10 October 2023

• World Mental Health Day: observed October 10; WHO theme was "Mental health is a universal human right." India's Tele-MANAS helpline crossed 3.4 lakh calls.
• India-Saudi Arabia energy MoU: signed covering renewable energy, green hydrogen, petroleum reserves, and grid interconnection.
• Herat earthquake follow-up: a second 6.3 magnitude quake struck Afghanistan's Herat province, further devastating communities already hit on October 7.
• Travel for LiFE: India's Ministry of Tourism launched the Travel for LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) initiative on the occasion of World Tourism Day.

GS area: Health, Governance, Society

October 10 is World Mental Health Day, observed since 1992 under the World Federation for Mental Health and designated by the WHO.

• 2023 theme: "Mental health is a universal human right."
• WHO finding: 1 in 8 people globally live with a mental disorder. Only about 29 per cent of those with mental disorders in low- and middle-income countries receive treatment.
• Tele-MANAS: launched October 2022 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. A round-the-clock mental health support helpline. Toll-free: 14416 or 1-800-891-4416. Covers 32 states and UTs in regional languages. Crossed 3.4 lakh calls by October 2023.
• National Mental Health Programme: launched in 1982 by the Ministry of Health. Aims to reduce mental morbidity and rehabilitate those with mental disorders.
• Mental Healthcare Act, 2017: replaced the Mental Health Act, 1987. Key provisions: every person has the right to access mental health care; the right to confidentiality; the right to make a mental health advance directive. Decriminalised attempted suicide (treated as a sign of distress needing care rather than a crime).
• Paro Declaration: a 2023 WHO declaration calling for universal access to people-centred mental health care.

Static linkage: Health, social justice and welfare.

GS area: International Relations, Economy

India and Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on energy cooperation.

• Areas covered: renewable energy, energy efficiency, green hydrogen, electricity generation, grid interconnection, petroleum and natural gas, strategic petroleum reserves, carbon capture and storage, digital transformation in energy.
• Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR): India maintains underground cavern oil reserves in Vishakhapatnam, Mangaluru, and Padur (Karnataka). Total capacity: 5.33 million tonnes. Managed by the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) under the Ministry of Petroleum.
• Saudi Aramco: the world's largest oil company by revenue. Saudi Arabia is the world's second-largest oil exporter (after Russia in some years). India is Saudi Arabia's second-largest oil customer.
• India-Saudi bilateral trade: approximately USD 40 billion (2022-23). India's Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia: approximately 2.6 million.
• Green hydrogen link: both countries are signatories to the Paris Agreement. Saudi Arabia announced the NEOM Green Hydrogen project; India's National Green Hydrogen Mission targets 5 million metric tonnes of production by 2030.

Static linkage: International relations, energy security.

GS area: Disaster Management, Geography

A second earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck Herat on October 11, compounding the devastation of the first quake on October 7. Both are covered here because early October coverage was continuous.

• Total toll: over 1,400 people killed in the Herat earthquake sequence, with entire villages destroyed in Zinda Jan district.
• Seismically active zone: northwest Afghanistan has numerous active fault systems. The Chaman Fault runs along Afghanistan's southwestern border with Pakistan; the Main Pamir Thrust is active to the north.
• Plate tectonics: Afghanistan is at the convergence of the Eurasian and Indian plates. The Indian Plate moves northward, creating compression and uplift in the Hindu Kush and Himalayas.
• For prelims: Body waves travel through the Earth's interior (P-waves and S-waves); surface waves travel along the crust. Richter scale is logarithmic: a magnitude 7 is 10 times more ground motion than magnitude 6.
• Aid challenge: Taliban's international isolation limited formal aid channels. India sent aid through Afghanistan Red Crescent.

Static linkage: Disaster management, geography.

GS area: Environment, Tourism, Governance

The Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the Travel for LiFE initiative.

• Full form: Lifestyle for Environment, integrated into the tourism sector.
• Partners: UNWTO (UN World Tourism Organization) and UNEP (UN Environment Programme).
• Eight themes: Save Energy; Save Water; Say No to Single-Use Plastic; Reduce Waste; Empower Local Businesses; Respect Local Culture; Consume Local Foods; Conserve Nature.
• PATA: Pacific Asia Travel Association (founded 1951) is partnering to expand Travel for LiFE across the Asia-Pacific region. India's Ministry of Tourism is establishing a PATA desk.
• LiFE Mission: launched at COP26 (Glasgow, 2021) by Prime Minister Modi. Encourages individuals to adopt sustainable lifestyles as a mass movement. Now embedded in multiple sectoral programs.
• Global Tourism context: tourism contributes about 10 per cent of global GDP and about 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions (including aviation).

Static linkage: Environment, tourism.

GS area: Economy, Energy

A deeper look at India's strategic petroleum reserve policy.

• Purpose: strategic petroleum reserves buffer against supply disruptions or price spikes. They represent a government's emergency supply capacity.
• India's SPR locations: Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) - 1.33 million tonnes; Mangaluru (Karnataka) - 1.5 million tonnes; Padur (Karnataka) - 2.5 million tonnes. Total: 5.33 million tonnes, equivalent to approximately 9.5 days of India's crude import requirements.
• Government target: to expand SPR to cover 30 days of imports.
• IEA standard: the International Energy Agency recommends member countries maintain 90 days of net import cover. India is an IEA association country (not a member but cooperates closely).
• Visakhapatnam SPR: carved out of the Mangalagiri Hills using underground cavern technology. India's first operational SPR location.

Static linkage: Energy security, economy.

GS area: Science and Technology, Environment

The European Space Agency's ESTEC facility in the Netherlands conducted experiments on watermeal (Wolffia arrhiza) under hypergravity conditions.

• Species: Wolffia arrhiza, commonly called watermeal or Asian watermeal.
• Distinction: world's smallest known flowering plant. It lacks roots, stems, and leaves. It floats on water surfaces as a tiny oval frond.
• Experiment: tested under up to 20 times Earth's gravity using the Large Diameter Centrifuge to understand how plants might grow in extreme conditions for space agriculture.
• Ecological role: prolific oxygen producer through photosynthesis; a rich protein source (up to 40 per cent protein dry weight); consumed as a food in Thailand.
• Duckweeds: watermeal belongs to the family Lemnaceae (duckweeds), plants that grow in still or slow-moving water. They are among the fastest-growing plants known.

Static linkage: Science and technology.

• A-HELP Programme: Accredited Agent for Health and Livestock Production Management. A PIB release confirmed the programme's expansion in Bihar, Gujarat, J&K, Karnataka, MP, Uttarakhand, and Jharkhand. Women are trained as accredited agents for livestock health management in villages. Under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• Digital India: PIB released progress on the Digital India programme: over 80 crore internet connections; 81 crore Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts; 2 lakh+ digital villages under BharatNet.