The Evening Wrap: Global warming behind record March temperatures, Minister informs Lok Sabha

With India having recorded the hottest March in 121 years, Science Minister, Jitendra Singh said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that “global warming” was to blame. “One of the reasons for the rise in temperatures and increase in heat waves is global warming, associated with the increase in greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. The global average temperature has risen by around 1°C since pre-industrial times. This magnitude and rate of warming cannot be explained by natural variations alone and must necessarily take into account changes due to human activities. Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), aerosols and changes in land use and land cover during the industrial period have substantially altered the atmospheric composition, and consequently the planetary energy balance, and are thus primarily responsible for the present day climate change,” he said in a written response to a question by Sougata Ray. At an average 33.1 degrees, the median maximum temperature of March was at an all-time high of about 1.8 degrees above normal when compared to the reference period of 1981-2010. Temperatures over 4-6°C the usual historical maximum were being experienced over many parts of the country and heat wave conditions also prevailed from March third week onwards, he noted. Meteorologists have said the immediate reasons for high temperatures were the absence of rainfall and continuous dry and hot westerly winds blowing from Balochistan, central Pakistan and the Thar Desert over northwest and central India. The western disturbances that bring rain to India from West Asia were also lacklustre. These conditions are expected to persist for most of April, particularly over northwest and central India. The annual mean land surface air temperature averaged over India in 2021 was 0.44 degree Celsius above the long period average (LPA) computed from 1981-2010. Year 2021 was the fifth warmest year since nationwide records commenced in 1901. Since 2013, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), in collaboration with local health departments, had started issuing heat action plan in many parts of the country to forewarn about heat waves as well as advising action to be taken during such occasions. The National Disaster Management Agency and the IMD were working with 23 States prone to high temperatures leading to heat wave conditions to develop heat action plans, the Minister stated. Mumbai reports India’s first case of Omicron’s XE recombinant variant The first case of the more transmissible COVID-19 variant XE was detected in Mumbai on Wednesday, a civic health official said. The official said the XE mutant appears to be 10% more transmissible than the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron. So far, BA.2 was deemed to be the most contagious of all the COVID-19 variants. The XE variant is a mutation of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains, referred to as a “recombinant”. As per the initial studies, the XE variant has a growth rate of 9.8% over that of BA.2, also known as the stealth variant because of its ability to evade detection. The World Health Organisation has said the latest mutant may be more transmissible than the previous ones. A case of the Kappa variant was also detected, the Mumbai civic official said, adding the results came in genome sequencing of 376 samples, the 11th batch of testing in genome sequencing lab. Of the 230 samples from Mumbai, 228 samples are of Omicron variant, while one was found to be Kappa variant and another XE variant. The condition of the patients infected with the new strains of the virus was not serious, the official said. 14 Kashmiri Pandits, Hindus killed after dilution of Article 370, Rajya Sabha told As many as 14 Kashmiri Pandits and Hindus were killed in Kashmir Valley after Article 370 was read down by Parliament in August 2019, according to data presented by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Since 2017, the number of minorities killed in the Valley in terrorist related incidents stood at 34. Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai responding to a question by Vishambhar Prasad Nishad (SP), Chhaya Verma (Congress) and Ram Nath Thakur (JD–U), said in a written reply that “after the repeal of Article 370, about 2,105 migrants have returned back to Kashmir Valley for taking up the jobs provided under Prime Minister’s Development Package”. The number of Kashmiri Pandits and other Hindus killed by the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir from August 5, 2019 to March 24,2022 stood at 14, the reply said. The killings were reported from Anantnag, Srinagar, Pulwama and Kulgam districts in the Valley. In 2017, 11 such killings were reported. “The government has taken several measures to ensure the safety of the minorities in the Valley. These include a robust security and intelligence grid, group security in the form of static guards, day and night area domination, round–the–clock checking at nakas, patrolling in the areas where the minorities reside besides proactive operations against terrorists,” the reply said. In another reply, Rai said the cross–border infiltration in J&K has decreased significantly since 2018 and the “net infiltration” was down to 34 in 2021. The infiltrations reported in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 stood at 136, 143, 138 and 51. Rai said the government has a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and there has been substantial decline in terrorist attacks from 417 in 2018 to 255 in 2019, 244 in 2020 and 229 in 2021. To a question by BJP’s Rakesh Sinha on the number of properties restored to Kashmiri Hindus and the number of temples desecrated in the 1980s that were restored post–2019, Rai said, “District Magistrates in J&K are the custodians of the property belonging to Kashmiri migrants. A portal was started in September 2021 to help in restoring the property of Kashmiri migrants whose properties were snatched or forcefully taken away. If their complaints are genuine, action will be taken. So far, 610 properties have been restored to the rightful claimants.” To a question by Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi on why Kashmiri Pandits were still referred as “Kashmiri migrants” and when will they get rid of this label in official documents, Rai said, “I would like to further amend it and refer them as Hindu Kashmiri Pandits. Those who want to go back, we are providing jobs to them.” In another reply, the Minister said, “Under Prime Minister’s Development Package, 2015 (PMDP-2015), 3,000 State government jobs for Kashmiri migrants have been created. The selection process for appointment of 2,828 migrants has been completed, out of which 1,913 migrants have been appointed and verification of documents in respect of the remaining 915 migrants has been taken up.” It said the construction of transit accommodations under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Package, 2008 (PMRP–2008) is complete, while work is being completed in respect of accommodations approved under the PMDP-2015. “Construction of 1,025 units has been completed/substantially completed, 1,488 units are at different stages of completion and work on the remaining units has been taken up,” the reply said. U.S. targets Putin’s daughters, Russian banks in new sanctions The White House has announced sanctions on two daughters of Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s war on Ukraine, saying family members were known to hide the Russian president’s wealth. It also declared “full blocking” sanctions on Russia’s largest public and private financial institutions, Sberbank and Alfa Bank, and said all new US investment in Russia was now prohibited. The United States has also announced that it has indicted Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev for sanctions violations. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Russian billionaire had been previously identified as a source of financing for Russians promoting separatism in Crimea and as providing support for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine. “After being sanctioned by the United States, Malofeyev attempted to evade the sanctions by using co-conspirators to surreptitiously acquire and run media outlets across Europe,” Mr. Garland told reporters. The indictment was the first of a Russian oligarch in the United States since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said. Mr. Garland also announced the “disruption” of a global botnet controlled by the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU. “The Russian government has recently used similar infrastructure to attack Ukrainian targets,” he said. “Fortunately, we were able to disrupt this botnet before it could be used. “Thanks to our close work with international partners, we were able to detect the infection of thousands of network hardware devices,” the attorney general said. “We were then able to disable the GRU’s control over those devices before the botnet could be weaponised.” In brief Parliament on Wednesday passed the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill that seeks to allow investigators to collect certain identifiable information of convicts and other persons for purposes of identification and investigation in criminal matters. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill by a voice vote after Home Minister Amit Shah allayed concerns raised by the opposition which claimed that the draft law was draconian. The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on April 4. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 06 APRIL 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Global warming behind record March temperatures, Minister informs Lok Sabha With India having recorded the hottest March in 121 years, Science Minister, Jitendra Singh said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that [“global warming” was to blame](. “One of the reasons for the rise in temperatures and increase in heat waves is global warming, associated with the increase in greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. The global average temperature has risen by around 1°C since pre-industrial times. This magnitude and rate of warming cannot be explained by natural variations alone and must necessarily take into account changes due to human activities. Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), aerosols and changes in land use and land cover during the industrial period have substantially altered the atmospheric composition, and consequently the planetary energy balance, and are thus primarily responsible for the present day climate change,” he said in a written response to a question by Sougata Ray. At an average 33.1 degrees, the median maximum temperature of March was at an all-time high of about 1.8 degrees above normal when compared to the reference period of 1981-2010. Temperatures over 4-6°C the usual historical maximum were being experienced over many parts of the country and heat wave conditions also prevailed from March third week onwards, he noted. Meteorologists have said the immediate reasons for high temperatures were the absence of rainfall and continuous dry and hot westerly winds blowing from Balochistan, central Pakistan and the Thar Desert over northwest and central India. The western disturbances that bring rain to India from West Asia were also lacklustre. These conditions are expected to persist for most of April, particularly over northwest and central India. The annual mean land surface air temperature averaged over India in 2021 was 0.44 degree Celsius above the long period average (LPA) computed from 1981-2010. Year 2021 was the fifth warmest year since nationwide records commenced in 1901. Since 2013, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), in collaboration with local health departments, had started issuing heat action plan in many parts of the country to forewarn about heat waves as well as advising action to be taken during such occasions. The National Disaster Management Agency and the IMD were working with 23 States prone to high temperatures leading to heat wave conditions to develop heat action plans, the Minister stated. Mumbai reports India’s first case of Omicron’s XE recombinant variant The [first case of the more transmissible COVID-19 variant XE was detected in Mumbai]( on Wednesday, a civic health official said. The official said the XE mutant appears to be 10% more transmissible than the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron. So far, BA.2 was deemed to be the most contagious of all the COVID-19 variants. The XE variant is a mutation of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains, referred to as a “recombinant”. As per the initial studies, the XE variant has a growth rate of 9.8% over that of BA.2, also known as the stealth variant because of its ability to evade detection. The World Health Organisation has said the latest mutant may be more transmissible than the previous ones. [the XE mutant appears to be 10% more transmissible than the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron. File ] A case of the Kappa variant was also detected, the Mumbai civic official said, adding the results came in genome sequencing of 376 samples, the 11th batch of testing in genome sequencing lab. Of the 230 samples from Mumbai, 228 samples are of Omicron variant, while one was found to be Kappa variant and another XE variant. The condition of the patients infected with the new strains of the virus was not serious, the official said. 14 Kashmiri Pandits, Hindus killed after dilution of Article 370 , Rajya Sabha told As many as [14 Kashmiri Pandits and Hindus were killed in Kashmir Valley]( after Article 370 was read down by Parliament in August 2019, according to data presented by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Since 2017, the number of minorities killed in the Valley in terrorist related incidents stood at 34. Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai responding to a question by Vishambhar Prasad Nishad (SP), Chhaya Verma (Congress) and Ram Nath Thakur (JD–U), said in a written reply that “after the repeal of Article 370, about 2,105 migrants have returned back to Kashmir Valley for taking up the jobs provided under Prime Minister’s Development Package”. The number of Kashmiri Pandits and other Hindus killed by the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir from August 5, 2019 to March 24,2022 stood at 14, the reply said. The killings were reported from Anantnag, Srinagar, Pulwama and Kulgam districts in the Valley. In 2017, 11 such killings were reported. “The government has taken several measures to ensure the safety of the minorities in the Valley. These include a robust security and intelligence grid, group security in the form of static guards, day and night area domination, round–the–clock checking at nakas, patrolling in the areas where the minorities reside besides proactive operations against terrorists,” the reply said. In another reply, Rai said the cross–border infiltration in J&K has decreased significantly since 2018 and the “net infiltration” was down to 34 in 2021. The infiltrations reported in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 stood at 136, 143, 138 and 51. Rai said the government has a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and there has been substantial decline in terrorist attacks from 417 in 2018 to 255 in 2019, 244 in 2020 and 229 in 2021. To a question by BJP’s Rakesh Sinha on the number of properties restored to Kashmiri Hindus and the number of temples desecrated in the 1980s that were restored post–2019, Rai said, “District Magistrates in J&K are the custodians of the property belonging to Kashmiri migrants. A portal was started in September 2021 to help in restoring the property of Kashmiri migrants whose properties were snatched or forcefully taken away. If their complaints are genuine, action will be taken. So far, 610 properties have been restored to the rightful claimants.” To a question by Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi on why Kashmiri Pandits were still referred as “Kashmiri migrants” and when will they get rid of this label in official documents, Rai said, “I would like to further amend it and refer them as Hindu Kashmiri Pandits. Those who want to go back, we are providing jobs to them.” In another reply, the Minister said, “Under Prime Minister’s Development Package, 2015 (PMDP-2015), 3,000 State government jobs for Kashmiri migrants have been created. The selection process for appointment of 2,828 migrants has been completed, out of which 1,913 migrants have been appointed and verification of documents in respect of the remaining 915 migrants has been taken up.” It said the construction of transit accommodations under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Package, 2008 (PMRP–2008) is complete, while work is being completed in respect of accommodations approved under the PMDP-2015. “Construction of 1,025 units has been completed/substantially completed, 1,488 units are at different stages of completion and work on the remaining units has been taken up,” the reply said. U.S. targets Putin’s daughters, Russian banks in new sanctions The White House has [announced sanctions on two daughters of Vladimir Putin]( over Moscow’s war on Ukraine, saying family members were known to hide the Russian president’s wealth. It also declared “full blocking” sanctions on Russia’s largest public and private financial institutions, Sberbank and Alfa Bank, and said all new US investment in Russia was now prohibited. [Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow on April 6, 2022. ] The United States has also announced that it has indicted Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev for sanctions violations. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Russian billionaire had been previously identified as a source of financing for Russians promoting separatism in Crimea and as providing support for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine. “After being sanctioned by the United States, Malofeyev attempted to evade the sanctions by using co-conspirators to surreptitiously acquire and run media outlets across Europe,” Mr. Garland told reporters. The indictment was the first of a Russian oligarch in the United States since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said. Mr. Garland also announced the “disruption” of a global botnet controlled by the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU. “The Russian government has recently used similar infrastructure to attack Ukrainian targets,” he said. “Fortunately, we were able to disrupt this botnet before it could be used. “Thanks to our close work with international partners, we were able to detect the infection of thousands of network hardware devices,” the attorney general said. “We were then able to disable the GRU’s control over those devices before the botnet could be weaponised.” In brief Parliament on Wednesday passed the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill that seeks to allow investigators to collect certain identifiable information of convicts and other persons for purposes of identification and investigation in criminal matters. The [Rajya Sabha passed the bil]( by a voice vote after Home Minister Amit Shah allayed concerns raised by the opposition which claimed that the draft law was draconian. The [Lok Sabha passed the Bill]( on April 4. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow  Today‘s Top Picks [[Amid ban on non-Hindu traders, Muslim family renders music in temples at Kaup] Amid ban on non-Hindu traders, Muslim family renders music in temples at Kaup]( [[Watch | What led to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka?] Watch | What led to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka?]( [[Twitter says it will test an ‘editing’ feature on its platform] Twitter says it will test an ‘editing’ feature on its platform]( [[The Hindu on Books | A biography of Chennai, the plurality of the Ramayana, and more] The Hindu on Books | A biography of Chennai, the plurality of the Ramayana, and more]( Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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