How is the Climate Vulnerability Index assessed?
- The CVI maps exposure (that is whether the district is prone to extreme weather events), sensitivity (the likelihood of an impact on the district by the weather event), and adaptive capacity (what the response or coping mechanism of the district is).
- It helps map critical vulnerabilities and plan strategies to enhance resilience and adapt by climate-proofing communities, economies and infrastructure.
- Instead of looking at climate extremes in isolation, the study looks at the combined risk of hydro-met disasters, which is floods, cyclones and droughts, and their impact.
- The study does not take into consideration other natural disasters such as earthquakes.
What are the findings of the climate vulnerability index?
- According to CVI, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar are most vulnerable to extreme climate events such as floods, droughts and cyclones in India.
- While 27 Indian states and union territories are vulnerable to extreme climate events, 463 districts out of 640 are vulnerable to extreme weather events
- Dhemaji and Nagaon in Assam, Khammam in Telangana, Gajapati in Odisha, Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh, Sangli in Maharashtra, and Chennai in Tamil Nadu are among India’s most climate vulnerable districts
- More than 80 per cent Indians live in districts vulnerable to climate risks – that is 17 of 20 people in India are vulnerable to climate risks, out of which every five Indians live in areas that are extremely vulnerable
- More than 45 per cent of these districts have undergone “unsustainable landscape and infrastructure changes’’.
- 183 hotspot districts are highly vulnerable to more than one extreme climate events
2. ANTI-DIABETIC MEDICINES
About:
- To make it possible for every Indian to afford medical treatment, NPPA has fixed the ceiling prices of 12 anti-diabetic generic medicines. These include glimepiride tablet of strength 1 mg, with ceiling price at ₹3.6 per tablet, while that for 2 mg is ₹5.72 per tablet.
- The ceiling price of 1 ml glucose injection of 25% strength has been fixed at 17 paise, while that of 1ml of insulin (soluble) injection of strength 40IU/ml is ₹15.09. Similarly, 1 ml of intermediate-acting (NPH) solution insulin injection of strength 40 IU/ml has a ceiling price of ₹15.09.
3. COMMITTEE TO PROBE PEGASUS
About:
- The committee members are Dr Naveen Kumar Chaudhary, Dean of National Forensic Sciences University in Gandhinagar; Dr Prabaharan P, Professor at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Kerala; and Dr Ashwin Anil Gumaste, Institute Chair Associate Professor at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
- It will be supervised by retired judge Justice R V Raveendran. The former Supreme Court Justice is a highly-respected member of the law community, and was recently referred by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana as “one of the legends who have increased the prestige of the Supreme Court of India”.
- Justice Raveendran served as judge of the Supreme Court from September 9, 2005 to October 15, 2011. Before that, he was Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court.
- Justice Raveendran was part of the R M Lodha Committee appointed by the SC in 2015 to reform the BCCI.
4. MULLAPERIYAR DAM
About:
- Kerala said the water level should not go above 139 feet, the same as what the court had ordered on August 24, 2018, when the State was hit by floods.
- Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, informed the court that the level in the dam was 137.2 ft at 9 a.m. on October 25.
- As regards Kerala’s contention not to raise the water level beyond 139 feet, kerala said the Supreme Court had, in judgments in 2006 and 2014, fixed the maximum water level at 142 feet.
- The order came in a petition filed by Idukki resident, who had expressed their apprehensions about the supervision of water levels in the Mullaperiyar dam located along the Periyar tiger reserve, especially during the rainy season.
5. SUDAN
Who is in charge in Sudan?
- Sudan began a transition to democracy after a popular uprising and the ouster in April 2019 of President Omar al-Bashir, an Islamist shunned by the West who had presided over the country for nearly three decades.
- Under an August 2019 agreement, the military is sharing power with officials appointed by civilian political groups in a ruling body known as the Sovereign Council, meant to lead the country to elections by the end of 2023.
Tensions
- Although the military’s role is supposed to be largely honorary, civilians have repeatedly complained of military overreach in foreign policy and peace negotiations.
- The military has accused civilian parties of mismanagement and monopolising power.
- A coalition of rebel groups and political parties have aligned themselves with the armed forces and have sought to dissolve the civilian cabinet.
- One point of tension is the pursuit of justice over allegations of war crimes by the military and its allies in the conflict in Darfur from 2003. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking trials for Bashir and other Sudanese suspects.
6. AY.4
About:
- As per recent reports, health officials in India are also currently investigating the subvariant of the SARS-COV-2, which is thought to be the leading cause of a fresh rise in cases in the UK in the past couple of weeks.
- The newest mutation of the SARS-COV-2 virus, 'AY.4.2' is a sub-lineage of the Delta variant of the infectious virus. It's being currently dubbed as the 'Delta Plus' variant.
- As per leading scientists based out of Columbia University, as many as 75 AY lineages of coronavirus have been identified till now, but the concerning one in question, AY.4 is one such sub-variant which is rapidly branching out, and most particularly, deemed to be steadily rising in parts of the UK.
- Though a lot remains still unknown about the lineage right now, experts do believe that it's origin from the Delta variant could possibly signal worser COVID-19 symptoms, be more infectious and spread rapidly. While the Delta variant of coronavirus is said to be about 60% more infectious, the AY.4.2 lineage, too, could have a similar fate.
About:
- Fresh restrictions came as China reported 29 new domestic infections -- including six in Lanzhou. The latest outbreak has been linked to the highly contagious Delta variant, with the tally hitting 198 cases since October 17.
- Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China.
- Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub.
- The city is also a center for heavy industry and petrochemical industry.
8. PM AYUSHMAN BHARAT HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE MISSION
About:
- It will seek to address three critical gaps in India’s public health sector: augmenting health facilities for treatment; setting up of Integrated Public Health labs for diagnosis of disease, and expansion of existing research institutions that study pandemics.
- It is the largest pan-India scheme since 2005 for the creation and improvement of long-term public healthcare infrastructure. It is meant to be implemented in each district of the country.
- The government will spend Rs 64,180 crore on the scheme from the financial year 2021-22 to 2025-26.
- The first component is to establish comprehensive surveillance of infectious diseases.
- The second component is the creation of comprehensive diagnostics and treatment facilities.
- The third component of the mission will be on comprehensive pandemic research.
9. ANDA CELL
About:
- An anda (egg) cell is a high-security prison cell, so called because of its oblong shape.
- Only central prisons across India have anda cells, built by the Public Works Department (PWD).
- The cells are specially designed to secure high-risk prisoners, with the oblong shape providing a better view while monitoring and patrolling.
- There are two security cordons, inner and outer. Each cell opens inward into an open space, where inmates are allowed out in turns during specific hours.
- More prison officers and staff are posted in anda cells than in ordinary barracks. Every staff member entering or exiting has to sign a register, where their details are noted. The size of the cell in different prisons depends on the number of inmates kept there.
Does anda cell mean solitary confinement?
- Anda cell cannot be called solitary confinement, but it is the most isolated cell in any central prison.
- Isolation cells have bigger courtyards and are open from above, providing enough sunlight. The anda cells usually have two wings and are covered with iron rods from above. The prisoner cannot move from one wing to the other.
10. ‘PODU’ LAND ISSUE IN TELANGANA
About:
- Telangana government has red-flagged encroachment of forests by non-tribals, who are indulging in the practice of shifting agriculture (podu).
- Several political leaders have raised the issues of shifting agriculture and deforestation wherein encroachers clear a portion of land to raise crops one season and move to a different location next season, thereby clearing large areas of forests.
- The government now wants to shift out all farmers from the forests to the periphery by allotting lands to them for cultivation.
About:
- ROIP system is being introduced as a marine communication mode, for the first time in any Major Indian Port.
- It shall cover the entire Hugli river Estuary from Kolkata to Sandheads, having base stations at 4 Locations.
- With this facility, vessels at Sandheads can be directly communicated via Radio, from Kolkata, specially during storms and inclement weather.
- Radio over Internet Protocol, or RoIP, is similar to Voice over IP (VoIP), but augments two-way radio communications rather than telephone calls.
12. DRAFT RULES FOR SAFETY PROVISIONS FOR A CHILD CARRIED ON A MOTOR CYCLE
Ministry has made draft rules vide GSR 758(E) dated 21 Oct 2021, recommending –
- For children below four years, Safety harness shall be used for attaching the child to the driver of the motorcycle.
- The driver shall ensure that the child pillion passenger aged between 09 months and 4 years must wear his/her own crash helmet which fits his/her head or wear bicycle helmet complying with [ASTM 1447]/ [European (CEN)BS EN 1080/BS EN 1078] till such time that the specifications are prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act 2016.
- The speed of the motorcycle with the child upto age 4 years being carried as a pillion, shall not be more than 40 kmph.
13. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN 2020
About:
- This is despite the approximately 5.6% drop in fossil fuel CO2 emissions in 2020 due to restrictions related to the pandemic. The Bulletin, as the WMO report is called, shows that the pandemic disruption in 2020 didn’t significantly dent overall greenhouse gas emissions.
- For methane, the increase from 2019 to 2020 was higher than that observed from 2018 to 2019 and also higher than the average annual growth rate over the past decade.
- For nitrous oxides also, the increase was higher and also than the average annual growth rate over the past 10 years.
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Annual Greenhouse Gas Index (AGGI) shows that from 1990 to 2020, radiative forcing by long-lived greenhouse gases (LLGHGs) increased by 47%, with CO2 accounting for about 80% of this increase.
- Concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most significant greenhouse gas, reached 413.2 parts per million in 2020 and is 149% of the pre-industrial level. Methane (CH4) is 262% and nitrous oxide (N2O) is 123% of the levels in 1,750 when human activities started disrupting earth’s natural equilibrium.
14. TRIGONOPTERUS CORONA
About:
- One of them has been named Trigonopterus corona.
- This reflects the large impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on this project, Pensoft Publishers, which brings out the journal, said in a blog spot.
Other species
- And it is not the only insect species to be named after the pandemic. In April, a new species of caddisfly (a moth-like insect) was collected near a stream in Kosovo by a team of scientists, and named Potamophylax coronavirus (Biodiversity Data Journal).
- The same month, out of six new species of Brazilian wasps described in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research, one was named Allorhagas quarentenus, a reference to the quarantine, which occurred while the authors were describing the species.
- And earlier this month, out of five new wasp species discovered in Mexico, scientists named one Stethantyx covida (Zookeys).
15. AMUR FALCONS
About:
- The Amur falcon (Falco amurensis) is a small raptor of the falcon family. It breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China before migrating in large flocks across India and over the Arabian Sea to winter in Southern and East Africa.
- These falcons visit the Tamenglong district of Manipur every year from breeding grounds in China and Russia before beginning their onward voyage to Africa for the winter — a journey of more than 30,000 km.
- Hunting of this bird is punishable under the Manipur Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and could lead to three years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹25,000.
- IUCN status is Least Concern.
- In another development, officials said the population of the brow-antlered deer (Sangai) found only in Manipur stood at fewer than 300 in its natural habitat, the 40 sq km Keibul Lamjao National park in Bishnupur district.
16. ROCKET LAUNCH SYSTEMS
About:
- Smerch, procured from Russia, is the longest range conventional rocket system in the Indian Army’s inventory with a maximum range of 90 km. A battery of four launchers can fire a salvo of 48 rockets in 40 seconds, neutralising an area of 1200m X 1200m.
- Pinaka, indigenously designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, has a range of 38 km. “A battery of six launchers of Pinaka can fire a salvo of 72 rockets in 44 seconds, thereby neutralising an area of 1000m X 800m.
17. BARBADOS
About:
- Sandra Mason, the current governor-general, is set to be sworn in as President on November 30, the country's 55th anniversary of independence from Britain.
- In September 2020, Ms. Mason, 72, announced the break with Britain, saying “the time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind.”
Geography
- Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands.
- Its capital and largest city is Bridgetown.
- It is at roughly 13°N of the equator.
- Barbados lies on the boundary of the South American and the Caribbean Plates.
18. INSULIN
About:
- The study also provides insights into the degree to which major and minor components are important in keeping this signalling process intact. This knowledge can direct further studies to identify targets for therapy.
- Insulin is a hormone secreted by the b cells of the pancreas.
- It is commonly associated with an ability to regulate glucose metabolism. However, later studies (from around 1949 until recently) have shown it plays a larger role and helps in growth and maintenance of tissues.
insulin signalling
- An important mechanism in the cell is insulin signalling, which is a series of biochemical reactions that convey information about availability of insulin and the necessity to regulate the glucose in the blood.
- There are two main pathways for insulin signalling, named AKT and ERK, which together balance metabolism and growth. These specifically control storage of glucose in the liver and also stimulate glucose transport in skeletal muscle and fat.
- Abnormalities in insulin signalling thus impact health and survival itself of organisms and the study addresses an important piece of the puzzle.
19. HYBRID IMMUNITY
About:
- The Hybrid immunity — natural immunity from an infection combined with the immunity provided by the vaccine — had a higher and more durable neutralising antibody response. It offers stronger protection than just infection or full vaccination alone.
- The study, posted in the preprint server medRxiv on October 19 (preprints are yet to be peer-reviewed), has found that in 500 health-care workers, the neutralising antibodies were twofold more in people immunised with Pfizer vaccine following natural infection compared with people immunised with Pfizer vaccine but without prior infection.
20. EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS IN INDIA
What explains the torrential rain?
- There are different factors at play in Kerala and Uttarakhand.
- There have been two rain-bearing ‘low pressure systems’ that are active in the Arabian Sea as well as the Bay of Bengal since the past week.
- The low pressure system in the Arabian Sea contributed to the heavy rain in Kerala, whereas western disturbances, which are periodic influxes of moisture-laden clouds from the Mediterranean, and common during winter, are what caused the rain in northern India.
- The Bay of Bengal is still warm and strong winds from there are reaching as far as Uttarakhand and will contribute to rainfall in several parts of north-eastern India.
- Overall elevated temperatures are also contributing to warmer waters in the Arctic Ocean and drawing colder air from the poles with greater intensity. This added to the increased moisture, thereby seeding more intense western disturbance activity over north India.
- This year, the monsoon began its retreat on October 6 and though it was expected to fully retreat by October 16, it is yet to completely withdraw, with the associated clouds still lingering on.
What are the factors responsible for the disasters?
- Kerala and Uttarakhand have large tracts of hilly terrain that are prone to landslips.
- But construction has continued unabated even on land unsuited for human habitation. Several ecologists and environmentalists have for years warned of the consequences of unplanned development.