[Mission 2024] INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB SUMMARY 13 October 2023

GS Paper 3

 Syllabus: Environment Conservation

Source: DTE

 Context: The article discusses the role of biohydrogen in India’s green hydrogen pathway. It also discusses the industrial interest in biogas reforming, which converts biogas into environmentally friendly chemicals like syngas or bio-hydrogen.

The key difference between biohydrogen and green hydrogen is in their sources of production:

• Biohydrogen: Derived from biological sources such as biogas, and often considered a form of renewable hydrogen due to its environmentally friendly conversion process.
  • Biohydrogen is hydrogen produced from biological sources, typically through biogas reforming. It converts biogas (CH4 and CO2) into hydrogen, often referred to as syngas or bio-hydrogen
• Green Hydrogen: Produced through the electrolysis of water using renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, and is considered the purest form of clean hydrogen.

Definition of Green Hydrogen:

 In August 2023, the Union Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Government of India, provided a definition for green hydrogen, specifying it as having a well-to-gate emission (encompassing water treatment, electrolysis, gas purification, drying and compression of hydrogen) not exceeding 2 kg CO2 equivalent per kg H2. In contrast, grey hydrogen, on average, emits 10 kg of CO2 per kg of H2 produced.

 Nodal Agency: The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) (under the Union Ministry of Power) is the nodal authority responsible for accrediting agencies for monitoring, verifying and certifying green hydrogen production projects.

Challenges in Green Hydrogen Production:

Biohydrogen as a Promising Solution:

Government Initiatives for Bio and Green Hydrogen:

India’s status for Green Hydrogen:

• Oil India Limited (OIL) recently commissioned India’s first 99% pure green hydrogen plant in eastern Assam’s Jorhat
• NTPC (in Kawas, Surat)has started India’s 1st Green Hydrogen Blending operation in the Piped Natural gas (PNG) Network.
• The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has given approval for a 5% blending of green hydrogen with PNG (later to be scaled to 20%)
• Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has collaborated with business management consultant
• The Green Billions (TGBL)to manage its waste and generate it into useable green hydrogen (under the waste-to-hydrogen project)
• Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP)to mobilise finance and speed up green energy development

Way forward

• Investment in R&D on green Hydrogen technology is required.
• There is a need to announce incentives to convince enough users of industrial hydrogen to adopt green hydrogen.
• India needs to develop supply chains in the form of pipelines, tankers, intermediate storage and last-leg distribution networks.
• Need to establish an end-to-end electrolyser manufacturing facility.
• Need a manufacturing strategy that integrates with the global value chain and can maximize existing strengths.

Conclusion

Bio-hydrogen will be a critical industrial fuel of the 21st century. India is well-positioned to show leadership, which is in India’s and the planet’s collective interest.

Insta Links:

India’s green hydrogen challenge

Mains Links:

What are the key features of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) initiated by the Government of India? (UPSC 2020)

GS Paper 4

 Syllabus: Ethical Values in Personal Lives

Source: LM

 The National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023 emphasizes the importance of inculcating values in education.

It articulates five ‘Aims of Education‘:

Values categorized in the framework are:

How these values can be developed?

Conclusion:

Despite these efforts, it is more important to enable students to understand and apply complex moral and ethical reasoning in real-world scenarios, so the focus must be on the application of these ethical principles in the NCF 2023 in day-to-day life.

Insta Links:

 Value Education

Mains Links: 

“Education is not an injunction; it is an effective and pervasive tool for all-round development of an individual and social transformation.” Examine the New Education Policy, 2020 (NEP, 2020) in light of the above statement. (UPSC 2020)

Content for Mains Enrichment

Source: IE

 Naik Yeshwant Ghadge was an Indian war hero who served during World War II’s Italian campaign (1943-45). He epitomizes the forgotten Indian heroes of the war.

Ghadge, at the age of 23, single-handedly captured an enemy post in Montone, Italy. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest military honour.

Indian soldiers, part of the British Indian Army, contributed over 2.5 million troops to the Allied war effort, with about 50,000 participating in the Italian campaign.

 Usage: The example shows values of Bravery, Duty and Sacrifice, Valour, and Service

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: TH

 Context: A significant archaeological discovery was made in the Manchirevula Forest Trek Park near Hyderabad.

• Ancient rock paintings that appear to date back to the Mesolithic period.
• The paintings, which are in red pigment, depict three tortoises, a fish, and a geometric motif.
• The paintings are approximately 6,000 to 12,000 years old, placing them within the Mesolithic era, which spans from 10,000 to 4,000 BC.
• The site is well-preserved due to its covered nature, and there are plans to create a protective fence and clear a path for visitors to view the art while ensuring its conservation.

Prehistoric rock paintings:

The term ‘Prehistory’ refers to the distant past when there was no paper or language, and hence painting and drawing were the oldest art forms practised by human beings to express themselves, using the cave walls as their canvas. The first discovery of rock paintings was made in India in 1867–68 by an archaeologist, Archibold Carlleyle, twelve years before the discovery of Altamira in Spain.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

 Source: PIB

 Context: The Union Cabinet approved amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, specifying royalty rates for three critical and strategic minerals: Lithium, Niobium, and Rare Earth Elements (REEs).

What are Royalty rates?

Royalty rates are fees paid to the government for the extraction of minerals or resources from a specified area. 2^nd Schedule of MMDRA 1957 deals with the royalty rates of minerals.

These minerals were delisted from atomic minerals and can now be auctioned to the private sector. The approved royalty rates are as follows:

• Lithium (3% of London Metal Exchange price)
• Niobium (3% of Average Sale Price)
• REEs (1% of the Average Sale Price of Rare Earth Oxide)

If not specified, the royalty rate for minerals is 12% of the Average Sale Price (ASP).

Significance of fixing Royalty Rates: Encouraging indigenous mining of these minerals is crucial for reducing imports, boosting mining sector investment, promoting economic development, and supporting India’s energy transition and national security. The move is also expected to create job opportunities in the mining sector.

Initiatives for Critical Minerals exploration:

Presently, India’s mineral royalty rates are among the highest in the world, thus impacting the competitiveness of the sector and putting an economic burden on mining companies.

About the Minerals:

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: TH

 Context: The Indian government has introduced a national protocol called the ‘Protocol for Management of Malnutrition in Children’ aimed at identifying and providing comprehensive care for malnourished children in the country.

• The protocol was launched by the Union Minister for Women and Child Development.

Features:

• It outlines a 10-step process for identifying and managing malnutrition in children at the Anganwadi level, incorporating aspects such as growth monitoring, appetite testing, nutritional management, and follow-up care.
• The protocol also introduces innovative approaches, such as the “Buddy mother” concept, where a mother with a healthy child guides the mother of a malnourished child at an Anganwadi centre.
• This initiative is part of the government’s efforts to combat malnutrition through the ‘Poshan Abhiyan,’ with a focus on treating malnourished children and promoting their healthy growth.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: Business Standard

 Context: Russia is facing a challenging battle to regain a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.

• Russia is competed against Albania and Bulgaria for two seats in the East European regional group.
• The United States and other nations have been actively campaigning against Russia’s re-election, citing concerns about its human rights record, including alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
• Human Rights Watch has also criticized Russia and China, stating that they are unfit to serve on the council due to their ongoing human rights abuses.
• By secret ballot, the Assembly elected Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Malawi and the Netherlands.  All 15 members will serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2024

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: The Print

 Context: The World Bank and Japan, have launched the Resilient and Inclusive Supply-chain Enhancement (RISE) initiative in Morocco.

• This initiative is designed to tackle the dual challenges of job creation and climate change by aiding emerging markets and developing countries in expanding their clean-energy product manufacturing and increasing their participation in the minerals industry.
• The initiative aims to stimulate economic growth and generate local employment opportunities, ultimately contributing to poverty reduction.
• This collaborative effort emphasizes the importance of international cooperation in promoting economic growth in these countries while strengthening clean energy and critical minerals supply chains.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: HBL

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has joined the One CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) integrated partnership.

This partnership involves the CGIAR System Organization and 12 One CGIAR research centres (including ICRISAT), aiming to unify efforts in transforming food, land, and water systems to address the challenges posed by the climate crisis.

CGIAR (est. 1971; founder: Forrest F Hill) is a network of publicly-funded agri-food systems research centres. It aims to reduce rural poverty, increase food security, improve human health and nutrition, and sustainable management of natural resources.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: TH

 Context: Tamil Nadu has launched ‘Project Nilgiri Tahr,‘ a wildlife conservation initiative.

• The project aims to protect the endangered Nilgiri Tahr, a species native to the Western Ghats.
• It focuses on understanding the population, distribution, and ecology of Nilgiri Tahr, reintroducing them to their historical habitats, addressing immediate threats to their survival, raising public awareness, and developing eco-tourism activities.

Mapping

Source: TH

 Context: The row over the UK’s Rosebank oil field revolves around the British government’s approval of a major oil and gas project in the North Sea. This decision has sparked Environmental Concerns (contradictory to the UK’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050)

The Rosebank oil field, located northwest of the Shetland Islands, is a significant untapped reserve with the potential to produce 300 million barrels of oil. It’s expected to contribute 8% of the UK’s total oil production and generate jobs until 2051.

The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. An epeiric sea (on the continental plate and having a very low depth avg. of 90m) on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north.