National Monsoon Mission

National Monsoon Mission

Under the National Monsoon Mission initiative, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), NOIDA have embarked upon to build a state-of-the-art coupled ocean atmospheric model for:-

(a) improved prediction of monsoon rainfall on extended range to seasonal time scale (16 days to one season) and (b) improved prediction of temperature, rainfall and extreme weather events on short to medium range time scale (up to 15 days) so that forecast skill gets quantitatively improved further for operational services of India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Details of funds allocated for the Mission during the last three years and the current year is as under:

S.No.	Financial Year	Rupees in Crore
1.	2013-14	185.05
2.	2014-15	78.99
3.	2015-16	63.43
4.	2016-17	62.12

Targets were to develop a state of the art dynamical prediction system for monsoon rainfall (over Indian region) on different time scales (e.g., short range, medium range, extended range and seasonal time scales) with reasonably good prediction skill.

Year wise achievements are placed in Annexure-1.

Government has received 75 project proposals from National as well as International institutes in this regard. These project proposals have been reviewed on the basis of their scientific merit and suitable projects were recommended for funding through Monsoon Mission. On recommendation of the Scientific Review & Monitoring Committee (SRMC) and other related Committees, the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) of Monsoon Mission approved 40 projects.

The present long range forecast system based on the statistical models has shown some useful skill in predicting all India seasonal rainfall including the deficient monsoon season rainfall during 2015. However, in order to overcome the limitations of the statistical models used so far, dynamical coupled ocean-atmospheric model framework is put under exhaustive performance evaluation under the National Monsoon Mission.

This was stated by Minister of State for Ministry of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Y.S. Chowdary in a written reply to a Question in Lok Sabha on 27^th July,2016.

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RDS/SS

Annexure-1

S. No.	Achievements made under this mission in the country during each of the last four  years (2012-2016)
1.	2012-2013	Experimental real-time seasonal prediction of Indian Summer Monsoon, using ocean –atmosphere coupled dynamical model CFSv2, was initiated at IITM and the predictions were provided to IMD. Short range forecasts were provided by IMD and medium range by NCMRWF (using UM of UKMO), with reasonably good skill.
	2013-14	In addition to above activities, experimental real-timeExtended Range Prediction of active and break spells (ERPAS) of Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall, up to 4 pentad lead (i.e., 20 days in advance) was initiated at IITM,using an indigenously developed Ensemble Prediction system (EPS), based on the state-of-the-art CFSv2.
	2014-2015	“Extended Range Prediction of active and break spells” was certified with ISO 9001:2008 standards in 2015, as it was one of the best prediction systems in the world, for predicting the active/break cycle of Monsoon with moderate prediction skill. IITM initiated to provide Outlook of major climate phenomena (e.g. El-Nino & IOD). Lot of model development works were carried out for improving the physics (land surface, convection, sea-ice, microphysics, etc.) of the model and model resolution was increased.
	2015-2016	In addition to above activities, an In – house Ocean Data Assimilation system was set up.  India could predict 2015 drought with good accuracy when all other world leading Climate centres were suggesting that it will be near normal monsoon year.
	2016-2017	In addition to all above activities, Short-range predictionefforts were recently initiated by IITM. A state of the art Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS),  based on 21 ensemble member, have been implemented at ESSO-IITM for generating high resolution short range forecast. Hot weather season outlook for 2016 summer (April-June) is issued for the country.

Survey of Sand Areas Rich in Thorium

Survey of Sand Areas Rich in Thorium

Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD), a constituent unit of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), has surveyed and identified resources of the mineral monazite (an ore mineral of thorium rare earth elements and phosphate) in beach and inland sand areas of the country.  The State-wise distribution of availability of monazite sand resources with magnitude of Thorium richness is as follows:

S.No.	State	Monazite resources (in million tonnes)
1	ODISHA	2.41
2	ANDHRA PRADESH	3.72
3	TAMIL NADU	2.46
4	KERALA	1.90
5	MAHARASHTRA	0.002
6	GUJARAT	0.003
7	WEST BENGAL	1.22
8	BIHAR	0.22
	TOTAL	11.93

PM asks NITI Aayog to create a vision for transformational change

PM: The time for incremental change is long over

PM asks NITI Aayog to create a vision for transformational change

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today called upon NITI Aayog to create a vision document that would, chart a roadmap for India’s development for the next fifteen years, and also lay the foundation for the country’s growth over the next decades of the 21st century.

Interacting with members of the NITI Aayog, the Prime Minister said the time for incremental change, that was the norm across the world for quite some time, is now over. He said the current age is one that requires transformational change. He highlighted the importance of technology as an emerging driver of change over the last three decades, and asserted that this pace of change would not slacken. The Prime Minister asserted that the Union Government has the courage and the ability to deliver transformational change for bettering the lives of the people.

He pointed out that, historically, Indian policy-makers had tended to lament its constraints rather than play to its strengths. Laying out the broad contours of India’s development path, the Prime Minister said that judicious and intelligent application of India’s natural resources and human resources, would be at the heart of this change. Giving several illustrations of this theme, he mentioned use of available land, the country’s mineral wealth, and vast untapped solar energy potential. In a similar way, he said India has made sub-optimal use so far of its vast coastline.

Talking about human resource development, the Prime Minister said focused skill development is vital, as India has the potential to fulfil the global requirement of human resources in the future. The Prime Minister stressed on the need to develop India’s tourism potential. He said partnership with States for promoting development and boosting exports is not just an element of cooperative federalism, but also the need of the hour.

Turning to Agriculture, the Prime Minister said the focus cannot be on increasing agricultural productivity alone, but should be on the overall development of a vibrant rural economy. He emphasized the importance of the food processing sector, warehouse development, and technology inputs, in this sector.

The Prime Minister said that the intentions (niyat) of the policy-makers are even more important than the policies (niti) themselves. Stressing on the need to build capacities for good governance, he highlighted the importance of real-time data availability.

He urged the NITI Aayog to take inspiration from events such as the success of the Give-it-Up campaign, and the widespread positive response from the people to the Swachhta Abhiyan. This experience disproves the assumption commonly made by experts that people are only interested in benefits for themselves; it shows that people are motivated by the larger public good.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of State for Planning, Shri Rao Inderjit Singh, the Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog Shri Arvind Panagariya, and Members of the NITI Aayog, besides senior officers from the NITI Aayog, PMO and Cabinet Secretariat.

ambiguous territorial claims over South China Sea

China has been trying to assert its ambiguous territorial claims over South China Sea since years by building up its navy and constructing artificial islands.
People’s Republic of China claims Nine-dash line area, which covers most of the South China sea and overlaps exclusive economic zone claims of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
China has not specified the exact meaning of the nine-dash line. It is not clear, for example, whether the country claims everything within the line as its sovereign possession or merely the islands and their surrounding waters
China claims it has historical rights in the South China Sea.
China also says the country also has ancestral fishing rights.
Claims of other countries

• Vietnam hotly disputes China’s historical account, saying China had never claimed sovereignty over the islands before the 1940s.
• Vietnam says it has actively ruled over both the Paracels and the Spratlys since the 17th Century.
• Philippines invokes its geographical proximity to the Spratly Islands as the main basis of its claim for part of the grouping.
• In May 2014, China established an oil rig near the Paracel Islands, leading to multiple incidents between Vietnamese and Chinese ships.
• The oil rig dispute has coincided with further tensions between China and the Philippines over the Spratly Islands.

Importance of South China Sea

• About a third of world trade passes through its sea lanes, including most of China’s oil imports.
• It contains large reserves of oil and gas.
• South China Sea also contains rich fishing grounds.
• Control of the South China Sea would allow China to dominate a major trade route.

Disputes in South china sea

• UNCLOS has been signed and ratified by nearly all the coastal countries in the South China Sea.
• But territorial disputes still persist, primarily over the Spratly and Paracel Islands as well as the Scarborough Shoal.
• Spratlys has been occupied by saveral claimants, which consist of Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, China and Malaysia.
• The Paracel Islands are the subject of overlapping claims from China, Vietnam and Taiwan.
• In 1974 South Vietnamese troops were driven from the Paracels by Chinese forces.
• A further clash between Vietnamese and Chinese forces occurred in 1988.
• Another major dispute is over the Scarborough Shoal, which is claimed by China, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Ruling of Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA):-

• This case was brought by the Philippines in 2013, after China grabbed control of a reef, called Scarborough Shoal, about 220 miles (350km) north-west of Manila.
• PCA has declared China’s “historic claims” in the South China Sea invalid.
• It is a place of multiple overlapping maritime claims and a growing military presence.
• China’s island building activities and conduct in the Mischief Reef — not the Second Thomas Shoal — constitute a violation of its obligations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• China has a positive obligation not to impede Filipino fishing vessels from exercising their EEZ rights, and to prevent Chinese fishermen from exploiting the same resources.
• Court ruled that only claims consistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) were valid.
• Under UNCLOS, which came into force in 1982 and which China ratified in 1996, maritime rights derive from land, not history and there was “no legal basis” for China to claim historic rights within it.
• Countries may claim an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) up to 200 nautical miles (370km) off their coasts, or around islands. Based on this, the tribunal ruled that the nine-dash line had no standing.
• Court ruled that claims of China had been building on rocks that were visible only at low tide, and hence not eligible to claim territorial waters and China had violated the sovereign rights of the Philippines, which has an EEZ covering them.

China’s stand and possible steps post-ruling?
China has refused to take part in the proceedings of court and court’s proceedings and has denied accepting, recognising or executing the verdict.
Although as a member of UNCLOS it is supposed to obey the court, but there is no enforcement mechanism.
China has repeatedly attacked the credibility of the PCA and the arbitration process, and will likely continue to do so.
China has attempted to create a coalition of states that rejects the arbitration proceedings, and may continue this effort.
China could continue its land reclamation and construction efforts in the Spratly Islands, which have added over 3,200 acres of land to the seven features Beijing occupies.
China has already threatened to establish an Aircraft Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
Could China be forced to accept?
In global governance, the supreme executive body is the U.N. Security Council, and China holds veto power as a permanent member.
Even the Security Council must rely on member states to enforce its decisions, including binding measures under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter. Similarly, the PCA ruling will have to be enforced by members of the international community.
Thus enforcement powers is lacking with PCA’s decision, biggest benefit it provides is a fresh opportunity for diplomacy in the South China Sea and ensures that any action in the region will be subject to the strict scrutiny of a global audience.
Why does it matter to India?
After PCA ruling against Chinese claims over South China Sea, Indian naval warships can now move through the region under UNCLOS without informing the Chinese.
The Chinese, by claiming 80 per cent of South China Sea, have been asking India to notify Beijing of movement of Indian warships through those shipping lanes.
India, like China, is a signatory to the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas) that mandates a certain maritime behaviour and norms.
In 2014, India had accepted an unfavourable ruling versus Bangladesh, in the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Now India is closely looking that what would be the course of action of China in the similar situation, non-compliance may bring the stature of PCA down in the eyes of other countries, including India.

SpaceX launches space station docking port for NASA

SpaceX launches space station docking port for NASA
SpaceX launched a critical space station docking port for astronauts early on Monday, along with a DNA decoder for high-flying genetic research.

As an extra treat, the company brought its leftover first-stage booster back to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for a vertical landing only the second such land landing for an orbital mission and the ultimate in recycling. Twin sonic booms rocked the night, incoming shuttle-style.

The unmanned Falcon rocket streaked through the middle-of-the-night darkness, carrying 5,000 pounds of food, experiments and equipment for the International Space Station. The orbiting outpost was soaring over the North Atlantic at lift-off, its six residents asleep.

It was SpaceX’s second shot at delivering a new-style docking port for NASA. The last one went up in smoke over the Atlantic last year, a rocket accident casualty.

NASA needs this new docking setup at the International Space Station before Americans can fly there in crew capsules set to debut next year. SpaceX is building astronaut-worthy versions of its Dragon cargo ships, while Boeing which makes these docking ports is working on a crew capsule called Starliner. The pair would dock to this ring and another due to fly in a year.

The Dragon and its latest shipment are due Wednesday at the 250-mile-high outpost.

NASA’s space station program manager Kirk Shireman expected to be “sweating bullets without a doubt” at lift-off, as always. He said all the cargo is precious, but really wants this docking port “up there safe and sound.”

SpaceX, meanwhile, had its sights not only on orbit, but also on the ground.

SpaceX brought its leftover first-stage booster back to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, just a couple miles from where it lifted off. The company has now pulled off five vertical booster landings since December, three on an ocean platform and two on land. SpaceX employees at company headquarters in Hawthorne, California, cheered loudly and applauded when the 15-story booster touched down smoothly.

SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk wants to refly his rockets to shave launch costs the ultimate in recycling. The boosters normally are ditched at sea. The company hopes to launch its first recovered rocket this fall.

The station’s two Americans will perform a spacewalk in August to hook up the new docking ring, about 5 feet across and 3 1/2 feet tall. Another port cobbled together from spare parts will replace the one lost in the June 2015 launch accident.

NASA went with private companies to supply the space station in the wake of the shuttle retirement five years ago this week.

Rank of India in World Tourism Industry

Rank of India in World Tourism Industry

State Wise Number of Foreign Tourists Visiting India

As per the UNWTO Barometer (Volume 14, May 2016), during 2015, India ranks 40th in terms of International Tourists Arrivals.

The number of Foreign Tourist Visits (FTVs) to different States/UTs during 2013, 2014 and 2015 is given below. This information is not available for the year 2016.

As per the 2nd Tourism Satellite Account of India - 2009-10 and subsequent estimation for the next three years namely 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13, the contribution of tourism to total Employment in the Country during 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 were 10.17%, 10.78%, 11.49% and 12.36%, respectively.

The FTVs during 2015 was highest in West (30.6%) followed by South (29.1%), North (28.4%), East (11.4%) and North East (0.5%). The region-wise number of FTVs during 2013, 2014 and 2015 is also given below.

As per the Report of the ‘Working Group on Tourism’ for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017) set up by the then Planning Commission, the requirement of additional hotel rooms under classified category in 2016 over 2010 is estimated to be 1,90,108.

Construction of hotels is primarily a private sector activity. The Ministry of Tourism, however, has advised the State Governments/UT Administrations to follow tourism friendly policies for augmenting hotel room supply like allotting land sites for hotels on revenue sharing basis, granting extra Floor Space Index (FSI)/ Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for hotels, adopt Single Window approach for clearing hotel projects, rationalization of taxes, etc.

To encourage the growth of budget hotels, the following incentives were announced by the Government:

Ø Extension of Investment Linked tax incentives under Section 35AD of the Income Tax Act to new hotels of 2-Star category and above anywhere in India, which will facilitate growth of Accommodation in the country.
Ø The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has de-linked credit for hotel projects from Commercial Real Estate (CRE), thereby enabling hotel projects to avail credit at relaxed norms and reduced interest rates.
Ø Hotel and Tourism related industry has been declared a high priority industry and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is allowed upto 100% under the automatic route.

The Ministry of Finance, Government of India has also included the following in the “Harmonised list of Infrastructure Sub Sector” to boost supply of hotel rooms in the country:

Ø Three Star or higher category classified hotels located outside cities with population of more than 1 million.
Ø Hotels with a project cost of more than Rs.200 crore each in any place in India and of any star rating.

Drone Based Agricultural Technology

Drone Based Agricultural Technology

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) through the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has formulated a collaborative research project entitled “SENSAGRI: SENsor based Smart AGRIculture” involving six partner Institutes (Agriculture & IT) to be funded by Information Technology Research Academy (ITRA), Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY), Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT), Govt. of India and ICAR. The major objective is to develop indigenous prototype for drone based crop and soil health monitoring system using hyperspectral remote sensing (HRS) sensors. This technology could also be integrated with satellite-based technologies for large scale applications.

Drone technology based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has ability for smooth scouting over farm fields, gathering precise information and transmitting the data on real time basis. This capability could be used for the benefit of farming sector at regional/local scale for assessing land and crop health; extent, type and severity of damage besides issuing forewarning, post-event management and settlement of compensation under crop insurance schemes.