Current Affair 1:

Doppler and other Weather Radar

 

News:

Weather Radars are the basic and most important tool for a Meteorologist for Nowcasting and Forecasting of various severe weather events.

Weather radars detect the motion of rain droplets in addition to the intensity of the precipitation. Data is analysed to determine the structure of storms, wind pattern and their potential to cause severe weather. It is used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.).

Dual polarization weather radars are the standard for modern radar systems, producing clear, clutter-free, high-resolution measurements of rainfall events.

They provide precise quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) to help meteorologists gather rainfall accumulation measurements. This helps to clearly distinguish between different types of precipitation and improve data quality by eliminating moving, non-meteorological targets.

Doppler Weather Radar Products can be used for the following applications:

• Weather surveillance
• Severe weather monitoring
• Hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone tracking
• Hail detection
• Hydrometeorological applications, such as flood forecasting
• Airport wind-shear detection
• Meteorological research
• Weather modification
• Agriculture
• Radiosonde Launch support systems

Also learn S,  X and C band radars: Read it is important.

S band radars operate on a wavelength of 8-15 cm and a frequency of 2-4 GHz. Because of the wavelength and frequency, S band radars are not easily attenuated. This makes them useful for near and far range weather observation. The size of the Antenna is 8.5 meters and it requires a large motor to power it.

X band radars operate on a wavelength of 2.5-4 cm and a frequency of 8-12 GHz. Because of the smaller wavelength, the X band radar is more sensitive and can detect smaller particles. These radars are used for studies on cloud development because they can detect the tiny water particles and also used to detect light precipitation such as snow. X band radars also attenuate very easily, so they are used for only very short range weather observation.

Also, due to the small size of the radar, it can therefore be portable like the Doppler on Wheels.

C band radars operate on a wavelength of 4-8 cm and a frequency of 4-8 GHz. Because of the wavelength and frequency, the dish size does not need to be very large. The signal is more easily attenuated, so this type of radar is best used for short range weather observation. The frequency allows C band radars to create a narrow beam width using a smaller dish. C band radars also do not require as much power as S band radar.

 

Current Affair 2:

Rise in seasonal bird count in Bhitarkanika National Park

 

News:

The Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha has seen an increase in its bird population this year, according to the Odisha forest department.

The number of migratory birds has risen to 1,39,959 this winter while 1,38,107 birds were spotted at the national park last year, the report said.

As many as 140 avian species were counted this year as compared to 144 last year.

Around 81,930 geese and ducks were spotted, and grebes, rails, gallinules, finfoots, jacanas, gulls, terns, and sandpipers were seen during the census exercise conducted on January 6.

About Bhitarkanika National Park

Spread in a vast are of 672 Kms Bhitarkanika Indian Wildlife Sanctuary Orissa is the 2nd largest Mangrove ecosystems of India. Proximity to Bay of Bengal makes the soil of the area enriched with salts, the vegetation and the species of the sanctuary is comprised of those which are mainly found in the tropical and subtropical inter tidal regions.

It is the breeding place for the endangered salt water crocodiles which are the prime attractions of the sanctuary. The Gahirmatha Beach which forms the boundary of the sanctuary in the east is the largest colony of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles.

Current Affair 3:

National Health Authority (NHA) introduces new system to measure and grade performance of hospitals

 

News:

With an objective to shift the focus of measuring performance of hospitals from volume of services provided to the value of healthcare services, National Health Authority (NHA) is introducing a new system to measure and grade hospital performance under the flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).

Traditionally, from the payer’s perspective, the healthcare model has been focussed on the quantity of services delivered, where case-based bundled payment is made on the basis of the number of services provided.

The new initiative will introduce the concept of ‘value- based care’, where payment will be outcome based and providers will be rewarded according to the quality of the treatment delivered.

Under the new model, the providers will be rewarded for helping the patients improve their health, which consequently will reduce the effects of disease in the population in the long term.

The step promises significant increase in the overall health gains and is expected to be a win-win for all concerned stakeholders from patients to healthcare providers, payers and suppliers. While the patients will get better health outcomes and higher satisfaction out of the services they receive, providers stand to get better care efficiencies. Similarly, payers will be able to maximize the health benefits generated out of the spending incurred.

Current Affair 4:

Kerala declared first State to enable digital banking in all eligible accounts

 

News:

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday declared Kerala the first State to enable digital banking in all eligible accounts.

The State now has at least one product in 3.76 crore accounts enabled digitally, according to the State-Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC). In 2021, Thrissur become the first district in the State to implement digital banking under the ‘‘Expanding and Deepening of Digital Payments Ecosystem’ scheme of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

He said 90% of work on the Kerala Fiber Optic Network (KFON) had been completed. Optical fibre cable had been drawn over a distance of 17,155 km. The public would gain cost-effective access to the Internet once the project was completed.

State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC)

Constitution of SLBC

The State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) was constituted in April 1977, as an apex inter-institutional forum to create adequate coordination machinery in all States, on a uniform basis for development of the State.

SLBC is chaired by the Chairman/ Managing Director/ Executive Director of the Convenor Bank. It comprises representatives of commercial banks including Small Finance Banks, Wholly Owned Subsidiaries (WOS) of Foreign Banks, RRBs, Payments Banks, State Cooperative Banks, RBI, NABARD, heads of Government departments including representatives from National Commission for Scheduled Castes/Tribes, National Horticulture Board, Khadi & Village Industries Commission etc. and representatives of financial institutions operating in a State, who come together and sort out coordination problems at the policy implementation level. The responsibility for convening the SLBC meetings would be of the SLBC Convenor Bank of the State.

Recognising that SLBCs, primarily as a committee of bankers at the State level, play an important role in the development of the State, illustrative guidelines on the conduct of State Level Bankers’ Committee meetings have been issued.

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