Prelim Bits 26-08-2017

Hurricane Harvey

• Harvey is a tropical cyclone that recently made landfall in Texas .
• It is the first Category 4 hurricane to make a landfall in US since 2004 with powerful winds of up to 130 miles per hour.
• The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS) classifies hurricanes in western hemisphere into 5 categories distinguished by the intensities of their winds.
• The wind scale is used only to describe hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Ocean and northern Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line.

Tropical Cyclone

• A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain.
• Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by different names.
• A hurricane is a storm that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and north eastern Pacific Ocean, a typhoon occurs in the north western Pacific Ocean,  a cyclone occurs in the south Pacific or Indian Ocean, a willy-willy in south-west Australia

Washington Consensus

• It is a set of neoliberal economic prescriptions made by the IMF, the World Bank, and the U.S. Treasury to developing countries that faced economic crises.
• It recommended structural reforms that increased the role of market forces in exchange for immediate financial help.
• While few have argued that the reforms was used to impose harsh conditions that were unhelpful for economic recovery; others have argued that, it was favourable to long-term economic growth in developing economies.

Globefish

• Globefish is the unit within the FAO of United Nation responsible for information and analysis on international fish trade and markets.
• Globefish’s flagship reports cover over 14 of the most major traded seafood commodities, including shrimp, tuna, salmon, small pelagics and other species with detailed statistics.
• According to its latest report, India is the largest sea food exporter in 2016.
• The top five shrimp exporters to the international market in 2016 were India, Vietnam, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Thailand.
• India’s top export markets included the US, Vietnam, the EU and Japan.

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

• It was established in 1945 with the objective of eliminating hunger and improving nutrition and standards of living by increasing agricultural productivity.
• Its secretariat is located in Rome, Italy.
• Some of the important key programmes of FAO are Food Security Programmes, Codex Alimentarius, International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) etc.,

Science Ministers’ Conclave

• The conclave is part of the India International Science Festival (IISF).
• It is organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology and Vijnana Bharati, a not for profit organisation working for science popularization.
• The conclave is a 3 year-old mela of students and scientists that showcases contemporary and historical achievements of Indian science.
• It will be held in Chennai this year and the Science and Technology Ministers from neighbouring countries were invited, including China.

Task Force on Artificial Intelligence

• Ministry of Commerce and Industry has constituted a task force headed by Kamakoti of IIT Madras to explore possibilities to leverage artificial intelligence for development across various fields.
• The 18 member task force will submit its recommendations to the government, industry and research institutions.

Increasing trade deficit with ASEAN

• Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce has questioned the trade deficit with ASEAN countries and recommended better market access for its products and services.
• India has suffered a trade deficit in respect of five ASEAN members — Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei and Lao PDR.
• India has FTA with ASEAN countries and the least tariff elimination by Indonesia has resulted in biggest trade deficit amongst all ASEAN member States.
• ASEAN comprises of Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam.
• Its principal aim is to accelerate economic growth, social progress, promote South East Asian studies, alongside the protection of regional stability.