PIB Summary- 24th May, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Cyclonic Storm ‘Yaas’

Context: Yaas very likely to intensify into a ‘Very Severe Cyclonic Storm’.

Cyclone Yaas
A low-pressure area formed over the North Andaman Sea and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal around May 22, 2021, and has further intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, named ‘Cyclone Yaas’.

Cyclone Yaas – Key Facts

• 
  The cyclone is expected to make landfall somewhere between Paradip (Orisha) and Sagar islands (West Bengal) on the evening of May 26, 2021
• It has originated from the East-central Bay of Bengal
• The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued rainfall warning in the following regions:
  • North Coastal Andhra Pradesh
  • Odisha
  • West Bengal and Sikkim
  • Jharkhand
  • Bihar
  • Assam and Meghalaya
• 2021 is the fourth consecutive year that Odisha is being hit by a cyclone
• As per IMD, squally wind speed reaching 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph expected over north interior districts of Odisha, interior districts of Gangetic West Bengal between May 26th and 27th, 2021

Preparedness for Cyclones Yaas

• 46 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been positioned for relief and rescue operations in various coastal Indian states and Union Territories including, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
• The Indian armed forces have been put on alert, several warships and aircraft have been set on standby for relief and rescue operations
• A warning has been issued for rainfall, wind and high tides by IMD to all the areas expected to be affected by the cyclone
• Fishermen were advised not to venture into the southeast Bay of Bengal and the South Andaman Sea from May 21 onwards
• Forecast track and intensity of Cyclone Yaas, as released by IMD are given in the following table (as of May 24, 2021):

SCATSAT 1 – Scatterometer Satellite-1 or SCATSAT-1 was launched in 2016 and was developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for weather forecasting, cyclone prediction, and tracking services for India. Read on to know more about this satellite at the linked article.

Bay of Bengal and Cyclone Yaas

Bay of Bengal sees approximately five times as many cyclones in comparison to the Arabian Sea. In addition, cyclones in the Bay are stronger and deadlier.
The Bay of Bengal is constantly fed by fresh water through giant rivers like the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. The river water that empties into the Bay warms up at the surface and rises up as moisture.
This makes it difficult for the warm layers of water to mix properly with the cooler layers of water below, keeping the surface always warm and ready to feed any potential cyclone over it. Cyclone Yaas is an outcome of the same process and had originated in the Eastcentral Bay of Bengal.

UPSC aspirants can also refer to the following information for exam preparation:

Temperate Cyclone (Extratropical Cyclones) – The term “Extra-tropical” signifies that this type of cyclone generally occurs outside the tropics with a latitude range between 30° and 60°. These cyclones are formed along the polar front and low-pressure systems with associated cold fronts, warm fronts, and occluded fronts.

Tropical cyclones – A tropical cyclone is a weather phenomenon that is essentially a rapidly rotating storm system with characteristics such as a low-pressure center, strong winds and thunderstorms that produce heavy rain, among others. Tropical cyclones are called by different names in different regions given below:

Hurricane – Atlantic

Typhoon – Western Pacific and the South China Sea

Willy-Willies – Western Australia

Cyclone – Indian Ocean

Bomb Cyclone – It is actually used by meteorologists to indicate a mid-latitude cyclone that intensifies rapidly. It is a massive winter storm hammering the coast, bringing strong winds, flooding, ice and snow

Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery in India

Context: Hallmarking of gold Jewellery to begin from 15th June.

Details

• Mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery/artefacts was to be implemented from 15th Jan 2020 but was extended to 1st June 2021 to clear old stock of non-hallmarked jewellery.
• In view of the Covid pandemic, this date has been extended further to 15th June.
• Mandatory hallmarking will make jewellers selling gold jewellery and artefacts register with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and sell only hallmarked gold jewellery & artefacts.
• The purpose of making hallmarking mandatory is to ensure that consumers are not cheated while buying gold ornaments and get the purity as marked on the ornaments.
• This will enhance the credibility of the product and help to develop India as a leading gold market centre in the world.
• According to World Gold Council, India has around 4 lakh jewellers, out of this only 35879 have been BIS certified.

Technology Development Board (TDB)

Context: Recycling carbon technology by Bangalore start-up received TDB National Award 2021.

Details

• The award was given to the start-up for developing a commercial solution for the conversion of CO2 to chemicals and fuels.
• Breathe Applied Sciences, a start-up incubated at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) developed efficient catalysts and methodologies for the conversion of CO2to methanol and other chemicals.
• The development is significant because the solutions help in the conversion of anthropogenic CO2 generated from various sources including coal and natural gas power generation sectors, steel industry, cement industry, and chemical industries.
• The has the potential to develop a complete solution for the environmental issues due to global warming.
• The start-up has received funding from the DST Nano Mission.

About Technology Development Board:

• The Technology Development Board is a statutory body instituted by the GOI in 1996.
• Its chief goal is to promote the development and commercialization of indigenous technology and adaptation of imported technology for wider application.
• The Board plays a pro-active role by encouraging enterprises to take up technology oriented products.
• It also provides equity capital or loans to industrial concerns and financial assistance to research and development institutions.
• It plays a big role in facilitating interaction between the industry, scientists, technocrats and specialists.
• The Secretary, Dept of Science & Technology is the ex-officio chairperson of the TDB.
• There are six other ex-officio members who are secretaries of various related departments within the government. There are four other private members also.

India and Israel

Context: India and Israel signed a three-year work program for cooperation in agriculture.

Details

• India and Israel are implementing the “Indo-Israel Agricultural Project Centres of Excellence” and “Indo-Israel Villages of Excellence”.
• Indo-Israel Agricultural Project Centres of Excellence:
  • The Agriculture Ministry, GOI and Mashav (Israel’s agency for International Development Cooperation) are leading Israel’s largest G2G cooperation, with 29 operational Centres of Excellence (COEs) across India in 12 States.
  • They are implementing Advanced-Intensive agriculture farms with Israeli Agro-Technology tailored to local conditions.
  • The Centres of Excellence generate knowledge, demonstrate best practices and train farmers.
• Indo-Israel Villages of Excellence:
  • The program is aimed at creating a model ecosystem in agriculture across eight states, alongside 13 Centers of Excellence within 75 villages.
  • The program will promote the increase of net income and better the livelihood of the individual farmer, transforming traditional farms into modern-intensive farms based on Indo-Israel Agriculture Action Plan standards.

Shahi Litchi

Context: First consignment of GI certified Shahi Litchi from Bihar exported to the U.K.

Shahi Litchi:

• Shahi litchi was the fourth agricultural product to get GI certification from Bihar in 2018, after Jardalu mango, Katarni rice and Magahi paan.
  • GI registration for Shahi Litchi is held with the Muzaffarpur-based Litchi Growers Association of Bihar.
• Muzzafarpur, Vaishali, Samastipur, Champaran, Begusarai districts and adjoining areas of Bihar have favourable climate for growing Shahi Litchi.
• This variety of litchi is juicier and pulpier than the other varieties found in the rest of the country.
• In Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and nearby areas, the conditions are ideal for litchi cultivation, because of humid conditions and alluvial soil.
• Litchi cultivation in India was initially introduced in Bengal after which it spread to other regions including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
• India is the second-largest producer of litchi in the world and Bihar is the leading state for litchi production in the country.