U.P. plans to create State Capital Region on the lines of NCR (GS Paper 2, Governance)
Why in news?
- The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to create a State Capital Region (SCR) along the lines of the National Capital Region (NCR), connecting Lucknow and the neighbouring districts in the central parts of the State, with the aim of enhancing the potential of the State capital for coordinated and balanced development.
Key Highlights:
- At the recent Uttar Pradesh Regional Planning Conclave-2023, suggestions were also floated to create six development regions in the State; Agra, Meerut, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Bareilly and Jhansi, apart from the SCR so that the adjoining districts also benefit from these fast-developing centres.
- The State government’s plan is aimed at negating the imbalanced growth and rapid population influx in the urban centres of Lucknow and Kanpur Naga, despite these two cities being smaller than many neighbouring districts.
- In the recent Global Investors’ Summit, of the total investment proposals of ₹33.5 lakh crore received by the State, Lucknow received 6.79%, while the other seven districts together managed only 3.77%, highlighting the investors’ district-centric interest and the widening gap between the State capital and its adjoining districts.
What’s next?
- The Urban Development and Planning Department has held multiple rounds of meetings with allied departments to brainstorm on the idea and is likely to submit its proposal to the government on Lucknow-SCR, which will cover the seven adjoining districts of Hardoi, Sitapur, Rae Bareli, Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, Unnao and Barabanki.
Satellites in danger, risk of collision high as Earth’s atmosphere heats up
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
Why in news?
- Satellites in orbit are crucial for the day-to-day functioning of the planet, but they are also the most vulnerable due to geomagnetic storm.
- The increased solar activity with several geomagnetic storms pummeling the planet, the Earth’s atmosphere is heating up. The geomagnetic storms from the Sun have infused several terawatts of energy into Earth’s upper atmosphere and the temperature is going up.
What is geomagnetic storm?
- A geomagnetic storm is a disturbance in Earth's magnetic field caused by the arrival of a CME's charged particles.
- When these particles interact with Earth's magnetic field, they can cause all sorts of electrical and magnetic disruptions. Coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, are massive bursts of plasma and magnetic fields that are released from the Sun's corona.
Impact:
- Once a CME is released, it travels through space, interacting with the solar wind and the magnetic fields of other planets. As it approaches Earth, the CME can cause a disturbance in our planet's magnetic field, creating a geomagnetic storm.
- While the extra heat has no effect on the planet’s climate, it could affect the satellites in Low Earth Orbit.
- The impact of a CME on Earth depends on a variety of factors, including the speed and direction of the CME, as well as the strength and orientation of the CME's magnetic fields. If the CME is directed towards Earth and its magnetic fields are aligned with Earth's, then the impact can be more severe.
Solar Cycle:
- Earth has been hit by repeated bouts of such geomagnetic storms in the last few months as the activity on the Sun ramps up. The solar cycle is a natural phenomenon that occurs due to the Sun's magnetic field.
- The solar cycle has two distinct phases: the solar maximum and the solar minimum and currently the Sun is approaching the maximum phase, which has led to the development of more sunspots on the surface leading to more ejections.
