Temporary hardness of Water

• Temporary hardness is due to the presence of calcium hydrogencarbonate Ca(HCO₃)_2(aq) and magnesium hydrogencarbonate Mg(HCO₃)_2(aq).

• Both calcium hydrogencarbonate and magnesium hydrogencarbonate decompose when heated. The original insoluble carbonate is reformed. This happens when water is boiled. The  boiling the water causes the precipitation of solid calcium carbonate or solid magnesium carbonate. This removes the calcium ions or magnesium ions from the water, and so removes the hardness. Therefore, hardness due to hydrogencarbonates is said to be temporary.

• Generally an increase in water temperature causes an increase in the solubility of most salts. But one should  understood from above there are exceptions like CaCO₃, CaSO₄, MgCO₃, Mg(OH)₂ all of which become less soluble as the temperature increases.

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)

ü  OPCW is an  intergovernmental organisation and the implementing boy for the Chemical Weapons Convention, came into force on 29 April 1997.

LOGO OF OPCW

ü  OPCW has 192 member states, and its headquaters in The Hague, Netherlands.

ü  It oversees the global endeavour for the permanent and verifiable eliminatation of chemical weapons.

ü  It promotes and verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction.

ü  OPCW was awarded 2013 Nobel Prize "for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons".

ü  The principal body is the Conference

ü  of the States Parties (CSP), which normally is convened yearly, in which all countries participate and have equal voting rights.

ü  The Organisation is currently led by Director-General Ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu . Ambassador Fernando Arias of Spain will assume office on 25 July 2018 for a tenure of four years.

ü  OPCW is not an agency of the United Nations, but cooperates both on policy and practical issues.

ü  In 2014, The OPCW-The Hague Award was established to honour select individuals and institutions by highlighting their exceptional contributions towards the goal of a world permanently free of chemical weapons. 

Man booker Prize 2017

• The Man Booker Prize for Fiction  is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel, written in the English language and published in the UK. 
• Formerly it is  known as the Booker-McConnell Prize and commonly known  as the Booker Prize
• 2017 Man booker Prize was awarded to George Saunders
• Lincoln in the Bardo is a 2017 experimental novel. and  it is Saunders's first full-length novel 
• Saunders is better known for his short stories, reporting, and occasional essays.
• The novel takes place during and after the death of Abraham Lincoln's son William Wallace Lincoln and deals with the president's grief at his loss.

Green Revolution in India

The Green Revolution in India :

• Period in which agriculture productivity in India increased due to improved method & technology.
• Started in the early 1960s Green revolution led to an increase in food  grain produciton especially in Punjab, Haryana and UP.
• Many scientists including Indian geneticist M. S. Swaminathan, American agronomist Dr. Norman Borlaug developed higher- yielding varieties of wheat which helped in higher production of food grains.
• The introduction of high-yielding varieties(HYV) of seeds and the increased quality of fertilizers and irrigation technique led to the increase in production to make the country self-sufficient in food grains, thus improving agriculture in India. The methods adopted included the use of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds with modern farming methods.
• Due to the rise in use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers there was a negative effect on the soil and the land such as land degradation.

Problems persistent during that time include

       Famine : Frequent famine during the period 1940s to 1970s, malnutrition and starvation was a huge problem.This was due to faulty distribution of food,  farmers did not receive the true value for their labour, the majority of the population did not get enough food.

       Finance : Farmers found it difficult to get  finance and credit at economical rate from the government and banks hence they became the prey to Zamindars  high interest rate and was not able to repay the loans. This created lot fo problems and miseries to the farmers of India.

       Self-Sufficency :Food grains were imported  due to traditional agricultural practices, low productivity, and a growing population. The government could maintain buffer stock and India can achieve self-sufficiency and self-reliability due to increased production by implementing Green revolution.

Defects :

The main defect of the green revolution is the cost of using HYV seeds, which demanded increase in irrigation systems and pesticides.  Many farmers have difficulty in paying for the expensive technologies, especially if they have a bad harvest.

The excessive use of chemical fertilizers decreased soil fertility and also the use of electric tube wells decreased groundwater table below the previous level.