India-U.S. Joint military exercise "Yadh Abhyas"
- Yadh Abhyas Exercise is conducted annually between India and USA.
- With the aim of exchanging best practices, tactics, techniques and procedurers.
- Conducted in Uttarakhand, about 100 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
- The scope of the field training exercise includes validation of IBGs, force multipliers, establishment and functioning of surveillance grids, validation of operational logistics, mountain warfare skills, casualty evacuation and combat medical aid in adverse terrain and climatic conditions.
- Including all operations related to peace keeping and peace enforcement, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations.
- Other exercises: Austra-Hind with Australia, Agni Warrior with Singapore, Harimau Shakti with Malaysia, Garuda Shakti with Indonesia, Kazlnd with Kazakhstan.
Climate Investment Opportunities in India's Cooling Sector report released by World Bank.
- From 2030, 160 million to 200 million people could be exposed to a lethal heat wave in India every year.
- Around 34 million Indians will face job losses due to heat stress related productivity decline.
- By 2037, the demand for cooling is likely to be eight times more than the current level leading to an expected rise of 435% in annual greenhouse gas emissions over next two decades.
- According to the report, " Climate investment opportunities in India's cooling sector", this could open an investment opportunity of 1.6 trillion dollar by 2040, besides reducing greenhouse gas emissions significantly and creating 3.7 million Jobs.
- The report proposes a roadmap to support New Delhi's India Cooling Action(ICAP) 2019, through new investments in three major sectors: building construction, cold chains and refrigerants.
- Adopting climate-responsive cooling techniques as a norm in both private and government-funded constructions can ensure that those at the bottom of the economic ladder are not disproportionately affected by rising temperatures.
- The report suggests that India's affordable housing programme for the poor, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), can adapt such changes on scale.
- If proposed enacting a policy for "direct cooling", which could lead to the consumption of 20-30% less power than the most efficient conventional cooling solutions.
- India's cooling strategy can help save lives and livelihoods and reduce carbon emissions.
- Heat waves are defined as prolonged episodes of extreme temperature over any region. It typically occurs between March to July. The extreme temperatures and resultant atmospheric conditions adversely affect people living in these regions as they cause physiological stress, sometimes resulting in death.
- Heat waves is considered if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C or more for plains and at least 30°C or more for Hilly regions. When the normal maximum temperature of a station is less than or equal to 40°C Heat Wave Departure from normal is 5°C to 6°C Severe Heat Wave Departure from normal is 7°C or more. When the normal maximum temperature of a station is more than 40°C Heat Wave Departure from normal is 4 °C to 5 °C Severe Heat Wave Departure from normal is 6°C or more.
- When actual maximum temperature remains 45°C or more irrespective of normal maximum temperature remains 45°C or more irrespective of normal maximum temperature, heat waves should be declared.
- Formation of Heat Waves: (I) A heatwave is formed when static high pressure is generated in the Upper atmosphere over a region for several days up to several weeks. (II) This static high pressure generates a hot mass of air, which is stagnant for many days and weeks, which results in the trapping of more heat that also reduces the convection currents. (III) The high-pressure acts as a barrier and forces the mass of air to sink to the surface of the land that preventing heat from rising. (IV) This hot mass of air accumulates only heat and humidity without any trace of precipitation that causes abnormally high temperatures.
- Health Impacts of Heat Waves typically involve dehydration, heat exhaustion and/or heat stroke. The signs and symptoms are as follows: (I) Heat Cramps: Ederna (swelling) and Syncope (Fainting) generally accompanied by fever below 39°C i.e.,102°F. (II) Heat Exhaustion: Fatigue, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps and sweating. (III) Heat Stroke: Body temperatures of 40°C i.e., 104°F or more along with delirium, seizures or coma. This is a potential fatal condition.
- Establish Early Warning System and Inter-Agency Coordination to alert residents on predicted high and extreme temperatures. Identifying heat hot spots through appropriate tracking of meteorological data and promoting timely development and implementation of local Heat Action Plans. Further research using sub-district level data to provide separate indices for urban and rural areas to enable more targeted geographical interventions. Popularisation of simple design features such as shaded windows, underground water storage tanks and insulating housing materials.
Food fortification is the process of adding nutrients to food. For instance, rice and wheat are fortified with iron, folic acid and vitamin B12, and salt fortified with iron and iodine. Iodised salt has been in use for the past few decades.
- As in National Family Health Survey-5 data, every second Indian women is anaemic, every third child is stunted and malnourished, and every fifth child is wasted.
- According to an FAO Food Security Report for 2021, India ranks 101 out of 116 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2021, with a 15.3% undernourished population, the highest proportion of stunted children (30%), and wasted children (17.3 %).
- Food fortification is a proven cost-effective and complementary strategy to address India's malnutrition burden.
- Pilot projects on the distribution of fortified rice have been taken up in select States, including Maharashtra (Godchiroli district) as part of a targeted public Distribution programme for the masses. The programme has been a success in terms of preventing cases of anaemia- from 58.9% to 29.5% - within a span of two years, prompting the central government to declare the scaling up of the distribution of fortified rice, the scaling up of the distribution of fortified rice, the major staple diet of 65% of the population, through the existing platform of social safety nets such as the PDS, PCDS and PM- POSHAN. The study found a promising reduction (29.5 %) in the prevalence of anaemia among women, adolescent girls, and children put together in Godchiroli district.
- The health benefits accruing from food fortification have made 80 countries to frame laws for the fortification of cereal flour, and 130 countries with iodised salt, where 13 countries have mandated rice fortification.
- In Gujarat, an eight-month long study on multiple micronutrient fortified rice intervention for schoolchildren (six-12 years) in 2018-2019, as part of the Midday Meal Scheme, found increased haemoglobin concentration, 10% reduction in anaemia prevalence, and, more importantly, improved average cognitive scores (by 11.3%).
- Iron deficiency anaemia is a major public health concern, because it is responsible for 3.6% of disability-adjusted life years or DALYs (years of life lost due to premature mortality and years lived with disability) according to the World Health Organization (WHO) - i.e., a loss of 47 million DALYs, or years of healthy life lost due to illness, disability, or premature death (2016).
- According to NITI Aayog (based on WHO meta-analysis on the impact of rice fortification), a rice fortification budget of around Rs. 2,800 crore per year can save 35% of the total or 16.6 million DALYs per year with no known risk of toxicity. In India, the cost of one DALY lost due to iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is approximately Rs. 30,000, while the cost of averting an IDA-related DALY is only (Rs. 1,545, resulting in a cost-benefit ratio of 1:18. Rice fortification, which costs less than 1% of the food subsidy bill (2018-19), has the potential to prevent 94.1 million anaemia cases, saving Rs. 8,098 crore over a five-year period.
- Despite the programme's proven efficiency, activists have expressed concern that excess iron overload from fortified rice has been dangerous for Jharkhand's tribal population suffering from sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia. Iron levels in fortified rice range from 28 mg to 42.5 mg, folic acid levels from 75 mcg-125 mcg, and vitamin B12 levels from 0.75 mcg to 1.2 mcg (FSSAI standards). Considering the per capita intake, in a family of three members with a rice consumption of approximately 60 grams per person, the additional intake is 2.45 mg of iron. This in fact compensates our daily losses of iron from the body, which is 1 mg-2 mg per day.
- Food fortification, according to stalwarts of nutrition, is a cost-effective complementary strategy to address multiple micronutrient deficiencies. Thus, given its proven efficacy and cost-effectiveness, food fortification can help us in reducing micronutrient deficiencies and address overall health benefits.
On Nov23, e-services at the All - India Institute of Medical Science (AIMS) were crippled by what is being suspected to be a ransomware attacks.
- Ransomware is a type of malicious software, used by cyber criminals, to infect a computer system by blocking access to the stored data by encrypting the files. A ransom is then demanded from the owner in exchange for the decryption key.
- Which agencies in India deal with cyber-attacks? Set up in 2004. the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is the national nodal agency that collects, analyses and circulates inputs on cyber-attacks; issues guidelines, advisories for preventive measures, forecasts and issues alerts; and takes measures to handle any significant cyber security event. It also imparts training to computer system managers. The National Cyber Security Coordinator, under the National Security Council Secretariat, coordinates with different agencies at the national level on cybersecurity issues, while the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre has been set up for the protection of national critical information infrastructure.
- According to the government, the Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre) has been launched for detection of malicious software programmes and to provide free tools to remove the same, while the National Cyber Coordination Centre works on creating awareness about existing and potential threats.