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Being prepared

Tamil Nadu prepared itself for Cyclone GAJA.
Early warning and mitigating the impact of cyclones: our bureaucracies are acquiring higher efficiency
It damaged infrastructure, property and agriculture.
Felling tens of thousands of trees and also 30,000 electricity poles along the coast.
It also hit residents in some central Kerala districts.
Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, classified as States with higher vulnerability; most western coastal States are in the next category.

However, there is a lot to be done to upgrade infrastructure and housing in coastal districts to meet higher standards of resilience in an era of extreme weather events.
The active measures taken by the State after the cyclone, notably to clear roads, remove fallen trees and repair power infrastructure and communications, helped restore some stability.
Tamil Nadu’s political parties: acted in a mature manner
Now political parties should follow up post cyclone relief promises.

Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) by the NITI Aayog: 600 million people face high to extreme water stress in India.
The report, was published in June 2018, in association with the Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and the Ministry of Rural Development.
Water Quality Index: 120 among 122 countries
It predicts that a persistent water crisis will lead to an eventual 6% loss in the country’s Gross Domestic Product by 2030.

By 2030 Demand & Supply mismatch: 1498 billion cubic metres (BCM) versus 744 BCM
Energy sector: The share of water consumed by this sector was 0.62% in 2010, which is pegged to rise up to 1.37% in 2030 and 8.98% in 2050.
Central Electricity Authority (CEA), March 2018:

Thermal electricity, 86% of India’s total power generation.
77% of India’s total electricity comes from thermal power plants that are dependent on freshwater sources.
Of all the freshwater-cooled thermal plants, 38.9% of generation capacity is installed in areas with high or extremely high water-stress.

The CWMI also raises three main issues related to data: limited coverage, unreliable data and limited coordination and sharing.

Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and its powers vis-à-vis the RBI Governor.
The Centre has hinted that it is examining the option of using the powers of the RBI Board to override the Governor.
Corporate set-up: managing director reports to the board and draws his powers from it.
RBI Governor draws his powers from the RBI Act and not from the Board of Directors.
He is appointed by the Prime Minister in consultation with the Finance Minister. The RBI Board has no say whatsoever in his appointment.Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

As per the RBI Act, the board is made up of the following members: the Governor and four Deputy Governors, four directors (one each from the four regional boards of the RBI), 10 directors to be nominated by the Centre, and one government official who is also to be nominated by the Centre.
The present board is made up of 18 members, which is the Governor and four Deputy Governors, four regional board members and nine nominees from the Centre who include two officials, the Economic Affairs Secretary and the Secretary, Department of Financial Services.
The RBI Board has always functioned in an advisory role with the understanding that the Governor would consider its advice while making policy decisions.

3 killed, 15 injured in attack on religious group in Punjab
Three persons, including preacher Sukhdev Kumar, were killed and 15 injured in a grenade attack on a religious congregation at Adliwal village near Amritsar on Sunday.
“The possibility of involvement of ISI-backed Khalistani and Kashmiri terror groups cannot be ruled out. Police teams have been despatched to raid suspected hideouts of the assailants and multiple teams are investigating,” Capt. Amarinder Singh said.
Govt. directions to RBI under Section 7 unlikely
The Union government may not invoke Section 7 of the RBI Act to issue directions to the central bank in a bid to reduce the tension between North Block and Mint Road, sources privy to the government’s thinking told The Hindu.
Modi govt. divested twice as much as UPA
The data showed that disinvestment worth ₹3.63 lakh crore had taken place since 1991, out of which about ₹2.1 lakh crore came in the last four years alone, with five months still left in this financial year.
Rare bird sighted in Kerala’s Chinnar sanctuary
Sri Lankan Frogmouth, Batrachostomus moniliger, which was sighted at the sanctuary is usually confined to its habitation in the western side of the Western Ghats forests. Its presence was noticed on the eastern side of the Western Ghats for the first time.

A forest filled with butterflies
Parambikulam Tiger Reserve: A recent survey held in the reserve spotted 221 varieties of butterflies, 11 of which were endemic to the area. With such a rich spread, the reserve could also hit the spotlight as a haven of butterflies.
Report on Khashoggi’s killing expected in two days: Trump
President says nothing assessed so far, a day after CIA report implicated Prince
U.S. envoy holds talks with Taliban
The Taliban has held three days of talks with U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar, a Taliban official and another individual close to the group said on Sunday. The two individuals said Khairullah Khairkhwah, the former Taliban Governor of Herat, and Mohammed Fazl, a former Taliban military chief, attended the talks.