CURRENT AFFAIRS 12 NOVEMBER 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS

12 NOVEMBER 2019

1.Index of Industrial Production (gs-3)

Context: Industrial production contracts 4.3% in September, lowest in 8 years
Factory output, as measured in terms of Index of Industrial Production (IIP), had expanded 4.6% in September 2018
Industrial activity in September contracted sharply by 4.3%, a historical low, driven by major slowdowns in the capital goods, mining, and manufacturing sectors, according to official data released on Monday.
The contraction in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in September is compared with the contraction of 1.1% in August. The Index had grown 4.3% in September of the previous year.

Index of Industrial Production :

Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an index which helps us understand the growth of various sectors in the Indian economy such as mining, electricity and manufacturing.
IIP is a short term indicator of industrial growth till the results from Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) and National Accounts Statistics (Eg: GDP) are available.
The base year of the index is given a value of 100. The current base year for the IIP series in India is 2011-12. So, if the current IIP reads 180, it means that there has been 80% industrial growth compared to the base year, ie 2011-12.

Who releases IIP?

Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
IIP is published monthly, six weeks after the reference month ends

Index of Industrial Production Importance

The Index is used by government agencies and departments such as the Finance Ministry and the RBI for policy making.
It is also used for estimating the Gross Value Added of the manufacturing sector on a quarterly basis.
In addition, the Index is also used by business analysts, financial experts and the private industry for multiple purposes.
It is the only measure on the physical volume of production.
It is also extremely useful for the projection of advance GDP estimates.

IIP Latest Change

The latest change in the IIP was made in 2017.
Any index is to be subject to changes and modifications like changing the base year, including more items in the basket, etc.
The new and current base year for IIP is 2011 – 12. The previous base year was 2004 – 05.
Another change was the inclusion and deletion of certain items in the data series.
Some items introduced:
Refined palm oil
Surgical accessories
Cement clinkers
Some items removed:
Chewing tobacco
Tooth brush
Calculators
Fans
Watches
Pens
This is the 9th base year revision ever since IIP was first published in 1950. The first base year was 1937.

Core industries in the IIP

The following table represents the weight of the eight core industries in the IIP.:

Industry	Weight
Coal	10.33
Electricity	19.85
Crude oil	8.98
Cement	5.37
Natural gas	6.88
Steel	17.92
Refinery products	28.04
Fertilisers	2.63
Total	100

2.SAFAR(gs-3)

Context: Brace for ‘severe’ air quality today, tomorrow: SAFAR
The AQI is expected to come back to ‘very poor’ category on Thursday
Delhi’s air quality stayed in the ‘very poor’ category on Monday and is expected to fall to the ‘severe’ category on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The air quality is expected to come back to ‘very poor’ category on Thursday.
The city’s Air Quality Index on Monday was 360 (very poor), slightly up from 321 (very poor) on Sunday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

SAFAR:

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) is a national initiative introduced by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) to measure the air quality of a metropolitan city, by measuring the overall pollution level and the location-specific air quality of the city.
The system is indigenously developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune and is operationalized by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
It has a giant true color LED display that gives out real-time air quality index on a 24x7 basis with color-coding (along with 72 hours advance forecast).
The ultimate objective of the project is to increase awareness among the general public regarding the air quality in their city so that appropriate mitigation measures and systematic action can be taken up.
It organizes awareness drive by educating the public (prompting self-mitigation), and
It also helps the policy-makers to develop mitigation strategies keeping in mind the nation’s economic development.
SAFAR is an integral part of India’s first Air Quality Early Warning System operational in Delhi.
It monitors all weather parameters like temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction, UV radiation, and solar radiation.
Pollutants monitored: PM2.5, PM10, Ozone, Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Benzene, Toluene, Xylene, and Mercury.
The World Meteorological Organization has recognized SAFAR as a prototype activity on the basis of the high-quality control and standards maintained in its implementation.
SAFAR system would benefit cost savings to several other sectors like agriculture, aviation, infrastructure, disaster management, tourism, etc. which directly or indirectly gets affected by air quality and weather.

Air Quality Index (AQI)

The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality.
It focuses on health effects one might experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air.
AQI is calculated for eight major air pollutants:
Ground-level ozone,
PM10,
PM2.5,
Carbon monoxide,
Sulfur dioxide,
Nitrogen dioxide,
Ammonia,
Lead,
Ground-level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health in India.

3.Sambhar Lake (gs-3)

Context:Mystery shrouds death of thousands of birds around Sambhar Lake
Hundreds of migratory birds of over a dozen species have been found dead in Sambhar lake area near Jaipur.
Water contamination is suspected to be the cause behind the birds’ death, said officials, adding, the exact reason, however, would be clear only after testing their viscera.
The birds, numbering around 1,500, were found dead on Sunday in over five to seven square km area around the Sambhar Lake, which is a well-known wetland of international importance and is visited by tens of thousands of migratory birds during winter

Sambhar Lake:

The Sambhar Salt Lake, India's largest inland salt lake, a bowl shape lake is in Jaipur.
It is not part of the Ganga river basin area and is geographically a separate land locked river basin.
The lake is actually an extensive saline wetland, with water depths fluctuating from as few as 60 centimetres (24 in) during the dry season to about 3 meters (10 ft) after the monsoon season.
The circumference of the lake is 96 km, surrounded on all sides by the Aravali hills.
It is India's largest saline lake and is the source of most of Rajasthan's salt production.
Sambhar has been designated as a Ramsar site (recognized wetland of international importance) because the wetland is a key wintering area for tens of thousands of flamingos and other birds that migrate from northern Asia.
The specialized algae and bacteria growing in the lake provide striking water colours and support the lake ecology that, in turn, sustains the migrating waterfowl.
There is other wildlife in the nearby forests, where Nilgai move freely along with deer and foxes.

4.Suranga Bawadi on World

Monument Watch list(gs-1,3)

Context:Suranga Bawadi, an integral part of the ancient Karez system of supplying water through subterranean tunnels built during Adil Shahi era in Vijayapura, is now set to get funding for restoration. A New York-based non-governmental organisation has included it in the World Monument Watch list for 2020 along with 24 other monuments from across the world.

Among 25 monuments:

The monument has been selected under the ‘Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau’ by World Monuments Fund [the NGO], which monitors restoration of ancient monuments across the globe.
With this, the Suranga Bawadi is expected to get funds for restoration within the next two years

5.New National Water Policy(gs-2)

Context: Committee to draft new water policy
The Union Water Resources Ministry has finalised a committee to draft a new National Water Policy (NWP). It will be chaired by Mihir Shah, who is a former Planning Commission member and a water expert. The committee has 10 principal members, including Shashi Shekhar, a former secretary of Water Resources, and A.B. Pandya, former chairman of the Central Ground Water Board.
The committee is expected to produce a report within six months.

New National Water Policy….(source:pib)

Ministry of Water Resources has evolved the Draft National Water Policy (2012) to meet the present challenges in the water sector. The salient features of the Draft National Water Policy (2012) are at Annexure I.
State Governments have been actively involved while drafting the Policy. The National Water Board comprising of Chief Secretaries of all the States and Secretaries of related Union Ministries considered the draft National Water Policy (2012) at its Meeting held on 7th June, 2012. Thereafter, the National Water Resources Council with Chief Ministers of all States as members is to consider and adopt the draft National Water Policy (2012) arrived at as per deliberations in the National Water Board.
There is no proposal at present for a separate Interlinking River Policy. However, the draft National Water Policy (2012) stipulates that inter basin transfers of water should be considered on the basis of merits of each case after evaluating the environmental, economic and social impacts of such transfers.
The comparative details of National Water Policies of 1987, 2002 and draft National Water Policy (2012), sector-wise, are at Annexure II.
The Supreme Court in its order dated 27.02.2012 has directed the Union of India and particularly the Ministry of Water Resources to forth with constitute a Committee to be called ‘Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers’. Accordingly, the Government is constituting the High Power Committee for interlinking of rivers as per the direction of the Supreme Court. The nomination from the States involved in the Inter-linking of rivers have been called for.
The draft National Water Policy (2012) is to be considered by the National Water Resources Council (NWRC) for adoption. Thereafter, the National Water Policy would be recommended to all States for implementation.
This information was given by Union Water Resources Minister Shri Harish Rawat in the Rajya Sabha today in reply to a written question.

6.anemia(gs-2)

Context:Every fourth Indian man has anaemia: A study published in The Lancet Global Health journal
A study published in The Lancet Global Health journal on Friday, based on data from at least 100,000 males aged between 15 to 54, has found that one in four men in India suffers from anaemia.
Pregnant women and kids are particularly vulnerable to anaemia, which refers to insufficient red blood cells or their oxygen-carrying capacity in the body. Iron deficiency is thought to be the most common cause for it globally. Other conditions like folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin A deficiencies as well as parasitic infections and inherited disorders can also cause anaemia, which is associated with drowsiness, weakness, fatigue and dizziness in its severe form.

According to the study conducted from January 2015 to December 2016, around 18% of the males had mild anaemia, 5% moderate anaemia, and 0.5% severe anaemia, which leads to decreased productivity by causing fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, and lethargy.
s part of the government’s POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) Abhiyaan launched in March 2018, the anaemia-mukt Bharat strategy has been designed to reduce prevalence of anaemia by 3 percentage points per year among children, adolescents and women in the reproductive age group (15–49 years), between the years 2018 and 2022
Awasthi collaborated with Harvard University, UN World Food Programme, and Germany’s Heidelberg, Giessen, and Goettingen universities for the study.

Anemia:

What is Anemia?

Anaemia, also spelled as Anemia is the most common blood-related disorder which occurs mainly by the abnormally low levels of red blood cells.
Anaemia is also referred to as the iron deficiency disorder because iron is required to produce haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that facilitates to carry oxygen all around the body. There are more than 400 types of anaemia, which are caused by blood loss, decreased in the production of red blood cells, the destruction of red blood cells, etc.

Causes of Anaemia

Anaemia is a blood disorder that occurs when our blood does not have enough red blood cells. This deficiency can also be caused by:
Autoimmune reaction
Destruction of red blood cells
Severe blood loss by an injury or any accidents
Poor diet and deficiency of iron mineral in the body
In very rare cases, anaemia can also be hereditary, which affects infants at the time of birth.

Symptoms of Anaemia

The anaemia symptoms vary according to the type of anaemia, the severity and any other health-related issues including haemorrhaging, ulcers, menstrual problems in women’s, cancer, etc.

Common Symptoms of anaemia include:

Pica.
Insomnia.
Seizures.
Jaundice.
Vomiting.
Pale skin.
Leg cramps.
Constipation.
Abdominal pain.
Severe joint pains.
Shortness of breath.
Headache and Dizziness.
Susceptibility to infection
Difficulty in concentrating.
Unusual or rapid heartbeat.
Fatigue and Loss of energy.
Stiffness of the arms and legs.
Dark Brown or red coloured urine.
A tingling sensation in the hands and feet.
Delayed growth and development in children.
Anaemia is the most common blood disorder which affects 24.8(%) of the world’s population. children and women’s are at a greater risk of developing this blood disorder and it increases as people grow older. There are many causes of Anaemia, certain factors include a hereditary, poor diet, deficiency of certain nutrients, and loss of blood during pregnancy, menstrual cycle, injuries, and any other internal bleedings.

Important Question on Anemia

List out the main risk factors associated with the Anaemia?

Following are the list of factors associated with the increased risk of anaemia:

Age
Loss of blood
Chronic and autoimmune disorders
Family history of an inherited anaemia
Kidney failure and other Intestinal disorders
Having a diet that is consistently low in minerals and vitamins
A history of certain infections, blood diseases and autoimmune disorders
Exposure alcoholism and other toxic chemicals, that affect the production of a red blood cell.
What happens if the patients suffering from Anaemia is left untreated?
If the patients suffering from Anaemia is left untreated, it may result into a various health problems, including, severe fatigue, heart related disorders, caused by the lack of oxygen in the blood, Pregnancy complications like giving birth to a premature baby, acute, severe anemia, and can also lead to life-threatening complications which can also lead to a death of a patient.

How to prevent the cause of Anaemia?

Anaemia is the most common blood disorder which is caused by the deficiency of nutrients in the food. Having healthy and balanced diet food that includes a variety of vitamins and Iron-rich foods can prevent the loss of red blood cells in our body.

Anemia Mukt Bharat:

Objectives
The reduction of anemia is one of the important objectives of the POSHAN Abhiyaan launched in March 2018. Complying with the targets of POSHAN Abhiyaan and National Nutrition Strategy set by NITI Aayog, the Anemia Mukt Bharat strategy has been designed to reduce prevalence of anemia by 3 percentage points per year among children, adolescents and women in the reproductive age group (15–49 years), between the year 2018 and 2022.
Beneficiaries and Targets
The strategy is estimated to reach out to 450 million beneficiaries with specific anemia prevalence targets for year 2022 to be achieved among various population groups
Anemia Mukt Bharat beneficiaries and anemia reduction targets for different age groups for 2022

7.Public Service Broadcasting Day to be celebrated today

(gs-2)

Public Service Broadcasting Day will be celebrated today. The day is celebrated every year to commemorate the first and last visit of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947.
The Father of the Nation addressed the displaced people, who had temporarily settled at Kurukshetra in Haryana after partition.
A function will also be organized at the premises of All India Radio in New Delhi to mark the occasion.

About Prasar Bharati

Prasar Bharati is a statutory autonomous body established under the Prasar Bharati Act and came into existence on 23.11.1997. It is the Public Service Broadcaster of the country. The objectives of public service broadcasting are achieved in terms of Prasar Bharati Act through All India Radio and Doordarshan, which earlier were working as media units under the Ministry of I&B and since the above said date became constituents of Prasar Bharati.

All India Radio:

All India Radio (AIR), officially known since 1956 as Akashvani ("Voice from the Sky"), is the national public radio broadcaster of India and is a division of Prasar Bharati. It was established in 1936. It is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, an Indian television broadcaster. Headquartered in the Akashvani Bhavan building in New Delhi, it houses the Drama Section, the FM Section, the National Service, and is also home to the Indian television station Doordarshan Kendra, (Delhi).
All India Radio is the largest radio network in the world, and one of the largest broadcasting organizations in the world in terms of the number of languages broadcast and the spectrum of socio-economic and cultural diversity it serves. AIR’s home service comprises 420 stations located across the country, reaching nearly 92% of the country’s area and 99.19% of the total population. AIR originates programming in 23 languages and 179 dialects

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