GS 1

IMD has already detected heat waves. What are heat waves, and what causes them?

Syllabus: Geography

Source: The Hindu

In News

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), maximum temperatures in northwest, west, and central India are expected to be 3-5°C higher than the long-term average.

What is a Heat Wave?

As per the IMD, a heat wave occurs in a region when the ambient temperature deviates by a minimum of 4.5-6.4°C from the long-term average. Additionally, if the maximum temperature rises above 45°C (or 37°C in a hill-station), it is also considered a heat wave.

How does Heat Wave originate in India?

• During spring, air flows into India from the west-northwest.
  • The Middle East experiences more rapid warming than other regions at similar latitudes near the equator and serves as a source of warm air that moves into India.
• The air passing over the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan causes some compression on the leeward side of these mountains.
  • This results in the air entering India with increased warmth.
• Normally, air flowing over the oceans would bring cooler air, but the Arabian Sea is warming faster than most other ocean regions.
• Strong westerly winds at higher altitudes blow from the Atlantic Ocean towards India during spring.
  • These winds have a significant impact on the near-surface winds.
  • The energy required to move against the surface friction near the earth’s surface can only come from above.
  • As this descending air compresses and warms up, it generates some heat waves.
• Global warming tends to warm the upper atmosphere at a faster rate than the air near the surface.
  • As a result, the sinking air is warmer due to global warming and leads to the formation of heat waves as it sinks and compresses.

GS 2

The Supreme Court expresses interest in the absence of ‘protection officers’ in cases of domestic violence

Syllabus: Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation

Source: TH

In News

Due to ongoing concerns over a shortage of protection officers to handle domestic violence cases, the Supreme Court has requested additional information about Mission Shakti.

Background

• Section 8 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 mandates the appointment of protection officers, preferably women.
• These officers play a crucial role by:
  • Helping victims file complaints
  • Providing information to the police
  • Offering immediate protection and support
  • Informing victims about their legal rights
  • Supporting them through court proceedings.
• With 4.4 lakh pending cases in 801 districts, a protection officer in each district would be responsible for over 500 cases.
• Although Mission Shakti established “one-stop centers” in most of these districts to assist victims, it is unclear how many of them have protection officers on staff.
• The government has been asked whether Mission Shakti will function as an umbrella scheme for implementing the Domestic Violence Act.

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005

• This law, overseen by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), provides the first official definition of “domestic violence.”
• Domestic violence under this law encompasses not just physical violence, but also emotional, verbal, sexual, and psychological abuse.
• It is primarily a civil law aimed at obtaining protection orders, rather than criminal enforcement.

About Mission Shakti

• The scheme aims to empower women economically and promote their freedom to make choices without fear of violence or threats.
• Additionally, it aims to reduce the care burden on women and increase their participation in the labor force by promoting skill development, capacity building, financial literacy, and access to micro-credit, among other initiatives.

Mission Shakti has two sub-schemes, Sambal and Samarthya

• Sambal:
  • Improve accessibility and integrate all efforts and various government initiatives toward the safety and protection of women.
  • Secure women’s rights and entitlements to comprehensive continuous care
  • Support women affected by violence and in distress and assist them in re-emerging as integrated partners in nation-building.
  • Components:
    • One Stop Centre (OSC)
    • Women Helpline (WHL)
    • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)
    • Nari Adalats – women’s collectives to promote and facilitate alternative dispute resolution and gender justice in society and within families.
  • Nari Adalat component:
    • Provide women with an alternate grievance redressal mechanism for resolving cases of petty nature faced by women at the Gram Panchayat level.
    • Women collectives will be formed of committed and socially respected women chosen for that purpose.
    • The platform will also be utilized for engaging with the public for awareness generation and getting feedback for improvement in the schemes and effective public delivery of services.
• Samarthya:
  • Improve accessibility to various government services available for women at various levels through reinforcement.
  • Convergence for development and empowerment of women.
  • Aim toward social, cultural, political, and economic development and empowerment of women.
  • Components:
    • Ujjwala
    • Swadhar Greh
    • Working Women Hostel
    • National Creche Scheme for children of working mothers
    • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) under the umbrella of ICDS
    • Gap Funding for Economic Empowerment
    • Gender Budgeting, Research, Publication & Monitoring schemes have been included under the Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW).

GS 3

The unemployment rate decreased to 4.1% during the 2021-2022 period

Syllabus: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment

Source: BS

In News

India’s unemployment rate has hit a five-year low, according to the latest annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the National Statistical Office (NSO). Specifically:

• The unemployment rate in India decreased to 4.1% in July-June 2021-22.
• This figure is the lowest unemployment rate in India in the past five years.
• The PLFS is an annual survey conducted by the NSO to provide data on labour market indicators such as employment, unemployment, and workforce participation rates.

PLFS (Periodic Labour Force Survey)

• PLFS is an employment and unemployment survey conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
• It was launched in 2017 to estimate key employment and unemployment indicators for both rural and urban areas annually.
• It also provides short-term data on employment and unemployment indicators for urban areas every three months in the Current Weekly Status (CWS).
• NSO is the Statistics Wing of the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, which includes the Central Statistical Office (CSO), the Computer Center, and the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).
• Before PLFS, NSSO used to bring out data based on household socio-economic surveys once in five years.
• Key indicators estimated by PLFS are:
  • LFPR (Labour Force Participation Rate): Percentage of persons in the labor force (working or seeking work) in the population.
  • WPR (Worker Population Ratio): Percentage of employed persons in the population.
  • UR (Unemployment Rate): Percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in the labor force.
  • Activity Status:
    • Usual Status: Determined based on the reference period of the last 365 days preceding the date of the survey.
    • CWS: Determined based on a reference period of the last 7 days preceding the date of the survey.

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