Why in news?

• The recent Forest Declaration Assessment 2022 revealed that the world has slipped on deforestation, losing cover equalling Ireland’s area in 2021.

Beyond News:

• FDA is an independent civil society-led initiative to assess progress toward global goals of halting deforestation and restoring 350 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
• These goals are set out in international declarations such as New York Declaration on Forests (2014) and Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use (2021).

 Key Findings of the Report:

• The World is not on track of stopping forest loss and degradation goals by 2030.
• Deforestation rates worldwide declined only modestly in 2021 by 6.3% compared to the 2018-20 baseline.
• Brazil was the world’s largest contributor to deforestation in 2021.
• Countries with the Most significant improvements: Russia (28.4 %), Canada, the United States, Brazil, and China.
• Net Gain in Tree Cover: Largest in China (2.1 Mha), India marked a gain of 0.87 Mha.
• Reason: Globally, 118.6 Mha of the total tree cover gain is mainly because of natural regeneration, assisted natural regeneration that occurred outside plantations.
• Global demand for commodities such as beef, leather, fossil fuels and timber, and for mined commodities such as fossil fuels drive much of forest loss.
• Nations lagging behind in fiscal support for forest protection and restoration as total mitigation finance for forests averages $2.3 billion per year.

Recommendations

• Governments, companies, and civil society must collaborate to accelerate forest action.
• Incorporate forest risks and impacts into public budgeting frameworks.
• 200 times more funding for forests is required to meet 2030 goals.
• Redirect harmful agricultural subsidies and other incentives (domestic and international) that drive deforestation and forest degradation.

Content Source Link:

• https://forestdeclaration.org/resources/forest-declaration-assessment-2022/
• https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/world-falls-short-of-deforestation-targets-despite-pledges-report-122110201038_1.html
• https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/halt-deforestation-by-2030-are-we-on-track-to-meet-global-pledge--85649#:~:text=A%2010%20per%20cent%20annual,)%20in%20Glasgow%20(2021)

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In News

• The Ministry of Heavy Industries(MHI) announced a list of safety tests that will be mandatory for electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers from April 2023 to receive subsidies under various EV promotion schemes.
• Schemes:
  1. Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles Scheme-II (FAME-II): supports localisation of EV manufacturing
  2. PLI schemes for manufacturing in the automobile sector: For indigenization of supply chains for critical EV components.
  3. PLI Scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC).
  4. Consumer-centric incentives - tax exemptions, subsidies and interest subvention schemes:to boost sales.

Beyond News:

• The tests are carried out at 3 levels (Battery Pack, Battery Management System (BMS) and Cell Level), and are accepted internationally for safeguarding Human Safety.
• Currently, there are no centralised testing facilities for EVs in India and manufacturers have their own benchmarks.
• In recent months, safety concerns have been raised due to multiple instances of fires in EVs.
• Possible reasons for fire incidents include manufacturing defects, external damage, faults in the deployment in BMS, faulty charging etc.

Initiatives for EV Safety:

1. Automotive Research Association of India to set up infrastructure for testing, and certification.
2. Issuance of performance norms for lithium-ion battery packs and traction systems (in line with broader ISO norms) by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
3. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released additional safety requirements for EV batteries under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules of 1989.

Content Source Link:

• https://m.economictimes.com/industry/renewables/heavy-industries-ministry-announces-new-safety-tests-for-electric-vehicles/amp_articleshow/95259705.cms
• https://indianexpress.com/article/india/to-set-uniform-safety-standards-testing-of-electric-vehicles-to-begin-from-april-1-8198181/

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In News:

• Cabinet approves ethanol price hike for blending in petrol.

About the News:

• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has recently approved higher ethanol prices derived from different sugarcane-based raw materials under the Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme (EBP).
• The step is part of the government's target to achieve 20% doping by 2025 for procurement of ethanol by Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

Beyond News:

• An ethanol blend is defined as a blended motor fuel containing ethyl alcohol that is at least 99% pure, derived from agricultural products, and blended exclusively with gasoline.
• Apart from sugarcane-based raw materials, ethanol production from surplus rice with Food Corporation of India and Maize is also allowed.
• The government has been implementing EBP Programme wherein OMCs sell petrol blended with ethanol up to 10%.
• It has been extended to the whole of India except UTs of Andaman Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands.
• The target of achieving an average 10% blending was achieved in June 2022 and the target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol is advanced to 2025 from the earlier target of 2030.
• India is the world’s fifth largest producer of ethanol after US, Brazil, EU and China.

Significance:

• Less polluting fuel, and offers equivalent efficiency at a lower cost than petrol.
• Achieving energy security, lowering crude oil import bills and transitioning to a low-carbon economy.
• Enable local enterprises and farmers to participate in the energy economy.

Other government steps to improve ethanol blending:

• Capacity improvement: Enhancement of ethanol distillation capacity to 923 crore litre per annum.
• Long-Term Off-take Agreements (LTOAs): It was envisioned to encourage the setting up of 431 crore litre per annum capacity of Dedicated Ethanol Plants (DEPs) in ethanol deficit States by private players. This is expected to bring in investments of 25,000-Rs.30,000 crores in coming years.
• Facilitating logistics: The government has ensured multimodal transportation of Ethanol and ethanol-blended petrol by railways and pipelines to facilitate ease of doing business and achieving the objectives of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• Clearing farmer’s Dues: The government took steps including the diversion of sugar and sugar-based feedstock for the production of ethanol aimed at reduction of cane farmers’ dues.
• Need for revised pricing: As the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane & ex-mill price of sugar have undergone changes, there is a need to revise the ex-mill price of ethanol derived from different sugarcane-based feedstocks.

Source:

• https://newsonair.com/2022/11/02/cabinet-approves-mechanism-for-procurement-of-ethanol-by-public-sector-omcs/

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In news

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Adaptation Gap Report 2022, has clearly laid out that the Climate adaptation processes are massively deficient, thereby placing the world at greater risk.

Adaptation Gap Report 2022

• Global efforts in adaptation planning, financing and implementation are not enough to prepare vulnerable communities around the world to adapt to the rising risks from the impacts of climate change, according to the report.
• A third of the 197 parties to the UNFCCC have incorporated quantified and time-bound targets for adaptation.
  • But, international adaptation finance flows are five-10 times lower than required and this gap continues to grow.
• Finance for adaptation increased to $29 billion in 2020, only increasing by 4% from 2019.

Reasons for shortcomings in Adaptation measures

• Inadequate involvement of stakeholders through elite capture of resources and exclusion of marginalized groups, including women, indigenous peoples and local communities.
• Retrofitting development activities as adaptation actions without specifically addressing climate risks
• Short-term focus and neglect of future climate risks.
• Narrow definitions of adaptation success neglect diverse views regarding the purpose and effectiveness of adaptation interventions.
• Inadequate metrics reflect what is easily measurable but often difficult to validate and interpret in terms of climate risk reduction.

Steps Suggested by the Report:

• A Nature-based Approach:The report highlighted that the best way was to link actions on mitigation and adaptation in terms of planning, financing and implementation, which would provide co-benefits.
• Climate Adaptation:Countries need to back the strong words in the Glasgow Climate Pact with strong action to increase adaptation investments and outcomes, starting at COP 27.
• Other Strategies:The adaptation gap must be addressed in four critical ways:
  • Increase Financing for Adaptation:There is a need for developed countries to provide a clear roadmap for their promise of doubling finance for adaptation to USD 40 billion, which was decided at COP 26 in Glasgow.
  • A New Business Model:The world urgently needs a new business model for turning adaptation priorities into investable projects as there is a mismatch between what governments propose and what financiers consider investable.
  • Need for Data Implementation:The availability of climate risk data and information, is an issue for adaptation planning in many developing countries.
  • Modified Warning Systems:The implementation and operationalisation of early warning systems against extreme weather events and slow onset changes such as sea level rise.

Source:

• Adaptation Gap Report 2022 raises alarm on climate finance

Image source:

• https://assets.weforum.org/editor/zrI6-4FCz6SX785DU7bUE5_1qMm5nIYoSLNTSskp_Yw.PNG

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• Context: Recently, Aibawk cluster in Aizwal, Mizoram becomes the first cluster to be completed under the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission (SPMRM).
• Key Highlights: SPMRM was launched in 2016 in mission mode to develop 300 clusters in the country holistically by provisioning economic, social and physical infrastructure facilities.

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• Goal: To preserve and nurture the essence of rural community life with a focus on equity and inclusiveness without compromising with the facilities perceived to be essentially urban in nature, creating Rurban villages.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development
• The State Nodal Agency will consult the Panchayati Raj institutions at the Zilla, Panchayat Samiti and the Gram Panchayat on the NRuM activities to be undertaken in the Clusters. Thus, ensuring democratic decentralization.

Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1873772

Image Source: https://www.mygov.in/task/design-logo-and-tagline-shyama-prasad-mukherji-rurban-mission-spmrm/

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• Context: New drought monitoring tool (SADMS) has been developed for better preparation and mitigation at the farmer level.
• Purpose: It is a satellite-based drought-monitoring tool which will be able to indicate the presence of drought and its severity level, providing authorities the maximum possible lead time to put mitigation strategies into place in India and across South Asia.

• It has been tested in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Afghanistan and Bhutan.
• Developed by: In India, SADMS was developed by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• IWMI has been testing SADMS at the district level (operational in Telangana).
• The input data comes into the platform from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) like soil moisture, precipitation, temperature, wind speed and available cloud ratio.
• Other uses

1. Real-time weather updates and Open-access satellite data incorporated
2. Providing information related to forecasting, monitoring and managing drought to the concerned authorities.

Source: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/new-drought-monitoring-tool-gives-hope-of-better-preparation-mitigation-at-farmer-level-85777

Image Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Map-of-drought-prone-districts-of-India-Drought-prone-areas-are-in-red_fig3_265914690

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• Context: The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, notified Scheme for Financial Support for Project Development Expenses of PPP Projects – India Infrastructure Project Development Fund Scheme (IIPDF Scheme).

• As a Central Sector Scheme, the IIPDF will assist projects that closely support the best practices in Public-Private Partnership, project identification and preparation as notified by the Department of Economic Affairs from time to time.
• Funding under IIPDF Scheme is in addition to the already operational Scheme for Financial Support to PPPs in Infrastructure (Viability Gap Funding, or VGF Scheme).
• Here, infrastructure projects undertaken through PPP mode that are economically justified but commercially unviable are supported.
• A key step in structuring quality PPP projects is to provide quality advisory/ consultancy services to the Project Sponsoring Authorities (PSAs).

Sources: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1873659

Image source: https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/govt-launches-scheme-to-support-ppp-projects/2774867/

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Exam View: Digital Revolution, Digital Economy of India, MyGov, Unified Payments Interface, Digital Locker, MeghRaj, Internet literacy, Cloud Computing, Quantum Technology, Common Services Centres (CSCs).

In News: G20 offers India a chance to be the architect of a new digital economy.

Digital infrastructure has emerged as an equally or arguably more significant infrastructure necessity of citizens, as compared to traditional infrastructure necessities such as power, water, and roads. The Covid-19 pandemic has not only shuffled the global order but has also provided an impetus to the ever-expanding digital infrastructure.

The digital infrastructure has become indispensable to the functioning of a society and the quality of life of its citizens. With nearly half a billion internet users in India and a host of indigenous digital services that are expected to transform the digital economy of India.

For a digital economy to succeed, it must provide all citizens equal opportunity and access to critical services. India needs to reflect on its strength i.e., an opportunity to lead the creation of a framework for a citizen-centric digital economy.

Current State of Citizen Centricity in India’s Digital Revolution:

The Government's Digital India programme aims to provide high-speed internet connectivity across the length and breadth of the country. Furthermore, it aims to establish a variety of digital services to facilitate citizens and improve governance.

Major obstacle in Citizen-Centric Digitalisation in India:

• Digital illiteracy: High level of digital illiteracy is the biggest challenge and hindrance in the success of the digital India programme in the adaptation of technologies. Only 4.4 per cent of rural households own computers out of which only 14 per cent have a computer with an internet connection, stated data by NSSO.
• Wide digital infrastructure divide: Between urban and rural India, there is a wide digital infrastructure divide, and the problem of funding is still not able to meet the cost of infrastructure creation in rural areas. Currently, over 25,000 villages remain deprived of mobile connectivity because providing mobile connectivity in such locations is not commercially viable.

• Free services: “Free” services are a myth in the digital world. Personalization is based on data. Despite its benefits for users, Firms earn money by using the personal data collected to ensure targeted advertising, and cross-selling other products/services.
• The dominance of Big Tech: Big tech companies acquire competitors to buy consumer loyalty instead of earning it. They leverage their market power in one line of business to gain monopolies in others, locking consumers into their ecosystem of products and services.

India is well poised today to lead the creation of a global framework for a citizen-centric digital economy, and as part of it, we should focus on a few key outcomes that are of critical importance to the world and India—for instance, providing affordable healthcare for all, clean energy, food for all, and clean water. Under each select priority, India can lead the creation of strategic moonshot projects that focus on solving real-world challenges and create equal access and opportunities for everyone.

In the past two years, India has not just started an irreversible journey as a digital economy, it also stands tall in terms of the creative use of technology to create a truly inclusive technological design—something the world would benefit by learning from us.

https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/india-must-lead-the-creation-of-a-citizen-centric-digital-economy-11667409066158.html

https://www.niti.gov.in/role-digital-infrastructure-socio-economic-development

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Why in news? Recently, SBTi launched the world's first 1.5°C science-based framework to decarbonize the cement industry.

About:

• The SBTi is a partnership between Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
• It defines and promotes best practices in emissions reductions and net-zero targets in line with climate science.
• It provides technical assistance and expert resources to companies who set science-based targets in line with the latest climate science.
• It brings together a team of experts to provide companies with independent assessment and validation of targets.
• The SBTi is the lead partner for 1.5°C campaign - an urgent call to action from a global coalition of UN agencies, business and industry leaders, mobilizing companies to set net-zero science-based targets in line with a 1.5°C future.
• The cement industry is responsible for 7% of CO2 emissions To get on track with the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 scenario the sector must cut its emissions by 3% per year by 2030.

https://sciencebasedtargets.org/news/sbti-launches-world-first-1-5-c-science-based-framework-to-decarbonize-the-cement-industry

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Why in news? Russia has emerged as the biggest exporter of pig iron — a key steel-making raw material — to India for the period of FY23.

About:

• Pig iron is the hard and brittle form of iron with high carbon content.
• It is obtained in the blast furnace when the iron oxide is reduced using Carbon. Some of the carbon gets mixed with the pure iron, making it brittle and hard.
• India is also an important producer of pig iron.
• The production volume of pig iron in India accounted for around 5.9 million metric tons at the end of the year 2021. It was an increase in comparison with the previous year.
• The private sector accounted for 94% of total production of pig iron in the country.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/markets/commodities/russia-is-the-highest-exporter-of-pig-iron-to-india-in-h1-this-fiscal/article66086566.ece/amp/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/714512/india-production-volume-of-pig-iron/

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Why in news? Recently, Steel ‘waste’ was sent to Border Road Organisation (BRO) to build a border road in Arunachal Pradesh.

About:

• Steel slag, a by-product of steelmaking, is produced during the separation of the molten steel from impurities in steel-making furnaces. The slag occurs as a molten liquid melt and is a complex solution of silicates and oxides that solidifies upon cooling.
• Slag mixed with fly ash has been successfully tried and is being used for brick manufacture, Streets, airport runways etc.
• Steel slag contains an oxide of aluminium and iron combined with a calcium base which reacts to neutralize the PH of the wastewater.
• India is currently the world's second-largest producer of crude steel, producing over 118 million tonnes of crude steel.
• Border Road Organisation’s (BRO) ‘Project Arunank’ is being carried out by CSIR-CRRI along with Tata Steel and BRO in which processed steel slag aggregate — a by-product of steel manufacturing — will be used in the construction of steel slag road stretches in strategic areas.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/steel-waste-sent-to-bro-to-build-border-road-in-arunachal-8246108/lite/

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Why in news? Recently, India’s first ‘spy’ satellite Risat-2 re-enters Earth after completing its ‘job’ for over 13 years as it splashed in the Indian Ocean near Jakarta.

About:

• RISAT-2 is India’s first "eye in the sky" which keep surveillance on the country’s borders as part of anti-infiltration and anti-terrorist
• The principal sensor of Risat-2, considered a ‘spy’ satellite, was an X-band synthetic-aperture radar from Israel Aerospace Industries.
• Risat-2 was built more quickly following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks due to delays with the indigenously developed C-band for the Risat-1 satellite.
• The satellite, which was India's first dedicated reconnaissance satellite, possessed day-night as well as all-weather monitoring capability.
• It was also used to track hostile ships at sea that were deemed a military threat.
• Risat-2, weighing about 300 kg was launched on April 20, 2009, by the PSLV-C12 launch vehicle.

https://m.timesofindia.com/india/indias-first-spy-satellite-risat-2-re-enters-earth-after-13-5-yr-job-lands-near-jakarta/amp_articleshow/95286968.cms

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Why in news? According to a new analysis by Global Energy Monitor, just 30 fossil fuel companies account for nearly half of the planet-warming methane emitted by the world’s energy sector.

About:

• Global Energy Monitor is a San Francisco-based non-governmental organization which catalogues fossil fuel and renewable energy projects worldwide.
• GEM shares information in support of clean energy and its data and reports on energy trends are widely cited by governments, media, and academic researchers.

Methane:

• It is the primary component of natural gas but can also be generated during oil and coal production.
• It has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide during its first two decades in the atmosphere and is responsible for around 30% of the global rise in temperatures since the industrial revolution.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-03/30-companies-emit-nearly-half-energy-sector-s-climate-warming-methane-emission

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Why in news? Recently, Telangana won the first prize under the large states category under the Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2022 which looks into the sanitation status of rural areas.

About:

• Jal Shakti Ministry launched the Swachh Survekshan Grameen or rural cleanliness survey under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen).
• The Swachh Survekshan Gramin-2022 award ranks states and districts on the basis of their performance attained on key quantitative and qualitative Swachh Bharat Mission - Gramin (SBM-G) parameters and engagement of the rural community in the improvement of their sanitation status.
• Haryana was at second position while Tamil Nadu was third.
• Among smaller states and Union territories, Andaman and Nicobar secured the first position followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and Sikkim.

https://m.economictimes.com/news/india/swachh-survekshan-grameen-2022-awards-telangana-wins-first-prize/amp_articleshow/94599353.cms

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Background

SEWA, the Self Employed Women’s Association set up by Ela Bhatt in 1972, has created an effective employment support programme for women who are among the country’s poorest and most marginalised, the achievement of which are exemplary.

About

• Ela Bhatt (1933-2022) was an Indian lawyer and social worker who fought for self-employed women’s labour rights for decades.
• After seeing the conditions suffered by poor self-employed women in the city and elsewhere in South and Southeast Asia, she set up the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in 1972.
• The institutions have been founded on the principle that “the poor do not need charity, they need an enabling mechanism to strive and come out of the vicious circle of poverty and vulnerability”.
• Achievements of SEWA include:
  • They have set up 71 cooperatives of various trade groups to share skills and expertise, to develop new tools, designs and techniques and to engage in bulk buying and joint marketing.
  • Establishment of banks have resulted in rescuing thousands of women from moneylenders and their personal possessions from pawnbrokers, allowing them to accumulate land, small assets and means of production.
  • Over 50 years, SEWA has built more than four dozen institutions for the poor and by the poor, and to empower poor women workers.
  • The Unorganised Workers Social Security Act (2008), the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (2011), and the Street Vendors Act (2014), are seen as successes of SEWA’s struggle.
• Ela Bhatt's contributions have resulted in her receiving Padma Bhushan, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize and many other accolades.

Source: A vision for women’s empowerment: the story of Ela Bhatt’s SEWA

Image source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sewa-founder-ela-bhatt-dies/article66086421.ece

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