NASA has selected two missions to the planet Venus, Earth’s nearest neighbor. The missions are called DAVINCI+ and VERITAS.
DAVINCI+ and VERITAS
(1) DAVINCI+
DAVINCI+ is short for ‘Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging’ and is the first US-led mission to the planet’s atmosphere since 1978.
It will try to understand Venus’ composition to see how the planet formed and evolved.
This mission also consists of a decent sphere that will pass through the planet’s thick atmosphere and make observations and take measurements of noble gases and other elements.
Significantly, this mission will also try to return the first high-resolution photographs of a geological feature that is unique to Venus.
This feature, which is called “tesserae” may be comparable to Earth’s continents.
The presence of tesseraes may suggest that Venus has tectonic plates like Earth.
(2) VERITAS
The second mission called VERITAS is short for ‘Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy’.
It will map the planet’s surface to determine its geologic history and understand the reasons why it developed so differently from Earth.
VERITAS will orbit Venus with a radar that will help to create a 3D reconstruction of its topography which might be able to tell scientists if processes such as plate tectonics and volcanism are still active there.
This mission will also map the emissions from Venus’s surface that may help in determining the type of rocks that exist on Venus–a piece of information that is not exactly known yet.
It will also determine if active volcanoes are releasing water vapor into the atmosphere.
Why study Venus?
The results from DAVINCI+ are expected to reshape the understanding of terrestrial planet formation in the solar system and beyond.
Taken together, both missions are expected to tell scientists more about the planet’s thick cloud cover and the volcanoes on its surface.
Further, scientists speculate about the existence of life on Venus in its distant past and the possibility that life may exist in the top layers of its clouds where temperatures are less extreme.
Have humans visited Venus?
Because of the planet’s harsh environment, no humans have visited it and even the spacecraft that have been sent to the planet have not survived for a very long time.
Venus’ high surface temperatures overheat electronics in spacecraft in a short time, so it seems unlikely that a person could survive for long on the Venusian surface.
So far, spacecraft from several nations have visited the planet.
The first such spacecraft was the Soviet Union’s Venera series (the spacecraft, however, could not survive for long because of the planet’s harsh conditions).
It was followed by NASA’s Magellan Mission that studied Venus from 1990-1994. As of now, Japan’s Akatsuki mission is studying the planet from Orbit.
Back2Basics: Venus
For those on Earth, Venus is the second-brightest object in the sky after the moon.
It appears bright because of its thick cloud cover that reflects and scatters light.
Surface temperatures on Venus can go up to 471 degrees Celsius, which is hot enough to melt lead, NASA notes. Surface temperatures on Venus can go up to 471 degrees Celsius, which is hot enough to melt lead, NASA notes.
Some unknown facts
While Venus, which is the second closest planet to the Sun, is called the Earth’s twin because of their similar sizes, the two planets have significant differences between them.
For one, the planet’s thick atmosphere traps heat and is the reason that it is the hottest planet in the solar system, despite coming after Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.
Further, Venus moves forward on its orbit around the Sun but spins backwards around its axis slowly.
This means on Venus the Sun rises in the west and sets in the East.
One day on Venus is equivalent to 243 Earth days because of its backward spinning, opposite to that of the Earth’s and most other planets.
Following the successful launch of 36 satellites, OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation reached 218 in-orbit satellites.
What is OneWeb?
OneWeb is a global communications company that aims to deliver broadband satellite Internet around the world through its fleet of LEO satellites.
OneWeb satellites are built at a OneWeb and Airbus joint venture facility in Florida that can produce up to two satellites a day.
The launch roll-out of the satellites is facilitated by French company Arianespace using Russian-made Soyuz rockets.
The company has announced plans to enter the Indian market by 2022.
About its constellation
The company has one more launch to complete before it obtains the capacity to enable its ‘Five to 50’ service of offering internet connectivity to all regions north of 50 degrees latitude.
The Five to 50 service is expected to be switched on by June 2021 with global services powered by 648 satellites available in 2022.
What are LEO satellites?
LEO satellites have been orbiting the planet since the 1990s, providing companies and individuals with various communication services.
They are positioned around 500km-2000km from earth, compared to stationary orbit satellites which are approximately 36,000km away.
Latency, or the time needed for data to be sent and received, is contingent on proximity.
As LEO satellites orbit closer to the earth, they are able to provide stronger signals and faster speeds than traditional fixed-satellite systems.
Additionally, because signals travel faster through space than through fiber-optic cables, they also have the potential to rival if not exceed existing ground-based networks.
However, LEO satellites travel at a speed of 27,000 kph and complete a full circuit of the planet in 90-120 minutes.
As a result, individual satellites can only make direct contact with a land transmitter for a short period of time thus requiring massive LEO satellite fleets and consequently, a significant capital investment.
Criticisms of LEO satellites
During the days of the Sputnik and Apollo missions, governments dominated and regulated space-based activities.
There are logistical challenges with launching thousands of satellites into space as well.
Satellites can sometimes be seen in the night skies which creates difficulties for astronomers as the satellites reflect sunlight to earth, leaving streaks across images.
Satellites traveling at a lower orbit can also interrupt the frequency of those orbiting above them, an accusation that has been leveled against Starlink satellites already.
Another worry is that there are already almost 1 million objects larger than 1cm in diameter in orbit, a byproduct of decades of space activities.
Those objects, colloquially referred to as ‘space junk,’ have the potential to damage spacecraft or collide with other satellites.
China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), which mimics the energy generation process of the sun, set a new record.
What is China’s ‘artificial sun’ EAST?
The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor is an advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device.
The purpose of the artificial sun is to replicate the process of nuclear fusion, which is the same reaction that powers the sun.
The EAST is one of three major domestic tokamaks that are presently being operated across the country.
Apart from the EAST, China is currently operating the HL-2A reactor as well as J-TEXT.
Since it first became operational in 2006, the EAST has set several records for the duration of confinement of exceedingly hot plasma.
The EAST project is part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility, which will become the world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor when it becomes operational in 2035.
The project includes the contributions of several countries, including India, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States.
How does the ‘artificial sun’ EAST work?
The EAST Tokamak device is designed to replicate the nuclear fusion process carried out by the sun and stars.
Nuclear fusion is a process through which high levels of energy are produced without generating large quantities of waste.
Previously, energy was produced through nuclear fission — a process in which the nucleus of a heavy atom was split into two or more nuclei of lighter atoms.
Fission vs. Fusion
While fission is an easier process to carry out, it generates far more nuclear waste.
Unlike fission, fusion also does not emit greenhouse gases and is considered a safer process with a lower risk of accidents.
Once mastered, nuclear fusion could potentially provide unlimited clean energy and very low costs.
But what is Fusion?
For nuclear fusion to occur, tremendous heat and pressure are applied on hydrogen atoms so that they fuse together. `
The nuclei of deuterium and tritium — both found in hydrogen — are made to fuse together to create a helium nucleus, a neutron along with a whole lot of energy.
Fuel is heated to temperatures of over 150 million degrees C so that it forms a hot plasma “soup” of subatomic particles.
With the help of a strong magnetic field, the plasma is kept away from the walls of the reactor to ensure it does not cool down and lose its potential to generate large amounts of energy.
The plasma is confined for long durations for fusion to take place.
What is the latest record and why does it matter?
The EAST reactor set a new record on Friday when it achieved a plasma temperature of 216 million degrees Fahrenheit and also managed to run for 20 seconds at 288 million degrees Fahrenheit.
To put this in perspective, the sun’s core only reaches about 15 million degrees Celsius, which means the reactor was able to touch temperatures that are 10 times hotter than that.
The next goal for the scientists behind the experimental reactor is to maintain the high temperature for a long period of time. Previously, the EAST had reached a record temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius in 2018.
China is not the only
But China is not the only country that has achieved high plasma temperatures.
In 2020, South Korea’s KSTAR reactor set a new record by maintaining a plasma temperature of over 100 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds.
The third edition of the SDG India Index and Dashboard 2020–21 was released by NITI Aayog.
SDG India Index
The index measures the progress at the national and sub-national level in the country’s journey towards meeting the Global Goals and targets.
It has been successful as an advocacy tool to propagate the messages of sustainability, resilience, and partnerships, as well.
From covering 13 Goals, 39 targets, and 62 indicators in the first edition in 2018-19 to 17 Goals, 54 targets and 100 indicators in the second; this third edition of the index covers 17 Goals, 70 targets, and 115 indicators.
Aims and objectives
The construction of the index and the ensuing methodology embodies the central objectives of measuring the performance of States and UTs on the SDGs and ranking them.
It aims at supporting States and UTs in identifying areas which require more attention; and promoting healthy competition among them.
Methodology and Process
The index estimation is based on data on indicators for the first 16 goals, with a qualitative assessment for Goal 17.
The technical process of target setting and normalization of scores follow the globally established methodology.
While target setting enables the measurement of the distance from the target for each indicator, the process of normalization of positive and negative indicators allows for comparability and estimation of goal-wise scores.
The composite score of a State is derived by assigning each goal the same weight, keeping in mind the indivisible nature of the 2030 Agenda.
The selection of indicators is preceded by a consultative process undertaken in close coordination with MoSPI, Union Ministries and stakeholders from States and UTs.
Highlights of the 2021 Report
States and Union Territories are classified as below based on their SDG India Index score:
Aspirant: 0–49
Performer: 50–64
Front-Runner: 65–99
Achiever: 100
Its significance
The index represents the articulation of the comprehensive nature of the Global Goals under the 2030 Agenda while being attuned to the national priorities.
The modular nature of the index has become a policy tool and a ready reckoner for gauging the progress of States and UTs on the nature of goals including health, education, gender, economic growth and climate change and the environment.
Back2Basics: Sustainable Development Goals
The UN General Assembly in its 70thSession considered and adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the next 15 years.
The 17 SDGs came into force with effect from 1st January 2016.
Though not legally binding, the SDGs have become de facto international obligations and have the potential to reorient domestic spending priorities of the countries during the next fifteen years.
Countries are expected to take ownership and establish a national framework for achieving these goals.
Implementation and success will rely on countries’ own sustainable development policies, plans, and programs.
The article analyses the factors contributing to the claim of 10% rise in total Foreign Direct Investment in 2020-21 and its impact on economy.
Making sense of increased FDI
Total foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow in 2020-21 is $81.7 billion, up 10% over the previous year, reported a recent Ministry of Commerce and Industry press release.
The short press release highlighted industry and State-specific foreign investment figures without detailed statistical information.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bulletin, which was released a week earlier, has the details.
What explains increased gross inflows
The gross inflow consists of (i) direct investment to India and (ii) repatriation/disinvestment.
The disaggregation shows that direct investment to India has declined by 2.4%.
Hence, an increase of 47% in “repatriation/disinvestment” entirely accounts for the rise in the gross inflows.
In other words, there is a wide gap between gross FDI inflow and direct investment to India.
Similarly, measured on a net basis (that is, “direct investment to India” net of “FDI by India” or, outward FDI from India), direct investment to India has barely risen (0.8%) in 2020-21 over the last year.
What then accounts for the impressive headline number of 10% rise in gross inflow?
It is almost entirely on account of “Net Portfolio Investment”, shooting up from $1.4 billion in 2019-20 to $36.8 billion in the next year.
That is a whopping 2,526% rise.
Further, within the net portfolio investment, foreign institutional investment (FIIs) has boomed by an astounding 6,800% to $38 billion in 2020-21, from a mere half a billion dollars in the previous year.
This explains the surge in gross FDI inflows which is entirely on account of net foreign portfolio investment.
How FDI is different from FII
FDI inflow, in theory, is supposed to bring in additional capital to augment potential output (taking managerial control/stake).
In contrast, foreign portfolio investment, as the name suggests, is short-term investment in domestic capital (equity and debt) markets to realise better financial returns.
But the conceptual distinctions have blurred in official reporting, showing an outsized role of FDI and its growth in India.
How FPI distorted equity markets?
The deluge of FII inflow did little to augment the economy’s potential output.
It added a lot of froth to the stock prices.
When GDP has contracted by 7.3% in 2020-21 on account of the pandemic and the economic lockdown, the BSE Sensex nearly doubled from about 26,000 points on March 23, 2020 to over 50,000 on March 31, 2021.
BSE’s price-earnings (P-E) multiple — defined as share price relative to earnings per share — is among the world’s highest, close behind S&P 500 in the U.S.
FDI inflow’s contribution to domestic output
As Figure below shows, between 2013-14 and 2019-20, the ratio of net FDI to GDP has remained just over 1% (left-hand scale), with no discernible rising trend in it.
The proportion of net FDI to gross fixed capital formation (fixed investment) is range-bound between 4% and 6%.
These stagnant trends are evident when the economy’s fixed investment rate — gross fixed capital formation to GDP ratio — has plummeted from 31.3% in 2013-14 to 26.9% in 2019-20 (right-hand scale).
Thus, FDI inflow’s contribution to domestic output and investment remains modest.
Conclusion
The flood of FIIs has boosted stock prices and financial returns. These inflows did little to augment fixed investment and output growth.
A notable actor has filed a lawsuit in the Bombay High Court against the 5G telecom technology up-gradation, trial runs for which have started in India now.
What is 5G technology?
5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.
It mainly works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high-frequency spectrum — all of which have their own uses as well as limitations.
Issues with the rollout
However, 5G and its rollout in many countries have been hampered due to fears over health concerns even some conspiracy theories as well, which have tried to link it with the coronavirus among other things.
The recent lawsuit is asking questions around the overall impact of 5G and low intensity radiofrequency (RF) electronic magnetic field (EMF) radiation on human health, and its environmental impact as well.
These concerns, while not yet proven, have been raised by various scientists before too.
Arguments raised in the lawsuit
It has stated that the ‘radiation’ it will emit will be “extremely harmful and injurious to the health and safety of the people”.
While using wireless devices one is in a constant dilemma about “RF radiation from wire-free gadgets and network cell towers”.
There is sufficient reason to believe that the radiation is extremely harmful and injurious to the health and safety of the people.
It wants the concerned department to certify that 5G technology is safe for humans and also animals and birds.
Why is 5G essential?
5G promises to revolutionize mobile broadband and is a big generational leap over the existing 4G technology.
This new technology will be capable of not just ensuring fast internet on our phones, but also help power IoT (Internet of Things) networks to run connected cars and homes smarter.
It will also support the streaming of rich media.
Rollout status in India
5G has not yet been rolled out in India though some companies have been given a trial spectrum to test 5G technology in the country.
Once this is over, it is expected that networks will go live with the 5G bands by the end of this year.
The 5G rollout is expected to gather pace in the country by 2022.
Fear around the impact of 5G radiation on human health
The claim is that the more powerful 5G waves will emit more radiation and cause harm to humans as well as other living beings.
Also, 5G will require more towers in order to ensure better connectivity, and since it will power more than just our smartphones, it will increase human exposure to such radiation in general.
This is an extension of the idea that cellular towers, which emit low-level RF-EMF radiation, are in general damaging our bodies.
But radiation from cellphone towers, mobile phones, WiFi routers is typically called non-ionizing radiation like radio waves, microwaves, and optical radiation.
RF fields have been classified by WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B).
Layman understandings over such radiations
There’s no doubt that radiation at very high levels, also referred to as ionizing radiation, heats up our tissue and can eventually lead to cancer.
This applies to medical devices such as a CT-scan machine or X-ray machine, which emit high-level ionizing radiation.
That’s exactly why doctors don’t recommend that you go get a CT scan for every health issue because it does increase unnecessary exposure to radiation.
But there are increasing concerns that our smartphones, other WiFi-ready devices such as laptops, and mobile phone towers which also emit low-level RF radiation are damaging our bodies given the constant exposure.
What WHO has to say?
On its page on 5G, the World Health Organization (WHO) says “no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies.”
But it also states that “only a few studies have been carried out at the frequencies to be used by 5G.”
Given the growing concerns, the WHO is conducting “a health risk assessment from exposure to radio frequencies, covering the entire radiofrequency range, including 5G.”
The article highlights the risk posed by pandemic to the gains made by India on reducing the child labour in India.
Child labour in India
A Government of India survey (NSS Report No. 585, 2017-18) suggests that only 79.6%. of the children in the age group of 14-17 years are attending educational institutions (formal and informal).
The Census of India 2011 reports 10.1 million working children in the age group of 5-14 years.
Out of whom 8.1 million are in rural areas mainly engaged as cultivators (26%) and agricultural labourers (32.9%).
UNESCO estimates based on the 2011 Census record 38.1 million children as “out of school” i.e.18.3% of total children in the age group of 6-13 years.
A Rapid Survey on Children (2013-14), jointly undertaken by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and UNICEF, found that less than half of children in the age group of 10-14 years have completed primary education.
How policies and initiatives helped reduce child labour in India (2001-11)
Child labour in India decreased in the decade 2001 to 2011.
Policy interventions such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 2005, the Right to Education Act 2009 and the Mid Day Meal Scheme have paved the way for children to be in schools along with guaranteed wage employment (unskilled) for rural families.
Efforts towards convergence of government schemes is also the focus of the implementation of the National Child Labour Project.
Ratifying International Labour Organization Conventions Nos. 138 and 182 in 2017, the Indian government further demonstrated its commitment to the elimination of child labour.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment-operated online portal allows to share information and coordinate on child labour cases at the national, State and local levels for effective enforcement of child labour laws.
Challenges ahead
The economic contraction and lockdowns have worsened the situation, posing a real risk of backtracking the gains made in eliminating child labour.
With increased economic insecurity, lack of social protection and reduced household income, children from poor households are being pushed to contribute to the family income.
With closure of schools and challenges of distance learning, children may drop out leaving little scope for return unless affirmative and immediate actions are taken.
As many schools and educational institutions are moving to online platforms for continuation of learning, the ‘digital divide’ is a challenge that India has to reconcile within the next several years.
The NSS Report titled ‘Household Social Consumption on Education in India’ suggests that in 2017-18, only 24% of Indian households had access to an Internet facility.
The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2020 survey highlights that a third of the total enrolled children received some kind of learning materials from their teachers during the reference period (October 2020) as digital mode of education was opted for.
Way forward
It is through strategic partnerships and collaborations involving government, employers, trade unions, community-based organisations and child labour families that we could make a difference building back better and sooner.
We need a strong alliance paving our way towards ending child labour in all its forms by 2025 to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 8.7.
Consider the question “What are the policy measures and programmatic intervention implemented to reduce the child labour in India. How Covid-19 threatens the gains made on reducing the child labour?”
Conclusion
To deal with the child labour challenge, we need the right level of commitment among all the relevant stakeholders and the right mix of policy and programmatic interventions are present.
Recently Cyclone Tauktae and Cyclone Yaas wreaked havoc in several states of India with the credit for the cyclogenesis can be given to exceptionally warmer Indian seas this year, making atmospheric and ocean conditions favourable for frequent formation of cyclones and their rapid intensification.
Introduction
Cyclones are rapid inward air circulation around a low-pressure area. The air circulates in an anticlockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere.
Cyclones are usually accompanied by violent storms and bad weather.
The word Cyclone is derived from the Greek word Cyclos meaning the coils of a snake. It was coined by Henry Peddington because the tropical storms in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea appear like coiled serpents of the sea.
What are tropical Cyclones?
A Tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain.
Cyclones are formed over slightly warm ocean waters. The temperature of the top layer of the sea, up to a depth of about 60 meters, need to be at least 28°C to support the formation of a cyclone.
This explains why the April-May and October-December periods are conducive for cyclones.
Then, the low level of air above the waters needs to have an ‘anticlockwise’ rotation (in the northern hemisphere; clockwise in the southern hemisphere).
During these periods, there is an ITCZ in the Bay of Bengal whose southern boundary experiences winds from west to east, while the northern boundary has winds flowing east to west.
Once formed, cyclones in this area usually move northwest. As it travels over the sea, the cyclone gathers more moist air from the warm sea which adds to its heft.
Formation of a Cyclone
(The above figure shows how cyclones form. The green arrows show where warm air is rising. The red arrows indicate where cool air is sinking)
Requirements for a Cyclone to form
There are six main requirements for tropical cyclogenesis:
Sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures.
Atmospheric instability.
High humidity in the lower to middle levels of the troposphere.
Enough Coriolis force to develop a low-pressure center.
A preexisting low-level focus or disturbance.
Low vertical wind shear.
Origin
The formation and initial development of a cyclonic storm depends upon the transfer of water vapour and heat from the warm ocean to the overlying air, primarily by evaporation from the sea surface.
It encourages formation of massive vertical cumulus clouds due to convection with condensation of rising air above the ocean surface.
Under favorable conditions, multiple thunderstorms originate over the oceans. These thunderstorms merge and create an intense low pressure system (wind is warm and lighter).
Early Stage
In the thunderstorm, air is uplifted as it is warm and light. At certain height, due to lapse rate and adiabatic lapse rate, the temperature of air falls and moisture in the air undergoes condensation.
Condensation releases latent heat of condensation making the air more warmer. It becomes much lighter and is further uplifted.
The space is filled by fresh moisture laden air. Condensation occurs in this air and the cycle is repeated as long as the moisture is supplied.
Due to excess moisture over oceans, the thunderstorm intensifies and sucks in air at much faster rate. The air from surroundings rushes in and undergoes deflection due to Coriolis force creating a cyclonic vortex (spiraling air column. Similar to tornado).
Due to centripetal acceleration (centripetal force pulling towards the center is countered by an opposing force called centrifugal force), the air in the vortex is forced to form a region of calmness called an eye at the center of the cyclone. The inner surface of the vortex forms the eye wall, the most violent region of the cyclone.
All the wind that is carried upwards loses its moisture and becomes cold and dense. It descends to the surface through the cylindrical eye region and at the edges of the cyclone.
Continuous supply of moisture from the sea is the major driving force behind every cyclone. On reaching the land the moisture supply is cut off and the storm dissipates.
If ocean can supply more moisture, the storm will reach a mature stage.
Mature Stage
At this stage, the spiraling winds create multiple convective cells with successive calm and violent regions.
The regions with cumulonimbus cloud (rising limbs of convective cell) formation are called rain bands below which intense rainfall occurs.
The ascending air will lose moisture at some point and descends (subsides) back to surface through the calm regions (descending limbs of convection cell – subsiding air) that exist between two rain bands.
Cloud formation is dense at the center. The cloud size decreases from center to periphery.
Rain bands are mostly made up of cumulonimbus clouds. The ones at the periphery are made up of nimbostratus and cumulus clouds.
The dense overcast at the upper levels of troposphere is due to cirrus clouds which are mostly made up of hexagonal ice crystals.
The dry air flowing along the central dense overcast descends at the periphery and the eye region.
Destruction Caused by Cyclones
Cyclones are disastrous in many ways. They do more harm than any good to the coastal areas.
1) Strong Winds
Cyclones are known to cause severe damage to infrastructure through high-speed winds.
Very strong winds which accompany a cyclonic storm damages installations, dwellings, communications systems, trees etc., resulting in loss of life and property.
2) Torrential rains and inland flooding
Torrential rainfall (more than 30 cm/hour) associated with cyclones is another major cause of damages. Unabated rain gives rise to unprecedented floods.
Heavy rainfall from a cyclone is usually spread over a wide area and cause large scale soil erosion and weakening of embankments.
3) Storm Surge
A Storm surge can be defined as an abnormal rise of sea level near the coast caused by a severe tropical cyclone.
As a result of which seawater inundates low lying areas of coastal regions drowning human beings and life stock.
It causes eroding beaches and embankments, destroys vegetation and leads to the reduction of soil fertility.
Recent Cyclones
Cyclone Tauktae
Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Tauktae was a powerful tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea that became the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in the Indian state of Gujarat since the 1998 Gujarat cyclone and one of the strongest tropical cyclones to ever affect the west coast of India.
Tauktae brought heavy rainfall and flash floods to areas along the coast of Kerala and on Lakshadweep. There were reports of heavy rain in the states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra as well.
Tauktae resulted in at least 169 deaths in India, and left another 81 people missing.
66 people died, at least 20 people are still missing after Barge P305 sank near Heera oil field, off the coast of Mumbai, although the Indian Navy said it had rescued 186 survivors of the 270 people aboard by May 19.
Losses from Tauktae are estimated at ₹15,000 crore or US$2.1 billion.
Cyclone Yaas
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Yaas was a relatively strong and highly damaging tropical cyclone that made landfall in Odisha and brought significant impacts to West Bengal during late May 2021.
Yaas formed from a tropical disturbance that the Indian Meteorological Department first monitored on May 23.
Evacuations were also ordered, starting on May 24 on low-lying areas in East Midnapore and West Midnapore and Jhargram.
As of May 28, 20 people have been reported dead due to Yaas.
The total damages in West Bengal, the most heavily impacted state from Yaas, were estimated to be around ₹20 thousand crore (US$2.76 billion).
Management of Cyclones in India
In 2005, the country introduced new laws to set up what’s called the National Disaster Management Authority, a central agency charged with one thing: responding to and minimizing the impact of disasters.
A year later, in 2006, India established a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a specialized corps of highly trained men and women focused on disasters such as cyclones and earthquakes. It’s now comprised of almost 25,000 personnel.
Apart from institutional measures, there are many structural and non-structural measures that have been taken for effective disaster management of cyclones:
The structural measures include construction of cyclone shelters, construction of cyclone-resistant buildings, road links, culverts, bridges, canals, drains, saline embankments, surface water tanks, communication and power transmission networks etc.
Non-structural measures like early warning dissemination systems, management of coastal zones, awareness generation and disaster risk management and capacity building of all the stakeholders involved.
These measures are being adopted and tackled on State to State basis under National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) being implemented through World Bank Assistance.
Issues in Cyclone Mitigation
Post than pre focus: Disaster management in India is largely confined to post-disaster relief works. It is more about management than loss prevention.
Population: One-third of the population in India lives in the coastal area. Most of them are marginalized people who are ill-prepared and unable to cope up with a disaster.
Poor response: The warning of a cyclone is not properly communicated between the concerned agencies. In many cases, the warning is not taken seriously by the agencies which cause delayed effort for the prevention of a disaster. This was evident in the recent Ockhi cyclone disaster.
Lack of awareness: among people about the impact and magnitude of the disaster. Also what to act during and post disasters.
Coordination Issues: There is also a lack of coordination between the local communities for search and rescue missions. Also poor coordination state and center coordination and its agencies.
Measures need to be taken for effective mitigation
Pre Disaster
Provide cyclone forecasting, tracking and warning systems
Construction of cyclone shelters, cyclone-resistant buildings, road links, bridges, canals, drains etc.
Establishing Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) and Capacity building for coastal communities.
During disaster
Cautionary advice should be put out on social platforms urging people to stay safe
The perception of people decides the intensity of the disaster. If people take necessary proactive steps to deal with disaster then even the severe disaster can be dealt with minimum damage.
Delivery of food and health care via mobile hospitals, with priorities to women child & elders.
Protection of the community and their evacuation and quicker response.
Post-disaster
It is vital that the learning from each event is shared nationally, and the capacity of officials and communities to manage disasters built continuously.
Among the securities available to individuals in many countries is insurance against property losses. Viable policies should be made available in India too.
Providing alternative means of communication, energy and transport just after the disaster.
Way Forward
Infrastructure of the regions that are vulnerable to cyclonic activities must be made/ designed so that evacuation process gets easy and damage gets minimized.
Forecast techniques must be improved so as to get more time for preparing before a cyclonic storm.
School and social awareness campaigns must be organized in the vulnerable areas for better individual preparedness.
NDRF and other emergency forces must be made more equipped with emergency kits and modern machinery for them to play a better role in keeping them and others safe.
Now the imperative for India is not only to have infrastructure that is resilient, functional and that can bounce back after a disaster, but also to have infrastructure withstand and be operational during a crisis.
For this India need to employ more technology, strict following of command structure, and most importantly the participation and cooperation of local communities in the affected area.
There must be test facilities made for the emergency forces to prepare themselves better for the actual situations.
One is to look at this as an outlier — after all, India, like most other countries, is facing a once-in-a-century pandemic — and wish it away.
The other way would be to look at this contraction in the context of what has been happening to the Indian economy since the regime change.
Impact of the new regime
Let’s look at the most important ones.
(1) Gross Domestic Product
Contrary to perception advanced by the Union government, the GDP growth rate has been a point of growing weakness for the last 5 of these 7 years.
The GDP growth rate steadily fell from over 8% in FY17 to about 4% in FY20, just before Covid-19 hit the country.
The economy was already struggling with massive bad loans which were further deteriorated by demonetization and the GST regime.
(2)GDP per capita
Often, it helps to look at GDP per capita, which is total GDP divided by the total population, to better understand how well-placed an average person is in an economy.
At a level of Rs 99,700, India’s GDP per capita is now what it used to be in 2016-17 — the year when the slide started.
As a result, India has been losing out to other countries. A case in point is how even Bangladesh has overtaken India in per-capita-GDP terms.
(3) Unemployment rate
This is the metric on which India has possibly performed the worst.
First came the news that India’s unemployment rate, even according to the government’s own surveys, was at a 45-year high in 2017-18 — the year after demonetization and GST.
Then in 2019 came the news that between 2012 and 2018, the total number of employed people fell by 9 million — the first such instance of total employment declining in independent India’s history.
As against the norm of an unemployment rate of 2%-3%, India started routinely witnessing unemployment rates close to 6%-7% in the years leading up to Covid-19.
The pandemic, of course, made matters considerably worse.
What makes India’s unemployment even more worrisome is the fact that this is happening even when the labor force participation rate — which maps the proportion of people who even look for a job — has been falling.
(4)Inflation rate
After staying close to the $110-a-barrel mark throughout 2011 to 2014, oil prices (India basket) fell rapidly to just $85 in 2015 and further to below (or around) $50 in 2017 and 2018.
On the one hand, the sudden and sharp fall in oil prices allowed the government to completely tame the high retail inflation in the country, while on the other, it allowed the government to collect additional taxes on fuel.
But since the last quarter of 2019, India has been facing persistently high retail inflation.
Even the demand destruction due to lockdowns induced by Covid-19 in 2020 could not extinguish the inflationary surge.
(5) Fiscal deficit
The fiscal deficit is essentially a marker of the health of government finances and tracks the amount of money that a government has to borrow from the market to meet its expenses.
Typically, there are two downsides of excessive borrowing:
One, government borrowings reduce the investible funds available for the private businesses to borrow (this is called “crowding out the private sector”); this also drives up the price (that is, the interest rate) for such loans.
Two, additional borrowings increase the overall debt that the government has to repay. Higher debt levels imply a higher proportion of government taxes going to pay back past loans. For the same reason, higher levels of debt also imply a higher level of taxes.
On paper, India’s fiscal deficit levels were just a tad more than the norms set, but, in reality, even before Covid-19, it was an open secret that the fiscal deficit was far more than what the government publicly stated.
(6)Rupee vs dollar
The exchange rate of the domestic currency with the US dollar is a robust metric to capture the relative strength of the economy.
A US dollar was worth Rs 59 when the government took charge in 2014.
Seven years later, it is closer to Rs 73. The relative weakness of the rupee reflects the reduced purchasing power of the Indian currency.
What’s the outlook on growth?
The biggest engine for growth in India is the expenditure by common people in their private capacity.
This “demand” for goods accounts for 55% of all GDP.
The private consumption expenditure has fallen to levels last seen in 2016-17.
West Bengal CM has announced that the outgoing Chief Secretary would be appointed Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister.
Story so far
A senior IAS officer has been the subject of a tussle between the Centre and the state government over the last few days.
He was due to begin an extension of three months after retiring as Chief Secretary, but the Centre instead asked him to report and join the Government of India.
He did not do so.
How officers get an extension?
Rule 16(1) of DCRB (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Rules says that “a member of the Service may be given an extension of service for a period not exceeding three months in the public interest, with the prior approval of the Central Government”.
For an officer posted as Chief Secretary of a state, this extension can be for six months.
Central Deputation
In normal practice, the Centre asks every year for an “offer list” of officers of the All India Services willing to go on central deputation.
Rule 6(1) of the IAS Cadre Rules says an officer may with the concurrence of the State Governments concerned and the Central Government, be deputed for service under the Central Government or another State Government…”
It says “in case of any disagreement, the matter shall be decided by the Central Government and the State Government or State Governments concerned shall give effect to the decision of the Central Government.”
Issues with such deputation
Because of the Rule, states have to bear the brunt of arbitrary actions taken by the Centre, while the Rule makes it difficult for the Centre to enforce its will on a state that refuses to back down.
What next
The Centre cannot take action against civil service officials who are posted under the state government unless the latter agrees.
Rule 7 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, states that the authority to institute proceedings and to impose penalty will be the state government.
For any action to be taken against an officer of the All India Services, the state and the Centre both need to agree.
