Daily News Simplified - DNS Notes: SL. NO. Topics The Hindu Page No
Daily News Simplified - DNS Notes: SL. NO. Topics The Hindu Page No
Daily News Simplified - DNS Notes: SL. NO. Topics The Hindu Page No
01 09 19
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SL. THE HINDU
TOPICS
NO. PAGE NO.
Government's initiatives
National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 provides the vision and the
roadmap for the faster adoption of electric vehicles and their manufacturing in the
country.
As part of the NEMMP 2020, Department of Heavy Industry has formulated Faster
Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India)
Scheme in the year 2015 to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle
technology.
The phase-I of the scheme was implemented from 2015 to 2019. The scheme has 4
focus areas i.e. Technology development, Demand Creation, Pilot Projects and
Charging Infrastructure. Presently, the Phase-II of the scheme is being
implemented.
Concerns/challenges
Non-Optimal Utilisation of Demographic Dividend: Indian is presently staring at
demographic dividend with more than 50% of the population in the working-age group. This
section of the population needs to skilled and trained so as to optimally use the demographic
dividend to fuel economic growth. The Gig Economy leads to creation of informal sector jobs
and thus hinder the optimum utilisation of demographic dividend.
Unclear Legal Framework: Current Indian labour laws do not explicitly consider gig
workers. Various workplace related acts like maternity benefit, sexual harassment at workplace
and others are also silent or unclear about if they are applicable to the gig workers.
Lack of Social Benefits: Unlike their counterparts in the formal sector, the Gig economy
workers lack access to social security benefits such as insurance, pension, provident fund etc.
Lack of Job Security: The Gig economy workers can be hired and fired at the will of the
employers leading to lack of job security.
Management of Human Resources: The organisations would find it difficult to supervise
and manage its gig workers who are geographically distributed. Further, the Gig economy may
not optimally benefit the companies that need its workforce to work in a team and collaborate
with each other.
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Dated: 01.Sep.2019 DNS Notes
Title 3. Southern Ocean could control global climate – (The Hindu, Page 15)
Syllabus Prelims: Environment & Biodiversity
Theme Oceans as Carbon Sink
Highlights Context:
A carbon sink is a natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs and stores the
atmosphere’s carbon with physical and biological mechanisms
Coal, oil, natural gases, methane hydrate and limestone are all examples of carbon
sinks.
After long processes and under certain conditions, these sinks have stored carbon for
millennia.
On the contrary, the use of these resources, considered as fossil, re-injects the
carbon they hold into the atmosphere.
Oceans
Biological and physical processes which take place in a marine environment are
important carbon sinks. These processes form the Ocean carbon pump
It is composed of two compartments: a biological pump* which transfers surface
carbon towards the seabed via the food web (it is stored there in the long term), and
The physical pump which results from ocean circulation. In the Polar Regions, more
dense water flows towards the Deep Sea dragging down dissolved carbon. In high
latitudes water stores CO2 more easily because low temperatures facilitate
atmospheric CO2 dissolution (hence the importance of Polar Regions in the carbon
cycle)
In the high seas, the planktonic ecosystem is a major player. All organic materials
that reach the bottom participate in the biological pump and when conditions permit
it, they also participate in oil formation.
Calcium-containing materials such as coccolithophore, a microscopic one-celled alga,
participate in subtracting carbon from the natural cycle. When they die, they generate
a vertical net flux of carbon. This carbon can then be stored in the Deep Sea for long
geological periods.
Healthy coastal ecosystems play a mitigation role against climate change, especially
by capturing carbon for their development. For instance, mangroves, seagrass beds
and salt marshes are significant carbon sinks. These last three examples, store at
least ten times more carbon than continental forests when they develop by capturing
carbon
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Dated: 01.Sep.2019 DNS Notes
1. Increase minimum thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns and stipulate
minimum thickness of 50 micron for plastic sheets also to facilitate collection and
recycle of plastic waste
2. Expanded the jurisdiction: earlier the rules were applicable only in municipal areas
however they have now been expanded rural areas as well including every waste
generator, local body, Gram Panchayat, manufacturer, Importers and producer.
3. Responsibility of waste generators :
All institutional generators of plastic waste shall segregate and store the
waste generated by them in accordance with the Solid Waste Management
Rules, and handover segregated wastes to authorized waste processing or
disposal facilities or deposition centers, either on its own or through the
authorized waste collection agency.
Every person responsible for organizing an event in open space, which
involves service of food stuff in plastic, or multilayered packaging, shall
segregate and manage the waste generated during such events, in
accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules.
User fee: All waste generators shall pay such user fee, or charge, as may be
specified in the byelaws of the local bodies for plastic waste management,
such as waste collection, or operation of the facility etc.
The producers, importers and brand owners who introduce the plastic carry bags,
multi-layered plastic sachet, or pouches, or packaging in the market, within a period
of six months from the date of publication of these rules, need to establish a
system for collecting back the plastic waste generated due to their products.
They shall work out modalities for waste collection system based on Extended
Producers Responsibility and involving State Urban Development Departments, either
individually or collectively, through their own distribution channel or through the local
body concerned.
This plan of collection has to be submitted to the State Pollution Control Boards while
applying for consent to Establish or Operate or Renewal.
The introduction of the collect back system of waste generated from various products
by the producers/brand owners of those products will improve the collection of plastic
waste, its reuse/ recycle.
The introduction of provision to collect fee from the producers, importers of plastic
carry bags / multilayered packaging and vendors selling the same, will strengthen the
financial status of local authorities and improve Plastic Waste Management System.
6. Responsibility of local bodies and Gram Panchayat for setting up, operationalization
and co-ordination of the waste management system and for performing associated functions.
7. Reuse of plastic waste: The options on reuse of plastic in various applications namely,
road construction, waste to oil, waste to energy will enhance the recycling of plastic.
8. Land for waste management facility: The responsibility to provide land for
establishing waste management facility has been made to the Department with business
allocation of land allotment in the State Government. This would eliminate the issue of
getting land for the waste management facility.
In India, though, in the absence of robust testing and certification to verify claims made by
producers, spurious biodegradable and compostable plastics are entering the marketplace. In
January this year, the CPCB said that 12 companies were marketing carry bags and products
marked ‘compostable’ without any certification, and asked the respective State Pollution
Control Boards to take action on these units.
Way forward
A ban on single-use plastic items would have to therefore lay down a comprehensive
mechanism to certify the materials marketed as alternatives, and the specific process
required to biodegrade or compost them.
A movement against plastic waste would have to prioritise the reduction of single-use
plastic such as multi-layer packaging, bread bags, food wrap, and protective
packaging. Consumers often have no choice in the matter.
Other parts of the campaign must focus on tested biodegradable and compostable
alternatives for plates, cutlery and cups, rigorous segregation of waste and scaled up
recycling.
City municipal authorities and other local authorities should play a key role
Packaging industry should look at innovation and new materials to tackle the menace
of plastic.
Dated: 01.Sep.2019 DNS Notes
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