• On World Braille Day, electricity supply company BSES launched the Electricity Bill in Braille for the visually impaired in New Delhi. On the occasion, General Secretary of the National Federation of the Blind S K Rungta also launched the voice-enabled accessible mobile app and door-step services for the visually impaired.
• These services have been started after consultation with the National Federation of the Blind.
• BSES officials said that the electricity bill in Braille will cater to the specific needs of the visually impaired and empower them to better understand the electricity bill. It said, the households opting for the bill in Braille will continue to receive the regular BSES electricity bill.
• BSES said, the visually impaired can register for the Braille Bill and the Door Step Service through the BSES Mobile App, BSES Call Centre, Voice Bot, Email, and Customer Care Centres.

About BSES

• Reliance Energy, formerly known as Bombay Suburban Electric Supply(BSES).

BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL)

• BYPL has been the frontrunner in implementing power distribution reforms in the capital city of Delhi and is acknowledged for its quality, reliable power supply and customer friendly practices.
• BYPL is a joint venture between Reliance Infrastructure Limited and Govt of NCT of Delhi with a 51%: 49% share holding. The company started operations on July 1, 2002 post the unbundling of the erstwhile Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB). The company’s operations span across its license area of 200 sq km in the Eastern and Central parts of the National Capital.

Why in News?

• The S&P Global India Manufacturing PMI surged to 57.8 in December 2022 from 55.7 in the prior month of November, pointing to the highest reading since October 2020.

About Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)

• The PMI data is released at the beginning of every month.
• PMI or a Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an indicator of business activity– both in the manufacturing and services sectors.
• PMI is a number from 0 to 100. PMI above 50 represents an expansion, under 50 represents a contraction, and reading at 50 indicates no change.
• The PMI is usually released at the start of the month, much before most of the official data on industrial output, manufacturing and GDP growth becomes available. It is, therefore, considered a good leading indicator of economic activity.

Why in news?

• Recently, Ethiopia has released the first edition of an atlas to map a parasitic disease affecting livestock in the country and the vector behind it.
• Ethiopia’s National Institute for Control and Eradication of Tsetse and Trypanosomosis (NICETT), through this atlas initiative, aims to establish a reference for the distribution of tsetse flies and African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) in western Ethiopia.

What is AAT?

• It is caused by the parasitic protozoa trypanosomes, which are transmitted by the bite of tsetse flies, an African blood-sucking fly.
• It is a major livestock disease constraining sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural production.
• There is no vaccine, and existing drugs are becoming less effective because of the development of resistance in parasites.
• A human form of the disease also exists, known as human African trypanosomosis or sleeping sickness.

On-going Projects related to AAT

• The COMBAT project(Controlling and progressively Minimising the Burden of Animal Trypanosomosis)

• • The European Commission financed a four-year research and innovation project in Africa.
  • The project spans from August 2021-August 2025 and houses African countries, including South Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Senegal, Sudan, Chad, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Why in news?

• Recently, Several parts of Europe witnessed an unprecedented winter heat wave and experts said that temperatures increased 10 to 20 degrees Celsius above normal.
• At least seven countries in Europe recorded their hottest January weather ever. These included Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia.
• Experts said that the continent is experiencing an extremely warm spell because of the formation of a heat dome over the region.

What is a heat dome?

• A heat dome occurs when an area of high-pressure traps warm air over a region, for an extended period. The longer that air remains trapped, the more the sun works to heat the air, producing warmer conditions with every passing day.
• Heat domes generally stay for a few days but sometimes they can extend up to weeks, which might cause deadly heat waves.
• Moreover, when air sinks, it gets drier and further raises the temperature of the area.

How is a heat dome formed?

• The heat dome’s formation is related to the behaviour of the jet stream; an area of fast-moving air high in the atmosphere.
• The jet stream is believed to have a wave-like pattern that keeps moving from north to south and then north again.
• When these waves get bigger, they move slowly and sometimes can become stationary. This is when a heat dome forms.

Previous instances of heat domes

• In 2021, a heat dome formed over western Canada and the US, causing deadly heat waves. Portland city in Oregon, US, saw the mercury rise to 46 degrees Celsius while the temperature in Washington hit 49 degrees Celsius.

Why in News?

• Dieback disease hits neem trees in Telangana

About Dieback Disease:

• The dieback disease was first reported in the country during the 1990s near Dehradun in Uttarakhand, while it was first noticed in Telangana in 2019.
• The dieback disease is mainly caused by the fungi Phomopsis azadirachtae.
• The dieback disease affects leaves, twigs and the inflorescence of neem treesof all ages and it causes almost 100% loss of fruit production in severely infected trees.
• The dieback is a fungal disease but the neem trees are sometimes hit by insect infestation and the combination of both increases its impact.
• The disease posing a threat to the neem trees has been identified as twig blight and dieback disease in Telangana, and it has reappeared in the state this year on a massive scale.
• The appearance of symptoms starts with the onset of the rainy season and becomes progressively severe in the later part of the rainy season and early winter.

Why in News?

• National Commission for Scheduled Tribes recently said that Forest (Conservation) Rules (FCR) 2022 will invariably violate the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

About National Commission for Scheduled Tribes:

• Established in: 2004.

Constitutional Provisions:

• It was established by amending Article 338 and inserting a new Article 338A in the Constitution through the Constitution (89th Amendment) Act, 2003.
• By this amendment, the erstwhile National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was replaced by two separate Commissions namely-
  • The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), and
  • The NCST w.e.f. 19 February, 2004.

What is the composition of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes?

• The term of office of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and each member is three years from the date of assumption of charge.
• The Chairperson has been given the rank of Union Cabinet Minister, and the Vice-Chairperson that of a Minister of State and other Members have the ranks of a Secretary to the Government of India.

What are the functions of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (Under Clause (5) of Art. 338A)?

• To Monitor safeguards provided for STs under the Constitution or under other laws;
• To inquire into specific complaints relating to Rights & Safeguards of STs;
• To advise in the Planning Process relating to Socio-economic development of STs;
• To submit report to the President annually and other times on welfare Measures required related to Socio-economic development of STs;
• To discharge such other functions in relation to STs as the President may by rule specify;

Why in News?

• According to a study, published in Nature Communications, found that since the 21st century, South Asian black carbon aerosols have indirectly affected the mass gain of the Tibetan Plateau glaciers by changing long-range water vapour transport from the South Asian monsoon region.

About Black Carbon Aerosols:

• Black carbon aerosols are produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass, and are characterised by strong light absorption.
• The South Asia region adjacent to the Tibetan Plateau has among the highest levels of black carbon emission in the world.
• Many studies have emphasised black carbon aerosols from South Asia can be transported across the Himalayas to the inland region of the Tibetan Plateau.
• Black carbon deposition in snow reduces the albedo of surfaces— a measure of how much of Sun’s radiations are reflected — which may accelerate the melting of glaciers and snow cover, thus changing the hydrological process and water resources in the region.
• Black carbon aerosols in South Asia heat up the middle and upper atmosphere, thus increasing the North­–South temperature gradient.
• Accordingly, the convective activity in South Asia is enhanced, which causes convergence of water vapour in South Asia. Meanwhile, black carbon also increases the number of cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere.
• These changes in meteorological conditions caused by black carbon aerosols make more water vapour form precipitation in South Asia, and the northward transport to the Tibetan Plateau was weakened.
• As a result, precipitation in the central and the southern Tibetan Plateau decreases during the monsoon, especially in the southern Tibetan Plateau.
• The decrease in precipitation further leads to a decrease of mass gain of glaciers.
• From 2007 to 2016, the reduced mass gain by precipitation decrease accounted for 11% of the average glacier mass loss on the Tibetan Plateau and 22.1% in the Himalayas.

Why in News?

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, has approved National Green Hydrogen Mission.
• The initial outlay for the Mission will be Rs.19,744 crore, including an outlay of Rs.17,490 crore for the SIGHT programme, Rs.1,466 crore for pilot projects, Rs.400 crore for R&D, and Rs. 388 crore towards other Mission components.
• MNRE will formulate the scheme guidelines for implementation of the respective components.
• Ministry of New & Renewable Energy will be responsible for overall coordination and implementation of the Mission.

The Mission will result in the following likely outcomes by 2030:

• Development of green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonne) per annum with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country
• Over Rs. Eight lakh crore in total investments
• Creation of over Six lakh jobs
• Cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports over Rs. One lakh crore
• Abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions

The benefits of National Green Hydrogen Mission:

• Creation of export opportunities for Green Hydrogen and its derivatives;
• Decarbonisation of industrial, mobility and energy sectors;
• Reduction in dependence on imported fossil fuels and feedstock;
• Development of indigenous manufacturing capabilities;
• Creation of employment opportunities; and
• Development of cutting-edge technologies.

More about the Mission:

• India’s Green Hydrogen production capacity is likely to reach at least 5 MMT per annum, with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW.  The targets by 2030 are likely to bring in over Rs. 8 lakh crore investments and create over 6 lakh jobs.  Nearly 50 MMT per annum of CO2 emissions are expected to be averted by 2030.
• The Mission will facilitate demand creation, production, utilization and export of Green Hydrogen.
• Under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition Programme (SIGHT), two distinct financial incentive mechanisms – targeting domestic manufacturing of electrolysers and production of Green Hydrogen – will be provided under the Mission.
• The Mission will also support pilot projects in emerging end-use sectors and production pathways.  Regions capable of supporting large scale production and/or utilization of Hydrogen will be identified and developed as Green Hydrogen Hubs.
• An enabling policy framework will be developed to support establishment of Green Hydrogen ecosystem.
• A robust Standards and Regulations framework will be also developed.
• Further, a public-private partnership framework for R&D (Strategic Hydrogen Innovation Partnership – SHIP) will be facilitated under the Mission; R&D projects will be goal-oriented, time bound, and suitably scaled up to develop globally competitive technologies.
• A coordinated skill development programme will also be undertaken under the Mission.

• The Palampur-Thathri-Chunja glacier ropeway project has been hanging fire since long in the absence of financial approval from the Central Government.
• Initially, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was to execute the Rs 605 crore project. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, had conveyed to the state government in December 2021 that the NHAI had approved the 13.5-km ropeway project. However, no headway has been made till date.
• According to the official sources, there was a proposal to set up 13 ropeway projects in Himachal and the Palampur-Thathri-Chunja glacier ropeway project was one of them.
• About six of these projects are at the final stage of completion. The state government has failed to get approval for funding the Palampur ropeway project either by the NHAI or NABARD.
• The ropeway will connect Palampur with the Chunja glacier in the Dhauladhars at a height of 12,000-ft.
• Tourists will be able to reach snow-covered peaks within 31 minutes from Palampur.
• The state had also prepared a project report for the ropeway in 2019, trying to seek investors. However, no one turned up because of the high project cost and reserved forests.

• The 30th state-level Children’s Science Congress concluded on the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, at Kamand. Congress MLA Rajesh Dharmani was the chief guest on the occasion.
• The four-day programme, which began on December 31, was organised by the Himachal Pradesh Council for Science Technology and Environment (HIMCOSTE).
• Dr SS Randhawa is Principal Scientific Officer of HIMCOSTE.
• Satpal Dhiman, Joint Member Secretary of the council, gave an overview of the congress. By giving an example of renowned inventor Thomas Alva Edison, he reflected upon the thought that each child has his own potential and that needs to be nurtured for achieving success.
• About 25,000 students participated in the programme from across the state covering about 2,000 schools.