Current Affair 1:

Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha

 

Rule 2(1) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) defines the Leader of Rajya Sabha as follows:

"Leader of the Council" means the Prime Minis­ter, if he is a member of the Council, or a Minister who is a member of the Council and is nominated by the Prime Minister to function as the Leader of the Council.

Few important functions of Leader of House:

The Leader of the House is an important parliamentary functionary and exercises direct influence on the course of parliamentary business.

1. The Leader of the House makes proposals for the dates of summoning and prorogation of the House for the approval of the Chair. He has to draw up the programme of official business to be transacted in the Session of Parliament, namely, Bills, motions, etc.
2. The Leader of the House shapes the course and content of legislation in as much as he is often the final voice in deciding as to what amendments will be acceptable, what private members' Bills will receive support of the Government, and whether a question should be left to a free vote.
3. The Leader of the House may, therefore, be said to be, perhaps, the most influential figure in the entire legislative process.
4. In his day-to-day activities, the Leader of the House acts as the leader of his party, but, on occasions, he acts as the spokesman and representative of the whole House.
5. The responsibility of the Leader of the House is not only to the government and its supporters in the House, but to the Opposition and to the House as a whole. He maintains liaison between the government and the Opposition groups in the House. He is the guardian of the legitimate rights of the Opposition as well as those of the government.

Similar content is for Lok Sabha. So, no worries.

Current Affair 2:

Centre’s new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) may damage Environment Impact Assessment regime

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The latest guidelines from the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change to prevent violations of green norms actually seem yet another attempt to weaken the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) regime.

The current memorandum by the ministry is the outcome of the NGT coming across grievances over the last several years where projects were completed without grant of prior environmental clearance (EC) and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) failed to abide by the “rule of law” requiring “demolition” or “payment of assessed compensation” from the project proponent.

The new norms:

Identification of violation cases and their reporting

The following case scenarios will be categorised as ‘Violation’: First, on-site construction or installation or excavation without obtaining EC; Second, expanding the production capacity and / or project area beyond the limit specified in the existing EC letter; and Third, changing scope of the project such as modification in product/s without prior approval from the ministry or SEIAA.

Under this provision, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), state pollution control board (SPCB) and union territory Pollution Control Committee (UTPCC) are directed to identify cases of violation under their respective jurisdiction and report it to MOEF&CC in the case of Category A projects and to the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) in case of Category B projects for further action.

The violation can also be reported suo motu by the proponent itself. This provision was missing in the draft EIA 2020 notification.

But:

• There is also no mechanism elaborated upon how these complaints are to be registered.
• There is also no established procedure to ensure that the complaints made against the violator are not dismissed without hearing.

Handling of violation cases

Three different actions to be taken for the violation projects depending upon their EC status.

1. In case the project has not obtained EC, it will be ordered to close its operations.
2. If the project has undergone expansion without obtaining EC for the expanded portion, it will be ordered to revert the activity / production to the limit granted in the existing EC.
3. There might be projects which do not require EC according to their earlier production. But an EC is required after expansion. Such projects will be ordered to restrict the production / activity where EC was not required.

For all these projects, actions will be initiated according to the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

The detailed mechanism laid out to allow operation of permissible and sustainable projects is nothing new and is exactly the same as provided in draft EIA notification, 2020.

Penalty on violating cases

In order to strengthen deterrence, it entitles the regulatory authorities to levy penalties on the proponent, in addition to the bank guarantee. The penalties have been broadly bifurcated for two kinds of projects — greenfield and brownfield.

 

Current Affair 3:

Detergent footprint is polluting aquatic ecosystems

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Water pollution caused by detergents is now a big concern in the global context. The per capita detergent consumption in India is around 2.7 kilogram per year. It is around 3.7 kg in Philippines and Malaysia and 10 kg in the United States of America.

1. Nonylphenol, a hazardous chemical present in detergents, is known to enter water bodies and the food chains. It bio-accumulates and can pose serious environmental and health risks.
2. Many laundry detergents contain approximately 35 to 75 per cent phosphate salts. Phosphates can cause a variety of water pollution problems. For example, phosphate tends to inhibit the biodegradation of organic substances.
3. Some phosphate-based detergents can also cause eutrophication.
4. Detergents also contain oxygen-reducing substances (ie, a chemical compound that readily transfer oxygen atoms) that may cause severe damage to the fishes and other marine animals.
5. Detergents are capable of destroying the external mucus layers that protect the fish from bacteria and parasites, causing severe damage to the gills.
6. A few more harmful components of detergents which are anthropogenic components such as herbicides, pesticides and heavy metal concentrations (like zinc, cadmium and lead) can cause the water to grow murky. This blocks out light and disrupting the growth of plants.

The use of eco-friendly and biodegradable detergents should be encouraged to lower our laundry footprints.

Current Affair 4:

Climate Change Action Plan (2021-2025) by World Bank

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The World Bank Group released a new Climate Change Action Plan (2021-2025) to increase climate finance to reduce emissions, strengthen climate change adaptation, and align financial flows with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Two images will explain you everything about Plan needed for you.

It also mentions:

 

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