11 July 2022

Daily Current Affairs Analysis 11 July 2022

. No.	Topic Name	Prelims/Mains
1.	What are Cloudbursts	Prelims & Mains
2.	Edible Oil in India	Prelims & Mains
3.	Sri Lankan Crisis	Prelims & Mains
4.	Section 69 A of the IT Act	Prelims Specific Topic

 

1 – What are Cloudbursts:

GS II

Topic à Geography

Context:

• On Friday evening (July 8), “highly-localized rains” produced flooding in Amarnath, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in at least 16 fatalities and more than 20 injuries. Those who perished were at a camp close to the cave, a revered location.

Cloudbursts:

• A cloudburst occurrence is defined as any documented rainfall of at least 10 cm per hour over an area of at least 10 km2.
• A cloudburst is an intense downpour of rain, occasionally accompanied by hail and thunder, that typically lasts only a few minutes but has the potential to cause flooding.
• According to the description given above, a cloudburst would also be defined as 5 cm of rain falling in 30 minutes. For the circumstances in India, that is unusual.

When does a cloudburst occur:

• Cloudbursts do occur on plains as well, however the likelihood of them happening in mountainous areas is higher due to the terrain:
• Cloudbursts occur when an air stream carrying a high warm temperature prevents saturated clouds from producing rain.
• Instead of falling to the ground, raindrops are lifted by the air current. Existing raindrops grow in size while new droplets are created.
• After a while, the cloud can no longer support the rains, and they all fall to the ground at once in a sudden flash.
• It’s not necessary for cloudbursts to happen solely when a cloud collides with an immovable object like a mountain. In the Himalayan region, one such cloud burst happened in June 2013 as the monsoon winds were rising down the Himalayan slope and were drawn further by the ascending jet streams, culminating in an extremely severe precipitation that caused catastrophic floods and landslides.
• Cloudbursts can also happen when cold winds and hot water vapour-laden air mix, causing a rapid condensation.

Two factors contribute to warm air currents moving vertically upward on hilly terrains:

• by permitting breezes to rise carrying water.
• by permitting the Terai’s water-laden breezes to absorb more moisture.
• Additionally, the convection helped orographic winds to be attenuated, which increased the likelihood of a cloudburst situation by allowing the jet stream to withdraw readily. Due to the increased convection in deserts, cloudbursts can occur.

Cloudbursts’ Effects:

• Flash floods
• Landslides
• Mud-flows
• Deaths are caused by land collapsing and flash floods, which cause homes and businesses to be carried away and cave in.
• Blocking rivers’ flow, which could result in temporary damming, the construction of a reservoir, and the eventual collapse of that reservoir
• Although occasionally the raindrops are large enough to damage individuals in a prolonged rainstorm, rainfall itself does not cause people to pass away. Death and ruin are brought on by the effects of such severe rain, particularly in the hilly terrain.

Cloudburst frequency:

• There is a lack of historical information on cloudbursts, and accuracy issues arise since only some of them are counted—those that cause death and harm.
• But it is also undeniable that there has been an increase in extreme precipitation occurrences over the past few decades. If temperature fluctuations are taken into account as a trend, it is possible that there has also been an increase in cloudburst events.

 

• Forecasting:

 

• They take occur over a fairly narrow space, which presents a challenge.
• The spell of heavy rain that results from the confluence of certain meteorological variables can be predicted.
• Doppler radars can be used to make forecasts for a very narrow area. They allow for the prediction of cloudburst potential around six hours in advance, and occasionally even 12 or 14 hours.

 

Source à The Indian Express

 

2 – Edible Oil in India:

 

GS III

 

Topic à Indian Agriculture/Economy

 

• Context:

 

• In March, the month immediately following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index reached an all-time high of 159.7 points.
• The index, which is a weighted average of global food commodity prices above a base period value of 100 for 2014–15, has now declined slightly, by 3.4 percent, to 154.2 points in June.

 

• What previously caused the price of oil to rise?

 

• The cost of commodities was extraordinarily high worldwide. A significant element that disrupts supply chains and shuts down industries is COVID-19.
• In many nations, the oil producing industry lacked sufficient labour.
• China purchases a lot of edible oil.
• Numerous significant oil producers were zealously pursuing biofuel programmes and diverting their edible oil harvests for that reason.
• In India, a sizable portion of the retail price of edible oils is also made up of government taxes and charges.

 

• The Dependence of India on Edible Oil:

 

• The largest importer of vegetable oil in the world is India.
• India imports around 60% of its edible oil requirements, making its retail prices susceptible to pressure from abroad.
• It imports soy oil from Brazil and Argentina, sunflower oil, primarily from Russia and Ukraine, and palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia.

 

• Information on Edible Oils:

 

• Soybean, rapeseed and mustard, groundnut, sunflower, safflower, and nigerian oil are the primary and secondary sources of edible oil, respectively (Oil palm, Coconut, Rice Bran, Cotton seeds & Tree Borne Oilseeds).
• Growing in predominantly rain-fed conditions (about 70% of the region), high seed costs (groundnut and soybean), tiny holdings with scarce resources, poor seed renewal rate, and low yield are important issues in India’s oilseed agriculture.

 

Source à The Hindu

 

 

3 – Sri Lankan Crisis:

 

GS II

 

Topic à International Relations

 

• Context:

 

• After the embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed to resign on July 13, the head of the Sri Lankan Army, General Shavendra Silva, said on Sunday that there is now a chance to end the current political crisis peacefully and asked for support from the populace to uphold peace in the island nation.

 

• Crisis in Sri Lanka and Indian assistance:

 

• Sri Lanka’s current economic crisis has pushed it closer to India for quick help.
• India has offered assistance to the people of Sri Lanka as part of its “Neighborhood First” policy, providing close to $3.5 billion in aid to help ensure Sri Lanka’s food, health, and energy security by supplying it with necessities including food, medicines, fuel, and kerosene.
• The most recent in the series was the signing of an agreement for a $55 million short term line of credit on June 10 between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Export-Import Bank of India to assist the purchase of urea for paddy crop in the ongoing “Yala” season.
• Tamil Nadu made the decision to contribute 123 crore in relief, which will include 500 tonnes of milk powder, 137 different types of life-saving medications, and 40,000 tonnes of rice.

 

• India and Sri Lanka as a sub-region:

 

• In August 2003, while serving as prime minister for the second time, Mr. Wickremesinghe advocated for the creation of a single market for the south India-Sri Lanka region.
• A market like that would offer greater chances for both nations’ economies to thrive.
• In 2016, he emphasised that the five southern Indian States, which together have a population of 250 million, have a combined gross state product of almost $450 billion. When Sri Lanka’s $80 billion GDP is added, the sub-region, which has a total of about 270 million people, would have a $500 billion economy.

 

• Challenges:

 

• Possibility of more economic cooperation: Given the baggage from the past, it is anyone’s guess whether this goodwill can result in broader economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and south India, not just Tamil Nadu.
• baggage from the past Some Sinhalese people still believe that India was once a menace to Sri Lanka and now poses a risk to them.
• The way the Rajapaksa administration abruptly cancelled a tripartite agreement for the construction of Colombo’s East Container Terminal made in 2019 with India and Japan in February 2021 was a reflection of the baggage from the past.
• This idea dates back to a historical event when south Indian monarchs invaded Sri Lanka and deposed the Sinhala kings.
• The support given by the Indian government to Tamil separatists in the wake of the 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom only served to reinforce this image.
• Small investment in Sri Lanka’s growth: India has made a small investment in Sri Lanka’s development, despite being openly eager to do so following the civil war.
• Unfinished initiatives as a result of a lack of political will There were other ideas that included India’s participation but never materialised once the tripartite agreement was cancelled. These proposals included the West Container Terminal, the Trincomalee oil tank farm, and a few renewable energy projects.
• The Ceylon Electricity Board and NTPC Limited partnership on a different project was shelved.
• A political will from the opposing side could have made other projects, like the enlargement of the Palaly airport in Jaffna and the development of the Kankesanthurai harbour, which also need for Indian involvement, a reality.
• The plan to construct a tunnel and sea bridge to link Rameshwaram with Talaimannar is still just on paper.

 

• How to proceed ahead:

 

• Infrastructure development: Even at this point, there is a tonne of room for cooperation between the two nations in this sector.
• Energy commerce across borders: The economic crisis has reignited discussion of connecting Sri Lanka’s electricity system with India’s.
• Tamil Nadu will most likely be the first interconnected location on the Indian side if this initiative is successful.
• Energy is traded across national borders between India and Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar.
• Promoting intercultural dialogue: The fear that India poses a threat to some segments of the Sinhalese majority can only be allayed by promoting more intercultural dialogue. This includes organising pilgrimages for monks and other members of Sri Lankan society to important Buddhist sites both in north and south India (Andhra Pradesh).

 

• In order to achieve an economic union between Sri Lanka and the southern States of India, it is necessary to do much more, so the window of opportunity provided by the current situation should be taken advantage of.

 

Source à The Indian Express

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 – Section 69 A of the IT Act:

 

Prelims Specific Topic

 

 

• Context:

 

• On July 5, the microblogging service Twitter filed a petition with the Karnataka High Court in an effort to overturn many blocking orders issued by the Central government and change their instructions to identify specific violative content rather than imposing a general ban on all user accounts. The blocking orders were “procedurally and significantly” in violation of Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, according to Twitter (IT Act).

 

• What’s the problem right now?

 

• The firm has “failed to comply with the orders on several occasions,” the Ministry claimed in accordance with Section 69(A) of the IT Act.
• After receiving a request from the government in 2021, Twitter provided a list of more than 80 accounts and tweets that it had blocked.
• Twitter asserts that the reasons why the Ministry flagged several accounts and posts are either “overbroad and arbitrary” or “disproportionate.”
• Twitter claims that some of the content that the ministry highlighted might relate to official accounts of political parties, and that blocking them might violate their First Amendment rights.

 

• What does the Information Technology Act’s Section 69(A) mean?

 

• About:

 

• The ability to give directives “to intercept, monitor or decrypt any information generated, sent, received, or stored in any computer resource” is granted to the Central and State governments.

 

• The following grounds may be used to exercise these powers:

 

• In the interest of defending India’s sovereignty or territorial integrity and ensuring the country’s security.
• Amiable ties with other countries.
• For maintaining public order or to stop the encouragement of any crimes that are punishable by law related to them.
• For looking into any offence.

 

• How to Block Websites on the Internet:

 

• The Center may request that any government agency or intermediary limit public access to any information created, sent, received, stored, or hosted on any computer resource under Section 69A for comparable reasons and grounds (as indicated above).
• In addition to search engines, online payment and auction sites, online marketplaces, and cyber cafés, the term “intermediaries” also encompasses telecom service, network service, Internet service, and web hosting providers.
• Such a request for limiting access must be supported by written justifications.

 

• What additional laws are related?

 

• In India, all operations involving the use of computer resources are governed by the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, as revised from time to time.
• It applies to all “intermediaries” involved in the usage of computer systems and electronic data.
• The Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011, which were created specifically for this purpose, outline the function of intermediaries in detail.

 

• What justifies intermediaries demonstrating compliance with the IT Act?

 

• International Requirement:Most countries have passed legislation requiring Internet service providers, site hosts, and other middlemen to work with law enforcement officials when necessary.

 

• Cooperation between technology service providers and law enforcement organisations is widely recognised as a crucial component of the fight against cybercrime and other crimes committed utilising computer resources.

 

• These include data theft, digital impersonation, and hacking.

 

• To Prevent Internet Misuse:Because of the potential for abuse, law enforcement officials are continuously looking for ways to reduce the negative effects of using the medium.

 

Source à The Hindu