Today’s Important Prelim Bits 12-05-2022 | UPSC Prelims Daily Current Affairs

Today’s Important Prelims Bits 12-05-2022

Cyclone Asani

In News

IMD Red alert for severe Cyclonic storm Asani in Andhra Pradesh.

Key Facts

• Asani is a severe cyclonic storm
• Earlier it was in form of a storm in the Bay of Bengal which intensified into a cyclone.
• It is expected to trigger wind over 75 km/hour and might get stronger.
• It has been named Cyclone Asani by Sri Lanka. It means ‘wrath’ in Sinhalese.

What is a severe cyclonic storm?

A Severe Cyclonic Storm is a category used by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to classify tropical cyclones, within the North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone basin between the Malay Peninsula and the Arabian Peninsula.

What is the naming of cyclones?

• Adopting names for cyclones makes it easier for people to remember, as opposed to numbers and technical terms.
• In 2000, a group of nations called WMO/ESCAP (World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific), which comprised Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, 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 WMO/ESCAP expanded to include five more countries in 2018 — Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
• 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.
• Cyclones are being named sequentially, column-wise, with each cyclone given the name immediately below that of the previous cyclone. Once the bottom of the column is reached, the sequence moves to the top of the next column (in the second image). We are now on Cyclone Asani, as marked in red.

Intersolar Europe 2022

In News

Union Minister of State for Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Shri Bhagwant Khuba reached Munich, Germany today to attend Intersolar Europe 2022.

Key Facts

• Intersolar Europe is the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry.
• Under the motto “Connecting solar business,” manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers and project planners and developers from around the world meet in Munich every year to discuss the latest developments and trends, explore innovations firsthand and meet potential new customers.

Mission Amrit Sarovar

In News

A high level meeting held to review the progress of the Mission under the chairmanship of Secretary, Rural Development.

Key Facts

• With a view to conserve water for the future, launched on 24^th April 2022.
• Aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country as a part of celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• This Mission has been launched with a whole of Government Approach in which 6 Ministries/Department involved.
• Also BhaskaracharyaNational Institute for Space Application and Geo-informatics(BISAG-N)has been engaged as Technical partner for the Mission.
• The Mission works through the States and Districts, through refocusing of various schemes such as Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, XV Finance Commission Grants, PMKSY sub schemes such as Watershed Development Component, Har Khet Ko Pani besides States’ own schemes.
• The Mission encourages mobilisation of citizen and non-govt resources for supplementing these efforts.

Sedition Law

In News

The Supreme Court has effectively suspended the operation of the sedition provision in the country’s penal law.

Key Facts

• Section 124A defines sedition as: “Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government estab­lished by law shall be punished with im­prisonment for life, to which fine may be added.
• Thomas Macaulay, who drafted the Indian Penal Code, had included the law on sedition however it was not added in the code enacted in 1860.
• In 1890, sedition was included as an offence under section 124A IPC through the Special Act XVII.
• The punishment prescribed then, transportation “beyond the seas for the term of his or her natural life”, was amended to life imprisonment in 1955.

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