India’s Cloud Chamber

• Mission Mausam aims to improve weather forecasting in the country and also ‘manage’ certain weather events, and on demand, enhance or suppress rainfall, hail, fog and, later, lightning strikes.
• It was launched by the government on September 2024.
• To know more about Mission Mausam click here
• Cloud Chamber – Towards the end of 2024, India is establishing a first-of-its-kind cloud chamber at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.
• A cloud chamber resembles a closed cylindrical or tubular drum, inside which water vapour, aerosols and so are injected. Under the desired humidity and temperature inside this chamber, a cloud can develop.
• The Pune facility will allow scientists to study the seed particles that form cloud droplets or ice particles in a sustained manner.
• Many countries have basic cloud chambers, which have limited functionalities and scope to perform specific studies.
• With Mission Mausam, however, India is building a cloud chamber with convection properties, as required to study Indian monsoon clouds.
• India’s Cloud Chamber is part of Mission Mausam.
• Globally, there are only a handful of convective cloud chambers.
• Objective – To gain a better understanding of cloud physics under conditions commonly affecting Indian weather systems.
• This knowledge can be used for strategic planning of weather modification.
• Need for it – To study Cloud physics that basically involves:
  • the study of cloud behaviour during normal and extreme conditions,
  • Intra-particle interactions inside a cloud,
  • The formation of rain droplets and ice particles,
  • The influence of moisture added into the atmosphere due to cyclones or low pressure systems and
  • Interactions between different cloud layers, among others.
• Uses – Scientists will have the flexibility to tailor physical and atmospheric parameters to suit environmental requirements that influence the Indian weather and climate.
• Plans for the near future – Over the next 18-24 months, the Indian team will mainly focus on developing complex and highly advanced instrumentation and probes that will be deployed when the chamber is ready.
• Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) programme – Is an experiment for cloud seeding which was conducted in four phases lasting more than a decade.

Global Ecosystems Atlas

The Global Ecosystems Atlas was recently launched at the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to protect the environment.

• Global Ecosystems Atlas aims to change how we understand and protect the natural systems that are important for life on Earth.
• This tool, developed by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), (Statement 2 is not true)
• It is the first of its kind to focus on mapping and monitoring ecosystems around the world.
• It was launched at the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
• Features – The Atlas is like a super-smart environmental tracking system.
• It uses satellite images, artificial intelligence, and information collected by scientists on the ground to create detailed maps of nature around the world.
• It is particularly important for addressing major global issues such as loss of biodiversity, climate change and land degradation.
• It's the first time where one can see and understand all these different environments together using the atlas.
• It provides important information about the health and risks facing various ecosystems, which can help governments, businesses, financial institutions and local communities make better decisions for sustainable management.
• It can be accessed by anyone.
• Additionally, development banks and financial institutions can utilise the Atlas to inform investments and ensure that projects align with sustainability goals.
• Working mechanism – The Atlas combines maps from different countries and fills in missing information using advanced technology.
• It's like taking puzzle pieces from different boxes and making them fit together perfectly.
• This helps us see the bigger picture of how Earth's environments are connected.

Pandemic Fund Project

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has recently launched the Pandemic Fund Project on "Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

• The Pandemic Fund is a global financing mechanism hosted by the World Bank.
• It pools resources from governments, foundations, and the private sector to finance critical investments in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
• The fund prioritizes low- and middle-income countries, which are often disproportionately affected by pandemics.
• Pandemic Fund Project aims to enhance the country's capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to animal health threats.
• Pandemic Fund Project is one of the specific projects funded under the G20 Pandemic Fund.
• Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response – Pandemic Fund Project on “Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response”.
• It is an initiative by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• The Animal Health Security Strengthening for Pandemic Preparedness and Response Project is a comprehensive initiative aimed at bolstering India's animal health system.
• It focuses on key areas like surveillance, laboratory infrastructure, human capacity building, and institutional strengthening, the project seeks to mitigate the risk of zoonotic diseases and contribute to overall public health.
• Key objectives of the project:
• Enhance disease surveillance – Implement advanced surveillance systems, including genomic and environmental surveillance, to detect and track animal diseases early.
• Upgrade laboratory infrastructure – Expand and modernize laboratories to facilitate rapid diagnosis and research.
• Strengthen interoperable data systems – Develop robust data systems to enable efficient data sharing and analysis for informed decision-making.
• Build capacity for data analytics – Improve the ability to analyze data for risk assessment and communication.
• Enhance health security for transboundary animal diseases – Strengthen measures to prevent the spread of diseases across borders.
• Foster regional cooperation – Collaborate with neighbouring countries to improve regional animal health security.

G20 Pandemic Fund

• G20 Pandemic Fund is a global fund established to finance critical investments to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capacities, primarily in low- and middle-income countries.
•  It is a multilateral financing mechanism hosted by the World Bank.
• is being implemented through 3 implementing entities:
  1. Asian Development Bank (ADB)
  2. World Bank
  3. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• The expected completion date of the Implementation of the Pandemic Fund Grant's activities is August 2026.
• The major interventions under the project include:
  • Strengthening and integrating disease surveillance and early warning systems, upgrading and expanding the laboratory network,
  • Improving the interoperable data systems,
  • building capacity for data analytics and risk communication, and strengthening health security for transboundary animal diseases
• India's role in regional cooperation through cross-border collaboration.
• The impact of the project would be to reduce the risk that a pathogen will emerge from animals (domesticated and wildlife) and be transmitted to the human population, endangering the health, nutritional security, and livelihoods of vulnerable populations.

UNNATI Initiative (Upgrading Norms for Nutrition, Growth, and Development Assessment of Indian Children)

• The UNNATI Initiative (Upgrading Norms for Nutrition, Growth, and Development Assessment of Indian Children) was recently launched by the Indian Council of Medical Research.
• It aims to establish India-specific growth and development standards for children, addressing limitations of existing WHO benchmarks.
• Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme (UNNATI) – A scheme to promote economic growth and industrialization in the northeast of India.
•  The scheme aims to improve infrastructure, facilitate skill development, and create jobs.
• UNNATI (UNispace Nanosatellite Assembly & Training by ISRO) – A program by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to train participants in assembling, integrating, and testing nanosatellites.
• The program is conducted at ISRO's U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru.
• Unnati Yojana – A program in Karnataka to support entrepreneurship for startups, especially in the SC/ST community.
• The program provides financial support of up to Rs 50 lakhs to winning entrepreneurs.

Digital Connectivity Rating Agency (DCRA)

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recently Regulations namely "Rating of Properties for Digital Connectivity Regulations, 2024 ".

• Aim – To address the issue of quality of digital connectivity inside buildings.
• To create an ecosystem for co-creations of Digital Connectivity Infrastructure (DCI) as a part of any development activity.
• Need – Despite significant coverage of 4G (LTE) network and rollout of 5G network, availability of more spectrum bands, the coverage and quality of digital connectivity inside buildings remains a major issue.
• In India, there are 927.56 million wireless internet subscribers having wired connectivity in their homes or offices.
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) – Shall be the regulatory body for the Digital Connectivity Rating Agency.
• Salient features – It includes setting up of a rating platform, an information technology system and associated applications.
• Any entity fulfilling the eligibility criteria intending to commence activity as Digital Connectivity Rating Agency (DCRA) shall be empanelled.
• Property manager, who intends to apply for the rating of his/her property of minimum specified size, shall register on the rating platform.
• Model Building Bye Laws (MBBL) issued by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) shall be referred to in cases where MBBL of State or Union Territory do not have provisions for digital connectivity infrastructure.
• DCRA shall evaluate the property and assign scores, on the rating platform, against each rating criteria and sub-criteria.
• The DCRA shall disclose the fee to be charged and other terms and conditions, if any, to the property manager and get their acceptance before commencement of any rating activity.
• For the purpose of rating, the properties are classified as:
  • Residential Properties
  • Government Properties
  • Commercial Establishments
  • Other private or public areas
  • Stadiums or Sports Arenas or spaces of frequent gathering
  • Transport corridors
• Star Ratings will be ranging from 1 star to 5 star based on the quality of digital connectivity and scores awarded to the properties.