Daily Current Affairs 21 August 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Swachh Survekshan 2020 

• For the fourth year in a row, Indore has been ranked the cleanest city in the country, according to a Swachh Survekshan 2020 report released by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry
• The survey of sanitation in over 4,000 cities was carried out over 28 days earlier this year. 
• Swachh Survekshan, in its fifth edition, had become the world’s largest sanitation survey, with 1.8 crore citizens giving their feedback.
• Among the cities with over 1 lakh population, Indore was ranked number one, followed by Surat, Navi Mumbai, Ambikapur, Mysore, Vijayawada, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Chandrapur, and Khargone. Among smaller cities, with a population under 1 lakh, the top three cities —Karad, Sasvad, and Lonavala — were all from Maharashtra.
• Chhattisgarh was ranked the cleanest State out of those with over 100 cities, while Jharkhand was the cleanest among those with fewer than 100 urban local bodies (ULBs) or cities. In the category of “Ganga towns”, Varanasi was ranked the cleanest. 
• Jalandhar got the top rank among cantonments and New Delhi was the cleanest capital city
• Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-­Urban had a deep impact on health, livelihoods, quality of life, and behavior, which had come in handy when dealing with the COVID­19 pandemic. 
• When the mission was launched in 2014, waste processing was 18%. Now it had increased to 66%
• Swachh Survekshan, which began with a survey of 73 cities in 2016, had grown to cover 4,242 cities, 62 cantonment boards, and 97 “Ganga towns” in 2020. Survey teams visited 58,000 residential and 20,000 commercial areas in 28 days, while 1.87 crore citizens’ feedbacks were received.
• Ministry was actively working on coming up with a second phase of the SBM­Urban, which was initially supposed to be till March 2020 but was extended till March 2021. 
• The goal of the second phase would be to take targets further, then making cities open defecation­free, to also include 100% sludge management and zero dumpings of waste in the open.

Source: The Hindu

2) The first synthetic path for tuberculosis & chikungunya inhibiting flavonoid molecules deciphered

• Flavonoid molecules, like rugosaflavonoids, podocarflavone, and isoflavone found to inhibit tuberculosis and chikungunya, have so far been isolated from plants. For the first time, scientists have unearthed the route to synthesize the molecules in the lab, paving the path for ensuring their availability at all seasons without overexploiting the medicinal plants that contain them.
• Scientists from Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, have come up with the first synthetic route for producing flavonoids molecules related to the treatment of tuberculosis and chikungunya. Preliminary indications have been witnessed regarding probable treatment response to COVID 19.
• According to the recent work published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, ‘ACS Omega’  ARI has developed the first total synthesis of flavonoids such as rugosaflavonoids, podocarflavone, and isoflavone. 'Rugosaflavonoid A' is reported from a Chinese medicinal plant Rosa rugosa. 'Podocarflavone A' is isolated from the plant Podocarpus macrophyllus.
• Most ayurvedic products are rich in flavonoids. Flavonoids are mostly present in tomato, onion, lettuce, grape, apple, strawberry, peach, and other vegetables. A diet rich in flavonoids protects us from diseases related to heart, liver, kidney, brain, and other infectious diseases. Right now, the world is facing a traumatic situation due to COVID-19. Since flavonoids boost-up immunity, a flavonoid-rich diet is recommended
• Flavonoids are normally isolated from plants. However, inconsistency in natural products can occur in different seasons, places, and species. Along with these hurdles, over-exploitation of medicinal plants puts an extra burden on the environment.
• To overcome these problems, such products can be developed by synthetic protocols in the laboratory by simple and cost-effective methods. The synthetic natural products possess a structure and medicinal properties similar to the natural product.
• The chemical structure of flavonoids is similar to the female hormone 17-beta-estradiol (estrogen). Therefore, flavonoids can ease the lives of women who face problems in the premenopausal stage.
• While synthesizing rugosaflavonoids, the team has obtained dihydro rugosa flavonoids, which are found to be more potent in inhibiting highly infectious diseases like chikungunya and tuberculosis. Computational analysis of these molecules to inhibit COVID-19 by targeting spike protein, proteases and RdRp is also obtained, and the results are exciting

Source: PIB

3) A Tattoo sensor for monitoring vital health parameters

• Active research in the field of epidermal electronics has spawned an important class of wearable sensors that aim to deliver point of care diagnostics with comfortable and robust user experience. Conventional medical devices are bulky, rigid, and non-practical because they do not allow continuous monitoring of vital health parameters while continuing day to day life schedule. The soft and curvilinear shape of the human body needs skin like sensors that can be tattooed on the body with an easy transfer process.
• Centre for Nanoscience and Engineering (CeNSE) at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, a recipient of the INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship instituted by the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India is currently working on wearable sensors that can retract information from human body using its largest organ, the skin.
• Scientists have fabricated a skin conformal tattoo sensor about 20 μm thick. The sensor promises inconspicuous and continuous monitoring of vital health parameters of an individual, like pulse rate, respiration rate, and surface electromyography. The sensor serves as a single conduit for sensing respiration rate and pulse, dispensing with the need of mounting multiple sensors. Its remarkably high sensitivity with a gauge factor (GF) has been ascribed to the development of nano-cracks and their propagation through the film upon application of strain. The fast response and highly repeatable sensor follows easy fabrication steps and can be patterned into any shape and size using a laser.
• The Skin conformal sensor can perform non-invasive and continuous monitoring of vital health parameters. Further, it has the potential to replace rigid and bulky health monitoring devices.
• These sensors do not interfere with the daily activities of the user, thus enabling continuous monitoring of vital signs like pulse rate, respiration rate, UV rays exposure, skin hydration level, glucose monitoring, and so on.

Source: PIB

4) Trifood Project

• Union Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Arjun Munda E-launched the tertiary processing centers of  “Trifood Project” of TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs in Raigad, Maharashtra and Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh
• Being implemented by TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs in association with the Ministry of Food Processing (MoFPI), TRIFOOD aims to enhance the income of tribals through better utilization of and value addition to the MFPs collected by the tribal forest gatherers. To achieve this, as a start, two Minor Forest Produce (MFP) processing units will be set up.
• The unit in Raigad, Maharashtra that will be used for value addition to mahua, amla, custard apple, and Jamun and will produce mahua drink, amla juice, candy, Jamun juice, and custard apple pulp. The multi-commodity processing center in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh will be used for the processing of commodities like mahua, amla, honey, cashew, tamarind, ginger, garlic, and other fruits and vegetables. These would be made into mahua drink, amla juice, candy, pure honey, ginger-garlic paste, and fruit and vegetable pulp.
• The ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain for MFP’ Scheme, in particular, has already emerged as a beacon of change in these unprecedented times and has positively impacted the tribal ecosystem as never before. Implemented by TRIFED in association with State Government Agencies across 21 states of the country, the scheme has injected more than Rs 3000 crores directly in the tribal economy so far. Aided by the Government push in May 2020 wherein the prices of Minor Forest Produce (MFPs) were increased by upto 90% and the inclusion of 23 new items in the MFP list, this flagship scheme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, which draws its strength from The Forest Rights Act of 2005, aims to provide remunerative and fair prices to tribal gatherers of forest produces.
• The Van Dhan Vikas Kendras/ tribal start-ups, also a component of the same scheme, further complements MSP beautifully as it has emerged as a source of employment generation for tribal gatherers and forest dwellers and the home-bound tribal artisans. 1205 Tribal Enterprises spread across 18500 SHGs have been established to provide employment opportunities to 3.6 lakh tribal gatherers and 18000 Self-help groups in 22 States.  The crux of the program is that it ensures that the proceeds from the sales of these value-added products go to the tribals directly.
• The TRIFOOD project aims to converge both the components in its desired merits. In association with MoFPI, the units that will be set up under the Scheme for Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages under the Pradhan Mantri KisanSampada Yojana, will procure the raw material from the Van DhanKendras in the state. The fully processed products will be sold across the country in Tribes India outlets, and franchisee stores. Moreover, TRIFED plans to identify and train tribal entrepreneurs who can also sell the products.
• With systems and processes being put in place to make the procurement of MFPs and their processing and value addition a round-the-year process, TRIFED is working towards the successful implementation of the TRIFOOD project and other upcoming ones, so that tribal lives and livelihoods can be transformed and incomes secure.

Source: PIB

5) More Women in R&D in Private Sector

• India’s private sector research companies appear to employ a larger proportion of women in core research and development activities than government­funded major scientific agencies do, according to data in the Science and Technology Indicators (STI), 2018, a periodic compendium of the state of scientific research in India
• Of the 20,351 women employed in private R&D companies, 15,011 — or about three in four — were involved in “R&D activities” and the rest in “auxiliary or administrative activities”.
• However, of the 23,008 women in “major scientific agencies”, fewer than half — or 10,138 — were in the same ‘R&D activities’ category
• The STI is prepared by a division of the Department of Science Technology, the National Science and Technology Management Information System, and is based on data provided by a range of scientific establishments across the country.
• On the whole, private sector companies had a greater commitment to ensuring that women scientists were fairly represented in recruitment, promotions, and appraisal processes than in many scientific organizations. “Managers have to answer why women in their teams are not promoted or why, for instance, are women dropping out of their workforces
• The 2018 indicators reiterate the historic trend of India’s scientists being overwhelmingly men. For every one of the 15,011 women counted earlier, there are six male scientists in private sector R&D establishments, or about 92,000. However, that proportion improves to about one in four in major scientific agencies where there are 43,753 male scientists in ‘R&D’ for the 10,138 women equivalent.
• Overall, India had 341,818 scientists in R&D with nearly 2,03,759 employed by government institutions or in the higher education sector
• Earlier too, inquiries have been launched by independent commissions as well as the NITI Aayog to ascertain causes for the inadequate representation of women scientists. The large drop in the number of women between the doctoral and professional stages appears to be in part due to social pressure on women to have a family that is seen as incompatible with a professional career. There are also patriarchal attitudes in hiring practices

Source: The Hindu

6) Implementation of PMEGP Projects Records 44% Jump in 2020

• At a time when the country's economy took a severe jolt due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the flagship Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) was implemented by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) progressed at a much rapid pace. Thanks to a major decision of the Ministry of MSME introducing a new&faster mechanism in approving the PMEGP projects, the approval of projects during the first five months of this financial year, i.e. from April 1, 2020, to August 18, 2020, increased by a whopping 44%.
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), has approved and forwarded 1.03 lakh project applications to the financing banks as compared to 71,556 projects during the corresponding period last year and thus registering a jump of 44%.
• PMEGP is the flagship employment generation program of the Central government and KVIC is the nodal agency for implementing the scheme. The Ministry on April 28, this year amended the guidelines to do away with the role of the District Level Task Force Committee (DLTFC) in approving the PMEGP projects. The role of DLTFC, headed by the District Collectors, was time-consuming. As such, the swift execution of projects under PMEGP and KVIC was demanding doing away with the same as this important scheme required greater priority. As per the amended guidelines, KVIC, the nodal agency for implementing the PMEGP scheme, was entrusted with the task of clearing the applications from prospective entrepreneurs and forward it to the Banks for taking credit decisions.
• During the period from April to August in 2020, financing banks sanctioned 11,191 projects and Rs 345.43 crore margin money was disbursed to applicants as compared to Rs 276.09 crore margin money disbursed for 9161 projects in the first five months of the previous year, i.e. 2019. The number of sanctioned projects by banks thus increased by 22% while the disbursement of margin money by KVIC increased by 24% as compared to the previous year.
• The faster implementation of PMEGP projects this year assumes greater significance as the entire country was under lockdown for the most part of these five months. The higher number of projects also signifies the government’s resolve to create self-employment and sustainable livelihood for the people by promoting local manufacturing.

Source: PIB

7) Atal Innovation Mission partners with India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre to expand Start-up ecosystem

• In line with a shared vision of expanding the culture of innovation in the country, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and Business Sweden on behalf of India Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre are collaborating to promote the disruptive potential of Indian entrepreneurs, and, boost the vibrant start-up ecosystem across the country.
• Under AIM, various programs or initiatives are being run such as Atal New India Challenge (ANIC), Atal Incubation Centre (AIC), Atal Community Innovation Centers (ACIC), Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) and Atal Research & Innovation for Small Enterprises (ARISE). Through this collaboration, these initiatives are set to receive support by the means of conducting programs, awareness campaigns, various activities and events that would promote the overall innovation grid of both the countries through these programs.
• India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre is a collaboration between AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS Jodhpur, and Business Sweden. The Innovation Centre aims to create an ecosystem of open innovation and is built under strategic guidance from the Government of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Government of Sweden’s Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and Embassy of Sweden in India. It also has a strong network of ecosystem partners - Invest India, AGNII, Startup India, and knowledge partners – AstraZeneca, NASSCOM, and VINNOVA. The Innovation Center has recently launched its first healthcare innovation challenge to collaborate with partners on the Innovation Centre platform to help solve some of the problems in the healthcare delivery landscape of India. Through this collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, the India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation center ecosystem will be further strengthened to provide all the required support to the innovators for faster scale-up of their solutions.
• Meanwhile, the India Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre has agreed to support the goals of AIM by enabling synergies towards creating a sustainable ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship between the two countries. This will also include building a seamless experience for the start-ups onboarded at the India-Sweden Innovation center.

Source: PIB

8) Turkey-Greece Stand-off

• Recently, France has deployed its military in the eastern Mediterranean Sea amid tensions between Greece and Turkey over recently-discovered gas reserves.
• According to France, the military has been deployed to strengthen the autonomous assessment of the situation and to affirm France’s commitment to free movement, to the security of maritime navigation in the Mediterranean and respect for international law.

The Stand-off:

• Reason: The European Union (EU) and its allies in West Asia and North Africa made plans to build a gas pipeline from the Mediterranean to Europe’s mainland to transport the gas. However, they have kept Turkey out of it, which has infuriated Turkey.
• The gas transport would help reduce the EU's dependency on Russia.
• Earlier in 2019, the EastMed Gas Forum was formed by Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, and Palestine, and Turkey was again excluded.
• Turkey’s Counter: Turkey challenged the EU pipeline project and reached an agreement with Libya to form an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from its southern shores to Libya’s northern coast across the Mediterranean.
• However, Greece claimed the Turkish zone violated its maritime sovereignty and later announced its EEZ with Egypt, which clashed with Turkey’s zone.
• Reacting to the deal, Turkey sent its survey ship near the island of Kastellorizo area mentioned in the Greece-Egypt agreement.
• This is not the first time Greece and Turkey have been at odds. Over the past four decades, the countries have gone to war at least three times.

Issues Involved:

• Overlapping Claims: Turkey and Greece, vehemently disagree over overlapping claims to hydrocarbon resources in the region based on conflicting views on the extent of their continental shelves in waters dotted with mostly Greek islands.
• Turkey says that despite having the longest coastline in the eastern Mediterranean it is confined into a narrow strip of waters due to the extension of Greece's continental shelf, based on the presence of many Greek islands near its shore.
• The island of Kastellorizo, which is about 2 km off Turkey's southern coast and 570 km from the Greek mainland, is a particular source of Turkish frustration.
• Involvement of Many Countries: The highly complicated issue now has the potential to involve Europe, West Asia, and North Africa.
• France, the EU’s most powerful military force, has thrown its weight behind Greece and Cyprus.
• Cyprus is physically divided with the southern part ruled by the internationally-recognized government and the northern part controlled by Turkey.
• An alliance is also emerging among Greece, Cyprus, Italy, and France, which is backed by Egypt, Israel, and the UAE.
• Turkey stands almost isolated but remains a key power in the Mediterranean.

Way Forward

• If the EU wants to transport gas from the coast of Israel to Europe via Cyprus and Italy, an open conflict with Turkey cannot help. What is in everybody’s interest is to bring down tensions and find a diplomatic and mutually acceptable solution to the gas conflict.
• Excluding Turkey, which has a long Mediterranean coast, is unwise. Allowing a resurgent Turkey to bully smaller powers in the region would be strategically disastrous. The EU has to strike a balance between these two options.

Source: The Hindu

9) Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal Project

• Recently, the Chief Minister of Punjab has warned the Centre of political unrest in the state if asked to proceed with the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal project.
• Punjab has staked claims to Yamuna’s waters and also reiterated the need for a tribunal on water sharing.

Background:

• 1960: The dispute can be traced back to the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan, allowing the former ‘free and unrestricted use’ of Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.
• 1966: Creation of Haryana from the old (undivided) Punjab threw up the problem of giving Haryana its share of river waters.
• For Haryana to get its share of the waters of the Sutlej and its tributary Beas, a canal linking the Sutlej with the Yamuna was planned (SYL Canal).
• Punjab refused to share waters with Haryana stating it was against the riparian principle which dictates that the water of a river belongs only to the State and country or States and countries through which the river in question flows.
• 1981: Both states mutually agreed for the re-allocation of water.
• 1982: Construction of 214-km SYL was launched in Kapoori village, Punjab.
• Agitations, protests, and assassinations were carried out in protest creating the environment of terrorism in the state and making the issue of national security.
• 1996: Haryana moved the Supreme Court (SC) seeking directions to Punjab to complete the work on the SYL.
• 2002 and 2004: SC directed Punjab to complete the work in its territory.
• 2004: Punjab Assembly passed the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, terminating its water-sharing agreements and thus jeopardizing the construction of SYL in Punjab.
• 2016: SC started hearings into a presidential reference (Article 143) to decide on the legality of the 2004 Act and declared that Punjab reneged on its promise to share the waters of rivers. Thus, the act was termed constitutionally invalid.
• 2020:
• SC has directed the Chief Ministers of both states to negotiate and settle the SYL canal issue at the highest political level to be mediated by the Centre.
• Punjab has asked for a tribunal for fresh time-bound assessment of water availability.
• Punjab holds that there has been no adjudication or scientific assessment of river waters in the state to date.
• The availability of Ravi-Beas water has also come down from the estimated 17.17 MAF in 1981 to 13.38 MAF in 2013. A fresh tribunal would ascertain all this.

Reasons for Punjab’s Unwillingness:

• Punjab is facing a severe water crisis due to over-exploitation of its underground aquifers for the wheat/paddy monocycle.
• According to the Central Ground Water Authority’s report, its underground water is over-exploited in about 79% of the state.
• Punjab feels that it has utilized its precious groundwater resources to grow the crop for the entire country and should not be forced to share its waters as it faces the threat of desertification.
• Also, the youth of the state may start feeling that the state has been discriminated against once the construction of the canal restarts.
• Pakistan and secessionist organizations like Sikh For Justice could exploit the situation to foment trouble in the state.

Article 143: Advisory Jurisdiction

• The Constitution under Article 143 authorizes the President to seek the opinion of the Supreme Court in the two categories of matters:
• On any question of law or fact of public importance which has arisen or which is likely to arise. The SC may tender or may refuse to tender its opinion to the President.
• On any dispute arising out of any pre-constitution treaty, agreement, covenant, engagement, sanador other similar instruments. Here, the SC must tender its opinion to the President.
• In both cases, the opinion expressed by the Supreme Court is only advisory and not a judicial pronouncement. Hence, it is not binding on the President.
• The references made by the President under Article 143 are decided by a Bench consisting of at least five judges.
• Few important references made by the President to the SC under its advisory jurisdiction are:
• Berubari Union, 1960.
• Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, 1992.
• Rama Janma Bhumi case, 1993.
• Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004.
• 2G spectrum case verdict and the mandatory auctioning of natural resources across all sectors, 2012.

Way Forward

• Punjab needs to understand the importance of the canal for Haryana and should rethink its previous stands. Adequate measures should be put in place before any new decision to keep the possible political turmoil in control. Neighboring states and centers will have to play a crucial role.
• It’s time for the Centre to chart a new course centered on Punjab’s demand for a fresh tribunal for the division of the river waters. For that, all stakeholders must stop further complicating the situation.

Source: Indian Express

10) Plastic Marine Pollution

• A study published in ‘Nature Communications’ has estimated the amount of microplastic pollution in the Atlantic Ocean and put it at 11.6-21.1 million tonnes.
• There has been uncertainty about the magnitude of plastic pollution in marine environments.

Estimated Pollution:

• Measurements of the top 200 meters of the Atlantic found 11.6 - 21.1 million tonnes of microscopic particles.
• Scientists studied pollution of the Atlantic Ocean caused by three types of plastics - polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene - which were suspended in the top 200 meters of the ocean.
• These three types of plastic are most commonly used for packaging.
• Based on plastic waste generation trends from 1950-2015 and considering that the Atlantic Ocean has received 0.3-0.8% of the global plastic waste for 65 years, the Atlantic waters could hold 17-47 million tonnes of plastic waste.

Conclusion:

• Smaller plastic particles are a hazard, as it is easier for them to sink to greater ocean depths and some marine species such as zooplanktons show preferential ingestion of smaller particles, making them easier to enter the food chain.
• Considering that plastics of other sizes and polymer types will be found in the deeper ocean and in the sediments, the study indicates that both inputs and stocks of ocean plastics are much higher than determined.
• It is thus critical to assess across all size categories and polymer groups to determine the fate and danger of plastic contamination.

Plastic Pollution

• Issue:
• Plastic is a synthetic organic polymer made from petroleum with properties ideally suited for a wide variety of applications, including packaging, building and construction, household and sports equipment, vehicles, electronics, and agriculture. Plastic is cheap, lightweight, strong, and malleable.
• Over 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year, half of which is used to design single-use items such as shopping bags, cups, and straws.
• According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), at least 8 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year.
• Sources of Marine Plastic:
• The main sources of marine plastic are land-based, from urban and storm runoff, sewer overflows, beach visitors, inadequate waste disposal and management, industrial activities, construction, and illegal dumping.
• Ocean-based plastic originates mainly from the fishing industry, nautical activities, and aquaculture.
• Under the influence of solar UV radiation, wind, currents, and other natural factors, plastic fragments into small particles, termed microplastics (particles smaller than 5 mm) or nano plastics (particles smaller than 100 nm).
• Also, microbeads, a type of microplastic, are very tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as exfoliants in health and beauty products, such as cleansers and toothpaste. These tiny particles easily pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean and lakes.
• Impact of Plastic Pollution: Plastic can take hundreds to thousands of years to decompose depending on the type of plastic and where it has been dumped.
• On Marine Environment:
• The most visible and disturbing impacts of marine plastics are the ingestion, suffocation, and entanglement of hundreds of marine species.
• Floating plastics also contribute to the spread of invasive marine organisms and bacteria, which disrupt ecosystems.
• On Food and Health:
• Toxic contaminants accumulate on the surface of plastic materials as a result of prolonged exposure to seawater. When marine organisms ingest plastic debris, these contaminants enter their digestive systems, and over time accumulate in the food web.
• The transfer of contaminants between marine species and humans through the consumption of seafood has been identified as a health hazard but has not yet been adequately researched.
• Impacts on Climate Change:
• Plastic, which is a petroleum product, also contributes to global warming. If plastic waste is incinerated, it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, thereby increasing carbon emissions.
• Impacts on Tourism:
• Plastic waste damages the aesthetic value of tourist destinations, leading to decreased tourism-related incomes and major economic costs related to the cleaning and maintenance of the sites.

India’s Plastic Waste Crisis

• Single-use plastics or disposable plastics are commonly used for packaging. Nearly half of the plastics produced in India are single-use plastics.
• Most cities and towns have not implemented the provisions of the Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016 or PWR.
• According to PWR, plastic manufacturers and retail establishments that use plastics are legally bound to collect back plastic waste. This is referred to as ‘extended producers responsibility’.
• The rules also mandate the responsibilities of local bodies, gram panchayats, waste generators, and retailers to manage waste.
• This includes collecting and segregating recyclable plastic, non-recyclable plastic, and other waste separately for processing.
• But most cities and towns have not implemented these provisions due to the lack of a disciplined system of segregation and recycling.
• India banned imports of solid plastic waste only in 2019.
• The government has set an ambitious target of eliminating single-use plastics by 2022.

Suggestions

• Existing international instruments should be further explored to address plastic pollution. The most important are:
• The 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter (or the London Convention).
• The 1996 Protocol to the London Convention (the London Protocol).
• The 1978 Protocol to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
• Recycling and reuse of plastic materials are the most effective actions available to reduce the environmental impacts of open landfills and open-air burning that are often practiced to manage domestic waste.
• Governments, research institutions, and industries also need to work collaboratively redesigning products, and rethink their usage and disposal, to reduce microplastics waste from pellets, synthetic textiles, and tires.

Way Forward

• Knowledge of the full extent of plastic pollution and its impacts would provide policy-makers, manufacturers, and consumers with scientific evidence needed to spearhead appropriate technological, behavioral, and policy solutions. It would also accelerate the conceptualization of new technology, materials, or products to replace plastics.

Source: Indian Express