Odisha’s Early Warning Dissemination System
A revolutionary Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) was recently launched in Odisha, India. This is a first of its kind system designed to alert coastal communities and fishermen about upcoming cyclones and tsunamis. The warning is sent through strategically placed siren towers along the coast. These sirens are triggered from the State emergency centre located in Bhubaneswar.
The EWDS also employs an advanced mass SMS technology to send alerts to fishermen fishing in deep sea. This recently implemented state-of-the-art system is a joint effort between Central and State governments, made possible through assistance from the World Bank.
Moreover, the EWDS incorporates advanced technologies like satellite-based mobile data voice terminals, digital mobile radio, mass messaging systems and a universal communication interface to ensure interoperability. Primarily, EWDS is part of the last-mile connectivity segment of the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project. Its objective is ensuring that every individual living near the coastline receives timely warnings in case of an approaching cyclone.
National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project
The National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) is a significant initiative undertaken by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It is implemented across 13 coastal States/UTs, which are prone to cyclones, with financial backing from the World Bank. The project’s primary aim is to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities to cyclones and other hydro meteorological hazards. This is achieved by:
- Improving early warning dissemination systems,
- Enhancing local community disaster response capacity,
- Creating better access to emergency shelter, evacuation, and protection against wind storms, flooding, and storm surge in high-risk areas, and
- Strengthening Disaster Risk Management (DRM) capacity at central, state, and local levels to enable risk mitigation integration into the overall development agenda.
| Phase | Implementation Year | States involved |
|---|---|---|
| First | 2011 | Andhra Pradesh, Odisha |
| Second | 2015-2020 | Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal |
Adenovirus Infections and Its Impacts
Recently, an outbreak of Adenovirus in the USA resulted in the death of nine children. Adenoviruses encompass a family of viruses that can infect individuals of all ages, primarily affecting the upper respiratory tract. Symptoms of these infections resemble those of the common cold. While these infections usually result in mild symptoms and recovery within a few days, they can turn severe for individuals with weakened immune systems, particularly children.
Different adenoviruses affect diverse areas in the body. Some strains cause infection in the eyelids’ lining, breathing passages, and lungs, while others impact the bowel or bladder. Adenovirus is highly contagious and common in close-contact settings like childcare centers, schools, hospitals and summer camps.
Train 18: India’s First Engineless Semi-High Speed Train
India recently unveiled its first engineless semi-high speed train – “Train 18”. This remarkable train was rolled out by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and is set to replace the Shatabdi Express for inter-city travel.
The fully air-conditioned train is driven by a self-propulsion module, setting the potential to become India’s fastest train with the right infrastructure improvements. Train-18 has two driving trailer coaches with aerodynamic driver’s cab (nose cone) on both ends, allowing quicker turnaround at destinations. CCTV cameras, diffused lighting, automatic doors, footsteps, and a GPS-based passenger information system make up some of the train’s notable features.
Train 18, part of the Budget-2018 announcement, is manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ initiative at half the import cost. Currently, the railways are working on another project – Train 20, which will have aluminium-bodied sleeper class trains to replace the Rajdhani Express trains by 2020.
Gujarat’s First Mega Food Park
The first Mega Food Park, an initiative of the Minister for Food Processing Industries, was inaugurated in Surat, Gujarat. A second one has been sanctioned in Mehsana District of Gujarat. The Mega Food Parks, along with other initiatives like Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition, Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters, etc., come under the umbrella scheme known as Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana.
Implemented by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), this Yojana is the rechristened version of Central Sector Scheme- SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters). Its objective is to supplement agriculture, modernize processing, and reduce Agri-Waste.
Mega Food Parks aim to link agricultural production to the market, bringing together farmers, processors, and retailers. They create modern infrastructure facilities for food processing along the value chain from farm to market, using a cluster-based approach.
Common facilities and enabling infrastructure are created at Central Processing Centers (CPCs), and facilities for primary processing and storage are created near the farm in the form of Primary Processing Centers (PPCs) and Collection Centers (CCs). The financial assistance under the scheme is a grant-in-aid—50% of eligible project cost in general areas and 75% of eligible project cost in North East Region and difficult areas (Hilly States and ITDP areas), up to a maximum of Rs. 50 crore per project.
