In news

• According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the present La Nina phase will probably last for the ensuing six months, making it a Triple dip La Nina.

What is Triple Dip La Nina?

• El Niño and La Niña episodes typically last for about nine months to a year. They usually develop in the March-June period, and are the strongest during winter (November-January in the northern hemisphere), before weakening or dissipating by March or April of next year.
• For example,
  • El Niño of 2015-16, was one of the longest on record (spread over 19 months) and was dubbed ‘Godzilla’ due to its sustained high intensity.
  • The current La Niña episode started in September 2020, it has prevailed for the last 24 months, and looks set to continue for another six months, and therefore, classified as ‘triple dip’ La Niña. It will be the “First Triple-Dip La Nina” event of the 21^st
• According to a recent paper published by Chinese researchers, almost half (six out of 13) of all La Niña events since 1950 have stretched for two years, while three, including the current one, have continued for three years. In contrast, over 75% of El Niño events (15 out of 20) ended within a year. No El Niño has ever stretched into the third year.

Impact

India:

• A continued spell of La Nina could lead to an expectation of another year of good, or normal, rainfall during the monsoon.
• Until now, this year's monsoon season has produced 7% more rain than normal. Last year, the seasonal rainfall was almost 100%.
• But, even though powerful, the ENSO condition is only one of the several factors affecting monsoon rainfall in India.

Other parts of the Globe

• USA: La Nina is associated with very dry winters in most parts.
• Australia, Indonesia & other tropical regions are expected to bring more rainfall.
• Pakistan: It is predicted to be a major cause behind the excessive rainfall in Pakistan, which is experiencing its worst flooding disaster.
• Africa: The persistence of La Nina may result in a worsening of the drought in Africa.

How is it linked to Climate Change?

• No clear evidences: There are no distant historical records or conclusive evidences on the linkage of ENSO events with global warming.
• Imprecise variability: Uncertain natural variability is brought on by erratic events like El Nino or La Nina, which can appear every two years or go without for as long as seven years. As a result, estimating the impact of global warming is challenging.
• Distinguished linkage: Another type of connection between global warming and ENSO episodes is supported by the following evidence:
  • The colder ocean surfaces help the oceans to absorb more heat from the atmosphere during La Nina years.
  • La Nina's cooling influence is temporarily slowing the rise in global temperatures, but, according to the WMO, it won't be able to stop or reverse the long-term warming trend. It was also noted that average global temperatures were about 0.9 degrees Celsius higher than the average for the 20th century.

Content Source Link:

• https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-climate/india-monsoon-the-triple-dip-la-nina-8162945/,

Image Source Link:

• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fao.org%2Fresilience%2Fmultimedia%2Fmaps%2Fdetail%2Fen%2Fc%2F1044730%2F&psig=AOvVaw3K6rWFKgVoCT_4thzZDePr&ust=1663910682063000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCNCLwLvUp_oCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD,

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In news

The Union Government is planning to launch the PM PRANAM Scheme to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers.

About PM-PRANAM

• PM PRANAM stands for PM Promotion of Alternate Nutrients for Agriculture Management Yojana, and this scheme intends to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers by incentivising states.
• The subsidy burden on chemical fertilisers is expected to increase to Rs 2.25 lakh crore in 2022-2023, which is 39% higher than the previous year’s figure. Hence, the need for the scheme.

• The scheme will be financed by the “savings of existing fertiliser subsidy” under schemes run by the Department of fertilisers.
• Further, 50% subsidy savings will be passed on as a grant to the state that saves the money.
  • Also, 70% of the grant provided under the scheme can be used for asset creation related to the technological adoption of alternate fertilisers and alternate fertiliser production units at the village, block and district levels.
  • The remaining 30% of grant money can be used for incentivising farmers, panchayats, farmer producer organisations and self-help groups that are involved in the reduction of fertiliser use and awareness generation.

Fertilizer Industry in India

• The fertiliser industry in India is highly vital as it manufactures some of the most critical raw materials required for crop production.
• The primary objective of this industry is to ensure the inflow of both primary and secondary elements as are necessary for crop production in the desired quantities.
• The main products manufactured by the fertiliser industry in India are phosphate-based fertilizers, nitrogenous fertilizers, and complex fertilizers.

Fertiliser subsidy policy in India

• In India, Farmers buy fertilisers at MRPs (maximum retail price) below their normal supply-and-demand-based market rates or what it costs to produce/import them.
• The difference, which varies according to plant-wise production cost and import price, is footed by the Centre as a subsidy.

• The MRPs of non-urea fertilisers are decontrolled or fixed by the companies; where the Centre, however, pays a flat per-tonne subsidy on these nutrients to ensure they are priced at “reasonable levels”.
• The subsidy goes to fertiliser companies, while the ultimate beneficiary is the farmer.

Associated measures

• Nutrient-based subsidy (2010)
  • Under this, a fixed rate of subsidy (in Rs per Kg basis) is announced on nutrients namely Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P), Potash (K) and Sulphur (S) by the government on an annual basis.
  • The policy intends to increase the consumption of P&K fertilisers so that the optimum balance (N:P: K= 4:2:1 ) of NPK fertilisers is achieved.
• Neem coated Urea (2015)
  • 100% neem-coated urea, introduced in 2015-16, has helped reduce the use of chemicals and increase crop yields.
  • It has also helped reduce the diversion of urea for non-agricultural purposes.
• Direct benefit transfer (DBT) system (2018)
  • Under the fertiliser DBT system, a 100% subsidy on various fertiliser grades is released to the fertiliser companies on the basis of actual sales made by the retailers to the beneficiaries.
  • Sale of all subsidised fertilisers to farmers/buyers is made through Point of Sale (PoS) devices installed at each retailer shop and the beneficiaries are identified through Aadhaar Card, KCC, Voter Identity Card etc.

Source:

• What is the PM PRANAM scheme, likely to be introduced by Govt soon?
• Explained: How fertiliser subsidy works

Image source:

• https://www.google.co.in/search?q=india+fertiliser+market+&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjW0OnRoaX6AhVT-XMBHRD2AXIQ2- 

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In news

According to the latest issue of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for 2010-2020, at least 17,146 people were reported to have died in judicial/police custody in cases registered in the decade up to March 2020.

About Custodial Violence

• Custodial violence basically means torturing or inflicting violence on an individual or group of persons while in the custody of the police or judiciary.
• The term custodial Violence has not been defined under any law in India.
• According to the Law Commission of India, crime by a public servant against the arrested or a detained person who is in custody amounts to custodial violence.
• The statistics released by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) are as follows:

• • 151 people died in police custody in the year 2021 as per NHRC.
  • 1,569 deaths in judicial custody were recorded in the year 2020 by NHRC.
  • 55 deaths by suicide due to police torture were recorded in the year 2020 by NCAT.
  • Torture of women in custody, custodial rape of women, and gang rape were also reported.
• Types of custodial violence
  • Physical violence involves using physical force to cause bodily harm and exhaustion to the victim, which can even cause the victim to fear immediate death.
  • Psychological violence involves depriving the victim of basic needs like food, water, sleep, or toilet thereby causing the victim to lose confidence and morale; while also inflicting Humiliation or threats to the dear ones of the victim can cause them mental agony.
  • Sexual violence involves an attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion and includes rape, etc.

Causes of Custodial Violence in India

• Loopholes in system
  • The absence of an Anti-Torture law in the country makes the policemen not fear being caught in the act.
  • Also, this encourages them to continue with their violent methods of extracting information.
• Lack of awareness
  • Lack of awareness among the public about their rights makes them easy victims.
  • When victims are not aware of their rights, it gives the policemen the confidence to carry on with violent means to deal with people.
• Lack of proper training
  • The policemen are not adequately trained to deal with the emerging capacities of suspects.
  • Also, little attention is paid to their emotional intelligence which remains unchecked, thereby leading to them being violent easily.
• Work Pressures
  • The police in India have to perform difficult and delicate tasks from maintaining law and order to other complexities of duties.
  • The huge responsibility on their shoulders, pressurises them to use faster methods to solve a case, which makes them resort to violent means to get information quickly.

Measures to prohibit custodial violence

• The direction issued by the Supreme Court in the year 2020 includes:
• State governments to install CCTV cameras in police stations in a phased manner
• Deployment of at least two women constables in police stations where women have been taken for interrogation.
• Setting up of State Human Rights Commission (SHRC).
• Filling up vacancies in SHRC as and when they arise.
• Setting up of Human Rights Courts.
• The CCTV must have night vision and audio recording capability.
• The recording should be preserved for a period of 18 months.
• Other measures can include:
• Body cams – Just like police in some foreign countries are required to wear body cams at all times, the police in India need to do the same.
• Physiological-Physical-Medical tests need to be conducted periodically to ensure that all the police personnel are in the right state of mind to carry out their duties.
• Awareness programs should be run by the government by making the Police their frontrunners.
• An Anti-Torture law must be made as soon as possible containing strict punishments for the offenders.

Source:

• Story in numbers: 5 people die in judicial custody every day, shows data
• Custodial Violence in India
• Custodial violence

Image source:

• https://scroll.in/article/978919/existing-data-on-custodial-deaths-in-india-fails-to-give-a-full-picture

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• Context: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recently issued a draft notification regarding printing the Indian Nutrition Rating (INR) on food packets.
• “The INR system rates the overall nutritional profile for packaged food by assigning it a rating from ½ star (least healthy) to 5 stars (healthiest).
• More stars indicate the food product is better positioned to provide for [the] daily human need of nutrients.

• The logo shall be displayed close in proximity to the name or brand name of the product on [the] front of [the] pack.
• Items are proposed to be assigned scores based on energy and content of saturated fat, sugar, sodium, fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, millets, dietary fibre, and protein per 100 gm servings of solid and liquid foods.
• This is done as part of a labelling exercise with healthy food items getting a higher rating.
• The move is aimed at letting consumers know the items with high salt, fat, and sugar and to allow them to make informed choices while purchasing them.
• Items such as milk products, vegetable oil, fat, fresh and frozen fruits, meat, eggs, fish, flour, and sweeteners do not need ratings. The manufacturers will have to apply online on the FSSAI portal for suitable logos for their items.

Source:

• https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/fssai-issues-draft-notification-for-indian-nutrition-rating-on-food-packets-101663740818185-amp.html

Image source:

• https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/fssais-star-ratings-for-food-products-may-mislead-consumers-experts/article65382038.ece

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• Context: Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD), UNFCCC secretariat and UNEP has recently unveiled an online GET to facilitate eco-friendly events. 
• The Green Events Tool (GET) is an integrated web-based assessment platform conceived and designed to evaluate the sustainability and environmental performance of events- events, irrespective of their size, that are a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sustainability impacts. 
• This platform was first introduced at UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021.  
• The Purpose of GET is to encourage actions to reduce the negative impacts of events, including their carbon footprint, at the planning and implementation stages.  
• It allows for: 

1. transparent reporting of calculated carbon footprint and actions to address sustainability;  
2. a third-party verification process (optional but encouraged) to receive a sustainability rating;  
3. recommending the use of high-quality carbon credits to compensate for unavoidable GHG emissions. 

Source: 

• https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/unep-unfccc-and-gord-unveil-online-green-events-tool

Image source: 

• https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/unep-unfccc-and-gord-unveil-online-green-events-tool 

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• Context: The RBI has recently removed the Central Bank of India from the PCA framework. The RBI imposed PCA norms on the bank in June 2017 due to its high net NPA and negative return of assets (RoA). 
• The PCA norm is a supervisory tool and is triggered when banks breach certain regulatory requirements like minimum capital, return on asset and quantum of non-performing assets. 
• Reserve Bank of India introduced a Prompt Corrective Action Framework (PCA) for Scheduled Commercial Banks in 2002, as a structured early-intervention mechanism for banks that were suffering from poor asset quality or were vulnerable due to loss of profitability. 
• The objective of the PCA framework is to enable supervisory intervention at the appropriate time and to initiate and implement remedial measures in a timely manner, to restore its (bank) financial health. 
• The PCA framework that has been in existence for banks has now been extended to NBFCs. The PCA framework for NBFCs will come into effect from October 1, 2022, based on the financial position of NBFCs on or after March 31, 2022. 
• The RBI triggers the 
  • first threshold of PCA if the bank reports 2 years of consecutive negative ROA (Return of Assets).  
  • 3 years of consecutive negative ROA will trigger the second threshold of PCA for the bank.  
  • the last threshold criterion is the total debt level or leverage, which measures the financial risk of the bank. 
• Apart from the mandatory actions, the RBI also has the discretion to initiate other measures which may include;  
  • special inspections and audits of the bank,  
  • detailed review of the bank in terms of manpower, investments and process re-engineering etc.  
  • The RBI has full powers to implement most of these measures without the approval of the bank. 

SOURCE:

• https://indianexpress.com/article/business/banking-and-finance/rbi-removes-central-bank-of-india-from-prompt-corrective-action-framework-8163142/lite/ 

Image source:

• https://indianexpress.com/article/business/banking-and-finance/rbi-removes-central-bank-of-india-from-prompt-corrective-action-framework-8163142/lite/

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• Context: A new study has suggested that a pre-existing moon of Saturn, named Chrysalis, left it with its bright rings and extreme tilt.

• Recent observations have shown that Titan and the other moons are gradually moving away from Saturn much faster than astronomers had previously estimated.
• The researchers concluded that this process affects the inclination of Saturn’s rotation axis: as its satellites move further away, the planet tilts more and more.
• The current tilt of Saturn’s rotation axis is caused by the migration of its satellites, and especially by that of its largest moon, Titan.
• Saturn is the 6th planet from the Sun (1.473 billion km) and the 2nd largest planet in our solar system.
• It is similar to Jupiter, although about one-third the mass. It spins so fast that its diameter at the equator is 10 per cent larger than its diameter from pole to pole.
• Saturn has an axial tilt of 26.73 degrees and has 7 rings.
• Saturn has a solid core likely made of rock and ice, which is thought to be many times the mass of Earth.
• Covering this core is a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen, and on top of that are layers of liquid hydrogen and helium.
• These layers conduct strong electric currents that, in turn, generate Saturn’s powerful magnetic field.
• Other planets with rings include Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus.

Source:

• https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/science-technology/saturn-s-mysterious-rings-extreme-tilt-former-moon-may-be-responsible-85021#:~:text=Published%3A%20Tuesday%2020%20September%202022,the%20rings%2C%20the%20study%20hypothesised.

Image source:

• https://www.aaas.org/news/destruction-saturns-former-moon-may-explain-planets-tilt-and-young-rings

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Essence – The editorial discusses the issue of live streaming of court proceedings in light of the Supreme court’s decision to allow it for constitutional cases. It elaborates on the history behind allowing this decision. It also highlights the recommendation of the Attorney-General for moderating the live streaming of the court proceedings. It also mentions the HC which is adhering to this direction of the Supreme Court. It also discusses the similar practice of broadcasting the courtroom proceeding in various other countries such as the USA, UK, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, etc.

Towards the end, it highlights the concerns related to broadcasting the court’s proceeding and also emphasised the judicial reform it may bring in by citing various studies and events.

Why should you read this editorial?

• To know about the pros and cons of broadcasting courtroom proceedings.
• To know about how the same practice fares in the rest of the world.

Source:

• https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/live-streaming-of-sc-proceedings-the-rationale-and-the-concerns-8164955/

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Essence – The editorial discusses a new foreign trade policy yet to be released in light of slipping export. It presents the export sector as one of the growth engines for post covid recovery. So, it highlights the opportunity for India to encash the growing sentiment to reduce dependence on China. It also highlights the declining exports due to fear of recession in the USA and Europe.

Towards the end, it recommends making a buffer against the rising interest rate, excluding revenue buoyant sectors from duty remission schemes, and utilising the opportunity to negotiate FTA with all the possible partners in light of India’s present intention to be away from the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.

Why should you read this editorial?

• To know about the basis of the new foreign trade policy.
• To know about the present trade paradigm of the world.

Source:

• https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/trade-tactics-the-hindu-editorial-on-foreign-trade-policy-revamp/article65918886.ece

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Agroforestry to Combat Climate Change

Background

Several farmers in India have taken to Agroforestry, as a promising solution to the agricultural crisis and climate change.

About the Agricultural methods against Climate Change

• The world's food insecurity is exacerbated by agriculture’s acute sensitivity to climate change, which is already having a detrimental impact, considering rising temperatures, increased weather unpredictability, shifting agroecosystem boundaries, invasive crops and pests, and more frequent extreme weather events.
• Further, Climate change is affecting agricultural yields, the nutrition quality of main grains, and livestock output on farms.
• Thus, It has become imperative that Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), i.e. sustainable agriculture techniques be implemented.
• Agroforestry is one such promising solution for India’s agriculture, which is the practice of integrating trees and shrubs with crops and livestock.

• It is a long-term agricultural strategy that can help farmers by boosting production, restoring soil balance, enhancing profitability, and giving other revenue streams. It can also assist in moderating climate change by regulating the microclimate, protecting natural variety, sequestering carbon, holding rainwater, and reducing soil erosion.
• Further, Agroforestry is thought to efficiently fulfil, 9 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) linked to poverty and hunger reduction, climate change, ecological balance, responsible consumption, and enhancement of agricultural productivity.
• In this perspective, India established a National Agroforestry Policy in 2014 and later the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF), under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) in 2016-17.
• State Governments in Karnataka, Haryana, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have also been slowly scaling up their agroforestry practice.

Source:

• This Ancient Agricultural Method Helps Farmers Fight Climate Change & Increase Income

Image source:

• https://viagroforestry.org/news/agroforestry-the-proverbial-cornerstone-in-climate-action/

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