[Mission 2023] INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB SUMMARY 5 June 2023

GS Paper 3

 Syllabus: Infrastructure (Railways)

Source: TH

 Context: The tragic Odisha train accident that resulted in the death of over 288 passengers has brought into sharp focus the safety mechanisms needed to prevent such tragedies.

Why do train accidents happen in India? 

The Performance Audit on Derailment in Indian Railways – a CAG (2022) report ascertains whether measures to prevent derailments and collisions were clearly laid down and implemented. 

Findings in the CAG audit report:

• The main reason behind train accidents in India is
  • For example, out of 217 “consequential train accidents” – that have serious repercussions in terms of either loss of human life/injury or loss of Railway property/traffic interruption, 163 (75%) were due to derailments during 2017-18 to 2020-21.
• Factors responsible for derailments are maintenance of tracks, deviation of track parameters beyond permissible limits, bad driving and overspeeding, and faulty signalling system (suspected cause of the Odisha train accident). 

Some initiatives of the Indian govt. to prevent train accidents:

The KAVACH:

• It is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with the Indian industry.
• It provides protection by preventing trains from passing the signal at Red and activates the train’s braking system automatically (if the driver jumps the Red signal) and avoids collision.
• The Traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) helps in two-way communication between the station master and loco-pilot to convey any emergency message.
• Both the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and the Yeshwanthpur-Howrah Express were not fitted with KAVACH-TCAS. 

The Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK):

• It was created in 2017-18 with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore over a period of five years with an annual outlay of Rs 20,000 crore – Rs 15,000 crore of budgetary support and Rs 5,000 crore from Railways internal resources).
• The safety fund will be used for improved inspection and safety work at level crossing, track repair, bridge restoration, rolling stock replacement, human resource development, etc.
• The number of funds allocated for track renewal projects decreased from Rs 9,607.65 crore (2018-19) to Rs 7,417 crore (2019-20), and even this amount was not “fully utilised”.

Insta Links:

Growth in Indian railways

GS Paper 3

 Syllabus: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation

Source: TH

 Context: Despite the importance of biodiversity that ultimately sustains all human endeavours, not enough has been done for caring and nurturing life on earth.

Biodiversity/Biological diversity:

• Meaning: The rich variety of life forms and their interconnections with each other and the environment is termed Biodiversity.
• Types: Genetic diversity (variety of genes within a species), species diversity (variety of species within a habitat or a region) and ecosystem diversity (variety of species within a habitat or a region).
• Importance of Biodiversity:
  • Ecosystem services: Species perform some or the other functions (soil formation, reducing pollution) in an ecosystem.
  • Provisioning services: Food, fibre, fuelwood, etc. It is biodiversity that will form the basis of a new sustainable green economy.
  • Regulating services: It is biodiversity that will restore degraded lands and polluted rivers and oceans and sustain agriculture in the face of climate change.
  • Supporting services: Biodiversity helps in pollination, nutrient cycling as well as recycling, GHGs reduction by sequestration.
  • Social and cultural services: Biodiversity provides aesthetic, and recreational pleasure.
  • Food web maintenance: Higher the diversity of an ecosystem, more complex is going to be the food webs.
  • Scientific role: Biodiversity help in scientific research, education and monitoring.
• Threats:

• Impact of loss of Biodiversity: Damaged ecosystems exacerbate climate change, undermine food security and put people and communities at risk.

Efforts to reverse Biodiversity loss:

Way ahead:

• Civil society must play a critical role in sustaining biodiversity.
• A paradigm shift in the care of biodiversity.
  • For example, the main custodian of the natural world in India is the Indian Forest Service.
  • Therefore, a multifunctional landscapes approach, with the direct participation of local communities is the need of the hour.

Some best practices from India:

• The Forest Rights Act 2006: It calls for an increase in the stake of indigenous groups in ownership as well as management of biodiversity. However, the Act largely remains on paper.
• National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Wellbeing: It is a proposed mission (India’s Biodiversity Collaborative based in Bengaluru, conceptualised the idea) to have all citizens engaged in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Conclusion: It is time to decentralise the management of biodiversity by bringing together multiple stakeholders, especially local communities, through gram sabhas and biodiversity management committees.

Insta Links:

Biodiversity

Mains Links:

How does biodiversity vary in India? How is the Biological Diversity Act,2002 helpful in the conservation of flora and fauna? (UPSC 2018)

GS Paper 3

Syllabus: Economy

Source: IE

Context: Government-owned engineering consultancy firm Engineers India (EIL) is studying the prospects and feasibility of developing salt cavern-based strategic oil reserves in Rajasthan.

• This is in line with the government’s objective of increasing the country’s strategic oil storage capacity.

The country’s three existing strategic oil storage facilities — at Mangaluru and Padur in Karnataka, and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh — are made up of excavated rock caverns.

About Strategic Oil Reserves:

• A strategic oil reserve refers to a stockpile of crude oil or petroleum products that a country maintains as a strategic measure to ensure energy security and stability in times of emergencies or disruptions in oil supply.
• The International Energy Agency (IEA) recommends that all countries maintain emergency oil stockpiles equivalent to 90 days of import protection.

Statistics about Oil Reserves In India:

• India, the world’s third-largest consumer of crude, depends on imports for more than 85% of its requirement.
• India currently has an SPR capacity of 5.33 million tonnes or around 39 million barrels of crude. India’s strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) currently provide around 9.5 days of oil requirement coverage.
• Additionally, oil marketing companies in India have their storage facilities, providing an additional 64.5 days of storage, totalling approximately 74 days of petroleum demand coverage.
• India’s strategic crude oil storages are currently located at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Mangaluru (Karnataka), Padur (Karnataka) and Chandikhol in Odisha.
• The construction of the Strategic Crude Oil Storage facilitiesin India is being managed by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) (a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB) under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas).

Underground storage

It is, by far the most economical method of storing petroleum products because the underground facility rules out the requirement of large swathes of land, ensures less evaporation and, since the caverns are built much below the sea level, it is easy to discharge crude into them from ships.

Two types of underground reserves:

Insta Links:

Strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) programme

GS Paper 3

 Syllabus: E-Waste

Source: BBC

 Context: Solar panels, hailed as a crucial tool in reducing carbon emissions, face the challenge of disposal and replacement as they only last up to 25 years.

What is Solar E-Waste?

Solar e-waste refers to the electronic waste generated by discarded solar panels. As solar panels have a limited lifespan of 20-25 years, their disposal raises concerns about managing the electronic waste they create.

What does Solar Panel consist of?

A PV module is essentially made up of glass, metal, silicon and polymer fractions. Glass and aluminium, together constituting around 80% of total weight, are non-hazardous.

But a few other materials used including polymers, metals, metallic compounds and alloys are classified as potentially hazardous.

Status:

• PV module recycling is still not commercially viable
• PV waste recycling is still at a nascent stage globally
• India does not have a solar waste management policy, but it does have ambitious solar power installation targets. 
• India’s PV (photovoltaic) waste volume is estimated to grow to 2,00,000 tonnes by 2030 and around 2 million tonnes by 2050.

Issues with Solar E-Waste Management:

Various technologies available to extract valuable materials from solar e-waste include:

• Mechanical Shredding: Solar panels can be shredded into small pieces and subsequent separation techniques to recover metals like aluminium and copper.
• Thermal Treatment: Thermal processes, such as pyrolysis and gasification, can be employed to break down solar panels at high temperatures, recovering valuable materials and generating energy-rich gases or liquids.
• Chemical Leaching: Chemical solvents or acids can be used to dissolve and separate valuable metals, such as silver and copper, from the solar panel components.
• Electrochemical Processes: Electrochemical methods can be utilized to selectively extract metals from solar panel components by applying electrical currents or potential differences.
• Automated Robotic Systems: Advanced robotic systems equipped with sensors and artificial intelligence can be used to identify and separate different components of solar panels for efficient material recovery.

Recent Government Initiative:

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change added Solar Waste Treatment under E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 in November 2022.
• Green Credit Programme: Launched under the Environmental Protection Act (1986) and announced in the Budget 2022-2023, it aims to promote green growth and sustainable practices.

Solar waste management by other countries

What India can do to promote solar waste management:

Insta Links 

• How to manage India’s solar PV waste problem?
• E-Waste Management

Mains Links

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is becoming major a domestic and global issue. Discuss the steps that must be taken to ensure the safe disposal of e-waste in the country. (15M)

Prelims Links 

Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

Source: PIB

The Indian Navy has taken several green initiatives to protect the environment and promote sustainability.

• Commissioning of solar power plants with a cumulative capacity
• To reduce diesel engine emissions, the Navy has installed a retrofit device developed by Chakr Innovations. This device has shown a 70% reduction in hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter emissions.
• To combat oil spills, the Navy has developed eco-friendly marine bio-remedial agents that consist of micro-organisms and their growth stimulants.
• The Navy has operationalized a 100KW capacity air conditioning plant based on the natural refrigerant carbon dioxide.
• The Navy is also exploring the use of hydrogen as an alternate source of fuel. Shore trials of a Hydrogen Aspirated Diesel Engine have been completed, showing reduced carbon monoxide emissions. A ship has been fitted with the device for pilot trials.
• The Navy is working on a developmental project for a hydrogen fuel cell-powered ferry craft.
• To reduce vehicular emissions, the Navy has made progress in using biodiesel based on used cooking oil.

Usage: One or two examples can be used from this list to highlight the efforts taken by Armed forces towards reducing carbon emissions.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: PIB

Context: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the Lavender Festival in Bhaderwah, Jammu, as part of the One Week One Lab Campaign organized by CSIR-IIIM.

• This is the 2^nd year of the lavender revolution. Bhaderwah is hailed as the Lavender capital of India and an Agri StartUp destination.

About Lavender Revolution (also called Purple Revolution) and Aroma Mission:

	Description
About Lavender	Lavender is a fragrant flowering plant known for its aromatic purple flowers and soothing scent. It is widely cultivated for its essential oil, which has various uses in aromatherapy, cosmetics, and culinary applications.
Lavender Revolution	Launched in 2016 by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology through the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) Aroma Mission
Objective	To support the domestic aromatic crop-based agro-economy and promote entrepreneurship
Products	Lavender oil, lavender water, hydrosol
Significance	Supports the government’s policy of doubling farm incomes, provides livelihoods, promotes entrepreneurship
Aroma Mission	CSIR initiative to bring transformative change in the aroma sector, promote the cultivation of aromatic crops, and benefit farmers
Phase-I and II	Phase-I covered 46 districts and trained over 44,000 people; Phase II aims to engage over 45,000 skilled resources and benefit farming families
Nodal Agency	CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow
Intended Outcomes	The additional area under cultivation, technical and infrastructural support, remunerative prices, value-addition to essential oils

 Source: DTE

 Context: The government-owned Tribal Development Co-operative Corporation of Odisha Ltd (TDCCOL) decided to procure sal seeds (Shorea robusta) from nine Odisha districts.

The move, which comes after a gap of three years, intends to arrest the distress sale of the minor forest produce (MFP).

About Sal Trees:

• The sal tree is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and across the Himalayan regions.
• Habitat: Dense dry deciduous forests, on hill slopes, and flat grounds and in evergreen moist forests
• It is found where the soil is deep
• It is resistant to fire, and thus often a dominant tree in Indian forests.
• Classified under the Minor Forest Produce and state government provides Minimum Support Price

Source: IE

Context: The Law Commission, in its recent report, stated that no changes in the law relating to adverse possession are required. However, two members dissented, arguing that the law promotes false claims and should be struck off.

About Adverse possession:

Source: ET

 Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released a draft of ‘Master Directions on Cyber Resilience and Digital Payment Security Controls for Payment System Operators.

What are Payment System Operators (PSOs)?

Payment System Operators (PSOs) are entities that facilitate the movement of funds between payers and payees in electronic payment systems. They provide the necessary infrastructure and technology to enable various payment transactions, such as online payments, card payments, mobile payments, and electronic fund transfers.

Examples: Popular PSOs like PayPal, RuPay, Visa, Mastercard, and Paytm act as intermediaries in processing and settling payments between buyers and sellers in online transactions.

About the guidelines:

• The proposed guidelines require PSOs to implement inventory management, approved cybersecurity measures, and crisis management plans, and comply with Basel standards.
• PSOs will have to report any unusual incident including those involving cyber-attacks, internal fraud etc. to RBI within six hours of detection.
• Provisions of these directions shall apply to all authorised non-bank PSOs.
• The Board of PSOs has been made responsible for ensuring adequate oversight over information

Aim of the guidelines: These measures are intended to improve cyber safety and protect digital payment systems.

Source: BS

 Context: According to a report by the LDC Group at the World Trade Organization (WTO), approximately 85% of the 11,000 products offered at zero tariffs by India to least developed countries (LDCs) under the duty-free quota-free (DFQF) scheme remain unutilized.

About the duty-free quota-free (DFQF) scheme :

Source: BusinessLine

Mapping

Source: PIB

 Context: Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar region is set to become a major power hub in North India, generating approximately 6,000 MW of power upon completion of ongoing power projects.

Names of the various upcoming hydroelectric project are: Pakal Dul (1,000 MW); Kiru Hydroelectric project (624 MW); Kwar Hydroelectric project, Kirthai II Hydroelectric project, Ratle project, Dulhasti power station, and Dulhasti II Hydroelectric project.

Source: UNODC

 Context: As per United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, there is no slowdown of trade in methamphetamine and other illegal drugs originating from a golden triangle of Southeast Asia.

Golden Triangle includes the area of three countries namely Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, where the cultivation and production of drugs such as opium and heroin have been prevalent. The area has been a major source of illegal drugs, contributing to the global drug trade, along with Golden Crescent (comprising Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan).

Source: TH

Context: President Droupadi Murmu recently visited Suriname on a three-day trip, aiming to strengthen India’s bilateral relations with the South American nation. The visit to Suriname is a significant component of her two-nation tour, with Serbia being the other destination.

Suriname (Capital: Paramaribo) is a small country on the northeastern coast of South America. It’s defined by vast swaths of tropical rainforest, Dutch colonial architecture and a melting-pot culture.

GS Paper 3

 Syllabus: Science and Technology/ Government Policies: Health

Source: DTE

 Context: The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidelines to protect children from the harmful effects of food marketing that promotes unhealthy dietary choices.

Need for the guidelines:

In 2017, to understand the linkages between food and NCDs, the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) conducted the Know your diet — school children survey. The survey found that

• Most schoolchildren were not eating a balanced diet
• Children had a low frequency of intake of cereals, vegetables and millet
• Packaged food was more popular among children than non-packaged food

Previous guidelines:

• 2010 WHO ‘Set of recommendations on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children
• In March 2023, WHO published a set of nutritional criteria which aimed to protect children from marketing that promoted unhealthy food and non-alcoholic beverages.

The recommendations include:

Harmful Effects of Eating Non-nutritious Food for Children:

Related news:

Dark Patterns in Digital Advertisements

Insta Links:

Surrogate Advertising

Mains Links:

Do you think commercial advertisements need to be ethical? Comment.(250 words)