Current Affairs-June 12, 2023

 

INDIA

• Indian Railways conducts first trail run of Patna-Ranchi Vande Bharat Express train.
• A celt, belonging to the neolithic period, was discovered in Poothinatham village in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu.
• Indian Air Force (IAF) and Army carry out joint exercise in the central sector.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first National Training Conclave in New Delhi
• Nitin Agarwal, a 1989-batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre, was appointed the new Director-General of the Border Security Force (BSF).
• Two-day national conference of tribal writers held in Jammu and Kashmir.

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

• India leads global digital payments with 89.5 million transactions in 2022
• Foreign investors pump in nearly Rs 10,000 crores into Indian equities markets in 1st two weeks of June.
• Government asks imported coal-based power plants to operate at full capacity till September.

WORLD

• The Union Government releases ₹1.2 trillion as third tranche of tax devolution to states.
• Philippines’ Mayon volcano spews lava down in a mild eruption.
• Iraq approves record USD 153bn budget aimed at creating jobs.
• A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido in Japan.

SPORTS

• Novak Djokovic created history on Sunday when he won a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title.
• Australia secures its ninth ICC title in men’s cricket; Australia is the only team to win an ICC title in all three formats.
• India clinched its maiden Women’s Junior Hockey Asia Cup title.

How technology can help India’s urban centres become disabled friendly

 

Creating a fully inclusive and accessible India will require behavioural changes, capacity building, investments in accessible infrastructure and inclusive and accessible innovations. This will help inform policies and systems for the country's progress towards an equitable urban future.

Persons with disabilities face many challenges in participating fully in urban life. An enabling environment, with inclusive infrastructure, is needed to allow them the same opportunities to enjoy cultural, economic, and social life as non-disabled persons. This includes things many of us take for granted, like the freedom to move independently and access places of work, education and sports.

Take, for instance, Manasi Joshi, a para-badminton player, who underwent a double leg amputation following a road accident at age 22. Her strong will and determination were complemented by an accessible built environment and the availability of assistive technology. These not only helped her overcome obstacles she faced in everyday tasks, but also encouraged her to realise her dream of playing professional badminton, which she now competes in at the highest international level. While everyone cannot be a world champion, removing barriers can give us all the chance to reach our full potential.

Two mega-trends make the need for inclusive cities increasingly urgent. First, India is urbanising rapidly and is projected to add four new megacities by 2030. The country’s urban population is estimated to cross 675 million. According to the 2011 Census, one in three persons with disabilities in India or roughly eight million people already live in cities. Second, the number of persons with recognised disabilities as a share of the population could rise due to disaster and climate risks, demographic changes and broader definitions of disability in line with global norms.

One powerful solution to these challenges lies in innovative technology and ICT. These are key to ensuring an inclusive urban transformation and essential for improving and increasing the quality of life of all citizens. Nowhere is this more evident than in India, where a world-class digital governance system and dynamic tech sector are converging to deliver inclusive prosperity and resilience. This spirit of solidarity and inclusivity is reflected in India’s G20 presidency theme of One Earth, One Family and One Future.

Innovations that promote inclusivity are often perceived as unprofitable by investors. Here, the role of the state becomes critical for promoting an ecosystem for transformative technologies, especially where the return on investment may be difficult to measure.

To enhance the ecosystem for assistive technology and inclusive solutions, the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in partnership with the UN in India hosted the first edition of the Smart Solutions Challenge and Inclusive Cities Awards in 2022. It helped in crowd-sourcing tech-based solutions and innovations for addressing city-level accessibility and inclusion challenges.

Smart cities like Bhubaneswar have deployed innovative transport and mobility solutions, showcasing how technology is being leveraged by cities to improve the lives of vulnerable communities. Several solutions and assistive technologies such as Fifth Sense, IncluMaps, AxcessAble and myUDAAN are supporting independent living for persons with disabilities. Initiatives like these and many others have the potential to help cities localise innovations for inclusive urbanisation. Many of these solutions have utilised frontier technologies like AI and machine learning extensively to contextualise solutions.

This is reflected in the Government of India’s development agenda and the globally agreed SDG targets on harnessing and maximising the potential of technological innovations and entrepreneurship. As part of its G20 Presidency, India has initiated the Start-up 20 Engagement Group to provide a global platform to enable the start-up ecosystem across the member nations. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has also launched the G20 Digital Innovation Alliance’ (G20-DIA) to showcase innovative solutions and create an alliance of players in the innovation ecosystem. And ‘Catalysing Digital Urban Futures’, one of the priority themes for Urban-20 Engagement Group under G20, seeks to discuss how data and technology can be best utilised for making city management more effective and inclusive.

Creating an inclusive and accessible India will require behavioural changes, capacity building, investments in accessible infrastructure and inclusive and accessible innovations. This will help inform policies for the country’s progress towards an equitable urban future as envisioned for the Amrit Kaal — an inclusive, accessible, safe, resilient, and sustainable India@2047. Many more people like Manasi Joshi will be empowered to make the country proud, and all of India will benefit from a society that employs its full range of talent.

Written by Shombi Sharp, Hitesh Vaidya

Source: Indian Express, 12/06/23

Cyclone Biparjoy: What is a cyclone and what are its types

 

The National Disaster Management Authority classifies cyclones broadly into two categories: extratropical cyclones and tropical cyclones. Here is what you need to know about them.

Developed in the Arabian Sea, cyclone Biparjoy, earlier expected to move towards the Pakistan coastline, has now changed its path and is heading towards the northern Gujarat coast with landfall expected on June 15.

According to India’s Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC), the cyclone might cause storm surges of 2-3 metres in height, destruction of thatched houses, damage to pucca houses and roads, floodings, widespread damage to standing crops, plantations and orchards, and disruption of railways, powerlines and signalling systems in the northern and western coastal districts of Gujarat.

Cyclone Biparjoy, which is expected to generate wind speeds of 125-135 kmph with gusts reaching up to 150 kmph by the time it reaches land, is a tropical cyclone. The National Disaster Management Authority classifies cyclones broadly into two categories: extratropical cyclones and tropical cyclones. Here is what you need to know about them.

First, what is a cyclone?

A cyclone is a large-scale system of air that rotates around the centre of a low-pressure area. It is usually accompanied by violent storms and bad weather. As per NDMA, a cyclone is characterised by inward spiralling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

What are extratropical cyclones?

Also known as mid-latitude cyclones, extratropical cyclones are those which occur outside of the tropic. They have “cold air at their core, and derive their energy from the release of potential energy when cold and warm air masses interact”, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It added that such cyclones always have one or more fronts — a weather system that is the boundary between two different types of air masses. One is represented by warm air and the other by cold air — connected to them, and can occur over land or ocean.

What are tropical cyclones?

Tropical cyclones are those which develop in the regions between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer. They are the most devastating storms on Earth. Such cyclones develop when “thunderstorm activity starts building close to the centre of circulation, and the strongest winds and rain are no longer in a band far from the centre,” NOAA noted. The core of the storm turns warm, and the cyclone gets most of its energy from the “latent heat” released when water vapour that has evaporated from warm ocean waters condenses into liquid water, the agency added. Moreover, warm fronts or cold fronts aren’t associated with tropical cyclones.

Tropical cyclones have different names depending on their location and strength. For instance, they are known as hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the North Atlantic Ocean and the eastern and central North Pacific Ocean. In the western North Pacific, they are called typhoons.

Source: Indian Express, 13/06/23

Quote of the Day June 9, 2023

 

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”
Charles Darwin

“ऐसा व्यक्ति जो एक घंटे का समय बरबाद करता है, उसने जीवन के मूल्य को समझा ही नहीं है।”
चार्ल्स डारविन

Economic and Political Weekly: Table of contents

 

Vol. 58, Issue No. 22, 03 Jun, 2023

Editorials

Yet Another Major Setback

Imagining a New Parliament

From the Editor's Desk

The Inner and the Outer Domain of Caste

From 50 Years Ago

From 50 Years Ago: Bombay Bandh: A Private Affair

Commentary

Why Indian Banks Need to Adopt the Basel III Internal Ratings-based Approach

Arindam Bandyopadhyay

Remembering Ajit Kumar Ghose (1947–2023)

Amit Basole

Book Reviews

Lucid Expositions of Mediatised Societies

Deepti Komalam

Paid the Price of Freedom in Blood: 1947

Srishtee R Sethi

Money, Banking and Finance

Some Contemporary and Classical Issues of Money and Finance

Partha Ray

Monetary Growth, Financial Structure, and Inflation - The Post-Pandemic New Normal

C Rangarajan, Dilip Nachane, Partha Ray

Taming Inflation by Anchoring Inflation Expectations

Sitikantha Pattanaik, G V Nadhanael, Silu Muduli

Monetary Policy in the Midst of Cost-push Inflation

Zico Dasgupta, Indranil Chowdhury

Credit Portfolio Assessment of Domestic Systemically Important Banks

Richa Verma Bajaj, Sagarika Rastogi, Rhythm Kumar

Do Foreign Banks Affect Market Power, Efficiency, or Stability in India?

Pradyot Kumar Das

RBI’s ‘Financial Stability Reports’ and Stress Testing Methodologies - A Commentary

Amulya Neelam

Retail Investment in India - During and after the Pandemic

Tirthankar Patnaik

Understanding Sovereign Ratings and Their Implications for Emerging Economies

Rahul S Chauhan, Ilisa Goenka, Kaushalendra Kishore, Nirupama Kulkarni, Kavya Ravindranath, Gautham Udupa

Current Statistics

Current Statistics

Letters

Conservation and Social Emancipation

Madhusudan Bandi

AI-based Fraud Mitigation in Banks

Subhasish Roy

Engage Articles

Godna and the Gonds: From Tradition to Innovation (The Politics of Art, Body, and Identity)

Sayyed Manzer and Tuhina Sharma

Current Affairs-June 8, 2023

 

INDIA

• Cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ in Arabian Sea rapidly intensifies into very severe cyclonic storm.
• Government approves over Rs 89 thousand crore revival package for BSNL.
• Karnataka: Enrolment to avail free power under Gruha Jyoti to start from 15th June.
• Centre has set the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy sown in the kharif or monsoon season at ₹2,183 per quintal.
• Wrestlers suspend protest till June 15, as the Sports Minister assured that the Delhi police would complete the probe by June 15.

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

• RBI issues updated list of entities not authorized to deal in forex transactions.
• Google Pay introduces UPI verification through Aadhaar
• CCEA approved the continuation of a central-sector scheme for “Exploration of Coal and Lignite” with an outlay of ₹2,980 crore from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• Report: Over one-third of ₹2,000 currency notes returned so far.

WORLD

• Germany is preparing to host the biggest air deployment exercise in NATO’s history, Air Defender 23 exercise.
• Kuwait votes in Opposition-led Parliament, elects one woman in its seventh general election.
• Thousands flee their homes after destruction of Ukraine’s Kakhovka Dam.
• Canada wildfire smoke triggers air quality concerns in New York.

SPORTS

• Singapore Open 2023: Satwik-Chirag and Jolly-Gopichand crashed out in the first-round.

Mizoram Government’s High-Level Committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)

 The Mizoram government has taken a significant step towards addressing the challenges faced by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Manipur. Under the leadership of Lalchamliana, the High-Level Committee on IDPs has been established. Additionally, an executive committee has been formed to implement decisions related to the IDPs. These initiatives aim to provide relief and humanitarian assistance to those affected by ethnic clashes.

Leadership and Purpose

Lalchamliana, the Minister for Home and Disaster Management, is heading the High-Level Committee on IDPs in Mizoram. The executive committee, with H. Lalengmawia as the member secretary, is responsible for the implementation of decisions pertaining to the IDPs. The primary objective of these committees is to ensure effective measures for the well-being of the IDPs.

Refugees and Displaced Population

Mizoram currently provides shelter to more than 40,000 refugees from Myanmar who fled their country due to the military junta. Additionally, there are 772 refugees from Bangladesh who have sought refuge in Mizoram, escaping the crackdown by the Bangladesh army. Moreover, almost 9,000 IDPs from Manipur are facing ethnic clashes and are in need of support and assistance.

Provision of Relief and Assistance

The executive committee, in collaboration with various departments, is working towards providing relief and humanitarian assistance to the IDPs from Manipur in Mizoram. Liaison with concerned departments ensures the effective implementation of relief measures and addresses the urgent needs of the affected population.

Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC)

The Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee, representing major churches, plays a crucial role in supporting the efforts of the committees. Their involvement ensures a collaborative approach in addressing the challenges faced by the IDPs and provides additional support in humanitarian initiatives.

Ensuring Oversight and Supervision

The High-Level Committee on IDPs is entrusted with overseeing and supervising the provision of relief and basic humanitarian assistance. Through these committees, the Mizoram government aims to ensure that the IDPs receive the necessary support, including access to food, shelter, healthcare, and other essential services.