9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – April 16th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Take two: The pursuit of two courses simultaneously in physical mode is problematic
• The food vaccine as right, more so for TB patients
• Decoding dragon: GoI should upgrade strategic thinking on China

GS Paper 3

• Humans Decoded
• What are oil bonds, and to what extent do they tie the govt’s hands?

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• e-DAR portal to speed up accident compensation claims
• Rare butterfly Palmking spotted for the first time in Tamil Nadu
• Egypt approves India as wheat supplier
• India gets S-400 training equipment
• Navy accelerates indigenisation efforts, focus on weapons and aviation items
• What’s in the new museum to Prime Ministers: concept, content, technology
• Explained: The Neptune cruise missile that severely damaged a Russian warship
• ‘The purple frog’s lineage is 120 million years old. It has seen Earth itself evolve’
• Odisha’s Barbara forest set for an eco-tourism push
• Explained: What is the ‘Long Period Average’, IMD’s benchmark for monsoon prediction?

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Take two: The pursuit of two courses simultaneously in physical mode is problematic

News: Recently, the University Grants Commission(UGC) has issued guidelines to allow students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously at higher education institutes(HEIs) recognised by it or statutory councils or the Government of India.

About the Dual Degree Programme

The notified guidelines will enable students to simultaneously pursue two academic programmes at multiple levels except for PhD courses.

The UGC has proposed a three-way choice involving a combination of offline only; offline with distance mode; and distance/online only modes for dual programmes.

The guidelines also call for critical evaluation given the nature of competition, accessibility and academic-cum-physical infrastructure issues in colleges and universities.

What are the advantages of the Dual Degree Programme?

Recognisation of HEIs: According to the guidelines, the Open/distance learning and online mode courses should be pursued only in higher education institutions recognised by statutory bodies. This would also eliminate dubious players in the online education segment.

Liberty to students: The guidelines offer students the liberty to enhance their skills and scope of employability through an additional degree.

What are the challenges associated with the Dual Degree Programme?

Reduce the number of seats:  According to the All India Survey on Higher Education Report, 2019-20 the national average college density is 30 per lakh population(in the 18-23 age group). This is considered as a country with low college density.

Pursuing two full-time programmes in physical mode might prompt students, who are academically proficient or with the economic wherewithal, to corner seats in two in-demand courses.

Apart from that, pursuing dual courses may create logistic, administrative and academic problems.

What should be done to improve Dual Degree Programme?

The UGC’s Furqan Qamar Committee a decade ago recommended dual programmes with a second degree in open/distance mode. Hence, the UGC may reconsider its guidelines for the physical mode option and also strengthen and streamline the open/distance learning courses in parallel.

Eliminate common curriculum: UGC’s 2004 document for initiation of double/multiple degree programmes in engineering disciplines had proposed a “gap” before an engineering degree holder could enrol for an additional or add-on degree course. This will reduce the duration of the add-on degree by eliminating about 33% to 38% (52 to 60-course credits) of the “common curriculum” of the BE/B.Tech course (a total of 160 credits).

This could be applied to allied courses in arts and science and reduce the duration of the second degree for students.

The food vaccine as right, more so for TB patients

Context: The nutrition of the individual is the most vital factor, in the prevention of tuberculosis, along with drugs. It is most unlikely that drugs alone can control TB  with low nutritional status in a person. 

What are the learnings from History?

There were no drugs for TB till the discovery of streptomycin in 1943. With improved wages and the higher purchasing power for food, the TB mortality rate came down from 300 people per 1,00,000 population to 60 in England and Wales. 

TB disappeared from socio-economically developed countries long before the advent of chemotherapy. After the Second World War, in 1946 G.B. Leyton reported a 92% reduction in the incidence of TB among British soldiers. They were fed an additional Red Cross diet of 1,000 calories plus 30 grams of protein when compared to Russian soldiers who were fed only a camp diet.

What is the current approach for tackling T.B?

The modern therapist tried to control TB initially with streptomycin injection, isoniazid, and para-aminosalicylic acid. In the ecstasy of finding antibiotics killing the germs, the social determinants of disease were ignored. 

With the use of more drugs, TB bacteria become multidrug-resistant. 

There was little done to try to understand where patients lived, what work they did for a living, how much they could afford to buy food, and how much they ate.

Why should we focus on improving the nutritional intake of individuals?

The fact is that 90% of Indians exposed to TB remain dormant if their nutritional status, and thereby the immune system, is good.

When the infected person is immunocompromised, TB as a disease manifests itself in 10% of the infected. 

Various studies have shown a positive relationship between nutrition intake and TB reduction. For instance,

1.) The findings of a team at the Jan Swasthya Sahayog (JSS) hospital at Ganiyari, Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh established the association of poor nutritional status with a higher risk of TB. In the period 2004-09, among the 1,695 pulmonary TB patients they treated, men had an average body weight of 42.1 kg and a body mass index (BMI) of 16. 

2.) The 2019 Global TB report identified malnutrition as the single-most associated risk factor for the development of TB, accounting for more cases than four other risks, i.e., smoking, the harmful use of alcohol, diabetes, and HIV.

3.) Many experts like  Dr. Anurag Bhargava (professor of medicine) have deduced that “undernutrition and TB” are “syndemics”. Therefore, the intake of adequate balanced food, especially by the poor, can work as a vaccine to prevent TB. 

Note: A syndemic is a situation in which two or more interrelated biological factors work together to make a disease or health crisis worse.

What are some steps taken to improve nutritional status?

The central TB division of the Ministry of Health came up with a “Guidance Document – Nutritional Care and Support for Patients with Tuberculosis in India” in 2016.

A number of organizations began providing eggs, milk powder, dhal, Bengal gram, groundnuts, and cooking oil to diagnosed patients along with anti-TB drugs.  

From April 2018, under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana of the National Health Mission, all States began extending cash support of Rs. 500 per month to TB patients to buy food.

Conclusion

The food vaccine is a guaranteed right for life under the Constitution for all citizens, more so for TB patients. Thus, the goals of reducing the incidence of TB in India and of reducing TB mortality cannot be reached without addressing undernutrition.

Decoding dragon: GoI should upgrade strategic thinking on China

Context: 

Given that China today is our main strategic challenge, India’s defense and strategic establishments need to up their game in decoding China. The Indian army is trying to address its capability voids in Mandarin and boost specialization on Chinese issues among its ranks.

What steps have been taken by the army?

The army is working to increase basic and advanced levels of Mandarin training for its soldiers, both within the force and through MoUs with universities offering Chinese language courses.

Last year, the army began specialized courses for some of its soldiers on Tibetology.

What is the way forward?

The best way to enhance our strategic understanding of China would be to support Mandarin and Chinese studies across the entire ecosystem of schools and universities. This is what the US has done over decades, producing dozens of Chinese studies like Ezra Vogel and John King Fairbank.

A civilian-defence academic compact can provide us with a 360-degree understanding of China. In this regard, Government must seriously look at having more Taiwan Education Centres in Indian universities and even fostering Mandarin-language cooperation between Indian armed forces and Taiwanese universities.

GS Paper 3

Humans Decoded

Context: 

Scientists have completed the first full and seamless catalog of genetic instructions of humans. It’s expected that research will help to explain how every cell in a human body is created. It will help develop highly effective diagnostic tools and treatments for diseases. 

What is the background?

Nobel Prize-winning Italian-American virologist Renato Dulbecco first pitched the idea to determine the DNA sequence of the entire human genome, way back in 1984.

An international research effort continued under the Human Genome Project.

Thirty-eight years and billions of dollars later, scientists completed the first full and seamless catalog of genetic instructions of humans. According to the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) consortium’s collection of papers (recently published in Science), the sequence — comprising more than three billion base pairs across 23 chromosomes — is gapless.

What is DNA sequencing?

Sequencing simply means determining the order of the base pairs in a segment of DNA. Human chromosomes range in size from about 50,000,000 to 300,000,000 base pairs (National Human Genome Research Institute, or NHGRI).

What led to the recent breakthrough?

Over the past decade, two new DNA sequencing technologies emerged that can read longer sequences without compromising accuracy. 

1.) The PacBio HiFi DNA sequencing method can read about 20,000 letters with nearly perfect accuracy. 

2.) The Oxford Nanopore DNA sequencing method can read even more — up to 1 million DNA letters at a time — with modest accuracy. Both were used to generate the complete human genome sequence.

What is the significance of complete genomic sequencing?

It shall help explain how every cell in a human body is created, which may shed light on the treatment, prevention, and cure required for a disease. For instance, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), a cancer genomics program in the US, has already mapped genomic changes in 33 cancer types in order to improve cancer treatment.

It shall open the door for relatively effective personalized or precision medicine and genome editing in the future.

It should lead to powerful preventive medication and allow us to learn about risks of future illness, besides helping better plan dietary and lifestyle changes.

As DNA sequencing becomes the norm, it’s likely that medical prescriptions will be based on our genes — minimizing side effects and making treatments relatively effective. Currently, there are already over 250 US FDA-approved drugs labeled with pharmacogenomic information that can be prescribed based on a patient’s genetics. 

What is the way forward?

The sequencing is done, but the work is far from over. Researchers now want to decode full sets of DNA from a larger pool of individuals to capture all the variations that exist in human DNA. Already researchers, in a separate project, are building a “human pangenome” representing all the human genetic variations.

A strong set of ethical guidelines encompassing genetic research and editing needs to be formulated. As gapless, human genome sequencing will enable society to select specific embryos to avoid health problems and may lead to the rise of “superhumans”.

What are oil bonds, and to what extent do they tie the govt’s hands?

Context: The government has attracted criticism post a surge in retail prices of petrol, diesel, and other petroleum product. However, the Finance Minister has blamed the oil bonds issued by the predecessor government for the current price countered. 

How much fuel price is taxed?

There are two components to the domestic retail price — the price of crude oil itself, and the taxes levied on this basic price. Together, they make up the retail price. 

The taxes vary from one product to another. For instance, as of now, taxes account for 50% of the total retail price for a litre of petrol, and 44% for a litre of diesel.

What is an Oil Bond?

An oil bond is an IOU (I owe you instrument), or a promissory note issued by the government to the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). It is given in lieu of cash that the government would have paid to OMCs.

An oil bond says the government will pay the oil marketing company the sum of, say, Rs 1,000 crore in 10 years. To compensate the OMC for not having this money straight away, the government will pay it, say, 8% (or Rs 80 crore) each year until the bond matures.

Why were they issued?

When fuel prices were too high for domestic consumers, governments in the past often asked oil marketing companies (OMCs) to avoid charging consumers the full price. But if oil companies don’t get paid, they would become unprofitable. 

To address this, the government said it would pay the difference. But again, if the government paid that amount in cash, it would have been pointless, because then the government would have had to tax the same people to collect the money to pay the OMCs.

This is where oil bonds come in. By issuing such oil bonds, the government of the day is able to protect/ subsidise the consumers without either ruining the profitability of the OMC or running a huge budget deficit itself.

What is the magnitude of Oil Bonds that needs to be repaid by the current government?

In 2014, there were bonds worth Rs 1.34 lakh crore that had to be paid between 2015 and 2026. 

Between 2015 and 2021, the government has fully paid off four sets of oil bonds — a total of Rs 13,500 crore. Further, between 2014 and 2022, the government had to spend a total of Rs 93,686 crore on interest as well as the principal of oil bonds. 

Is this amount large enough to restrict the Finance Ministry from bringing down the taxes?

There are three ways to answer whether the amount is large enough to restrict a reduction in taxes.

The first is to observe that the total payout was just 7% of the total revenues earned through taxes on petroleum products in 2014-15. As the years progressed, this percentage has come down because taxes generated from this sector have soared.

The second is to look at the total revenue earned by the government (both Centre and states) between 2014 and 2022 from taxing petroleum products. This amount is more than Rs 43 lakh crore. That means the total payout by the current government to date on account of oil bonds is just 2.2% of the total revenues earned during this period.

The third way is to note that the total amount of revenue earned by the Centre from just one kind of tax— excise tax — in just — 2014-15 — was more than Rs 99, 000 crore. 

In other words, while the government has to pay for oil bonds, the payout is not big compared to revenues earned in this sector.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

e-DAR portal to speed up accident compensation claims

Source:  This post is based on the article “e-DAR portal to speed up accident compensation claims” published in The Hindu on 16th April 2022.

What is the News?

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in consultation with the insurance companies has developed a portal named ‘e-DAR’ (e-Detailed Accident Report). 

What is e-DAR Portal?

Aim: To provide instant information on road accidents with a few clicks to help accelerate accident compensation claims and also check fake claims.

Purpose: The portal can be used by the police to upload the accident reports on it. The portal will alert the concerned insurance company and the details of the vehicles and owners can be fetched as it is linked to the Vaahan portal. Hence, the portal can reduce the paperwork related to the accident claim process.

The portal ​​will be linked to the Integrated Road Accident Database(iRAD). It will also be linked to other government portals like Vaahan as it would help get access to information on driving license details and registration of vehicles.

Features of the portal

The portal will have features to geo-tag the accident locations, giving automatic alerts to the concerned investigating officer. 

Also, it has provisions to upload photos and videos relating to the accident and damaged vehicles. 

Apart from the state police, an engineer from the Public Works Department or the local body will receive an alert on his mobile device. The concerned official will then visit the accident site, examine it and feed the required details such as the road design. 

Moreover, there will be multiple checks in the portal to restrict fake claims by linking the check with FIR No, vehicles involved in the accident and the date of the accident.

Rare butterfly Palmking spotted for the first time in Tamil Nadu

Source: This post is based on the article “Rare butterfly Palmking spotted for the first time in Tamil Nadu” published in The Hindu on 11th April 2022.

What is the News?

The rare butterfly Palmking (Amathusia phidippus) was sighted for the first time in Tamil Nadu.

What is Palmking (Amathusia phidippus)?

Palmking is a butterfly species that belongs to the Nymphalidae sub-family. It was first recorded in South India by British scientist H.S.Ferguson in 1891. More than a century later, it was rediscovered in 2007.

Characteristics: This butterfly is characterized by its brown colour and dark bands and is described as reclusive, mostly resting in the shade.

– It is not easy to spot a Palmking because its wood colour makes for easy camouflage, and it rarely spreads its wings.

Diet: Palmking feeds on palm, coconut and calamus varieties of plants.

Distribution: This butterfly is widely distributed across parts of India, Myanmar, Indo China, Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand. It is also found in the Indonesian archipelago and the Philippines.

– In India, Palmking sightings were recorded in the forests of Arippa, Shendurney, Periyar Tiger Reserve in the south of Western Ghats.

Egypt approves India as wheat supplier

Source: This post is based on the article “Egypt approves India as wheat supplier” published in Livemint on 16th April 2022.

What is the News?

Egypt has approved India as a wheat supplier. This comes amid a sharp dip in global wheat production, largely because of the Russia-Ukraine war.

About Wheat

Wheat is a Rabi Crop. It is the second most important cereal crop in India after rice. It is mostly consumed in the north and north-west parts of the country.

Suitable Climate: It is grown at a temperature of  10-15 °C (Sowing time) and 21-26 °C (Ripening & Harvesting) with bright sunlight. It requires a rainfall of 75 to 100 cm.

Major wheat growing states in India are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Gujarat.

About Wheat Exports

Russia and Ukraine accounted for nearly one-third of global wheat exports. 

Egypt is the world’s biggest importer of wheat.

India in Wheat Exports: India is the second-largest producer of wheat, with a share of around 14.14% of the world’s total production in 2020.

The top countries importing Indian wheat in 2020-21 were Bangladesh, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka.

India accounts for less than 1% of the world’s wheat export. However, its share has increased from 0.14% in 2016 to 0.54% in 2020.

India has a target to export nearly 10 million tonnes of wheat in FY23 to bridge the supply gaps arising from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

India gets S-400 training equipment

Source: This post is based on the article “India gets S-400 training equipment” published in The Hindu on 16th April 2022.

What is the News?

The delivery of the second squadron of Russia’s S-400 Missile to India is likely to be delayed because of Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine.

However, India has received a tranche of simulator and training equipment for the first squadron of S-400.

What is S-400?

S-400 Triumf Missile System is a long-range, mobile & surface-to-air missile system(SAM).

The missile has a tracking capability of nearly 600 km and is capable of destroying incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones within a range of up to 400 km.

Click Here to read more about S-400

India-Russia S-400 Deal

In 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 surface-to-air missile defence system.

In December 2021, India took delivery of the first S-400 regiment. The first unit has been deployed in Punjab and is operational.

Concerns for India: The US has been putting pressure on India not to accept delivery of the S-400 missile system from Russia. India also faces the prospect of U.S. sanctions under CAATSA. 

Navy accelerates indigenisation efforts, focus on weapons and aviation items

Source: This post is based on the article “Navy accelerates indigenisation efforts, focus on weapons and aviation items” published in The Hindu on 16th April 2022.

What is the News?

Indian Navy has taken various efforts towards indigenisation. For this, it has also launched Indian Navy Indigenisation Plan (INIP) 2015-2030 in 2014.

What is the Indian Naval Indigenisation Plan (INIP) 2015-2030?

Aim: To enable indigenous development of equipment and systems over the next 15 years.

The plan aims to involve Defence Research and Development Organization(DRDO) and Indian private industry in indigenisation plans.

Under the plan, the warship has been broadly divided into three segments — float, move and fight. The Navy has achieved 90% indigenisation in the float (ship) category while move (propulsion) and fight (weapons and sensors) components stand at 60% and 30% respectively which are priority areas to be addressed.

The plan also focuses on the development of complex technologies like air-independent propulsion systems in submarines and surface-to-air missiles.

The plan also caters to requirements for aviation and diving equipment for the first time. 

What has been achieved so far under the INIP?

Indian Navy has indigenised around 3400 items under INIP including over 2000 machinery and electrical spares, over 1000 aviation spares and over 250 weapon spares. 

Four in-house indigenisation committees have been formed to handle the indigenisation of spares with respect to naval aircraft. 

The Navy is working with the DRDO and the industry to cut down developmental timelines.

Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organization(NIIO) which was launched in 2020. The NIIO provides a flexible and accessible interface for academia and industry with the Indian Navy capability development apparatus.

What’s in the new museum to Prime Ministers: concept, content, technology

Source: This post is based on the article “What’s in the new museum to Prime Ministers: concept, content, technology” published in Indian Express on 16th April 2022.

What is the News?

The Prime Minister inaugurated the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya at Teen Murti Estate in New Delhi.

What is Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya?

Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is a museum dedicated to showcase the contributions of all the Prime Ministers since independence.

The idea of a museum dedicated to India’s Prime Ministers was first mooted in 2016. It was later approved in 2018.

The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library(NMML) was appointed as the nodal agency for the project.

The museum integrated the erstwhile Nehru museum into this new building.

Click Here to read more

What are the contributions of various Former Prime Ministers that the museum displays?

The museum has galleries dedicated to Former Prime Ministers. For instance:

The Shastri gallery highlights his role in the Green Revolution and the Indo-Pak war of 1965. 

The Indira gallery highlights India’s role in the liberation of Bangladesh and the nationalization of banks. 

The Vajpayee gallery celebrates him as a great parliamentarian and orator and highlights India’s victory in the Kargil War and the Pokhran nuclear tests. 

The economic reforms of the early 1990s and the civil nuclear deal with the US are highlighted among Manmohan Singh’s contributions.

Explained: The Neptune cruise missile that severely damaged a Russian warship

Source:  This post is based on the article “Explained: The Neptune cruise missile that severely damaged a Russian warship” published in Indian Express on 16th April 2022.

What is the News?

Ukraine has claimed that it has damaged the Russian Black Sea Fleet Flagship ‘Moskva’ by Neptune Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles.

What is the Neptune Missile?

Neptune is a coastal anti-ship cruise missile that is capable of the destruction of naval vessels in a range of 300 km. 

The missile system was inducted into the Ukrainian Defence Forces in 2021 after being in development for six years.

The design of this missile is based on a Russian Kh-35 cruise missile, which goes by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) name of AS-20 Kayak.

What is Moska?

Moskva is a guided missile cruiser of the Russian Navy named after the city of Moscow. 

The Moskva was originally commissioned as the Slava in 1983. It was recommissioned in 2000 as the Moskva with refurbished weapon systems and electronics.

It is the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy and carries a crew of around 500 personnel.

‘The purple frog’s lineage is 120 million years old. It has seen Earth itself evolve’

Source:  This post is based on the article “‘The purple frog’s lineage is 120 million years old. It has seen Earth itself evolve’” published in TOI on 16th April 2022.

What is the News?

New research has been conducted by a biologist on Purple Frog.

What is Purple Frog?

​​The purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis), Indian purple frog or pignose frog is a frog species of the genus Nasikabatrachus. 

Conservation status:

IUCN Status: Endangered

Discovered in: It was first discovered in 2003 in the Idukki district of Kerala by S.D. Biju from the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, India and Franky Bossuyt from Brussels.

Distribution: The frog is endemic to the Western Ghats. Its distribution limited mainly to Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu.

Significance: The purple frog is a unique animal. This frog has an evolutionary history that goes back 120 million years — this is one of the oldest lineages among all living frogs on Earth. Species with such old lineages are termed a ‘living fossil’.

– Human evolution has taken place over six million years, so consider what a major chunk of Earth’s history the purple frog’s 120 million years covers. 

– For instance, the DNA of this frog witnessed many great events that happened on Earth over millions of years such as huge tracts of land split into continents, the Himalayas were formed, dinosaurs going extinct and placental mammals evolved.

Features: 

Lives Underground: This is a fossorial species-that lives underground emerging just once a year. It has physical adaptations that help it survive in such extreme conditions.

Breeding Activity: Its breeding activity coincides with pre-monsoon showers. The male frogs take their cue from these and emerge from their burrows to call potential partners — these calls can be heard up to 100 meters away. 

Sensitive to Disturbances: These animals are very sensitive to disturbances. Any interference with their calling behaviour withdraws them into their burrows.

Threats: The greatest threat to it is habitat destruction from human activities including agricultural expansion, construction and road building with dam reservoirs also causing the submergence of its habitat.

Odisha’s Barbara forest set for an eco-tourism push

Source: This post is based on the article “Odisha’s Barbara forest set for an eco-tourism push” published in The Hindu on 12th April 2022.

What is the News?

The Odisha Government is planning to bring the Barbara forest on the ecotourism map.

Note: Ecotourism is defined as responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education.

What is Barbara Forest?

Barbara forest is located near Chilika lake in coastal Odisha.

It is known as Asia’s largest Teak and Sal forest.

Districts: The forest touches three districts Khordha, Nayagarh and Ganjam of Odisha.

Named After: The forest is named after a British forest officer’s wife, who was killed in a tiger attack in the area 100-odd years ago.

Vegetation: Barbara forests has patches of tropical semi-evergreen forests that contain many uncommon species of plants, ferns, and herbs which are rare in other forests of Odisha. 

Significance: It is said to be the only forest in India that is guarded by the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) for protecting natural resources.

Explained: What is the ‘Long Period Average’, IMD’s benchmark for monsoon prediction?

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: What is the ‘Long Period Average’, IMD’s benchmark for monsoon prediction?” published in Indian Express on 15th April 2022.

What is the News?

India Meteorological Department(IMD) has released its first Long Range Forecast(LRF) for 2022.

What is the Long Range Forecast(LRF) for 2022?

According to IMD, India is likely to receive a normal monsoon for the fourth consecutive year. This forecast is based on the Long Period Average(LPA) of the 1971-2020 period.

What is the Long Period Average(LPA)?

The IMD predicts a “normal”, “below normal”, or “above normal” monsoon in relation to a benchmark Long Period Average(LPA). 

According to the IMD, the LPA of rainfall is the rainfall recorded over a particular region for a given interval (like month or season) averaged over a long period like 30 years, 50-years etc. 

The IMD maintains LPAs for every meteorological region of the country.

Hence, LPAs act as a benchmark while forecasting the quantitative rainfall for that region for a specific month or season. 

What is the range of a Normal Monsoon?

The IMD maintains five rainfall distribution categories on an all-India scale.These are:

Normal or Near Normal: When the percentage departure of actual rainfall is +/-10% of LPA, that is, between 96-104% of LPA

Below Normal: When the departure of actual rainfall is less than 10% of LPA, that is 90-96% of LPA

Above normal: When actual rainfall is 104-110% of LPA

Deficient: When the departure of actual rainfall is less than 90% of LPA

Excess: When the departure of actual rainfall is more than 110% of LPA

What is the significance of LPA?

Smooth Out Trends of Rainfall: An LPA is needed to smooth out trends so that a reasonably accurate prediction can be made because the IMD records rainfall data at more than 2,400 locations and 3,500 rain-gauge stations.

Covers Large Variations in Either Direction: A 50-year LPA covers large variations in either direction caused by freak years of unusually high or low rainfall (as a result of events such as El Nino or La Nina), as well as for the periodic drought years and the increasingly common extreme weather events caused by climate change.