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State of India’s Environment Report 2023

Why in News?

Recently, State of India’s Environment report 2023 was launched by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and DTE (Down to Earth) magazine, covering an extensive gamut of subject assessments, ranging from climate change, agriculture and industry to water, plastics, forests and biodiversity.

• The report is the annual publication, focusing on climate change, migration, health and food systems. It also covers biodiversity, forest and wildlife, energy, industry, habitat, pollution, waste, agriculture and rural development.
• CSE is a public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi.

What are the Key Highlights of the Report?

• Encroachment:
  • Over 30,000 water bodies have been encroached on in the country and India is generating 150,000 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) every day — more than half of which is either dumped in landfills or remains unattended.
• Air Pollution:
  • Four years and 11 months is the average duration of life lost to air pollution in India.
  • Rural India is losing more years due to air pollution-related health issues than the urban belt.
  • Rural India needs 35 % more community health centers.
• Environmental Crimes:
  • Environmental crimes continue unabated — courts need to decide on 245 cases every day to clear the backlog.
• Extreme Weather Events:
  • Between January and October 2022, India witnessed extreme weather events on 271 days.
  • These extreme weather events claimed over 2,900 lives.
• SDGs:
  • Over the past five years, India’s overall global rank in meeting the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has slipped by nine places — ranking 121 in 2022.
  • India ranks below four south Asian countries — Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
    • India is facing challenges in 11 of the 17 SDGs, including SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 11 (Sustainable cities).
• Plastic Waste:
  • While the magnitude of the problem related to Plastic Waste remains gargantuan, a plethora of policies and urgency are on the right path.
  • Cities are becoming waste-wise, learning to segregate at source, minimise plastics and reuse reprocess waste into wealth.
• Agriculture:
  • In agriculture, strong evidence is emerging of the efficacy of traditional and regenerative farming methods.
  • On the issue of forests and biodiversity, losses of forests are a dark truth, but at the same time more and more communities are demanding rights over forests – what is more, these rights are being granted.

What are the Recommendations?

• We need to have a common minimum programme that brings all countries together on the only issues that matter for humanity: how to avert the existential crisis we face today and how to build a just and inclusive world order.
• In fact, the pandemic treaty is a welcome development in this direction.

Source: DTE

Cattle Dehorning & Castration

Why in News?

Recently, the central government has laid down the procedures for Dehorning Cattle and Castration, branding or nose-roping of any animal.

What is Dehorning and Castration of Cattle?

• Dehorning is the process of removing or reducing the horns of cattle, while castration is the process of removing the testicles of male cattle. Both practices are commonly performed on cattle for a variety of reasons, such as to improve safety for handlers and other animals, prevent injury, reduce aggression, and improve meat quality.
• Dehorning can be done using several methods, including chemical or electrical methods, saws, and dehorning irons. In many cases, dehorning is done when the animal is young to minimize pain and discomfort.
  • The existing methods involve pushing a bull to the ground to use a castrator san painkiller.
• Castration is typically done to male cattle that will not be used for breeding purposes, as it can help to reduce aggression and improve meat quality.
  • The castration method involves crushing the blood vessels, nerves and vas deferns (a coiled tube that carries the sperm out of the testes) to cause the testicles to become defunct.

What are the New Rules?

• All procedures are to be carried out with the involvement of a registered veterinary practitioner, along with the mandatory use of general and local anaesthetics.
• The rules demand the breeding of naturally hornless cattle over dehorning and using face halters and other humane procedures for nose roping and preventing cold and hot branding on live tissues.
• The rules prescribe a methodology for euthanasia for ill animals to avoid a painful death.
• The issue is concerning as most dairy owners and farmers abandon their bulls on roads as it incurs extra cost or effort to sustain them.

What are the Related Existing Provisions?

• The Dehorning and Castration procedures were earlier undefined under Sections 11 and subsection 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, which made it difficult to prevent cruelty against animals.
  • Section 11 defined the acts that amount to treating animals with cruelty.
  • But subsection 3 allowed exceptions for animal husbandry procedures, which involve dehorning cattle and castration, branding and nose roping of animals in a prescribed manner.
• Section 3(c) of the law also offered exceptions in “the extermination or destruction of any animal under the authority of any law for the time being in force.

Source: DTE

PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme

Why in News?

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is implementing a centrally sponsored PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME) Scheme for providing financial, technical, and business support to micro food processing enterprises in India.

• This scheme is a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan - Vocal for Local Initiative in the food processing sector.

What are the Features of the PMFME Scheme?

• About:
  • The PMFME scheme aims to enhance the competitiveness of new and existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the food processing industry and promote formalization of the sector.
  • The PMFME scheme is operational for a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 Crore.
• Focus Areas:
  • The scheme adopts the One District One Product (ODOP) approach to reap the benefit of scale in terms of procurement of inputs, availing common services and marketing of products.
  • Other Focus areas include Waste to wealth products, minor forest products and Aspirational Districts.
• Assistance Available under PMFME Scheme:
  • Support to Individual/Group Category Micro Enterprises:
    • Credit-linked capital subsidy of 35% of the eligible project cost, with a maximum ceiling of Rs.10 lakh per unit.
  • Support to Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for Seed Capital:
    • Seed capital up to Rs. 40,000/- per member of SHG engaged in food processing for working capital and purchase of small tools, subject to a maximum of Rs. 4 lakh per SHG.
  • Support for Common Infrastructure:
    • Credit-linked capital subsidy of 35%, with a maximum of Rs. 3 crore, to support FPOs, SHGs, Cooperatives, and any Government agency for setting up of common infrastructure.
  • Capacity Building:
    • The scheme envisages training for Entrepreneurship Development Skilling (EDP+), a program modified to meet the requirements of the food processing industry and product specific skilling.
  • District Resource Persons (DRPs) have been appointed to provide handholding support to micro food processing enterprises for the compliance of FSSAI and other statutory requirements.

What is the Status of the Food Processing Industry in India?

• About:
  • Food processing is a type of manufacturing in which raw materials are processed into intermediate foods or edible items using scientific knowledge and technology. 
  • It improves the storability, portability, palatability, and convenience of the finished product.
• Significance:
  • During the last five years ending FY21, the food processing industries sector has been growing at an average annual growth rate of around 8.3%
  • As per the latest Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) 2019-20, 12.2% of persons in the registered manufacturing sector were employed in the food processing sector.
  • The value of agri-food exports, including processed food exports, was about 10.9 % of India's total exports during 2021-22
• Issues:
  • Lack of Infrastructure: The food processing industry in India faces challenges with infrastructure, including inadequate cold storage facilities, transport facilities, and processing plants.
  • Limited Access to Finance: Many small and medium-sized food processing businesses in India struggle to access finance to invest in their operations and improve their products.
    • This limits their ability to expand and compete with larger players in the industry.
  • Inadequate Quality Control: There are concerns about the quality of food processing in India, particularly in relation to food safety and hygiene standards.
    • This is a major challenge for the industry, as it affects consumer confidence and limits export opportunities.
• Government Initiatives:
  • 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) approval under automatic route has been permitted for the food processing sector
  • A Special Food Processing Fund of Rs. 2000 crore was set up with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to provide affordable credit for investments in setting up Mega Food Parks (MFP) as well as processing units in the MFPs. 
    • In 2019, the coverage of the fund was extended to the setting up of Agro-Processing Clusters along with setting up of individual manufacturing units.

Source: PIB

Marine Protected Areas

Why in News?

Recently, the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India has announced that India will support setting up two Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in Antarctica to protect marine life and its ecosystem services.

What are the MPAs?

• About:
  • MPA is a defined region managed for the long-term conservation of marine resources, ecosystem services or cultural heritage.
  • Within the region, certain activities are limited, or entirely prohibited, to meet specific conservation, habitat protection, ecosystem monitoring or fisheries management objectives.
  • MPAs do not necessarily exclude fishing, research or other human activities; in fact, many MPAs are multi-purpose areas.
• Need for Setting MPAs in Antarctica:
  • The Southern Ocean that encircles Antarctica covers around 10 % of the global ocean and is home to nearly 10,000 unique polar species.
  • Climate change is altering habitats such as sea ice and the sheltered seafloor under ice shelves that are home to a variety of species.
  • Commercial fishery harvest krill, to produce fish meal for feeding farmed fish and nutritional supplements for people.
  • Increased harvesting of krill threatens animals that feed on them. These include fish, whales, seals, penguins and other seabirds.
    • A 2022 study that analysed over forty years of krill fishery data found that krill fishing was highest in the regions surrounding the Western Antarctic Peninsula and near the South Orkney Islands.
  • Climate change and commercial fishing of the region need to be minimised, and therefore MPA is necessary.

What is the Status of MPAs in Antarctica?

• The Southern Ocean has two MPAs, one in the southern shelf of the South Orkney Islands and the other in the Ross Sea. These fully protect only 5% of the ocean.
• All types of fishing, other than scientific research, are prohibited within the southern shelf of the South Orkney Islands MPA. Discharges and dumping from fishing vessels are also not allowed.
• In Ross MPA, 72% of the waters are closed to commercial fishing.
• Since 2012, the European Union and Australia have proposed an MPA in East Antarctica. An MPA was proposed in the Weddell Sea by the EU and Norway and in the waters surrounding the Antarctic Peninsula by Chile and Argentina.
• In 2021, India extended its support for designating East Antarctica and the Weddell Sea as MPA.
  • But according to reports, China and Russia blocked these efforts at the 41^st annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

Source: DTE

IBC Reform: Distribution of Proceeds

Why in News?

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has proposed several changes to the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016.

What are the Suggested Changes in IBC?

• The Ministry recognizes that some creditors are worried about not receiving a fair share of the money when a company's debts are resolved.
  • To address this, it suggests creating a fair system for dividing the money among creditors.
• This would involve using a specific formula to divide the money based on the size of each creditor's claim.
  • Any surplus over the liquidation value shall be pro-rated amongst all the creditors in ratio of their unsatisfied claim.

What is Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code, 2016?

• The Government implemented the IBC, 2016 to consolidate all laws related to insolvency and bankruptcy and to tackle Non-Performing Assets (NPA), a problem that has been pulling the Indian economy down for years.
  • Insolvency is a situation where individuals or companies are unable to repay their outstanding debt.
  • Bankruptcy, on the other hand, is a situation whereby a court of competent jurisdiction has declared a person or other entity insolvent, having passed appropriate orders to resolve it and protect the rights of the creditors. It is a legal declaration of one’s inability to pay off debts.
• The IBC Covers all individuals, companies, Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) and partnership firms.
  • Adjudicating authority:
    • National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for companies and LLPs.
    • Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) for individuals and partnership firms.

How are Proceeds Distributed Among Creditors Under the IBC?

• A company has various creditors — public sector banks, private lenders, non-banking financial companies, trade creditors, vendors, workmen, employees, governments, etc.
  • The Code puts these creditors into different categories based on the nature of debt.
• Banks, bond issuers, and lenders are classified as financial creditors. Financial creditors are further categorised as secured and unsecured creditors, based on the security furnished by the borrower company.
• Section 53 of the Code prescribes an order of priority in which proceeds will be distributed to the creditors based on the liquidation value.
• As per this waterfall mechanism, secured financial creditors rank the highest in the order of priority. They are followed by unsecured financial creditors, government dues and, finally, operational creditors.
  • Hence, financial creditors like banks have the first claim until exhaustion. Proceeds may be extinguished at the level of financial creditors itself, leaving almost nothing for other creditors in the waterfall mechanism.

What is the Jurisprudence on the Subject of Proceeds Distribution?

• The Supreme Court ruled on a case involving how to pay back creditors in the Essar Steel India Limited case.
  • The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) had said that all creditors should be paid equally, regardless of whether they had security or not.
  • However, the Supreme Court disagreed with the NCLAT and said that secured creditors should be paid back first because their security interest needs to be protected.
• Section 30(4) of the Code allows for the Committee of Creditors to consider the value of security interest when approving a resolution plan.
• The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Legislative Guide on Insolvency Law says that secured creditors can receive payment based on the value of their security, while unsecured and junior creditors may not receive anything.

Source: IE

Institution Of Eminence Scheme

Why in News?

There are many Institutes which, after being selected for the Institution of Eminence (IoE) Status, are still waiting for the IOE status for more than three years.

What is the Institution of Eminence Scheme?

• About:
  • The central Government formulated the IoE scheme to establish 20 prestigious educational institutions in the country.
  • It was introduced by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2017 that required the IoE scheme to receive accreditation within five years of notification.
  • The status of ‘Institute of Eminence’ was launched to empower higher education institutions in India and help them implement world-class teaching systems to enhance affordable access to high-quality education.
    • Twenty institutions (10 Public and 10 Private Institutions) received the grant, and eleven among the selected ones got the Institutions of Eminence status in April 2021.
• Objective:
  • Excellence and Innovation: To provide for higher education leading to excellence and innovations in such branches of knowledge as may be deemed fit at post-graduate, graduate and research degree levels.
  • Specialization: To engage in areas of specialization to make distinctive contributions to the objectives of the university education system.
  • Global Rating: To aim to be rated internationally for its teaching and research as a top hundred Institution in the world over time.
  • Quality Teaching and Research: To provide for high quality teaching and research and for the advancement of knowledge and its dissemination
• Criteria:
  • Global/National Ranking: Only those institutions which have appeared in any of the global/national ranks (e.g., QS, NIRF) shall be recommended for the IoE status. The Institutions should be among:
    • Top 50 in the National institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in their category.
    • Top 500 in internationally recognised rankings like the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS.
  • Greenfield Proposals: Only after exhausting the above criterion, if any slot remains vacant, shall consideration be given to yet to be established (Greenfield) proposals.
    • The term greenfield project generally refers to the initiation of a project without the need to consider any prior work.
    • The Greenfield Institutions would get a 3-year period to establish and operationalize the institution, and thereafter, EEC will consider giving IoE status to such institutions.
• Benefits:
  • Autonomy: Institutes with IOE tag will be given greater autonomy and freedom to decide fees, course durations and governance structures.
  • Grant: The public institutions under the IOE tag will receive a government grant of Rs 1,000 crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.

Source: IE

Daylight Saving Time

Why in News?

Recently, the Lebanon Government has delayed the start of Daylight-Saving Time (DST) by a month. Meanwhile, Greenland has chosen to stay with DST forever.

• Lebanon usually sets its clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in March. However, its Prime Minister said this year, the clocks would be reset on 21 April, without citing any reason.

What is Daylight Saving Time?

• According to Norway-based Time and Date, DST is the practice of setting the clocks forward one hour from the standard time during the summer and back again in the autumn.
• This is done to make better use of natural daylight. India does not follow daylight saving time as countries near the Equator do not experience high variations in daytime hours between seasons.

What is the Significance of DST?

• Those in favour of DST argue that it means a longer evening daytime. Individuals will complete their daily work routines an hour earlier, and that extra hour of daylight means a lower consumption of energy.
• In April 1916, during World War I, Germany and Austria introduced DST to minimise the use of artificial lighting. It gradually caught on in many countries.
  • In the EU, clocks in the 28 member states move forward on the last Sunday in March and fall back on the last Sunday in October.

What are the Disadvantages of DST?

• According to a study in Popular Science magazine in the US, one hour of lost sleep in the US increases the fatal crash rate by 5.4% to 7.6% for six days following the transition.
• Other studies found a higher rate of workplace injuries after the switch, leading to lost days of work; a slight drop in stock market performance; health problems as a result of disruption of the Circadian Rhythm.

Source: IE

Government to Re-examine Asiatic Lion Translocation Plan

Why in News?

The Indian government is re-examining the long-standing plan to translocate Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) from Gir National Park to Kuno National Park.

What are the Developments Related to Translocation of Asiatic Lions?

• In 2013, the Supreme Court ordered the government to translocate Asiatic lions from Gujarat to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. However, the lion translocation remains on paper.
• However, the Centre's 25-year roadmap for Project Lion has no provision for any translocation outside Gujarat.
  • Instead, the focus is on assisted natural dispersal across Saurashtra by 2047.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has recently pointed out that the lion population increased by 29% over the past 5 years.
  • In view of the recent introduction of cheetahs in Kuno and NTCA is looking for measures to secure the lion’s future beyond Gir.

What are the Key Points Related to Asiatic Lions?

• About:
  • The Asiatic Lion (also known as the Persian Lion or Indian Lion) is a member of the Panthera Leo Leo subspecies that is restricted to India.
  • Its previous habitats consisted of West Asia and the Middle East before it became extinct in these regions.
    • Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than African lions.
• Distribution:
  • Asiatic lions were once distributed to the state of West Bengal in east and Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, in central India.
  • At present Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the only abode of the Asiatic lion.
• Protection Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I

Source: IE

Rapid Fire Current Affairs

SMILE and SHRESHTA Scheme

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in India is implementing two schemes: The Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas (SHRESHTA) and the Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE).

SHRESHTA provides financial assistance to NGOs for education projects related to students belonging to Scheduled Castes, with three types of projects covered they are Residential Schools, Non-Residential Schools, and Hostels, both for Primary and Secondary Students. The scheme has been revised and a new component, Mode-I, has been added for quality residential education for meritorious SC students in top-class residential High Schools through a nationwide entrance test conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA).

SMILE, on the other hand, supports marginalized individuals for livelihood and enterprise, but does not specifically cover persons belonging to Scheduled Castes.

Read more: SHRESHTA, SMILE

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Initiatives Against Cyber Crime

The Indian government has taken several measures to combat cybercrime and other criminal activities in the country. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has been established under the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide a platform for dealing with cybercrimes in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.

The I4C has recommended the blocking of over 500 internet-based applications, which were found to be involved in criminal activities. In addition, the National Database of Offends of Foreign Origin (NDOFO) has been launched, which is a registry of foreigners involved in crime in India and has details of convicted and accused foreign offenders

The National Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO) is another initiative that has a searchable registry of convicts involved in sexual offences such as rape, molestation, stalking, and child abuse. The NDSO has a record of 13 lakh offenders so far. To further combat financial fraud, a cyber fraud helpline number 1930 has been established. If a victim of financial fraud complains immediately on the toll-free number, agencies can freeze the SIM card and bank account involved in the crime, increasing the chance of recovering the money.

Read more: Cyber crimes

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Conducive Policy in J&K

During the annual session of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM), Indian government highlighted its efforts to create a conducive environment for investment in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) through improved law and order situations and policies.

The government is also working towards reducing logistics costs to 7.5% of GDP from the current 13%, as development without the development of infrastructure and reduction of logistics costs is not possible. To achieve this, the government has planned to invest ₹100 lakh crore in infrastructure, including mega projects such as doubling railway lines, dedicated freight corridors, and 11 industrial corridors.

Read More: Jammu and Kashmir

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India and Romania Defence Cooperation

The Department for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations of Romania held a bilateral meeting with Indian officials. The meeting covered a wide range of issues, including military to military cooperation, military training and courses, defence co-development and co-production, and capacity building.

The two countries signed an Agreement on Defence Cooperation, further enhancing bilateral defence cooperation. During the meeting, both sides discussed regional security challenges and expressed their commitment to work together to enhance cooperation in all defence sectors.

This meeting reflects the growing partnership between India and Romania in the field of defence, as both countries seek to strengthen their capabilities and promote stability and security in the region.