Why in News?

• A Foucault pendulum that rotates on its axis is suspended from the ceiling of the entrance hall of the Constitution Hall of India's new Parliament building, signifying the integration of the idea of India with the idea of the cosmos.
• Created by the National Council of Science Museum (NCSM, Kolkata), the pendulum is being dubbed as the largest such piece (22 m in height, and 36 kg in weight ) in India.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• What is a Foucault’s Pendulum?
• Working of a Foucault’s Pendulum
• Time to Change Orientation at Different Latitudes
• News Summary Regarding Foucault’s Pendulum at new Parliament Building 

What is a Foucault’s Pendulum?

• The original Foucault’s pendulum, named after 19th century French physicist Leon Foucault, is a simple experiment to demonstrate earth’s rotation.
• When Foucault carried out this experiment for the public in 1851, it was the first direct visual evidence of the fact that the earth rotates on its axis.
• The experimental set-up involves a heavy object hung from a height with a string, free to swing in any direction.
• Once set in to-and-fro motion, the pendulum is seen to change its orientation slowly over time.
• For example, if the initial motion imparted to it was in the north-south direction, after a few hours it could be seen moving in the east-west direction.

Working of a Foucault’s Pendulum:

• According to Newton's First Law of motion, every object will remain in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force.
• Thus, when a pendulum is set to swing it will continue to swing in the same direction unless it is pushed or pulled in some other direction.
• The earth, on the other hand, will rotate once every 24 hours underneath the pendulum.
• This means, if one stands to watch the pendulum, s/he would be likely to notice that the line of the pendulum's swing has changed to a different direction.
• This is because observers too are rotating with the earth, but can notice the change in orientation of the pendulum.
• 

Time to Change Orientation at Different Latitudes:

• At the equator, the pendulum is perpendicular to the axis of rotation, and hence it never changes its orientation of the swing.
• At other latitudes, it will, and would return to the original course after fixed time periods.
  • At the north and south poles, when the pendulum is aligned with the axis of rotation of the earth, the pendulum’s back-and-forth motion comes back to its original plane in exactly 24 hours.
  • At other latitudes (because the pendulum is not aligned to the axis of rotation of the earth), it takes longer for the pendulum to return to its original orientation of swinging.

News Summary Regarding Foucault’s Pendulum at new Parliament Building:

• Pendulum at the new Parliament:
  • All the components of the pendulum have been completely made in India.
  • The piece, made using gunmetal, has been fixed with an electromagnetic coil to ensure hassle-free movement.
  • The suspension system is mounted on the ceiling. There is continuous power supply so there are no obstacles (to the pendulum’s movement).
  • At the latitude of the Parliament, it takes 49 hours, 59 minutes, and 18 seconds for the pendulum to complete one rotation.
• Significance: It is a piece reflecting the spirit of Article 51A of the Indian Constitution, which enshrines every citizen “to develop the scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform”.
• The first such pendulum: It was installed in 1991 at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune.

Why in News?

• The Union Health Ministry has recently urged State Governments to audit hysterectomy trends in public and private hospitals.
• This was done in response to a Supreme Court petition arguing that women from marginalised locations are at risk of unjustified hysterectomies for economic gains and exploitation.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About Hysterectomy (Meaning, Criteria, Risks, etc.)
• Hysterectomy in India (Data, Challenges, Government Initiatives, etc.)
• News Summary

What is Hysterectomy?

• A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the uterus (womb).
• After surgery, woman can’t become pregnant and no longer menstruate.

Criteria for Getting a Hysterectomy:

• After caesarean deliveries, hysterectomies are the second-most frequent procedure in women of the reproductive age group.
• Reasons for this surgery include abnormal bleeding, uterine prolapse, fibroids and cancer.
  • In some cases, oophorectomy, the removal of ovaries (the primary source of oestrogen), is also frequently performed, which is a form of surgical menopause and linked to several chronic conditions.
• The highest percentage of hysterectomies (51.8%) were to treat excessive menstrual bleeding or pain.
• It's more common for women aged 40 to 50.

Health Risks Associated with Hysterectomy:

• There is evidence about the long-term effects of hysterectomy – both with or without oophorectomy (removal of ovaries).
• A 2022 study found a correlation between hysterectomy and chronic diseases including an increased risk of cardiovascular events, cancers, depression, metabolic disorders, and dementia.
• In India, hysterectomies in women above 45 years of age were associated with hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and bone disease.

Hysterectomy in India:

• The average age at which hysterectomies are conducted among Indian women is 34, per community-based studies.
• In comparison, high income countries allow this procedure for women aged above 45.
• Most surgeries happen in private hospitals (33,559 procedures) as opposed to government hospitals (11, 875).
• A majority of these cases are reported among socially and economically disadvantaged women.

Challenges Associated with Hysterectomy in India:

• Wombless Women –
  • Also, contractors in unorganised sectors such as the sugar-cane-cutting industry misuse hysterectomy, where ‘wombless women’ are the norm to eliminate the need for menstrual care and hygiene among workers.
• Lack of Awareness –
  • The gap thrives in a culture where gynaecological care and disorders — outside of pregnancy — exist in oblivion.
  • Some reports show “rasoli” — indicating a tumour or growth— is often cited as a reason for hysterectomies in medical documents.
  • These may be benign growths, manageable by conducting investigative tests and undertaking alternative treatments.

What Measures has the Government Taken So Far?

• Union Health Ministry Guidelines –
  • The Union Health Ministry in 2022 issued guidelines to prevent unnecessary hysterectomies — listing possible indications of when hysterectomy may be required and alternative clinical treatments for gynaecological issues.
  • They recommended setting up district, State-level and national hysterectomy monitoring committees which to collect data on age, mortality, and occupations, among other details.
  • In particular, the guidelines emphasise that authorities should report hysterectomies conducted for women less than 40 years of age and incorporate the reason for hysterectomy.
  • All States and Union Territories were asked to adopt the Guidelines within three months and report compliance to MoHFW.
• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana –
  • The government’s flagship health insurance programme provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs for 1,949 procedures— including hysterectomies.
  • The government has authorised more than 45,000 hospitals to conduct these operations and also developed two standard treatment guidelines for hysterectomy-related procedures.
• Blacklisting of Certain Hospitals –
  • Under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, hospitals and healthcare facilities found to have coerced women into hysterectomies without informed consent can be blacklisted.
  • The Centre told the Supreme Court that several hospitals were blacklisted and FIRs were filed against facilities that violated norms.

News Summary:

• A petition was filed in the Supreme Court w.r.t. Hysterectomy.
• The petitionerargued that despite the provisions, private hospitals in Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan engaged in unethical practices and unnecessary procedures.
• The petitioner argued that that women from marginalised locations are at risk of unjustified hysterectomies for economic gains and exploitation.
• The Chief Justice of India, Y. Chandrachud, suggested that hysterectomies for those under 40 should be conducted on approval by two certified doctors.
• The Supreme Court, while hearing the petition, gave a three-month deadline to States and Union Territories, directing them to implement the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2022.

Why in news?

• Days before the US govt’s debt default deadline, President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy reached an agreement in principle to raise the nation’s legal debt ceiling.

What’s in today’s article?

• US debt ceiling
• News Summary

U.S. debt ceiling

• Origin of debt ceiling in US
  • In 1917, Congress passed the Second Liberty Bond Act, to allow then-President to take out funds for the First World War without waiting for the approvals of absent Congress lawmakers.
  • However, the Congress created a limit on borrowing, thus creating a debt ceiling that could only be raised by approval of the Congress (House and Senate).
    • This ceiling was created to curtail the President’s spending capacity.
• Debt ceiling in its current form
  • The debt ceiling started to take its present-day form in 1939, when separate borrowing caps for bonds were consolidated into one debt ceiling.
    • At that time, it was set at $45 billion.
  • The U.S. government has hit or come close to hitting the debt ceiling multiple times.
  • While the government continues to receive taxation revenue after hitting the debt ceiling, it cannot borrow any more to pay its existing bills.

Current debt ceiling crisis

• The Democrats-led US government had in January hit its debt ceiling — the amount it is legally allowed to borrow for its expenses.
• With no new money coming in, Treasury Department Secretary had warned that funds would run out by the first week of June 2023.
• Since then, the Republican-dominated House of Representatives and President Biden’s White House have failed to reach a consensus to raise or suspend the debt ceiling.
• This stalemate led to the current debt ceiling crisis in USA.

What will happen if the U.S. defaults?

• If the debt ceiling is not raised once the government reaches the ceiling and runs out of cash, the U.S. would be unable to pay its debt-holders, resulting in a default.
• Domestic payments
  • In this case, the government would be unable to pay its bills including military salaries, benefits to retirees, and interest and other payments it owes to bondholders.
• Global financial crisis
  • If the government cannot make interest payments to domestic and foreign investors, it could plunge the globe into a financial crisis.
  • It would also increase the national debt, in turn causing widespread interest rate hikes for business owners, mortgages, and other sectors.
  • A drop in U.S. consumer confidence would translate to shocks in the financial market, tipping the economy into recession.
  • More than half of the world’s foreign currency reserves are held in U.S. dollars. Hence, a US default would affect the treasury markets around the world.
    • A loss of confidence in the U.S. economy could force investors to sell U.S. Treasury bonds, thus weakening the dollar.
    • A sudden decrease in the currency’s value could domino across treasury markets as the value of these reserves drops.
• Downgraded creditworthiness of US
• A U.S. default could lead to another downgrade of U.S. creditworthiness by agencies which in turn would raise the cost of borrowing for the government.
• Impact on economy
  • It would result in large-scale job losses, weakening of the dollar, stock sell-offs.

News Summary: US debt ceiling crisis

• President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed on a deal that can potentially avert the US debt ceiling crisis.

key points of the deal

• A cap and a raise
  • Under the deal, the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling will be suspended until January 2025. Till then, the government can keep borrowing to fund itself.
  • In return, the White House has agreed to cap non-defence discretionary spending at 2023 levels in 2024, and increase it by 1% the year after.
• Work requirements made stricter
  • From the Democrat side, President Biden has agreed to increase work requirements for those who avail of government food stamps.
    • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are commonly known as food stamps.
    • Able-bodied adults between the ages of 18-49 and without dependents were subject to work requirements to maintain eligibility for SNAP benefits.
      • Under the current deal, the age limit will be raised to 54.
    • These requirements included actively seeking employment, participating in a suitable employment and training program, or working a minimum number of hours per month.
• Streamlining energy projects approval
• The government has agreed to the Republican demand of a more streamlined system of approval for energy projects.
• IRS, Covid fund
  • Under the deal, the outlay the Biden government had secured for beefing up the Internal Revenue System (IRS) sees a cut.
  • Leftover Covid relief fund will be taken back, including that kept aside for tackling disasters.

Context

• As the agriculture sector is highly dependent on climate,the emerging trend in climate change will have serious implications on agriculture and allied sectors.
• As India has the largest workforce (45.6 percent in 2021-22) engaged in agriculture amongst G20 countries, the impact of climate change may be disproportionate for India.

G7 Hiroshima Summit’s Agenda on Climate Change

• At the Hiroshima Summit 2023, the G7 nations stressed that the peak for global Green House Gas (GHG) emissions should be reached by 2025 and committed to an “Acceleration Agenda” for G7 countries to reach net-zero emissions by around 2040.
• The summit urged emerging economies to do so by around 2050. However, China has committed to net zero by 2060 and India by 2070.

Climate Change Reports

• WMO Report
  • World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has forecast that global near-surface temperatures are likely to increase by 1.1°Cto 1.8°C annually from 2023 to 2027.
  • It also anticipates that temperatures will exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one year within this period.
• IMD Report: According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), India experienced its fifth hottest year on record in 2022.

Impact of Emerging Trend in Climate Change

• Glacial retreat in the Himalayas: Rising temperature and rain can cause glacial lake outburst floods. It is evident from the February 2021 incidence of glacial burst from Uttarakhand.
• Flooding, Landslides and Cyclones
  • Compounding effects of sea-level rise and intense tropical cyclones lead to flooding in India's various regions. e.g., Mumbai and Konkan region (2021 flood) is prone to sea-level rise and flooding.
  • Increasing cyclones (in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, and West Bengal) in the last 3-4 years are the cause of concern.
• Draughts: Droughts are expected to be more frequent in some areas, especially north-western India, Jharkhand, Orissa, and Chhattisgarh.
• Erratic monsoon
  • Monsoon rain will be dominated by aerosols and internal variability, but in the long term, it will increase.
  • Erratic monsoon rain caused a devastating loss in the 2021 floods in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Kerala.
• Intense heat stress: Heat extremes are increasing, and marine heatwaves will continue to increase. These are likely to impact India, for example, Andhra and Telangana region are currently affected.
• Drop in Agriculture Yield: Agricultural production will be affected by 2040.According to the World Bank, climate change could push more than 100 million people into extreme poverty by 2030 by disrupting agriculture.

Challenges to Indian Agriculture Sector Due to Climate Change

• A Large Population to Feed: India has to feed the largest population (1.42billion in 2023 and 1.67 billion by 2050),it must do so while contending with the increasing uncertainty of nature.
• Nutritional Challenges: While India’s grain production (330MT in 2022-23) gives some comfort, the nutritional challenge remains.

What can Indian Policymakers do to address these challenges?

• Focus on ARDE (Agricultural Research, Development, Education and Extension).
• Research at ICRIER indicates that investing in Agri R&D yields much greater returns (11.2) compared to every rupee spent on the fertiliser subsidy (0.88), power subsidy (0.79), education (0.97), or roads (1.10).

Importance of Focusing on ARDE

• Can Improve Agricultural Production: Increased emphasis on ARDE can help achieve higher agricultural production even in the face of climate change.
• Critical for Improving Resource Use Efficiency
  • ARDE is critical for improving resource use efficiency, especially for natural resources such as soil, water, and air.
  • Precision agriculture, such as drip irrigation, can result in large water savings.
  • Implementing sensor-based irrigation systems, for example, enables automated control, improving resource use efficiency.
• Can help develop variety of Seeds: ARDE will help in developing new seeds according to emerging trend of climate change. The development of seeds that are more heat resistant is already a reality.
• Can Help Reduce the Carbon Emissions with Higher Outputs
  • Focusing on ARDE can accelerate Fertigation and development of nano-fertilisers that not only save on the fertiliser subsidy but also reduce its carbon footprint.
  • Implementing innovative farming practices and products will help more efficient use of water and other natural resources, resulting in higher output with fewer inputs, while lowering GHG emissions.
  • Research at the Borlaug Institute for South Asia shows that mulching (the process of applying natural or artificial layer of plant residue or other materials on the soil surface) not only contributes to higher soil organic carbon but also saves on water and reduces GHG emissions.

Allocation of ARDE by Sector

• There is a skewed distribution towards the crop husbandry sector, whose relative share has marginally increased from 75 percent to76 per cent between 2008 and2020.
• In contrast, the shares for soil, water conservation, and forestry have declined from 5 percent to 2 percent.
• The shares for animal husbandry, dairy development, and fisheries sectors have decreased from 11 percent to 8 percent, despite the value of livestock having substantially increased in the overall value of Agri-produce.
• This imbalance needs urgent correction, especially because much (54 percent) of the GHG emissions within agriculture come from the livestock sector.

What should the government do to push ARDE?

• Ensure Research Intensity (RI) to be at least 1% of AGVA (Agricultural Gross Value Added). RI is the expenditure on R&D as a percentage of GDP.
• Although, total expenditure has increased from Rs39.6 billion ($0.91 billion) Rs 163 billion ($2.2 billion) since 2005-06, the overall RI in agriculture falls short of the target of1% of the AGVA.

How can RI be kept at least 1% of AGVA?

• Scaling up innovations and experiments under ARDE is critical and that is where larger allocations of funds is required.
• India needs to almost double its budgetary allocations for ARDE.
• The Union government can reduce its fertiliser subsidy, and state governments their power subsidy, and redirect those savings to Agri-R&D, ensuring RI tobeatleast1percent.

Way Forward

• Political will: Going forward the ruling dispensation must have the political courage to bring innovative policies that ensure farmers’ incomes group.
• Realigning Policies Along with Expenditures: Along with the substantial increase in the budgets for ARDE, the government needs to realign not just expenditures but also policies (such as fertiliser subsidy, power subsidy, etc) towards meeting the climate change challenge.

Conclusion

• Livestock has been growing at more than double the rate of the cereal sector, as is horticulture. But our policies and programmes are stuck with the legacy of basic staples like rice and wheat.
• A periodic review of nutritional status across States along with a process to monitor and evaluate programmes could address systemic challenges on the ground.

Why in News?

• The visit marks the culmination of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Cambodia.
• This visit by the King of Cambodia is taking place after almost six decades, with the last being that of the current King’s father in 1963.

About Cambodia:

• Cambodia, country on the Indochinese mainland of Southeast Asia.
• Its capital is Phnom Penh.
• It is bordered to the west and northwest by Thailand, to the northeast by Laos, to the east and southeast by Vietnam and to the southwest by the Gulf of Thailand.
• The two dominant hydrological features of Cambodia are the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap (Great Lake).
• Topography: The Elephant Mountains and Cardamom Mountain of the southwest and western regions; the Dangrek Mountains of the North adjoining of the Korat Plateau of Thailand and Rattanakiri Plateau and Chhlong highlands on the east merging with the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.
• Conservation and restoration of the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Preah Vihar are being carried out under India’s funding.

About Rice fortification:

• Fortification is the process of adding Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK), containing FSSAI prescribed micronutrients (Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12) to normal Rice in the ratio of 1:100 (Mixing 1 Kg of FRK with 100 Kg custom milled rice).
• Fortified rice is nearly identical to traditional rice in aroma, taste, and texture. This process is done in the rice mills at the time of milling of rice.
• Fortification of rice is found to be a cost-effective and complementary strategy to increase vitamin and mineral content in diets with low turnaround time (TAT) and a step towards nutritional security.

Background:

• On 15 August 2021, when Prime Minister on India announced that over 80 crore people will be fed rice fortified with iron and vitamins to combat rising cases of anaemia and other micronutrient deficiency diseases.

About Anemia:

• Anemia is a problem of not having enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body's tissues.
• Symptoms: Possible symptoms of anemia include Tiredness, Weakness, Shortness of breath, Irregular heartbeat, Chest pain, Cold hands and feet etc.
• Causes of anemia: Different types of anemia have different causes. They include:
  • Iron deficiency anemia, Vitamin deficiency anemia, Anemia of inflammation, Sickle cell anemia, Hemolytic anemias, Aplastic anemia.
• Prevention:
  • Many types of anemia can't be prevented. But eating a healthy diet might prevent iron deficiency anemia and vitamin deficiency anemias. A healthy diet includes: Iron, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C, Folate etc.

About Great Himalayan National Park:

• It is located in Banjaar Sub-Division of Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh in the far Western Himalayas.
• It spreads across a total area of 1171 sq km.
• It was constituted in 1984 and was formally notified as a national park in 1999.
• GHNP was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2014.
• Topography: The park is a stunning mix of lush coniferous forests, meadows, glaciers and mountain peaks.
• Fauna:
  • Biodiversity surveys of GHNP in the past decade have identified 31 mammal species, 209 bird species, 12 reptile species, 9 amphibian species and 125 insect species.
  • Animals like the bharal (blue sheep), common leopard, snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan tahr, musk deer and serow.
  • Endangered western tragopan, lammergeiers, Himalayan griffon vultures and golden eagles.
• Flora:
  • GHNP boasts 832 plant species, representing 128 families and 427 genera and comprising 26% of the total flora of Himachal Pradesh. These include 794 angiosperm species, 11 gymnosperm species (pines, conifers and cypresses) and 27 fern species.
• The boundaries of GHNP are also contiguous with: the Pin Valley National Park in the Trans-Himalaya range, the Rupi Bhabha Wildlife Sanctuary in the Sutlej watershed and the Kanawar Wildlife Sanctuary in Parvati valley.

About Mahakaleshwar Temple:

• It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.
• Location:
  • It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
  • The temple is situated besides the Rudra Sagar lake.
• It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingams of Lord Shiva. 
• Mahakaleshwar idol is Dakshina Mukhi, facing south, unlike all the other Jyotirlingas.
• The temple, which is spread over five levels, sees a huge throng of devotees during the Maha Shivaratri festival.
• Architecture:
  • The temple complex comes with a spacious courtyard that is adorned with finest sculptures that are believed to be influenced by Chalukya, Maratha, and Bhumija styles of structural design. 
  • The foundation and platform are built of stones. Most of the upper structure rests on the strong and well-designed pillars and plasters.
  • It is complete with impressive lingam sculptures of Mahakaleshwar.
  • The images of Ganesh, Parvati and Karttikeya are installed in the west, north and east of the sanctum sanctorum. 
  • The temple also houses a tank constructed in the sarvatobhadra style.

What are Jyotirlingas?

• A Jyotirlinga is a shrine where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam.
• There are currently 12 main Jyotirlingas in India.
• The 12 Jyotirlinga temples in India take the name of the presiding deity. Each considered a different manifestation of Lord Shiva. 
• 12 Jyotirlingas in India are:
  • Somnath Jyotirlinga in Gir, Gujarat
  • Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
  • Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
  • Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh
  • Baidyanath Jyotirlinga in Deoghar, Jharkhand
  • Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra
  • Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
  • Nageshwar Jyotirlinga in Dwarka, Gujarat
  • Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
  • Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga in Nasik, Maharashtra
  • Kedarnath Jyotirlinga in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
  • Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga in Aurangabad, Maharashtra

About One District One Product  (ODOP) Initiative:

• It was launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in 2018.
• Objective: To help districts reach their full potential, foster economic and socio-cultural growth, and create employment opportunities, especially, in rural areas.
• The initiative aims to select, brand, and promote at least One Product from each District of the country for enabling holistic socioeconomic growth across all regions.
• ODOP Initiative aims to turn every district in India, into an export hub through promotion of the product in which the district specialises. 
• The initiative plans to accomplish this by scaling manufacturing, supporting local businesses, finding potential foreign customersand so on, thus helping to achieve the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ vision.
• The ODOP Initiative has identified a total of 1102 products from 761 districts across the country.
• This initiative is carried out with the ‘Districts as Exports Hub’ initiative by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Department of Commerce.
• Process:
  • Under the ODOP initiative, all products have been selected by States/UTs by taking into consideration the existing ecosystem on the ground, products identified under Districts as Export Hubs (DEH), and GI-tagged products.
  • The finalized list is communicated to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) by the relevant Department of States/UTs.
  • All activities including exhibitions, capacity building, etc. are undertaken at the State/UT and district level, in consultation and coordination with the States/UTs.