Sunday, October 26, 2014

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 IndiaGeneral EssaysIndia 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 CycloneYear of Occurrence
Hudhud12 October 2014
Lehar25 November 2013
Helen21 November 2013
NilamOctober 2012
LailaMay 2010
Khai-MukNovember 2008
YemyinJune 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, Bangladesh1970Bay of Bengal500,000
2.Hooghly River Cyclone, India and Bangladesh1737Bay of Bengal300,000
3.Haiphong Typhoon, Vietnam1881West Pacific300,000
3.Coringa, India1839Bay of Bengal300,000
5.Backerganj Cyclone, Bangladesh1584Bay of Bengal200,000
6.Great Backerganj Cyclone, Bangladesh1876Bay of Bengal200,000
7.Chittagong, Bangladesh1897Bay of Bengal175,000
8.Super Typhoon Nina, China1975West Pacific171,000
9.Cyclone 02B, Bangladesh1991Bay of Bengal140,000
9.Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar2008Bay of Bengal140,000
11.Great Bombay Cyclone, India1882Arabian Sea100,000
12.Hakata Bay Typhoon, Japan1281West Pacific65,000
13.Calcutta, India1864Bay of Bengal60,000
14.Swatlow, China1922West Pacific60,000
15.Barisal, Bangladesh1822Bay of Bengal50,000
15.Sunderbans coast, Bangladesh1699Bay of Bengal50,000
15.India1833Bay of Bengal50,000
15.India1854Bay of Bengal50,000
19.Bengal Cyclone, Calcutta, India1942Bay of Bengal40,000
19.Bangladesh1912Bay of Bengal40,000
19.Bangladesh1919Bay of Bengal40,000
22.Canton, China1862West Pacific37,000
23.Backerganj (Barisal), Bangladesh1767Bay of Bengal30,000
24.Barisal, Bangladesh1831Bay of Bengal22,000
25.Great Hurricane, Lesser Antilles Islands1780Atlantic22,000
26.Devi Taluk, SE India1977Bay of Bengal20,000
26.Great Coringa Cyclone, India1789Bay of Bengal20,000
28.Bangladesh1965 (11 May)Bay of Bengal19,279
29.Nagasaki Typhoon, Japan1828Western Pacific15,000
30.Bangladesh1965 (31 May)Bay of Bengal12,000

India's Mars Mission: A Fact File

India made history by successfully placing its spacecraft in orbit around Mars on 24th September, 2014. It became the first country in the world to succeed in such an inter-planetary mission in the maiden attempt itself. In the early hours ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft was successfully slowed down to be captured by the Red Planet's gravity. Earlier on September 22, 2014, 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) was successfully test fired. Only the US, Europe and Russia have previously sent missions to Mars, but India is the first country to succeed on its first attempt.

ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission is India's first interplanetary mission to planet Mars with an orbiter craft designed to orbit Mars in an elliptical orbit. The Mission is primarily a technological mission involves in the capability to survive and perform Earth bound manoeuvres, cruise phase of 300 days, MARS orbit insertion and capture and on-orbit around MARS, Deep space mission planning and communication management.

Exploration of Mar's surface features; morphology, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere by indigenous scientific instruments are the major objectives of the mission.

The Mars orbiter satellite consists of the following payloads:CivilsLyman-alpha Photometer (LAP) measures deuterium and hydrogen from lyman-alpha emission in the Martian upper atmosphere. Measurement of D/H (Deuterium to Hydrogen abundance Ratio) allows us to understand especially the loss process of water from the planet.

Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM) is designed to measure Methane in the Martian atmosphere and map its sources. Data is acquired only over illuminated scene as the sensor measures reflected solar radiation. Methane concentration in the Martian atmosphere undergoes spatial and temporal variations.

Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA) is a quadruple mass spectrometer capable of analyzing the neutral composition in the range of 1 to 300 amu with unit mass resolution. The heritage of this payload is from Chandraayan Altitudinal Composition Explorer (CHACE) payload. MENCA is a quadrupole mass spectrometer based scientific payload, capable of measuring relative abundances of neutral constituents in the mass range of 1 to 300 amu, with a unit mass resolution.

Mars Colour Camera (MCC) This Mars colour camera gives images and information about the surface features and composition of Martian surface. They are useful to monitor the dynamic events and weather of Mars. MCC will also be used for probing the two satellites of Mars-Phobos & Deimos. It also provides the context information for other science payloads.

Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS) TIS measure the thermal emission and can be operated during both day and night. Temperature and emissivity are the two basic physical parameters estimated from thermal emission measurement. Many minerals and soil types have characteristic spectra in TIR region. TIS can map surface composition and mineralogy of Mars.

Important Terminologies in the Mars Mission Civils
Hohmann Transfer Orbit — or a Minimum Energy Transfer Orbit — to send a spacecraft from Earth to Mars with the least amount of fuel possible. In orbital mechanics, the Hohmann transfer orbit is an elliptical orbit used to transfer between two circular orbits of different radii in the same plane. The orbital manoeuvre to perform the Hohmann transfer uses two engine impulses, one to move a spacecraft onto the transfer orbit and a second to move off it. This manoeuvre was named after Walter Hohmann, the German scientist who published a description in it.

Sphere of Influence (501) is the oblate-spheroid-shaped region around a celestial body where the primary gravitational influence on an orbiting object is that body. This is usually used to describe the areas in the Solar System where planets dominate the orbits of surrounding objects (such as moons), despite the presence of the much more massive (but distant) Sun.

Parking Orbit is a temporary orbit used during the launch of a satellite or other space probe. A launch vehicle boosts into the parking orbit, and then coasts for a while, then fires again to enter the final desired trajectory. The alternative to a parking orbit is direct injection, where the rocket fires continuously (except during staging) until its fuel is exhausted, ending with the payload on the final trajectory.

Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) refers to a liquid fuelled rocket motor that is regularly employed on artificial satellites destined for a geostationary orbit. In Mangalyan mission 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor was used to give thrust to the satellite to place itself into orbit of Mars from the heliocentric orbit.

Lyman-alpha Emission is the result of the series of transitions and resulting ultraviolet emission lines of the hydrogen atom as an electron goes from higher energy level to the lowest energy level(n=1) of the electron. The transitions are named sequentially by Greek letters, from n 2 to n1 is called Lyman-alpha, 3 to 1 is Lyman-beta, 4 to 1 is Lyman-gamma, etc.

Methane and Life Scientists are of the view that presence of Methane in Mars's atmosphere can be an indicator of life. Methanogenesis (production of methane) is the final step in the decay of organic matter. It occurs in the guts of humans and other animals, especially ruminants. The useful products of methanogenesis are absorbed by the alimentary canal, but methane is released from the animal mainly by belching. The average cow emits around 250 litres of methane per day.

Methane has a chemical lifetime of about 300-600 years, which is very short on geological time scales. This implies that the methane that is observed today cannot have been produced 4.5 billion years ago, when the planets formed. The one possibility as the scientists argue could be biological.

Mars Orbiter Mission Launch VehiclePSLV-C25, twenty fifth flight of PSLV launched Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft from the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

The challenging PSLV-C25 mission is optimised for the launch of Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft into a highly elliptical Earth orbit with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 250 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 23,500 km with an inclination of 19.2 degree with respect to the equator.
PSLV- C25 Stages at a Glance

STAGE-1
PSOM-XL
STAGE-2
STAGE-3
STAGE-4
Propellant
Solid
(HTPB
Based)
Solid
(HTPB
Based)
Liquid
(UH25 + N2O4)
Solid
(HTPB Based)
Liquid
(MMH + MON-3)
Propellant Mass (Tonne)
138
12.2
42
7.6
2.5
Peak Thrust (kN)
4800
718
799
247
7.3 X 2
Burn Time (sec)
103
50
148
112
525
Diameter (m)
2.8
1
2.8
2.0
2.8
Length (m)
20
12
12.8
3.6
2.7
  • HTPB : Hydroxyl Terminated Poly Butadine
  • UH 25 : Unsymmetrical di-methyl hydrazine + 25% Hydrazine Hydrate
  • N2O4 : Nitrogen Tetroxide
  • MMH : Mono Methyl Hydrazine
  • MON-3 : Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen

Asian Games: A Fact File

The 2014 Asian Games were held in Incheon, South Korea from September 19 — October 4, 2014. China topped the medals table for the ninth time followed by South Korea and Japan. China won 151 gold medals ahead of the 79 won by host South Korea. Most Valuable Player award was won by Japanese swimmer Kosuke Hagino, who won seven medals including four individual gold medals. India finished eighth with 11 gold, 10 silver and 36 bronze. 

Some of the Highlights of Indian performances in Asian Games 2014:
    General Knowledge
  • » India's performance in Incheon went slightly down from 14 gold medals to 11 compared to Guangzhou 2010.
  • » Four of the gold medals came in athletics (two) and kabaddi (two) while archery, boxing, hockey, shooting, squash, tennis and wrestling accounted for the rest.
  • » In shooting Jitu Rai won the first gold for India by beating the strong contenders like Wang Zhiwei of China and reigning world champion Jongoh of South Korea to win the gold.
  • » Yogeshwar Dutt ended India's 28-year-old gold medal drought in the wrestling to win the men's freestyle 65kg gold.
  • » In tennis Sania and Saketh Myneni won the a mixed doubles gold.
  • » After 16 years India won the Gold medal in Asian Games men's hockey tournament, and consequently earned a direct berth to the 2016 Summer Olympics hockey tournament.
  • » India completed a twin gold on the kabaddi after the men and women team defeated Iran.
  • » Indian men's squash team won a historic Asian Games gold medal beating Malaysia 2-0.
  • » In the closing ceremony the OCA flag were handed over to the people's representatives of the next Games in 2018 to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
  • » Spotted seal siblings ‘Three Spotted Seal Siblings’ was the official mascot of the Games in Songdo Island, Incheon. The three seals, known as "Barame ", "Chumuro" and "Vichuon ", means wind, dance and light in Korean language, is in accordance with the theme of main venue.
Top Ten Countries Medal Tally-Asian Games 2014
RankCountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1China15110883342
2Korea797184234
3Japan477677200
4Kazakhstan28233384
5Iran21181857
6Thailand1272847
7DPR Korea11111436
8India11103657
9Chinese Taipei10182351
10Qatar100414


17th ASIAN GAMES 2014General KnowledgeDuration: September 19, 2014 - October 4, 2014 (16 days)
Venues: In and around Incheon Metropolitan City, South Korea
Participants: About 13,000 athletes and officials and about 7,000 media from the 45 OCA member states
Host: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)
Organizer: The 2014 Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee (IAGOC)
No. of Sports: 36

ASIAN GAMES 2014 Sports:Aquatics, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Canoe and Kayak, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Baseball, Bowling, Cricket, Kabaddi, Karate, Sepaktakraw, Squash, Wushu

ASIAN GAMES 2014: Indian Medal WinnersList of Gold Medalists for India: (11)
  • » Jitu Rai: Men's 50 metre pistol shooting
  • » Sandeep Kumar, Rajat Chauhan, Abhishek Verma: Men's compound team archery
  • » Saurav Ghosal, Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu, Mahesh Mangaonkar, Kumar Kush: Men's team squash
  • » Yogeshwar Dutt: Men's freestyle 65 kg wrestling
  • » Seema Punia: Women's discuses throw athletics
  • » Sania Mirza, Saketh Myneni: Mixed doubles tennis
  • » M.C. Mary Kom: Women's 48-51 kg boxing
  • » Indian team: Men's hockey
  • » Priyanka Panwar, Tintu Luka, Mandeep Kaur, M. Poovamma: Women's 4X400m relay athletics
  • » Indian team: Women's kabaddi
  • » Indian team: Men's kabaddi
List of Silver Medalists for India: (10)
  • » Saurav Ghosal: Men's singles squash
  • » Pemba Tamang, Gurpreet Singh, Vijay Kumar: Men's 25m centre fire pistol team shooting
  • » Dipika Pallikal, Joshna Chinappa, Anaka Alankamony: Women's team squash
  • » Abhishek Verma: Men's individual compound archery
  • » Khushbir Kaur: Women's 20 km race walk athletics
  • » Saketh Myneni, Sanam Singh: Men's doubles tennis
  • » Bajrang Kumar: Men's freestyle 61 kg wrestling
  • » Vikas Gowda: Men's discus throws athletics
  • » Tintu Luka: Women's 800m athletics
  • » Manju Bala: Women's hammer throws athletics
List of Bronze Medalists for India: (36) 
  • » Shweta Chaudhary: Women's 10 metre pistol shooting
  • » Jitu Rai, Samaresh Jung, Prakash Nanjappa: Men's 10 metre air pistol team shooting
  • » Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, P.C. Thulasi, Pradnya Gadre, N. Siki Reddy, Ashwini Ponnappa, Tanvi Lad: Women's team badminton
  • » Rahi Sarnobat, Anisa Sayyed, Heena Sidhu: Women's 25 metre pistol team shooting
  • » Dipika Pallikal: Women's singles squash
  • » Abhinav Bindra, Ravi Kumar, Sanjeev Rajput: Men's 10 metre air rifle team shooting
  • » Abhinav Bindra: Men's 10 metre air rifle shooting
  • » Yumnam Sanathoi Devi: Women's sanda -52 kg wushu
  • » Narendra Grewal: Men's sanda -60 kg wushu
  • » Dushyant Chauhan: Men's lightweight single sculls rowing
  • » Sawarn Singh: Men's single sculls rowing
  • » Kapil Sharma, Ranjit Singh, Bajrang Lal Thakhar, Robin Ulahannan, Sawan Kumar Kalkal, Mohammad Azad, Maninder Singh, Davinder Singh, Mohammed Ahmed: men's eight rowing
  • » Shagun Chowdhary, Shreyasi Singh, Varsha Varman: Women's double trap team shooting
  • » Sandeep Sejwal: Men's 50m breaststroke swimming
  • » Purvasha Sudhir, Surekha Vennam, Trisha Deb: Women's compound team archery
  • » Chain Singh: Men's 50m rifle 3 positions shooting
  • » Trisha Deb: Women's individual compound archery
  • » Vinesh Phogat: Women's freestyle 48 kg wrestling
  • » Geetika Jakhar: Women's freestyle 63 kg wrestling
  • » Lalita Babar: Women's 3,000m steeplechase athletics
  • » Yuki Bhambri: Men's singles tennis
  • » Yuki Bhambri, Divij Sharan: Men's doubles tennis
  • » Sania Mirza, Prarthana Thombare: Women's double tennis
  • » M. Poovamma: Women's 400m athletics
  • » Arokia Rajiv: Men's 400m athletics
  • » O.P. Jaisha: Women's 1,500m athletics
  • » Narsingh Pancham Yadav: Men's freestyle 74 kg wrestling
  • » Naveen Kumar: Men's 3,000m steeplechase athletics
  • » L. Sarita Devi: Women's 57-60 kg boxing
  • » Pooja Rani: 75 kg boxing
  • » Varsha Gautam, Aishwarya Nedunchezhiyan: Women's 29er two person dinghy sailing
  • » India: Women's hockey
  • » Annu Rani: Women's javelin throw athletics
  • » Satish Kumar: Men's +91 kg boxing
  • » Vikas Krishan: Men's 75 kg boxing
  • » Inderjeet Singh: Men's shot put athletics
First Asian Games: 
  • » The first Asian Games began on March 4, 1951 in New Delhi.
  • » The Asian Games Association has choosen shining sun as its symbol.
  • » The AGF (Asian Games Federation) adopted 'Ever Onward', given by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, as the motto of the Asian Games.
  • » The emblem of Asian Games is a 'bright full rising sun' with interlocking rings.
  • » The Maharaja of Patiala presented the Torch and the flag for the first Asian Games and since then they have been carried from country to country.
History of Asian Games: The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, described as the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games have been organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

Asian Games Federation in 1949, succeeding the Far Eastern Championship Games held in Manila, the Philippines, in 1913 and the West Asian Games held in New Delhi, India, in 1934. 

The West Asian Games were held in New Delhi, India, in 1934, and were participated in by India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Palestine. In 1948, when the 14th London Olympic Games were held, six countries including Korea, the Philippines, Myanmar, India, Taiwan and Sri Lanka gathered and decided to host a combined Asian games. This led to the establishment of the AGF (Asian Games Federation) operated by National Olympic Committees in 1949.

Asian Games Host Cities: 
No.
Host
Country
Host City
Year Held
16
ChinaGuangzhou2010
15
QatarDoha2006
14
KoreaBusan2002
13
ThailandBangkok1998
12
JapanHiroshima1994
11
ChinaBeijing1990
10
KoreaSeoul1986
9
IndiaNew Delhi1982
8
ThailandBangkok1978
7
IranTehran1974
6
ThailandBangkok1970
5
ThailandBangkok1966
4
IndonesiaJakarta1962
3
JapanTokyo1958
2
PhilippinesManila1954
1
IndiaNew Delhi1951

Monday, October 13, 2014

Nobel Prizes 2014

2014 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences
CivilsThe 2014 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Jean Tirole "for his analysis of market power and regulation".
The economics prize – whose formal name is the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel – was created in 1968, while the physics, chemistry, physiology, literature and peace prizes were first awarded in 1901.
Jean Tirole, born in August 9, 1953 at Troyes, France is a professor of economics. He works on industrial organization, game theory, banking and finance, and economics and psychology. After receiving his PhD from MIT in 1981, he worked as a researcher at l'Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussees until 1984. From 1984-1991 he worked as a Professor of Economics at MIT. He was president of the Econometric Society in 1998 and of the European Economic Association in 2001. Tirole was affiliated to Toulouse 1 Capitole University, Toulouse, France at the time of the award of Nobel Prize.

2014 Nobel Peace PrizeCivilsThe Nobel Peace Prize 2014 was awarded jointly to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education".

Kailash Satyarthi
Born:
11 January 1954, Vidisha, India
Residence at the time of the award: India
Prize share: 1/2
Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhi’s tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain. He has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on children’s rights.
Malala YousafzayBorn:12 July 1997, Mingora, Pakistan
Residence at the time of the award: United Kingdom
Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzay has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations. This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education.

2014 Nobel Prize in LiteratureCivilsThe Nobel Prize in Literature 2014 was awarded to Patrick Modiano "for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation".

Patrick Modiano was born on July 30, 1945, in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris. Modiano made his debut as a writer with La place de l’etoile, a novel that attracted much attention. His works centre on topics such as memory, oblivion, identity and guilt.

“Modiano best known work is called Missing Person. It’s the story about a detective who has lost his memory and his final case is finding out who he really is; he is tracing his own steps through history to find out who he is.”
2014 Nobel Prize in ChemistryCivilsThe Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014 was awarded jointly to Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner "for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy".

Eric Betzig, U.S. citizen born 1960 in Ann Arbor, MI, USA, Ph.D. in 1988 from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA and Group Leader at Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.

Stefan W. Hell, German citizen born 1962 in Arad, Romania, Ph.D. in 1990 from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Presently Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, and Division head at the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.

William E. Moerner, U.S. citizen born 1953 in Pleasanton, CA, USA, Ph.D. in 1982 from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.

2014 Nobel Prize in PhysicsCivilsThe Nobel Prize in Physics 2014 was awarded jointly to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura "for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources".

Isamu Akasaki, Japanese citizen, born 1929 in Chiran, Japan, Ph.D. in 1964 from Nagoya University, Japan. Professor at Meijo University, Nagoya, and Distinguished Professor at Nagoya University, Japan.

Hiroshi Amano, Japanese citizen, born 1960 in Hamamatsu, Japan. Ph.D. in 1989 from Nagoya University, Japan, currently Professor at Nagoya University, Japan.

Shuji Nakamura, American citizen, born 1954 in Ikata, Japan, Ph.D. in 1994 from University of Tokushima, Japan, currently Professor at University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.

2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineCivilsThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014 was divided, one half awarded to John O'Keefe, the other half jointly to May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser "for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain".

John O’Keefe, holds both American and British citizenships, was born in 1939 in New York City, USA, doctoral degree in physiological psychology from McGill University, Canada in 1967, currently Director of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre in Neural Circuits and Behaviour at University College London.

May-Britt Moser, Norwegian citizen, born in Fosnavag, Norway in 1963, Ph.D. in neurophysiology in 1995, currently Director of the Centre for Neural Computation in Trondheim.

Edvard I. Moser, Norwegian citizen, was born 1962 in Alesund, Ph.D. in neurophysiology from the University of Oslo in 1995, currently Director of the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Trondheim.

About the Nobel Prize:
On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace - the Nobel Prizes. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank) established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
At the Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies the Nobel Laureates receive three things: a Nobel Diploma, a Nobel Medal and a document confirming the Nobel Prize amount.
Between 1901 and 2013, the Nobel Prizes and the Prize in Economic Sciences were awarded 561 times which include 45 times to women.

Nobel Laureates from India:
Ronald Ross, India, Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology 1902
Har Gobind Khorana, India, Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology 1968
Rudyard Kipling, British India (now India), Nobel Prize in Literature 1907
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, India, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009
Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, India, Nobel Prize in Physics 1930
Rabindranath Tagore, India, Nobel Prize in Literature 1913
Amartya Sen, India, Prize in Economic Sciences 1998
Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Prize in Peace 2014

The Youngest Nobel Laureates Category wise
Category
Name
Year of Award
Age of Nobel Laureate
Physics
William Lawrence Bragg
1915
25
Chemistry
Frederic Joliot
1935
35
Physiology or Medicine
Frederick Banting
1923
32
Literature
Rudyard Kipling
1907
42
Peace
Malala Yousafzay
2014
17
Economic Sciences
Kenneth J. Arrow
1972
51

Saturday, September 27, 2014

CONSTITUTION OF INDIA : ARTICLES


Union Government launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana

Union government on 25 September 2014 launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana. The Yojana was launched by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Rural Development during the National Convention on Skills for Rural and Urban Poor held in New Delhi.
The Yojana was launched during the 98th birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. Earlier the Yojana was known as Aajeevika Skills Development Programme (ASDP).
Main Highlights of the Yojana
  • The Yojana aims at training 10 lakh (1 million) rural youths for jobs in three years, that is, by 2017.
  • The minimum age for entry under the Yojana is 15 years compared to 18 years under the Aajeevika Skills Programme.
  • Skill development training centres to be launched so as to address the unemployment problem in the rural area.
  • The skills imparted under the Yojana will now be benchmarked against international standards and will complement the Prime Minister’s Make In India campaign.
  • The Kaushalya Yojana will also the address the need for imparting training to the differently-able persons and chip in private players including international players to impart the skills to the rural youths.
The Rationale for launching the Yojana
The Yojana was launched in the light of huge problem of unemployment among the rural youths despite the fact that they have merits. In order to correct this match, Union government decided to launch skill development scheme.
Further, in light of the fact that, by 2020 developed countries will have a shortfall of over 57 million semi-skilled workers while India by 2020 will have 47 million surplus of workers. This effectively means that there will be high demand for skilled manpower in developed countries, where Indian rural youth can be absorbed after they acquire industry-specific training.
Status of Skilled workers in India
In India as against 12 million people entering the workforce every year during the last 10 years only 1 million youths were trained. Further out of 12 million people, only 10 percent were skilled ones, while the percentage in European Union is 75 and in China it is 50 percent. Also, as compared to 4500 skills in China, India only has 1600 skills, a huge gap indeed.
About the Aajeevika Skill Development Programme (ASDP)
Aajeevika Skills Development Programme (ASDP) was launched in June 2011 as a sub-mission under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). It was launched to cater to the occupational aspirations of the rural youth who are poor and to diversify incomes of the rural poor.
The ASDP aimed at skilling and placing 50 lakhs youth in the formal sector by 2017.

Union Government launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana for urban and rural poor

Union Government on 25 September 2014 launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana for urban and rural poor. The Yojana aims at alleviating urban and rural poverty through enhancement of livelihood opportunities through skill development and other means.
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana has two components one for urban India and other for rural India. The Urban component will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation while rural component named as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana
Under the Yojana, the Union Ministry of Rural Development will launch skill development training centres on a large scale to address the problem of unemployment particularly in rural India.
Main Highlights of the Rural Scheme
• The Yojana aims at training 10 lakh (1 million) rural youths for jobs in three years, that is, by 2017.
• The minimum age for entry under the Yojana is 15 years compared to 18 years under the Aajeevika Skills Programme.
• Skill development training centres to be launched so as to address the unemployment problem in the rural area.
• The skills imparted under the Yojana will now be benchmarked against international standards and will complement the Prime Minister’s Make In India campaign.
• The Kaushalya Yojana will also the address the need for imparting training to the differently-able persons and chip in private players including international players to impart the skills to the rural youths.
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana for urban areas
Under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana (DAY) for urban areas extends the coverage to all the 4041 statutory cities and towns, there by covering almost the entire urban population. Currently, all the urban poverty alleviating programmes covered only 790 towns and cities.
Main Highlights of the Urban Scheme 
The scheme will focus on 
• Imparting skills with an expenditure of 15000 rupees to 18000 rupees on each urban poor
• Promotion of self-employment through setting up individual micro-enterprises and group enterprises with interest subsidy for individual projects costing 2lakhs rupees and 10 lakhs rupees for group enterprises. Subsidized interest rate will be 7 percent.
• Training urban poor to meet the huge demand from urban citizens by imparting market oriented skills through City Livelihood Centres. Each Centre would be given a capital grant of 10 lakhs rupees.
• Enabling urban poor form Self-Help Groups for meeting financial and social needs with a support of 10000 rupees per each group who would in turn would be helped with bank linkages.
• Development of vendor markets besides promotion of skills of vendors 
• Construction of permanent shelters for urban homeless and provision of other essential services.

Union Cabinet approved Swachh Bharat Mission for Urban Areas

The Union Cabinet on 24 September 2014 approved Swachh Bharat Mission for Urban Areas. The mission will begin from 2 October 2014 and will be implemented over a period of five years.
The mission will be implemented in over 4041 statutory towns of the country and will cost around 62009 crore rupees of which 14623 crore rupees will be borne by the Union Government.
The Mission is the urban component of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and will be implemented by Union Ministry of Urban Development. The rural component of the Mission will be implemented by Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
Main elements of the Mission
  • The Mission includes elimination of open defecation, conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets, eradication of manual scavenging, Municipal Solid Waste Management.
  • The Programme consists of components for providing (i) Individual household toilets; (ii) Community and public toilets; and (iii) Municipal Solid Waste Management in all 4041 statutory towns
  • It would cover 1.04 crore households, provide 2.5 lakh seats of community toilets, 2.6 lakh seats of public toilets and solid waste management facility for all towns.
Aim of the Mission
  • It aims towards bringing a behavioural change in people regarding healthy sanitation practices and generating awareness among citizens about sanitation and its linkages with public health.
  • It also aims at strengthening of urban local bodies to design, execute and operate systems to fulfill these objectives and creating an enabling environment for private sector participation in capital expenditure and operational expenditure.
Background
The plan of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was mentioned in the Union Budget 2014-15 by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 10 July 2014. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was proposed in the Union Budget under Drinking Water & Sanitation plan. As proposed, the Abhiyan will cover every household with sanitation facility by the year 2019

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Schemes/Projects Mentioned Under Union Budget 2014-15

1. Kissan Vikas Patra - Kisan Vikas Patra is a saving scheme that was announced by the Government of India to encourage small savings in the country
2. One Rank One Pension - The allotment of Rs. 1,000 crore for implementing ‘One Rank, One Pension’ (OROP) scheme will bring justice to scores of armed forces personnel struggling with meagre pensions.
3. NAMAMI GANGE - sets up an integrated Ganga conservation mission
4. Digital India - a Pan India programme to be launched with an outlay of 500 crore rupees
5. E-Visa - New visa power, five tourist circuits
6. National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) — for conserving and preserving the heritage characters of these cities.
7. Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects— provided to States of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Laddakh
8. Ultra-Modern Super Critical Coal Based Thermal Power Technology Scheme
9. Jal Marg Vikas—Project on Ganges called Jal Marg Vikas to be developed between Allahabad and Haldia
10. Pashmina Promotion Programme(P-3) -- for the development of other crafts of Jammu & Kashmir\
11. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna-– to improve access to irrigation
12. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana-– for rural electricity.
13. Varishtha Pension Bima Yoja–- revived for 1 year from Aug 15, 2014.