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Gist of The Hindu : NOVEMBER 2024

Gist of The Hindu: NOVEMBER- 2024

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Long-Range Hypersonic Missile

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested a long-range hypersonic missile off the coast of Odisha.

About Long-Range Hypersonic Missile:

The missile can carry various payloads for ranges greater than 1,500 km for the Armed Forces.
It has been indigenously developed by laboratories of the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex, Hyderabad, along with various other DRDO labs and industry partners.

What are Hypersonic missiles?

The term “Hypersonic” refers to a speed at least five times the speed of sound (also called Mach-5).
Another key feature of such missiles is manoeuvrability, setting them apart from a ballistic missile that follows a set course or trajectory.
Hypersonic Cruise Missiles use scramjet engines to sustain hypersonic speeds throughout their flight, flying at lower altitudes and also possessing manoeuvrability.
The two types of hypersonic weapons systems are Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGV) and Hypersonic Cruise Missiles.
The HGVs are launched from a rocket before gliding to the intended target while HCMs are powered by air-breathing high-speed engines or ‘scramjets’ after acquiring their target.

Advantages of hypersonic missiles

Hypersonic weapons can enable responsive, long-range strike options against distant, defended or time-critical threats (such as road-mobile missiles) when other forces are unavailable, denied access or not preferred.
Conventional hypersonic weapons use only kinetic energy, i.e. energy derived from motion, to destroy unhardened targets or even underground facilities.
They fly at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles, which means that they may be harder to track at long distances with some surface-based sensors, such as certain radar

Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme

Recently, twenty-four coastal villages in Odisha were recognised by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO as 'Tsunami Ready'.

About Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme:

It is an international community-based recognition programme developed by Intergovermental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
Aim: It aims to build resilient communities through awareness and preparedness strategies that will protect life, livelihoods and property from tsunamis in different regions.
The main goal of the Programme is to improve coastal community preparedness for tsunamis and to minimize the loss of life, livelihoods and property.
This is achieved through a collaborative effort to meet a standard level of tsunami preparedness through the fulfilment of a set of established indicators.
To get this recognition communities must meet all 12 indicators,which cover Assessment, Preparedness, and Response, will be recognized as ‘Tsunami Ready’ by the UNESCO/IOC. The recognition is renewable every four years.
It is implemented as a voluntary, performance-based community recognition programme that promotes an understanding of the concept of readiness as an active collaboration among national and local warning and emergency management agencies, and government authorities, scientists, community leaders and the public.

What is a Tsunami?

Tsunamis are large waves generated by sudden movements of the ocean floor that displace a large volume of water. These are usually associated with earthquakes
A tsunami is a series of extremely long waves caused by a large and sudden displacement of the ocean, usually the result of an earthquake below or near the ocean floor. This force creates waves that radiate outward in all directions away from their source, sometimes crossing entire ocean basins.

What is Epilepsy

National Epilepsy Day is marked every year in India on November 17 to raise awareness about the disease, the struggles associated with it, and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.

About Epilepsy:

Epilepsy — also known as a seizure disorder — is a chronic brain disorder where nerve cells don’t signal properly, that causes recurring seizures.
During a seizure, many neurons send signals at the same time, much faster than normal.
This surge of excessive electrical activity may cause involuntary movements, sensations, emotions, and/or behaviors.
The disturbance of normal nerve cell activity may cause a loss of awareness.
Some people recover immediately after a seizure, while others may take minutes to hours to feel like themselves again.

Causes:

Epilepsy has many possible causes, but about half of people living with epilepsy do not know the cause.
In some cases, epilepsy is clearly linked to genetic factors, developmental brain abnormalities, infection, traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, brain tumors, or other identifiable problems.
Seizure symptoms can vary widely:
Some people may lose awareness during a seizure while others don't.
Some people stare blankly for a few seconds during a seizure.
Others may repeatedly twitch their arms or legs, movements known as convulsions.

Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary

The recommendations of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to notify the entire Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary as a core and critical area of Bandipur Tiger Reserve are yet to be implemented.

About Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary:

It is situated in H.D. Kote taluk of Mysuru district, Karnataka.
It lies north of Bandipur National Park.
The sanctuary includes the backwaters of Nugu Dam on its western side and shares borders with Alaganchi State Forest, a part of Bandipur Tiger Reserve on the southwest side.
Nugu Dam is built across the Nugu River, a tributary of the Cauvery.
It is also an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Rainfall: The area receives rainfall from both southwest and northeast monsoons. The average amount of rainfall received in this area is 1000 mm.
Vegetation: The forests comprise of southern mixed deciduous treesand dry deciduous scrubs.
Flora: Some of the tree species found in this region include Dipterocarpus indicus, Calophyllum tomentosum, and Hopea parviflora.

Fauna:

The sanctuary supports a diverse range of fauna, including elephants, tigers, leopards, wild dogs, striped hyenas, sloth bears, gaurs, sambhars, chitals, and four-horned antelopes.
It is also home to two important riverine wildlife species: the smooth-coated otter and the marsh crocodile, emphasizing its rich biodiversity.

Grievance Redressal Assessment And Index

Recently, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology has launched Grievance Redressal Assessment and Index (GRAI) 2023.

About Grievance Redressal Assessment And Index:

It was conceptualized and designed by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India based on the recommendation of Parliamentary Standing Committee of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
Objective: It has an objective to present organization-wise comparative picture and provide valuable insights about strengths and areas of improvement regarding grievance redressal mechanism.
The first edition of GRAI 2022 was released on 21 June 2023.
Eighty-nine Central Ministries and Departments were assessed and ranked based on a comprehensive index in the dimensions of (1) Efficiency, (2) Feedback, (3) Domain and (4) Organisational Commitment and corresponding 11 indicators.
To compute the index, data between January and December 2023 was used from the Centralised Public Grievance Redressal and Management System (CPGRAMS).
Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, O/o the Comptroller & Auditor General of India and Department of Investment & Public Asset Management have topped the rankings in Group A, B and C respectively.
This report presents a two-dimensional (vertical and horizontal) analysis of the root causes of effective redressal of grievances of each Ministries and Departments in an easily discernible colour coded analysis.
The report also presents a brief description of technical partners DARPG has engaged to facilitate the Ministries and Departments to optimally utilize CPGRAMS as a means of effective grievance redressal media.
This report presents a clear roadmap with an advisory for the Ministries and Departments to leverage CPGRAMS and its features like IGMS 2.0, TreeDashboard, etc., to enhance grievance redressal.
The roadmap for improvement emphasizes integrating advanced technologies like AI and ML for data analysis, predictive analytics and preventive measures while revising ATR formats for better reporting.
Capacity building for GROs, enhancing accountability through audits and extending CPGRAMS integration to the third-tier of government are key recommendations.

International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court recently issued arrest warrants for the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, his former Defence Minister and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

About International Criminal Court (ICC):

It is a global court which seeks to hold to account those guilty of some of the world’s worst crimes.
It is the only permanent international criminal tribunal.

Background:

The ICC was established by an international agreement, the Rome Statute, on 17 July 1998.
The Rome Statute sets out the Court’s jurisdiction, structures and functions.
The Statute entered into force on 1 July 2002.
Mandate: It investigates and where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.
HQ: Hague, Netherlands.
Members: 123 nations are States Parties to the Rome Statute and recognize the ICC’s authority; the notable exceptions being the USA, China, Russia, Israel and India.
Funding: The Court is funded by contributions from the States Parties and by voluntary contributions from Governments, international organizations, individuals, corporations, and other entities.

Composition:

Judges: The court has eighteen judges, each from a different member country, elected to non-renewable nine-year terms.
The Presidency: Consists of three judges (the President and two Vice-Presidents) elected from among the judges. It represents the Court to the outside world and helps with the organization of the work of the judges.
Judicial Divisions: 18 judges in 3 divisions, the Pre-Trial Division, the Trial Division, and the Appeals Division.
Office of the Prosecutor (OTP): OTP is responsible for receiving referrals and any substantiated information on crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court. OTP examines these referrals and information, conducts investigations, and conducts prosecutions before the Court.
Registry: The core function of the Registry is to provide administrative and operational support to the Chambers and the Office of the Prosecutor.

Jurisdiction of ICC:

Unlike the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which hears disputes between states, the ICC handles prosecutions of individuals.
The ICC is only competent to hear a case if:
the country where the offence was committed is a party to the Rome Statute; or
the perpetrator's country of origin is a party to the Rome Statute
The ICC may only exercise its jurisdiction if the national court is unable or unwilling to do so.
The ICC only has jurisdiction over offences committed after the Statute’s entry into force on 1 July 2002.