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Trail of destruction

Cyclone Gaja’s impact is comparable to that of the tsunami of 2004.
It is now clear that the suffering, the loss, and the displacement is of an enormous magnitude.
Communities in the affected areas are distraught as houses have collapsed, farms lie ruined, water sources are contaminated and electricity supply remains disrupted.
TN Govt report: 3.4 lakh houses destroyed, 3.7 became homeless
60%-80% coconut trees are down
Top priority: restore administrative systems
Officials should not wait for people to launch protests before coming up with a response.

John Allen Chau’s death has triggered global media interest in the region once again.
Is it signs of a pathological “primitivity” or the result of “complete isolation” from “civilisation” while others interpret it as an effect of the historical memory of colonial brutality.
Given the fact that we do not know their language nor have had any opportunity to understand their varied gestures of hostility, it’s hard to come to any definitive answer.
“Sentinel Jarawas” were or are completely isolated?
Anthropological Survey of India: recorded 26 visits to the islands, it is stated that seven were met with overt hostility.
Policies of “protection” demand strong surveillance infrastructures, empowered staff, coordination among police, forest and welfare agencies and, more importantly, investment in projects of sensitisation.PVTGs

The British initiated these projects treating the islands first as a strategic outpost and then a penal colony.
The Indian government gave it a free society but used it as a space to settle its “excess” population.
We hope that we will be able to draw a few lessons from the unfortunate death of John Allen Chau and question the ways in which mainland India views the islands from its distant perch in New Delhi.

Rupee has managed to gain some ground over the last few weeks: gained almost 5%
Rupee has gained against the dollar in tandem with the fall in global crude prices.
Brent Crude has dropped by a massive 30% since early October, when a barrel cost around $86, to around $60 today.
The fall in global crude oil prices comes as a big relief to the Central government, which has faced increasing macroeconomic and political pressure due to rising prices.
According to UBS, a drop of $10 in the price of oil can improve India’s current account and fiscal deficits by 0.5% and 0.1% of GDP, respectively.
Reserve Bank of India will be relieved as it will have to worry less about the rupee and oil-induced inflation.

Healthcare in India has been transformed over the last three decades.
We can be proud of how far we’ve come in terms of improved indices on life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal deaths and quality of outcomes.
Information technology and biotechnology are twin engines, with immense potential to transform the mechanics of care delivery, the outcomes we can achieve and, above all, the lives we can touch and save.
Telemedicine has already brought healthcare to the remotest corners of the country.
The use of artificial intelligence for preventive and predictive health analytics can strongly support clinical diagnosis with evidence-based guidance, and also prevent disease.
India needs to rapidly adapt to, embrace and drive change if it wishes to stay relevant in the global healthcare order.
Reimagining an innovative model which will transform healthcare delivery in the country.
In our quest to achieve low-cost healthcare, we must not inhibit our potential for growth, nor isolate ourselves from exciting global developments.
This is a difficult balance to achieve, but not impossible.

Agriculture Ministry takes back report on note ban
‘Kartarpur corridor has infinite possibilities’
CWC gives nod for feasibility report on Mekedatu project
The Central Water Commission (CWC) has approved the feasibility report of the nearly ₹6,000-crore Mekedatu multipurpose project across the Cauvery that envisages supplying drinking water to and Ramanagaram districts, besides generation of power.
ISRO’s imaging satellite HysIS is all set for Thursday launch
HysIS, the country’s first hyperspectral imaging satellite for advanced earth observation
About 30 small satellites of foreign customers will be ferried on the PSLV launcher, numbered C-43, the Indian Space Research Organisation has announced.
A hyperspectral imaging camera in space can provide well-defined images that can help identify objects on earth far more clearly than regular optical or remote sensing cameras, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan said earlier.

Modi to meet Xi in Buenos Aires
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet in Argentine capital Buenos Aires on the sidelines of the G20 summit this week.
Reserve Bank to inject ₹40,000 crore in Dec.
The RBI will pump in more liquidity in December by infusing ₹40,000 crore into the system through open market operations (OMOs).
NPAs on downhill path since March peak, says RBI
NASA’s InSight lands on Mars