9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – April 12th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Amending the Weapons of Mass Destruction Act
• State of adolescent learning
• India and the U.K.: Crafting a new legacy

GS Paper 3

• The importance of addressing duty anomalies in trade deals
• Cleaning India’s air: What is the report card so far?
• Poverty estimates are a shot in the dark 
• A greener, safer future for Indian cities 
• In pandemic shock, critical lessons for MSMEs
• India-US ties: The scope for literal common space

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Launch Event of the State Energy and Climate Index Round 1
• Explained: How ancient megalithic jars connect Assam with Laos and Indonesia
• Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ successfully flight tested
• Air pollution kills: Study counts 100,000 premature deaths in 8 Indian cities
• Indigenous Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Solutions for Indian Traffic Scenario launched under InTranSE -II Program
• CBIC Chairman releases National Time Release Study, 2022
• Forest fires frequency, intensity went up in past 2 decades: study
• Axiom-1 Mission: SpaceX capsule carrying 3 paying customers, former NASA astronaut arrives at International Space Station
• India’s learning poverty has shot up, says World Bank official

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Amending the Weapons of Mass Destruction Act

Context: The Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022 was passed in the Lok Sabha recently.

The Bill amends the WMD and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005 which prohibits the unlawful manufacture, transport, or transfer of WMD (chemical, biological and nuclear weapons) and their means of delivery.

The recent amendment extends the scope of banned activities to include financing of already prohibited activities.

What was the purpose of the original WMD Act of 2005?

Its primary objective was to provide an integrated and overarching legislation on prohibiting unlawful activities in relation to all three types of WMD, their delivery systems and related materials, equipment and technologies.

It instituted penalties for contravention of these provisions such as imprisonment for a term not less than five years (extendable for life) as well as fines.

The Act was passed to meet an international obligation enforced by the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR)1540 of 2004.

What has the Amendment added to the existing Act?

The Amendment expands the scope to include prohibition of financing of any activity related to WMD and their delivery systems.

To prevent such financing, the Central government shall have the power to freeze, seize or attach funds, financial assets, or economic resources of suspected individuals (whether owned, held, or controlled directly or indirectly).

It also prohibits persons from making finances or related services available for other persons indulging in such activity.

What more should India do?

Domestic level

– At the domestic level, this Amendment will have to be enforced through proper outreach measures to industry and other stakeholders to make them realise their obligations under the new provisions.

International level

– It is also necessary that India keeps WMD security in international focus. Even countries which do not have WMD technology have to be sensitised to their role in the control framework to prevent weak links in the global control system. India can offer help to other countries on developing national legislation, institutions and regulatory framework through the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) or on bilateral basis.

What is the international significance of this legislation? What is in it for India?

Significance:

Global

– Preventing acts of terrorism that involve WMD or their delivery systems requires building a network of national and international measures in which all nation states are equally invested.

– Such actions strengthen global enforcement of standards relating to the export of sensitive items and preventing terrorist and black-market networks from gaining access to them.

– Sharing of best practices on legislations and their implementation can enable harmonisation of global WMD controls.

India

It is in India’s interest to facilitate the highest controls at the international level and adopt them at the domestic level.

Having now updated its own legislation, India can demand the same of others, especially from those in its neighbourhood that have a history of proliferation and of supporting terrorist organisations.

State of adolescent learning

Context: Over the last few decades in India, there has been a massive government drive to push for universal enrolment, extending to secondary as well as primary school children.

Successive Annual Status of Education Reports (ASER) have shown that this drive has been largely successful for both age groups, with high enrolment rates even during the pandemic.  But enrolment is only one piece of the puzzle.

What are the challenges faced by children wrt their education during the pandemic?

Learning at home through online education during the pandemic has been far from successful for the children. As per ASER 2020 and 2021,

Access to technology-based resources:

– Children: Even though over 70% of children in Classes IX to XII had a smartphone at home, only about 35% of them could use it for studies at all times, while 17% could not use it at all. In the absence of formal schooling, family members often assumed the task of teaching.

– Adolescents: The ASER reports show adolescents did not fare well — older children received less learning support as compared to younger ones.

Additional task burden:

Additionally, some children — especially older girls — faced competing demands due to financial stress and increased requirement of care work at home.

– Gender divide in housework: Even in 2017, ASER had reported that almost 90% of female youth aged 14-18 did housework on a daily basis, compared to three-fourth of male youth.

– Pandemic worsened unpaid care work burden: According to the Building Back Better report by UNICEF, school closures worsened girls’ and women’s unpaid care work, limiting the time available to learn at home. During COVID-19, girls might have had to replace the work done by the missing caregiver, or simply because of gendered expectations.

In all age categories, girls were more likely than boys to be taking on this additional burden.

How gender disparity impacts learning outcomes?

The kind of work children did during lockdowns shows that they are exposed to gendered expectations from a young age. A study using ASER, India Human Development Survey and National Family Health Survey data suggests that long before the pandemic, gender disparity had started impacting learning outcomes too. As per the study,

– Female disadvantage persists in mathematics learning outcomes over the last decade, and shows no signs of disappearing. The study correlates this finding with “regressive household practices” that limit the autonomy of women (such as veiling of the face by women, and the practice of women eating after men). It further finds that female disadvantage in mathematics learning is higher where there is higher prevalence of such practices.

What is the way forward?

All of the above findings show that there’s an eminent need to integrate gender sensitisation modules into curricula for adolescents’ education.

School-based gender sensitisation programmes can play a transformative role in ensuring that all children get an equitable environment to grow.

– For example, an attitude change programme in Haryana run by Breakthrough and evaluated by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) showed promising results, with participants exhibiting gender-equitable behaviours even two years after the programme ended. It was centred around interactive classroom discussions about gender equality in secondary schools.

Scaling up such programmes for all schools and States could help bring about more gender-progressive views among communities.

India and the U.K.: Crafting a new legacy

Context: India-UK relationship has been on an upward trajectory, exemplified by conclusion of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The agreement established a 2030 Roadmap of India-U.K. relations.  

What are the areas of cooperation between India and the U.K.? 

In her recent visit, the U.K. Foreign Secretary highlighted the importance of countering Russian aggression and developing ties between Britain and India in the Indo-Pacific region.

There were talks on defence related trade deals, cyber security, and plans to hold First Strategic Tech Dialogue.  

India is a key strategic partner of the U.K. in the Indo-Pacific as highlighted by the Defence and International Security Partnership between Indian and the U.K, signed in 2015.  

The U.K. has also confirmed British investment funding to support renewable energy in India.  

In January, India and the U.K. concluded the first round of talks for an India-U.K. Free Trade Agreement. An early harvest deal is expected.  

What are the new areas of cooperation? 

British and Indian PM met on the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow and focused on India-U.K. Climate Partnership. He is also expected to visit in April end.  

New areas of cooperation are – fintech, market regulation, sustainable and green finance, cybersecurity. For instance – collaboration of Oxford-AstraZeneca and Serum Institute of India.  

Way forward

As India seeks to carve out a new role for itself in the evolving global order as a ‘leading power’ and the U.K. recalibrates its strategic lookout post Brexit, this is a unique moment for India-U.K. ties.

It is time to lay the foundations of a partnership that can respond adequately to the challenges of the 21st century.  

GS Paper 3

The importance of addressing duty anomalies in trade deals

Context: India has long suffered the anomaly of imported raw material being taxed more than the finished product. Economists call it the inverted duty structure. A range of free trade agreements (FTAs) in the past have not helped. Are the new ones any better?

What is the main issue with the inverted duty structure?

Makes Indian-made products more expensive: When manufacturers cannot set off the taxes paid on raw materials against the tax on the final product, the excess tax paid on inputs gets built into the price of the product. This makes an Indian-made product more expensive than the imported finished product, affecting the competitiveness of Indian makers.

The issue is acute in sectors like textiles and apparels.

Correcting duty anomalies is key to attracting investments in manufacturing.

Will new FTAs worsen the problem? How are they different from previous FTAs?

Looks unlikely. The FTAs under negotiations are structurally very different from those signed a decade ago.

How is India addressing problems with the duty structure?

India has been increasing import duties since 2014-15 to correct the inverted duty structure for non-FTA countries and the average tariff rose from 13.5% in 2014 to 15% in 2020, according to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

In fact, the last two budgets sought to correct it by removing duty exemptions and lowering the duty on raw materials.

Moreover, this time around, the government is holding consultations with the industry during the FTA talks, doing a SWOT analysis to ensure FTAs benefit India’s exports.

Cleaning India’s air: What is the report card so far?

Context: An analysis of various steps taken by the government in this regard shows that much more needs to be done.

What is the present situation wrt the problem of air pollution in India?

Some 22 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world are in India according to the World Air Quality Report, 2020.

The India State Level Disease Burden Initiative published in Lancet Planetary Health in December 2020, indicated 1.7 million deaths in India were attributable to air pollution in 2019.

Incidentally, India is the third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world — 2,597.36 million tonnes.

What are the various steps taken by the govt to address the issue?

The Union government launched a five-year National Clean Air Action Plan (NCAP) January 10, 2019, to tackle the increasing air pollution problem.

India has committed to reduce the emission intensity of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 33-35 per cent over 2005 levels under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

– It has also pledged to generate 40% of its power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources and create an additional ‘carbon sink’ of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

To lower India’s carbon footprint, coal-fired power plants not meeting prescribed standards would be shut down.

The Centre has launched the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) I India scheme in 2015 to reduce pollution caused by diesel and petrol-operated vehicles and to promote electric and hybrid vehicles in India.

– The FAME phase II scheme has been extended for two years to drive greater adoption of the scheme.

The Vehicle Scrappage Policy, launched August 13, 2021, is a government-funded programme to replace old vehicles with modern and new vehicles on Indian roads.

India’s PM, in August 2021, announced the enhancement of target to 20% for ethanol blending in petrol by 2025 in order to further lower carbon emissions and improve air quality.

In August 2021, the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021 were notified, which are aimed at phasing out single-use plastic by 2022.

– The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic and e-waste management has been introduced.

The implementation of the Green India Mission (GIM) has been undertaken to increase green cover in India to the extent of five million hectares (mha) and improve the quality of existing green cover on another five mha.

What has been the outcome of these measures?

As a result of these initiatives,

– 96 cities showed a decreasing trend of PM₁₀ concentration in 2020-21 as compared to 2019-20. However, 36 cities showed an increasing trend in PM₁₀ concentration in 2020-21, as compared to 2019-20, according to the Economic Survey 2020-21.

– Marginal decrease in pollution levels in targeted cities three years into the launch of the NCAP, according to media reports. An analysis also showed that states spent insufficient funds to ensure air pollution reduction.

– Not much progress on the closing down of thermal power plants not meeting permissible standards.

– But, India’s third Biennial Update Reports submitted to the UNFCCC in 2021 reported that during 2005-16, the country had reduced emission intensity of its GDP by 24%.

– India’s forests have increased by more than 1,500 sq km between 2019 and 2021.

What is the way forward?

It has been observed that the institutions engaged in regulatory functioning both at the Centre and state level lack capability in maintaining environmental regulation standards in large cities / urban centres. There is an urgent need to strengthen these agencies.

Research and development, recruitment of professionals having domain knowledge and provisioning of infrastructure are necessary where budget provisions need to be stepped up.

A roadmap on the closing down of inefficient coal-fired power plants needs to be developed in consultation with stakeholders.

The GIM has to be aggressively and effectively implemented throughout the states with quality planting materials.

The research activities into restoring biodiversity, conserving landscapes and preserving the natural balance of biodiversity across India will have to be encouraged.

Poverty estimates are a shot in the dark

Context: The government, which earlier used to conduct Consumption Expenditure Surveys (CES) and update poverty lines, has not released any data on this lately. 

The last consumption survey of 2017-18 was junked.

Based on the leaked estimates of consumption expenditure from that survey, it was reported that poverty increased from 31% in 2011-12 to 35% in 2017-18 with the number of poor increasing by 52 million.  

However, recent estimates from the IMF and WB have reported a significant decline in poverty after 2011-12, although they differ from each other on the level of poverty as well as the magnitude of poverty reduction since 2011-12. 

What is the difference between both these estimates? 

It is argued that Consumption Expenditure Surveys (CES) do not capture the estimates of consumption expenditure correctly and are unfit for poverty measurement. 

The IMF uses Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) estimates from the national accounts. But the PFCE estimates do not give the distribution of consumption across households which is a prerequisite for estimating poverty. These are derived aggregates and are available for the country as a whole with no separate estimate for rural/urban or states. 

– All committees have unanimously rejected the practice of adjusting survey estimates based on PFCE. This is not the practice in India, or anywhere in the world. 

The World Bank arrived at their figures by using estimates from the Consumer Pyramid Survey of Households (CPSH), a privately conducted survey by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).  While their methodology is also questionable, they try to adjust for the anomalies of the CPSH surveys to arrive at estimates as close as possible to the NSS surveys.  

But the real issue is not just what happened to poverty and inequality, but also what factors contributed to poverty reduction. 

What may have led to poverty reduction? 

Many of the initiatives, including the rural employment guarantee programme and the Food Security Act have contributed to improvement in the lives of the poor, pulling them out of poverty.

There is also a role of the in-kind transfers through the subsidized food scheme under the Public Distribution System. 

– The expansion of the PDS during the pandemic has certainly contributed to reducing the misery of the poor.

Way forward

There is a need for strengthening the social safety nets and expenditure on food and livelihood schemes given the challenge of economic recovery with rising inflation. 

An important message is also to strengthen the statistical system and make it independent of state interference.

Given the controversy over poverty estimates, it is all the more important that the government conducts the CES at the earliest and decides the yardstick of measuring poverty which is the poverty line. 

A greener, safer future for Indian cities

Context: The IPCC’s latest report shows how smart urban planning can mitigate the effects of climate change.  

What is the need for smart urban planning in India? 

India is witnessing one of the largest urban growth spurts in history.  

By the time India turns 100, nearly half the population will be living in urban areas, making it imperative to not only nurture India’s megacities but also facilitate tier-2 and tier-3 cities to gear up for the future. 

Therefore, the Union Budget 2022 had announced the formation of a high-level committee of planners, economists and institutions to make recommendations on urban sector policies.  

What are the challenges wrt urban infra in India? 

Town and country planning acts in India have largely remained unchanged over the past 50 years, relying on techniques set up by the British.  

Cities still create land use and regulatory control-based master plans. The focus of planning continues to be the strict division of the city into various homogeneous zones such as residential, commercial and industrial. 

Master plans face prolonged delays in preparation, sanctioning and implementation. Inter-agency negotiations remain out of the scope of the master planning process. They tend to take a static, broad-brush approach to cities that have dynamic fine-grained structures and local specificities.  

What measures need to be implemented?  

Globally, cities are moving to the practice of developing strategic plans and projects along with local area plans. 

The projects should be designed and developed in the context of land that can be made available and capital resources that can be raised. 

Strategic plans should be developed every five years to increase a city’s competitiveness and help it achieve its strategic goals with respect to sustainability and economic development by identifying key projects to be implemented. 

Finally, local area plans should be developed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of citizens through public participation, contextualising local challenges, needs and ambitions. 

Cities should also aim to mainstream the use of spatialised social, economic and environmental data to create robust links across the urban- rural continuum. 

Way Forward

Building consensus around future growth and development, with a focus on climate action, economic and social integration, is crucial. Such a participatory process is what will help build a vibrant, inclusive and liveable urban India. 

In pandemic shock, critical lessons for MSMEs

Context: MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) are critical for achieving the overall objectives of economic development. During the pandemic, MSME was the worst hit sector. The sector is still struggling.

MSMEs are a significant contributor in terms of industrial output, employment generation, and exports. This sector is trying to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

Findings of the survey

A primary survey of 225 small firms in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Uttarakhand made the following observations:

• 90% of small firms faced a decline in their turnover in FY2020-21
• 53% of firms faced more than a 50% decline in their turnover.
• Around 29% of firms reported a collapse of their businesses

Following are the reasons behind the decline in growth:

Covid Induced reasons:

1) Restriction/s on economic activities and mobilities; 2) decrease in demand; 3) shortage of raw materials; 4) slow recovery of markets; 5) payment delays, lack of financial resources and labour shortage 6) increased cost of production; 7) lack of skilled workers 8) ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ package was not helpful due to lack of demand and business uncertainties. Thus, firms did not use financial assistance available under the program.

Other reasons:

1) Sudden change in government policies, 2) natural catastrophes such as floods and drought, 3) bulk of MSMEs are in the informal sector which lack registration and the necessary financial documents to avail finance opportunities.

However, some firms have reported growth as well:

Around 10% of firms under the study had either a rise in their turnover or reported no change. The sectors include human health activities; manufacture of pharmaceuticals; food and beverage service activities; and manufacture of apparels, etc.

The resilience of these firms was the result of; 1.) availability of financial resources, and 2.) ability to invest in new technologies or new business opportunities.

What should be done?

Following measures can help MSMEs in becoming resilient and sustaining their growth during business uncertainties caused by economic shocks.

1.) Setting up Uncertainty Corpus Fund for Small Businesses: On the line of public provident fund, government must make the emergency fund mandatory for the small firms.

A lucrative return on the investment to encourage the firms can be set up.

2.) Small Business Insurance Scheme: The term insurance can be offered to MSMEs on the lines of crop insurance scheme.

India-US ties: The scope for literal common space

News: India’s 2+2 dialogue on strategic cooperation with the US has resumed.  

After India’s abstentions from 11 votes on the issue of Ukraine at the United Nations, and the shift of the US’s emphasis from QUAD to AUKUS, the present dialogue is very important. It will clear all the doubts related to India-US relations.  

How India-US should forward their relations in the space sector? 

India has been a responsible power in the space sector. Under its mission shakti program, DRDO successfully neutralized a satellite in space with its anti-satellite (ASAT) missile on 27 March 2019. It left very little orbital debris, which was also confirmed by NASA’s data.  

First, India and US can discuss a treaty on space militarization.  

Second, After the Ukraine crisis, US-Russia tensions flared up, and Moscow’s agency Roscosmos threatened to snap space relations with NASA. It has made it difficult for the US to access the International Space Station (ISS). India and US, in the long term, can explore some opportunities in this field.  

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Launch Event of the State Energy and Climate Index Round 1

Source: This post is based on the article “Launch Event of the State Energy and Climate Index Round 1” published in PIB on 11th April 2022.

What is the News?

NITI Aayog has released the State Energy and Cli­m­ate Index-(SECI) Ro­und 1.

What is State Energy and Cli­m­ate Index-(SECI)?

Released by: NITI Aayog

Objectives: The objectives of the index are: 

– Ranking the States based on their efforts towards improving energy access, energy consumption, energy efficiency, and safeguarding the environment;

– Helping drive the agenda of the affordable, accessible, efficient and clean energy transition at the State level; 

– Encouraging healthy competition among the states on different dimensions of energy and climate.

Parameters: The index ranks states and union territories on six para­meters — 1) discoms performance, 2) access affordability and reliability of energy, 3) clean energy initiatives, 4) ene­rgy effi­cie­ncy, 5) environmental sustai­nability and 6) new initiatives.

Categorization: The states have been categorized based on size and geographical differences as larger states, smaller states, and UTs.

What are the key findings of the index?

Larger States: Gujarat has topped the index among larger states. Gujarat was followed by Kerala and Punjab.

– States like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand were placed at the bottom.

Smaller States: Goa has topped the index, followed by Tripura and Manipur.

UTs: Chandigarh, Delhi, Daman & Diu/Dadra & Nagar Haveli are the top performers.

What is the significance of the index?

The index can be used by the states and UTs to benchmark their performance against their peers, analyze the potential challenges to develop better policy mechanisms and efficiently manage their energy resources.

What is India’s Performance in Global Energy Indices?

Explained: How ancient megalithic jars connect Assam with Laos and Indonesia

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: How ancient megalithic jars connect Assam with Laos and Indonesia” published in Indian Express on 12th April 2022.

What is the News?

The discovery of a number of megalithic stone jars in Assam’s Dima Hasao district has brought to focus possible links between India’s Northeast and Southeast Asia, dating back to the second millennium BC.

About the Megalithic Stone Jars in Assam

Megalithic Stone Jars were first sighted in Assam in 1929 by British civil servants James Philip Mills and John Henry Hutton. They recorded its presence in six sites in Dima Hasao district, Assam.

These discoveries were followed up only in 2014 when a study was again undertaken. The study discovered two more sites in 2016 and six more in 2020.

For instance, at one site, Nuchubunglo, as many as 546 stone jars were found. This is arguably the largest stone jar site in the world.

What is the significance of these discoveries?

Link Between India’s Northeast and Southeast Asia: The study said that links can be drawn between Stone Jars found in Assam and Jars found in Laos and Indonesia. There is no reported parallel anywhere else in India apart from the northeast.

Hence, this points to the fact that once upon a time a group of people having similar kinds of cultural practices occupied the same geography between Laos and Northeast India.

Link to Mortuary Practices: In Laos, there was a “strong association” between the stone jars and mortuary practices, with human skeletal remains found inside and buried around the jars. In Indonesia, the function of the jars remains unconfirmed, although some scholars suggest a similar mortuary role.

Similarly, the study has suggested that the jars found in Assam were also associated with mortuary rituals. They referred to the practices of ancestral bone repositories of tribes like Mikir, Sakchips, Hangkals, Kuki, Khasi and Synteng and evidence of cremated bone fragments placed in one of the jars.

This study calls for more research to understand the “likely cultural relationship” between Assam and Laos and Indonesia, the only two other sites where similar jars have been found.

Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ successfully flight tested

Source: This post is based on the article “Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ successfully flight tested” published in PIB on 11th April 2022.

What is the News?

Defence Research and Development Organization(DRDO) along with the Indian Army and Air Force has successfully flight-tested “Helina”  from an advanced light helicopter (ALH).

What is HELINA?

HELINA (Helicopter based NAG) is a third-generation fire and forget class anti-tank guided missile(ATGM) system mounted on the Advanced Light Helicopter(ALH).

Developed by: Defence Research and Development Laboratory(DRDL) – DRDO.

Key Features of HELINA

Range: It has a maximum range of 7 kilometres.

It has all-weather, day and night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as explosive reactive armour. 

It has been developed for integration with choppers in both the Army and the Air Force. The Air Force version of Helina is sometimes referred to as Dhruvastra.

The missile can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode.

The missile is guided by an Infrared Imaging Seeker(IIR) which makes it one of the most advanced Anti-Tank Weapons in the world.

Air pollution kills: Study counts 100,000 premature deaths in 8 Indian cities

Source: This post is based on the article “Air pollution kills: Study counts 100,000 premature deaths in 8 Indian cities” published in Down To Earth on 11th April 2022.

What is the News?

According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, there is a rapid degradation in air quality and an increase in urban exposure to air pollutants hazardous to health.

What are the key findings of the study?

Premature Deaths due to Air Pollution

Air pollution caused more than 100,000 premature deaths in some of India’s largest cities from 2005 to 2018.

Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune recorded the highest number of such deaths.

Note: The study did not cover Delhi, Noida and Faridabad, which featured in the WHO’s list of the top 20 most polluted cities in the world.

Increase in Pollutants

The study found significant annual increases in pollutants directly hazardous to the health of up to 14% for nitrogen dioxide(NO2), 8% for fine particles(PM2.5) and 12% for ammonia.

There is also a 1.5 to four-fold increase in population exposure to air pollution in 40 of the 46 cities for NO2 and 33 of the 46 cities for PM2.5.

This rapid increase in exposure to air pollutants is due to population growth combined with road traffic, waste burning and widespread use of charcoal and fuelwood.

Premature Deaths due to exposure to PM 2.5

India had 123,900 premature deaths from long-term exposure to PM 2.5 in 2005 which increased to 223,200 in 2018.

Note: PM 2.5 are tiny particles or droplets that are 2.5 micrometres or fewer in width that are linked to a host of diseases and premature death.

Indigenous Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Solutions for Indian Traffic Scenario launched under InTranSE -II Program

Source: This post is based on the article “Indigenous Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Solutions for Indian Traffic Scenario launched under InTranSE -II Program” published in PIB on 11th April 2022.

What is the News?

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched three software applications under the Intelligent Transportation System Endeavor for Indian Cities Phase-II initiative.

What is the Intelligent Transportation System Endeavor for Indian Cities initiative?

Launched by: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) 

Purpose: The initiative is aimed at undertaking R&D projects collaboratively with IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IISc Bangalore and C-DAC to synergize the transformation of Intelligent Transportation System(ITS) with more energy and pace.

Note: Intelligent Transport Systems(ITS) are a suite of public transport planning, operations management and customer service applications that are enabled by advanced information and communications technologies.

What are the three software applications launched under the InTranSE -II Program?

​​Onboard Driver Assistance and Warning Systems or Odaws: It includes vehicle radar sensors and navigation sensors to actively monitor the immediate surroundings of a car in order to avoid road accidents.

Bus Signal Priority System(BSPS): It will seek to actively track congestions at major urban arterial road traffic junctions and use conditional priority to facilitate faster movement of public transport services such as buses in order to reduce such congestions.

Common Smart IoT ‘Connectiv’ (Cosmic): It is an open-standard IoT (internet of things) platform that is compatible with the OneM2M IoT compatibility standard. 

The government seeks to implement Cosmic as a common standard for all IoT deployments in public and private transport infrastructure. It will be able to monitor vehicle movements through a common smart city dashboard. This can facilitate tracking of public transportation services as well as track any road accidents.

Note: OneM2M is a common language for IoT sensors, algorithms and software that allow connected sensors and hardware built by one company to be able to exchange information built by another.

CBIC Chairman releases National Time Release Study, 2022

Source: This post is based on the article “CBIC Chairman releases National Time Release Study, 2022” published in PIB on 11th April 2022.

What is the News?

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs(CBIC) has released Time Release Study (TRS) 2022.

About Time Release Study(TRS)

About TRS: TRS is essentially a performance measurement tool for assessing the cargo clearance process of international trade, as recommended by the WTO under the Trade Facilitation Agreement(TFA) and the World Customs Organization(WCO). 

Method Adopted: The study measures average cargo release time, i.e. the time taken from the arrival of the cargo at the customs station to its eventual release for import or export as the case may be.

Ports Covered: The TRS 2022 covered four-port categories – 1) seaports, 2) air cargo complexes (ACCs), 3) inland container depot (ICDs) and 4) integrated check posts (ICPs). These ports handle about 80% of the bills of entry (import documents) and 70% of the shipping bills (export documents).

What are the key findings of TRS 2022?

There has been an improvement in the average cargo release time for all the four-port categories in 2022 over the corresponding period of 2021. For instance, the average import release time has improved by 16% at ACCs, 12% in the case of seaports and ICDs and 2% in ICPs.

With this improvement, the ICPs have achieved the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP) target release time to be achieved by 2023 whereas the other three-port categories have reached 75% of NTFAP target.

Forest fires frequency, intensity went up in past 2 decades: study

Source: This post is based on the article “Forest fires frequency, intensity went up in past 2 decades: study” published in Indian Express on 8th April 2022.

What is the News?

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) has released a study titled ‘Managing Forest Fires in a Changing Climate’.

What are the key findings of the study?

Increase in Forest Fires: There has been a ten-fold increase in forest fires in the past two decades, and more than 62% of Indian states are prone to high-intensity forest fires.

States Prone to Forest Fires: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra are the most prone to high-intensity forest fire events caused by rapid changes in the climate.

State with the highest number of forest fire incidences: Mizoram has had the highest number of forest fire incidences in the last two decades, with more than 95% of its districts being forest fire hotspots.

Extreme Forest Fire Hotspots: More than 75 % of Indian districts are extreme climate event hotspots, and more than 30 % of districts are extreme forest fire hotspots.

Northeastern Region(NER): Most of the NER are also witnessing an increased frequency of forest fire incidences in recent decades.

Prolonged Period of Forest Fire Incidences: The duration that forest fires could take place was two to three months earlier, but it is now nearly six months.

What are the recommendations given by the study?

Recognise Forest Fire as a Disaster: Forest fires should be treated as “natural disasters” and be brought under the National Disaster Management Authority. Moreover, by designating forest fires as natural disasters, there will also be a financial allotment made to manage them.

Develop Forest Fire Alert system: A forest fire only alert system needs to be developed that can provide real-time impact-based alerts.

Enhance adaptive capacity: Capacity-building initiatives targeted at district administrations and forest-dependent communities can avert the extent of loss and damage due to forest fires. For example, Training on high technology-focused equipment (like drones) and nature-based modules (e.g. creating effective forest fire lines) can effectively mitigate the spread of forest fires.

Provide Clean Air Shelters: The state government/ state forest departments (SFDs) should repurpose public buildings like government schools and community halls by fitting them with clean air solutions – like air filters – to create clean air shelters for communities worst impacted by fires and smoke from forest fires.

Axiom-1 Mission: SpaceX capsule carrying 3 paying customers, former NASA astronaut arrives at International Space Station

Source: This post is based on the article “SpaceX capsule carrying 3 paying customers, former NASA astronaut arrives at International Space Station” published in AIR on 10th April 2022.

What is the News?

The first-ever private mission to the International Space Station (ISS) named Axiom-1 has reached the ISS.

What is the Axiom-1 Mission?

Axiom Mission 1(Ax-1) is the first all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. 

Organized by: US Based company Axiom Space.

Launched from: The mission was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is flying on the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour.

Under the mission, the astronauts will spend more than a week conducting scientific research, outreach and commercial activities on the space station.

What is Axiom Space?

Axiom Space is a company that is focusing on making space travel more commercially available. Besides this, it also aims to improve the understanding of space and the human body by bringing researchers into space.

India’s learning poverty has shot up, says World Bank official

Source: This post is based on the article “India’s learning poverty has shot up, says World Bank official” published in The Hindu on 10th April 2022.

What is the News?

According to the World Bank Official, India’s learning poverty has shot up from 54% (before the pandemic) to 70% (after the pandemic).

What is Learning Poverty?

According to the World Bank, Learning Poverty means being unable to read and understand a simple text by the age of 10. 

This indicator brings together schooling and learning indicators. It begins with the share of children who haven’t achieved minimum reading proficiency (as measured in schools) and is adjusted by the proportion of children who are out of school (and are assumed not able to read proficiently).

Significance: The learning poverty indicator allows us to illustrate progress toward SDG 4’s broader goal to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all. 

What can India do now to reduce learning poverty?

– Open Schools and reach every child to ensure that all of them re-enrol.

– Assess learning to know where kids are today.

– Prioritize teaching the fundamentals. 

– Increase catch-up learning. To achieve this, teachers will need to group students within the classroom not according to the grade or according to the age, but according to where they are. 

– Work on emotional support for both children and teachers.

– Reduce the digital divide by investing in not the software or the hardware but the entire digital ecosystem.