Amaterasu Particles: Understanding HighEnergy Cosmic Rays
Introduction
In a noteworthy scientific achievement, Japanese researchers made a groundbreaking discovery in May 2021 by identifying an ultrahighenergy cosmic ray, which they dubbed ‘Amaterasu’ in honor of the Japanese sun goddess.
Discovery of Amaterasu
- Identification of the Event: Dr. Toshihiro Fujii, an astronomer affiliated with Osaka Metropolitan University, is credited with the detection of the cosmic ray named Amaterasu.
- Measurement: Amaterasu exhibited an energy level of 240 exaelectronvolt (EeV), signifying an exceptionally high magnitude.
- Comparison with ManMade Accelerators: This energy level surpasses that of protons accelerated by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) by a staggering 40 million times.
Mystery of Amaterasu’s Origin
- Unusual Origin: Amaterasu’s point of origin appears to be an unoccupied region of the universe.
- Fujii’s Theories: Possible explanations involve an unidentified source, interaction with a robust magnetic field, or the necessity for new models in physics.
- Previous Records: The most energetic cosmic ray recorded before Amaterasu was the “Oh My God” particle, detected in 1991 with an energy of 320 EeV.
Nature and Impact of Cosmic Rays
- Composition: Cosmic rays consist of streams of energetic particles, such as protons and alpha particles, originating from outer space and the sun.
- Interaction with Earth: The majority of cosmic rays lose their energy in Earth’s atmosphere, preventing the arrival of harmful highintensity rays at the surface.
- Historical Significance: Research on cosmic rays dating back to the 1930s has led to the discovery of numerous subatomic particles, although their sources and high energy levels remain enigmatic.
Types and Origins of Cosmic Rays
- Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR): These emanate from beyond our solar system, likely originating from supernovae.
- Solar Cosmic Rays: Emitted by the sun, primarily during solar flares, and predominantly composed of protons.
- Composition Analysis: Studies reveal a heliumtohydrogen nuclei mass ratio in cosmic rays resembling the composition of the early universe.
Implications of HighEnergy Cosmic Rays
- Ultrahighenergy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs): These extragalactic particles possess energies surpassing 1 EeV.
Limitations in Space Travel: UHECRs with energies exceeding 60 EeV face suppression due to interactions with cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, constraining their travel distance to 50100 megaparsecs.
Challenges in India’s Tea Industry: A Call for Introspection and Resilience
Introduction
The challenges faced by India’s tea industry echo the difficulties encountered during the “dark phase” of 200207, as observed by the Tea Association of India (TAI).
Key Concerns
The industry is grappling with significant issues such as stagnant prices, oversupply, a demandsupply gap, and a prevailing trend towards more affordable teas.
Historical Context and Recent Developments
- In the past crisis of 200207, the tea industry experienced a substantial decline due to regulatory hurdles, declining demand, competition from cheaper international teas, and concerns about export quality.
- In the present scenario, despite India’s economic progress, the tea sector is plagued by stagnant prices and rising input costs, resulting in estate closures and dependence on subsidies.
DemandSupply Imbalance and Quality Concerns
The oversupply issue, emphasized in the meeting, creates a critical imbalance between availability and consumption. Additionally, there has been a decline in tea quality in a bid to make it more affordable, leading to a “race to the bottom.”
Proposed Measures and Tea Board of India’s Role
TAI recommends repositioning tea to improve its perception and consumption patterns. Regulatory steps include managing domestically sold tea waste, restricting the import of lowquality teas, and promoting the health benefits of tea.
Potential Impact
Implementing waste regulation could decrease supply by 1520 million kg, and limiting imports could eliminate an additional 30 million kg of lowquality teas.
Tea Industry Statistics and Trends
While India’s tea production increased by 39% from 2008 to 2022, with a slight projected increase in 2023, exports until October 2023 decreased by 2% compared to 2022. Tea imports also rose from 27 million kg in 2021 to 30 million kg in 2022.
Overview of the Indian Tea Industry
- India ranks as the secondlargest tea producer and the fourthlargest exporter globally, with a substantial domestic consumption market.
- The industry directly employs 1.16 million workers, regulated by the Tea Board of India.
- Major teagrowing regions include the Northeast (Assam and north Bengal) and the Nilgiris in south India.
Challenges and Issues
Global competition, the decline in quality, poor worker conditions, and challenges faced by small tea growers, including pricing and recognition issues, are significant concerns. External factors like the RussiaUkraine war further compound problems for the industry.
Tea Board of India Initiatives
- Established under the Tea Act 1953, the Tea Board functions as a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce, with headquarters in Kolkata.
- The Board is reconstituted every three years. Initiatives include promoting packaged Indian tea and subsidizing participation in international fairs.
- The Tea Development and Promotion Scheme aim to enhance productivity, quality, worker welfare, and market promotion, with support for small growers through SHGs, FPOs, and FPCs.
Way Forward
The “One District One Product” (ODOP) Program can be instrumental in promoting Indian tea.
The “AROMA” approach focuses on Assistance to small growers, Reenergizing infrastructure, Organic and GI tea promotion, Modernization of supply chains, and Adaptability to climate change.
Supporting small farmers by enhancing production, quality, and sustainability, with a focus on highvalue markets, is crucial for the industry’s growth.
Child Marriages in India: A Persisting Problem
Context: Child marriage has seen an increase in recent years in states like Maharashtra and West Bengal.
Maharashtra Case:
- According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, reported instances of child marriage in Maharashtra have risen: 13 cases in 2018, 20 in 2019, 50 in 2020, and 82 in 2021.
- However, data from the NGO Committee of Resource Organisation indicates 10 cases in 2018, 30 in 2019, 45 in 2020, and 71 in 2022, specifically in Beed and Latur districts.
- Social workers stress that unreported cases far outnumber reported ones.
Identified Reasons:
- Farmers in the sugarcane fields of Latur and Beed districts, facing challenging socioeconomic conditions, tend to marry off their daughters at an early age.
- Families temporarily engage their daughters in sugarcane field work, but due to concerns about the girls’ safety, they are often married off early.
- Prevailing social challenges and poverty limit their choices. Addressing child marriage, deeply rooted in society, requires concerted efforts to tackle issues like poverty and illiteracy, fostering inclusive social changes across all levels and classes.
All India Analysis of Child Marriage Issues:
Child marriage persists in India due to a combination of factors rooted in societal norms and economic challenges.
Causes:
- Poverty and Social Norms: Economic hardship, coupled with ingrained social norms, perpetuates child marriage, especially in regions like West Bengal.
- Migration and Security Concerns: Families, fearing for their daughters’ safety, resort to early marriages before migrating for work, particularly noted in West Bengal.
- Policy Implementation Gaps: Despite prevalent child marriages, there is a substantial gap in enforcing laws like the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, with only 105 cases registered in West Bengal in 2021.
Impact on Health:
- Health Risks: Child marriage contributes to higher infant mortality rates, illustrated by incidents like the one at Murshidabad Medical College. Infants born to child brides often face extremely low birth weight, posing a pervasive health issue.
Young mothers also experience heightened risks during pregnancy and childbirth, affecting both maternal and infant health. Persistent high rates of child marriage, such as 41.6% in West Bengal, indicate a broad health crisis affecting multiple generations.
- Education Disruption: Early marriages curtail a girl’s education, limiting her future prospects and economic independence.
Human Rights Implications:
Child marriage poses a severe threat to human rights, particularly concerning the right to education and the right to health.
Initiatives Undertaken:
- Kanyashree Prakalpa: West Bengal’s cash transfer scheme incentivizes girls’ education, discouraging child marriage and benefiting around 81 lakh girls.
- Rupashree Prakalpa: A cash incentive scheme for girls’ marriages, aimed at delaying the age of marriage.
- Legal Age Amendment: The introduction of the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, seeks to raise the legal marriage age for women to 21.
4. District Action Plans: In 2022, West Bengal initiated districtspecific plans to combat child marriage, emphasizing localized solutions.
The Way Forward:
Addressing child marriage necessitates a multifaceted approach:
- Social Campaigns: Engage in robust awareness campaigns to alter societal attitudes towards child marriage.
- Community Involvement: Encourage community participation to challenge norms and promote education.
- Stricter Law Enforcement: Ensure rigorous enforcement of existing laws, like Kanyashree Prakalpa, through political will and public pressure.
- Comprehensive Policies: Develop comprehensive policies that encompass education, healthcare, and socioeconomic empowerment to address the root causes of child marriage.
In tackling child marriage, a holistic strategy combining legal, social, and economic aspects is imperative, underlining the need for sustained efforts to protect human rights and foster societal progress. This issue demands continuous attention and innovative solutions at both the policy and grassroots levels.
SC finds multiple loopholes in measures taken for Disability Sector
Context:
A recent Supreme Court (SC) report highlights significant shortcomings in the accessibility of courts for individuals with disabilities throughout India.
Current State of Disability in India:
As per the 2011 Census, approximately 2.68 crore individuals in India, constituting 2.21% of the total population, are classified as ‘disabled.’
The Indian Constitution guarantees equality, freedom, justice, and dignity for all, fostering an inclusive society that accommodates individuals with disabilities. Despite various government initiatives, the impact has been limited in ensuring the rights of disabled individuals.
Government Initiatives:
- Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016:
Expanded the list of recognized disabilities from 7 to 21.
Includes provisions for reservation in higher education and government jobs, as well as free education for children aged 6 to 18.
- The National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999:
Aims to enable and empower persons with disabilities to live as independently as possible within their communities.
- Mental Healthcare Act, 2017:
Provides rights for mentally challenged individuals during the delivery of mental healthcare and services.
- Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992:
Regulates and monitors the training of rehabilitation professionals, personnel, and promotes research in rehabilitation and special education.
- National Action Plan for Skill Development:
Aims to cover 2.5 million persons with disabilities by 2022 through various stakeholders.
Related Schemes:
- Scheme for Implementation of Persons with Disabilities Act (SIPDA): Provides financial assistance to states for implementing the act.
- Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana: Ensures physical aids and assistedliving devices for senior citizens in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category.
- Accessible India Campaign: Promotes the creation of disabledfriendly buildings and infrastructure.
- Sugamya Pustakalaya: An online library for persons with disabilities.
- Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP) Scheme: Ensures the distribution of aids and assistive devices.
- Economic measure: Creation of the National Fund for Persons with Disabilities.
Other Measures:
Corporate Social Responsibility: Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme promotes voluntary action by providing grantinaid to NGOs.
Existing Loopholes:
- Definition of Disability: The approved definition in India is ambiguous and problematic.
- Gender Aspect: Disability affects all genders, but sociocultural aspects and repercussions vary based on gender identity.
- Caste Issues and Disability: The 2011 census reveals higher disability rates among scheduled castes in all age groups.
- UrbanRural Divide: The disabled population is higher in rural areas compared to urban areas.
Way Forward:
- Preventive Programs:
Implement comprehensive healthrelated screening for all children at a young age, taking Kerala as a role model.
- Empowerment of Disabled Adults:
Encourage the private sector to actively employ individuals with disabilities by providing them with employable skills.
- Safety Measures:
Address safety concerns, including road safety, safety in residential areas, and public transport systems.
- Institutional Monitoring and Accountability:
Establish effective institutional monitoring mechanisms and ensure accountability in the utilization of public funds.
Bharat Tex 2024
Context:
In the framework of the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), the Ministry of Textiles is orchestrating a hackathon named “Fostering Innovations in Technical Textiles – Hackathon for unleashing creativity in technical textiles” as part of “BHARAT TEX 2024,” scheduled to take place from February 26 to 29, 2024.
BHARAT TEX 2024
- Global Leadership Commitment: BHARAT TEX 2024 transcends the typical trade show, signifying India’s dedication to becoming a global leader in textiles by showcasing innovation, collaboration, and the “Make in India” spirit.
- 5F Vision: Aligned with India’s 5F vision, the event encompasses the entire textile production journey, spanning from Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign, reflecting a comprehensive approach.
- Curtain Raiser Highlights: During the curtain raiser event, the Textile Minister revealed the official event logo, launched the dedicated website, and presented a promotional video, officially initiating the promotional activities for the event.
National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM)
- Initiated by: Ministry of Textiles
- FourYear Duration: The mission covers the period from 202021 to 202324.
- Objective Global Leadership in Technical Textiles: The mission aims to position India as a global frontrunner in the field of Technical Textiles.
- Market Size Target: The mission strives to increase the domestic market size of the technical textile sector to $4050 billion by 2024, with an annual growth rate of 1520%.
- Support for ‘Make in India’: It aligns with the ‘Make in India’ initiative by advocating the domestic production of related machinery and equipment.
- Aim: To diminish import dependence and enhance domestic manufacturing of capital goods in the sector.
Components:
- Research, Innovation, and Development
- Promotion and Market Development
- Export Promotion
- Education, Training, Skill Development
• Strategic Focus: The mission concentrates on expanding the application of technical textiles in flagship missions and programs across various sectors.
Pong Dam
Context: For more than five decades, a community of over 25,000 individuals displaced by the Pong Dam on the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh has been awaiting relocation. Many of them sustained themselves through farming in the vicinity of the dam.
Pong Dam:
- Overview: The Pong Dam, also known as the Beas Dam, is an earthfill embankment dam situated on the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh.
- Objectives: The dam serves the dual purposes of water storage for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation.
- Formation of Maharana Pratap Sagar: The elevation of water levels led to the creation of an artificial lake named Maharana Pratap Sagar, named after the renowned ruler of Mewar.
Features:
Height and Length: The Pong Dam stands 133 meters tall and spans 1,951 meters, showcasing its earthfill embankment design.
Crest Width: At its crest, the dam measures 13.72 meters in width, positioned at an elevation of approximately 435.86 meters above sea level.
Base Dimensions: The dam’s base spans a width of about 610 meters, with a total volume of 35,500,000 cubic meters.
Beas River:
- Overview: The Beas River, originating at an elevation of 4,361 meters on the southern slope of Rohtang Pass in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, flows through north India.
- Course of the River: Extending approximately 470 kilometers, the Beas River flows southward until it meets the Sutlej River in the Indian state of Punjab.
- Historical Names: Referred to as Arjikuja in the Vedas, Vipasa in ancient Indian texts, and Hyphasis in Ancient Greek records.
Tributaries: The Beas River is fed by various tributaries, including Bain, Banganga, Luni, Uhlal, Awa, Banner, Chakki, Gaj, Harla, Mamuni, Parvati, Patlikuhlal, Sainj, Suketi, and Tirthan.
