Every Monday, UPSC Current Affairs Pointers in UPSC Essentials aim to go beyond the headlines and provide content relevant to your UPSC Prelims, State PCS, and other competitive examinations.

If you missed the UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | October 14 to October 20, 2024, from the Indian Express, read it here.

— In September 2024, the Union Cabinet approved “Mission Mausam”, with a budget of Rs. 2000 crores, to enhance India’s ability to predict and respond to extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change.

— As part of Mission Mausam, India is building a cloud chamber to  ‘manage’ certain weather events, and on-demand, enhance or suppress rainfall, hail, fog and, later, lightning strikes.

— India is establishing a first-of-its-kind cloud chamber at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.

— A cloud chamber resembles a closed cylindrical or tubular drum, inside which water vapour, aerosols, etc. are injected. A cloud can develop under the desired humidity and temperature inside this chamber.

— The initiative, Gram Panchayat-Level Weather Forecasting, is a joint program of the Panchayati Raj Ministry, India Meteorological Department (IMD), and the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

— The initiative is aimed at “empowering rural communities and enhancing disaster preparedness at the grassroots, and will benefit farmers and villagers across the country”.

— Hourly forecasts will be available on the e-GramSwaraj and Gram Manchitra portals, and the Meri Panchayat app. e-GramSwaraj is already operational.

— The Supreme Court on Monday underlined that secularism is a “core feature” of the Constitution which has been held to be a part of the basic structure.

— The secular nature of the Indian state is secured by Articles 25-28 of the Constitution.

— The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 added the words ‘socialist,’ ‘secular,’ and ‘integrity’ to the Preamble.

— A nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court held in a 8:1 ruling on 23rd October that states have the power to tax not just alcoholic beverages, but also ‘industrial’ alcohol.

— This judgement overturned its 1990 seven-judge judgment in Synthetics & Chemicals Ltd vs State of Uttar Pradesh, which held that States cannot tax industrial alcohol.

— Who has the power to tax?

 

(Just FYI: UPSC has directly asked questions about the publication of important indices and reports. In this regard, it is important to know about these reports.)

— The Emissions Gap Report is an annual publication released by the UN Environment Programme.

— According to the report, greenhouse gas emissions of China and India, two of the top three emitters, grew by 5.2 per cent and 6.1 per cent respectively in the year 2023. It said the global emissions in 2023 was 1.3 per cent higher than the previous year.

— The report said that the current climate actions could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by only 10 per cent by 2030 on 2019 levels, when the bare minimum required to keep the 1.5 degree target in sight was 42 per cent reduction. The reductions must increase to 57 per cent by 2035.

— The 16th BRICS Summit concluded on October 23 in Kazan, Russia. The Kazan Declaration, issued at the end of the Summit, highlights: It reiterates the demand for equitable global governance, advocates restoring peace through dialogue, and encourages cooperation among countries of the Global South.

— BRICS consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. On January 1 this year, BRICS admitted four new members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. Argentina and Saudi Arabia were also invited but they haven’t joined.

— Meanwhile, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and Malaysia have formally applied, and a number of others expressed a desire to be members.

—  India and Pakistan on 22nd October agreed to renew their pact on the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for another five years. The pact was due to lapse on October 24.

— The agreement was signed on October 24, 2019, to facilitate the visit of pilgrims from India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan through the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.

— The 4 km-long Kartarpur Corridor provides visa-free access to Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.

— The convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is taking place in the Colombian city of Cali from 21 October to 1 November with the theme of ‘Peace with Nature.’

— The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) came out of the same 1992 Rio Earth Summit that gave rise to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

— CBD aims to protect global biodiversity, restore natural ecosystems, and ensure that benefits from the world’s biological resources are equitably distributed.

— The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework which concluded at COP15 in Montreal in 2022, lays down four goals and 23 targets to be achieved collectively by 2030.

— These include the 30 x 30 targets — a commitment to put at least 30% of the world’s lands and oceans, especially biodiversity-rich areas, under conservation by 2030, and to initiate restoration work in at least 30% of degraded land or marine ecosystems by 2030.

— The High Seas Treaty, also known as the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions or BBNJ, was finalised last year as a separate international agreement to maintain the ecological health of oceans and was a major step forward in meeting the 30 x 30 targets.

— One of the objectives of the High Seas Treaty is to demarcate protected areas in biodiversity-rich parts of the oceans — just like national parks or wildlife reserves on land — where human activities can be regulated and restricted.

— Another goal of the High Seas treaty is to ensure that the benefits from exploitation of genetic resources in the oceans outside of national boundaries of countries are equitably distributed among all.

— India has signed and ratified the High Seas Treaty in July this year.

— Maritime Exercise Malabar 2024 took place from 08 to 18 October 2024, beginning with the Harbour Phase in Visakhapatnam, followed by the Sea Phase.

— It was hosted by India and saw the participation of Australia, Japan, and the United States of America.

— Malabar is a multilateral war-gaming naval exercise that was started in 1992. It began as a bilateral exercise between the navies of India and the United States.

— Japan and Australia first participated in 2007, and since 2014, India, the US and Japan have participated in the exercise every year.

 

— The birth of a great Indian bustard through artificial insemination at the Sudasari Great Indian Bustard Breeding Centre in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district is an “extremely important step” in the conservation of the critically endangered species.

— The Great Indian Bustard is a large bird found only in India. It is known to be a key indicator species of the grassland habitat, which means its survival also signals the health of grassland habitats.

— It has an estimated population of only 150 ranging in the wild, mostly in Rajasthan. It is a critically endangered species.

— Heavy rainfall lashed parts of West Bengal and Odisha on October 24.

— Landfall is when a tropical cyclone comes onto land after being over water. As per the IMD, a tropical cyclone is said to have made landfall when the centre of the storm – or its eye – moves over the coast.

— Cyclone Dana will be the second to develop in the North Indian Ocean in less than two months, after Cyclone Asna in the Arabian Sea in late August.

— The name Dana means “generosity” in Arabic and was chosen by Qatar, according to the standard convention of naming tropical cyclones in the region.

— In 2000, a group of nations called WMO/ESCAP (World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific), which comprised Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, decided to start naming cyclones in the region.

— The WMO/ESCAP expanded to include five more countries in 2018 — Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The list of 169 cyclone names released by IMD in April 2020 was provided by these countries — 13 suggestions from each of the 13 countries.

— A new study has argued that spraying millions of tonnes of diamond dust in the Earth’s upper atmosphere every year could help cool down the Earth and combat global warming. Several other compounds, such as sulphur, calcium, aluminium, and silicon, have been suggested previously for doing the same job.

—  Geoengineering refers to any large-scale attempt to alter the Earth’s natural climate system to counter the adverse impacts of global warming. Two broad geoengineering options are being explored: Solar Radiation Management (SRM) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies.

—  Solar Radiation Management (SRM), in which materials are proposed to be deployed in Space to reflect incoming solar rays and prevent them from reaching Earth.

— Then there are Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies, which include Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS). While they offer quick-fix solutions for reducing emissions or temperatures, they are not particularly viable. The only method being tried out in practice is CCS.

— The Mount Pinatubo eruptions in the Philippines in 1991, one of the largest in the 20th century, are believed to have reduced the Earth’s temperature by 0.5 degrees Celsius that year.

— Cyclone Dana, which made landfall close to Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha on 25th October, did not cause significant damage as many had feared.

— Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary spans across coastal patches of 672 sq km and was declared a sanctuary in 1975. Its core area, covering 145 sq km, received the National Park designation in September 1998.

— It is the second largest mangrove ecosystem after Sundarbans in West Bengal.

— Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees and shrubs typical of estuarine and intertidal regions, meaning they grow in areas where freshwater and saltwater meet.

— Mangroves typically have aerial, breathing roots and waxy, succulent leaves, and are flowering plants.

— Red mangrove, Avicennia marina, grey mangrove, rhizophora etc. are some common mangrove trees.

— When cyclones strike, mangrove forests act as a barrier against storm surges by obstructing the water flow with their roots, husks, and leaves, according to a report published by the World Bank Group.

— October 24, 2024 marks 79 years since the United Nations was formed. It is annually celebrated as the UN day.

— The term “United Nations” was suggested by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Second World War.

— The United Nations consists of 193 Member States of the United Nations. The latest State to join the United Nations was South Sudan.

— The first Secretary-General of the United Nations was Trygve Lie from Norway who served from 1946-1952.

— The longest statement at the United Nations was delivered by V.K. Krishna Menon of India. His speech to the Security Council spanned three meetings, lasting a total of 8 hours.

— Over nearly 80 years, the United Nations, along with its specialized agencies, funds, programs, related organizations, and staff, has been honored with the Nobel Peace Prize twelve times.

(Source: un.org)

— October 24 is observed as World Polio Day.

— Rotary International established the Day to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop the vaccine against the disease in the 1950s.

— India has managed to eradicate polio. In 2009, India had reported 741 polio cases, the highest in the world, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. In January 2011, India reported its last polio case, in West Bengal’s Howrah.

— Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that causes paralysis and even death, mainly affecting children. There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented through a vaccine.

 

(Just FYI: UPSC has consistently included questions on health and diseases in its examinations over the years. For instance, in 2014, a question about the Ebola virus appeared in the Prelims, and in 2017, a question about the Zika virus was featured. Therefore, it is crucial to stay updated on diseases that are currently in the news.)

— One person has died and 10 have been hospitalised in the US due to an E.coli infection after eating McDonald’s burgers.

— The most common symptoms of E.coli (Escherichia coli) infection include fever of more than 102 degree F, persistent diarrhoea, bloody diarrhoea, and vomiting.  Most people who suffer an infection will start feeling sick three to four days after eating or drinking something that contains the bacteria.

— 20-year-old Rachel Gupta from Jalandhar has become the first Indian to win the prestigious Miss Grand International 2024 crown.

— Miss Grand International is said to be currently the number one Beauty Pageant in the world with over 5 Million followers across the globe.

— President Droupadi Murmu on 24th October appointed Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the 51st Chief Justice of India.  

— The President exercised the power under clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India to appoint him as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He is likely to take oath on November 11.

— The Centre has appointed Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar as the chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW).

— Rahatkar, the ninth chairperson of the NCW, succeeds Rekha Sharma whose tenure as NCW chairperson ended in August after two consecutive terms.

— Rahatkar has been appointed for a three-year term or till the age of 65 years, whichever is the earliest.

— Vietnam elected Luong Cuong, a military general, as its new president on Monday, the fourth official to fill the largely ceremonial role in 18 months.

— Cuong, 67, was elected by the National Assembly to replace To Lam, who remained president even after he was formally appointed as the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party in August.

 

(Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.)

— Four-and-half years after the standoff between India and China, New Delhi and Beijing have agreed on the disengagement on the border.

— Friction points such as Galwan Valley, the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra-Hot Springs area have seen some resolution with buffer zones.

— Legacy issues of Depsang Plains and Demchok remain, troops at Depsang Plains were blocked from accessing patrol points.

— These are the important areas important for your exam

 

— Seven people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir on October 20 when suspected militants targeted the workers of infrastructure company APCO Infratech, which is constructing the Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonamarg highway.

— The Z-Morh tunnel is a 6.4-kilometer tunnel connecting the Sonamarg health resort with Kangan town in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. The tunnel has been constructed near Gagangir village ahead of Sonamarg.

— The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to Sonamarg, a famous tourist destination on the Srinagar-Leh highway.

— The tunnel has acquired its name for the Z-shaped road stretch at the place where the tunnel is being constructed.

— The stretch where the tunnel is under construction is situated at an altitude of over 8,500 feet, and is prone to snow avalanches in the winter.

— The Z-Morh tunnel is part of the Zojila tunnel project that aims to provide all weather connectivity from Srinagar to Ladakh throughout the year.

— The construction of the tunnel will provide safe connectivity between Srinagar, Dras, Kargil and Leh regions.

— Bihar Industry Minister Nitish Mishra on October 21 inaugurated the state’s first dry port at Bihta, a town near the state capital Patna.

— A dry port, or inland container depot (ICD), provides a logistics facility away from a seaport or airport for cargo handling, storage, and transportation. It acts as a bridge between sea/air ports and inland regions, facilitating efficient movement of goods.

— The Bihta dry port is spread over seven acres. It is being run in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode by Pristine Magadh Infrastructure Private Limited and the state industry department.

— The host city for the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.

—  It is located roughly 900 km to the east of Moscow at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kazanka. This city of 1.2 million is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, the homeland of the Tatar people, the second largest ethnic group in the country after Russians.

— Kul Sharif mosque which was originally built in the early 16th century. It was burnt down by Ivan the Terrible (Grand Prince of Moscow) during the Siege of Kazan. The mosque was rebuilt with Saudi and UAE help in 2005.

 

(Just FYI: With the unpredictability of the UPSC examinations and questions like the ICC World Test Championship question 2021, you can’t be sure of anything. It is wise to know what it is and not go into too much detail.)

— The Archery World Cup Final 2024 was held in Tlaxcala, Mexico.

— Indian archer Deepika Kumari won the Silver medal making it a sixth World Cup Final medal. She lost to the People’s Republic of China’s Li Jiaman.

— The 2026 edition of the Commonwealth Games has decided to drop nine sports from it.

— The 2026 edition, featuring only 10 sports and roughly 3,000 athletes, will take place from July 23 to August 2, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland.

— Badminton, cricket, hockey, squash, shooting, archery, table tennis, and wrestling have been omitted.

 

— UN Resolution 1701: The 2006 United Nations resolution 1701, which the caretaker Lebanese PM Najib Mikati said should be honoured, seeks a permanent ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel by creating a buffer zone. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with 15,000 troops would monitor borders, support Lebanese forces as Israel withdrew in 2006.

 

(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)

A. The Emission Gap report is published by which of the following organisations?

(a) IPCC

(b) GEF

(c) UNEP

(d) WHO

B. Where is India planning to build the first cloud chamber in India?

(a) IITM, Pune

(b) NCPOR, Goa

(c) NCESS, Kerala

(d) INCOIS, Hyderabad

C. It is the city where an important international summit was held. River Volga flows through this city. Kul Sharif mosque which was burnt down by Ivan the Terrible is located here.

Identify the place.

(a) Astana, Kazakhstan

(b) Cali, Colombia

(c) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

(d) Kazan, Russia

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