AIR POLLUTION & MORE ( CURRENT AFFAIRS 17 MARCH 2021 )

 AIR POLLUTION

A report on Global air pollution was released from IQ Air, a Swiss air quality technology company specialising in protection against airborne pollutants, and developing air quality monitoring and air cleaning products.

Key findings:

• Delhi remained the most polluted capital city in the world but India, on the whole, had improved its average annual PM2.5 (particulate matter) levels in 2020 than in 2019,
  
  
• India is the third most polluted country in 2020, unlike in 2019, when its air was the fifth most noxious.
  
  
• Bangladesh and Pakistan were the countries in 2020 with worse average PM2.5 levels than India.
  
  
• China ranked 11th in the latest report, a deterioration from the 14th in the previous edition of the report.
  
  
• When ranked by cities, Hotan in China was the most polluted, with an average concentration of 110.2 μg/m³, followed by Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh at 106. Of the 15 most polluted cities, 13 were in India.
  
  
• In the 2020 report, 106 countries were evaluated. The pollution levels are weighted averages, meaning that the population of a country influences the pollution values reported.
  
  
• In 2020, 84% of all monitored countries observed air quality improvements.
  
  
• However, of the 106 monitored countries, only 24 met the World Health Organization annual guidelines for PM 2.5.

RULE CURVE

The Supreme Court said the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary will be “personally responsible” and “appropriate action” will be taken on failure to give information on the ‘rule curve’ for the Mullaperiyar dam to the Supreme Court-appointed Supervisory Committee.

WORLD ENERGY TRANSITIONS OUTLOOK: 1.5°C PATHWAY

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released the World Energy Transitions Outlook report.

Key highlights of the report:

• Previewed at the virtual Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, which began on March 16, 2021, the report proposes energy transition solutions for the narrow pathway available to contain the rise of temperature to 1.5 degree Celsius.
  
  
• The COVID-19 crisis offers an unexpected opportunity for countries to decouple their economies from fossil fuels and accelerate the shift to renewable energy sources,
  
  
• It estimated that by 2050, 90% of total electricity needs would be supplied by renewables, followed by 6% from natural gas and the remaining from nuclear.
  
  
• The agency has identified 30 innovations for the integration of wind and solar PV in power systems.

About:

• The ‘rule curve’ in a dam decides the fluctuating storage levels in a reservoir.
  
  
• The gate opening schedule of a dam is based on the ‘rule curve’.
  
  
• It is part of the “core safety” mechanism in a dam.

DEVELOPMENT FINANCE INSTITUTION (DFI)

The Union Cabinet has cleared a Bill to set up a government-owned development finance institution (DFI) with initial paid-up capital of Rs 20,000 crore.

About:

• By setting it up, Government can leverage around Rs 3 trillion from the markets in a few years to provide long-term funds to infrastructure projects as well as for development needs of the country.
  
  
• Besides, the government will give Rs 5,000 crore as grant to the institution. The grant has been provided as tax-saving bonds

• The amount will provide for the hedging cost if the DFI borrows from multilateral or bilateral institutions and it will subsidise the guarantee fee.
  
  
• The DFI will be fully government-owned initially and the promoter’s stake will be brought down to 26 per cent in the next few years. At all times, the government will continue to hold 26 per cent in the entity.
  
  
• The government will provide a 10-year tax exemption to funds invested in the DFI to attract long-term players such as insurance and pension funds.

CENSUS

The provisional data for the latest Census and National Population Register (NPR) will be available before the Lok Sabha election in 2024, according to information provided by the Union Home Ministry to a parliamentary committee.

About:

• The previous Census was conducted in 2011 and the NPR, which has a database of 119 crore residents, was last updated in 2015.
  
  
• The first phase of Census House-listing and Housing Census that was to be conducted along with the NPR from April 1, 2020, was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  
• Provisional Census results will be released in the financial year 2023-24 and the primary Census abstracts (PCA) will provide village-level data on important indicators.
  
  
• A mobile application has been developed for collecting the Census details and NPR and residents can also self-enumerate. The mobile app through which Census will be conducted will be available in 16 languages.

MEDICAL TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2020

The Rajya Sabha passed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 that increases the time period within which an abortion may be carried out. The Bill was passed in March last year in the Lok Sabha.

About:

• Currently, abortion requires the opinion of one doctor if it is done within 12 weeks of conception, and two doctors if it is done between 12 and 20 weeks.
  
  
• The Bill allows abortion to be done on the advice of one doctor up to 20 weeks, and two doctors in the case of certain categories of women, between 20 and 24 weeks.
  
  
• For a pregnancy to be terminated after 24 weeks in case of substantial foetal abnormalities, the opinion of the State-level medical board is essential.
  
  
• Opposition MPs said the Bill still did not give women the freedom to decide, since they would need a nod from a medical board in the case of pregnancies beyond 24 weeks.
  
  
• The original Bill was framed in 1971.

ORUNUDOI SCHEME

The Orunudoi scheme, with women as its primary target group, is perhaps the most popular one announced by BJP ahead of the Assam Assembly elections.

About:

• In December 2020, when the scheme was launched, Assam Chief Minister described it as the “largest DBT scheme in the history of Assam which will empower women and serve the needy”.
  
  
• Through Orunodoi — announced in the 2020-21 Budget — a monthly assistance of Rs 830 is transferred to women members of marginalised families of Assam.
  
  
• On account of being a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, the money is credited directly to the bank account of the woman head of a family because they are “primary caretakers of the household”.
  

THE JHARKHAND STATE EMPLOYMENT OF LOCAL CANDIDATES BILL, 2021

The Jharkhand government announced 75% reservation in private sector jobs with a salary of up to Rs 30,000 for locals.

About:

• The bill will treat shops, establishments, mines, enterprises, industries, companies, societies, trusts, Limited Liability Partnership firms and any person employing ten or more persons as the private sector and an entity.
  
  
• Every employer needs to register employees on a designated portal who are receiving gross monthly salary or wages not more than Rs 30, 000 — or as notified by the government from time to time — within three months of this bill (after turning into an Act) coming into force.
  
  
• No local candidate will be eligible to avail 75 per cent benefit without registering herself in the designated portal.
  
  
• The bill defines a local candidate as a person who belongs to Jharkhand and is registered on the designated portal.
  
  
• the employer may claim exemption where an adequate number of local candidates of the desired skill qualification or proficiency are not available.
  

RCE OF COMPREHENSIVE SCHEME FOR STRENGTHENING OF TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH AND SIKKIM

The Union Cabinet has approved the Revised Cost Estimate (RCE) of Comprehensive Scheme for Strengthening of Transmission & Distribution in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim at an estimated cost of Rs. 9129 crore.

About:

• The scheme is being implemented through POWERGRID, a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under Ministry of Power in association with Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
  
  
• The scheme was initially approved in December, 2014 as a Central Sector Plan Scheme of Ministry of Power and the entire cost of the scheme will be borne by the Government of India through the Plan Scheme of Ministry of Power.
  
  
• It is targeted to be commissioned in phased manner by December 2021. After commissioning, the created transmission and distribution system will be owned and maintained by the respective State Utilities.
  
  
• It is a major step towards economic development of the States of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim through strengthening of Intra - State Transmission and Distribution systems

HANDICRAFTS AND HANDLOOMS EXPORT CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED (HHEC)

The Union Cabinet has approved the closure of Handicrafts and Handlooms Export Corporation of India Limited (HHEC), a Government of India undertaking under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles.

About:

• The Corporation has been continuously incurring losses since financial year 2015-16 and not earning sufficient income to meet its running expenses.
  
  
• There is little scope for its revival, necessitating closure of the Company.
  
  
• The approval will benefit the Government exchequer in reducing recurring expenditure on salary/wages of sick CPSE which is not in operation and earning no income.
  
  
• All the permanent employees and Management Trainees serving in the Corporation will be given an opportunity to avail the benefit of a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) as per norms laid down by the Department of Public Enterprises.