UPSC Essentials | Weekly news express with MCQs — Cyclone Biparjoy, CoWIN data ‘leak’, and more

KEY TAKEAWAYS

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.

— The National Disaster Management Authority classifies cyclones broadly into two categories: extratropical cyclones and tropical cyclones.

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.

What is the “landfall” of a cyclone?

— Simply put, landfall is the event of a tropical cyclone coming onto land after being over water. As per the IMD, a tropical cyclone is said to have made a landfall when the center of the storm – or its eye – moves over the coast.

— Crucially a landfall should not be confused with a ‘direct hit’, which refers to a situation where the core of high winds (or eyewall) comes onshore but the centre of the storm may stay remain offshore. As per the US’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), because the strongest winds in a tropical cyclone are not located precisely at the centre, it is possible for a cyclone’s strongest winds to be experienced over land even if landfall does not occur.

What is the damage caused by a cyclone’s landfall?

— The damage caused by the landfall will depend on the severity of the cyclone – marked by the speed of its winds. For Cyclone Biparjoy, classified by the IMD as a “very severe cyclonic storm”, the impact may include extensive damage to kutcha houses, partial disruption of power and communication lines, minor disruption of rail and road traffic, potential threat from flying debris and flooding of escape
routes.

— The factors behind this kind of damage include extremely strong winds, heavy rainfall and the storm surge which cause devastating floods in the coast.

How long does a landfall last?

— Landfalls can last for a few hours, with their exact duration depending on the speed of the winds and the size of the storm system. Cyclone Biparjoy’s land process is expected to last around five to six hours, with the cyclone almost completely dissipating over approximately the next 24 hours.

— Cyclones lose their intensity once they move over land because of sharp reduction of moisture supply and increase in surface friction. This means that while landfalls are often the most devastating moments of cyclones, they also mark the beginning of its end.

Cyclones no longer a threat as they were in the 1990s and early 2000s

 Amitabh Sinha Explains:

— For a country that gets hit by cyclones fairly regularly, at least two to three times a year, it is not surprising that India has put in place standard operating procedures to deal with these. Cyclones are no longer as big a threat as they were till the 1990s or even early 2000s.

— It was the devastation caused by the 1998 super cyclone in Odisha — unofficial estimates of death toll range anywhere between 10,000 and 30,000 — that turned out to be a wake-up call and forced the government to develop a comprehensive plan to deal with cyclones. In the last one decade, the damage caused by cyclones, especially in terms of human lives, has been reduced significantly. Death toll, even in the most powerful cyclones, has come down to double digits, at worst.

— Over the years, India has developed a three-layered response mechanism for cyclones. The first layer deals with the software — an early warning system, creation of awareness among local populations, evacuation plans and drills, training and dissemination of information.

— The second layer involves building the hardware — creation of shelters where people and cattle can be shifted, setting up of weather instruments and warning centres for better forecasts, and construction of embankments, connecting roads and bridges.

— The last layer is about making coastal infrastructure resilient to cyclones. This would require taking critical infrastructure like power transmission lines or water supply lines underground, ensuring that railway networks and airports do not get inundated and continue to function, and health systems do not get disrupted.

— A significant amount of work has been accomplished on the first two layers of this response system, as a result of which cyclones are forecast accurately days in advance, and the loss of lives has reduced tremendously. The third part is still a work in progress.

(Source: What is a cyclone and what are its types, What is the ‘landfall’ of a cyclone?, Cyclones no longer a threat as they were in the ’90s, early 2000s )

Point to ponder: What are some of the deadliest cyclones to have hit India in the past?

1. MCQ:

Consider the following cyclones and answer the following question:

1. Tauktae

2. Fani

3. Mandous

What is the correct chronological order?

(a) 1, 2, 3

(b) 3, 1, 2

(c) 2, 1, 3

(d) 1, 3, 2

Global warming breaches 1.5°C threshold

WHY IN NEWS?

— The Indian Express’ UPSC weekly news express covers some of the important and burning topics of current affairs news from this week to help you prepare for UPSC-CSE. Try out the MCQs and check your answers provided towards the end of the article.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Amitabh Sinha writes:

— For the first few days of June, global mean temperatures were more than 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial averages, the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) said on Thursday, making this the first time the 1.5 degree-threshold was breached in the summer months.

— There have been earlier instances of the daily global temperature exceeding pre-industrial averages by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, but only in the winter and spring months when deviations from the past trends are more pronounced.

— “This threshold was first exceeded in December 2015, and then repeatedly in the northern hemisphere winters and springs of 2016 and 2020,” the ECMWF said in a statement.

— The goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement is to ensure that the rise in global mean temperatures, as compared to pre-industrial times, does not exceed 2 degrees Celsius, and preferably be restricted within 1.5 degrees. But the thresholds mentioned in the Paris Agreement are not about daily or even annual global temperatures. Rather, those thresholds refer to long-term warming, meaning global temperatures over a period of 20 to 30 years, on an average, must not exceed 1.5 degrees or 2 degrees Celsius.

— Short-term breaches of these thresholds, even a few years at a stretch, are considered inevitable now. In most of the pathways to achieve the Paris Agreement, including those predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world is projected to overshoot the 1.5 degrees threshold before coming back.

— In fact, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) had said last month that there was a 66 per cent chance that in one of the next five years (2023-27), annual global temperatures would breach the 1.5 degrees threshold. Last year, it was 1.15 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial times, the WMO said. The warmest ever year, so far, has been 2016 when global mean temperatures were 1.28 degrees Celsius higher. In its statement last month, WMO said it was near certain that one of the next five years (2023-27) would leave 2016 behind.

(Source: Global warming breaches 1.5°C threshold in summer for 1st time  by Amitabh Sinha)

Point to ponder: Why India is heating up slower than the world average?

2. MCQ:

In the context of mitigating the impending global warming due to anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide, which of the following can be the potential sites for carbon sequestration? (2017)

1. Abandoned and uneconomic coal seams

2. Depleted oil and gas reservoirs

3. Subterranean deep saline formalities

4. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Global Slavery Index

WHY IN NEWS?

— Last week saw the publication of the Global Slavery Index 2023. According to it, on any given day in 2021, as many as 50 million people were living in “modern slavery”. Among these 50 million, 28 million suffer from forced labour and 22 million from forced marriages. Of these 50 million, 12 million are children.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Udit Misra Explains:

What is modern slavery?

— According to the index, “modern slavery” refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, or abuses of power. Modern slavery is an umbrella term and includes a whole variety of abuses such as forced labour, forced marriage, debt bondage, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, slavery-like practices, forced or servile marriage, and the sale and exploitation of children.

— The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations also resolve to end modern slavery. Target 8.7 of the SDGs states: “Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.”

What is the Global Slavery Index?

— The index presents a global picture of modern slavery. It is constructed by Walk Free, a human rights organisation and is based on data provided by the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, which, in turn, is produced by International Labour Organization (ILO), Walk Free, and International Organization for Migration (IOM).

— This is the fifth edition of the Global Slavery Index and is based on the 2022 estimates. However, the initial estimates are regional and to arrive at country-wise estimates, the index uses several representative surveys.

What are the country-wise findings?

— There are three sets of key findings.

The first looks at the prevalence of modern slavery. The prevalence refers to the incidence of modern slavery per 1000 population. On this count, the following 10 countries are the worst offenders:

1. North Korea
2. Eritrea
3. Mauritania
4. Saudi Arabia
5. Turkey
6. Tajikistan
7. United Arab Emirates
8. Russia
9. Afghanistan
10. Kuwait

“These countries share some political, social, and economic characteristics, including limited protections for civil liberties and human rights,” states the index.

Following are the countries with the lowest prevalence:

1. Switzerland
2. Norway
3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. Sweden
6. Denmark
7. Belgium
8. Ireland
9. Japan
10. Finland

However, apart from prevalence, the index also calculates the countries hosting the maximum number of people living in modern slavery. Here the list is as follows:

1. India
2. China
3. North Korea
4. Pakistan
5. Russia
6. Indonesia
7. Nigeria
8. Turkey
9. Bangladesh
10. United States

“Collectively, these countries account for nearly two in every three people living in modern slavery and over half the world’s population. Notably, six are G20 nations: India, China, Russia, Indonesia, Türkiye, and the US,” points out the index.

Why are the findings of this index contested?

— Notwithstanding the regular publication, the index has come in for sharp criticism even from those in the civil society that work on issues such as human trafficking. Bandana Pattanaik, International Coordinator of the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) in Thailand, says that while authors of the Index “clearly have very good intentions” they end up “depoliticising the problems and distracting us from the real problems.”

Pattanaik points out several reasons for her disagreement with the index:

— A universal, reliable calculation of modern slavery isn’t possible because modern slavery has no internationally agreed definition (unlike trafficking in persons which does). “‘Modern slavery’ is a made-up concept with no international legal definition and, in fact, the definition used in this Index has changed from year to year,” she points out.

— The way the authors “estimate” the number of people experiencing modern slavery is partially based on a country’s “risk score”. But, Pattanaik points out, the factors that determine a country’s “risk” are many of the same factors that are used to determine whether a country is “developed” or “developing.” “It’s therefore unsurprising that the Index concludes that ‘Europe is the region least vulnerable to modern slavery’ and ‘Africa is the region most vulnerable to modern slavery’,” she says.

— She also points out that some of the “so-called statistics” presented in the Index actually contradict qualitative analysis contained within the body of the report. For example, the index prominently displays the UK as having the “strongest government response to modern slavery.”

— Yet buried much further down at page 28 is the finding that “the United Kingdom’s overall response [to slavery] has declined since 2018… [there has been] a worsening of measures on victim protection and access to visas… A proposed Illegal Migration Bill introduced in March 2023 is a potential violation of international law and the UN Refugee Convention and it shows that the UK is at risk of continuing its downward trend.”

— In a nutshell, Pattanaik argues that “ranking countries in this way is stigmatising poorer countries and absolving richer countries of their responsibility for issues like trafficking in persons.”

— However, while there may be several issues with an index of modern slavery — ranging from lack of clear definition to ranking methodology — the fact remains that workers in countries such as India do face considerable odds. The tortuous reverse migration witnessed during the first Covid lockdown brought this out in discomforting detail. Similarly, poor status of women, especially on the front of economic freedoms, is reflected in metrics such as one of the lowest female labour-force participation rates.

— “In the post pandemic times and in the year of our presidency of G20, we could do something that will really address the precarity of millions of workers in our country,” states Pattanaik.

(Source: Global Slavery Index: Where does India rank, and why are its findings contested? by  Udit Misra )

Point to ponder: ‘Important to realise extent to which slavery has dehumanised both master and slave’. Discuss.

3. MCQ:

Consider the following statements with respect to Global Slavery Index:

1. North Korea has maximum incidence of modern slavery per 1000 population.

2. The lowest prevalence of modern slavery is in Norway.

3. China hosts the maximum number of people living in modern slavery. 

How many of the above statement(s) is/are true?

(a) Only 1 statement

(b) Only 2 statements

(c) All three statements

(d) None of the statements

CoWIN data ‘leak’

WHY IN NEWS?

— Following reports that CoWIN data had been accessed by a Telegram bot, the Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the nodal cyber security agency, had reviewed the alleged breach and has found that the CoWIN portal was not “directly breached”. The data – including citizens’ Aadhaar and passport numbers – that an automated account on Telegram was allegedly sharing was done using previously breached databases, he said.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Soumyarendra Barik Explains:

— The Health Ministry issued a press release Monday evening where it essentially ruled out CoWIN’s APIs (short for application programming interface that helps two applications share data with each other) being used by the Telegram bot. The responses from the government raise more questions than they answer. Here is an explainer:

The Centre’s defence

Massive grain storage plan

WHY IN NEWS?

— The Union Cabinet recently approved the constitution of an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to facilitate the “world’s largest grain storage plan in the cooperative sector”.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Harikishan Sharma Explains:

Why does India need a grain storage plan?

— India, the most populous country in the world, accounts for 18 per cent (1.4 billion) of the global population (7.9 billion). However, it accounts for only 11 per cent (160 million hectare) of the arable land (1,380 million hectare) in the world. Also, India runs the world’s largest food programme under the National Food Security Act, 2013, that covers about 81 crore people. Therefore, to ensure food security of a billion plus population, a robust network of foodgrain storage facilities becomes essential.

— At present, India has a foodgrain storage capacity of 145 million metric tonnes (MMT) against the total food production of 311 MMT—leaving a gap of 166 MMT. In the absence of sufficient storage facilities, foodgrains are sometimes stored in the open, which results in damage.

In India, which of the following can be considered as public investment in agriculture?

(1) Fixing Minimum Support Price for agricultural produce of all crops

(2) Computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies

(3) Social Capital development

(4) Free electricity supply to farmers

(5) Waiver of agricultural loans by the banking system

(6) Setting up of cold storage facilities by the governments.

In India, which of the following can be considered as public investment in agriculture?

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 5 only

(b) 1, 3, 4 and 5 only

(c) 2, 3 and 6 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

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ANSWER TO MCQs: 1 (c), 2 (d), 3 (a), 4 (c), 5 (c)

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