The Tsar Icicle recently collapsed killing four tourists in Russia.
What is Tsar Icicle?
The Vilyuchinsky waterfall in winter is called Tsar Icicle. The Vilyuchinsky waterfall lies in Kamchatka peninsula. It is home to more than one hundred and sixty volcanoes. Of these twenty-nine are still active. Many of these volcanoes are capped with glaciers. As these glaciers melt during warm weather, they form waterfalls. One such waterfall is the Vilyuchinsky waterfalls.
What is an Icicle?
Icicle is a spike of ice formed when water falling from an object freezes.
About Vilyuchinsk town
The Vilyuchinsk town is a closed town under Krai jurisdiction. The town served as a base for submarine construction.
Is Vilyuchinsk Waterfall located in Ring of Fire region?
Yes.
Why is it called the Ring of Fire?
Because it forms a track around the rim of the pacific ocean. More than 75% of the earth’s volcano is located in ring of fire.
What are the main features of ring of fire?
It has oceanic trenches, plate movements and volcanic arcs. More than 80% of the world largest earthquakes occur along the circum-pacific belt.
What is the Ring of Fire found in Planet Venus?
While the ring of fire of the earth is formed by plate tectonics, the ring of fire of Venus is formed by volcanism. In other words, the ring of fire in Venus is created by the same phenomenon that produced Hawaiian islands.
The Magnellan spacecraft of NASA captured images of Venus that had unusual circular structures called coronae. According to the scientists, the coronae were produced by the mantle plumes of Venus. Group of these coronae have formed the ring of fire in Venus.
How were the coronae formed in planet venus?
The hot molten rocks were carried upwards by convection current that formed a mushroom like shape at the top. As the molten rocks melted the crust, the head of the plume expanded to form the circular structure called coronae.
The Union Cabinet recently approved India-UAE Memorandum of Understanding for Scientific and Technical Cooperation.
What are the Key Features of India-UAE MoU?
The MoU provides sharing of knowledge between the countries
It will also allow to share information of data from satellites, radar, tide gauges, meteorological stations.
MoU also allows the countries to share knowledge of operational products for seismological and oceanic services.
To exchange experiences in terms of research scholars, scientists, specialists, etc.
To exchange technical and scientific information.
To deploy meteorological observation networks
Cooperation in early warnings of dust and sand storms through exchange of knowledge
Cooperation in the field of seismology. This includes study of seismic activities that has potential to generate Tsunami waves in Oman sea and Arabian sea.
Sharing of real time seismic data
Cooperation to support Tsunami Early Warning Centre designed to support Tsunami forecasting operations.
Why is the MoU important?
The weather services enhance the efficiency of weather dependent sectors of the economy. This includes agriculture and transport. The global cooperation in this field is highly important to modernize weather and forecasting services. This in turn will strengthen the resilience of the countries to fight against climate change and related disasters.
Also, both UAE and India are located in the same region of the World Meteorological Organization. The WMO divides the countries into six regions. The WMO is a specialised agency that promotes international cooperation in climatology, science, hydrology and geophysics. Therefore, it is important for India to sign such MoUs to increase cooperation among its regional partners.
India-UAE
UAE occupies key role in West Asia Policy of India. UAE accounts to 8% of oil imports of India.
The Kayakalp Awards are presented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare annually to the health facilities with the highest standards of sanitation and hygiene. Recently, the Kayakalp awards for the year 2019-20 was presented.
Key Highlights
The Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) was awarded the second prize under the Kayakalp Awards scheme. JIPMER received the prize under the Group A Central facilities category, hospitals having more than thousand beds. Earlier, it had received second place in 2018-19 and third place in 2017-18.
AIIMS Bhubaneswar has received the best central government hospital under Category B of the Kayakalp Awards for cleanliness for the third consecutive time. Earlier, it had received the award in 2018 and 2019 becoming the second cleanliest hospital in the country. Category B holds hospitals with less than thousand beds.
The Rairangpur Sub Divisional Hospital of Mayurbhanj district was felicitated as the best Sub-divisional hospital community health centre category.
Rani Durgavati Hospital received the award for the fourth time consecutively.
What are the factors considered to present Kayakalp Awards?
Waste Management, Hospital Upkeep, Sanitation and Hygiene, Infection Control, hygiene promotion, support services and beyond hospital boundary.
When was the Kayakalp Award Scheme launched?
2015.
What are the objectives of Kayakalp Awards Scheme?
The scheme aims to incentivize public health care facilities that show high performance in following protocols, infection control, cleanliness and sanitation.
It inculcates a culture of peer review of performance related to sanitation, hygiene, infection control.
It shares and create sustainable practices related to improving cleanliness in public health facilities.
What is Swachh Swasth Sarvatra? How is it related to Kayakalp Awards?
Swachh Swasth Sarvatra scheme was launched in 2016. The main objective of Swachh Swasth Sarvatra is to strengthen community health centres in open defecation blocks, especially in the region of those Public Health Centres or hospitals that have received the Kayakalp Awards. The following are the three main objectives of Swachh Swasth Sarvatra:
To enable Gram Panchayats where the Kayakalp awarded Public Health Centres are located to become Open Defecation Free.
To strengthen the Public Health Centres to reach the Kayakalp standards through support of Rs 10 lakhs under the National Health Mission.
To build capacity through training in sanitation, water and hygiene.
The External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar recently addressed the United Nations Security Council open debate. During his address, the minister proposed eight-point action plan.
What is the eight-point action plan proposed by India?
All the member nations should fulfil their obligations in international counter-terrorism conventions and instruments.
The countries should not bring in double standards in the battle. For instance, there are countries that support terrorism by offering financial support. Such countries are black listed by the international bodies such as FATF (Financial Action Task Force). These countries are being referred to double standard countries.
The working methods of the committees dealing with counter-terrorism should be reformed.
The enlisting and delisting of individuals and entities under the United Nations should be done objectively and not for political and religious considerations.
The linkages between transnational organised crime and terrorism should be addressed vigorously.
The FATF should continue to identify weaknesses in anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing frameworks.
Adequate funding should be allocated to the UN Counter terrorism bodies.
Who chaired the United Nations Security Council open debate?
Tunisia. Because Tunisia is the current President of the fifteen member UNSC body.
Who are the current 15 members of UNSC?
The UNSC is made of five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. The five permanent members are China, UK, France, Russia an USA. The ten non-permanent members are India, Estonia, Kenya, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Vietnam and Tunisia.
How are non-permanent member seats of the UNSC distributed?
Of the ten non-permanent member seats in the United Nations Security Council, five are for Asian and African countries, one for Eastern European countries, two for Latin American and Caribbean countries and two for western European countries.
There is an informal understanding between Asia and the African group to reserve one seat for an Arab country. The Africa and Asia Pacific group takes turn for every two years to put up an Arab candidate.
Does a non-permanent member enjoy voting rights at the decisions of the United Nations Security Council?
Yes.
The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently announced that the new Foreign Trade Policy. 2021-26 is to come into effect from April 1, 2021.
What is the goal of New Foreign Trade Policy?
To make India a 5 trillion USD economy.
What are the Key Highlights of the new Foreign Trade Policy?
The District Export hubs are to play a major role in the new Foreign Trade Policy.
The policy will aim to boost exports.
It will enhance ease of doing business.
It will bring improvements in the operations of domestic manufacturing and services sector through infrastructure support.
The policy will bring changes to regulatory and operational framework and lower transactional costs.
Who are the largest trading partners of India?
Bangladesh, UK, USA, Bhutan, UAE, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Israel, Nepal, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, Iraq.Which is the biggest export of India?
Pharmaceuticals
By which year has India set to achieve the target of 5 trillion USD?
2024
Can India achieve the target of 5 trillion USD?
If India grows at 12% nominal growth then from the 2018 levels of 2.7 trillion USD, India can achieve 5 trillion USD by 2024.
What are challenges India should address to become a 5 trillion USD economy?
Under-employment.
Slowdown in agriculture
Funding issues
Slow pace of infrastructure development
Export issues
What was the previous Foreign Trade Policy?
The previous foreign trade policy was implemented between 2015 and 2020. This policy aimed to boost “Make in India” initiative. The policy merged five different schemes under “Merchandise Export from India Scheme” (MEIS). The five different schemes were Market Linked Focus Product Scheme, Focus Product Scheme, Focus Market scheme, VKGUY and Infrastructure Incentive Scrip. Also, the Served from India scheme was replaced with Service Exports from India Scheme.