Goaltide Daily Current Affairs 2022
Current Affair 1:
Bedti-Varada Interlinking Project
News:
Environmental groups in Karnataka have criticised the project to link the Bedti and Varada rivers in Karnataka, calling it ‘unscientific’ and a ‘waste of public money’.
About Project: In Brief.
The plan aims to link the Bedti, a river flowing west into the Arabian Sea, with the Varada, a tributary of the Tungabhadra River, which flows into the Krishna, which in turn flows into the Bay of Bengal.
Bedti-Varada Link proposal envisages diversion of surplus waters of Bedti basin to water short Tungabhadra sub-basin.
The head works of this project consists of two dams viz. Pattanadahalla dam and Shalamalahalla dam and interlinking systems between these two reservoirs.
Ok now what is the issue with this project?:
According to study: “It is difficult to redirect a westward-flowing river to flow eastward. In February, which is early summer, the Bedti and Varada rivers begin to dry up. It is a sad irony that government scientists plan to interconnect these rivers under the pretext of providing drinking water despite knowing well that they do not flow all year,”.
In addition, flora and fauna will also suffer due to this project. The Bedti valley has been designated as an active biodiversity zone by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Current Affair 2:
Functional connectivity changes in the brain after meditation
News from PIB.
The news was:
A new study supported by the SATYAM programme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) suggests that consistent practice reduces thalamocortical connection with the sensory regions of the brain. The findings were presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR).
We will learn here two things: SATYAM AND ISMAR.
Science and Technology of Yoga and Meditation (SATYAM)
Science and Technology of Yoga and Meditation (SATYAM) is an interdisciplinary endeavor of Department of Science and Technology (DST) that interface with Medicine, Physiology, Psychology, Neuroscience, Philosophy, etc.
SATYAM Programme converge different & diverse disciplines as well as approaches & methods in the study of yoga and meditation. SATYAM is aimed to foster scientific research on the effects of yoga and meditation on physical & mental health and on cognitive functioning in healthy people as well as in patients with disorders
About International Society for Magnetic Resonance.
On January 1, 1994, the Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and the Society of Magnetic Resonance Imaging merged to form the Society of Magnetic Resonance (now named the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine). The first annual meeting of the merged Society was held in Dallas, Texas, USA, in March 1994.
The objectives of ISMAR are to
advance and disseminate knowledge of the principles, recent developments and applications of magnetic resonance in physics, chemistry biology, medicine and other disciplines; to foster scientific interaction among magnetic resonance spectroscopists throughout the world; and to engage in any lawful activities which further these ends.
ISMAR is governed by an elected Council that includes its Executive Committee. It follows the ISMAR Constitution in its proceedings. The Council consists of 20 to 40 members who represent the different subfields of magnetic resonance, while also providing a balanced international, geographic, and gender distribution.
India was member of council in 2017.
Current Affair 3:
Coalition for Negative Emissions (CNE)
The Coalition for Negative Emissions (CNE) was formed to support the development of negative emissions technologies globally and includes more than 20 businesses and other organisations from a variety of sectors, including utilities, aviation, banking, energy, and agriculture.
The Coalition aims to build momentum, shape policy, and develop the market for negative emissions globally. It is made up of a diverse range of companies across industries, from landowners and environmental stewards, large users and generators of energy, to technology start-ups and large manufacturers.
It works across differing sectors of global economies, but shares a common vision: to develop and deploy negative emissions at a scale that will create genuine impact across the world.
What are "negative emissions"? Coalition for Negative Emissions (CNE)
To reach zero net emissions (see: What does “zero net emission” mean?) and limit global warming to 1.5°C, it is necessary to remove and permanently store CO₂ from the atmosphere. This is called Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). As it is the opposite of emissions, these practices or technologies are often described as achieving "negative emissions" or "sinks". There is a direct link between zero net emissions and CDR: The earlier zero net emissions are achieved; the less CDR is necessary.
Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) can be divided into the three main groups: biological, technological and geochemical processes.
Biological CDR enlarges natural sinks and includes several measures. Examples are: Afforestation and forest management, i.e. large-scale plantation of trees which store carbon in soil and biomass.
- Adapted land management to increase and permanently fix C from atmospheric CO2 in the soil. One example is to renature peatlands.
- Pyrolysis of biomass to form charcoal (biochar) that keeps carbon in the soil for many years.
Examples of technological CDR are:
Removing CO2 directly from the exhaust gases of industrial processes and storing it elsewhere, e.g., underground (Direct Air Capture with Carbon Storage, "DACCS").
Bioenergy utilization in combination with carbon capture and storage means burning biomass in power plants, immediately capturing the CO2 underground (Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage, "BECCS"). This process combines biological and technological CDR.
Geochemical CDR includes measures such as:
- Enhanced weathering
- Increasing ocean productivity
Current Affair 4:
Terms of the day: Shrinkflation and The twin deficit or double deficit problem
Shrinkflation
It is the practice of reducing the size of a product while the price of the product remains the same. So, this effectively increases the price per amount or per unit or per kg. For example, recently 'Parle G' Biscuits size (quantity) was reduced slightly retaining the same price of Rs. 5.
Raising the price per given amount is a strategy employed by companies, mainly in the food and beverage industries, to stealthily boost profit margins or maintain profit margin in the face of rising input costs.
As you all know that inflation has increased in the last few months and so companies cost of production/input cost has also increased, but rather than increasing the prices companies have started reducing pack sizes just to disguise the price rise.
The twin deficit or double deficit problem
The twin deficit or double deficit problem arises when a country has both current account deficit and fiscal deficit. This means the country's economy is importing more than it is exporting, and the country's government is spending more money than it is generating.
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