Daily Current Affairs 8 May 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Vizag gas leak

• The Visakhapatnam gas leak, also referred to as the Vizag gas leak, was an industrial accident that occurred at the LG Polymers chemical plant in R. R. Venkatapuram village near Gopalapatnam on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India on the morning of 7 May 2020. The leaked gas spread over a radius of about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi), affecting the nearby areas and villages. Up until the evening of 7 May, the official death toll was 11, and more than 1000 people were affected.
• According to preliminary reports, styrene gas, chemically known as ethenylbenzene, is suspected as the cause.

Background

• The chemical plant at Venkatapuram village was established in 1961 as Hindustan Polymers. It manufactures polystyrene and its co-polymer products as well as engineers' plastic compounds. In 1978, it was merged with McDowell & Co. and later, was taken over by South Korea-based LG Chem, which renamed it as LG Polymers India in 1997.

Styrene

• Styrene, also known as ethenylbenzene, vinylbenzene, and phenylethene, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5CH=CH2. This derivative of benzene is a colorless oily liquid although aged samples can appear yellowish. The compound evaporates easily and has a sweet smell, although high concentrations have a less pleasant odor. Styrene is the precursor to polystyrene and several copolymers. Approximately 25 million tonnes of styrene were produced in 2010, increasing to around 35 million tonnes by 2018.
• It is a flammable liquid that is used in the manufacturing of polystyrene plastics, fiberglass, rubber, and latex.
• It is also found in vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke, and in natural foods like fruits and vegetables.
• Short-term exposure to the substance can result in respiratory problems, irritation in the eyes, irritation in the mucous membrane, and gastrointestinal issues.
• Long-term exposure could drastically affect the central nervous system and lead to other related problems like peripheral neuropathy. It could also lead to cancer and depression in some cases.

Relief and rescue

• Nearly 200-250 families were evacuated from villages in a five-kilometer radius of the plant. About 300 people were hospitalized, according to a media report. The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy announced an ex-gratia of ₹1 crore (US$140,000) for kin of deceased. He further announced ₹25,000 (US$350) to those who received primary treatment, ₹1 lakh (US$1,400 or €1,300) to those who received longer treatment, and ₹10 lakh (US$14,000 or €13,000) to those on ventilator support.
• To contain the spread of the gas and neutralize it, about 500 kg of para‐tertiary butyl catechol (PTBC) will be sent from Vapi in Gujarat to Daman by road from where it will be airlifted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and sent to the site of the accident. The Central Government sent a specialized CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) by air from Pune to the site.

Source: The Hindu

2) The seasonal rapid advancement of surging glaciers in Karakoram Range: A potential natural hazard

• Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology(WIHG), Dehradun an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology have found a seasonal advancement in 220 surge-type glaciers in the Karakoram Range of Ladakh through a detailed assessment of some major surging glaciers of the Karakoram range using satellite images and thermal data. ‘Surging’ or ‘Surge-type’ glaciers are a certain type of glaciers that have shown advancement in volume and length over some time.
• The behavior of these glaciers, which represent 40% of the total glaciated area of the Karakoram goes against the normal trend of considerable reduction in volume and length of most glaciers in the Himalaya in recent decades.
• Surging of glaciers is potentially catastrophic as it can lead to the destruction of villages, roads, and bridges. It can also advance across a river valley and form an ice-dammed lake. These lakes can form catastrophic outburst floods. Therefore, monitoring of glacier surges, ice-dammed lake formation, and drainage is of paramount importance.
• Assessment and regular monitoring of surge-type glaciers of Karakoram have been a daunting task. Because in the conventional method, it required a ground-level assessment of subglacial flows.  Keeping these challenges in mind, a team of Scientists from WIHG led by Dr. Rakesh Bhambri, carried out a detailed assessment of some major surging glaciers of the Karakoram range using of multi-temporal and multi-sensor satellite images (Landsat 8 OLI, ASTER, and Sentinel-2), Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and thermal data.
• The scientists focused on the Shispare and Muchuhar glaciers, former tributaries of the once larger Hasanabad Glacier situated in Hunza Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. In the 20th century, ground surveys and maps suggested that the two tributaries Shispare and Muchuhar retreated and had separated into distinct glaciers by 1954. In 2017–2019, a surge of Shispare Glacier, a former tributary of the once larger Hasanabad Glacier (Hunza region), dammed the proglacial river of Muchuhar Glacier, which formed an ice-dammed lake and generated a small Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF).
• The team detected three major surges from 1973 to 2019 using satellite images. Surge movement produced the highest recorded Karakoram glacier surface flow rate and resulted in a glacier frontal advance of around 1500 m. According to the study, the recent active phase of the Shispare surge began in April 2018, showed two surface flow maxima in June 2018 and May 2019, and terminated following a GLOF on 22–23 June 2019. The team inferred that surge during winter is more hydrological controlled due to staggered subglacial flow and low amount of meltwater. The surging terminates in summer due to channelized flow of meltwater and considerable heterogeneity in movement is also observed during summer and springtimes.
• The Surge-type glaciers oscillate between brief (months to years) rapid flow and lengthy (tens to hundreds of years) slow flow or stagnation, which are called the ‘active’ (or ‘surge’) and ‘quiescent’ phases, respectively. This unsteady glacier flow makes it difficult to accurately assess individual glacier mass balances using in-situ observations because of the uncertain outcomes. Subglacial processes and conditions like the amount of debris, distribution of stored water, and temperature gradient are crucial to understanding the diversity of surge-types and surge-like behavioral spectrum. However, such information has been rare or unknown in the Karakoram, because ground-based observations are difficult to acquire.
• The study published in the journal Nature, Scientific Reports will help to understand the diversity of glacial behavior and help make accurate assessments of individual glacier mass balances for disaster planning and management.

(a) PlanetScope image (09 June 2019) of the river channel and adjacent vegetated land (agricultural fields, tree plantations, and orchards) before lake drainage, with post-lake drainage insets (11 July 2019). (b)Elevation above the river channel and the area of vegetated land (09 June 2019) within each elevation band. (c)Panoramic view in 2014 of the confluence with the Hunza River, overlooking the inset in panel 

Source: PIB

3) Coir Board ropes in IIT-Madras for Research and Development work on Coir

• Coir Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, to establish a “Centre of Excellence (CoE) for the application of Coir exclusively or in combination with other natural fibers”. It was at the instance of Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of MSME, the IIT-Madras had earlier validated the research studies so far undertaken by the Coir Board and other agencies in India on Coir Geo-Textiles (CGT) and recommended that CGT can be successfully used to prevent soil erosion in slopes/embankments, river embankments, mine slope dumps stabilization, etc. The Institute has also recommended the use of CGT in the low volume rural roads as a re-enforcement material.
• The Centre of Excellence (CoE) aims at furthering the research work so far done in the coir sector with the support of the IIT Madras team of experts. It will also support the development of relevant technology and evolve standards for production and processing through specific projects and monitor research projects and mentor of Coir Board’s research institutes/laboratories. The Centre of Excellence will also assist in generating the Intellectual Property Rights and technology transfer.
• Coir Board will provide financial assistance of Rs.5 crores initially for two years for the establishment and running of the Centre of Excellence.
• 27 areas of R&D needs of the Coir industry have been identified, to be taken up by this Centre of Excellence, in addition to 10 in-house projects of IITM, in machinery development and road projects.

Coir

• Coir, or coconut fiber, is a natural fiber extracted from the outer husk of coconut and used in products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes, and mattresses. Coir is the fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut. Other uses of brown coir (made from ripe coconut) are in upholstery padding, sacking, and horticulture. White coir, harvested from unripe coconuts, is used for making finer brushes, string, rope and fishing nets. It has the advantage of not sinking, so it can be used in long lengths on deep water without the added weight dragging down boats and buoys.
• The coir fiber is relatively waterproof and is one of the few natural fibers resistant to damage by saltwater. Freshwater is used to processing brown coir, while seawater and fresh water are both used in the production of white coir. It must not be confused with coir pith, or formerly cocopeat, which is the powdery material resulting from the processing of the coir fiber. Coir fiber is locally named 'copra' in some countries, adding to the confusion.
• Green coconuts, harvested after about six to 12 months on the palm, contain pliable white fibers. Brown fiber is obtained by harvesting fully mature coconuts when the nutritious layer surrounding the seed is ready to be processed into copra and desiccated coconut. The fibrous layer of the fruit is then separated from the hard shell (manually) by driving the fruit down onto a spike to split it (dehusking). A well-seasoned husker can manually separate 2,000 coconuts per day. Machines are now available which crush the whole fruit to give the loose fibers. These machines can process up to 2,000 coconuts per hour.

COIR BOARD

Coir Board is a statutory body established by the Government of India under a legislation enacted by the Parliament namely the Coir Industry Act 1953 (45 of 1953) for the promotion and development of the Coir Industry in India as a whole. main functions of the Board as laid down in Section-10 of the Coir Industry Act are given below:

1. It shall be the duty of the Board to promote by such measures as it thinks fit the development, under the control of the Central Government, of the Coir Industry.
2. Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of Sub Section (l) the measures referred to therein may relate to:
• Promoting exports of coir yarn and coir products and carrying on propaganda for that purpose;
• Regulating under the supervision of the Central Government the production of husks, coir yarn, and coir products by registering coir spindles and looms for manufacturing coir products as also manufacturers of coir products, licensing exporters of coir yarn and coir products and taking such other appropriate steps as may be prescribed;
• Undertaking, assisting or encouraging scientific, technological and economic research and maintaining and assisting in the maintenance of one or more research institutes;
• Collecting statistics from manufacturers of, and dealers in, coir products and from such other persons as may be prescribed, on any matter relating to the coir industry, the publication of statistics so collected or portions thereof or extracts therefrom;
• Fixing grade standards and arranging when necessary for inspection of coir fiber, coir yarn, and coir products;
• Improving the marketing of coconut husk, coir fiber, coir yarn, and coir products in India and elsewhere and preventing unfair competition; 
• Setting up or assisting in the setting up of factories for the producers of coir products with the aid of power;
• Promoting cooperative organization among producers of husks, coir fiber and coir yarn and manufacturers of coir products;
• Ensuring remunerative returns to producers of husks, coir fiber and coir yarn and manufacturers of coir products;
• Licensing of retting places and warehouses and otherwise regulating the stocking and sale of coir fiber, coir yarn, and coir products both for the internal market and for exports;
• Advising on all matters relating to the development of the coir industry; (l) Such other matters as may be prescribed. 3. The Board shall perform its functions under this section by, and subject to such rules as may be made by the Central Government.

Source: PIB

4) JNCASR scientists fabricate energy-efficient photodetector for security application

• Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, have fabricated an economical and energy-efficient wafer-scale photodetector (thin slice-based) using gold – silicon interface, for security applications. It could help detect weak scattered light as an indication of unwanted activity.
• Photodetectors are the heart of any optoelectronic circuit that can detect light and are employed for a wide variety of applications ranging from controlling automatic lighting in supermarkets to detecting radiation from the outer galaxy as well as security-related applications. However, the material cost and the intricate fabrication processes involved in realizing high-performance detectors make them unaffordable for day to day applications.
• The invention by JNCASR scientists, which was published in the journal Applied Electronic Materials of the American Chemical Society, provides a simple and cost-effective solution-based fabrication method for high-performance photodetector.
• The scientists have fabricated gold (Au)– silicon (n-Si) interface, which showed high sensitivity towards light demonstrating the photodetection action. The Au–Si interface was brought about by galvanic deposition, a technique for electroplating of metals, wherein water-based solutions (electrolytes) are used, which contain the metals to be deposited as ions. Also, a nanostructured Au film was deposited on top of p-type silicide (having an excess of positive charges), which acts as a charge collector.
• Being a solution-based technique, the method is highly economical and enabled large-area fabrication without compromising the detector response. The process is quick, taking only minutes to fabricate a detector of any arbitrary area. The metal nanostructures enhanced the performance of the fabricated detector by trapping the incoming light. This photodetector displayed long-term environmental stability.
• The detector exhibits a rapid response of 40microseconds and can detect low light intensities. The device covers a broad spectral range from Ultraviolet to Infrared. Besides, it shows excellent uniformity throughout the entire active area with less than a 5% variation in response. Notably, the detector operates in self-powered mode, which means the device does not require external power for its operation, thus making it energy efficient. With a commonly available protective coating, excellent environmental stability is shown for the device under the harsh conditions for several days. The scientists also demonstrated the photodetector’s utility as a prototype imaging system, lux and power meter, and also as a tool for security applications.

 

Source: PIB

5) Tiger population in Sunderbans rises to 96

• The latest estimation of tiger numbers in the Indian Sunderbans indicates an increase in the population of big cats. According to the West Bengal Forest Department, the tiger count for the year 2019­ 20 rose to 96, from 88 in 2018­-19.
• The Sunderbans delta, spread over India and Bangladesh, is the only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by tigers. 
• The increase in the number by eight was significant as it was the biggest annual jump reported from the Sunderbans. Previously, the highest yearly increase of tigers in the Sunderbans had been seven
• The Sunderban mangrove forest is spread over 2,585 sq. km and includes the Sundarban Tiger Reserve and the 24 Parganas (South) Division. While 23 tigers were found in 24 Parganas (South) Division, 73 big cats tigers were recorded inside the four divisions of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve. 
• Estimation of the number of tigers in the Sunderbans, a world heritage as well as a Ramsar site, has always been a challenge because of the difficult terrain that comprises dense mangrove forests, with creeks and rivulets, and floods twice a day during the high tides.

The Sunderban mangrove forest

• The Sundarbans is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans from the Hooghly River in India's state of West Bengal to the Baleswar River in Bangladesh. It comprises closed and open mangrove forests, agriculturally used land, mudflats, and barren land, and is intersected by multiple tidal streams and channels. Four protected areas in the Sundarbans are enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, viz Sundarbans National Park, Sundarbans West, Sundarbans South, and Sundarbans East Wildlife Sanctuaries. The Sundarbans mangrove forest covers an area of about 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi), of which forests in Bangladesh's Khulna Division extend over 6,017 km2 (2,323 sq mi) and in West Bengal, they extend over 4,260 km2 (1,640 sq mi) across the South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts. The most abundant tree species are sundri (Heritiera fomes) and gewa (Excoecaria agallocha). The forests provide habitat to 453 faunal wildlife, including 290 bird, 120 fish, 42 mammals, 35 reptiles, and eight amphibian species.

Economy from Sundarban

• The Sundarbans plays an important role in the economy of the southwestern region of Bangladesh as well as in the national economy. It is the single largest source of forest produce in the country. The forest provides raw materials for wood-based industries. In addition to traditional forest produce like timber, fuelwood, pulpwood, etc., the large-scale harvest of non-wood forest products such as thatching materials, honey, beeswax, fish, crustacean and mollusk resources of the forest takes place regularly. The vegetated tidal lands of the Sundarbans function as an essential habitat that produces nutrients and purifies water. The forest also traps nutrients and sediment, acts as a storm barrier, shore stabilizer, and energy storage unit. Last but not the least, the Sunderbans provides an aesthetic attraction for local and foreign tourists.
• The forest has immense protective and productive functions. Constituting 51% of the total reserved forest estate of Bangladesh, it contributes about 41% of total forest revenue and accounts for about 45% of all timber and fuelwood output of the country. Several industries (e.g., newsprint mill, match factory, hardboard, boat building, furniture making) are based on raw materials obtained from the Sundarbans ecosystem. Non-timber forest products and plantations help generate considerable employment and income opportunities for at least half a million poor coastal people. It provides natural protection to the life and properties of the coastal population in cyclone-prone Bangladesh.

Ramsar site

• A Ramsar Site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention
• The Convention on Wetlands, known as the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental environmental treaty established in 1971 by UNESCO, which came into force in 1975. It provides for national action and international cooperation regarding the conservation of wetlands, and wise sustainable use of their resources.
• Ramsar identifies wetlands of international importance, especially those providing waterfowl habitat.
• As of 2016, there were 2,231 Ramsar sites, protecting 214,936,005 hectares (531,118,440 acres), and 169 national governments are currently participating.

Ramsar site criteria

A wetland can be considered to be internationally important if any of the following nine criteria apply:

• Criterion 1: "it contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region."
• Criterion 2: "it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities."
• Criterion 3: "it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region."
• Criterion 4: "it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions."
• Criterion 5: "it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds."
• Criterion 6: "it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird."
• Criterion 7: "it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contributes to global biological diversity."
• Criterion 8: "it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend."
• Criterion 9: "it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland-dependent non-avian animal species."

Source: The Hindu

6) Report on Energy Efficiency Measures

Recently the Ministry of Power and New & Renewable Energy released a report on the “Impact of energy efficiency measures for the year 2018-19”.

Key Points

• Agency Involved: The report was prepared by a third party agency PWC Ltd, who was engaged by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
• Methodology: Since 2017-18, every year BEE has been appointing a third party expert agency that compares the estimated and actual energy consumption due to various energy efficiency schemes.
• The study assesses the resultant impact of current schemes at national as well as state-level for the financial year and compares it with a situation where the same were not implemented.
• Objective: To evaluate the performance and impact of all the key energy efficiency programs in India, in terms of total energy saved and the related reduction in CO2 emissions.
• Key Findings
• Electricity Saving: Implementation of various energy efficiency schemes have led to total electricity savings to the tune of 113.16 Billion Units in 2018-19, which is 9.39% of the net electricity consumption.
• Energy Saving: The total energy savings achieved in 2018-19 is 23.73 Mtoe (million Tonne of Oil Equivalent), which is 2.69% of the total primary energy supply (estimated to be 879.23 Mtoe in India).
• Emission Reduction: These efforts have also contributed to reducing 151.74 Million Tonnes of CO2 emissions, whereas last year this number was 108 Million Tonnes of CO2.
• Flagship Programmes: This year the study has identified the following major programs, viz. Perform, Achieve, and Trade Scheme, Standards & Labelling Programme, UJALA Programme, Municipal Demand Side Management Programme.
• Perform, Achieve and Trade Scheme
• It is a market-based mechanism to further accelerate as well as incentivize energy efficiency in the large energy-intensive industries.
• The Energy Savings Certificates (ESCerts) were introduced in India in 2011 under the Perform, Achieve Trade scheme (PAT) by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the National Mission of Energy Efficiency.
• NMEEE is one of the eight national missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) launched by the Government of India in the year 2008.
• This market- the based mechanism is facilitated through the trading of Energy Savings Certificates (ESCerts) which are issued to those plants who have overachieved their targets.
• Those plants which underachieve their targets are entitled to purchase ESCerts through two power exchanges - Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and Power Exchange India Limited (PXIL).
• The scheme is unique in many ways, particularly from a developing country's perspective since it creates a market for energy efficiency through tradable certificates ESCerts, by allowing them to be used for meeting energy reduction targets.
• Standards & Labelling Programme
• A key objective of this program by BEE is to provide the consumer an informed choice about the energy-saving and thereby the cost-saving potential of the relevant marketed product.
• The program targets display of energy performance labels on high energy end-use equipment & appliances and lay down minimum energy performance standards.
• Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA)
• It was launched in 2015 with a target of replacing 77 crore incandescent lamps with LED bulbs and to nullify the high-cost of LEDs that acted as a barrier previously in the adoption of energy-efficient systems.
• The scheme was implemented to set up a phase-wise LED distribution.
• The objective is to promote efficient lighting, enhance awareness on using efficient equipment that will reduce electricity bills, and preserve the environment.
• It is the world’s largest domestic lighting project.
• Municipal Demand Side Management Programme
• The Municipality Demand Side Management (Mu-DSM) program of BEE was initiated during the Eleventh five year plan(2007-2012).
• The basic objective of the project is to improve the overall energy efficiency of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), which could lead to substantial savings in electricity consumption, thereby resulting in cost reduction/savings for the ULBs.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)

• The BEE is a statutory body established through the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 under the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
• It assists in developing policies and strategies with the primary objective of reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy.
• BEE coordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies, and other organizations to identify and utilize the existing resources and infrastructure, in performing its functions.

Background

• Pledge: India has pledged in the Conference of the Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to bring down the energy intensity of its economy by 33 to 35% compared to 2005 levels by 2030.
• Energy intensity is the amount of energy required to produce one unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
• High energy intensities indicate a high cost of converting energy into GDP. Whereas, low energy intensity indicates a lower cost of converting energy into GDP.
• Achievement: With its energy efficiency initiatives India has already reduced the energy intensity of its economy by 20% compared to 2005 levels.
• Significance: Energy efficiency reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing demand for energy imports, and lowering costs on a household and economy-wide level.

Source: PIB

7) FlytNow- An Internet of Drones (IoD) Platform

• Recently, FlytBase, an enterprise drone automation company has built FlytNow- an Internet of Drones (IoD) platform that allows seamless integration of intelligent fleets of drones with cloud-based business applications.
• FlytNow has been incubated by FlytBase, a Pune-based start-up, funded by the Department of Science and Technology.

Key Points

• The IoD platform assists the Police officials to stream live multi-video feeds from multiple drones to their control room, thus providing situational awareness and enabling them to respond quickly to emergencies.
• FlytNow has also enabled police authorities to keep strict vigilance over the lockdown situation due to Covid-19.
• FlytNow is currently being used by Police of many states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

Source: PIB

8) NSafe Mask

Recently, an IIT-Delhi start-up ‘Nano safe Solutions’ has launched an antimicrobial and washable face mask called ‘NSafe’.

Key Points

• NSafe mask is reusable up to 50 wash, thus greatly cutting down the cost of use.
• It will also provide a solution to disposal issues of single-use masks.
• It is a triple-layered product consisting of an inner hydrophilic layer for comfort, a middle layer having antimicrobial activity, and an outermost layer having water and oil repellent behavior.
• The mask has 99.2% bacterial filtration efficiency along with breathability and splash resistance.

Source: The Hindu

9) ICUBE report

• Kantar, the world’s leading data, insights, and consulting company released its ICUBE 2019 report on digital adoption and usage trends in India.
• The annual tracking study; considered to be the currency for digital adoption in the country, gauges the changing digital ecosystem in India, measuring Internet usage by demographic, activity, and device segments.

Key findings:

• Estimated at 574 million, the number of monthly active Internet users has registered an annual growth of 24% indicating an overall penetration of 41%.
• The report projects 11% growth for 2020; estimates 639 million monthly active Internet users.
• All monthly active Internet users use a mobile phone as one of the devices to access the Internet.
• About 84% of users access the Internet for entertainment purposes.
• At 38%, the school-going children segment in the age group of 15 years or below has shown promising growth in internet usage. Access to information and education, social media, gaming, and entertainment, especially, Sports, are driving the adoption.
• Content is the king and is driving the surge in daily internet usage.
• India’s digital revolution continues to be propelled by the rural masses — Rural India registered a 45% growth in the monthly active internet users in 2019. It is now estimated that there are 264 million internet users in rural India, and this is expected to reach 304 million in 2020.

Factors responsible for this growth:

• The convenience of content available across devices and on the go low-cost Internet service resulted in significant growth in the entertainment consumption in the last year. This is expected to continue in 2020 too, especially in view of the lockdown.
• Local language and video are the underlying factors for the internet boom in rural.

Way ahead:

• Children and housewives will be the new Internet adopters in the next year or two. Most of these users already have Internet at home, and it will be more about breaking the mindset barriers to access the web.
• Video, Voice, and Vernacular (3 Vs) will be significant usage factors for Internet users. These will drive higher engagement and frequency of usage, thereby, helping the users mature in their Internet journey.
• IoT and Smart Devices will make the internet as much a household phenomenon as it is an individual phenomenon.

Source: TOI