01 March 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

 1 – IMD: GS II – Topic Statutory and Non-Statutory Bodies:

Context:

• The India Meteorological Department predicts that on Tuesday, temperatures will be “above normal” in most of northeast, eastern, central, and parts of northwest India (IMD).

About:

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) was established in 1875. It is a division of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Indian government.
• It is the principal agency in charge of meteorological observations, seismology, and weather forecasting.
• IMD is one of the six regionally focused meteorological centres that make up the World Meteorological Organization.
• The Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) of Tropical Cyclones in New Delhi is responsible for naming the cyclones in the northern Indian Ocean.
• The headquarters of IMD are in New Delhi.

Objective

• To compile weather data and provide current and future projections so that weather-sensitive industries like agriculture, irrigation, shipping, aviation, and offshore oil explorations can run as efficiently as possible.
• To give alerts concerning hazardous weather events, such as tropical cyclones, nor’easters, dust storms, heavy rain, snow, cold, and heat waves, which can cause both property damage and human fatalities.
• To provide the meteorological information required for managing water resources, industry, oil exploration, and other nation-building initiatives, IMD is essential.
• To conduct and further the study of meteorology and associated subjects.

Source The Hindu

2 – Heatwaves: GS I – Topic Geography-related issues:

Context:

• The department’s accompanying forecast map indicates that, with the exception of the northeastern States, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and coastal Karnataka, the majority of India is expected to experience heatwaves from March to May.

What is a heat wave?

• A heatwave is characterised by a maximum temperature of at least 40 degrees Celsius for plains, 37 degrees Celsius for coastal regions, and at least 30 degrees Celsius for hilly regions, according to the IMD.

What are the criterias?

• A heatwave is proclaimed when temperatures exceed normal levels by 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius, while a severe heatwave is declared when temperatures exceed normal levels by more than 6.4 degrees Celsius.
• When the actual maximum temperature in plains exceeds 45 degrees Celsius, IMD classifies heatwaves as happening; heatwaves are considered severe when they reach 47 degrees Celsius.
• A heatwave and a severe heatwave are also declared by the IMD if the locality has daily highs between 45 and 47 degrees.

Due to the following reasons, India is experiencing more heat waves:

• increased effects of paved and concrete surfaces, lack of trees in urban areas
• Due to the impact of urban heat islands, ambient temperatures may feel 3 to 4 degrees warmer than they actually are.
• More heat waves were projected despite the average global temperature rise of 0.8 degrees during the past century. Evening temperatures are rising as well.
• Worldwide, longer-lasting and more intense heat waves are occurring more frequently as a result of climate change.
• High UV radiation levels where temperatures are moderate to high.
• Due to a mix of severe heat stress and a predominately rural population, India is vulnerable to heat waves.

How could India manage heat waves in the future?

• identifying hotspots of heat by adequate meteorological data monitoring, promoting the speedy development and implementation of local Heat Action Plans through tactical inter-agency cooperation, and concentrating an emergency response on the most vulnerable populations.
• An examination of current labour laws, industry regulations, and occupational health standards for worker safety in relation to climate.
• Coordination and policy intervention across the three industries of health, water, and power are essential.
• the encouragement of traditional adaptation strategies like staying inside and dressing comfortably.
• Simple design principles like shady windows, underground water tanks, and insulating construction materials are growing in popularity.
• Through early implementation of local Heat Action Plans and effective inter-agency communication, the government may take significant action to protect vulnerable people.

Source  The Hindu

3 – Coin Vending Machines: GS III – Topic Indian Economy:

Context:

• RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das recently addressed the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), where he disclosed that the bank’s top regulator will launch a pilot project with banks to assess the performance of a coin-dispensing machine based on QR codes.
• Simply put, the vending machines would instead issue coins with the necessary amount being debited from the customer’s account via United Payments Interface rather than physically displaying banknotes (UPI). Customers might choose to take out coins in the required quantities and denominations. Here, the primary objective is to increase currency accessibility.

Features of the new vending machine:

• The equipment will be made available in 12 cities in the initial phase.
• These gadgets will employ UPI-based code systems to provide coins. The bills were previously shown physically by the devices.
• What is a coin-operated, QR-coded vending machine?
• As a result, the consumer is not forced to use cash. He will instead use a pin or his bank account password to get cash. As soon as he enters the pin or password, the vending machine verifies his bank account and quickly issues coins from that account. Formerly, in order to obtain coins, the consumer had to insert cash notes.

The apparatus is necessary:

• To increase coin availability in the country and disperse coins more extensively across the country
• Coins are plentiful in the country, but they are not distributed equally, so how can we fix this?

Where are the new vending machines located?

• These new coin-operated vending machines will be distributed throughout 12 cities and total 19. They ought to be placed in common areas like retail malls, train stations, and other places where people may access them readily.

Source The Hindu

4 – Adopt a Heritage Scheme: GS II – Topic Government Policies and Interventions:

Context:

• It is possible for private companies, corporations, and governmental organisations to come to agreements about the adoption and maintenance of state-owned archaeological sites or monuments. Businesses that enter into such agreements are known as Monument Mitras. By August 15 and another 500 sites shortly after, the federal government anticipates that this campaign, which began in February, will have preserved 500 sites. The number of locations featured in the controversial 2017 “Adopt a Heritage” campaign has increased tenfold, as seen by this number. Unless the “revamped” system is suspended, the country’s priceless pluralistic heritage may soon be lost forever.

What is the “Adopt a Heritage” Program?

• It was a collaborative effort by the State/UT governments, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Culture, and others.
• The project intends to develop a cooperative relationship between all of its stakeholders in order to effectively promote “ethical tourism.”
• It was formally launched by the President of India on September 27, 2017, World Tourism Day.
• In order to increase the sustainability of our tourism and heritage, it aims to engage public sector businesses, private sector businesses, and corporate citizens/individuals. At ASI/State Historic Sites and other important tourist locations in India, world-class tourism infrastructure and services will be developed, operated, and maintained.
• Organizations or businesses would become “Monument Mitras” under the unique concept of “Vision Bidding,” which provides the agency with the best vision for the heritage site the opportunity to combine pride with their CSR initiatives.
• The project primarily focuses on providing basic amenities like cleanliness, public conveniences, drinking water, ease of access for senior citizens and people with disabilities, standardised signage, illumination, and advanced amenities like surveillance system, night viewing facilities, and an enhanced tourist experience that will increase domestic and international tourist footfall.

Why the “Adopt a Heritage” Program exists:

• The diverse infrastructure and service assets’ operations and upkeep result in a number of common problems for the cultural sites.
• It is necessary to create a dependable system for delivering immediate access to fundamental amenities and ongoing access to high-end amenities.
• The government must provide more funding in order to maintain cultural riches. The Archaeological Survey of India safeguards 3,686 ancient structures and archaeological monuments, including 36 World Heritage Sites (ASI). Four Memorandums of Understanding have been signed, and 95 monuments and tourist destinations have received approval by 31 agencies or Monument Mitras for adoption. The government will increase the scope of the initiative.

Source The Hindu