appellate body.World Trade Organization (WTO) It is an international institution that oversees the global trade rules among nations.It was established in 1995.The WTO has 164 member countries.It superseded the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).The GATT traces its origins to the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference, which laid the foundations for the post-World War II financial system and established two key institutions, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.The main function of the organization is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers protect and manage their businesses.Electronics Sector in IndiaIndia is a 76-billion-dollar manufacturing economy with 16 billion dollars of exports in FY 2021-22.Electronics as a sector has jumped to the 6th largest export from India this year. Mobile phones constitute the single largest component of electronics exports from India.By 2026, India has clearly laid out a goal of 300-billion-dollar manufacturing with a 120 billion dollar of exports. Government Efforts As a first step, India used the Phased Manufacturing Program (PMP) to build a USD 36 billion mobile industry. India is now pushing for global exports via Production Linked Incentives (PLI) and a total production of USD 300 bn. With exports as its key focus, the government is working on policies that will increase domestic value addition over the next few years.India Semiconductor MissionSemicon India programme

Source: TH

Sudan conflict

In News

• Recently, fierce fighting broke out in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, between the country’s army and paramilitary forces.

Reason of recent crisis

• Clashes erupted after heightened tensions between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — also known as Hemedti — and the military, headed by Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. 
• The two generals disagree over the proposed transition to civilian rule in Sudan.

Origin of the Sudan conflict

• The roots of the ongoing conflict go back to April 2019, when Sudan’s long-serving authoritarian President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown by military generals following a countrywide uprising against him.
• Despite Bashir’s ouster, civilians continued their demonstrations seeking democratic elections. It led to an agreement between the military and the protesters under which it was decided to constitute the Sovereignty Council, a power-sharing body of military officers and civilians, and elections at the end of 2023.
• But the new arrangement was short-lived as the military overthrew the government in October 2021, and Burhan became de-facto leader of the country. Burhan announced that the military would hold power until elections are held in July 2023.
• Over the past few weeks, the RSF (Para-military which was formed in 2013) was redeployed around the country, which the army saw as a provocation and threat. With both sides on edge, a ferocious battle broke out.

Repercussions for Sudan

• The third largest country in Africa by size has seen repeated pro-democracy protests since the 2021 coup.  
• Some experts fear the tussle could transform into a wider conflict leading to the country’s collapse.
• Sudan’s economy is struggling, battered by hyperinflation and crippled by massive foreign debt.
• Billions of dollars given in international support and debt relief, were frozen after the ouster of the government.

Darfur Region

• Darfur is a region of western Sudan. Darfur covers an area of 493,180 square kilometers, approximately the size of mainland Spain.
• Most of the region consists of a semi-arid plain and thus appears unsuitable for developing a large and complex civilization.

• The White and Blue Niles merge at Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
• Sudan’s relationship with Ethiopia in particular has been strained over disputed farmland along their border, over conflict in the Tigray region that drove tens of thousands of refugees into Sudan, and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Case at International Criminal Court (ICC)

•  International Criminal Court (ICC) alleged that al-Bashir (Sudanese former military officer and politician who served as the seventh head of state of Sudan under various titles from 1989 until 2019, when he was deposed in a coup) bore individual criminal responsibility for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed since 2003 in Darfur.
• ICC accused al-Bashir of having “masterminded and implemented” a plan to destroy the three main ethnic groups—Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa.

Division of Sudan

• The Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile in the early 2010s between the Army of Sudan and the Sudan Revolutionary Front started as a dispute over the oil-rich region of Abyei in the months leading up to South Sudanese independence in 2011.
• South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011, following 98.83% support for independence in a January 2011 referendum.

Rooppur Nuclear Plant

In News

• Bangladesh and Russia have agreed to use Chinese yuan to settle payment for the construction of Rooppur nuclear plant as the payment via Russian ruble was not feasible at present.

Overview of the Project

• Bangladesh is constructing the first of two nuclear power plants in collaboration with Russia’s state-owned atomic company Rosatom.
• Once completed, the two reactors at the Rooppur site, which is approximately 160 kilometres north-west of Dhaka, will generate 2400 megawatts of round-the-clock clean electricity.
• The project is a part of an ambitious initiative to transform the developing country into a developed economy by 2041.
• As the electricity demand is rising by about 7% annually, Bangladesh is looking to expand as well as diversify and decarbonize its electricity sector through the addition of nuclear power and renewables. Currently, natural gas provides nearly 80% of the country’s electricity.

Involvement of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

• Bangladesh is among 28 countries that are considering, planning or starting the introduction of nuclear power. The IAEA assists countries interested in developing peaceful applications of nuclear energy, including nuclear power. 
• The IAEA’s milestones approach provides step-by-step guidance on the infrastructure for a new nuclear power programme. 

IAEAPopularly known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and Development” organisation, the IAEA is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field.It was established in 1957 as an autonomous organisation, at the height of the Cold War (1945-1991) between the US and the Soviet Union.Though established independently by the UN through its own international treaty, the agency reports to both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council.It works with the member states and multiple partners worldwide to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies.Functions and ContributionsAs the preeminent nuclear watchdog, the IAEA is entrusted with the task of upholding the principles of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, 1970.Deals with the sovereign states and their pursuit of civil and military nuclear programmes.It is also active in championing civil nuclear solutions to a number of areas like health, which is one of the main areas of peaceful application of nuclear know-how.

India’s Role

• India has a nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia and Bangladesh. The Rooppur project is the first initiative under an Indo-Russian deal to undertake atomic energy projects in third countries.
• Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL)  is the commanding authority from the Indian side to assist in the construction, installation and also work in capacity building, as well as provide support to Russia which will take the lead in designing, manufacturing and supply of equipment and construction of the facility.
• This will also be the first time Indian companies will be able to participate in a nuclear power project abroad. India is not a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and hence cannot participate directly in construction of atomic power reactors.

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) It is a group of nuclear supplier countries established in 1974 that seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of two sets of Guidelines for nuclear exports and nuclear-related exports.The NSG Guidelines also contain “Non-Proliferation Principle,” adopted in 1994, whereby a supplier, notwithstanding other provisions in the NSG Guidelines, authorises a transfer only when satisfied that the transfer would not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The NSG Guidelines are implemented by each Participating Government (PG) in accordance with its national laws and practices.Decisions on export applications are taken at the national level in accordance with national export licensing requirements.

Significance for India

• While India has been steadily undertaking strategic agreements with major powers like the US, Russia and Japan, this agreement marks the first project that India is undertaking on foreign soil, signifying India’s deeper involvement in the global civil nuclear sector. 
• It has also given a huge boost to the country’s ‘Make in India’ initiative by proposing the production of some nuclear equipment for the plant in domestic shores.
• This agreement is also important in the context of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, making its role in South Asia noteworthy. It is a major step in achieving the objectives of non-reciprocity towards India’s smaller neighbours in South Asia as highlighted in the Gujral doctrine, furthering India’s status as a responsible nuclear power. 
• It will also help India in realising other strategic objectives, including for instance, a free-transit agreement with Bangladesh which will reduce its dependence on the Siliguri Corridor and contribute towards the development of the northeastern region.

Yuva portal and One Week- One Lab Program

In News

The Union Minister of State (IC) Science & Technology launched the ‘Yuva’ portal.

• He also launched the One Week -One Lab programme.

About 

• ‘Yuva’ portal: It is  aimed to help in connecting and identifying potential young start-ups across the country
  • It will help in connecting and identifying potential young Start-Ups.
• One Week- One Lab programme:  CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is going to organise the One Week- One Lab programme.
  • It aims to create awareness about the available technologies and services present at NPL among potential stakeholders
  •  It aims to provide solutions to societal problems, to sensitise the masses about the importance of precise measurements, and to develop the scientific temperament among masses, especially amongst students who are the future of the country”.

Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2023

In News

• Utsa Patnaik, a renowned economist of national and international repute, has been selected for the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2023.

About Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 

• It is one of the most prestigious national awards in India that recognizes and honours the outstanding contributions of social scientists to the field of development studies.
• It was instituted in 2000 by the Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust.
• The award is given annually to an outstanding social scientist selected from nominations received by a specially constituted national jury. The award includes a citation and prize money of Rs 2 lakh.
• The Malcolm Adiseshiah award for distinguished contributions to Development Studies carries a cash award of Rs. 1 lakh and a citation. 
• Malcolm Sathiyanathan Adiseshiah (1910 – 1994), was an Indian development economist and educator. In 1976 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan.

Past Indian recipients

• Bina Agarwal, Professor,  in 2002., Jandhyala B G Tilak, Professor, in 2003, Dipankar Gupta, Professor, in 2004, Dr. Amita Baviskar, Associate Professor, 2005, Prabhat patnaik economist and political commentator, 2022

Mangrove Pitta Bird

In News

• India’s first Mangrove Pitta Bird census is conducted In Odisha’s Bhitarkanika.

About

• The census was carried out for the first time in the country to study the population analysis of these birds.
• The objective of the census is to record the growth pattern of these birds. These birds are yet to be conferred endangered category. 

Mangrove Pitta Bird 

• About: 
  • The mangrove pitta (Pitta megarhyncha) belongs to the family of pittas, the Pittidae.
  • Mangrove pitta are colourful birds which have black head with brown crown, white throat, greenish upper parts, buff under-parts and reddish vent area. 
  • They foraging on the ground and resting on the trees.
• Habitat:
  • Coastal mangrove forests of India.
• Distribution:
  • India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Near Threatened 

About Bhitarkanika National Park

• Bhitarkanika National Park is the 2nd largest Mangrove ecosystems of India. 
• It’s located in the estuaries where the rivers Brahmani and Baitarani meet. This is the habitat of the endangered saltwater crocodile.
• The Gahirmatha Beach which forms the boundary of the sanctuary in the east is the largest colony of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles.