Daily Current Affairs 13 March 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Kerala passes resolution on COVID-19

The Kerala Assembly on Thursday adopted a rather strongly worded resolution that damned as “fundamentally inhuman” the contentious decision of the Central government to bar citizens stranded in Italy and South Korea without a COVID19 negative certification from medical authorities at their respective port of departure from traveling to India
The resolution sought to urge the Centre to solve the problems faced by nonresident Indians (NRIs) due to the regulatory measures placed by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak
The Centre had introduced the “unusual” requirement for travel to India from Italy and South Korea, both COVID19 hotspots, in a circular issued on March 5. The order (4/1/2020R) came into effect midnight March 10. The Centre insisted that citizens grounded for days in airports in those countries required a medical testimonial from authorities there to board flights to India. The diktat tantamount to “cruel abandonment” of NRIs
The government has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow the citizens to come to India.

Source: The Hindu

2) Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Act

A set of key updates to India’s Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Act, the law that governs how the threat posed by large infrastructure projects to the environment ought to be evaluated, proposes to reduce the time given to people to air objections.
The draft EIA notification proposes to be an update to the EIA of 2006, which specifies a “minimum of 30 days” for people to respond. The current version of the update, which will likely become law in 60 days, gives a“minimum of 20 days” of the notice period. It also requires that the publichearing process be wrapped up in 40 days, as opposed to the existing norm of 45 days.
Under the process, an organization has to submit a detailed plan explaining the nature, need, and remedial measures, if their proposed project could significantly impact a region. A committee constituted by the Union Environment Ministry then decides on whether the project should be cleared.

Introduction

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.
UNEP defines Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a tool used to identify the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project before decision-making. It aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project planning and design, find ways and means to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to suit the local environment and present the predictions and options to decision-makers.
Environment Impact Assessment in India is statutorily backed by the Environment Protection Act, 1986 which contains various provisions on EIA methodology and process.

History of EIA in India

The Indian experience with Environmental Impact Assessment began over 20 years back. It started in 1976-77 when the Planning Commission asked the Department of Science and Technology to examine the river-valley projects from an environmental angle.
Till 1994, environmental clearance from the Central Government was an administrative decision and lacked legislative support.
On 27 January 1994, the then Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, under the Environmental (Protection) Act 1986, promulgated an EIA notification making Environmental Clearance (EC) mandatory for expansion or modernization of any activity or for setting up new projects listed in Schedule 1 of the notification.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified new EIA legislation in September 2006.
The notification makes it mandatory for various projects such as mining, thermal power plants, river valley, infrastructure (road, highway, ports, harbors, and airports) and industries including very small electroplating or foundry units to get environment clearance.
However, unlike the EIA Notification of 1994, the new legislation has put the onus of clearing projects on the state government depending on the size/capacity of the project.

The EIA Process

EIA involves the steps mentioned below. However, the EIA process is cyclical with the interaction between the various steps.

Screening: The project plan is screened for the scale of investment, location, and type of development and if the project needs statutory clearance.
Scoping: The project’s potential impacts, the zone of impacts, mitigation possibilities and need for monitoring.
Collection of baseline data: Baseline data is the environmental status of the study area.
Impact prediction: Positive and negative, reversible and irreversible and temporary and permanent impacts need to be predicted which presupposes a good understanding of the project by the assessment agency.
Mitigation measures and EIA report: The EIA report should include the actions and steps for preventing, minimizing or bypassing the impacts or else the level of compensation for probable environmental damage or loss.
Public hearing: On completion of the EIA report, public and environmental groups living close to the project site may be informed and consulted.
Decision making: Impact Assessment Authority along with the experts consult the project-in-charge along with the consultant to take the final decision, keeping in mind EIA and EMP (Environment Management Plan).
Monitoring and implementation of an environmental management plan: The various phases of implementation of the project are monitored.
Assessment of Alternatives, Delineation of Mitigation Measures and Environmental Impact Assessment Report: For every project, possible alternatives should be identified, and environmental attributes compared. Alternatives should cover both project location and process technologies.

Once alternatives have been reviewed, a mitigation plan should be drawn up for the selected option and is supplemented with an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) to guide the proponent towards environmental improvements.

Risk assessment: Inventory analysis and hazard probability and index also form part of EIA procedures.

Stakeholders in the EIA Process

Those who propose the project
The environmental consultant who prepare EIA on behalf of the project proponent
Pollution Control Board (State or National)
The public has the right to express their opinion
The Impact Assessment Agency
The regional center of the MoEFCC

Salient Features of 2006 Amendments to EIA Notification

Environment Impact Assessment Notification of 2006 has decentralized the environmental clearance projects by categorizing the developmental projects in two categories, i.e., Category A (national level appraisal) and Category B (state-level appraisal).
Category A projects are appraised at the national level by Impact Assessment Agency (IAA) and the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) and Category B projects are appraised at the state level.
State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) are constituted to provide clearance to the Category B process.
After the 2006 Amendment the EIA cycle comprises of four stages:

Screening
Scoping
Public hearing
Appraisal

Category A projects require mandatory environmental clearance and thus they do not undergo the screening process.
Category B projects undergo a screening process and they are classified into two types.

Category B1 projects (Mandatorily requires EIA).
Category B2 projects (Do not require EIA).

Thus, Category A projects and Category B, projects undergo the complete EIA process whereas Category B2 projects are excluded from the complete EIA process.

Importance of EIA

EIA links the environment with development for environmentally safe and sustainable development.
EIA provides a cost-effective method to eliminate or minimize the adverse impact of developmental projects.
EIA enables the decision-makers to analyze the effect of developmental activities on the environment well before the developmental project is implemented.
EIA encourages the adaptation of mitigation strategies in the developmental plan.
EIA makes sure that the developmental plan is environmentally sound and within the limits of the capacity of assimilation and regeneration of the ecosystem.

Shortcomings of the EIA Process

Applicability: There are several projects with significant environmental impacts that are exempted from the notification either because they are not listed in schedule I or their investments are less than what is provided for in the notification.
Composition of expert committees and standards: It has been found that the team formed for conducting EIA studies is lacking the expertise in various fields such as environmentalists, wildlife experts, Anthropologists and Social Scientists.
Public hearing:

Public comments are not considered at an early stage, which often leads to conflict at a later stage of project clearance.
Several projects with significant environmental and social impacts have been excluded from the mandatory public hearing process.
The data collectors do not pay respect to the indigenous knowledge of local people.

Quality of EIA: One of the biggest concerns with the environmental clearance process is related to the quality of the EIA report that is being carried out.
Lack of Credibility: There are so many cases of fraudulent EIA studies where erroneous data has been used, the same facts used for two totally different places, etc.
Often, and more so for strategic industries such as nuclear energy projects, the EMPs are kept confidential for political and administrative reasons.

Details regarding the effectiveness and implementation of mitigation measures are often not provided.
Emergency preparedness plans are not discussed in sufficient detail and the information not disseminated to the communities.

Way Forward

Independent EIA Authority.

Sector-wide EIAs needed.
Creation of a centralized baseline data bank.

Dissemination of all information related to projects from notification to clearance to local communities and the general public.
Applicability: All those projects where there is likely to be a significant alteration of ecosystems need to go through the process of environmental clearance, without exception.
No industrial developmental activity should be permitted in ecologically sensitive areas.
Public hearing: Public hearings should apply to all hitherto exempt categories of projects which have environmental impacts.
The focus of EIA needs to shift from the utilization and exploitation of natural resources to the conservation of natural resources.
The preparation of an EIA must be completely independent of the project proponent.
Grant of clearance: The notification needs to make it clear that the provision for site clearance does not imply any commitment on the part of the Impact Assessment Agency to grant full environmental clearance.
Composition of expert committees: The present executive committees should be replaced by expert people from various stakeholder groups, who are reputed in environmental and other relevant fields.
Monitoring, compliance and institutional arrangements:

The EIA notification needs to build within it an automatic withdrawal of clearance if the conditions of clearance are being violated and introduce more stringent punishment for noncompliance. At present, the EIA notification limits itself to the stage when environmental clearance is granted.
The composition of the NGT needs to be changed to include more judicial persons from the field of the environment.
The citizen should be able to access the authority for redressal of all violations of the EIA notification as well as issues relating to non-compliance.

Capacity building: NGOs, civil society groups and local communities need to build their capacities to use the EIA notification towards better decision making on projects.

Source: The Hindu

3) Parliament Passes The Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Parliament passed The Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 for amendments in Mines & Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act 1957 and The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015. Rajya Sabha passed the bill while Lok Sabha already passed this bill on 6th March 2020. The Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, will open a new era in the Indian coal & mining sector especially to promote Ease of Doing Business. Union Coal & Mines Minister Sh. Pralhad Joshi said that this Bill will transform the mining sector in the country boosting coal production and reducing dependence on imports.
The amended provisions clearly provide that companies which do not possess any prior coal mining experience in India and/or have mining experience in other minerals or in other countries can participate in the auction of coal/lignite blocks. This will not only increase participation in coal/lignite block auctions but also facilitate the implementation of FDI policy in the coal sector.
Now, the companies which are not ‘engaged in specified end-use’ can also participate in auctions of Schedule II and III coal mines. The removal of the end-use restriction would allow wider participation in the auction of coal mines for a variety of purposes such as own consumption, sale or for any other purpose, as may be specified by the Central Government.
The Bill also allows prospecting license-cum-mining lease (PL-cum-ML) for coal/lignite which increases the availability of coal & lignite blocks, and coal blocks of varying grades in a wide geographical distribution will be available for allocation.
The successful bidders/allottees have now been entitled to utilize mined coal in any of its plants or plants of its subsidiary or holding company. Amendments also provide for the allocation of the coal mine to the next successful bidder or allottee, after the termination of its allocation along with the matters incidental to it. A provision has also been made for the appointment of designated custodian for management of the mines, apart from Schedule II mines, which have come under production and whose vesting/ allotment order has been canceled.
With the amendments, environment and forest clearances along with other approvals and clearances shall automatically get transferred to the new owners of mineral blocks for two years from the date of grant of the new lease. This will allow new owners to continue with hassle-free mining operations. During the period, they may apply for a fresh license beyond a period of two years.
The auction of the lease of mines can now be started before the expiry of the lease period. It will enable the state government to take advance action for auction of mineral blocks so that the new leaseholder could be decided before the existing lease gets expired. This will help in the seamless production of minerals in the country.
The new provisions will also augment the exploration of the deep-seated minerals and minerals of national interest by allowing Non-Exclusive Reconnaissance Permit (NERP) holders to apply for composite license or Mining Lease (PL-cum-ML). Various repetitive and redundant provisions of the MMDR Act and CMSP Act have also been omitted for Ease of Doing Business.
The Bill replaces the ordinance for amendment of the MMDR Act 1957 and CMSP Act which was promulgated on 11th January 2020

Source: PIB

4) NCRB celebrates 35th Inception Day

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) celebrated its 35thInception Day, on March 12, 2020 (Thursday).
The Minister launched the Crime Multi-Agency Centre (Cri-MAC) for the sharing of information on heinous crime and other issues related to inter-state coordination. He also launched the National Cybercrime Training Centre (NCTC) for professional quality eLearning services on cybercrime investigation on large scale to police officers, judges, prosecutors, and other stakeholders.
NCRB networking 15993 Police Stations and 8208 higher Police offices across the country under CCTNS project.
The huge database of CCTNS will help investigators in solving crime cases faster.
Fingerprints were being used in the country from very early times and mentioned that the National Fingerprint Identification System(NAFIS) being set up by NCRB will be a game-changer for police.
The system will also generate alerts on the matching of recovered and stolen vehicles based on a national database of CCTNS. He also mentioned how NCRB had joined in Global efforts against Child pornography. He also elaborated about the CCTNS Hackathon & Cyber Challenge 2020 organized by NCRB in collaboration with Cyber Peace Foundation, which received an overwhelming response from police, industry, and academia. He said that it has helped in gathering innovative ideas for improving CCTNS.

Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems

The Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems, abbreviated to CCTNS, is a project under the Indian government for creating a comprehensive and integrated system for effective policing through e-Governance. The system includes a nationwide online tracking system by integrating more than 14,000 police stations across the country. The project is implemented by the National Crime Records Bureau.

History of CCTNS

The concept of CCTNS was first conceived in the year 2008 by the then Home Minister, [p.chidambram] in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. This was then approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in 2009 and was allocated a fund of Rs. 2,000 crore. A pilot phase of the project was launched on 4 January 2013 by the then Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde

Functioning

CCTNS aims to integrate all the data and records of crime into a Core Application Software (CAS), which is presently spreading across 28 states and 9 union territories of India. CAS was developed by the Bangalore based IT firm, Wipro. It needs to integrate different software and platforms followed by different states and to digitize records of those states which have not digitized their police records. The project also involves the training of police personnel and setting up of citizen portal to provide services to citizens.
Crime and Criminals Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS)

The Project will interconnect about 15000 Police Stations and additional 5000 offices of supervisory police officers across the country
It will digitize data related to FIR registration, investigation and charge sheets in all police stations.
It would help in developing a national database of crime and criminals
The full implementation of the project with all the new components would lead to a central citizen portal having linkages with State-level citizen portals that will provide several citizen-friendly services.
The total outlay for the project is 2000 crore rupees and also includes the Operation and Maintenance phase for an additional five years up to March 2022.

Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS)

The CCEA also decided to implement the Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) by 2017. It will be done through integrating CCTNS with e-Courts, e-prisons, Forensics and prosecutions, which are the key components of the Criminal Justice System. e-prosecution in Delhi has already launched by the ICJS team. Japan Babu Nodal officer is looking after the E-prosecution in Delhi
Implementation of ICJS will ensure

Quick data transfer among different pillars of the criminal justice system, which will not only enhance transparency but also reduce processing time.
Enable National level crime analytics to be published at an increased frequency, which will help the policymakers as well as lawmakers in taking appropriate and timely action.
Enable pan-India criminal/accused name search in the regional language for improved inter-state tracking of criminal movement.

Source: PIB

5) ARI Scientists Study methane-oxidizing bacteria for methane mitigation and value addition

Scientists at Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology, have isolated 45 different strains of methanotrophic bacteria that are capable of reducing methane emissions from rice plants.
Methanotrophs metabolize and convert methane into carbon-di-oxide. They can effectively reduce the emission of methane, which is the second most important greenhouse gas (GHG) and 26 times more potent as compared to carbon-di-oxide. In rice fields, methanotrophs are active near the roots or soil-water interfaces.
Dr. Monali Rahalkar, Scientist from Bioenergy Group, ARI, and her team working on methanotrophs, have enriched, isolated, and cultivated the 45 different strains of methanotrophs and created the first indigenous methanotroph culture. In their work published in Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, an International Journal of General and Molecular Microbiology, they isolated indigenous methanotrophs from Western and Southern India, mainly from rice field soils and freshwater mud and have documented two novel genera and six novel species of methanotrophs from rice fields in Western India. In pot trials, some of the strains were used as bio-inoculants in rice plants.
The team found that there was a decrease in methane emissions in inoculated plants with a positive or neutral effect on the growth of the rice. This could lead to the development of microbial inoculants for methane mitigation in rice.
Rice fields are human-made wetlands and are waterlogged for a considerable period. Anaerobic degradation of organic matter results in the generation of methane. Rice fields contribute to nearly 10% of global methane emissions. Very few studies in the world have focused on methanotrophs from tropical wetlands or tropical rice fields.
Before scientists at ARI started their studies, practically no cultures of indigenously isolated methanotrophs from India were available. Native and relevant methanotrophs isolated from rice fields can be excellent models to understand the effect of various factors on methane mitigation. Ammonium fertilizers, increasing temperatures (due to global warming) are some of the important factors which the team plans to study in the future.

Various methanotrophs on culture media (upper left)

The dark pink color biomass from methanotrophs which is a rich source of carotenoids, single-cell proteins leading to methane valorization (upper right) Preliminary experiments indicated that when methanotrophs were inoculated rice plants showed lower methane emissions, higher methane oxidation potential and better/ neutral effect on plant growth (lower panel

Plastic chamber to measure methane emissions is shown (lower right)

Besides methane mitigation studies, methanotrophs can also be used in methane value addition (valorization) studies. Bio-methane generated from waste can be used by the methanotrophs and can be converted to value-added products such as single-cell proteins, carotenoids, biodiesel, and so on. The team is further working on methane valorization studies from the isolated methanotrophs. Such studies help reduce GHG emissions, especially anthropogenic or man-made emissions, which a pressing need in the age of global warming.

Source: PIB

6) Sagarmala Programme

The Sagarmala program is the flagship program of the Ministry of Shipping to promote port-led development in the country through harnessing India’s 7,500 km long coastline, 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways and strategic location on key international maritime trade routes. The main vision of the Sagarmala Programme is to reduce logistics costs for EXIM and domestic trade with minimal infrastructure investment.
Sagarmala Programme was approved by the Union Cabinet in March 2015 and a National Perspective Plan was prepared by the Ministry of Shipping which was released on 14th April 2016. As of now, 500 projects have been identified at an estimated infrastructure investment of Rs. 3.55 Lac Crore across all the pillars. Out of these, 143 projects (worth Rs. 0.88 Lac Crore) have been completed, and 190 projects (worth Rs. 2.12 Lac Crore) are already under implementation. The remaining set of 167 projects are under various stages of development and expected completion is well within 2035.

Initiatives under Sagarmala Programme to unlock the potential of Waterways

Ministry of Shipping has notified licensing relaxation to foreign flag vessels for carrying transshipment containers, empty containers, fertilizers and agricultural, fisheries, animal husbandry and horticultural commodities on coastal routes.
The licensing Relaxation for coastal shipping to special vessels such as Ro-Ro, Hybrid Ro-Ro, Ro Pure Car Carriers, Pure Car and Truck Carriers, LNG Vessels and Over-dimensional or Project Cargo is extended till 2021.
Under coastal berth scheme, financial assistance up to 50% of total project cost or maximum funding limit can be provided to the implementing agency for the creation of infrastructure to promote movement of cargo/passengers by sea/National Waterways.
A study has been conducted in association with Asian Development Bank to prepare a perspective plan for coastal shipping and an action plan has been formulated under the topics of policy interventions, infrastructure interventions and process interventions that are being implemented by the Ministry of Shipping.
Minimum 40% discount is offered by major ports on vessel and cargo related charges to coastal vessels.
To promote inland water transport (IWT) in the country, 111 (including 5 existing and 106 new) National Waterways (NWs) have been declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
NW-I (Ganga-Bhagirathi- Hooghly river system from Allahabad to Haldia) in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal; NW-2 (River Brahmaputra from Dhubri to Sadiya) in Assam; NW-3( West Coast Canal from Kottapuram to Kollam along with Udyogmandal and Champakara Canals) in Kerala, have already been developed with fairway navigational aids, jetties, and terminals with mechanized equipment handling facilities for loading of cargo. These waterways are operational and vessels are plying on them. Also, NW-10 (river Amba), NW-68(river Mandovi), NW-73 (river Narmada), NW-83(Rajpuri Creek), NW-85 (Revadanda Creek- Kundalikariver system), NW-91 (Shastri river- Jaigad creek system), NW-97 (Sunderbans Waterways), NW-100 (river Tapti) and NW-111(river Zuari) are operational.
Feasibilities studies have been completed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) for 106 new NWs and based on the outcome of feasibility studies and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), 20 new NWs were found feasible for the development of shipping and navigation in addition to 5 existing NWs, on which development activities are already ongoing.
To augment the navigational capacity on the Haldia-Varanasi stretch on NW-1(River Ganga), the Ministry of Shipping / IWAI is implementing the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) at an estimated cost of Rs. 5369.18 crore. Under JMVP construction of multimodal terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj&Haldia, Ro-Ro terminals, fairway development navigational lock at Farakka, channel marking systems, etc., are being set up.
Fairway development work in the Vijayawada-Muktyala stretch of river Krishna in Andhra Pradesh (part of NW-4) has been completed. Fabrication of four floating pontoons and land acquisition for fixed terminals(4 nos.) at Ibrahimpatnam, Harischandrapuram, Muktyala, and Madipadu is underway.

Source: PIB

7) White Giraffe

Poachers have killed two extremely rare white giraffes in northeast Kenya, leaving just one such animal in the world.

Key Points

The white giraffes were first spotted in 2016.
The white appearance of the giraffe is due to leucism, a genetic condition that causes skin cells to have no pigmentation.
Leucism is different from albinism where no melanin is produced at all.
Melanin is a dark biological pigment found in skin, hair, feathers, scales, eyes, and some internal membranes.

Giraffe

Giraffes are most often found in savanna/woodland habitats and range widely throughout Africa.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had classified giraffes as vulnerable in the Red List in December 2016, when it noted that their population had dropped by over 40% since 1985.
According to IUCN, the four principal factors that have led to a population decline among giraffes are habitat loss, civil unrest, poaching, and ecological issues.
Giraffes are listed under Appendix II of the CITES.

Source: Indian Express

8) Zero Accident Mission of Railways

Mission Zero Accident was one of the Missions announced in the Railway Budget 2016-17. It comprises the following two sub-missions.

Elimination of Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLC): All unmanned level crossings on Broad Gauge were eliminated in January 2019.
Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS): Train Collision Avoidance System is an indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system developed in association with Indian manufacturers. The system is under implementation South Central Railway.

In the Budget 2017-18, an exclusive fund called “Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh” (RRSK) was created with a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore over 5 years for giving a major boost to safety-related works.

Safety category staff is given training in Disaster Management with emphasis on Relief, Rescue and Rehabilitation (three ‘R’s), Threat Perception and Emergency Response, Fighting and use of Fire Extinguishers and First Aid.
Railway Training Institutes are allocated funds on an annual basis for the development of infrastructure, development of training modules/training materials, the conduct of training programs, etc.

Further, in compliance with orders of the Supreme Court of India and as recommended by a committee of experts constituted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), instructions have been issued to provide a Medical Box containing life-saving medicines, equipment, oxygen cylinder, etc. at all Railway stations and passenger carrying trains.

Source: PIB

9) Major Port Authorities Bill 2020

Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 was introduced in the Loksabha by the minister of state for shipping (I/C) Shri Mansukh MANDAVIYA. The Bill seeks to provide for the regulation, operation, and planning of Major Ports in India and to vest the administration, control and management of such ports upon the Boards of Major Port Authorities and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi had approved the proposal of the Ministry of Shipping to replace the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 by the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020. This will empower the Major Ports to perform with greater efficiency on account of full autonomy in decision making and by modernizing the institutional framework of Major Ports.
Earlier, the Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2016 and thereafter referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC). The PSC, after taking evidence and widespread consultations, submitted its report in July 2017. Based on this, the Ministry of Shipping introduced the official amendment to the Bill in the Lok Sabha in 2018. However, the Bill got lapsed after the dissolution of previous Lok Sabha.
To promote the expansion of port infrastructure and facilitate trade and commerce, the Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 bill aims at decentralizing decision making and to infuse professionalism in the governance of major ports. It would help to impart faster and transparent decision making benefiting the stakeholders and better project execution capability. The Bill is aimed at reorienting the governance model in central ports to the landlord port model in line with the successful global practice. This will also help in bringing transparency to the operations of Major Ports.
The Bill has been prepared after extensive consultation with all the stakeholders and Ministries/ Departments and taking into account the recommendations of PSC. The salient features of the Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 are as under: -

The Bill is more compact in comparison to the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 as the number of sections has been reduced to 76 from 134 by eliminating overlapping and obsolete Sections.
The new Bill has proposed a simplified composition of the Board of Port Authority which will comprise of 11 to 13 Members from the present 17 to 19 Members representing various interests. A compact Board with professional independent Members will strengthen decision making and strategic planning. Provision has been made for the inclusion of representative of State Government in which the Major Port is situated, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Defence and Customs, Department of Revenue as Members in the Board apart from a Government Nominee Member and a Member representing the employees of the Major Port Authority.
The role of the Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) has been redefined. Port Authority has now been given powers to fix tariff which will act as a reference tariff for purposes of bidding for PPP projects. PPP operators will be free to fix tariffs based on market conditions. The Board of Port Authority has been delegated the power to fix the scale of rates for other port services and assets including land.
An Adjudicatory Board has been proposed to be created to carry out the residual function of the erstwhile TAMP for Major Ports, to look into disputes between ports and PPP concessionaires, to review stressed PPP projects and suggest measures to review stressed PPP projects and suggest measures to revive such projects and to look into complaints regarding services rendered by the ports/ private operators operating within the ports would be constituted.
The Boards of Port Authority have been delegated full powers to enter into contracts, planning, and development, fixing of tariff except in national interest, security and emergency arising out of inaction and default. In the present MPT Act, 1963 prior approval of the Central Government was required in 22 instances.
The Board of each Major Port shall be entitled to create a specific master plan in respect of any development or infrastructure established or proposed to be established within the port limits and the land appurtenant thereto and such master plan shall be independent of any local or State Government regulations of any authority whatsoever.
Provisions of CSR & development of infrastructure by Port Authority have been introduced.
Provision has been made for safeguarding the pay & allowances and service conditions including pensionary benefits of the employees of major ports and Tariff of Major Ports.

Source: PIB

10) Invocation of Disaster Management Act, 2005 to Deal with COVID-19

Various government authorities have invoked their respective powers under the Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005 to deal with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the country.

Key Points

Delegation of Powers to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare:

The powers exercised by the home secretary for being the Chairman of the National Executive Committee (NEC) under section 10 of the DM Act (2005) have been delegated to the Ministry of Health and Family welfare.

Section 10 evaluates the preparedness at all governmental levels to respond to any threatening disaster situation or disaster and give directions, where necessary, for enhancing such preparedness.
It also lays down guidelines for, or give directions to, the concerned Ministries or Departments of the Government of India, the State Governments and the State Authorities regarding measures to be taken by them in response to any threatening disaster situation or disaster
Thus it majorly monitors and implements the national plan and the plans prepared by the ministries or departments of the central government and gives superintendence power to the officer executing plans.

The delegation would help to enhance preparedness and containment of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

Invocation of Powers by District Authorities:

Some of the district authorities in the COVID-19 affected states like Maharashtra have also invoked power under the DM Act.

The Act gives power to the district administration under Sections 33 and 34 to deal with any disaster-related situation.
Under Section 33 and 34, the district authorities may opt for requisition powers for any officer or any department at the district level or any local authority to take measures for prevention or mitigation of disaster or to effectively respond to it and such an officer or department is bound to carry out such order.

This step will help to create awareness among the public regarding COVID-19 and will also help to regulate the medical supply of masks, injections, and medicines, etc.

National Executive Committee

A National Executive Committee (NEC) is constituted under Section 8 of the DM Act, 2005 to assist the National Disaster Management Authority in the performance of its functions.
Union Home secretary is its ex-officio chairperson.
NEC has been given the responsibility to act as the coordinating and monitoring body for disaster management, to prepare a National Plan, monitor the implementation of National Policy, etc.

Source: Business Standard

11) Sewage Water Treatment

Discharge of untreated & partially treated sewage and industrial effluent is the primary cause of pollution of river and water bodies. As per the report published by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in March 2015; sewage generation from urban areas in the country is estimated at 61, 948 million liters per day (MLD), against which available sewage treatment capacity was 23,277 mld.
Discharge of raw sewage into water bodies causes depletion of Dissolved Oxygen (DO) in the river and thus, adversely impacts aquatic life. Cleaning of the river through proper sewage management is a continuous process and Central Government is supplementing the efforts of the State Governments and Union Territories in addressing the challenges of pollution of rivers by providing financial and technical assistance through schemes like National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) and Namami Gange. The
NRCP has so far covered polluted stretches of 34 rivers in 77 towns spread over 16 states in the country with a sanctioned cost of Rs. 5870.54 crore. Under Namami Gange, the rejuvenation of Ganga and its tributaries have been taken up. So far, a total of 310 projects have been sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs.28790.66 crore under Namami Gange. Of these, 116 projects have been completed and made operational.
Also, sewage infrastructure is created under programs like Atal Mission For Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities Mission.
Operation and maintenance (O&M) of STP and sewage pumping station is the responsibility of the State Governments/Urban local body concerned. Lack of adequate sewer networks & house connection and unsatisfactory operation and maintenance are major reasons for the underutilization of sewage treatment plants (STPs). Central Government has been regularly asking the States to improve the performance of STPs.
Also, CPCB had issued directions on 21.04.2015 to the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 asking them to issue directions to Local Authorities responsible for sewage management in their respective cities/towns and to submit time-bound action plans for collection, transportation, and treatment of sewage generated in the urban area. CPCB has also issued directions on 09.10.2015 to Local Authorities under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for sewage management in Class I cities and Class II towns and asked them to ensure that treated wastewater is disposed of in rivers and water bodies by the stipulated standards.

Source: PIB

12) National Supercomputing Mission

Recently, a Right to Information (RTI) reply has revealed that India has produced just three supercomputers since 2015 under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).

National Supercomputing Mission

The National Supercomputing Mission was announced in 2015, to connect national academic and R&D institutions with a grid of more than 70 high-performance computing facilities at an estimated cost of ₹4,500 crores over seven years.
It supports the government's vision of 'Digital India' and 'Make in India' initiatives.
The mission is being implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (Ministry of Science and Technology) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), through the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
It is also an effort to improve the number of supercomputers owned by India.
These supercomputers will also be networked on the National Supercomputing grid over the National Knowledge Network (NKN). The NKN connects academic institutions and R&D labs over a high-speed network.
Under NSM, the long-term plan is to build a strong base of 20,000 skilled persons over the next five years who will be equipped to handle the complexities of supercomputers.

Key Points

Progress of NSM:

NSM’s first supercomputer named Param Shivay has been installed in IIT-BHU, Varanasi, in 2019. It has 837 TeraFlop High-Performance Computing (HPC) capacity.
The second supercomputer with a capacity of 1.66 PetaFlop has been installed at IIT-Kharagpur.
The third system, Param Brahma, has been installed at IISER-Pune, which has a capacity of 797 TeraFlop.

Incomplete Utilization of Funds allocated to NSM:

The NSM envisaged setting up a network of 70 high-performance computing facilities in the country but skewed funding for the mission during the initial years slowed down the overall pace of building supercomputers.
Only 16.67 % of the total budget of Rs 4,500 crore, has been utilized during the last four-and-a-half years for execution of the mission.

Global Scenario:

Globally, China has the maximum number of supercomputers and maintains the top position in the world, followed by the US, Japan, France, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Note:

Teraflops: It is a unit of computing speed equal to one million million (10^12) floating-point operations per second (FLOPS).
Petaflops: It is a unit of computing speed equal to one thousand million million (10^15) floating-point operations per second (FLOPS).

Source: Indian Express

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