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2020: A year that witnessed increased cyclone intensity | Goa News – Times of India

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PANAJI: A rise in catastrophic extreme weather events has already proved that global warming and climate change is for real. With a record eight cyclones ripping through India in 2019, weather experts realised the dimension of future doom. The year 2020 only underlined this danger in the future.
If 2019 spawned a record chain of eight cyclones — five in the earlier quiet Arabian Sea and three in the usually tempestuous Bay of Bengal — the year 2020 produced five. Two of them, Gati and Nivar, were very severe cyclonic storms and one, Amphan was even more intense, a super cyclone. Only Burevi was of lesser intensity. It was a cyclonic storm that died down within a few days.
In 2019, out of eight, only five were very severe cyclonic storms. This means the intensity of cyclones has increased sharply to 80% in 2020, as compared to 62.5% in 2019. “It is interesting to note that several cyclones have rapidly intensified during the recent years. This is an alarming trend, which would be attributed to the rapid warming of the Indian Ocean. This in turn helps in cyclogenesis at a much faster rate than usual,” said M R Ramesh Kumar, meteorologist and chief scientist (retired) of the physical oceanography division of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO).
If 2019 came to be known as the year of cyclones, 2020 could well earn the sobriquet ‘the year of very severe cyclones’. The increase in frequency of cyclonic events and their intensity, and the way they have tagged themselves close to each other during the last two years is itself something to ponder.
The fearsome convective systems in the Arabian Sea delivered twins, Kyarr and Maha, in 2019. One followed the other. Last year, in the chain of powerful windstorms, three of them Gati (November 21-24), Nivar (Nov 23-27) and Burevi (November 30-December 5) formed within a fortnight, sweeping through largely the same regions, triggering intense precipitation.
Cyclones usually form during monsoon, and phases before and after. But in 2019, cyclone Vayu formed beyond this phase. Meteorologists expect atmospheric heating up of the Arabian Sea, otherwise a region which hardly saw any major convective systems, and western equatorial Indian Ocean. A study by four scientists from NIO and published in the Climate Dynamics journal delved into this aspect.
Scientist, India meteorological department (IMD), Panaji, Shambu Ravindren said that there are studies which indicate an increase in frequency and intensity of cyclones over the Arabian Sea over the past few years.
A couple of very severe cyclonic storms, Nisarga and Nivar in 2020 hit the coastal communities disastrously, flooding their homes, crops and property. “Most of the cyclones forming in the Arabian Sea either move westwards or northwestwards, away from the Goa coast. Among them, Nisarga in 2020 and Kyar and Vayu in 2019 came closer to the coast, ” Ravindren said.
La Nina, the massive cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific near Peru in South America is impacting weather parameters and spurring cyclogenesis.
The North Indian Ocean last recorded 10 cyclones in 1893, 1926, 1930 and 1976, the former NIO scientist stated. After 1976, nearly four and half decades later, eight have been recorded in 2019. But though only five formed in 2020, the percentage of very severe cyclonic storms was more than in 2019.
“El Nino and La Nina and El Nino Modoki and La Nina Modoli are major, naturally occurring drivers of the Earth’s climate system. These naturally occurring climate events are affecting the cyclones in the North Indian Ocean,” the former NIO scientist said.

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Broke Swiggy guy walks 3 km to deliver food, Social media helps him find better job. Heartwarming story is viral

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Social media can be a wondrous place at times. While on most days, its ugly face is on display, on days like today, it sets examples of the power of kindness. In a social media post, a LinkedIn user shared how a delivery executive, in need of money and a better job, bagged one after the users on the platform came together to help the person out.

Priyanshi Chandel, Marketing Manager at tech company Flash, shared an incident about a Swiggy delivery agent who had come to deliver food at her residence. When she asked the late and out-of-breath delivery person, identified by her as Sahil Singh, about what happened, he told her that he had no transport and had to walk 3 km to deliver the order.

He also said that he was out of money and had nothing left to pay his landlord too. Singh told her that he was not looking for money from her but requested her to help him bag a job. He said that he had a degree in Electrical and Communication Engineering, and had worked with Byju’s and Ninjacart before. He had to move back to Jammu during the pandemic.

“I have not eaten for a week, just drinking water and tea to get by. I am not asking for anything, please if you can find me a job, I used to make 25k before, I am 30 years old, my parents are getting old and I can’t keep asking for money from them (sic),” Chandel quoted saying.

She also shared his marksheets and contact number for people to help. His details shared show that he is a 2018 BTech graduate from Mewar University, and completed his schooling from the Jammu and Kashmir state board.

After she shared the details, the comments section was filled with people who stepped up to help. While someone recharged his Yulu account so that he did not have to walk around to deliver food, someone offered a place to stay. Many offered to help him with his applications, while some offered jobs too.

Chandel, later on put an update on the post, and said that he received a job.

However, so far it is unclear what job he has received.

2023 has so far been a year of job losses, an eventual outcome of the pandemic and increased hiring by tech companies. For instance, the SSC MTS 2023 recruitment exam that took place in Uttar Pradesh in May saw over 55 lakh applications for Group D jobs. Numerous candidates who applied for positions such as peon, watchman, gardener had educational backgrounds like BTech, MBA, and Master’s degrees.

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Goa CM, NRI Commissioner writes to MoEF for help in safe return of Goans from Ukraine

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Panaji: Goa chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Thursday urged Union Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar to help in safe return of Goans who are in the Ukraine.

Sawant tweeted “we are concerned about the Goans in Ukraine who are considering to return to India in the light of ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. I request Union Minister for External Affairs @DrSJaishankar ji for help in the safe return of Goans. I am keeping track of the situation.”

The chief minister’s tweet comes hours after Goa’s NRI Commissioner Narendra Sawaikar wrote to the Union External Affairs ministry seeking help in return of Goans who are in the Ukraine.

“Many Goans are currently residing in Ukraine due to various purposes including higher studies and due to the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine, I have started receiving requests for help and assistance from them to return back to India,” Sawaikar wrote.

The Commissioner further wrote in the letter that advisories have already been issued by the Ministery of External Affairs to Indians currently in Ukraine and our Indian Mission in Kyiy is currently handling the matter.

“Striking note of urgency, the Government of India has recently asked the family members of Embassy officials in Ukraine as well as students and citizens whose stay is not vital , to leave the Eastern European nation amid it’s raising tensions with Russia,” the letter reads.

Sawaikar wrote that the Goans in Ukraine are in touch with this office as they are anxious to temporarily return till the situation normalizes.

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Election Commission announces polling dates and counting days for Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 states

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On Saturday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 States, namely, Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

While briefing the media, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra informed that the elections in the poll-bound States will commence from February 10, 2022, to March 7, 2022. Elections in the State of Uttar Pradesh will be conducted in 7 phases, followed by Manipur with 2 phases. Elections in Goa, Uttarkhand and Punjab will be conducted in a single phase.

According to the Election Commission of India, the votes will be counted on March 10, 2022. ECI informed that all physical campaigning will be ceased until January 15, 2022, in light of the rising cases of Coronavirus.

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