Current Affair 1:

BRS COPs conclude with major decisions on e-waste movement

Source Link

In accordance with the decisions of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm conventions, the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (BC COP-15), the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention (RC COP-10) and the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (SC COP-10) are being held recently.

First of all, learn about Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (BRS) in brief and then decisions taken under the above meeting.

Basel Convention

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was adopted on 22 March 1989 and entered into force on 5 May 1992.

India has ratified Basel? Yes. See below.

Decision taken under Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (BC COP-15)

1. It adopted landmark amendments which ensure that all transboundary movements of e-wastes, whether hazardous or not, are subject to the prior informed consent of the importing state and any state of transit.
2. This bold decision not only protects vulnerable countries from unwanted imports but also fosters the environmentally sound management of e-wastes with state-of-the-art technology and thus contributes to a circular economy.
3. In addition, BC COP-15 adopted technical guidelines on mercury wastes.

Rotterdam Convention

The Rotterdam Convention (formally, the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade) is a multilateral treaty to promote shared responsibilities in relation to importation of hazardous chemicals.

India has signed Rotterdam? Yes.

Decision taken under Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention (RC COP-10)

The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention (RC COP-10) listed two industrial chemicals: decabromodiphenyl ether, and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds. This listing will make these chemicals subject to the Prior Informed Consent procedure, thereby granting Parties the right to decide on their future import.

Stockholm Convention

The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and are toxic to humans and wildlife.

Decision taken under Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (SC COP-10)

1. The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (SC COP-10) listed perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts, and PFHxS-related compounds in Annex A to the Convention, setting them for elimination.
2. PFHxS, its salts and related substances have a high resistance to friction, heat, and chemical agents. They are widely used in firefighting foam, carpets, and non-stick cookware. They have been found to influence the human nervous system, brain development, and thyroid hormone.
3. SC COP-10 also adopted decisions on two of the initial POPs listed under the Convention: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and DDT.
4. On PCB, the SC COP urged Parties to step up their efforts by immediately implementing actions to eliminate its use in equipment by 2025.
5. On DDT, the COP noted that, while there is a continued need for DDT for indoor residual spraying in specific settings for malaria vector control, it is assumed that DDT use may not be needed after 2030.

 

Current Affair 2:

India’s Crude Oil Import sources current status

India is the world’s third-largest consumer of oil in the world, only behind the USA & China. India’s consumption is around 5% of global consumption. However, the domestic production is less than 1% of the global oil production.

India ranks next to only China as the world’s second-largest importer of crude oil.

As per the provisional data provided by Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC), India’s oil import dependence for 2021-22 was around 85.5%. It is a slight increase from the previous year when 84.4% of its crude oil requirements were met through imports.

From where does India import Crude Oil? What are the trends in recent years? (Data available on the Ministry of Commerce’s Export & Import Data Bank (EIDB) is considered for this article)

In 2021-22, 53.5% worth of Crude Oil Imports is from Iraq, Saudi Arabia & UAE

Iraq, Saudi Arabia & UAE are the leading sources of Crude Oil imports for India. Iraq emerged as the leading exporter of crude oil to India in recent years, replacing Saudi Arabia. Either of these two countries has retained the top position in each of the 10 years (2012-13 to 2021-22).

In 2021-22, the USA is the fourth largest exporter of Crude oil to India.

India majorly exports ‘Petroleum Products’

As per the data with EIDB, India does not export Crude oil. However, it does export refined petroleum products.

In 2021-22, India’s exports of these petroleum products were USD 66 billion. It is not only higher than the pandemic hit 2020-21 but also more than the value of exports prior to the pandemic.

For 2021-22, Singapore is the largest importer from India with petroleum products worth USD 6.1 billion. UAE & Netherlands are the other countries to whom India exports a major share of petroleum products. 

 

Current Affair 3:

One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC)

Source Link

News: Assam has become the 36th State/UT to implement One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC). With this, the ONORC plan is successfully implemented in all the 36 states/UTs, making food security portable throughout the country.

About One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC)

The implementation of nation-wide portability of ration cards through “One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan”, is an ambitious endeavor of the Department of Food & Public Distribution, Government of India to empower about 81 Crore beneficiaries.

The government launched the One Nation One Ration Card for providing an option to all eligible ration cardholders or beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 for accessing their entitlements from anywhere in India.

Under the NFSA, the ration cardholders or beneficiaries are entitled to buy subsidised food grains of rice at Rs.3 per kg, wheat at Rs.2 per kg and coarse grains at Rs.1 per kg from the designated Fair Price Shops (FPS) under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

The objective of this beneficiary centric high-impact program is to empower all NFSA beneficiaries to become AtmaNirbhar for their food security anywhere in the country, through portability of their existing ration cards enabling them  to seamlessly lift their entitled subsidized foodgrains (in part or full) from any Fair Price Shop of their choice. This also enables their family members to lift balance/required amount of foodgrains on the same ration card at their native/ any place from the FPS of their choice.

Current Affair 4:

What Does Decarbonisation Mean?

Decarbonisation is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through the use of low carbon power sources, achieving a lower output of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.

‘Decarbonisation’ tends to refer to the process of reducing ‘carbon intensity’, lowering the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the burning of fossil fuels. Generally, this involves decreasing CO2 output per unit of electricity generated. Reducing the amount of carbon dioxide occurring as a result of transport and power generation is essential to meet global temperature standards set by the Paris Agreement.

Current Affair 5:

NIPUN Bharat Programme

Read introduction:

The programme will be implemented in the mission mode, with the use and strengthening of the existing mainstream structures. The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education (MoE) will be the implementing agency at the national level and will be headed by a Mission Director.

Objectives of the Mission:

The success of NIPUN Bharat will primarily depend on teachers, so, there will be a special emphasis on capacity building of teachers.  A special package for foundational literacy and Numeracy under NISHTHA is being developed by NCERT and around 25 lakh teachers teaching at pre-primary to primary grade will be trained this year.

NIPUN Bharat aims to cover the learning needs of children in the age group of 3 to 9 years. 

Constitutional Provisions regarding education: Part IV of Indian Constitution, Article 45 and Article 39 (f) of Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP), has a provision for state-funded as well as equitable and accessible education. The 42nd Amendment to the Constitution in 1976 moved education from the State to the Concurrent List. The 86th Amendment in 2002 made education an enforceable right under Article 21-A.

 

 

<< Previous Next >>