POLITY AND GOVERNANCE                                                             

1. Google not required to apply 'right to be forgotten' worldwide: European Court of Justice                                                                

2. Economic Advisory Council                                                               

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS                                                          

1. Modi to inaugurate ‘Gandhi Solar Park’ at UN headquarters               

ECONOMY                                                                                             

1. What is Participatory Guarantee Scheme(PGS), the heart of the organic food production industry?                                                     

2. ADB cuts India’s GDP growth forecast to 6.5% for FY20                    

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY                                                       

1. Recycle, reuse policy to drive India’s plan to become resource efficient                                                                                                       

2. No more waste mounds on Siachen glacier                                     

3. First in pollution control: how Surat industries will trade particulate matter                                                                                           

SECURITY                                                                                            

1. India-US Tri-Services 'Exercise Tiger Triumph'                                 

2. Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Varaha’                                                   

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

Google not required to apply 'right to be forgotten' worldwide: European Court of Justice

GS PAPER - 02 POLITY - Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

Context :

• Recently, the European Court of Justice has allowed Google not to remove the links related to sensitive personal data worldwide.

Background :

• The case between France and Google to remove sensitive information available globally on the Google related to certain class of people was a test of whether individuals have the right to demand the removal of personal data from internet search results without stifling free speech and legitimate public interest.

• The court in its judgment limited the reach of the online privacy law known as ‘right to be forgotten’, restricting people’s ability to control what information is available about them on the internet and stated that the balance between privacy and free speech must be taken into account while deciding if websites should be delisted over the internet.

Right to be Forgotten in Indian Context :

• Right to be forgotten refers to the ability of an individual to limit, delink, delete, or correct the disclosure of the personal information on the internet that is misleading, embarrassing, or irrelevant.
   

  • It allows for the lawful removal of personal information of an individual if such request is made.

• The right to be forgotten is distinct from the right to privacy because the right to privacy comprises of the information that is not publicly known, whereas the right to be forgotten involves removing information that was publicly known at a certain time and not allowing third parties to access the information.

            Legislative provision :

• The section 69A of the IT Act and the Information Technology (Reasonable security practices and procedures and sensitive personal data or information) Rules, 2011 hold relevance, there is a dearth of clarity about the parameters of an individual’s right to be forgotten and what restrictions can be imposed on the same.

Recommendations of the committee:

• Only Section 27 of the draft Data Protection bill has listed out three scenarios in which an individual will have the right to restrict or prevent continuing disclosure of personal data, also known as the right to be forgotten.

• This will be applicable if data disclosure is no longer necessary, or the consent to use data has been withdrawn, or if data is being used contrary to the provisions of the law.

Judicial verdict :

• The Karnataka High Court upheld a woman’s right to be forgotten stating that the right is in line with the trend in the western countries. In the sensitive cases involving women in general and highly sensitive cases involving rape or affecting the modesty and reputation of the person concerned, it must be adhered to.

• The Delhi High Court, in another case had asked from the Centre and Google whether the right to privacy included the right to delink from the Internet the irrelevant information

                                                                                                                        Source :- The Hindu

Economic Advisory Council

GS PAPER - 02 POLITY - Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive

Context :

• Government of India has reconstituted the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister(EAC-PM) for a period of two years with effect from 26th September 2019.

Economic Advisory Council :

• Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister(EAC-PM)  is a non-constitutional, non-permanent and independent body constituted to give economic advice to the Government of India, specifically the Prime Minister.

Term of Reference :

• Analyzing any issue, economic or otherwise, referred to it by the Prime Minister and advising the PM.

• Addressing issues of macroeconomic importance and presenting views thereon to the Prime Minister.This could be either suo-moto or on a reference from the Prime Minister.

Members :

• The PMEAC is chaired by a Chairperson and consists of eminent economists as members.

• It is supported in its functions by a team of officials and administrators.

• There is no fixed definition on the exact number of members and staff of the PMEAC.

                                                                                                                                Source :- PIB

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Modi to inaugurate ‘Gandhi Solar Park’ at UN headquarters

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Context :

• In tribute to Gandhi, PM Modi inaugurates Solar Park & Peace Garden at UN HQ

Gandhi Solar Park :

• The Gandhi Solar Park is a first of its kind symbolic Indian effort at the UN that highlights India’s willingness to go beyond the talk on climate change and climate action.

• It is a 50 kWh roof-top solar park which has 193 solar panels each  representing a member of the multilateral body.

• The energy generated in the park is equivalent to energy that would have been created through the use of 30,000 kg of coal.

• The park also has a carbon sequestration of 1,000 seedlings which will grow into trees over 10 years.

Gandhi peace Garden :

• Gandhi Peace Garden is an initiative under which Consulate General of India in New York, Shanti Fund NGO and the State University of New York-Old Westbury have entered into an agreement to plant 150 trees.

• It is a crowdsourced project with people adopting trees in memory of their loved ones at the State University of New York-Old Westbury campus.

• The garden is dedicated in memory of Mahatma Gandhi and seeks to underline that his principles act as a moral compass as world grapples with challenges of climate change, terrorism and corruption.

                                                                                                                                                         Source :- The Hindu

ECONOMY

What is Participatory Guarantee Scheme(PGS), the heart of the organic food production industry?

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

• India’s food safety regulator has said that Union Agriculture Ministry’s Participatory Guarantee Scheme(PGS) should incentivise more farmers to grow organic food.

Participatory Guarantee Scheme(PGS) :

• PGS is a process of certifying organic products, which ensures that their production takes place in accordance with laid-down quality standards.

  • The certification is in the form of a documented logo or a statement.

• Participatory Guarantee System –India (PGS-India) is a decentralised organic farming certification system.

• The system certifies organic products maintaining the requisite quality standards including ensuring that the cultivation and production process is done complying the standards laid down for organic product.

• The scheme is implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.

Four pillars of PGS :

• PARTICIPATION:

  • Direct communication among the stakeholders helps create an integrity- and trust-based approach with transparency in decision-making, easy access to databases and, where possible, visits to farms by consumers.

• SHARED VISION:

  • Each stakeholder organisation or PGS group can adopt its own vision conforming to the overall vision and standards of the PGS-India programme.

• TRANSPARENCY:

  • Transparency is maintained through the active participation of producers in the organic guarantee process, which can include information-sharing at meetings and workshops, peer reviews, and involvement in decisionmaking.

• TRUST:

  • A fundamental premise of PGS is the idea that producers can be trusted, and that the organic guarantee system can be an expression and verification of this trust.

  • The mechanisms for trustworthiness include a producer pledge made through a witnessed signing of a declaration, and written collective undertakings by the group to abide by the norms, principles and standards of PGS.

Advantages :

• PGS helps small and marginal farmers to easily get access to organic certification.

• It is cost effective, hassle-free and most important of all farmer-friendly.

• It helps in increasing domestic demand for organic produce.

• It also provides training to farmers in the management of documents and fulfilment of requirements that are needed for the certification process.

Limitations :

• PGS certification is only for farmers or communities that can organise and perform as a group within a village or a cluster of contiguous villages.

• The individual farmers or groups of farmers smaller than five members are not covered under PGS.

                                                                                                                                                Source :- Indian Express

ADB cuts India’s GDP growth forecast to 6.5% for FY20

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

Context :

• Asian Development Bank has released an update to its flagship Asian Development Outlook,2019.

Key Highlights :

• The Asian Development Bank on Wednesday slashed its growth forecast for India for fiscal 2019-20 to 6.5% from 7% projected in July.

  • The growth was lowered due to weaker growth in the first quarter due to a slowdown in consumption and investment activities that hit manufacturing and service sectors.

• ADB said proactive policy interventions along with a recovery in domestic demand and investments will likely see the economy pick up to 7.2% in 2020-21.

• The reports further says that, significant corporate tax cuts, announced by the government on 20 September, will boost private investment, including foreign direct investments, and enhance India’s global competitiveness.

  • Bank recapitalization, support measures for nonbanking financial companies, and cuts in monetary policy rates should improve the health of the financial sector, while increasing the credit flow to industry and infrastructure projects

• The report further says that direct income support for small farmers, a tax relief for low-income taxpayers, and reduced loan interest rates are expected to boost rural and urban consumption across the country.

• Foreign direct investment could get a boost in 2019-20 and 2020-21 as the trade tensions between the United States and the People’s Republic of China may push some businesses to move part of their operations to India.

• Indian exports are likely to be hit by subdued overseas demand and rising trade tensions, and the current account deficit will be 2.2% in 2019-20 and 2.5% in FY2020.

• However, the ADB cautioned that risks remain tilted to the downside due to the weak global economy and slowdown in the consumption on domestic front.           

                                                                                                                       Source :- The Hindu

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

Recycle, reuse policy to drive India’s plan to become resource efficient

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

Context :

• The Union environment ministry has drafted a National Resource Efficiency Policy, aiming to double the recycling rate of key materials to 50% in the next five years and enable upcycling of waste.

Why such a move?

• In the backdrop of the concerns over depleting resources in India because of rising factory output, urbanization, and increasing population, the pressure on existing resources has significantly increased.

• In a circular economy, the use and dispose model won’t work further. The emphasis is to be laid upon reusing and regenerating resources as much and as long as possible so as to make the resources sustainable.
   

  • This can be done in two ways: firstly, recycling the materials, and secondly, increasing the efficiency of usage of these resources.

  • Recycling is basically dealt with by industries alone but the Resource efficiency needs to be followed across all sectors and demands focused intervention from all the stakeholders.

  • Hence, the government formulated the National Resource Efficiency Policy that envisions how the existing policies are currently working for the promotion of resources, and how life cycle thinking can be promoted across the different stakeholders so that they do not feel isolated.

National Resource Efficiency Policy :

• The policy helps to develop resource-efficient strategies for different sectors and adopt them into a three-year action plan.

• After the National Green Tribunal imposed a ban on more than ten years old diesel vehicles in the National Capital Region, more vehicles life came to an end.
   

  • Under the framed policy, the government plans to set up:
     

    • Collection centres to collect such vehicles and carry out the deregistration process, and

    • Shredding centres which would segregate materials for recycling.

  • The plan is to ensure 75% recycling rate for vehicles made before 1990, 85% recycling rate for vehicles made between 1990 and 2000, and 90% recycling rate for vehicles made after 2000

•  

• The draft National Resource Efficiency Policy (NREP), 2019 is guided by few key principles namely :

  • Reduction in primary resource consumption to ‘sustainable’ levels, in keeping with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and staying within the planetary boundaries;

  • Creation of higher value with less material through resource efficient and circular approaches;

  • waste minimization;

  • material security and creation of employment opportunities, and business models beneficial to the cause of environment protection and restoration.

• The draft has proposed significant policy instruments like addressing regulatory gaps in implementation of waste laws, landfill taxes, high tipping fees especially for bulk generators of waste, etc.

• In order to promote maximum plastic recycling, the draft has proposed 100% recycling and reuse of PET plastic by 2025 and 75% recycling and reuse rate of other plastic packaging materials by 2030

• The draft policy also mentions a ban on disposal of recyclable waste to landfills by 2025.

                                                                                                                                                           Source :-  Livemint

No more waste mounds on Siachen glacier

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

Context :

• The Indian Army has removed 130 tonnes of garbage from the Siachen Glacier and is cutting potential trash in rations.

Issue :

• On average, 236 tonnes of waste is generated every year on Siachen glacier.

• The biggest challenge is the high altitude as most posts are located between 18,000 and 21,000 feet.

  • Bana post is the highest on the glacier close to 22,000 feet.

  • At 18,000-19,000 feet, Indian and Pakistani posts face each other.

  • Beyond 20,000 feet, it is only India.

• Nothing degrades at sub-zero temperatures, so everything had to be brought down.

More in the news:

• The army is looking to cut waste in the rations and utilities delivered on the glacier and make Siachen garbage-free in 12-15 years.

• Earlier, waste disposal work was fragmented and intermittent.

• Based on a 2018 concept note on waste management on the glacier, the Army has made bringing down waste a part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for troops.

• The capacity of each person to carry is 10-15 kg due to the extreme weather.

• Since then, nearly 130 tonnes of waste has been brought down from the Siachen Glacier and disposed of.

• The three types of wastes are disposed of differently.

  • Biodegradable waste is rolled using baling machines.

  • Non-biodegradable, non-metallic waste: three incinerators have been set up. The waste is burnt in the incinerators but they do not produce Carbon Monoxide. The ash is used as manure.

  • Metallic waste: there are three extrication centres.  Industrial crushers will be procured to crush it and send it down.

• The Army has collaborated with the civil administration there and barrels have been painted and set up in villages around to segregate waste.           

                                                                                                                                                       Source :- The Hindu

First in pollution control: how Surat industries will trade particulate matter

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

Context :

• Recently, the Gujarat government launched what is being described as the world’s first market for trading in particulate matter emissions.

Emission Trading Scheme  - Gujarat :

• Launched in Surat, the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is a regulatory tool that is aimed at reducing the pollution load in an area and at the same time minimising the cost of compliance for the industry.

• The programme aims to reduce particulate air pollution and facilitate robust economic growth.

• Under the programme,the government sets a cap on emissions and allow industries to buy and sell permits to stay below the cap.

• The Gujarat state pollution control board (GPCB) will define the total mass of pollution that can be released into the air over a certain fixed period by all industrial units together.This will be equivalent to the cap.

• The programme is the first market-based approach to regulate pollution emissions in India.Further,it is also the first in the world to regulate particulate air pollution.

Emission trading system(ETS):

• Emission trading systems(ETS) is also referred to as the cap-and-trade system.

• Under ETS, the government caps the total level of greenhouse gas emissions provided to the companies and allows those industries with low emissions to sell their extra allowances to larger emitters.

Particulate matter:

• Particulate Matter (PM) is small liquid droplets and solid particles whose hazardous nature increases with a decrease in their size as they become respirable.

• It includes both organic and inorganic particles, such as dust, pollen, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets.

                                                                                                                                                  Source :- Indian Express

SECURITY

India-US Tri-Services 'Exercise Tiger Triumph'

GS PAPER - 03 SECURITY - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements ;Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

Context :

• India and the United States are set to hold their first tri-services exercise code-named "Tiger Triumph" at Visakhapatnam and Kakinada in November this year.

  • For the first time, the US and India will be holding the tri-service military exercise.

  • India earlier conducted such tri-service exercise with Russia.

Exercise Tiger Triumph :

• India-US tri-services ''Exercise Tiger Triumph'' is being organised under the aegis of the headquarters of the Integrated Defence Staff.

• The exercise will see the participation of a special forces reconnaissance team of the US.

• The focus of the drill will be on amphibious humanitarian disaster and relief (HADR) operations.

                                                                                                         Source:- Economic Times ; AIR

Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Varaha’

GS PAPER - 03 SECURITY  - Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

Context :

• Recently, the Indian Defence Minister commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Varaha at the Chennai port.

Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Varaha :

• The ICGS Varaha is the fourth in the series of seven 98-m Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).

• The ship has been designed and built indigenously and will operate from the port of New Mangalore on the West Coast (covering Exclusive Economic Zone) up to Kanyakumari.

• It is fitted with the latest navigation and communication equipment which include the Integrated Bridge System, Automated Power Management System and indigenously built Integrated Platform Management System and Halo Traversing System.

• ICGS Varaha is capable of operating the indigenously developed advanced light helicopter developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
   

  • The ship is well equipped with high-speed boats, medical facilities, and modern surveillance systems for conducting boarding operations, search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrolling.

• This ship will enhance the ICG's strength in responding to the threats of maritime terrorism, smuggling, and challenges of maritime enforcement.

                                                                                                                 Source :- PIB

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