Factfile OF Cyclones

The word cyclone has been derived from Greek word ‘cyclos’ which means ‘coiling of a snake’. The word cyclone was coined by Heary Piddington who worked as a Rapporteur in Kolkata during British rule. The terms “hurricane” and “typhoon” are region specific names for a strong “tropical cyclone”. Tropical cyclones are called “Hurricanes” over the Atlantic Ocean and “Typhoons” over the Pacific Ocean. 

A tropical cyclone is a rotational low pressure system in tropics when the central pressure falls by 5 to 6 hPa from the surrounding and maximum sustained wind speed reaches 34 knots (about 62 kmph). It is a vast violent whirl of 150 to 800 km, spiraling around a centre and progressing along the surface of the sea at a rate of 300 to 500 km a day.

Cyclone Prone Areas in IndiaIndia has a coastline of about 7,516 km of which 5,400 km is along the mainland. The entire coast is affected by cyclones with varying frequency and intensity. Although the North Indian Ocean (the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea) generates only about 7% of the world's cyclones (5 to 6 Tropical Cyclones per year) their impact is comparatively high and devastating, especially when they strike the coasts bordering the North Bay of Bengal.

Thirteen coastal states and Union Territories (UTs) in the country are affected by tropical cyclones. Four states (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal) and one UT (Puducherry) on the east coast and one state (Gujarat) on the west coast are more vulnerable to cyclone hazards.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is the nodal government agency that provides weather services related to cyclones in India.

Classification of Cyclones in India: The criteria followed by Meteorological Department of India (IMD) to classify the low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal and in the Arabian Sea as adopted by World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) are as under: 

Type of Disturbances	Associated Wind Speed in the Circulation
Low pressure Area	Less than17 knots (<31 kmph="" p="">
Depression	17 to 27 knots (31 to 49 kmph)
Deep Depression	28 to 33 knots (50 to 61 kmph)
Cyclonic Storm	34 to 47 knots (62 to 88 kmph)
Severe Cyclonic Storm	48 to 63 knots (89 to 118 kmph)
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm	64 to 119 knots (119 to 221 kmph)
Super Cyclonic Storm	120 knots and above (222 kmph and above)

Recent Cyclones of Andhra Pradesh

Name of the Cyclone	Year of Occurrence
Hudhud	12 October 2014
Lehar	25 November 2013
Helen	21 November 2013
Nilam	October 2012
Laila	May 2010
Khai-Muk	November 2008
Yemyin	June 2007

The recent deadly cyclones that hit Indian coastCyclone Phailin (2013) – The Cyclone Phailin is a category 5 storm that struck the Odisha and Andhra coast on 11 October 2013 causing massive destruction in the region- affecting 12 million people. Phailin is a Thai word which means Sapphire. This cyclone prompted India's biggest evacuation in 23 years with more than 5,50,000 people being moved from the coastline in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to safer shelters. Phailin brought very heavy rain of over 600 mm at many stations of Odisha. It also damaged crops worth Rs 2,400 crore and claimed over 40 lives. Loses due to Cyclone Phailin were estimated to be around rupees 420 crore.

Cyclone Nilam (2012) - Cyclonic Storm Nilam was the deadliest tropical cyclone to directly affect south India that made landfall near Mahabalipuram on October 31 as a strong cyclonic storm with peak winds of 85 kmph. Nilam caused economic losses of around Rs 100 crore because of torrential rain. 

Cyclone Thane (2011) - Thane was the strongest tropical cyclone of 2011 that became a very severe cyclonic storm on December 28, as it approached the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and made landfall at north Tamil Nadu coast between Cuddalore and Puducherry on December 30. Thane left at least 46 people dead in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Cuddalore and Puducherry were the worst affected areas. 

Cyclone Laila (2010) - Severe cyclonic storm Laila made a landfall in Andhra Pradesh on the 20 May 2010 and caused major flooding and damage along its path. Ongole in Andhra Pradesh recorded heavy rainfall of about 460 mm in just two days. Another town Addanki received the highest rainfall of 522 mm. The state government faced a loss of over Rs 500 crore due to Cyclone Laila.

Cyclone Jal (2010) - Cyclone Jal killed at least 54 people in India alone. About 300 thousand hectares of cropland was devastated by the cyclone. The remnants of Jal continued to move northwest, brought light to moderate spells of rain in India's warmest state of Rajasthan and also in Gujarat.

Cyclone Phyan (2009) - Cyclonic Storm Phyan developed as a tropical disturbance in the Arabian Sea to the southwest of Colombo in Sri Lanka on November 4, 2009 and made landfall in south India on November 7. Massive damage to property was reported in coastal districts of Maharashtra, such as Ratnagiri, Raigad, Sindhudurg, Thane and Palghar.

Cyclone Nisha (2008) - Over 180 people were killed in Tamil Nadu alone due to heavy rain and floods caused by the cyclone. Orathanadu, in Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu received over 990 mm of rain within 24 hours. The total amount of rainfall received from Nisha was about 1280 mm. The damage caused by the cyclone was estimated to be about 3789 crores.

The 30 Deadliest Tropical Cyclones in World History

Rank	Name / Areas of Largest Loss	Year	Ocean Area	Deaths
1.	Great Bhola Cyclone, Bangladesh	1970	Bay of Bengal	500,000
2.	Hooghly River Cyclone, India and Bangladesh	1737	Bay of Bengal	300,000
3.	Haiphong Typhoon, Vietnam	1881	West Pacific	300,000
3.	Coringa, India	1839	Bay of Bengal	300,000
5.	Backerganj Cyclone, Bangladesh	1584	Bay of Bengal	200,000
6.	Great Backerganj Cyclone, Bangladesh	1876	Bay of Bengal	200,000
7.	Chittagong, Bangladesh	1897	Bay of Bengal	175,000
8.	Super Typhoon Nina, China	1975	West Pacific	171,000
9.	Cyclone 02B, Bangladesh	1991	Bay of Bengal	140,000
9.	Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar	2008	Bay of Bengal	140,000
11.	Great Bombay Cyclone, India	1882	Arabian Sea	100,000
12.	Hakata Bay Typhoon, Japan	1281	West Pacific	65,000
13.	Calcutta, India	1864	Bay of Bengal	60,000
14.	Swatlow, China	1922	West Pacific	60,000
15.	Barisal, Bangladesh	1822	Bay of Bengal	50,000
15.	Sunderbans coast, Bangladesh	1699	Bay of Bengal	50,000
15.	India	1833	Bay of Bengal	50,000
15.	India	1854	Bay of Bengal	50,000
19.	Bengal Cyclone, Calcutta, India	1942	Bay of Bengal	40,000
19.	Bangladesh	1912	Bay of Bengal	40,000
19.	Bangladesh	1919	Bay of Bengal	40,000
22.	Canton, China	1862	West Pacific	37,000
23.	Backerganj (Barisal), Bangladesh	1767	Bay of Bengal	30,000
24.	Barisal, Bangladesh	1831	Bay of Bengal	22,000
25.	Great Hurricane, Lesser Antilles Islands	1780	Atlantic	22,000
26.	Devi Taluk, SE India	1977	Bay of Bengal	20,000
26.	Great Coringa Cyclone, India	1789	Bay of Bengal	20,000
28.	Bangladesh	1965 (11 May)	Bay of Bengal	19,279
29.	Nagasaki Typhoon, Japan	1828	Western Pacific	15,000
30.	Bangladesh	1965 (31 May)	Bay of Bengal	12,000

National Integration Council

Prime Minister is the Chairman of National Integration Council (NIC). It has 144 members including Union Ministers, Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry with legislatures, Leaders of National Political Parties and Regional Political Parties, Chairpersons of National Commissions, Eminent Media Persons, Eminent Public Figures, Representatives of Business and Women’s Representatives.

The 16^th meeting of the National Integration Council was held on September 23, 2013 at VigyanBhawan, New Delhi.

 Click here to see The list of Members of  NIC  is as under:

Protection to Western Ghats

The recommendations of the two reports on the Western Ghats, one by the Madhav Gadgil and the other by the K. Kasturiranga led the Environment Ministry to turn approximately 60,000 square kilometres of the Western Ghats across six States into an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), banning mining, quarrying, thermal power plants and polluting industries over the entire range. All other projects would be allowed only with the prior consent of gram sabhas (village councils) in the zone.
The decision, once formally notified, would make the identified region of the Western Ghats complex the largest protected forests in India ranging over 1,500 km linear distance from the Tapti river in the north to Kanyakumari in the south. Going with the recommendations of the high-level panel that was headed by Mr. Kasturirangan, the Ministry has decided to declare the ESA over 37% of the Western Ghats under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
The Ministry has drafted the notification and it will be put out soon for comments. Natarajan has approved the use of three criteria that the panel had recommended — biodiversity richness, fragmentation of forests and human population density to demarcate these forest patches that would turn into a no-go zone for mining, thermal power plants and other dirty industries.
The type of industries banned would be those included in the ‘red list’ issued by the government under the Environment Protection Act. These are usually considered to be the most polluting of the lot. Going against the recommendation of the Environment Secretary, the Minister retained the criteria to leave areas with high-density of population out of this regulated zone’s ambit. The panel had recommended that the hill tracts with high population densities be kept out of the ESA ambit. It had advised against using the legal force that the ESA would provide to alter the economic practices in these areas, instead suggesting economic and other tools to incentivise more ecologically sustainable activities.
Within the ESA prior consent from the gram sabhas and strict adherence to the Forest Rights Act would be made mandatory for any of the projects that are not on the negative list. This too would be done after studying cumulative impacts of the projects in the region.
Townships and buildings over 20,000 square metres in the region too would not be allowed once the draft notification is published. But those already in the pipeline in different States would be allowed to go ahead. Applications for such townships would not be entertained in future.
The Ministry has decided to not go with the recommendations of the high-level panel in the case of windmills. Construction of windmills would be permitted in the ecologically sensitive area though environment regulations to review their impact may be brought in through other legal routes available to the government.
Hydro-electric projects would be permitted in the ESA but with a new set of strict regulations that the Kasturirangan-led panel has recommended, including those on maintaining ecological flows in the rivers.

Tribal Problems

The tribals are a special concern of the nation in view of their low technological development, general economic backwardness, and complex problems of socio-cultural adjustment to distinctive cultural identity. Development of tribals and tribal areas is a challenging task for the government, as they are spread over a wide spectrum of diversities of geographical location, socio-economic and politico-cultural conditions.

Despite its popular as well as academic usage, tribe is a contentious concept. In popular imagination, tribe is associated with “primitivism” and “backwardness,” clearly referring to non-Western or indigenous groups inhabiting the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America or to American Indian reservations.
Approximately 8.2 percent of the total Indian population has been designated as “Scheduled Tribes” (STs), according to the Indian census of 2001. The official Web site of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, states that “the Scheduled Tribes are the tribes or tribal communities or part of or groups within these tribes and tribal communities which have been declared as such by the President through a public notification.” The Indian government regards retention of “primitive” traits, geographical isolation, possessing distinct culture, shyness of contact with the community at large, and economic backwardness as the essential characteristics of Scheduled Tribes.
Many tribes have come to symbolize the most victimized segments of societies. It is a strange paradox that although they inhabit the most resource-rich regions of the world, many of them are in a state of impoverishment. They are the most severely affected victims of induced development, such as the establishment of mega-hydroelectric projects, conservation through parks, sanctuaries and bioreserves, mining and allied activities, urbanization and industrialization, ecotourism projects, and so on.
The tribal people are concentrated in four regions. They form a majority in the north-eastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Naga­land, Manipur, Mizoram, and Meghalaya. However, the majority of the tribals live in the belt of middle India from Gujarat to Bengal. In states like Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Odisha the tribals account for more than 20 per cent of the population. In Jhakhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan, the percentage of tribals ranges between 4 to 15 per cent of the total population. However, in the entire middle Indian zone, the tribals are in a majority only in 13 districts. The third zone of tribal concentration is the ‘Himalayan region’ extending from Kashmir to Sikkim. In the far South, we have the fourth area of concentration, but the population is rather small. There are nearly 450 distinctive tribal groups in the country varying in size from around four millions to a bare two dozen. Their styles of living are largely determined by their means of subsistence which includes a wide spectrum of activities such as hunting and food gathering. Artisan groups are engaged in different types of arts and crafts and some are employed as industrial labour. Although the bulk of the tribals are reported to be Hindu in the census, substantial numbers have been converted to Christianity and some to Islam and Buddhism. Some others still follow their traditional faiths.
The history of the tribes has been a history of becoming peasants. It is the policy of the government to minimise the extent of shifting cultivation, promote terrace cultivation and apply the new agricultural strategy to the tribal region and to accelerate the flow of capital for agriculture there in. There has been a diffusion of improved agricultural technology by governmental agencies. Efforts are being made to develop innovative technologies which would yield results in drought-prone areas and highlands. At present much of the settled cultivation is at subsistence level and the majority of the tribal produce is not marketed. They sometimes make distress sales in order to buy some necessities.
In the central zone of tribal concentration agrarian issue stand at the centre of development. In the western zone we find land scarcity and land hunger. This is due to the expulsion of the tribes in those regions by the more vigorous Rajput, Maratha, and other Hindu peasantry. Other contributory factors to land hunger are low productivity  of land, the primitive mode of agriculture and the continued exploitation of tribals by others against whom protective legislation do not afford sufficient safeguards and the non-diversification for tribal economy.

Integration in which attempts will be made to bring the tribals in the mainstream of national life without destroying their distinctive identity. Indian culture is like a mosaic in which its separate elements add to its beauty. Anthropologists regard the integration of the tribes into the mainstream of Indian life as a natural and desirable goal. They only insist on care and caution on planning for the tribes and emphasize restraints in certain areas against innovations of doubtful value. The essential elements of anthropological thinking on the problem have been largely incorporated in national policies. They have emphasi­sed the importance of understanding tribal culture, identifying not only their different problems but the integrative forces in their life bringing out the vital linkages in their cultural fabric. They have pleaded for cautious formulation of development plans with a view to harmonise tribal needs with regional and national interests. They recommend a careful watch on the trends set in motion by these measures with a view to eliminating elements that destroy their social solidarity and kill their zest for living.
The Constitution of India provides specific measures for the protection and promotion of the social and economic interests of the Scheduled Tribes (STs). These include: reservation of seats in the legislature, educational institutions, services and posts, a tribal development program and provisions for autonomy.
The Constitution of India ensures the political representation of Scheduled Tribes in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) of the Parliament and in the State Legislative Assemblies through reserved seats.
Reservation in Educational Institutions and Services: Article 15(4) of the Indian Constitution provides for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in educational institutions. In order to improve the social situation of the tribal people, the government has, in addition to quotas in education, also designed a reservation policy for employment in government services. Depending on the respective positions, posts reserved for members of "Scheduled Tribes" are either in proportion to the tribal population of the state in question, or – in most cases – comprise 7.5% of the total number of government jobs.
Geographical areas designated as Fifth and Sixth Scheduled areas by independent India are identical to those already delineated by the British as Scheduled Areas.
Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996: This act is aimed primarily at promoting village-level democracy through the Panchayat Raj institutions. It includes changes aimed at adapting the generally established system for use in the Scheduled Areas, which have a different socio-economic and politico-administrative setting.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Tribes: Article 338 of the Constitution provides for the appointment of a Special Officer for Scheduled Tribes and Castes by the President, who is commissioned to investigate and report to the President on all matters relating to the constitutional safeguards on Scheduled Tribes and Castes. A National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was subsequently created to take over these responsibilities.
Promotion of the economic and educational interests of the Scheduled Tribes and their protection from social injustice and exploitation are enshrined as a national goal in article 46 of the Constitution. Realizing that earlier programs under the central government's Five-Year Plans had failed to address the development needs, marginalization and exploitation of tribal communities, the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) was devised as a new strategy in the Fifth Five-Year Plan in 1973. It is still the approach that guides development programs in tribal areas. Its main objectives are to eliminate exploitation, to speed up social and economic development, and to promote and improve the organisational capacity of tribal people.

India's Look East Policy

India's Look East Policy of 1991 was inclined towards improving and strengthening her relations with neighbouring South East Asian countries which had been neglected for a long time and explore the economic opportunities in the region by access to its growing markets where China had already penetrated. It was developed and enacted during the Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao and rigorously pursued by the successive administrations of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.

The policy came specifically at the time of economic liberalization reforms and the post cold war phase of non-existent rival political alliances. It was the first time when India took recourse to improving her relations with the neighboring South East Asian countries of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and making a place in the emerging global economy by going beyond the confines of SAARC.

In her bid to improve the bilateral and multilateral relations with the South East Asian region, it was conducive and pertinent for India to forge strong ties and co-operation with the biggest association and Bloc of the South East Asian countries i.e. the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian countries) formed in 1967 for geopolitical and economic organization. Some of the major areas where India and ASEAN proposed and worked together have been Political and security Issues with forums such as India and ASEAN Regional Forum(ARF) Of 1996, Mekong Ganga Project(MGC) of 1997, Free Trade Agreement(FTA) of 2008 as the first multilateral Trade agreement by India for co-operation in Information Technology, ASEAN India business summits of 2002 and 2009 which addressed the six key areas of economic integration, people to people contacts, agriculture, human resource development, education, science and technology and information and communication technology, Bay of Bengal initiative for Multi Sectoral technical cooperation (BIMSTEC) of 2008 and East Asia Summit (EAS) of 2009.

A to Z of Food Security Bill, 2013

Lok Sabha has passed Food Security Bill, 2013(FSB) on august, 2013. FSB aims to provide highly subsidized food grains to nearly 67% of population of India (50% urban and 75% rural) under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). 

Some  facts on FSB are: 

1. Drafted by the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council in 2010, the Bill originally proposed legal food entitlement for 75% of India’s population


2. A panel led by C Rangarajan recommended lowering entitlements and reforming PDS


3. 75% of rural and 50% of urban population - an estimated 800 mn people - are to receive 5 kg of wheat, rice and coarse cereals at Rs 3, Rs 2 and Rs 1 a kg, respectively. The Bill doesn’t include pulses and edible oils, as the country lacks supply of these


4. As the govt will procure more grains, farmers might be dissuaded from growing cash crops.


5. The present PDS system does not have the legal umbrella. The legal entitlement in the Bill provides beneficiaries the right to take the govt to court if they are denied the service.


6. For now, the govt proposes to implement it through existing system of ration shops. Later, it could be shifted to a modernised PDS that works on biometric ration cards.


7. The grain required to cover the whole population is estimated at 77 mt, while the govt’s annual procurement has averaged around 60 mt.


8. The govt’s food subsidy bill will rise from the present Rs 90,000 crore to over Rs 130,000 crore. Besides inflation fears, the rise in subsidy bill could affect govt’s ability to contain its fiscal deficit at 4.8% of GDP.


9. Pregnant women and lactating mothers would receive a maternity benefit of at least Rs. 6,000.


10. Children aged six months to 14 years would get take-home ration or hot cooked food.


11. The Centre would also provide money to states and union territories if it runs low on grain.


12. The Union government also would provide “assistance” towards the cost of intra-state transportation, handling of grains.


13. In a bid to give women more authority in running their households, the oldest adult woman in each house would be considered the head of that household for issue of ration card.


14. Beneficiary will be identified by states based on parameters prescribed by the Union Government.

Fact Sheet- Rajasthan Assembly Election

Date of Polling :-  ( Sunday) 1.12.2013 & Counting of Votes : (Sunday) 8.12.2013 S.No Item 1 Number & Types of AssemblyConstituencies in the state General        141 SC          34 ST          25 Total        200 2 Population of the State                            71266625 3 Total Electors 4,06,08,056 4 Female/Male Ratio 897 5 Percentage of EPIC issued 99.43 6 Number of Recognized State Parties Nil 7 Smallest Assembly constituency (Areawise) Not determined 8 Smallest Assembly constituency(Electorate wise) 77-Baseri (SC) 9 Largest Assembly constituency (area wise) Not determined 10 Largest Assembly constituency(Electorate wise) 46-Jhotwara 11 Total No. of Polling Stations 45,334 12 Number of General, Expenditure , Police & Awareness Observers  deployed General Observers :200, Police Observers :14 , Expenditure Observers : 56,Awareness Observers :11 13 Poll expenditure limit per candidate (as per M/o Law Notification No. 11019(1)/2011-Leg.II dated 23rd February, 2011 Rs 16 Lakh

Fact Sheet- Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election

Date of Polling : ( Monday) 25.11.2013 & Date of Counting : (Sunday) 8.12.2013 S.No Item 1 Number Types of Assembly Constituencies General 148 SC 35 ST 47 Total 230 2 Population of the State 75342145 {As per census projected} 3 Total Electors 4,64,57,724 4 Female/Male Ratio 897.46 5 Percentage of EPIC issued 100% 6 Number of Recognized State Parties 06 7 Smallest Assembly constituency (Electoratewise) Kotma – (141545) (District – Anuppur) 8 Largest Assembly constituency (Electoratewise) Indore-5 (308563) (District – Indore) 9 Total No. of Polling Stations 53,896 10 Number of General, Expenditure , Police & Awareness Observers  deployed General Observers :230, Police Observers :20 , Expenditure Observers :100,Awareness Observers : 17 11 Poll expenditure limit per candidate as per M/o Law Notification No. 11019(1)/2011-Leg.II dated 23rd February, 2011             Rs. 16 Lakh