CURRENT AFFAIRS 13 OCTOBER 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS 

13 OCTOBER 2019

BY SUMIT

IMPORTANT TOPICS IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS,

INDIAN HISTORY,INDIAN POLITY,ECONOMY AND SOCIETY,

ENVIRONMENT  for TODAY TO LOOK AT .

1.Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML)(gs-1,2)

Context:Design for PMs’ museum likely to be finalized in Nov

2.Barrackpur mutiny,Uprising of 1857’ (gs-1)

Context:Rise, ruin and renewal of Barrackpore, British India’s First retreat 

3.Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013(gs-1,2)

Context:SC to hear issues on Land Acquisition Act

4. Belt and Road infrastructure(BRI) initiative(gs-2,3)

Context:Nepal hopes for Chinese finance during Xi visit 

China is expected to push BRI projects

5.Sikkim sees surge in butterfly biodiversity(gs-3)

Context:Organic farming breaks the stereotype that agriculture reduces biodiversity.

6.Bt cotton/gm modified cotton(gs-3)

Context: GM cottonseeds approved as food by U.S. regulatorsDevelopers say it could be used to tackle malnutrition

7.Typhoon Hagibis (Typhoon No. 19)(gs1,3)

Context:Japan Hit By Typhoon Hagibis, "Unprecedented" Rain, Thousands In Shelters

1.Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML)(gs-1,2)

Context:Design for PMs’ museum likely to be finalized in Nov

Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML):

• The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), a memorial to Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India, is housed in the historic Teen Murti House campus located south of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, the capital city of India.
• Designed by Robert Tor Russel and built in 1929-30 as part of Edwin Lutyens' imperial capital, Teen Murti House was the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief in India. In August 1948, after the departure of the last British Commander-in-Chief, Teen Murti House became the official residence of independent India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who lived here for sixteen years until his death on May 27, 1964. Soon thereafter, the Government of India decided that the Teen Murti House should be dedicated to him and house a museum and a library.
• On Jawaharlal Nehru's 75th birth anniversary on November 14, 1964 Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, President of India, formally dedicated the Teen Murti House to the nation and inaugurated the Nehru Memorial Museum.
• Founded as an autonomous institution, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), is dedicated to the objective of promoting advanced research on Modern and Contemporary India.
• On 1 April 1966, the Government set up the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society to manage the institution, which has today emerged as a place of pilgrimage for the Indian masses on the one hand and as a premier research centre and a forum for intellectual activity on the other.
• Initially, the Museum was set up in the eastern wing of the Teen Murti House and the Library in the western wing. With the rapid growth of research material in the Library over the years, there was a pressing need for more space. An exclusive Library building was constructed adjacent to the Teen Murti House and inaugurated by Shri V. V. Giri, President of India, in January 1974.
• The steady increase in the volume of research material further necessitated the construction of an Annexe building, which was completed in 1989. The Centre for Contemporary Studies was set up as a new unit of NMML in this building in 1990.
• Over the past four decades, the NMML has emerged as a premier institution of research on the Indian history and society of the modern and contemporary period. Endeavouring constantly to maintain and enhance its reputation as a centre of academic excellence, NMML is simultaneously engaged in trying to popularize the ideas and values of Jawaharlal Nehru and the movement for India's independence.
• THE institution is an important example of a vibrant and enduring academic culture in India.
• Lectures and Seminars, which constitute an important activity of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, are organized regularly and their deliberations are published.
• The NMML has enhanced and expanded its academic resources considerably in the recent past. Today, the Library houses not just an exhaustive collection of published material on numerous aspects of modern and contemporary history but also possesses an impressive and diverse archival holding. Regularly updated, expanded and made available for research, these holdings make the NMML a major academic destination for Indian and foreign scholars from diverse disciplines and varied fields of interest.
• The General Council and the President and the Vice-President of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society are nominated by the Central Government

2.Barrackpur mutiny,Uprising of 1857’ (gs-1)

• Context:Rise, ruin and renewal of Barrackpore, British India’s First retreat 

• In a letter to Queen Victoria dated November 22, 1861, Lord Canning spoke about the funeral of his wife: on how since there was no burial place for a Governor General and his family, and the “cemeteries at Calcutta are odious in many ways”, Lady Canning’s body had therefore been laid to rest in a corner of Barrackpore
• ‘Uprising of 1857’ 
• The authors refer that in May 1857 Charlotte Canning wrote in her journal how “a 34th man at Barrackpore made himself drunk with bag (bhang), took a sword and musket & regularly ran amuck (amok). He wounded a sergeant, then stabbed the adjutant’s horse and killed him… He was taken captive, had since recovered and will live to be hanged”. The authors have highlighted that post­1857, Barrackpore cantonment became synonymous with the new mood in Indian politics, symbolised a location of opposition and dissent for the Indians while the British viewed it as an epicentre of mutiny. The book points that after Shimla was discovered the British withdrew to the hill station for large part of the year and Barrackpore remained a weekend country house

The Southern Facade of Government House before restoration. Photo: Special Arrangement

Barrackpur mutiny of 1824 

• During the first Anglo Burmese war, there was a dress rehearsal of the Mutiny of 1857 at Barrackpur in 1824. 
• It’s worth note that Barrackpur is best known for two mutinies; one in 1824 and another in 1857 in which India got its one of the most cherished heroes of war of independence Mangal Pandey. 
• But 3 decades earlier, the First mutiny in Barrackpur occurred on Novermber 1-2, 1824. The reasons were the same. Indians were made to feel by the British as inferior and their demands were handled in insensitive manner. 
• As per the records, the 26th, 47th and 62th battalions of the Native Infantry of the Bengal army were ordered to March to Chittagong and from there to board the ships to reach Rangoon to participate in the First Anglo Burmese War in October 1824. 
• In those days the higher caste Indian Sepoys had taboo of going by sea, which was called “Kaala Paani”. But, even till Chittagong, to take their belongings there were no bullocks. The complaints of the sepoys was not conspired. 
• The result was that the soldiers forbade going on the march unless the emoluments are increased and provided means to carry their belongings. In the Barrackpur cantonment, which was set up in 1765, the British refused these demands. 
• The sepoys revolted and drove away the British Officers. 
• For 2 days the cantonment was under the sepoys which were led by one hero – Binda. The British approached and asked the Sepoys to surrender on a condition that their reasonable demands would be considered later. 
• But they rejected. 
• The European troops launched a full scale assault on the Indian sepoys and they were overpowered. 200 Indian Sepoys were killed. 
• Binda and other leaders were captured and executed. Binda was killed and his body was tied in chains and hung on a papal tree, his dead body allowed to rot for two days The chilling message was sent to the Sepoys, who had ever thought of rebellion. 
• Binda was a hero but now not many people know about his martyrdom. There is a temple in Barrackpur on that site, where his body was hung , known as Binda Baba Temple. 
• The deity of this temple is Lord Hanuman.

Beginning and Spread of The Revolt of 1857:

The spark

• Strong resentment was rising among the Indians against the British Raj and they were waiting only for an occasion to revolt. The stage was all set. Only a spark was needed to set it on fire. Introduction of the greased cartridge in 1856 provided that fire.
• The loading process of the Enfield rifle involved bringing the cartridge to the mouth and biting off the top. There was a rumour among the Sepoys in January 1857 that the greased cartridge contained the fat of cow and pig. The cow is sacred to the Hindus and the pig is forbidden to the Muslims.
• There was another rumour that the British government had hatched a gigantic conspiracy to destroy the caste and religion of Hindus and Muslims. To this end, the rumours said, the British had mixed the bone dust of cows and pigs into the flour that was sold in the market.
• The reports about the mixing of bone dust in flour and the introduction of the Enfield rifle enhanced the sepoy s growing disaffection with the Government.

Start of the revolt

• On 26th February 1857, the 19th Native Infantry stationed at Berhampur refused to receive their percussion caps for the parade. Both the 34th and the 19th Native infantry were disbanded.
• Martyrdom of Mangal Pandey
• A sepoy called Mangal Pandey was the first soldier who openly disobeyed orders. He killed two English officers at Barrackpore near Calcutta on 29 March 1857. He was arrested, tried and executed. The regiments of Barrackpore were disbanded. The 7th Awadh Regiment which defied the orders of its officer met with a similar fate. The news of Mangal Pandey very soon reached other parts of the country and resulted in open revolts.

Meerut incident

• The most decisive uprising occurred at Meerut where 85 sepoys of the cavalry regiment were sentenced to 2-10 years imprisonment for refusing to use greased cartridges. The very next day, on 10th May 1857, three regiments broke into open mutiny. They killed British officers and broke open the prison to release their comrades.

Delhi March

• After the incident of Merrut, the rebellious sepoys began to march towards Delhi, where they were joined by the local infantry and the common people. The rebels captured Delhi and killed many British officers. They declared the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah as the emperor of India.
• The revolt was marked by intense anti- British feeling and the administration was invariably toppled everywhere Mutiny took place.
• Immediately after the capture of Delhi, a letter was addressed to the rulers of all neighbouring states soliciting their support and inviting them to participate in the revolt. In Delhi, a court of administration was set up which consisted of ten members, six from the army and four from the civil departments. It was responsible for all matters of the state. It decided the affairs of the state in the name of the emperor.
• The revolt at Meerut and the capture of Delhi was a precursor to a widespread mutiny by the sepoys and rebellions all over North India as well as Western and Central India. South India remained peaceful and Punjab and Bengal had an only marginal effect.

Proclamation of Bahadur Shah Zafar as Symbolic head

• Delhi soon became the centre of the Great rebellion, and Bahadur Shah Zafar was proclaimed as the symbolic head of the revolt. The rebels persuaded if not coerced Bhahdur Shah Zafar to become their leader and was proclaimed the Shahenshah-e-Hindustan.
• The rebel administration, set up in Delhi decided the affairs of the state in the name of the emperor. In other centres too, attempts were made to bring about an organisation Bahadurshah was recognised as an emperor by all the rebel leaders. Coins were struck and all orders issued in his name.
• The choice of Bahadur Shah Zafar as the head of the revolt had a hidden symbolism as the long reign of Mughal dynasty had become a symbol of political unity of India.

The spread of the revolt

• The news of Mutiny of Sepoys at Meerut followed by the capture of Delhi, created a sensation all over India. Soon similar mutinies broke out across the whole of North India. In general, these mutinies followed the pattern set at Meerut. The sepoys killed the Officers and other Europeans on whom they could lay their hands on, in many cases sparing neither women nor children.
• The first to rise was a detachment of sepoys at Aligarh on May 20, 1857. This was followed by series of mutinies in the Punjab, Naushera (May 21) and Hoti Mardan. Far more serious were the series of Mutinies in Avadh and North-Western provinces at Etah and Mainpuri (May 23), Roorkee (May 25), Hodal, Mathura and Lucknow (May 30), Bareily and Shahjahanpur (May 31), Moradabad and Badaon (June 1), Azamgarh and Sitapur (June 3), Malaon, Mohamoli, Varanasi and Kanpur (June 4), Jhuani and Allahabad(June 6), Faizabad (June 7), Dariabad, Hathras (July 1) and several other localities.

Civilian uprising

• The revolt was started by the sepoys but was joined in large numbers by the civilian population. The civilian population had taken an active part in the uprising. The revolutionary outbreaks of the Civil population took place over an extensive area in the region now known as Uttar Pradesh.
• The participation of peasants and artisans made the revolt a widespread and popular event. In some areas, the common people revolted even before the sepoys. All this shows that it was clearly a popular revolt. The mutiny merged itself into a general rising of the civil population for all types and classes.

Conclusion

• The revolt of 1857 which started essentially as a sepoy mutiny was soon joined by civilian population making it an uprising against the British. It brought together people having different ethnic, religious and class background against the British rule. However, in terms of area and population covered, the extent of the rebellion was very limited. It had only limited territorial spread. The eastern, western and southern parts of India remained more or less unaffected.

3.Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013(gs-1,2)

• Context:SC to hear issues on Land Acquisition Act
• A five­judge Bench set up for the cases
• A five­judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court led by Justice Arun Mishra will hear a contentious issue regarding the interpretation of Section 24 of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (Land Acquisition Act, 2013) from October 15.

Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013:

• The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (also Land Acquisition Act, 2013) is an Act of Indian Parliament that regulates land acquisition and lays down the procedure and rules for granting compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement to the affected persons in India. 
• The Act has provisions to provide fair compensation to those whose land is taken away, brings transparency to the process of acquisition of land to set up factories or buildings, infrastructural projects and assures rehabilitation of those affected. 
• The Act establishes regulations for land acquisition as a part of India's massive industrialisation drive driven by public-private partnership. The Act replaced the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, a nearly 120-year-old law enacted during British rule.
• The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 was introduced in Lok Sabha on 7 September 2011.The bill was then passed by it on 29 August 2013 and by Rajya Sabha on 4 September 2013. The bill then received the assent of the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on 27 September 2013.The Act came into force from 1 January 2014.
• An amendment bill was then introduced in Parliament to endorse the Ordinance. Lok Sabha passed the bill but the same is still lying for passage by the Rajya Sabha. On 30 May 2015, President of India promulgated the amendment ordinance for third time

4. Belt and Road infrastructure(BRI) initiative(gs-2,3)
Context:Nepal hopes for Chinese finance during Xi visit 
China is expected to push BRI projects
Nepal rolled out the red carpet on Saturday for China’s President Xi Jinping as authorities rounded up Tibetans to prevent protests during his stay. Mr. Xi is making the first state visit by a Chinese leader to Nepal in 23 years following his two days of talks in India. Mr. Xi is expected to push Beijing’s controversial Belt and Road infrastructure (BRI) initiative

Belt and Road infrastructure (BRI) initiative:

What is BRI?

• The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a development strategy adopted by the Chinese government involving infrastructure development and investments in countries and international organizations in Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Gulf Region, Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
• “Belt” refers to the overland routes for road and rail transportation, called "the Silk Road Economic Belt". Beside the historical silk road through Central Asia, West Asia, the Middle East, and Europe this new silk road includes South Asia and Southeast Asia. The “Road” refers to the sea routes or the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”.
• The project was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013. Earlier it was known as One Belt One Road.
• The project has a targeted completion date of 2049, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
• This project is seen as a competitor to the two US-centric trading arrangements, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
• Theme of this year: Belt and Road Cooperation, Shaping a Brighter Shared Future

BRF 2017 vs BRF 2019:

• When it was announced in 2013, the BRI was an initiative focused solely on building infrastructure projects; it now has a much broader framework, which includes financial and humanitarian aid projects.
• In the first BRF in 2017, more than 60 countries and international organisations were involved. That figure in 2019 now is - 126 countries and 29 international organisations i.e. it is more than double now.
• New countries such as Italy (the first G7 Nation to join) and Luxembourg have brought into the project, concerns raised by other European Union countries notwithstanding.
• The funding model has this year undergone changes. Initially funds were sought from the China-headed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and several other financial institutions within the country, Beijing is now pushing for “third-party market cooperation” under which investments are shared by more than one country.

Progress of the project:

• The trade volume between China and countries joining the BRI has surpassed 6 trillion US dollars, with more than 80 billion US dollars of Chinese investment in the countries.
• 82 overseas cooperative parks had been jointly built by China and the countries along the route, creating nearly 300,000 jobs for local people.

Concerns of the project:

Sri Lanka:

• China's main investment in Sri Lanka was the Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port, mostly funded by the Chinese government and built by two Chinese companies.
• It claims to be the largest port in Sri Lanka after the Port of Colombo and the biggest port constructed on land to date in the country.
• It was initially intended to be owned by the Government of Sri Lanka and operated by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, however it incurred heavy operational losses and the Sri Lankan government was unable to service the debt to China.
• In a debt restructuring plan on 9 December 2017, 70% of the port was leased and port operations were handed over to China for 99 years, the deal gave the Sri Lankan government $1.4 billion that they will be using to pay off the debt to China. This led to accusations that China was practicing debt-trap diplomacy.

Malaysia:

• PM Mahathir Mohamad expressed disapproval of Chinese investment in Malaysia, comparing it to selling off the country to foreigners.
• He labelled the China-funded projects as unfair deals authorized by former PM Najib Razak and would leave Malaysia indebted to China.
• In August 2018, at the end of an official visit to China, Mahathir cancelled the East Coast Rail Link project and two other pipeline projects that were awarded to the China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau, citing a need to reduce debt incurred by the previous government.
• The project undergo negotiations for several months and close to be cancelled off. After rounds of negotiation and diplomatic mission, the ECRL project is resumed after Malaysia and China agreed to continue the project with reduced cost.

Nepal:

• Nepal is delaying on signing an agreement worth $56 billion to establish a Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network under the BRI, which also includes a cross-border railway.
• Nepal is apprehensive of signing the commercial agreement because of concerns over the financing of the project and environmental issues in the Himalayan region.
• Pakistan: It has walked out of the $14 billion Diamer-Bhasha dam project that was part of the CPEC, citing stringent monetary conditions imposed by Beijing.

India’s position:CPEC:

• Amongst the first countries to oppose the project, India had signalled its strong displeasure ahead of the second BRF over the inclusion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a BRI project.
• The CPEC passes through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and is the main reason for India not participating in the BRI.
• CPEC which is being projected as the flagship project of the BRI ignores our core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity. Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.
• While China has painted CPEC as a commercial project, it has also deployed security personnel over the years to protect the corridor. This makes it an active participant in domestic politics in the subcontinent.

Hambantota port:

• The port's strategic location and subsequent ownership by China spurred concern over China's growing economic footprint in the Indian Ocean and speculation that it could be used as a naval base for the Chinese Navy.
• However, the Sri Lankan government promised that it would be "purely intended for civilian use".

Way forward:

• The CPEC passes through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and is the main reason for India not participating in the BRI. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity. The best way forward is China should respect other country’s sovereignty issues.
• China should make this Belt and Road Initiative sustainable and prevent debt risks. It should support financing via multiple channels. One step it has already taken in this direction by using third-party market cooperation in addition to earlier funding from AIIB only.
• Local currencies should be used for investments to curb exchange rate risks.
• China should follow market principles and rely on commercial funds for Belt and Road financing.

article by ias score

Practice Question:
What are the concerns arising due to implementation of BRI projects? Why India is not joining this initiative and what is the way forward?

5.Sikkim sees surge in butterfly biodiversity(gs-3)

• Context:Organic farming breaks the stereotype that agriculture reduces biodiversity
• From the iconic Kaiser-i-Hind to the recently rediscovered Small Woodbrown butterfly, the state of Sikkim is home to nearly 700 species of butterfly. A new study has found that the indigenous farming systems in this area are not affecting butterfly diversity. In fact, the team from Sikkim University found that organic farming has increased the species diversity. This was even higher than the diversity in the nearby forest ecosystem.
• 268 species identified
• The team studied the large cardamom, mandarin orange, farm-based agroforestry and the natural forests in Sikkim and recorded a total of 268 butterfly species belonging to six families in these areas. The butterfly communities included two-third forest specialists, one-third monophagous (feeding only on one type of food), and one-fifth conservation concern species. The paper recently published in Ecological Indicators notes that “diversity was determined by tree species richness, tree density, canopy cover, elevation and mean annual temperature.”

• Bhoj Kumar Archarya, the team leader from the university’s Department of Zoology explains that this study has helped break the stereotype that agriculture declines the wild biodiversity. The traditionally managed agroecosystems are not only the system for food production but are an important ecosystem that harbours habitats for different species of plants and animals. He adds that it is important to note that Sikkim is a fully organic state and results may vary when studied on farmland that uses chemicals

Indicator species: The Indian tortoiseshell (Aglais cachmirensis) was one of the 15 species selected to monitor the ecosystem. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Monitoring the ecosystem

• The team also identified 15 indicator species that can be used for long term ecological monitoring of the area. This included 11 habitat specialists, three monophagous, and two species that are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 (Schedule II). “These species are extremely sensitive and can survive only in a pristine environment. By tracking their numbers and behaviour we can find out if there are any changes in the ecosystem,” explains Kishor Sharma, a PhD scholar at the university and first author of the study.

• Wildlife Protection Act 1972 :The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants and animal species. Before 1972, India had only five designated national parks. Among other reforms, the Act established schedules of protected plant and animal species; hunting or harvesting these species was largely outlawed. The Act provides for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants; and for matters connected there with or ancillary or incidental thereto. It extends to the whole of India, except the State of Jammu and Kashmir which had its own wildlife act. 
• It has six schedules which give varying degrees of protection. Schedule I and part II of Schedule II provide absolute protection - offences under these are prescribed the highest penalties. Species listed in Schedule III and Schedule IV are also protected, but the penalties are much lower. Schedule V includes the animals which may be hunted. 
• The specified endemic plants in Schedule VI are prohibited from cultivation and planting. 
• The hunting to the Enforcement authorities have the power to compound offences under this Schedule (i.e. they impose fines on the offenders). Up to April 2010 there have been 16 convictions under this act relating to the death of tigers.

6.Bt cotton/gm modified cotton(gs-3)

• Context: GM cottonseeds approved as food by U.S. regulators
• Developers say it could be used to tackle malnutrition
• U.S. regulators on Friday gave the green light for genetically modified cotton to be used for human consumption, paving the way for a protein­packed new food source — edible cottonseed that tastes a bit like chickpeas — that its developers said could help tackle global malnutrition. The Food and Drug Administration’s decision on the cotton plant developed by Texas A&M University scientists means it is allowed as food for people and all types of animals

Bt cotton :

• Bt cotton was first approved for field trials in the United States in 1993, and first approved commercial use in the United States in 1995.Bt cotton was approved by the Chinese government in 1997.
• In 2002, a joint venture between Monsanto and Mahyco introduced Bt cotton to India.
• In 2011, India grew the largest GM cotton crop at 10.6 million hectares. The U.S. GM cotton crop was 4.0 million hectares, the second largest area in the world, followed by China with 3.9 million hectares and Pakistan with 2.6 million hectares. By 2014, 96% of cotton grown in the United States was genetically modified and 95% of cotton grown in India was GM. India is the largest producer of cotton, and GM cotton, as of 2014.
• Strains of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis produce over 200 different Bt toxins, each harmful to different insects. Most notably, Bt toxins are insecticidal to the larvae of moths and butterflies, beetles, cotton bollworms and ghtu flies but are harmless to other forms of life. The gene coding for Bt toxin has been inserted into cotton as a transgene, causing it to produce this natural insecticide in its tissues. In many regions, the main pests in commercial cotton are lepidopteran larvae, which are killed by the Bt protein in the genetically modified cotton they eat. This eliminates the need to use large amounts of broad-spectrum insecticides to kill lepidopteran pests (some of which have developed pyrethroid resistance). This spares natural insect predators in the farm ecology and further contributes to noninsecticide pest management.
• Bt cotton is ineffective against many cotton pests such as plant bugs, stink bugs, and aphids; depending on circumstances it may be desirable to use insecticides in prevention. A 2006 study done by Cornell researchers, the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy and the Chinese Academy of Science on Bt cotton farming in China found that after seven years these secondary pests that were normally controlled by pesticide had increased, necessitating the use of pesticides at similar levels to non-Bt cotton and causing less profit for farmers because of the extra expense of GM seeds

7.Typhoon Hagibis (Typhoon No. 19)(gs1,3)Context:Japan Hit By Typhoon Hagibis, "Unprecedented" Rain, Thousands In Shelters

Affected area Typhoon Hagibis (Typhoon No. 19) by google

• Japan's military scrambled Sunday to rescue people trapped by flooding in the aftermath of powerful Typhoon Hagibis, which killed at least four people, caused landslides and burst rivers.
• By Sunday morning, the significantly weakened storm had moved back off land, but it left in its wake a trail of destruction and forced Rugby World Cup organisers to cancel another match.
• Serious flooding was reported in central Japan's Nagano, where a burst levee sent swollen waters from the Chikuma river gushing into residential neighbourhoods, flooding homes up to the second floor.
• Japan's military deployed helicopters to rescue people seen in aerial footage standing on balconies waving towels to attract attention.

Hagibis:

The name Hagibis has been used to name four tropical cyclones in the western north Pacific Ocean. The name was contributed by the Philippines and means "rapidity" or "swiftness."

Tropical cyclone basins:

• Traditionally, areas of tropical cyclone formation are divided into seven basins. These include the north Atlantic Ocean, the eastern and western parts of the northern Pacific Ocean, the southwestern Pacific, the southwestern and southeastern Indian Oceans, and the northern Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal). The western Pacific is the most active and the north Indian the least active. An average of 86 tropical cyclones of tropical storm intensity form annually worldwide, with 47 reaching hurricane/typhoon strength, and 20 becoming intense tropical cyclones, super typhoons, or major hurricanes (at least of Category 3 intensity)

Tropical cyclones:

• Tropical cyclones are regarded as one of the most devastating natural calamities in the world.
• They originate and intensify over warm tropical oceans.
• These are ferocious storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas causing violent winds, very heavy rainfall, and storm outpourings.

Names of cyclone in different regions

• They are known as:
• Cyclones in the Indian Ocean
• Hurricanes in the Atlantic
• Typhoons in the Western Pacific and the South China Sea
• Willy-willies in Western Australia

Conditions for the formation of Tropical Cyclone

• The conditions which favour the formation and intensification of tropical cyclone storms are:
• Large sea surface with a temperature higher than 27° C
• Presence of the Coriolis force
• Small differences in the vertical wind speed
• A pre-existing weak- low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation
• Upper divergence above the sea level system

Formation of Cyclone

• The energy that strengthens the storm comes from the condensation process in the towering cumulonimbus clouds, surrounding the centre of the storm.
• With an uninterrupted supply of moisture from the sea, the storm is again strengthened.
• On reaching the terrestrial region the moisture supply is cut off and the storm dissipates.
• The place where a tropical cyclone cuts the coast is called the landfall of the cyclone.
• A landfall is frequently accompanied by sturdy winds, heavy rain and mounting sea waves that could threaten people and cause damage to properties.
• Cyclones which cross 20 degrees North latitude are more destructive.
• They cover a larger area and can originate over the land and sea whereas the tropical cyclones originate only over the seas and on reaching the land they dissipate.

Eye of Cyclone
A mature tropical cyclone is characterised by the strong spirally circulating wind around the centre which is called the eye.
The eye is an area with calm weather descending air.
It is characterized by light winds and clear skies.

Eye Wall
Around the eye is the eyewall, where there is a strong spiralling rise of air to a greater height reaching the tropopause.
The wind reaches maximum velocity in this region and torrential rain occurs here.
From the eyewall, rain bands may radiate and trains of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds may drift into the outer region.