Current Affair 1:

SDG Index 2021

 

A basic introduction

 

NITI Aayog, the nodal body mandated to oversee the progress on the 2030 Agenda, has been spearheading the movement for SDG localisation, in collaboration with sub-national constituents and the civil society. India presented second Voluntary National Review Report: “Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local”, at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2020, which was a symbol of the “whole of-society” approach adopted.

Voluntary National Review (VNR) is a country-led process of reviewing progress on SDGs and is at the core of an international review of progress of the world at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). India has presented its VNR twice, first in 2017 and the second in 2020.

 

About SDG Index 2021

The Index is released by NITI Aayog.

The framework of the SDG India Index & Dashboard was developed back in 2018, to capture the progress made by our States and Union Territories. It has since become the primary tool to monitor the progress and achievements towards realising the 2030 Agenda. The Index, published annually since then, has become instrumental in bringing the SDGs on the table for policy dialogue, formulation and implementation among governments and civil society, while instilling a competitive spirit.

This third edition of the Index, 2020-21, is the result of extensive consultations with various State governments, Union ministries, and key stakeholders. From covering 13 Goals, 39 targets, and 62 indicators in its first edition in 2018, this third edition of the Index covers all 17 Goals, 70 targets, and 115 indicators.

How NITI Aayog chose 115 indicators?

As the first step, suitable indicators from the National Indicator Framework (we have explained below, you will see there in 3.0 latest version, there were total 308 indicators, but only 115 were listed by NITI Aayog due to unavailability of data from states) on SDGs were identified and mapped with the targets. Guided by the NIF and the extensive consultations with Union ministries/departments and all States/UTs, NITI Aayog has constructed a list of 115 indicators, refining them wherever needed to aid comparison.

Now, it is very important to know about National Indicator Framework.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation is responsible for the development of National Indicator Framework (NIF) for measuring the progress of the SDGs and associated targets at the national level. NIF will give appropriate direction to the policy makers and the implementers of various schemes and programs.

The process of developing the NIF was led by MoSPI, with support from NITI Aayog and other ministries. Various ministries have the responsibility of compiling and providing data at the national level. A High-Level Steering Committee (HLSC) under the Chairmanship of Secretary, MoSPI and with members from NITI Aayog and several ministries is tasked with periodic review and refinement of the NIF.

The Ministry latest release ‘Sustainable Development Goals - National Indicator Framework, Progress Report 2021 (version 3.0) which shows the data-based evidence of India’s progress towards achieving the SDGs and associated targets.

 

Now important results:

Kerala has retained its top spot in the SDG India Index 2020-21, while Bihar, Jharkhand, and Assam have been named the worst-performing states. With a score of 75, Kerala maintained its position as the top state.
 

 

 

 

You don’t need to go in detail of each index. Now you can answer:

1. Who releases this Index? Whether it is first edition?
2. What is National Indicator Framework?
3. Voluntary National Review (VNR)?
4. Which state is first and which is last?

Current Affair 2:

Mission Innovation

Source Link

Launched alongside the Paris Agreement in 2015, Mission Innovation brings together governments, public authorities, corporates, investors and academia to enable widely affordable clean energy globally and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Mission Innovation is the main intergovernmental platform addressing clean energy innovation through action-oriented cooperation. It is a global initiative to catalyse action and investment in research, development and demonstration to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible to all this decade. This will accelerate progress towards the Paris Agreement goals and pathways to net zero.

Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Commission (on behalf of the European Union). India is a member too.

 

Now it’s Innovation Mission 2.0

Mission Innovation 2.0, launched on 2 June 2021, is the second phase of the global Mission Innovation initiative, launched alongside the Paris Agreement at the 2015 COP21 conference. Its members – collectively responsible for over 90% of global public investment in clean energy innovation – are committed to increase investment and collaboration to deliver the technologies needed to overcome the world’s most difficult climate challenges.

Mission Innovation 2.0 will catalyse public-private action and investment through sector-specific Missions that accelerate the development of clean energy solutions in critical areas, to reach tipping points this decade in their affordability. The goal is to make them attractive and accessible to all countries and give governments worldwide the confidence to set ambitious clean energy pathways.

The launch of Mission Innovation 2.0 is a key milestone in the build-up to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, UK, in November.

Mission Innovation CleanTech Exchange

As part of the Platform, India has today launched the Mission Innovation CleanTech Exchange which will create a network of incubators across member countries. The network will provide access to the expertise and market insights needed to support new technologies to access new markets globally.

Current Affair 3:

Model Tenancy Act

Narendra Modi-led Cabinet on Wednesday, 2 June, approved the Model Tenancy Act (MTA) in a bid to make the process of renting property in India more efficient, and boost the rental economy in the estate sector. It aims to bring about wide-ranging reforms to "unlock over one crore vacant houses" and bridge the trust deficit between landlords and tenants.

MTA “will facilitate the unlocking of vacant houses for rental housing purposes. It is expected to give a fillip to private participation in rental housing as a business model for addressing the huge housing shortage.” According to a census from 2011, over 1 crore houses in urban areas were lying vacant.

 

What is the Model Tenancy Act?

Under the MTA, which seeks to cover both urban and rural territories, no individual will be able let or rent any premises except by an agreement in writing.

As per the government, the Act will aid in institutionalising rental housing through a gradual shift of rental property marker towards the formal market.

It will also aim to create a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive rental housing market in the country and will enable creation of adequate rental housing stock for all the income groups, thereby addressing the issue of homelessness, the government stated.

The MTA will not impact the existing tenancy agreements, and will only be applicable prospectively.

What Are the New Clauses?

• The Act will establish a rent authority which will regulate the renting of premises – to protect the interests of landlords and tenants – and set up a grievance redressal mechanism in accordance with a Rent Court and Rent Tribunal. The proposed authorities will be responsible for expeditious adjudication of rental disputes.
• A cap will be placed on the security deposit amount. For residential premises, it will be required to not exceed two months of rent and for non-residential properties, the deposit can be a maximum of six months of rent.
• A digital platform will be established in the vernacular language of the local area or the language of the State/Union Territory for submitting tenancy agreements and other documents. The rent authority will be responsible for checking these agreements.
• If the tenant fails to vacate the property on the termination of its tenancy, provided that the landlord has fulfilled all obligations as stated in the rent agreement, the landlord will be authorised to double the monthly rent for two months and four times after that.
• If a force majeure event (as 'an event or effect that can be neither anticipated nor controlled) occurs, the landlord will allow the tenant to postpone vacating the property for a one-month period from the date of cessation of the unforeseeable event, as per the provisions of the existing tenancy agreement.

How Will the Act Benefit Tenants and Landlords?

1. The MTA acknowledges areas of disputes between the landlord and the tenant, and addresses factors like the need for a formal rent agreement, a cap on the security deposit, rate of rent increase, and curbs on arbitrary eviction.
2. The streamlining of the rental market will benefit the landlords as proposed rental court can allow repossession of the premises if the tenant misuses the property after being served a notice.
3. As per the Act, misuse of the premises is defined as public nuisance, damage, or use for “immoral or illegal purposes.”
4. Additionally, provisions in case of a tenant refusing to vacate the property have also been made clear in the Act and even if a dispute is pending before the rent court, the tenant will be required to pay the rent.

 

Current Affair 4:

SAGE (Seniorcare Ageing Growth Engine) initiative

Source Link

 

Why this Project?

The SAGE project is shaped on the recommendations of the empowered expert committee (EEC) report on start-ups for elderly.

 

The SAGE project aims to identify, evaluate, verify, aggregate, and deliver products, solutions and services directly to the stakeholders. The Ministry will act as a facilitator, enabling the elderly to access the products through these identified start-ups. India’s elderly population is on the rise, and as per surveys, the share of elders, as a percentage of the total population in the country, is expected to increase from around 7.5% in 2001 to almost 12.5% by 2026, and surpass 19.5% by 2050.

There is an urgent need to create a more robust elder care ecosystem in India, especially in the post-COVID phase.

Implementing ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Current Affair 5:

NASA announces two new missions to Venus- VERITAS and DAVINCI+

 

NASA Wednesday announced two missions to Venus, Earth’s closest planetary neighbour, as part of its ‘Discovery Program’ that aims to explore and study the solar system.

The VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) mission will map the surface of the planet, study its geology, and hunt for volcanic activity, while the DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) with its atmospheric probe, called Plus, will study the dense atmosphere of Venus to understand the trigger and evolution of the runaway greenhouse effect active on the planet.

The missions are funded for $500 million each and are expected to launch somewhere around 2028-2030.

Venus is often called Earth’s twin because of similar mass, size, gravity, surface composition and complex atmospheric processes. However, we know much less about it compared to the other planetary neighbour, Mars. This is largely due to it being obscured by an extremely dense layer of atmosphere and clouds.

 

What VERITAS and DAVINCI+ hope to study?

The VERITAS mission will study the planet’s geology with radar, map its entire surface topography in 3D and will try to understand why it developed differently from Earth.

It will also study infrared emissions from the surface to map various kinds of rocks. The mission will also seek to understand if any volcanic or tectonic activity is present on the planet currently. It will also try to find out if any active volcanoes are releasing water vapour into the atmosphere, sustaining its greenhouse effect.

Meanwhile, the DAVINCI+ will measure the atmospheric composition of Venus and its formation and evolution. The mission will also try to determine if the planet held an ocean of liquid water in the past. The mission will return the first high-resolution images of unique surface features known as “tesserae” on Venus, which are akin to the continents on Earth, and suggest the existence of plate tectonics.

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