Geography

Typhoon Yagi

Context

• This year's most powerful cyclone 'Yagi' reached northern Vietnam after wreaking havoc in South China's island province of Hainan. Cyclone Yagi initially formed as a tropical cyclone off the northwestern Philippines, then strengthened as it moved into the South China Sea. Yagi is the most powerful autumn cyclone ever recorded in China, and will be the second most powerful cyclone globally in 2024. It has been classified as a 'super typhoon', which is equivalent to a Category 5 cyclone.

Tropical Cyclone

• Origin: Over warm ocean waters in tropical regions. 
• Mechanism: 
  • Warm, moist air rises from the ocean surface, creating a low-pressure area.
  • Surrounding higher-pressure air moves towards the low-pressure area causing the air to warm up and rise further. 
  • As the rising air cools, it forms clouds.
  • This system of spinning clouds and wind intensifies with the ocean’s heat. 
  • As wind speeds increase, an eye forms at the centre.
• Characteristics of a Tropical Cyclone:
  • Calm centre with very low air pressure.
  • Average wind speed -  120 km/h.
  • Closed isobars, leading to higher wind velocities.
  • Move from east to west under the effect of trade winds
  • Seasonal in nature (late summers)
• Naming: Named by one of five regional bodies:
  • ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee
  • WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (responsible for naming cyclones in the Indian Ocean)
  • RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee
  • RA IV Hurricane Committee
  • RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee

Classification:

Society 

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar - PIB 

Context

• The Ministry of Women & Child Development organises Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Purashkar (PMRBP) every year to celebrate the energy, determination, ability, zeal and enthusiasm of our children.

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Purashkar (PMRBP)

Ensuring Healthy Growth in Children through complementary feeding - a crucial theme of Poshan Maah 2024 - PIB 

Context

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is observing the 7th Rashtriya Poshan Maah, a month-long event aimed at improving ground-level nutrition outcomes and encouraging behavioral changes. 

Rashtriya Poshan Maah

Polity 

Delay in Census: Centre Dissolves Panel on Statistical Surveys After Concerns Raised

Context

• The Central Government dissolved the Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS), a 14-member panel established to oversee statistical surveys, on September 9, 2024.
• The dissolution follows concerns raised by members over the delay in conducting the economic census and the decennial population census.
• India's last population census was conducted in 2011, and the next round, scheduled for 2021, has been delayed indefinitely, raising questions about the reliability of household surveys in the absence of up-to-date census data.

Standing Committee on Statistics 

• Formation: The SCoS was constituted on July 13, 2023, by renaming and expanding the Standing Committee on Economic Statistics (SCES), which was initially formed in December 2019.
• Purpose: 
  • To review the existing framework and address issues related to survey methodologies, sampling design, survey instruments, and results.
  • To provide guidance on the conduct of pilot surveys and pre-testing before finalizing data collection schedules.
  • To identify data gaps and suggest strategies for improving the statistical system.

Enemy Property Act - Indian Express 

Context

• A parcel of land in Uttar Pradesh, previously belonging to the family of former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, is set to be auctioned under The Enemy Property Act.

What we mean by good digital public infrastructure

Context 

• The concept of "Good Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)" has gained prominence as various stakeholders, including private enterprises, government bodies, non-profit organizations, and think tanks, strive to create and promote their DPI solutions.
• The Citizen Stack has been highlighted as a model for evaluating the integrity and reliability of DPI solutions, setting standards and principles to differentiate "good DPI" from "bad DPI."

World Affairs 

EAM S. Jaishankar to attend 1st India Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Riyadh - Indian Express 

Context

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will attend the first India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Riyadh. This historic gathering aims to strengthen ties between India and the Gulf nations.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

• About: A political and economic alliance of 6 Middle Eastern countries—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. 
• Establishment: In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 1981.
• Objective: To achieve unity among its members based on their common objectives and their similar political and cultural identities, which are rooted in Arab and Islamic cultures. 
• Presidency: Rotates annually among member states.
• Structure:
  • Supreme Council: Highest authority of the organization  composed of the heads of the Member-States whose presidency rotates periodically among the Member States in alphabetical order.
  • Ministerial Council: Composed of the Foreign Ministers of all the Member States or other ministers deputizing for them which meets every three months to implement the decisions of Supreme Council.
  • Secretariat General: Administrative arm of the alliance, which monitors policy implementation and arranges meetings.

Environment 

Researchers discover new species of genus Curcuma in Nagaland - The Hindu

Context

• Researchers have identified a new ‘cousin’ of the turmeric, thanks to a serendipitous discovery during a field trip in Nagaland.

Curcuma ungmensis

• Genus:  Curcuma(the ginger family Zingiberaceae).
• Type: A rhizomatous herb i.e. the rhizome (subterranean stem) part is branched and found deeply buried in the soil. 
• Flowering: During the rainy season from August to October. 
• Threats: Road development, building construction and natural calamities.
• Distribution: South and southeast Asia and south China with some being found in northern Australia and the South Pacific.

Sci & Tech

The significance of the first clear images of Mercury’s South Pole - Indian Express 

Context

The spacecraft, BepiColombo, recently gave scientists their first clear view of Mercury’s south pole. It also captured several of the planet’s craters, including those with unusual rings of peaks within the basin’s rim.

BepiColombo spacecraft

• About: A joint European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission to study Mercury's surface, composition, magnetic field and its interaction with the solar environment.
• Naming: Named after Giuseppe "Bepi" Colombo, an Italian mathematician and engineer who made significant contributions to the understanding of Mercury's orbit.
• Launch: October 20, 2018
• 2 components:
  • Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO): Provided by ESA for mapping and studying Mercury's surface, as well as its composition and topography.
  • Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO): Provided by JAXA to study Mercury's magnetic field and magnetosphere.
• Objectives:
  • Investigating Mercury's surface and composition to better understand its geological history and formation processes.
  • Studying Mercury's magnetic field and magnetosphere to gain insights into its internal structure and how it interacts with the solar wind.
  • Measuring Mercury's exosphere (a thin atmosphere) and understanding its composition and dynamics.
  • Conducting experiments to test certain principles of general relativity and improve our understanding of gravity.

Man with Mpox symptoms isolated, no need for undue concern - The Hindu

Context 

A young male patient, who recently returned to India from a country with active Mpox transmission, has been identified as a suspected Mpox case, the Union Health Ministry said recently.

Monkeypox (Prelims)