ICAT Releases India’s 1st BS – VI Certificate in Two Wheeler Segment

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) released India’s first Type Approval Certificate (TAC) for Bharat Stage - VI (BS – VI) norms for the two wheeler segment.

Bharat stage Norms:

Bharat Stage norms are the automotive emission norms which the automotive manufacturers have to comply to sell their vehicles in India.
These norms are applicable to all two wheelers, three wheelers, four wheelers and construction equipment vehicles.
To curb growing menace of air pollution through the vehicles emission, the Government of India has decided to leapfrog from the exiting BS – IV norms to the BS- VI,
Thereby skipping the BS – V norms, and to implement the BS – VI norms with effect from 1st April 2020.
Only those vehicles will be sold and registered in India from 1st April 2020 onwards, which comply with these norms. The norms are stringent and at par with global standards.

International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT)

ICAT is the premier testing and certification agency authorized by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for providing testing and certification services to the vehicle and component manufacturers in India and abroad
It has the latest equipment, facilities and capabilities to develop, validate, test and certify the engines and vehicles for the latest norms in the field of emission and many other facilities like crash lab, NVH lab, EMC lab and test tracks.

Source :- PIB

Commerce Minister emphasizes on reciprocal market access for Indian goods

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests

Context :

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, held a series of bilateral talks with a number of countries on the sidelines of the two day G20 Ministerial on Trade and the Digital Economy in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.

Key Highlights of the meeting :

Minister emphasized the need for reciprocal market access for Indian products.
He called for de-escalating trade tensions and reviving confidence in the rules based multilateral trading system which all countries had so meticulously created.
India urges G20 to provide preferential market access to MSMEs in developing countries to be part of the Global supply chains.
The deliberations on trade, investment and digital economy will feed into the Osaka Summit Declaration.

Source :- PIB

RK Singh reviews the issues pertaining to Renewable Energy sector

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

Context :

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy held a meeting to review various issues pertaining to the Renewable Energy (RE) sector.

Key Highlights :

In an attempt to further boost India’s emerging green economy, the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) would try to impress upon the Reserve Bank of India for removal of the priority sector lending limit for the renewable energy sector.
This will encourage the PSBs (public sector banks) to lend more for RE (renewable energy) projects and help RE developers access easy finance.
In the meeting Shri RK Singh also asked the Banks/Financial Institutes to categorize RE as separate sector different from power sector so that funds would flow to RE projects…The Minister also requested banks to come forward to lend to RE sector.
On the issue of delays in land acquisition for RE projects, the Minister said that SECI will be tying up with State Governments for the land.
The Minister said that every measure needs to be taken to promote manufacturing in RE sector in the country, including corrections of duty structure and approval of a scheme to provide capital subsidy.

Source :- PIB

Kerala to amend rules for elephant care

GS PAPER - 03 ENVIRONMENT - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Context :

The government will amend the rules to ensure that captive elephants in Kerala are looked after well.

Need of the amendment :

The amendment comes in the wake of the increasing harassment of elephants.
In 2018, the Forest Minister said, 34 captive elephants died in the State and a committee that looked into the issue had cited lack of proper rest and upkeep as the major reasons.

More about the news:

It will ensure that captive elephants are looked after well and given proper diet and rest and the prescribed guidelines are followed while they are taken for public functions and festivals.
The number of captive elephants in the State had come down from 521 to 507 as 14 deaths had been reported after the first ever census of captive elephants held on November 29 last year by the Forests and Wildlife Department.
For implementing the guidelines, a mobile and web application has been prepared and online monitoring has commenced.
A database of captive elephants was ready with the department on the basis of the findings of the census.
The Minister said medical certificates had been made mandatory for captive elephants aged four years and above for parading at public functions.

Source :- The Hindu

Ryots sow seeds of defiance

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

Shetkari Sanghatana, a farmers’ body in Maharashtra, has organised a “civil disobedience” movement where they sowed unapproved Genetically Modified seeds of cotton and brinjal as a mark of protest against the central government’s indecisiveness in approving the next generation of genetically modified (GM) cotton.

Issue :

The repeated outbreak of pink bollworm infestation on cotton crops despite farmers using BG-2, Monsanto’s second generational insecticidal technology for cotton has been blamed by the farmers’ body on Indian government’s ban on testing further enhanced version of the seed.

Genetically Modified or GM Crops :

Genetically Modified or GM Crops are that type of plants whose DNA has been modified through genetic engineering for imbedding a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species.
Foods produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM foods.
The only GM crop permitted for cultivation in India by the Central Government is Bt cotton.
Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) is apex body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change for regulating manufacturing, use, import, export and storage of hazardous microorganisms or genetically engineered organisms (GMOs) and cells in the country.

Source :- The Hindu

Donate excess food, says Health Ministry

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

At the first-ever World Food Safety Day (7th June) celebration organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Union Health Minister has advocated “zero food wastage” campaign in restaurants.

Issue :

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that, every year, a third of food produced does not even reach the table.
The UN estimates nearly 40% of the food produced in India is wasted or lost, and adds that food wastage in India is happening at every level — from harvesting, transporting and processing to packaging and consuming.
Weddings, events, restaurants, hostels and houses are a major source of wastage of cooked food.

Key Recommendations :

Excess food must be distributed among the poor and kitchen wet waste must be turned into compost.
Doing this successfully requires action at every level As individuals, we can fight food waste by cooking less, sharing with neighbours, buying ugly produce, composting, and raising awareness among our communities.
But systematic changes across major industries are also necessary to tackle the global issue of food waste.

Source :- The Hindu

PM seeks five-year road map for each Ministry

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

Secretaries to the Government of India have been tasked with creating a five-year road map for each Ministry with well-defined targets.

More about the news:

In their first meeting with Prime Minister after his re-election, Secretaries to the Government of India have been tasked with creating a five-year road map for each Ministry with well-defined targets.
PM opined that each department had a role to play in making India a five-trillion dollar economy.
While asking each Ministry to focus on ‘ease of living’, the Prime Minister added that India’s progress in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ should reflect in greater facilitation for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Speaking of the demographic dividend, the Prime Minister said it is essential that the demographics be utilised efficiently. He touched upon the importance of the “Make in India” initiative, and the need to make tangible progress towards this end.
He also stressed upon the need to increase the use of technology in governance and also to give due importance to aspirational district.
Looking forward, the Cabinet Secretary mentioned two important tasks which would be placed before Sectoral Groups of Secretaries:
- A five year plan document for each Ministry, with well-defined targets and milestones.
- A significant impactful decision in each Ministry, for which approvals will be taken within 100 days.
During the interaction, various Secretaries shared their vision and ideas on subjects such as administrative decision-making, agriculture, rural development and Panchayati Raj, IT initiatives, education reform, healthcare, industrial policy, economic growth, skill development, etc.

Source :- The Hindu

‘Iran has accelerated uranium enrichment’

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian diaspora.

Context :

Iran has followed through on a threat to accelerate its production of enriched uranium, the head of the UN atomic watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA said.

Background :

U.S.-Iranian confrontation has sharply increased.
Washington tightened sanctions from the start of May, ordering all countries and companies to halt all imports of Iranian oil or be banished from the global financial system.
It has also begun discussing military confrontation, dispatching extra troops to the region to counter what it describes as Iranian threats.
A year ago Washington abandoned an agreement between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of international financial sanctions.

More about the news:

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano, whose agency is responsible for monitoring Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal, said Iran was now producing more enriched uranium than before, but it was not clear when it might reach stockpile limits set in the pact.
Iran said last month it was still abiding by the deal but would quadruple its production of enriched uranium — a move that could take it out of compliance if stockpiles rise too far.
It demanded that European countries do more to shield it from sanctions.
France, Britain and Germany have set up a special-purpose vehicle called Instex, designed to allow payments to Iran that would legally bypass sanctions. It has yet to be launched.

Issue :

Washington says the nuclear deal should be expanded to cover other issues including Iran’s missile programme and its role in wars in the region.
European countries say they share those concerns, although they argue that it would be harder to address them without the nuclear deal in place.
Iran strongly opposes any effort to expand negotiations to cover other issues.

Source :- The Hindu

First gene-edited babies at early death risk: study

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context :

According to a recent study by scientists,the world’s first babies whose genes were altered by the Chinese scientists are more likely to die younger.

Key Findings :

The researchers found that people who had two mutated copies of the gene had a significantly higher death rate between ages 41 and 78 than those with one or no copies.
Previous studies have associated two mutated copies of the gene, CCR5, with a fourfold increase in the death rate after influenza infection, and the higher overall mortality rate may reflect this greater susceptibility to death from the flu.
However,scientists have searched for a repository of human subjects DNA to look for the same variants of the CCR5 that the Chinese scientists gave to the children.
The scientists have found that the same genome that might grant greater immunity from HIV also makes people vulnerable to dangerous flus and West Nile virus.
C-C chemokine receptor type 5 which is also known as CCR5 or CD195 is a protein on the surface of white blood cells that is involved in the immune system as it acts as a receptor for chemokines.

Source :- The Hindu

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11th JUNE 2019 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

ICAT Releases India’s 1st BS – VI Certificate in Two Wheeler Segment

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) released India’s first Type Approval Certificate (TAC) for Bharat Stage - VI (BS – VI) norms for the two wheeler segment.

Bharat stage Norms:

Bharat Stage norms are the automotive emission norms which the automotive manufacturers have to comply to sell their vehicles in India.

These norms are applicable to all two wheelers, three wheelers, four wheelers and construction equipment vehicles.

To curb growing menace of air pollution through the vehicles emission, the Government of India has decided to leapfrog from the exiting BS – IV norms to the BS- VI,

Thereby skipping the BS – V norms, and to implement the BS – VI norms with effect from 1st April 2020.

Only those vehicles will be sold and registered in India from 1st April 2020 onwards, which comply with these norms. The norms are stringent and at par with global standards.

International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT)

ICAT is the premier testing and certification agency authorized by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for providing testing and certification services to the vehicle and component manufacturers in India and abroad

It has the latest equipment, facilities and capabilities to develop, validate, test and certify the engines and vehicles for the latest norms in the field of emission and many other facilities like crash lab, NVH lab, EMC lab and test tracks.

Source :- PIB

Commerce Minister emphasizes on reciprocal market access for Indian goods

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests

Context :

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, held a series of bilateral talks with a number of countries on the sidelines of the two day G20 Ministerial on Trade and the Digital Economy in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.

Key Highlights of the meeting :

Minister emphasized the need for reciprocal market access for Indian products.

He called for de-escalating trade tensions and reviving confidence in the rules based multilateral trading system which all countries had so meticulously created.

India urges G20 to provide preferential market access to MSMEs in developing countries to be part of the Global supply chains.

The deliberations on trade, investment and digital economy will feed into the Osaka Summit Declaration.

Source :- PIB

RK Singh reviews the issues pertaining to Renewable Energy sector

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

Context :

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy held a meeting to review various issues pertaining to the Renewable Energy (RE) sector.

Key Highlights :

In an attempt to further boost India’s emerging green economy, the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) would try to impress upon the Reserve Bank of India for removal of the priority sector lending limit for the renewable energy sector.

This will encourage the PSBs (public sector banks) to lend more for RE (renewable energy) projects and help RE developers access easy finance.

In the meeting Shri RK Singh also asked the Banks/Financial Institutes to categorize RE as separate sector different from power sector so that funds would flow to RE projects…The Minister also requested banks to come forward to lend to RE sector.

On the issue of delays in land acquisition for RE projects, the Minister said that SECI will be tying up with State Governments for the land.

The Minister said that every measure needs to be taken to promote manufacturing in RE sector in the country, including corrections of duty structure and approval of a scheme to provide capital subsidy.

Source :- PIB

Kerala to amend rules for elephant care

GS PAPER - 03 ENVIRONMENT - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Context :

The government will amend the rules to ensure that captive elephants in Kerala are looked after well.

Need of the amendment :

The amendment comes in the wake of the increasing harassment of elephants.

In 2018, the Forest Minister said, 34 captive elephants died in the State and a committee that looked into the issue had cited lack of proper rest and upkeep as the major reasons.

More about the news:

It will ensure that captive elephants are looked after well and given proper diet and rest and the prescribed guidelines are followed while they are taken for public functions and festivals.

The number of captive elephants in the State had come down from 521 to 507 as 14 deaths had been reported after the first ever census of captive elephants held on November 29 last year by the Forests and Wildlife Department.

For implementing the guidelines, a mobile and web application has been prepared and online monitoring has commenced.

A database of captive elephants was ready with the department on the basis of the findings of the census.

The Minister said medical certificates had been made mandatory for captive elephants aged four years and above for parading at public functions.

Source :- The Hindu

Ryots sow seeds of defiance

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

Issue :

The repeated outbreak of pink bollworm infestation on cotton crops despite farmers using BG-2, Monsanto’s second generational insecticidal technology for cotton has been blamed by the farmers’ body on Indian government’s ban on testing further enhanced version of the seed.

Genetically Modified or GM Crops :

Genetically Modified or GM Crops are that type of plants whose DNA has been modified through genetic engineering for imbedding a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species.

Foods produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM foods.

The only GM crop permitted for cultivation in India by the Central Government is Bt cotton.

Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) is apex body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change for regulating manufacturing, use, import, export and storage of hazardous microorganisms or genetically engineered organisms (GMOs) and cells in the country.

Source :- The Hindu

Donate excess food, says Health Ministry

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

At the first-ever World Food Safety Day (7th June) celebration organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Union Health Minister has advocated “zero food wastage” campaign in restaurants.

Issue :

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that, every year, a third of food produced does not even reach the table.

The UN estimates nearly 40% of the food produced in India is wasted or lost, and adds that food wastage in India is happening at every level — from harvesting, transporting and processing to packaging and consuming.

Weddings, events, restaurants, hostels and houses are a major source of wastage of cooked food.

Key Recommendations :

Excess food must be distributed among the poor and kitchen wet waste must be turned into compost.

Doing this successfully requires action at every level As individuals, we can fight food waste by cooking less, sharing with neighbours, buying ugly produce, composting, and raising awareness among our communities.

But systematic changes across major industries are also necessary to tackle the global issue of food waste.

Source :- The Hindu

PM seeks five-year road map for each Ministry

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

Secretaries to the Government of India have been tasked with creating a five-year road map for each Ministry with well-defined targets.

More about the news:

In their first meeting with Prime Minister after his re-election, Secretaries to the Government of India have been tasked with creating a five-year road map for each Ministry with well-defined targets.

11^th JUNE 2019 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS