“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
George Bernard Shaw
“जीवन अपने आपको खोजने के बारे में नहीं है। जीवन अपना निर्माण स्वयं करने के बारे में है।”
जॉर्ज बर्नार्ड शॉ
Monday, February 08, 2021
Quote of the Day
Ladakh to get India’s first Geothermal Power Project
Highlights
- This decision was taken because, Puga village was identified as the hotspot of geothermal energy by the scientists.
- The project will be completed in four phases.
- A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish and implement the first phase was signed on 6th February, 2021 between ONGC Energy; LAHDC, Leh and the Power Department of UT Ladakh
- This geothermal project is known as Geothermal Field Development Project.
- It will be commission by the end of 2022.
First phase of project
- The first phase of the project will result into the generation of one megawatt (MW) power.
- In the first phase, the pilot project will be implemented by the ONGC-OEC.
- ONGC-OEC will explore within the depth of 500 metres.
- Under the first phase, it was planned that 24 hours free power supply would be given to 10 neighbouring villages which are not connected with the northern grid to get the power.
Second Phase of the project
- In the second phase, deeper and lateral exploration of geothermal reservoirs will be done by drilling the optimal number of wells.
- Under this phase, higher capacity demo plant will also be set up in Ladakh.
- This phase of the project will be the Research and Development stage or demonstration of the project.
Third phase of the project
- Under the third phase, joint ventures and commercial projects will be promoted.
Puga Village
In the Puga Village, scientists have discovered a potential of more than 100 mw of geothermal energies. It lies in the south-eastern part of Ladakh. The village is a part of the Himalayan geothermal belt. The region has shown the evidence of geothermal activity in various form including the mud pools, hot springs, sulphur deposits and borax deposits. The talk of the potential geothermal project in the Puja Village has been into news since 2008. The region has the potential to produce about 40% of the energy requirements.
First Thunderstorm Research Testbed of India
Objective of testbed
The Thunderstorm Research Testbed is being established with the objective to minimalize the human fatalities and loss of property because of the lightning strikes.
Highlights
- This announcement was made by the Director-General of India Meteorological Department, Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.
- He also announced that a Monsoon Testbed will also be set up near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. The monsoon testbed would also be first-of-its-kind.
- Both of these projects are in the planning stage.
Thunderstorm testbed
- The Thunderstorm testbed will be established in a collaboration among the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and India Meteorological Department (IMD).
- All of these organisations have established their units in Balasore.
- The observatories will be set up to cater to the adjoining areas.
- The testbed would be conducting the studies on thunderstorms.
- The testbed will comprise of several observational networks, radar, auto-station, a full-fledged observatory, a wind profiler and a microwave radiometer.
What is the need of testbed?
Many lives are lost in Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand because of lightning strikes during the months of April to June every year. On an average, more than 350 people are killed in Odisha because of lightning strikes. As per a report, in the span of nine years (till 2020), 3218 people have died due to lightning. Thus, there is a need to set up the testbed to predict the thunderstorm and save life.
India Meteorological Department (IMD)
IMD was established in the year 1875. It is an agency which is responsible for weather forecasting, meteorological observations, and seismology. The agency works under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The headquarter of IMD is in Delhi.
Who is Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra?
He is currently serving as the Director-General of India Meteorological Department. He is often nick-named as ‘Cyclone Man of India’ because of his accurate prediction of cyclones in Indian subcontinent
Current Affairs – February 08, 2021
INDIA
Glacial burst hits Chamoli district of Uttarakhand
Seven persons were killed and over 125 are missing after a “glacial burst” on Nanda Devi triggered an avalanche and caused flash floods in Rishiganga and Dhauliganga rivers in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The flash flood in Rishiganga river washed away the Rishiganga small hydro project of 13.2 MW. It also damaged the NTPC’s 520 MW NTPC Tapovan-Vishnugad hydro project on the river Dhauliganga.
PM inaugurates, lays foundation stone infrastructure projects in West Bengal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Haldia, West Bengal and dedicated to the nation the LPG import terminal, 348 km Dobhi – Durgapur Natural Gas Pipeline section, which is part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project. He also laid the foundation stone of the second Catalytic Dewaxing unit of Haldia Refinery and dedicated to the nation the 4 Lane ROB-cum-Flyover at Ranichak, Haldia on NH 41.
Assam: PM launches ‘Asom Mala’ to improve highways and district roads
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 7, 2021 laid the foundation stone of two medical colleges at Biswanath and Charaideo in Assam and launched ‘Asom Mala’, a programme to improve state highways and major district roads, at Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur District.
India’s 1st geothermal field development project to be set up in Leh
A tripartite agreement for establishing India’s first-ever geothermal field development project in Leh was signed between Union Territory Administration Ladakh, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC)-Leh and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Energy Centre.
Centre to induct more private sector specialists in govt departments
Centre has decided to induct more private sector specialists into different government departments at the crucial decision-making level of Joint Secretaries and Directors. Talented and motivated Indian nationals willing to contribute towards nation building are being invited to join the government at the level of Joint Secretary on contract basis in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
Govt to rename 1,063 residential schools, hostels after Netaji
The Education Ministry has decided to name the residential schools (383) and hostels (680) funded under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme as “Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose residential schools. Ministry of Education under Samagra Shiksha provides financial assistance to States and UTs for opening and running the residential schools and hostel to ensure the schooling facilities in areas that are sparsely populated with a low density of population (mostly tribal areas) where the opening of schools may not be viable and for children in urban areas who are in need of care and protection.
Indian documentary wins award at Sundance Film Festival in US
‘Writing with Fire’, an Indian documentary film chronicling the rise of Khabar Lahariya, has won the audience award in the World Cinema Documentary category at Sundance Film Festival 2021. It is India’s only newspaper run by Dalit women. The festival was organised from January 28 to February 3, 20201 by US-based Sundance Organisation.
Road connecting Indian border with several areas of Nepal inaugurated
With grant assistance from India, Nepal on February 2, 2021 inaugurated a road connecting the Indian border with several areas of the Himalayan nation. Indian government has provided financial assistance of NRs 44.48 million for the road, which connects the Indian border with Nepal’s Laxmipur, Balara and Gadhiaya areas.
Hindi theatre director Bansi Kaul dies at 71
Hindi theatre director Padma Shri Bansi Kaul passed away at the age of 71 in New Delhi on February 6, 2021. He founded Rang Vidushak, a theatre group and theatre institute, in Bhopal (MP) in 1984. He was awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995 and Padma Shri in 2014.
3 Assam youth launch TikTok-like video app TipTeapi
Saswati Kotoky, Amarjyoti Gautam and Himanga Madhukalya, three computer engineers from Assam, launched a video playing and sharing app called TipTeapi in Jorhat on February 6, 2021 that they hope would be India’s answer to the banned Chinese TikTok. The free app could be downloaded from Google Playstore.
Economy & Corporate
NCAER’s Business Confidence Index shows improvement
The Business Confidence Index (BCI) developed by the Delhi-based economic think tank NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research) rose 29.6 per cent between second and third quarter of the current financial year on the back of rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in different countries, including India.
World
UAE’s unmanned space probe “Al-Amal” nears Mars
The first Arab interplanetary mission is expected to reach Mars’ orbit on February 9, 2021. The unmanned space probe — named “Al-Amal”, Arabic for “Hope” — blasted off from Japan in 2020, marking the next step in the United Arab Emirates’ ambitious space programme.
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation observed
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation was observed on February 6, 2021 with its theme as: ‘No Time for Global Inaction, Unite, Fund, and Act to End Female Genital Mutilation’. UN General Assembly designated February 6th as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation in 2012, with the aim to amplify and direct the efforts on the elimination of this practice.
Sports
Russia ATP Cup tennis tournament in Melbourne
A relentless Russia crushed Italy 2-0 in the final to win the ATP Cup at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on February 7, 2021 with Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev winning their matches. Rublev destroyed Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-2 in just 61 minutes before Medvedev overpowered Matteo Berrettini 6-4, 6-2 in 79 minutes.
Former India Davis Cup tennis team coach Akhtar Ali dies at 81
Former India tennis coach Akhtar Ali died at the age of 81 in Kolkata. He represented India in Davis Cup between 1958 and 1964. Akhtar also won National squash championship in 1968. He was National tennis team coach from 1966 to 1993. Under his guidance, the Indian team — comprising Krishnan, Mukerjea, Premjit Lall and S.P. Misra — reached the Davis Cup final in 1966. India repeated the feat in 1974 with the team featuring Vijay and Anand Amritraj, Shashi Menon and Jasjit Singh. Akhtar was conferred the Arjuna Award in 2000 for his lifetime contribution to tennis.
Leon Spinks, former world heavyweight boxing champion, dies at 67
Leon Spinks, who won Olympic gold and then shocked the boxing world by beating Muhammad Ali to win the heavyweight boxing title in only his eighth pro fight, died in US on February 5, 2021. He was 67. Spinks beat Ali by decision in a 15-round fight in 1978 to win the title.
Ex-West Indies fast bowler Ezra Moseley dies at 63
Former West Indies fast bowler Ezra Moseley has died after his bicycle was hit by a car. He was 63 years old. Moseley played two Tests in 1990 and also nine ODIs between 1990 and 1991. He was banned following the rebel tour of South Africa in 1982-83.
How to tackle ongoing challenges of online classes for students
2020 has been a difficult year for everyone, students included. It is now over 10 months since schools shifted over to the online platform of education in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even now, as we have begun the New Year 2021, while most students long to return to the familiar environment of school, the timeline for them (particularly of primary and middle schools) to return to regular schooling is still sketchy. While humanity continues its relentless battle against this resilient virus, these young ones are fighting their own battle to remain motivated and focussed.
Here, we look at some of the ongoing challenges for students attending online classes and examine ways in which online learning can be made more interesting, comfortable, productive, and safe for students.
The new user-experience of attending classes online
Because of online classes, students do not have direct access to faculty or peers to discuss and clarify academic matters. This creates a hurdle for effective learning. To make things even harder, there are other challenges that present themselves: frustrating technical issues (such as a weak internet connection), having additional responsibilities in the house, and distractions (such as the presence of other people in the house, the ubiquitous mobile phone, or easy access to other websites). All this makes it hard for students to stay focussed. The following suggestions could help them make the most of attending online classes from home:
Proactively interacting with faculty and peers can help students understand course expectations more clearly, learn better, and stay focussed. For this, students can take advantage of technological tools such as videoconferencing programs like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, or the mobile phone or emails to connect with classmates or a teacher.
Finding a productive workspace as well as a quiet work time at home can go a long way towards improving motivation and productivity. The study space needs to have access to a high speed internet connection. Ensuring that their devices are charged and working efficiently before class time and study time can save students a good deal of frustration. Students can reduce distractions by using a website blocker and by keeping their mobile phones switched off during classes and study time.
Building and maintaining an effective daily and weekly schedule (similar to the one they had during regular school) creates a sense of familiarity and accountability and also helps in planning and time-management.
Not everyone learns the same way. By understanding their particular learning style (such as a visual or auditory learning style), students can employ effective study strategies for themselves at home.
Impact of online classes on students’ physical and mental health
As a result of classes being held online, students often spend hours in front of an electronic screen. This can cause physical and mental health issues such as headaches, eye-strain, body pain, stress and anxiety, a feeling of isolation and boredom, an inability to focus, and disturbed sleep patterns and food habits. Here are some simple, effective tips to help students take care of their health:
Attending online classes in a well-lit and well-ventilated room helps make the experience more comfortable. Using blue light filtering glasses can reduce the negative impact of prolonged screen time. Students can also use the short break time between online classes to wash their eyes and do basic stretching exercises. Having ergonomic furniture can help them steer clear of posture-related issues. Importantly, students need to make a conscious decision to limit their overall screen time.
Having nutritious and tasty meals/snacks can keep students energetic and happy. In addition to this, consuming adequate amounts of water through the day is essential to stay healthy. Sufficient and good quality sleep also goes a long way towards keeping students physically and mentally fit. Parents can help their children with this by keeping them away from anything that may keep them awake late at night.
Creating a healthy balance between personal time (time for oneself), study time, family time, and time for socialising is important and can contribute to one’s good health. Weekends could be kept free of school work and instead be filled with relaxing, recreational activities.
Attending online classes for over 10 months, with the possibility of this continuing for perhaps a little while longer, has been difficult for students. It is important for family members and teachers to understand this predicament and continue to journey with them so that they don’t feel alone in thier struggle. They need to be encouraged to stay motivated, while assuring them that schools are most likely to open up in the near future.
By Ashlon Noronha
Source: Indian Express, 5/02/21
Regulating online speech with due process, transparency
Restrictions on online speech should be reasonable in every sense. Else, cyberspace will lose its most distinguishing feature — that it is an arena where individual liberties can be exercised without fear or favour.The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) and Twitter are sparring over an official order to block certain social media handles and tweets, posted by users on February 1. The content in question is about the farmers’ protests. Twitter is reported to have received a blocking order under Section 69A of India’s Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, after which several user accounts were disabled. However, Twitter proceeded to reinstate many of them within 48 hours, claiming that the contentious tweets were “newsworthy” and so constituted “free speech”. MeitY has threatened penal action against the company.
This latest imbroglio over political speech shared on social media has wider ramifications than meets the eye. Indian commentators often invoke former United States President Donald Trump’s executive order on online censorship and dub social media platforms as the “21st century equivalent of the public square”. There is indeed a strong case to be made for this assertion — given the scale and ubiquity of social media in India. Over 700 million people have access to broadband internet and nearly half-a-billion use these platforms to share diverse information, making India’s online sphere the largest democratic discussion board in the world. Equally, these inclusive characteristics challenge the monopoly of governments or private actors over censorship of online speech.
Section 69A of the IT Act gives the Centre powers to block public access to any information available online. An emergency provision under this section, which was reportedly invoked to issue orders to Twitter, also allows for “strict confidentiality” about complaints and requests received, and action taken by government to block such access. In other words, neither Twitter nor the government needs to provide citizens with a detailed rationale for content takedowns.
As a result, aggrieved users have limited judicial recourse since they are unable to access or understand such orders. This procedural opacity is comparable to the umpteen examples of unilateral takedowns of user-generated content by social media majors. The most prominent one was Twitter’s removal of Trump’s account last month, following the riots on Capitol Hill.
While “reasonable restrictions” under the Constitution limit the freedom of speech and expression in India, erroneous speech in public squares can redirect to truth only if participants are made aware of its falsehoods. In his famous thesis, On Liberty, John Stuart Mill argued that “all silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility”. The government or social media platforms, on refusing a hearing to an opinion, assume a position of absolute certainty. This runs contrary to the history of humankind, which is replete with examples of the fallibility of those who have the power to censor. The digital sphere is celebrated as an exceptional space for individual liberties. In the extant case, a compromise on free speech absolutism online should only be made through transparent and proportionate means. A detailed rationale for blocking information on social media must always be accessible to the public. The confidentiality of the blocking process under Section 69A sets a bad precedent. It stems from the presupposition that the average citizen is too immature to distinguish between good and evil. In doing so, it legitimises unilateral blocking of speech by private actors too. India should instead use this latest digital governance crisis to remedy its approach to social media regulation. Platforms must be made accountable through mandates for greater transparency in their content moderation practices and legal blocking provisions must be modernised to reflect a graded, citizen-centric approach.In Anuradha Bhasin vs Union of India, the Supreme Court affirmed that the wide reach of the internet should not become the basis to deny the right to free speech. Therefore, restrictions on online speech should be reasonable in every sense. Else, cyberspace will lose its most distinguishing feature — that it is an arena where individual liberties can be exercised without fear or favour.
Vivan Sharan is a Partner at Koan Advisory Group, New Delhi
Source: Hindustan Times, 8/02/21
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