Severe cyclone Asani rages in Bay of Bengal; Odisha plans evacuation

• Systems formed over the Bay of Bengal in the peak of summer in May are among the strongest in the North Indian Ocean region. Warm seas present ripe conditions for cyclogenesis, and to fuel these systems over the water.
• The ‘Extremely Severe’ cyclone Fani and ‘Super cyclone’ Amphan wreaked havoc in Odisha and West Bengal respectively. Cyclone Asani by contrast, is expected to only graze the coast, and not make landfall.

NFHS-5 Report: Only one percent of women drink alcohol compared to 22 percent of men

• The percentage of women who consume alcohol is the highest in Arunachal Pradesh (18%), followed by Sikkim (15%).
• Alcohol use among men is the highest in Goa (59%), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (57%), and Telangana (50%), while it is the lowest in Lakshadweep (1%).
• Among women who drink alcohol, 17% consume it almost every day and 37% drink about once a week. Among men, while 15% consume almost daily, 43% drink about once a week, and 42% do less than once a week.
• Drinking alcohol is more common among women from Scheduled Tribes (4%) than from any other caste/tribe group. Consumption is also most common among Christian men (36%) and men belonging to “other” religions (49%).
• Overall the proportion of men who drink alcohol decreased from 29% to 22% between NFHS-4 in 2015-2016 and NFHS-5 in 2019-2021. During that period, the proportion of women who drink has remained unchanged.

Cyclone Asani, which developed over southeast regions of Bay of Bengal and intensified into a ‘severe cyclone’, was named by Sri Lanka. Asani means “wrath” in Sinhalese.

• In 2000, a group of nations called WMO/ESCAP (World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) decided to start naming cyclones in the region.
• After each country sent in suggestions, the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) finalised the list.
• The list of 169 cyclone names released by IMD in April 2020 were provided by these countries — 13 suggestions from each of the 13 countries.
• The proposed name should be neutral to (a) politics and political figures (b) religious believes, (c) cultures and (d) gender
• It should be short, the maximum length of the name will be eight letters
• The names of tropical cyclones over the north Indian Ocean will not be repeated. Once used, it will cease to be used again. Thus, the name should be new.

Assam Rifles honours surviving soldiers of India’s most successful counter-insurgency operation

• A team of 15 soldiers of the Assam Rifles’ 7th Battalion led by Naib Subedar Padam Bahadur Chhetri had on May 5, 1991, gunned down 72 Pakistan-trained extremists and captured 13 others at 14,000 ft in J&K.
• Two Assam Rifles soldiers died during the six-hour gun battle.

Andaman and Nicobar islands to get gas plant

• The Island Coastal Zone Regulation (ICRZ), 2019, limits infrastructure development on vulnerable coastal stretches.
• The National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) has recommended that gas-based power plants be permitted within the Island Coastal Regulation Zone area only on islands with geographical areas greater than 100 sq. km.
• Following visits by the NTPC personnel, a dual-fuel power plant that runs on both diesel and LNG is expected to be commissioned.
• There has been an increased interest in the development of the Andaman region following a policy push by the NITI Aayog. A proposed project plans to develop the Greater Andaman region or the southernmost stretch of the island group.
• Proposals include a 22-sq.km airport complex, a transshipment port (TSP) at South Bay at an estimated cost of ₹12,000 crore, a parallel-to-the-coast mass rapid transport system and a free trade zone and warehousing complex on the southwestern coast.

At a time when MPs have been asking for an increase in the MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) fund, the Union Finance Ministry has ordered revised rules.

• The order of the Ministry dated April 11 was conveyed to the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha only by the last week of April.
• Each MP is allocated ₹5 crore annually under the scheme.
• The MPLADS fund is released to the district authority and the MPs only have power to recommend development work. The payment is also released by the designated district authority on completion of the work.
• So far, the interest accrued on the fund used to be added to the MPLADS account and could be used for the development projects.
• Opposition parties criticized the changed guidelines, arguing that the new order was in violation of the MPLADS guidelines of 2016.

RailTel launches PM-WANI based access to its WiFi across 100 railway stations

• To access this WiFi network, android users can download the mobile app ‘Wi-DOT’ available on Google Play Store. This app has been developed in close coordination with C-DOT.
• This method of accessing Wi-Fi through the ‘mobile app’ will be in addition to the existing method of accessing WiFi at these stations through the conventional method of selecting RailWire Service Set Identifier (SSID).
• PM-WANI is an ambitious program of the Department of Telecom (DoT) to connect all silo Wi-Fi networks for ease of use and proliferate broadband usage for the masses.
• The government further plans to extend the PM-WANI-based access of RailTel’s public Wi-Fi services to all 6,102 railway stations in a phased manner by the end of June 2022.

Delhi HC Asks UIDAI Whether They Can Provide Info on Murder Suspect

• The UIDAI, which issues the unique Aadhaar number to residents of India, is prohibited by law from sharing any core biometric information with police.
• The Aadhaar Act requires the UIDAI to ensure confidentiality and security of the identity information it collects.
• According to UIDAI, the Delhi Police’s prayer is contrary to Section 29 of the Act, which prohibits it from sharing core biometric information — fingerprint, iris scan or any such biological attribute — with any agency “for any reason whatsoever”.
• The UIDAI has also said that no Aadhaar data can be shared by any individual or entity with anyone without the consent of the resident or holder of the Aadhaar.

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying inaugurated Mobile Veterinary Units.

• The component “ESVHFD-MVU” under Central Sector Scheme “Livestock Health & Disease Control” provides veterinary health services at farmers’ door-steps through Mobile Veterinary Units.
• The services are to be operated through Call Centers in the State/UTs, the farmers in case of any emergency will make call to these call centers and after prioritizing the emergencies, the services for diagnosis and treatment will be provided by a team of Veterinarian & Para-veterinarian in these Mobile Veterinary Units.

India Heatwaves and the role humidity plays in making them deadly

• Humans lose heat generated within their body by producing sweat that evaporates on the skin.
• The cooling effect of this evaporation is essential in maintaining a stable body temperature.
• As humidity rises, sweat does not evaporate —just like clothes take a long time to dry in humid locations – and makes it difficult to regulate body temperature. This is why we feel more discomfort in humid places.
• The humidity required to reach wet bulb temperatures in excess of 35°C over land is exceedingly difficult to achieve for a variety of reasons.
• In the recent IPCC report AR6, instead of the “dry bulb” temperature that is usually measured using a regular thermometer, an alternative metric known as the “wet bulb temperature” has been used to measure exposure to extreme heat.
• The report mentions that sustained exposures to wet bulb temperatures above 35°C are fatal, while sustained exposures to wet bulb temperatures above 32°C are dangerous for intense physical activity.