09-06-21 Daily-Himachal Pradesh-HPPSC Current Affairs

The Himachal Pradesh government will test the use of indigenously developed anti-hail guns’ to assist horticulturists who have crop damage due to hailstorms. The indigenous guns were created by IIT Bombay in collaboration with Dr YS Parmar University of Forestry, Nauni (Solan).

About the anti-hail gun:

The anti-hail gun is a machine that generates shock waves to destroy the Growth of hailstones in the cloud.

It consists of a tall fixed structure, a bit like an inverted tower, a few meters high, with a long and narrow cone that opens up to the sky.

The gun “fires” by sending an explosive mixture of acetylene gas and air into its lower chamber, thereby releasing shock waves

Shock waves (such as those produced by supersonic aircraft) travel faster than the speed of Sound.

These shock waves are said to prevent water droplets in clouds from forming hailstones, allowing them to fall as raindrops instead.

The Union Education Minister has approved the release of the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 for Indian States and Union Territories.

For 2019-20, Punjab, Chandigarh, Nadu, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Kerala have the highest grade (A++).

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu have improved their overall PGI score by 10%, i.e., by 100 points or more.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Punjab have improved by 10% (8 points) or more in the PGI domain: Access.

In the domain of PGI: Infrastructure and facilities, 13 states and UT have achieved an improvement of 10% (15 points) or more. Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Odisha have improved by 20% or more.

Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Odisha have improved by more than 10% in the PGI domain: Equity.

According to the report Glaciers of the Himalayas: <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change, Black Carbon, and Regional Resilience, glaciers in the Himalayas are melting faster than the global Average ice mass. A tough stance on black carbon can significantly reduce glacier melt.
The World Bank has released a report. The report included coverage of the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush (HKHK) mountain ranges.

Black Carbon (BC) is a pollutant with a short lifetime.

It is the second largest cause of Global Warming after carbon dioxide (CO2).

Unlike other greenhouse gas emissions, BC is quickly washed out of the Atmosphere and can be eliminated if emissions are reduced.

In India, one such policy is the National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE). It is one of eight missions outlined in the National Climate Change Action Plan (NAPCC).

The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration has been formally launched, which will run from 2021 to 2030.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will be co-led by using the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) & the Food & <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). It used to be proclaimed by using the United Nations General Assembly in a 2019 resolution.

Protection and revival of thousands and thousands of hectares of Ecosystems all round the world for the advantage of people and nature. This in flip will contribute to the fulfillment of all the Goals.

A Multi-Partner Trust Fund has additionally been launched for the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Germany is the first country to provide funding of Euro 14 million toward this fund.

In order to support the launch of the UN Decade, a document has also been released which defines the want of having such a global restoration effort.