Why is it in the News?

Every year, International Day of Mathematics (IDM) is celebrated on March 14 to spread awareness about its role in solving real-world problems.

About International Day of Mathematics:

• Every year, International Day of Mathematics (IDM) is celebrated on March 14 to spread awareness about its role in solving real-world problems.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the International Day of Mathematics at the 40th General Conference on November 19, 2019.
• This day also sheds light on Mathematics' importance in different areas like climate change, energy, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development.
• International Day of Mathematics coincides with International Pi Day.
  • Pi is one of the most widely known mathematical constants and it is rounded to 3.14, which is why it is observed on March 14.
• IDM is an opportunity to educate students about the role and importance of mathematics in improving quality of life.
• It also empowers women and girls to contribute to achieving sustainable development goals for the 2030 agenda.

History:

• The 205th session of UNESCO’s Executive Council adopted the International Day of Mathematics.
• The 40th session of UNESCO's General Conference adopted March 14 as the International Day of Mathematics, which was the first official celebration with the theme 'Mathematics is Everywhere'.
• It is an opportunity to understand the importance of mathematics in daily life promoting mathematics use for the advancement of society.

Significance:

• International Day of Mathematics is celebrated to promote Mathematics in different fields highlighting the role of mathematics in solving the real-life world and addressing social concerns.
• IDM shows the application of mathematics in different fields of life including science, technology, engineering, and economics.
• IDM promotes mathematics at different levels encouraging educators, policymakers, parents and to stress the importance of mathematics and inspire students to pursue careers in STEM fields.
  • STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It is an opportunity to share research, discoveries, and insights with the general public and demystify the subject to make it more accessible.
• International Day of Mathematics is a global initiative to foster collaboration and exchange ideas across borders, cultures, and disciplines.
• The day aims to promote mathematics and help address global challenges through it.

The theme for International Day of Mathematics 2024:

The theme for International Day of Mathematics 2024 is 'Playing With Math.'

Why is it in the News?

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati launched a news-wire-like service to offer free content across mediums, which will be free of copyright or credit obligations.

What is PB-SHABD?

• PB-SHABD, an acronym for Prasar Bharti - Shared Audio Visuals for Broadcast and Dissemination, is a comprehensive platform designed to deliver daily news feeds encompassing video, audio, text, photos, and other formats to media subscribers.
• Leveraging the expansive network of Prasar Bharati reporters, correspondents, and stringers, the service offers up-to-the-minute news coverage spanning various regions of the country.
• Functioning as a centralized hub for news content, SHABD serves as a valuable resource for organizations, offering a wide array of news stories across fifty categories in all major Indian languages.
• Furthermore, the shared feeds facilitate tailored storytelling across diverse platforms, catering to the specific needs of newspapers, TV channels, and digital portals.
• In an inaugural gesture, the service is provided free of charge for the initial year, extending invaluable support to smaller media outlets and contributing to enhanced accessibility to news content.

About Prasar Bharti:

• Prasar Bharti functions as the nation's Public Service Broadcaster, operating under the Prasar Bharati Act established in 1997 as a statutory autonomous body.
• Its primary objective is to deliver public broadcasting services aimed at informing and entertaining the public.
• Comprising the former media units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, namely the Doordarshan Television Network and All India Radio, Prasar Bharti plays a vital role in disseminating news and entertainment content.
• Headquartered in New Delhi, Prasar Bharti serves as a cornerstone of India's media landscape, dedicated to fulfilling its mandate of public service broadcasting.

Why is it in the News?

Recently India commissioned the atmospheric testbed facility near Bhopal, equipped with high-end instruments to record vital parameters for enhancing weather models and conducting advanced studies on the Indian monsoons, with construction commencing in early 2018.

What is the Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART)?

• The ART is an open-field, focused observational and analytical research programme at Silkheda.
• The facility aims to conduct ground-based observations of weather parameters like temperature, wind speeds, etc., and in-situ (on-site) observations of the transient synoptic systems – like low-pressure areas and depressions that form in the Bay of Bengal – during the southwest monsoon season from June to September.
• Studying these systems and their associated cloud parameters will be used to generate high volumes of data over a long period.
  • It can then be compared with the existing weather models so that improvements can be made to obtain accurate rainfall predictions.
• The setup at ART will also be used for calibrating and validating various satellite-based observations, part of weather predictions and forecasting.
• Spread over 100 acres, the ART has been developed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences for Rs 125 crore.
• The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, is in charge of the operations.
• Under the first phase, remote sensing-based and in-situ measurements using 25 meteorological instruments have commenced.
• In the second phase, ART will deploy instruments such as a radar wind profiler and balloon-bound radiosonde, and soil moisture and temperature measuring equipment.

What instruments are ART equipped with?

• To obtain continuous observations of convection, clouds, and precipitation, and monitor the major modes of variabilities, the ART is equipped with over two dozen high-end instruments, radars, and more.
  • At 72 meters, ART will house India’s tallest meteorological tower.
• Some of the instruments deployed are an aethalometer for performing aerosol studies, a cloud condensation nuclei counter, a laser ceilometer to measure cloud sizes, a micro rain radar to calculate raindrop size and its distribution, and a Ka-band cloud radar and a C-band Doppler weather radar to help track the movement of rain-bearing systems over this zone.

Why is having an Atmospheric Research Testbed important?

• At present, 45% of India’s labor force is employed in the agriculture sector and much of Indian agriculture is rain-fed.
• Cultivation along the Monsoon Core Zone (MCZ), which spans the central India region from Gujarat to West Bengal, is primarily rainfall-fed.
• The southwest monsoon season accounts for 70 percent of the country’s annual average rainfall (880mm).
• Throughout India, the majority of Kharif cultivation is undertaken between July and August, which see an average monthly rainfall of 280.4mm and 254.9mm (1971–2020 average), respectively.
• During this four-month-long season, several rain-bearing synoptic systems, namely the low pressures or depressions, develop in the Bay of Bengal.
• Inherently, these systems move westwards/northwestwards over to the Indian mainland and pass through the MCZ, causing bountiful rainfall.

Why is it important to have data about monsoons over central India?

• Studies have correlated the all-India rainfall performance to the rainfall received over the central India region, highlighting its importance.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issues rainfall forecasts for the country’s four homogeneous regions – north, west, east, and south peninsular India.
  • In addition, it issues a special rainfall forecast for the MCZ, which is considered India’s food bowl.
• However, there is still limited understanding of the role of these synoptic systems, their associated cloud physics, cloud properties, and their overall role in enhancing the monsoon rainfall.
• Central India, therefore, acts as a natural laboratory for scientists and meteorologists to perform a hands-on study of the Indian monsoons.
  • They can record data and make observations about the allied systems, clouds, and other associated physical and atmospheric parameters.
• Additionally, climate change is driving erratic rainfall patterns in tropical regions, like India.
• It has also strengthened the low-pressure systems, which are aided by high temperatures.
  • This results in very heavy rainfall recorded along their trajectory during the monsoons.
• Now, with ART, scientists will be able to generate and obtain long-term observations on cloud microphysics, precipitation, convection, and land-surface properties, among a host of other parameters.
• This information will be assimilated and fed into the numerical weather models to enhance forecast output, especially the rainfall forecasts.
• More accurate forecasts will ultimately help the farming community plan their activities better.

Why Madhya Pradesh?

• The ART has been established at Silkheda, a location that falls directly in line with the path of major rain-bearing synoptic systems.
  • This will facilitate direct monitoring and tracking.
• Besides, the locality is pristine and free of anthropogenic and other pollutants, making it the best site in central India for setting up sensitive, high-end meteorological instruments and observatories for recording data.

Why is it in the News?

As per the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Global Methane Tracker 2024, methane emissions from fuel consumption in 2023 approached record levels, nearing their highest point in history.

About the Global Methane Tracker:

• The Global Methane Tracker is an annual publication issued by the International Energy Agency (IEA), presenting the latest data on methane emissions primarily from the energy sector. It integrates recent scientific research, measurement campaigns, and satellite data.

Key Highlights from the Global Methane Tracker 2024:

• Methane emissions from fuel usage in 2023 approached record levels, reaching approximately 120 million tonnes (Mt), marking a slight increase from the previous year.
• Bioenergy, derived from plant and animal waste, contributed an additional 10 million tons of emissions.
• Out of the total methane emissions, around 80 million tons originated from ten countries, with the United States and Russia leading in emissions from oil and gas operations, and China leading in emissions from coal operations.
• Despite indications of declining emissions in certain regions, the overall methane emissions remain alarmingly high, posing a significant challenge to achieving global climate objectives.
• To align with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C, there is a critical need to reduce methane emissions from fossil fuels by 75 percent by 2030.
• Achieving this target would require an estimated investment of approximately $170 billion, representing less than 5 percent of the revenue generated by the fossil fuel industry in 2023.

About the International Energy Agency (IEA):

• The International Energy Agency is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Paris, established in 1974.
• Its primary mandate is to ensure stability in the international oil supply, a response to the oil crisis of 1973, which led to temporary disruptions in the global oil supply chain.
• Operational Framework: The IEA functions within the broader scope of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD).
• Membership: As of 2022, the IEA comprises 31 member nations, with India joining as an associate member in 2017.
• Key Requirement: Member countries are obligated to maintain reserves equivalent to 90 days of the previous year's net oil imports.
  • These reserves must be readily accessible by the government to address potential disruptions in the global oil supply chain, even if the reserves are not owned directly by the government.

Why is it in the News?

NITI Aayog on Wednesday launched the 'Vocal for Local' initiative under its Aspirational Blocks Programme to bolster local economies and foster grassroots-level entrepreneurship, an official statement said.

What is the ‘Vocal for Local’ Initiative?

• The 'Vocal for Local' initiative, led by NITI Aayog through its Aspirational Blocks Programme, aims to foster self-reliance and sustainable development.
• Under this initiative, products from 500 aspirational blocks have been curated and unified under the Aakanksha brand.
  • Aakanksha is an overarching brand, with potential extensions into various sub-brands to tap into global markets.
• A dedicated section has been established on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal under the Aakanksha brand to promote these products.
• Additionally, partners in the initiative offer support in areas such as e-commerce facilitation, establishing market linkages, financial and digital literacy, documentation and certification, and skill enhancement.

About Aspirational Blocks Programme:

• Inspired by the Aspirational District Programme launched in 2018, the Aspirational Blocks Programme extends its reach to 112 districts nationwide.
• This new initiative targets the enhancement of underperforming blocks across various development indicators.
• It aims to foster comprehensive growth in regions requiring additional support.
• Initially encompassing 500 districts across 31 States and Union Territories, the programme focuses on blocks in six key states: Uttar Pradesh (68 blocks), Bihar (61), Madhya Pradesh (42), Jharkhand (34), Odisha (29), and West Bengal (29).

What is the Government e-Marketplace (GeM)?

• Established in 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) serves as an online platform for public procurement.
• GeM acts as a centralized portal, streamlining the procurement process for common-use Goods & Services required by various Government Departments, Organizations, and PSUs.
• Purchases made through GeM by Government users are mandated by the Ministry of Finance under the General Financial Rules, 2017.
• GeM is operated by GeM SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle), a 100% Government-owned, non-profit company operating under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.