GS Analyst: Daily Current Affairs

The deadly landslide in Wayanad, Kerala, highlights the region's vulnerability, as identified by the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Landslide Atlas of India in 2023.

About the Landslide Atlas of India

• The Landslide Atlas, prepared by ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre, evaluates landslide exposure in 147 districts across 17 states and 2 Union Territories based on socio-economic parameters.
• Key Findings:
  • Kerala's Rankings: Wayanad ranked 13th, while Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode ranked 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 10th respectively.
  • Top Ranking: Rudraprayag in Uttaranchal ranked first, focusing on landslide-prone areas in the Western Ghats and Himalayan regions.

Vulnerability of Kerala

• Kerala is prone to heavy rains and flooding, with an estimated 14.5 per cent of land area seen as vulnerable.
• The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has identified 1,848 square kilometres, 4.75 per cent of the state’s total area, as High Landslide Hazard Zone.
• About 8 per cent of the area in the Western Ghats in the southern state is labelled as a critical zone for mass movements, including debris flow, landslides, rock falls and slumps.
• Western Ghats: High population and household density increase vulnerability despite fewer landslides compared to the Himalayan regions.
• Soil Cover: Landslides in the Western Ghats are primarily influenced by soil cover on steep slopes.
  • Globally, landslides rank third in terms of deaths among natural disasters.
  • India is among the four major countries where the risk of landslides is the highest.

The Supreme Court agreed to examine whether the "right to be forgotten," a component of the right to privacy, extends to judicial orders, which are usually considered public records.

Right to Be Forgotten in India

• The right refers to the ability to have one's digital footprint removed from search engine results or databases.
• 2017 Supreme Court Ruling: SC established the right to privacy as a fundamental right, integral to "life and liberty," including the concept of "informational privacy."
• 2018 and 2019 Drafts of Digital Personal Data Protection Act: It acknowledged the right to be forgotten but the final version subsumed it under a simpler right to "erasure."
• International Context (European Union): The right to be forgotten is enshrined in the 2016 EU Regulation and the 2018 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which established the "right to erasure."

Supreme Court's Concern

• Serious Ramifications: The apex court cautioned that removing judgments from the public domain following an accused’s acquittal could have serious ramifications.
• Madras High Court Case: The Supreme Court stayed a judgment of the Madras High Court, which had directed to remove a verdict acquitting a man in a rape case from its website.

Need for Judicial Clarity

• Comprehensive Guidelines: There is a lack of judicial clarity regarding the grounds for invoking the right to be forgotten. The Supreme Court needs to formulate guidelines to enable consistent application by High Court registries.
• Discretion of Online Portals: Leaving redaction to the discretion of online portals and search engines could amount to tampering with court records, a serious offence.

High temperatures in Leh have caused flight cancellations due to the impact on aircraft performance. As global temperatures continue to rise, these disruptions are expected to become more frequent, necessitating both immediate and long-term measures to ensure safe and efficient air travel.

How Do Aircraft Fly?

• Aircraft wings are designed with a curved top and a flatter bottom.
• As the aircraft moves, air flows faster over the top of the wing than underneath it, creating lower pressure above the wing.
• This pressure difference generates a lifting force that helps the aircraft take off.

How Do Higher Temperatures Affect an Aircraft’s Flight?

• Air Density: Higher temperatures expand the air, making it less dense. This means fewer air molecules are available to create the necessary lift. Aircraft lose about 1% lift for every 3°C temperature increase.
• Engine Performance: Thin air affects the engine’s combustion process due to fewer oxygen molecules mixing with fuel. The thrust produced by the engines is reduced in thin air.
• Take-Off Requirements: Higher temperatures require planes to have longer runways and more powerful engines to achieve take-off.
  • Example: If an aircraft needs 6,500 feet of runway at 20°C, it would need 8,200 feet at 40°C.
• Landing Challenges: Thin air reduces the effectiveness of reverse thrust used to slow down the aircraft during landing.

Archaeologists have unearthed a terracotta pipeline in the 10th phase of the excavation in Keeladi, a Sangam Era site, providing further evidence of the effective water management practices followed by the settlement's inhabitants at least 2,600 years ago.

About

• Keeladi, first discovered in 2014, is located 12 km southeast of Madurai and has become a top tourist spot in the ancient city once ruled by the Pandya Kingdom.
• Over 20,000 artefacts and antiquities have been recovered from Keeladi in the past nine years, revealing the inhabitants' advanced water management skills.
• The discoveries at Keeladi have pushed the start of the Sangam Era back to 600 BCE from the previously believed 300 BCE.
• Additionally, rice husks found in a burial urn in Sivakalai date back 3,200 years, and evidence shows that Tamils were aware of iron technology as far back as 2172 BCE, 4,200 years ago.

Olympic women athletes were allowed to swim in the Seine River after days of concerns about water quality.

About

• The Seine River, the third-longest river in France, originates from a remote spot called Source-Seine in the Burgundy wine region of northeastern France.
• It flows northwesterly, curving through Paris, to the Normandy coast, where it empties into the English Channel.
• As the most important river in northern France, and with modern canals linking it to the Loire, Rhône, and Rhine, the Seine has been the hub of Paris, and of France, since the Middle Ages.
• Pollution:
  • Combined Sewer System: Paris, like many old cities, has a combined sewer system where wastewater and stormwater flow through the same pipes. Heavy rain can overwhelm the system, leading to untreated wastewater flowing into the river.
  • Potential Contaminants: Bacteria, viruses, or parasites can enter the water from human and wildlife waste. Rain can cause waste from animals, like rodents, to end up in the Seine.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has announced the largest international air exercise ever conducted in India, named Tarang Shakti.

About the Exercise

• Tarang Shakti aims to boost military cooperation, enhance collaboration, and showcase India's defence industry to support the nation's goal of becoming a developed country by 2047.
• Tarang Shakti represents a major step in India's efforts to enhance its military capabilities and strategic partnerships on a global scale.
• The exercise not only provides a platform for international cooperation but also highlights India's progress in defence technology and production, reinforcing its vision of self-reliance and innovation in the defence sector.
• Key Aircraft and Assets:
  • Participating Countries' Assets: F-18, A-18, C-130, F-16, A-10, KC-130, KC-135 aircraft, Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale
  • Indian Air Force Assets: Tejas, Prachand, Dhruv, Rudra
• The exercise follows the IAF's participation in the second edition of Air Exercise Red Flag in Alaska, where Indian Rafales joined Singaporean and American aircraft in joint exercises.

Growth in India's eight core sectors has declined to a 20-month low of 4% in June 2024, from 6.4% in May. Most sectors, except for coal, experienced a sharp decline in output growth, with steel production at a seven-month low and refinery products contracting for the first time in five months.

Key Highlights (Sector-wise Performance)

• Coal: Output grew by 14.8%, the fastest pace in eight months, with production levels at a three-month high.
• Electricity: Generation slipped to a four-month low of 7.7%, with output 3.6% below May’s peak levels amid a heat wave.
• Cement: Production rose by 1.9% after two months of contraction.
• Steel: Grew by just 2.7%, the slowest in 27 months, potentially due to reduced public capital expenditure ahead of general elections.
• Natural Gas: Production grew by 3.3%, the slowest pace in 13 months.
• Fertilizers: Output recovered after five months of contractions, recording a 2.4% increase.
• Refinery Products: Production dropped by 1.5%.
• Crude Oil: Contraction deepened to 2.6% in June from 1.1% in May.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced a Master Direction focusing on the treatment of wilful defaulters and large defaulters. This move aims to enhance the scrutiny and reporting mechanisms for non-performing asset (NPA) accounts.

Key Highlights

• Examination Requirement: Banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) are mandated to examine the 'wilful default' aspect in all NPA accounts with outstanding amounts of Rs 25 lakh and above.
• Reporting and Dissemination: Provisions regarding reporting and dissemination of credit information for large defaulters apply to all entities regulated by the RBI, even if they do not meet the definition of 'lender' in the guidelines.
• All RBI-regulated entities must submit information to all credit information companies (CICs) on a monthly basis. This includes:
  • A list of suit-filed accounts of large defaulters.
  • A list of non-suit filed accounts of large defaulters classified as doubtful or loss.
• Threshold Calculations
  • For calculating the Rs 1 crore threshold, any unapplied interest should be included.
  • In the case of suit-filed accounts, the threshold pertains to the amount for which suits have been filed.

Recent studies have highlighted a dramatic increase in methane levels since the early 2020s. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, has seen substantial growth in its atmospheric concentration due to emissions from wetlands and fossil fuels.

Key Highlights

• Methane Growth Rates: From 2015-2019, methane levels increased by 7-10 parts per billion (ppb) per year. This rate jumped to 12-18 ppb per year between 2020-2023.
• Primary Sources: The main contributors to the rise in methane are emissions from wetlands and fossil fuel operations.
• Climate Patterns: Persistent La Niña conditions, along with anthropogenic warming and climate extremes, have been linked to increased wetland emissions.

In Gujarat, an outbreak of Chandipura Acute Viral Encephalitis (CHPV) has been reported since early July. As of the latest update, 137 patients are suspected of having CHPV, with 51 testing positive for the virus.

About Chandipura Virus (CHPV) and Viral Encephalitis

Chandipura Virus (CHPV):

• CHPV is a member of the Vesiculovirus genus within the Rhabdoviridae family. It is an emerging virus and can cause acute viral encephalitis.
• Transmission: The virus is primarily transmitted by sandflies, which act as vectors. It is a vector-borne disease, meaning it is spread through intermediaries such as insects or animals.
• Symptoms: High fever, headache, vomiting, and in severe cases, neurological symptoms such as seizures, altered consciousness, and coma.

Viral Encephalitis:

• Viral encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain caused by a viral infection. It can result from a variety of viruses, including the Chandipura virus.
• Symptoms: Common symptoms include fever, headache, confusion, seizures, and in severe cases, loss of consciousness and death. The severity of symptoms can vary based on the specific virus and the individual’s health condition.

The landslides in Wayanad district, Kerala, caused by heavy rains during the southwest monsoon, resulted in 200 deaths and destruction of several villages.

Impact and Causes of Landslides

• Annual Landslides: Parts of Kerala experience heavy monsoon rains and landslides yearly, but the recent deadly landslides are new.
• River Dynamics: The Chaliyar river, with increased volume and force due to heavy rains, swept debris into villages, causing fatalities.
• Previous Impact: In 2020, heavy rains had already stripped upstream areas of plant cover, making the land more vulnerable to landslides.

Preparedness and Environmental Measures

• Geographical Risk: Landslide-prone areas like Idukki, Kottayam, Malappuram, and Wayanad are well-documented on risk maps.
• State's Preparedness: There is a lack of advance warning and emergency preparedness, exacerbating the impact of landslides.
• Environmental Measures: Recommendations include halting engineering projects in sensitive areas, restoring flora, and empowering expert committees to ensure sustainable development.

Mains Question

Q. Despite well-documented geographical risks and recurring monsoon patterns, Kerala continues to suffer devastating landslides. Evaluate the effectiveness of existing measures and suggest comprehensive strategies to mitigate landslide risks while balancing developmental needs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to Ukraine next month highlights the need for India to rethink its approach to European security amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Reconfiguration of Strategy

• European Geopolitics: The war in Ukraine has made Europe a crucial part of India’s international agenda, necessitating a strategic re-engagement.
• Current Engagement: Although India has increased political and diplomatic ties with Europe, a strategic dimension is still lacking.
• Historical Context: Post-Cold War, Europe’s perceived peaceful integration led to India's non-strategic approach towards it.

Challenges and Opportunities

• Russian Resentment: Russia's dissatisfaction with post-Cold War agreements has raised stakes in restructuring European security.
• US and NATO Dynamics: Internal US divisions and differing NATO member approaches complicate the European response to Russia.
• Impact on India: The conflict creates economic and security challenges for India, emphasizing the need for active peace diplomacy.

Mains Question

Q. With the resurgence of geopolitical conflicts in Europe, critically evaluate how India's strategic engagement with European security can influence its broader international relations and domestic security policies.

India's ageing population is growing rapidly, with the proportion of older persons expected to rise from 8.6% in 2011 to 20.8% by 2050, raising concerns about social security for the elderly.

Rising Elderly Population and Policy Gaps

• State Variations: Southern states and some northern states like Himachal Pradesh and Punjab report higher elderly populations than the national average.
• Rapid Ageing: Unlike the West, East and South Asian countries, including India, are experiencing rapid ageing within 20-30 years, posing challenges for social protection.
• Policy Gaps: Unlike East Asian countries, India lacks universal public pension schemes and adequate health insurance for the elderly, with existing schemes mainly targeting those below the poverty line.

Care and Financial Insecurity Challenges

• Health Challenges: The Longitudinal Ageing Survey in India (LASI) indicates multiple morbidities among the elderly, influenced by geographical, social, and economic factors.
• Caregiving Burden: Family structures in urban areas place caregiving stress on women, with rural elderly often living alone due to migration of younger family members.
• Financial Insecurity: The Helpage India Report 2024 highlights poor coverage of social pensions and limited access to government health insurance, leading to financial insecurity among the elderly.

Mains Question

Q. India's rapidly ageing population necessitates comprehensive policy interventions to address financial, health, and social care inequalities. Critically evaluate the existing measures and suggest strategies to ensure healthy ageing while considering the demographic dividend.