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.

Category	Wind speed (Miles Per Hour)
I	74-95 mph; Dangerous winds with no significant structural damage to most well-constructed permanent structures.
II	96-110 mph; Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage.
III	111-129 mph; Category 3 and higher are described as major hurricanes.
IV	130-156 mph; It tends to cause more structural damage.
V	>157 mph; Highest category in the scale cause more catastrophic damage.

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.