12 July 2024

• Environment: Assam floods killed 58 people and affected 24 lakh across 30 districts. Kaziranga lost six one-horned rhinos.
• Economy: RBI's Financial Inclusion Index rose to 64.2 in March 2024 from 60.1 in March 2023.
• Technology: UN Trade and Development Digital Economy Report 2024 flagged ICT emissions at 1.5 to 3.2 per cent of global greenhouse gases.
• International: India proposed a South Asian Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Maritime Transport at IMO's 132nd Council Session.

GS area: Geography, Disaster Management, Environment

Assam's annual floods caused 58 deaths and affected over 24 lakh people across 30 districts by 12 July 2024. Kaziranga National Park reported 130-plus animal deaths including six Indian one-horned rhinoceroses.

• Natural factors: The Brahmaputra basin receives over 2,500 mm of annual rainfall. The river carries an exceptionally high silt load due to active tectonic activity and loose Himalayan geology. Cyclonic influences from the Bay of Bengal deliver intense rainfall pulses.
• Tectonic sensitivity: The 1950 Assam earthquake (Richter 8.6) dramatically altered river morphology. The Brahmaputra is still adjusting its channel, leading to instability.
• Human factors: Deforestation of catchment slopes accelerates runoff. Floodplain encroachment reduces the river's capacity to absorb flood peaks. Inadequate drainage in towns and urban areas.
• Kaziranga: UNESCO World Heritage Site. Home to approximately 2,200 one-horned rhinoceroses, about two-thirds of the world's population. Standard flooding is part of Kaziranga's ecosystem. Excess flooding drowns animals and forces them onto National Highway 37 where they are sometimes killed by vehicles.
• Flood Early Warning Systems (FLEWS): Operational in Assam. Uses rain gauges, automated water level sensors, and satellite imagery for flood forecasting.

The recurring nature of Assam floods makes the structural causes as important as the emergency response.

Static linkage: Brahmaputra river system (Indian geography), Kaziranga (Environment).

GS area: Economy, Governance

The RBI's Financial Inclusion Index (FI Index) reached 64.2 in March 2024, up from 60.1 in March 2023. The index runs from 0 (complete exclusion) to 100 (full inclusion).

• Three parameters: Access (35 per cent weight), Usage (45 per cent weight), and Quality (20 per cent weight).
• Sectors covered: Banking, investments, insurance, postal savings, and pension.
• Access dimension: Number of bank branches and ATMs per square kilometre and per 1,000 adults; availability of business correspondents.
• Usage dimension: Number of deposit accounts, loan accounts, insurance policies, and pension accounts relative to population.
• Quality dimension: Financial literacy levels, grievance redressal mechanisms, consumer protection.
• Policy drivers: Jan Dhan Yojana, PMJJBY (Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana), PMSBY (Suraksha Bima Yojana), and Atal Pension Yojana have collectively pushed up financial inclusion.

Static linkage: Financial inclusion (Economy), banking sector.

GS area: Environment, Science and Technology

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (now UN Trade and Development, UNCTAD) released the Digital Economy Report 2024.

• Internet users: 5.4 billion in 2023, compared to 1 billion in 2005. About 2.6 billion people remain unconnected, mostly in Africa and South Asia.
• ICT greenhouse gas emissions: 1.5 to 3.2 per cent of global emissions in 2020. Data centres consumed 460 terawatt hours of electricity in 2022.
• E-waste: Global e-waste grew by 30 per cent between 2010 and 2022, reaching 10.5 million tonnes. Only about 20 per cent is formally recycled.
• Critical minerals demand: Demand for minerals used in electronics (cobalt, lithium, rare earths) could increase by 500 per cent by 2050.
• Digital divide: High-income countries lead in ICT adoption. The gap means low-income countries bear environmental costs of e-waste without proportional benefits from the digital economy.

Static linkage: Digital economy (S&T), e-waste (Environment).

GS area: International Relations, Governance

India proposed establishing the South Asian Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Maritime Transport (SACE-SMarT) at the IMO's 132nd Council Session in London.

• IMO background: International Maritime Organization. Established by international convention in 1948. Operational since 1958. Headquarters in London. India joined in 1959. Current membership: 175 states.
• Functions: Sets safety, security, and environmental standards for international shipping. Conventions include SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea), MARPOL (pollution from ships), and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping.
• India's maritime trade: About 95 per cent of India's trade by volume and 70 per cent by value moves by sea. India has the largest seafarer population in any single nationality on international ships.
• SACE-SMarT purpose: Build capacity in South Asian countries for decarbonisation of shipping, crew training, and adoption of green ship technologies.

Static linkage: Maritime trade (IR/Economy), international organisations.

GS area: Science and Technology, Geography

The National Institute of Geophysical Research completed the pilot borehole to 3 km depth at Koyna, Maharashtra, as part of the Koyna Deep Drilling Project.

• Objective: Study reservoir-triggered seismicity (RTS), a phenomenon where impoundment of water in reservoirs changes groundwater pressure and stress on pre-existing faults, triggering earthquakes.
• Koyna Dam: Filled in 1962. Subsequent seismicity at Koyna is among the best-documented cases of RTS worldwide. The 1967 Koyna earthquake (M 6.5) killed 177 people.
• Planned borehole depth: 6 km. The pilot borehole provides data on subsurface geology, temperature, and stress conditions before the main drilling begins.
• Scientific value: Understanding RTS helps in site selection for new large dams and reservoirs.

Static linkage: Seismology (S&T), dam safety.

• India-Taiwan Organic Products MRA: India and Taiwan signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement for organic product certification. Indian products eligible: rice, processed foods, tea, and medicinal plant products. Certifying bodies are APEDA (India) and the Agri-Food Agency (Taiwan). India Organic and Taiwan Organic logos will be mutually recognised.
• High-altitude drone in Ladakh: NewSpace Research and Technologies (Bengaluru) tested a 100 kg maximum take-off weight drone at Umling La pass (19,024 feet, world's highest motorable pass) in Ladakh. Capacity of 25 kg payload. Application areas: medical supply, disaster relief, logistics in high-altitude areas.
• Barcelona overtourism: Tourism surged from 9.7 million in 2022 to 26 million visitors in 2023. Residents protested against rising housing costs, crowding, and cultural erosion. The city introduced short-term rental restrictions and higher tourist taxes.