National Current Affairs – UPSC/KAS Exams- 21st December 2019

EU Green Deal

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: As the annual climate talks ended in Madrid didn’t led to any significant climate decisions, the European Union, came up with an announcement on additional measures it would on climate change. It is called the European Green Deal.

More on the Topic:

• Two major decisions are at the heart of the European Green Deal.
• 1) Achieving “climate neutrality”: The EU has promised to bring a law, binding on all member countries, to ensure it becomes “climate neutral” by 2050.
• Climate neutrality, sometimes also expressed as a state of net-zero emissions, is achieved when a country’s emissions are balanced by absorptions and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
• Absorption can be increased by creating more carbon sinks like forests, while removal involves technologies like carbon capture and storage.
• The EU is now the first major emitter to agree to the 2050 climate neutrality target. It has said it would bring a proposal by March next year on a European law to enshrine this target.
• 2) Emission reduction target: The second decision pertains to an increase in its 2030 emission reduction target. In its climate action plan declared under the Paris Agreement, the EU was committed to making a 40 per cent reduction in its emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. It is now promising to increase this reduction to at least 50 per cent and work towards 55 per cent.
• The EU also happens to be only one among major emitters to retain the 1990 baseline for emission cuts, originally mandated under the Kyoto Protocol for all developed countries. Most other countries have shifted their baselines to 2005 or even later under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
• The Green Deal includes sectoral plans to achieve these two overall targets, and proposals for the policy changes that would be required.
• For example, it has proposals for making the steel industry carbon-free by 2030, new strategies for transport and energy sectors, a revision of managements of railway and shipping to make them more efficient, and more stringent air pollution emission standards for vehicles.

Importance of EU Decision:

• The European Union, as a whole, has been doing better than other developed countries on reducing emissions.
• In 2010, the EU had pledged to reduce its emissions by at least 25 per cent by 2020 from 1990 levels.
• By 2018, it claimed to have achieved 23 per cent reduction in emissions.
• In terms of emission reductions, it probably is on track to meet the 2020 target, unlike any developed country outside the EU.

What more to do?

• The EU, however, has not been fulfilling all its climate obligations.
• The Kyoto Protocol required the rich and developed countries to provide finance and technology to the developing countries to help them fight climate change.
• In those respects, there has been little climate money flowing out of the EU, especially for adaptation needs of developing countries, and transfer of new climate-friendly technologies.
• This is the reason why developing countries, like India and China, have been repeatedly raising the issue of unfulfilled obligations of developed countries in the pre-2020 period, that is covered by the Kyoto Protocol.

Source: Hindu

EChO Network

Topic: Government Policies

In News: EChO Network was launched in New Delhi by Prof. K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

More on the Topic:

• EChO Network is a national program to provide a template for cross-disciplinary leadership in India with the specific focus of increasing research, knowledge, and awareness of Indian ecology and the environment.
• EChO Network would develop a national network to catalyse a new generation of Indians who can synthesize interdisciplinary concepts and tackle real-world problems in medicine, agriculture, ecology, and technology.
• The program will then train postdoctoral leaders in research and outreach on these topics, while also incorporating current public and private efforts into a national network.
• The initiative has drawn in partners from Government, industry and academia, with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Govt. of India steering the program under the guidance of Prof. Shannon Olsson, Director, EChO Network.

Significance:

• India faces unprecedented threats to its human environmental and ecosystems, solving which requires a confluence of India’s strong technological expertise and knowledge of the natural world itself.
• With no precedent for such a network anywhere in the world, EChO Network establishes a new platform to change how science is embedded in our modern society.

Source: Hindu

Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP)

Topic: Governance

In News: Afghanistan has become the first country to recognize Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) pursuant to the efforts of Department of Commerce and Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

More on the Topic:

• IP is an officially recognized book of standards as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and Rules 1945 thereunder. The IP specifies the standards of drugs manufactured and marketed in India in terms of their identity, purity, and strength.
• In order to ensure the quality of medicinal products, the legal and scientific standards are provided by Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) in the form of Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP).
• As per the Second Schedule of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, IP is designated as the official book of standards for drugs imported and/or manufactured for sale, stock or exhibition for sale or distribution in India.
• The IP Commission’s mission is to promote public & animal health in India by bringing out authoritative and officially accepted standards for quality of drugs including active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients, and dosage forms used by health professionals, patients and consumers. This is achieved by developing the standards for medicines and supporting their implementation.
• In addition, IPC also develops IP Reference Substances (IPRS) that act as a fingerprint for identification of an article under test and its purity as prescribed in the IP monographs. Standards prescribed in the IP are authoritative in nature and enforced by regulatory authorities for quality control of medicines in India.

Source: The Guardian

Chabhahar Port

Topic: International Relations

In News: India, Afghanistan and Iran met at New Delhi to discuss the issues in the implementation of Chabahar port in Iran.

More on the Topic:

• India, Iran and Afghanistan have decided to open Mormugoa and New Mangalore Port in addition to JNPT, Mundra, Kandla and Cochin as part of designated route under the Chabahar Agreement for connecting South Asia’s biggest country to strategically located port.
• It was agreed to finalise the protocol to harmonise transit, roads, customs and consular matters. Till that time, the TIR Convention will continue to be used for cargo movement.
• The Chabahar Agreement was signed in June 2015 and approved by Iran’s Guardian Council in November 2016. Chabahar is being seen as a gateway for trade by India, Iran and Afghanistan with Central Asian countries.

About Chabahahar Port:

• Iran’s Chabahar port is located on the Gulf of Oman and is the only oceanic port of the country. The port gives access to the energy-rich Persian Gulf nations’ southern coast.
• The first and foremost significance of the Chabahar port is the fact that India can bypass Pakistan in transporting goods to Afghanistan.
• Chabahar port will boost India’s access to Iran, the key gateway to the International North-South Transport Corridor that has sea, rail and road routes between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and Central Asia.
• Chabahar port will be beneficial to India in countering Chinese presence in the Arabian Sea which China is trying to ensure by helping Pakistan develop the Gwadar port. Gwadar port is less than 400 km from Chabahar by road and 100 km by sea.
• With Chabahar port becoming fully functional, there will be a significant boost in the import of iron ore, sugar and rice to India. The import cost of oil to India will also see a considerable decline. India has already increased its crude purchase from Iran since the West imposed ban on Iran was lifted.
• Chabahar port will ensure in the establishment of a politically sustainable connectivity between India and Afghanistan. This will in turn, lead to better economic ties between the two countries.
• From a diplomatic perspective, Chabahar port could be used as a point from where humanitarian operations could be coordinated.

Source: Hindu

Apache attack helicopters

Topic: Defence and Security

In News: The deal for six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for the Indian Army, estimated to cost around $930 million, is likely to be signed early next year.

More on the Topic:

• These are all-weather capable, easily maintainable and have high agility and survivability against battle damage.
• The capabilities of the AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopter includes.
• It can carry out precision attacks at standoff ranges and operate in hostile airspace with threats from the ground.
• It can transmit and receive battlefield picture through data uplinking and networking.
• It can also shoot fire and forget anti-tank guided missiles, air to air missiles, rockets while providing versatility to helicopter in network-centric aerial warfare.
• It also carries fire control radar, which has a 360° coverage and nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems.
• The addition of the Apache Attack Helicopter is a significant step towards modernisation of Indian Air Force helicopter fleet and the Indian Army.

Source: Hindu

Kaleswaram project

Topic: Infrastructure Development

In News: Telangana State government has requested the Centre to treat Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) as a National Project.

More on the Topic:

• National Projects are provided Central grant of 90% of the estimated cost for their completion in a time bound manner.
• The Kaleshwaram project is an off-shoot of the original Pranahitha-Chevella Lift Irrigation Scheme.
• It is on the Godavari River.
• According to engineers, KLIP has many unique features, including the longest tunnel to carry water in Asia, running up to 81 km, between the Yellampally barrage and the Mallannasagar reservoir.

Source: PIB

Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize

Topic: International Relations

In News: Portugal announced Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize.

More on the Topic:

• It will be dedicated to social welfare.
• The first edition of this prize will be dedicated to animal welfare as Mahatma Gandhi said that the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

Source: Hindu