Weekly Current Affairs (15th to 21st December 2022) - 1 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Status of Solar Power Projects

Context: Recently, the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy has reported that the government has so far sanctioned the development of solar projects with a capacity of nearly 39,000 MW but only 25% have actually been commissioned so far.

• These solar projects were sanctioned under the ‘Scheme for Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects’.

What is the Scheme for Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects?

About:

• The scheme was rolled out by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy in 2014.
• Under this scheme, it was proposed to set up at least 25 Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects targeting over 20,000 MW of solar power installed capacity within a span of 5 years starting from 2014-15.
  • The capacity of the Scheme was enhanced from 20,000 MW to 40,000 MW. These parks are proposed to be set up by 2021-22.

Implementing Agency:

• The implementing agency is termed as Solar Power Park Developer (SPPD).

Features:

• The scheme envisages supporting the States/UTs in setting up solar parks at various locations in the country with a view to create required infrastructure for setting up of solar power projects.
• The solar parks are developed in collaboration with the State Governments and their agencies, Central Public Sector Undertakings, and private entrepreneurs.

What are the Challenges in Solar Projects Commissioning?

• Hurdles in acquisition of land with clear title.
• A “mismatch” in the time taken to set up a project and the infrastructure to route the power produced to the grid.
• Environmental issues and the halt in economic activity due to COVID-19.
  • In recent years, the habitat of the Great Indian Bustard, a critically endangered species numbering less than 200 in Rajasthan, has been encroached upon by solar power projects particularly by transmission lines that endanger the bird.
• The Supreme Court in April 2022, had directed that power companies lay underground cables in solar parks in Rajasthan, though few companies have actually complied. The government had told the Supreme Court that laying underground cables would greatly raise the cost of solar power.

What is the Overall Status of Solar Energy in India?

• As of October 2022, 61GW of solar power had been installed so far, according to numbers presented in Parliament.
• Further, India has set an ambitious target to achieve a capacity of 175 GW worth of renewable energy by the end of 2022 (100 GW was to be solar power), which expands to 500 GW by 2030. This is the world’s largest expansion plan for renewable energy.
• India was the second-largest market in Asia for new solar PV capacity and third globally. It ranked fourth for total installations (60.4 GW), overtaking Germany (59.2 GW) for the first time.
• As of June 2022, Rajasthan and Gujarat were the top states for large-scale solar, accounting for 53% and 14% of installations, respectively, followed by Maharashtra with 9%.

What Initiatives has India Taken for Solar Energy?

• Solar Park Scheme: The Solar Park Scheme plans to build a number of solar parks, each with a capacity of nearly 500 MW, across several states.
• Rooftop Solar Scheme: The Rooftop Solar Scheme aims to harness solar power by installing solar panels on the roof of houses.
• Atal Jyoti Yojana (AJAY): The AJAY scheme was launched in September 2016 for the installation of solar street lighting (SSL) systems in states with less than 50% of households covered with grid power (as per Census 2011).
• National Solar Mission: It is a major initiative of the Government of India and State Governments to promote ecologically sustainable growth while addressing India's energy security challenge.
• SRISTI Scheme: Sustainable rooftop implementation of Solar transfiguration of India (SRISTI) scheme to promote rooftop solar power projects in India.
• International Solar Alliance (ISA): The ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India and France to mobilize efforts against climate change through the deployment of solar energy solutions.

Manual Scavenging

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJ&E) told Lok Sabha that no person had died from Manual Scavenging in the last three years (2019 to 2022).

• A total of 233 people had died “due to accidents while undertaking hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks' in this time period.

What is Manual Scavenging?

• Manual scavenging is defined as “the removal of human excrement from public streets and dry latrines, cleaning septic tanks, gutters and sewers”.
• India banned the practice under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (PEMSR).
  • The Act bans the use of any individual manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of or otherwise handling in any manner human excreta till its disposal.
  • The Act recognizes manual scavenging as a “dehumanizing practice”.

What are the Reasons for the Prevalence of Manual Scavenging?

• Indifferent Attitude: A number of independent surveys have talked about the continued reluctance on the part of state governments to admit that the practice prevails under their watch.
• Issues due to Outsourcing: Many times, local bodies outsource sewer cleaning tasks to private contractors. However, many of them fly-by-night operators, do not maintain proper rolls of sanitation workers. In case after case of workers being asphyxiated to death, these contractors have denied any association with the deceased.
• Social Issue: The practice is driven by caste, class and income divides. It is linked to India’s caste system where so-called lower castes are expected to perform this job. In 1993, India banned the employment of people as manual scavengers (The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993), however, the stigma and discrimination associated with it still linger on. This makes it difficult for liberated manual scavengers to secure alternative livelihoods.

What are the Steps taken to tackle the Menace of Manual Scavenging?

• The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020: It proposes to completely mechanise sewer cleaning, introduce ways for ‘on-site’ protection and provide compensation to manual scavengers in case of sewer deaths. It will be an amendment to The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. It is still awaiting cabinet approval.
• The Building and Maintenance of Insanitary Latrines Act of 2013: It outlaws' construction or maintenance of unsanitary toilets, and the hiring of anybody for their manual scavenging, as well as of hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. It also provides a constitutional responsibility to provide alternative jobs and other assistance to manual scavenging communities, as reparation for historical injustice and indignity.
• Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act, 1989: In 1989, the Prevention of Atrocities Act became an integrated guard for sanitation workers, more than 90% people employed as manual scavengers belonged to the Scheduled Caste. This became an important landmark to free manual scavengers from designated traditional occupations.
• Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge: It was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on World Toilet Day (19th November) in 2020. The Government launched this “challenge” for all states to make sewer-cleaning mechanised by April 2021 — if any human needs to enter a sewer line in case of unavoidable emergency, proper gear and oxygen tanks, etc., are to be provided.
• Swachhta Abhiyan App: It has been developed to identify and geotag the data of insanitary latrines and manual scavengers so that the insanitary latrines can be replaced with sanitary latrines and rehabilitate all the manual scavengers to provide dignity of life to them.
• National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE): The NAMASTE scheme is being undertaken jointly by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the MoSJ&E and aims to eradicate unsafe sewer and septic tank cleaning practices.
• SC Judgment: In 2014, a Supreme Court order made it mandatory for the government to identify all those who died in sewage work since 1993 and provide Rs. 10 lakh each as compensation to their families.

Way Forward

• With Swachh Bharat Mission identified as a top priority area by the 15th Finance Commission and funds available for smart cities and urban development providing for a strong case to address the problem of manual scavenging.
• To address the social sanction behind manual scavenging, it is required first to acknowledge and then understand how and why manual scavenging continues to be embedded in the caste system.
• The state and society need to take active interest in the issue and look into all possible options to accurately assess and subsequently eradicate this practice.

Base Editing

Context: Recently, scientists in the United Kingdom (UK) have successfully tested a new form of cancer therapy, ‘Base Editing’ for the time in a patient with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL).

What is Base Editing?

• Bases are the language of life. Just as letters in the alphabet spell out words that carry meaning, the billions of bases in our Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) spell out the instruction manual for our body.
  • A mis-arrangement in the sequence of bases may cause cancer.
• Using the technique of base editing, the molecular structure of just one base in a genetic code can be altered, effectively changing its genetic instructions.
  • Genetic code refers to the instructions contained in a gene that tell a cell how to make a specific protein.
  • Each genetic code uses the four nucleotide bases of DNA: Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G) and Thymine (T) — in various ways to spell out three-letter “codons” that specify which amino acid is needed at each position within a protein.
• Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) technology is one of the most popular approaches that allows the genes to be altered, thereby, fixing the errors.
  • This method has been further improvised to be able to directly change certain bases such as a C can be changed into a G and T into an A.

What is CRISPR Technology?

• CRISPR is a gene editing technology, by which research scientists selectively modify the DNA of living organisms using a special protein called Cas9.
• CRISPR/Cas9 edits genes by precisely cutting DNA and then letting natural DNA repair processes to take over. The system consists of two parts: the Cas9 enzyme and a guide Ribonucleic Acid (RNA).
  • Cas9: a CRISPR-associated (Cas) endonuclease, or enzyme, that acts as “molecular scissors” to cut DNA at a location specified by a guide RNA.
  • Guide RNA (gRNA): a type of RNA molecule that binds to Cas9 and specifies, based on the sequence of the gRNA, the location at which Cas9 will cut DNA.
• CRISPR-Cas9 technology is often described as ‘Genetic Scissors’.
• Its mechanism is often compared to the ‘cut-copy-paste’, or ‘find-replace’ functionalities in common computer programmes.
• A bad stretch in the DNA sequence, which is the cause of disease or disorder, is located, cut, and removed and then replaced with a ‘correct’ sequence.
• The technology replicates a natural defence mechanism in some bacteria that uses a similar method to protect itself from virus attacks.

What is T-ALL?

• It affects the stem cells in the bone marrow that produce a particular kind of White Blood Cells (WBCs) called T lymphocytes (T-cells).
  • T-cells provide a person with immunity by killing cells carrying infections, activating other immune cells, and regulating the immune response.
• T-ALL is a rapid and progressive type of blood cancer in which the T-cells start destroying healthy cells instead of helping in immunity (that’s T-cells’ normal function).
• It is usually treated by chemotherapy, radiation therapy and stem cell/bone marrow transplant.

Methane Emissions

Context: Recently a study has been published titled- “Wetland emission and atmospheric sink changes explain methane growth in 2020’, which states that low nitrogen oxide pollution and warming wetlands likely drove global methane emissions to record high levels in 2020.

What are the Findings?

Overview:

• Global methane emissions reached roughly 15 parts per billion (ppb) in 2020 from 9.9 ppb in 2019.
• In 2020, methane emissions from human activities decreased by 1.2 teragrams (Tg) per year.

Contributors:

• Methane emissions from oil and natural gas decreased by 3.1 Tg per year compared to 2019. Contributions from coal mining decreased by 1.3 Tg per year. Fire emissions, too, dropped by 6.5 Tg per year.
  • Globally, fire emissions appear to have fallen in 2020 compared to 2019, the researchers wrote in the study.
• Contributions from the agricultural sector went up by 1.6 Tg per year.
• Wetland emissions rose by 6.0 Tg per year.

Causes:

• Water‐logged soils make conditions ripe for soil microorganisms, allowing them to produce more methane.
• Nitrogen oxide levels fell by 6% in 2020 from 2019. Less nitrogen oxide pollution means less hydroxyl and more methane.
• Nitrogen oxide enters the atmosphere from exhaust gasses of cars and trucks as well as electrical power generation plants.
• Nitrogen oxide (NOx) can impact methane levels. In the troposphere — the upper part of the atmosphere — NOx combines with ozone to form hydroxyl radicals.
  • These radicals, in turn, remove 85 % of methane annually from the atmosphere.
• The contribution of hydroxyl radicals in removing methane decreased by roughly 7.5 Tg per year.
• Roughly 53 % of the methane growth can be attributed to lower hydroxyl sink, and the remaining 47 % from natural sources, predominantly wetlands.

What is the Significance of the Study?

• It can help unravel a puzzle concerning why globally methane increased when many other greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide decreased during 2020.
• The results have significant implications for our ability to reliably predict methane changes in a future world with lower anthropogenic emissions of pollutants like nitrogen oxides and also if we have a wetter world.

What is Methane?

• About: Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon, consisting of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms (CH4). It is flammable, and is used as a fuel worldwide. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years of its lifetime in the atmosphere. The common sources of methane are oil and natural gas systems, agricultural activities, coal mining and wastes.
• Impact: More Global Warming Potential: It is nearly 80-85 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of its global warming capacity. This makes it a critical target for reducing global warming more quickly while simultaneously working to reduce other greenhouse gases. Promotes Generation of Tropospheric Ozone: Increasing emissions are driving a rise in tropospheric ozone air pollution, which causes more than one million premature deaths annually.

What are the Initiatives to Tackle Methane Emissions?

Indian:

• ‘Harit Dhara’ (HD): Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed an anti-methanogenic feed supplement ‘Harit Dhara’ (HD), which can cut down cattle methane emissions by 17-20% and can also result in higher milk production.
• India Greenhouse Gas Program: The India GHG Program led by WRI India (non-profit organization), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is an industry-led voluntary framework to measure and manage greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The programme builds comprehensive measurement and management strategies to reduce emissions and drive more profitable, competitive and sustainable businesses and organisations in India.
• National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): NAPCC was launched in 2008 which aims at creating awareness among the representatives of the public, different agencies of the government, scientists, industry and the communities on the threat posed by climate change and the steps to counter it.
• Bharat Stage-VI Norms: India shifted from Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) to Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission norms.

Global:

• Methane Alert and Response System (MARS): MARS will integrate data from a large number of existing and future satellites that have the ability to detect methane emission events anywhere in the world, and send out notifications to the relevant stakeholders to act on it.
• Global Methane Pledge: At the Glasgow climate conference (UNFCCC COP 26) in 2021, nearly 100 countries had come together in a voluntary pledge, referred to as the Global Methane Pledge, to cut methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 from the 2020 levels.
• Global Methane Initiative (GMI): It is an international public-private partnership focused on reducing barriers to the recovery and use of methane as a clean energy source.

Vijay Diwas and Indo Bangladesh Relations

Context: Every year 16th December is observed by Indian Armed Forces and Bangladesh as Vijay Diwas (Bijoy Dibos) to mark India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war and the birth of Bangladesh as an independent nation.

What are the Key Points about the Indo-Pak War for Bangladesh Liberation?

• Background: Pakistan right after India’s independence consisted of East and West Pak where a major problem was the geographical disconnect between the two regions. Cultural conflicts and negligence of East Pak’s administration were also challenges. In the mid-1960s, leaders such as Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (the founding father of Bangladesh), actively began protesting against the policies of West Pak which was followed by a brutal crackdown by the Pakistani military.
• India’s Role: On 15 May 1971, India launched Operation Jackpot to recruit, train, arm, equip, supply and advise Mukti Bahini fighters engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Pakistan military. On 3rd December 1971, India decided to go on a war with Pakistan to save Bengali Muslims and Hindus in East Pakistan. The war lasted for 13 days. After that, a written agreement between India, Pakistan and the provisional government of Bangladesh came into effect bringing an end to the Bangladesh Liberation War.
• Significance: 51 years ago, on 16th December, the largest surrender of military personnel took place since the end of World War II. The chief of the Pakistani forces surrendered unconditionally to the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini in Dhaka. Victory Day celebrations are of importance to not only Bangladesh but also marks a special occasion celebrated across India which bears testimony to the pivotal role of the Indian military and its contribution to the war.

How are India’s Relations with Bangladesh since Its Independence?

• India’s Immediate Recognition: India was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh and establish diplomatic relations immediately after its independence in December 1971. The UN member nations were also quick to recognise Bangladesh’s independent identity.
• Defence Cooperation: India and Bangladesh share 4096.7 km. of border; the longest land boundary that India shares with any of its neighbours. Assam, West Bengal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Tripura share borders with Bangladesh. The two also conduct Joint exercises - Army (Exercise Sampriti) and Navy (Exercise Milan).
• Economic Relations: In 2021-22, Bangladesh has emerged as the largest trade partner for India in South Asia and the fourth largest destination for Indian exports worldwide. Exports to Bangladesh grew more than 66% from USD 9.69 billion in FY 2020-21 to USD 16.15 billion in FY 2021-22. Recently, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh visited India and held talks with Indian Prime Minister where India and Bangladesh signed 7 agreements for cooperation in various areas.
• Key Challenges in Relations: Despite the remarkable progress, the unresolved Teesta water sharing issue looms large. The problem of Bangladeshi civilians being shooted at the border has also dented relations; these shootings occur as many Bangladeshi people try to illegally migrate into India. Despite its ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’, India has been losing its influence in the region to China; Bangladesh is an active partner of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Way Forward

• Bangladesh is South-Asian region’s fastest growing economy, with social indicators that other countries, including India, can learn. This is the vital link with which India can realise the full potential of either the economic or strategic underpinnings of its Neighbourhood First policy.

World Bank Report on Air Pollution

Context: Recently, the World Bank released a report titled 'Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia'.

• The report details how persisting with policies currently being implemented (largely since 2018) will yield results but not to the desired level.

What are the Highlights of the Report?

Airsheds:

• Six large airsheds exist in South Asia, where the air quality in one can affect the air quality in another. They are:
  • West/Central Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) that included Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab (India), Haryana, part of Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh.
  • Central/Eastern IGP: Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bangladesh
  • Middle India: Odisha/Chhattisgarh
  • Middle India: Eastern Gujarat/Western Maharashtra
  • Northern/Central Indus River Plain: Pakistan, part of Afghanistan; and
  • Southern Indus Plain and further west: South Pakistan, Western Afghanistan extending into Eastern Iran.
• When the wind direction was predominantly northwest to the southeast, 30% of the air pollution in Indian Punjab came from the Punjab Province in Pakistan and, on average, 30% of the air pollution in the largest cities of Bangladesh (Dhaka, Chittagong, and Khulna) originated in India. In some years, substantial pollution flowed in the other direction across borders.

Exposure to PM 2.5:

• Currently over 60% of South Asians are exposed to an average 35 µg/m3 of PM2.5 annually.
• In some parts of the IGP it spiked to as much as 100 µg/m3 – nearly 20 times the upper limit of 5 µg/m3 recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Dominant Sources of Air Pollution:

• Large industries, power plants and vehicles are dominant sources of air pollution around the world, but in South Asia, other sources make substantial additional contributions.
• These include combustion of solid fuels for cooking and heating, emissions from small industries such as brick kilns, burning of municipal and agricultural waste, and cremation.

What are the Suggestions?

• Reducing Airsheds: Governmental measures can reduce particulate matter, but significant reductions in airsheds require coordinated policies across the airsheds. If Delhi National Capital Territory were to fully implement all air pollution control measures by 2030 while other parts of South Asia continued to follow current policies, it wouldn’t keep pollution exposure below 35 µg/m3. However, if other parts of South Asia also adopted all feasible measures it would bring pollution below that number.
• Changing Approach: South Asian countries including India need to change their approach in order to improve air quality and reduce pollutants to levels considered acceptable by the WHO.
• Close Coordination Required: Curbing air pollution requires not only tackling its specific sources, but also close coordination across local and national jurisdictional boundaries. Regional cooperation can help implement cost-effective joint strategies that leverage the interdependent nature of air quality. The most cost-effective one, which calls for full coordination between airsheds, would cut the average exposure of PM 2.5 in South Asia to 30 µg/m³ at a cost of USD 278 million per µg/mᶾ of reduced exposure and save more than 7,50,000 lives annually.