18 September 2024

• Geography: Climate science linked higher global temperatures to more frequent and more intense floods globally. India's own monsoon flood patterns are under this umbrella.
• Society: India ranked 108th on the Gender Inequality Index 2022, improved from 122nd in 2021; NCW's role in women's protection was highlighted.
• Science: Battery Waste Management Rules 2022 set differentiated penalties, with Rs 2,400 per kg for lithium batteries.
• Culture: The Karam Festival was observed by Munda, Oraon and Santhal tribes across Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal.

GS area: Geography (climate science), Environment

Research confirmed that rising global temperatures are making heavy rainfall events more frequent and more intense.

Key quantified facts:

• 1.5°C warming scenario: Heavy rainfall events become 1.5 times more frequent and produce approximately 10 per cent more rainfall per event.
• 2°C warming scenario: Extreme floods could occur 1.7 times per decade with 14 per cent more rainfall per event.
• German floods 2021: Among the deadliest in European history. The Ahr valley experienced rainfall that normally occurs only once in 1,000 years.
• UAE and Oman 2023: Record rainfall events in desert climates, historically considered protected from such extremes.
• Why warmer air holds more water: Every 1°C rise in temperature allows the atmosphere to hold approximately 7 per cent more water vapour (Clausius-Clapeyron relation). This additional moisture must precipitate somewhere.
• India's flood exposure: Over 40 million hectares in India are flood-prone. Major flood-affected rivers: Ganga, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna.
• FLEWS: Flood Early Warning System. Deployed in Assam by the state disaster management authority.

Static linkage: Climate change, disaster management, Indian river systems.

GS area: Society, Governance

India ranked 108th out of 193 countries on the Human Development Report 2023/24 Gender Inequality Index, improved from 122nd in 2021.

Key facts:

• GII score: 0.437 (scale of 0 to 1; 0 is perfect equality, 1 is extreme inequality).
• What GII measures: Three dimensions: reproductive health (maternal mortality, adolescent birth rate), empowerment (share of parliamentary seats, population with at least some secondary education), and economic status (female vs male labour force participation).
• India's specific gaps: Maternal mortality ratio of 113 per 100,000 live births (declining but above global average). Female labour force participation rate below 30 per cent.
• National Commission for Women (NCW): Statutory body established under the NCW Act 1990. Functions include addressing complaints against women's rights violations, reviewing laws, and recommending legislative changes.
• Key government initiatives:
  • Equal Remuneration Act 1976: Equal pay for equal work regardless of gender.
  • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Child sex ratio and girl child education.
  • Mission Shakti: Convergence of safety and empowerment programmes.
  • PM Employed Women Guarantee Programme (PMEGP): Women entrepreneurs.
• Constitutional provision: Article 15(3) allows special provisions for women and children. Article 39(d) directs equal pay for equal work.

Static linkage: Gender justice, HDI and GII, constitutional provisions for women.

GS area: Environment, Governance

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) updated enforcement of the Battery Waste Management Rules 2022. The Central Pollution Control Board issued environmental compensation guidelines.

Key facts:

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Producers of batteries are responsible for the entire lifecycle, including collection, recycling and safe disposal of used batteries.
• Penalty rates:
  • Lithium batteries: Rs 2,400 per kg for non-compliance with EPR obligations.
  • Different rates apply to portable, industrial and automotive batteries.
• Categories of batteries covered: Portable batteries (consumer electronics), industrial batteries (UPS, storage), automotive batteries (lead-acid), electric vehicle batteries (lithium-ion).
• Why lithium matters: Lithium-ion batteries are the primary energy storage in EVs, smartphones and laptops. Improper disposal releases heavy metals and electrolytes into soil and water.
• Battery recycling targets: Producers must collect and recycle a progressively higher share of batteries they place on the market.

Static linkage: Solid waste management, EPR, EV battery lifecycle.

GS area: History (social reform movement)

The 146th birth anniversary of Periyar E.V. Ramasamy was observed on 17 September 2024 (covered in the next day's analysis).

Key facts:

• Born: 17 September 1879. Died: 24 December 1973.
• Self Respect Movement (1925): Launched the movement for social equality, opposing Brahmin dominance in Tamil society. The movement promoted inter-caste marriages and women's autonomy.
• Vaikom Satyagraha (1924-25): Led a struggle against untouchability, specifically to allow lower castes access to roads near the Vaikom temple in Kerala. Gandhi endorsed the struggle; Periyar participated.
• Justice Party: Joined the leadership of the Justice Party (which represented non-Brahmin communities in the Madras Presidency) from 1938 onward.
• Rationalism: Periyar was a fierce atheist and rationalist. He argued that caste and religion were tools of oppression.
• His influence: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) trace their ideological origins partly to Periyar's movement, though he himself remained outside party politics.

Static linkage: Social reform movements, Tamil Nadu social history, Dalit and backward class movements.

GS area: Culture (tribal traditions)

The Karam Festival was observed by Munda, Oraon, Ho and Santhal tribal communities in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and parts of Nepal and Bangladesh.

Key facts:

• Festival character: A harvest celebration centred on the worship of the Karam tree (scientific name: Adina cordifolia), a deciduous tree that symbolises youth, vitality and strength.
• Timing: Observed on the 11th day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada (typically August-September in the Gregorian calendar).
• Significance: The Karam tree branch is brought into the home or a communal space and worshipped. Young men and women participate in dances and songs. Offerings include flowers and new grains.
• Cultural role: The festival reinforces community bonds and marks the transition from the sowing season toward harvest. It is one of the most important festivals for Jharkhand's tribal communities.
• Karam Devta: The deity associated with the Karam tree, symbolising fortune and prosperity.

Static linkage: Tribal culture, cultural geography of Jharkhand and eastern India.

GS area: Science and Technology, Economy (blue economy)

ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI) was designated a Centre of Excellence for seaweed cultivation.

Key facts:

• Seaweed value: Marine algae with applications in food (carrageenan, agar), pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biofuels and bioplastics.
• India's seaweed potential: India has 844 species of seaweed and a 7,517 km coastline. Tamil Nadu and Gujarat have significant cultivation potential.
• ICAR-CMFRI focus: Improved cultivation techniques, an indigenous seaweed species seed bank, environmental impact assessments.
• Blue economy linkage: Seaweed cultivation supports India's Blue Economy agenda, which targets sustainable use of ocean resources.
• Carbon sequestration: Seaweed absorbs CO2 during growth, making large-scale cultivation a potential climate tool.

Static linkage: Blue economy, marine resources, aquaculture policy.

• Gopalpur Port acquisition: Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited approved to acquire a 95 per cent stake in Gopalpur Port, Odisha. Part of Adani Ports' strategy to expand its port network.
• Pager technology context: Hezbollah used pagers as communication devices to avoid digital tracking. A reminder of the vulnerability of even low-tech communication devices when supply chains are compromised. Pagers receive radio-transmitted messages and are harder to locate via digital signals than smartphones.