Current Affair 1:

State Food Safety Index 2021-22

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We will move to original document. And we will learn all important points relevant for your exam.

First of all, why this index?

To encourage States/UTs to improve their performance and work towards establishing a proper food safety ecosystem in their jurisdiction, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) releases the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) annually for each financial year. The Index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model that provides an objective framework for evaluating food safety across all States/UTs.

Now, we will talk about parameters:

The Food Safety Index reflects the overall performance of the States/ UTs on various parameters of food safety. These food safety parameters are broadly classified under following 5 significant factors assigned with separate weightage of marks.

1. Human Resources and Institutional Data (with 20% weightage): The objective is to check availability of strong culture and ecosystem of enforcement commensurate in food safety activity at State and district levels.
2. Compliance (with 30% weightage):This is the most important parameter and measures overall coverage of food businesses in licensing & registration in issue of state licenses/ registrations.
3. Food Testing- Infrastructure and Surveillance (with 20% weightage):This parameter measures availability of adequate testing infrastructure with trained manpower in the States/ UTs for testing food samples.
4. Training and Capacity Building (with 10% weightage):This parameter focuses on training and capacity building of regulatory staff.
5. Consumer Empowerment (with 20% weightage):This parameter measures the performance of States/ UTs in various consumer empowering initiatives of FSSAI like participation in Food Fortification, Eat Right Campus, BHOG (Blissful Hygienic Offering to God), Hygiene Rating of Restaurants, Clean Street Food Hubs, etc.

Following the above, this year, FSSAI is released the 4th State Food Safety Index 2021-2022 on 7th June, 2022 on the occasion of World Food Safety (Safer food, better health).

Top 5:

Current Affair 2:

Exploring Biochar

 

This article is based on the review by a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT Delhi).

The review by a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT Delhi) estimates that biochar could sequestrate an average of 376.11 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent carbon in the soil, and could help India reduce 41.41–63.26% of emissions from agricultural and its allied activities.

As pe the review:

In addition, biochar is a potential natural solution to improve soils, as it increases soil fertility and microbial activity; and can be added as a compost. It also can help in water treatment, which would help it address sustainable development goals (SDGs) focusing on good health and well-being, clean water and sanitation.

An added benefit is biochar’s potential use to adsorb heavy metals such as such as lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. Products made using these heavy metals are heavily used in agriculture, and industries such pigmentation, building materials, and water transporting pipes.

If you can see above image, you can see the production of Biochar:

1. The research’s importance lies in its attempts to estimate the true environmental footprint of biochar production. Pre-processing crop residues such as chopping and drying, transportation, storage, and handling, and biochar production require significant heat and energy; as do removing the up to 30% moisture from fresh crop residues through sun-drying, solar drying, and preheat treatment.
2. Also, several factors affect biochar production, the IIT authors report. These include the processing temperature, heating rate, reactor pressure, and the biomass type such as the presence of lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, inorganic substances, and moisture.

The review also suggests that biochar, which is alkaline and has good adsorption capacity, has the potential for treating soil acidity and aluminium toxicity.

Also, an added advantage is that converting crop waste and other agricultural residues to biochar can be an alternative solution to crop burning issues in India, which also contributes to warming.

Current Affair 3:

Vermin status under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

 

News:

In many parts of India, depleting forest cover and the absence of fodder within the forest is pushing wild boars to raid crops in villages, and enter urban areas. Farmers of different states have been demanding vermin status for wild boars to facilitate mass culling and the sale of meat.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change have said that declaring wild boars as vermin would further intensify their indiscriminate killing, apart from upsetting the balance of the forest habitat.

So, we will try to understand how animals are granted vermin status.

The Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 does not define the term ‘vermin’. However, its Schedule V contains a list of animals designated ‘vermin’, including rats, crows and foxes.

Section 62 of the Act empowers the Centre to declare wild animals of any species as ‘vermin’ in any area and for a specified period of time. These animals are deemed to be included in Schedule V, opening them up to be hunted.

Currently, wild boars are listed under Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The demand is to categorise them as vermin under Schedule V, which includes vermin such as the common crow, fruit bat, mice, and rats. Inclusion of the wild boars in Schedule V will facilitate their culling by farmers without facing criminal proceedings.

Constitutionality of Section 62 of the Act is also suspect for three reasons:

1. It violates Article 14 of the Constitution
2. It violates Article 21 of the Constitution
3. A combined reading of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs) and the fundamental duties require the state to be cautious when enacting laws that affect wildlife

Article 14

Article 14 of the Indian Constitution secures equality and equal protection before the law. One of the tests to determine compliance with Article 14 is called manifest arbitrariness. The wording of Section 62, which allows the Centre to declare any wild animal to be ‘vermin’, apart from those listed in the Act’s Schedule I and part II of Schedule II suggest there are no specific principles the Centre uses to determine whether a particular species can be declared ‘vermin’.

Article 21

In its controversial decision in Animal Welfare Board of India v. A. Nagaraja (2014), the Supreme Court extended the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution to animals.

This expansion of Article 21 also means the same safeguards that apply to humans – including the right to not be deprived of life or personal liberty except according to just, fair and reasonable procedures – also applies to animals.

There are no procedural guidelines on how and in what situations Section 62 can be exercised. As a result, the government has an unfettered discretion in deciding which animals deserve to be designated ‘vermin’.

What the DPSPs and fundamental duties say:

The first mention of wildlife in the Indian Constitution is in Article 48A, a part of the DPSPs. It states that the state shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard forests and wildlife.

 

Article 51A(g) under the fundamental duties also makes it the duty of every citizen “to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures.”

Current Affair 4:

Sant Tukaram

 

News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to inaugurate the Sant Tukaram Shila Mandir in the temple town of Dehu in Pune district.

About:

Sant Tukaram Abhang Ji of the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is also called ‘Haripath Sant Tukaram Abhang’. Sant Tukaram Abhang Ji is a great saint of the last phase of the Bhakti movement.

Sant Tukaram (1608–1645) was a prominent Varkari Sant (Saint) and spiritual poet during a Bhakti movement in India.

Sant Tukaram and his work are central to the Warkari sect spread across Maharashtra. His message about a casteless society and his denial of rituals had led to a social movement. Sant Tukaram is credited with starting the Wari pilgrimage.

Current Affair 5:

Zonal Councils in India

 

News:

The idea of creation of Zonal Councils was mooted by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1956. This can be again a part of your Prelims Question. If you remember, something similar was asked in Prelims 2019:

Zonal Councils were set up under States Re-Organisation Act, 1956. There is total five Zonal Councils- North, South, West, East and Central.

Don’t include North-Eastern Zonal Councils in it. North Eastern Council is a statutory advisory body constituted under the NEC Act 1971.

One more important thing to understand here is Standing Committee to Zonal Councils.

Nothing more than this is required for your Exam.

Current Affair 6:

What is TAPI Pipeline?

 

The work of TAPI is going to resume as per the official’s statement. So, just see now what is TAPI project.

The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) Pipeline, also known as Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline, is a natural gas pipeline being developed by the Galkynysh – TAPI Pipeline Company Limited with participation of the Asian Development Bank.

The pipeline will transport natural gas from the Galkynysh Gas Field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. Proponents of the project see it as a modern continuation of the Silk Road.

 

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