Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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88 million-year-old isle and crater to be geoparks

News

In a first, an ancient circular lake created by a meteorite strike in Maharashtra and a hexagonal mosaic of basaltic rocks in an island off Udupi are poised to become global geoparks, under a Geological Survey of India (GSI) plan.

Beyond News

• Lonar Lake in Maharashtra and St. Mary’s Island and Malpe beach in coastal Karnataka are the GSI’s candidates for UNESCO Global Geopark Network status.
• The road to recognition, however, is long. An aspiring Global Geopark must have a dedicated website, a corporate identity, comprehensive management plan, protection plans, finance, and partnerships for it to be accepted. In mid-August, GSI moved ahead with the plan, setting a follow-up time frame of 100 days.
• The Geopark tag is akin to that of a ‘World Heritage Site’ for historical monuments that can bring India’s famed geological features to the global stage.
• Mary’s Island, declared a national geo-heritage site in 1975, is estimated to be an 88-million-year-old formation that goes back to a time when Greater India broke away from Madagascar.
• Lonar crater became a geo-heritage site in 1979. It is relatively young geologically, at just 50,000 years old. A meteorite estimated to weigh two-million-tonnes slammed into the Earth, creating a 1.83-km diameter crater where the lake formed. It is distinguished by a near-perfect, circular ejecta blanket, which refers to earth thrown up during the collision, around it.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Indians to be hit by U.K. immigration plan

News

• Indian citizens and other non-EU citizens would have the same immigration rights as EU citizens in the K., under a system that will give priority to high-skilled workers. However, the new system will introduce even further restrictions on the ability of Indian workers and their families to come to the U.K. requiring any family to be sponsored by the employer.

Beyond News

• The move would be the biggest shake-up of Britain’s immigration system in decades, Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement released late , following her address at the Conservative Party conference .
• Britain would end “freedom of movement once and for all,” Ms. May told delegates, referring to the system which is a fundamental principle of the EU, and which allows its citizens to look for a job in other member countries, work there without a permit, reside there and stay on even after employment has ended.
• However, successful applicants would be able to bring their immediate family only if they were sponsored by future employers, thereby increasing the potential costs of businesses and putting further obstacles in the way of people being able to bring their families to the UK. Under the existing system, family members are able to bring family members with them if they meet certain criteria, including crossing a certain salary threshold.
• The government also said it would also introduce a “swift system of e-gate visa checks for tourists and visitors coming to the country for short stay business trips from all low risk countries.”
• It is unlikely that India would be included in this list. When Britain explained its reasons for excluding India from an easing of visa documentation requirements for foreign students earlier this year, it pointed to risk assessments of different countries when it came to their risk of overstaying, suggesting India continues to be considered a high risk country in Britain.
• During the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign, some politicians courted voters from the South Asian diaspora with promises that Brexit by enabling Britain to restrict the rights of EU citizens to travel to the U.K. could provide the government with the capacity to ease rules for those from non-EU countries.
• Alongside concerns about the ramping up of restrictive measures, businesses and politicians expressed their concerns about the impact the measures would have on the UK economy.

10 Odisha villages declare their habitats untouchability-free

News

• As a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, 10 villages in seven panchayats in the Daringbadi block of Odisha’s Kandhamal district declared their habitats untouchability-free.

Beyond News

• In the gramsabha meetings of the seven panchayats held , resolutions relating to complete eradication of untouchability by pallisabha (smaller village or hamlet councils) in these 10 villages were approved.
• This path-breaking decision could be taken up by these villages, inhabited mostly by tribals and Scheduled Castes, due to a month-long effort by social organisations Jagruti and Antaranga, of Kandhamal.

Bangladesh delays relocation of Rohingya

News

• Bangladesh has delayed the planned relocation of a part of the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar to an islet in the Bay of Bengal, sources said.

Beyond News

• The Bangladesh Navy has been building a facility to house the population that was displaced from the Rakhine province of Myanmar following a violent campaign by the country’s military.
• A major part of the camp is done. But approximately 30% work remains to be completed, said a source here, indicating that the facility in the remote islet of Bhashan Char will take some more time to be operational.
• Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was expected to inaugurate the facility on October 3 but now the officials say that another day will have to be found for the inauguration.
• Once completed, the facility is likely to accommodate more than a lakh Rohingya refugees.
• The Bhashan Char facility has been criticised by human rights groups as it is known to be flood-prone and hazardous.
• The islet is of recent origin and falls in the way of powerful storms that visit Bangladesh during the pre-monsoon season.
• More importantly, Rohingya community leaders are not convinced about the relocation of the government.

India dispatches relief material to tsunami-hit Indonesia

News

• After India’s offer of assistance to tsunami-hit Indonesia, Indian Air Force (IAF) and Navy launched Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts to deliver relief material to the South East Asian country.

Beyond News

• Indian Navy has diverted three ships INS Tir, Sujata and Shardul on deployment to Singapore to Palu in Indonesia. IAF has deployed one C-130J and one C-17 transport aircraft to ferry medical teams and relief material.
• Besides HADR bricks or material normally carried by all ships, these ships also have on board 30,000 L of bottled drinking water, 1500 L of packaged juices, 500 L milk, 700 kg of biscuits and 20 tents. The ships were dispatched at first light on Tuesday morning, a Navy officer said.
• A massive 5 magnitude earthquake struck the Indonesian province of Sulawesi triggering a tsunami leaving at least 1,234 dead. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and offered all possible assistance.
• The IAF C-130J aircraft is carrying a field hospital from Agra while the C-17 aircraft is carrying National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) load, mainly consisting tents, generators and medicines.
• The C-130 carrying 37 medical personnel has taken off from Hindon Air Force station to Chennai. From Chennai the aircraft will fly to Kualanamu international airport and from there move to Palu.
• The C-17 was loaded at Palam with relief material received from NDMA, including 15.66 tonne of tentage and generators and 16 tonne of medicines. The aircraft is headed to Makkasar in Indonesia.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

BMC rolls out disaster management plan for coastal road twin tunnels

News

• Following the approval of the mega coastal road project, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has released it’s disaster management plan to highlight the precautions being undertaken for it’s twin 3.45 km long tunnels.

Beyond News

• Both will have firefighting equipment, ventilation, illumination, cross tunnels for evacuation, CCTV cameras, and will be earthquake and heat resistant in case of a disaster.
• The BMC will be constructing two 3.45 km underground tunnels from Marine Drive to Priyadarshini Park via Malabar Hill with a diameter of 11meters and height of 7 meters.
• The twin tunnels have raised many questions about safety in case of disasters, accidents, fire and to these concerns, the BMC has now released details of the measures being taken to make them safe.
• Tunnel Boring Machines will be used to construct the earthquake-resistant tunnels which will have a life of up to 120 years. They will also have crash barriers on either side.
• The natural surroundings and the load of the surface above has been taken into consideration while fixing the alignment of the tunnels. They will run 20 meters underground at Girgaum chowpatty but 70 meters underground at Malabar Hill.
• Both tunnels will be connected to each other with 13 cross tunnels to be used during an emergency. These will be located at every 250 meters with seven to be used exclusively for evacuating vehicles and six for passengers.
• Both tunnels will have Sacardo nozzles for ventilation and also for pushing out smoke from cars. The tunnels will have automatic firefighting systems including the standard risers, hoses, extinguishers, and sprinklers. The systems will be connected to an independent water connection. The tunnels will have digital signages, CCTV cameras and public announcement systems.

New species of hummingbird found

News

• A team of ornithologists in Ecuador has identified a new species of hummingbird: a lovely blue-green creature that lives in a cold, barren highland area and is in danger of extinction.

Beyond News

• The bird is about 11 cm long and has a stunning, deep blue neck, a white breast with a black stripe and greenish-blue head and body feathers.
• It has been given the name Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus, or blue-throated star.
• The bird lives at an altitude of 3,000 to 3,700 meters in an area near the Pacific coast that straddles the provinces of Loja and El Oro.
• Researchers estimate there are only 300 of these birds and say its habitat is shrinking dramatically. Mining in the area also threatens it.
• Ecuador is small but very rich in biodiversity. For instance, it is home to 132 species of hummingbird.
• The new species has a slightly curved beak that helps it get at the flowers of the chuquiragua, a plant that Ecuadoran highlanders use to brew tea.
• It can eat up to two times its weight in nectar.

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