Current Affair 1:

Read Compensatory Afforestation in detail.

 

Read small introduction.

In India, Forest land can be diverted for non-forest purposes such as construction of dams, mining and other developmental activities only if the government permits. Since this diversion of forest land results in loss of biodiversity which in turn affects wildlife as well as geographical parameters such as climate and terrain, compensatory afforestation is also mandated in the law.

Compensatory afforestation is mandatory in case of diversion of Forest Land

Whenever forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes, it is mandatory under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 that an equivalent area of non-forest land has to be taken up for compensatory afforestation. In addition to this, funds for raising the forest are also to be imposed on whomsoever is undertaking the diversion. The land chosen for afforestation, if viable, must be in proximity of reserved or protected forest for ease of management by forest department.

The user agencies which undertake works that require the diversion of forests for non-forest purposes pay for planting forests over an equal area of non-forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land.

[Penal Compensatory Afforestation (IN BELOW CHART) means afforestation work to be undertaken over and above the compensatory afforestation specified in the guidelines issued under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 in lieu of the extent of area over which non-forestry activities have been carried out without obtaining prior approval of the competent authority under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980; Net Present Value (NPV): It is a mandatory one-time payment that a user has to make for diverting forestland for non-forest use, under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.]

SC in 2002 directed that CA fund be created

In 2002, the Supreme Court (SC) ordered that a Compensatory Afforestation Fund had to be created in which all the contributions towards compensatory afforestation. For getting permission for diverting forest land for non-forest purposes under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the user agency should also pay into the said fund the net present value of the forest land so diverted.

This order was made in the case of TN Godhavarman Vs Union of India where the SC observed that a lot of funds received for compensatory afforestation remained unutilized with the states.

In April 2004, Ministry of Environment and Forests constituted Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) to overlook and manage the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) as directed by the SC.

Despite all these efforts, CAG report in 2013 revealed that the CAMPA funds remained unutilized. The report stated that between 2006 and 2012, CAF with ad hoc CAMPA grew from ₹ 1,200 crores to ₹ 23,607 crores. Then,

Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 came into force from 30 September 2018. The Act established a National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India and State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state. Now we will see the entire Act.

A National Compensatory Afforestation Fund has been established by the Central Government under the public account of India. The National Fund shall be under the control of the Central Government.

The monies collected by State Governments and Union Territory Administrations shall be transferred to the National Fund. The National Fund shall be credited with-

1. Grants-in-aid received, if any, by the National Authority;
2. Any loan taken or any borrowings made by the National Authority;
3. Any other sums received by the National Authority by way of benefaction, gift or donations.”

A State Compensatory Fund has been established by the State Government under public accounts of such state.

The State Fund shall be credited with the:

The National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority is constituted by the Central Government. The National Authority is responsible for managing and utilizing the National Fund.

Similarly, a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority is constituted by the Central Government at the State level.[8] The State Authority has similar powers and functions under this Act. These authorities are responsible for the release of funds for compensatory afforestation activities.

 

The annual plans of operations are prepared by the executive committee of a State Authority. The annual plan of operations comprises of the activities to be undertaken for compensatory afforestation, additional compensatory afforestation, penal compensatory afforestation, and catchment area treatment plan that are to be done as per the conditions imposed under forest clearance granted by the Central Government under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

A monitoring group comprising of six experts in the field of environment, economics, wildlife, forest, remote sensing and geographical information system, and social sector and the Director General, Forest Survey of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.

The function of the monitoring group is to evolve an independent system for concurrent monitoring and evaluation of the works implemented in the States and Union Territories utilising the funds released by the National and State Authorities to ensure effective and proper utilisation of funds.

Current Affair 2:

About National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission:

 

The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Program, introduced in the Union Budget 2023, focuses on addressing the significant health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among tribal populations of the country.

Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disease which affects the whole life of affected patient. It is more common in the tribal population of India, but occurs in non-tribals too. It not only causes anemia but also pain crises, reduced growth, and affects many organs like lungs, heart, kidney, eyes, bones and the brain. India has the largest density of tribal population, globally.   As per Census 2011, India has an 8.6% tribal population which is 67.8 million across the Indian states. The MoHFW tribal health expert committee report has listed sickle cell disease as one of the 10 special problems in tribal heath that affect the tribal people disproportionately, thus making this an important intervention.

This program aims to improve the care and prospects of all sickle cell disease patients while reducing the prevalence of the disease.

The strategy emphasizes on THREE pillars:

Initially, the focus shall be on 17 states with higher prevalence of SCD viz., Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar and Uttarakhand.

The programme would be in integration with existing mechanism and strategies under NHM to ensure utilization of existing resources and also minimizing the duplication of efforts. For example, established platform of RBSK and Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) would be leveraged to achieve the targets for the Sickle Cell mission.

The program is executed in a mission mode as part of the National Health Mission (NHM), aims to eliminate sickle cell genetic transmission by the year 2047, showing a long-term commitment to eradicating the disease.

The program shall be carried out in a mission mode covering the entire population from zero to 18 years of age and shall incrementally include the entire population up to 40 years as a part of National Health Mission and shall focus on universal population-based screening, prevention, and management of sickle cell anemia in all tribal and other high prevalent areas States/UTs of India.

Over a period of three years, spanning from the fiscal year 2023-24 to 2025-26, the program targets screening approximately 7.0 crore people. This ambitious goal highlights the program's dedication to reaching a large portion of the population, promoting early diagnosis and intervention.

Current Affair 3:

Industrial Park Rating System

 

The Industrial Park Rating System (IPRS) is a major initiative by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

Read from original document:

 

 

Current Affair 4:

International Conference on Green Hydrogen

 

Government of India is organizing an International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH-2023) on 5-7 July 2023 at New Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan to discuss the recent advances and upcoming technologies across the entire Green Hydrogen value chain. The forum will provide an opportunity to discuss the evolving Green Hydrogen landscape and network with global scientific community and industry.

Important is National Green Hydrogen Mission:

India launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission on 4th January 2023.

 

 

 

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