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DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS Time: 45 Min. Date: 30-04-2021
Environment
New Fly Ash Utilisation Rule
Syllabus: GS 3/Environmental Pollution & Degradation
In News: Recently, the Centre government drafted the New fly ash utilisation rule for Thermal
Power Plants(TPPs).
Major Highlights
● It is mandatory for Thermal Power Plants(TPPs) to ensure 100% utilisation of fly ash
within three to five years.
○ Existing provisions allow TPPs to fully utilise fly ash in a four-year cycle in a
staggered manner.
● It also introduced fines of Rs 1,000 on non-compliant plants under the ‘polluter pays
principle’, taking into account utilisation targets from April 1 next year.
○ The 'polluter pays' principle is the commonly accepted practice that those who
produce pollution should bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to
human health or the environment.
○ Under this,the collected fines will be deposited in the designated account of the
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
■ The fine collected by CPCB from the TPPs and other defaulters shall be
used towards the safe disposal of the unutilised ash.
● It also deals with unutilised accumulated ash (legacy ash) where TPPs will have to utilise
it within 10 years from the date of publication of final notification in a staggered manner.
○ If the utilization of legacy ash is not completed at the end of 10 years, a fine of Rs
1000 per tonne will be imposed on the remaining unutilised quantity which has
not been fined earlier.
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Objectives and Need
● Fly ash utilisation in India has increased from nearly 10% in 1996-97 to the highest level
of over 83% during 2019-20, unutilised ash gets dumped in an environmentally
hazardous manner, polluting air, water and soil.
○ It aims to deal with environmentally hazardous fly ash generated from coal and
lignite based thermal power plants (TPPs).
What is Fly Ash?
● Fly ash is a byproduct of burning pulverized coal in thermal power plants.
○ During combustion, mineral impurities in the coal (clay, feldspar, quartz, and
shale) fuse in suspension and float out of the combustion chamber with the
exhaust gases. As the fused material rises, it cools and solidifies into spherical
glassy particles called fly ash.
● The low-grade coal used in thermal power generation carries 30-45% ash content. The
high-grade imported coal has a low ash content of 10-15%.
● Since most of the coal used in thermal plants is low-grade, it generates a large quantity of
ash which requires a large area as landfill or ponds for disposal.
● All fly ashes exhibit cementitious properties to varying degrees depending on the
chemical and physical properties of both the fly ash and cement.
● Composition
● Fly ash includes substantial amounts of silicon dioxide (SiO2), aluminium oxide
(Al2O3), ferric oxide (Fe2O3) and calcium oxide (CaO).
● Usage
○ It is an excellent material for making construction materials such as bricks,
mosaic tiles and hollow blocks.
○ Bricks made of fly ash can help conserve soil to a great extent.
○ There are several eco-friendly ways to utilise fly ash so that it does not pollute air
and water.
■ It includes the use of fly ash in the manufacturing of cement, ready-mix
concrete; constructing roads, dams and embankment, and filling of low-
lying areas and mines.
● Issues
○ Fly ash contains toxic and heavy metals.
○ The ponds where fly ash is usually dumped are poorly managed. Fly ash becomes
dry as temperature increases and gets airborne.
■ Thus, it becomes one of the major sources of air and water pollution.
■ Air in areas around coal-fired power plants is polluted with fly ash.
○ Apart from causing various diseases, it also leads to reduction in the recharging of
groundwater.
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Initiatives Taken
● Optimum utilization of fly ash: To facilitate 100% ash utilization by all coal based thermal
power plants, a web portal for monitoring of fly ash generation and utilization data of
Thermal Power Plants and a mobile based application titled “ASHTRACK” has been
launched by the Government.
○ Ash-park has developed, and awareness programme for utilisation of fly ash and
its products conducted at various platforms..
● Roles played NTPC: National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has developed an
infrastructure to transport fly ash from power plants in bulk to cement plants, at a cheaper
cost.
○ NTPC intends to transform the fly ash it produces into a revenue-generating by-
product.
○ It has developed geopolymer and nano aggregates from residual fly ash for use
in the construction of roads and houses is a manifestation of this.
Way forward
● Promoting R&D for increasing the efficiency of power plants will also help in reducing
ash generation.
● Proper management of fly ash is important for the environment and also for power plants
as it occupies a lot of land space.
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
● It is a statutory organisation under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate
Change.
● It was established in 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and
later entrusted with functions and responsibilities under the Air (Prevention and Control
of Pollution) Act, 1981.
● The mandate of the Central Pollution Control Board is to set environmental standards in
India, lay down ambient standards and coordinate the activities of State Pollution Control
Boards.
Source: TOI
Health
Antimicrobial Resistance: The Silent Threat
Syllabus: GS2/Health
In News: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Antimicrobial resistance
(AMR) is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.
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About
● Since January 2020, there have been over three million deaths globally on account of
COVID-19, starkly exposing the vulnerabilities of health systems to infectious disease.
● As serious as the current health and economic crisis is, COVID-19 can be the harbinger of
future crises. And, one such major crisis is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
● This could be the greatest challenge of the 21st century as amidst the pandemic there are
rampant use of antibiotics (For example: Azithromycin & other antibiotics used by most
of the people.)
What is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?
● Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites
change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat
and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
Image Courtesy: Conservation
● Emergence and spread of AMR
○ AMR occurs naturally over time, usually through genetic changes.
○ Antimicrobial-resistant organisms are found in people, animals, food,
plants and the environment (in water, soil and air).
○ They can spread from person to person or between people and animals,
including from food of animal origin.
● The main drivers of antimicrobial resistance include the misuse and overuse of
antimicrobials, lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for
both humans and animals, poor infection and disease prevention and control in
healthcare facilities and farms, poor access to quality, affordable medicines,
vaccines and diagnostics, lack of awareness and knowledge, and lack of
enforcement of legislation.
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Factors Causing AMR in India
● Inappropriate consumption of broad-spectrum (last resort) antibiotics is high because of
changing prescription practice in the healthcare system due to the non-availability of a
narrow spectrum of antibiotics.
● Inappropriate antibiotic use among the general public like Self-medication to avoid the
financial burden.
● The large proportion of sewage is disposed of untreated into receiving water bodies,
leading to gross contamination of rivers with antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant
organisms.
Image Courtesy: TOI
What are Antimicrobials?
● Antimicrobials - including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics - are
medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants.
Challenges Posed by AMR
● Antibiotic resistance is emerging as the threat to successful treatment of infectious diseases,
organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy and major surgeries.
● The issue of AMR causes out of pocket expenditure on health care, especially on medicines.
The use of high order drugs or second-line expensive antibiotics pushing treatment cost high.
● Neonates and elderly both are prone to infections and are vulnerable.
Global Concerns
○ It is a global health and development threat.
○ WHO has declared that AMR is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing
humanity. AMR is already responsible for up to 7,00,000 deaths a year.
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○ Unless urgent measures are taken to address this threat, we could soon face an
unprecedented health and economic crisis of 10 million annual deaths and costs of up to
$100 trillion by 2050.
○ Antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective as drug resistance spreads globally leading
to more difficult to treat infections and death.
■ All these effects will be felt globally, but the scenario in the low- and middle-income
countries (LMICs) of Asia and Africa is even more serious.
■ LMICs have significantly driven down mortality using cheap and easily available
antimicrobials. In the absence of new therapies, health systems in these countries are at
severe risk of being overrun by untreatable infectious diseases.
Image Courtesy: TOI
Various Initiatives Adopted In This Aspect
Global Efforts
● Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (GAP): Globally, countries committed
to the framework set out in the Global Action Plan1 (GAP) 2015 on AMR during the 2015
World Health Assembly and committed to the development and implementation of
multisectoral national action plans.
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● Tripartite Joint Secretariat on Antimicrobial Resistance: Tripartite joint secretariat
(FAO, OIE and WHO) has been established and is hosted by WHO to drive multi-
stakeholder engagement in AMR.
● Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) on AMR: It was convened by the Secretary-
General of the United Nations after the UN High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial
Resistance in 2016.
○ The IACG brought together partners across the UN, international organizations
and individuals with expertise across human, animal and plant health, as well as
the food, animal feed, trade to formulate a plan for the fight against antimicrobial
resistance.
● World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW): WAAW was previously called the
World Antibiotic Awareness Week. From 2020, it will be called the World Antimicrobial
Awareness Week.
○ It is a global campaign that aims to raise awareness of antimicrobial resistance
worldwide.
● Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS): WHO
launched it in 2015 to continue filling knowledge gaps and to inform strategies at all
levels.
○ GLASS has been conceived to progressively incorporate data from surveillance of
AMR in humans, surveillance of the use of antimicrobial medicines, AMR in the
food chain and the environment.
● Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP): A joint initiative
of WHO and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), GARDP encourages
research and development through public-private partnerships.
■ By 2025, the partnership aims to develop and deliver five new treatments
that target drug-resistant bacteria identified by WHO as posing the
greatest threat.
● Country wise initiatives: A multi-sectoral $1 billion AMR Action Fund was launched in
2020 to support the development of new antibiotics, and the U.K. is trialling a
subscription-based model for paying for new antimicrobials towards ensuring their
commercial viability.
○ Peru’s efforts on patient education to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions.
○ Australian regulatory reforms to influence prescriber behaviour, and initiatives to
increase the use of point-of-care diagnostics, such as the EU-supported VALUE-
Dx programme.
○ Denmark’s reforms to prevent the use of antibiotics in livestock have not only led
to a significant reduction in the prevalence of resistant microbes in animals, but
also improved the efficiency of farming.
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● India’s initiative
● To prevent the Over the counter sales of antibiotics, the central drug standard
control organization (CDSO) prohibits medical stores from selling 24 key
antibiotics without a doctor's prescription.
● India’s Red Line campaign: Which demands that prescription-only antibiotics be
marked with a red line, to discourage the over-the-counter sale of antibiotics– is a
step forward.
● National Health Policy, 2017, terms antimicrobial resistance as one of the key
healthcare issues and prioritizes the development of guidelines regarding
antibiotic use and check on restricting the growth of antibiotics.
● The National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) 2017 has
assigned coordinated tasks to multiple government agencies involving health,
education, environment, and livestock to change prescription practices and
consumer behaviour and to scale up infection control and antimicrobial
surveillance.
● FSSAI has set certain guidelines limiting the antibiotics in food products such as
fish and honey.
Conclusion & Way Forward
● Till now, there are two major possible solutions to combat the AMR menace:
● Discovery of new drugs, before the emergence of resistance in germs; and prudent use of
available antibiotics.
○ The discovery of a new drug is an expensive and unpredictable process, the
estimated cost for developing a new antibiotic exceeds $1 billion.
● The second solution is the best possible solution i.e. to use the available antibiotics
carefully to ensure their efficacy for as long as possible.
● Other steps: AMR requires a united multisectoral approach.
○ Efforts to control prescription through provider incentives should be
accompanied by efforts to educate consumers to reduce inappropriate demand,
issue standard treatment guidelines.
○ Policy alignment is also needed much beyond the health system. Solutions in
clinical medicine must be integrated with improved surveillance of AMR in
agriculture, animal health and the environment.
Source: TH
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Indian Economy
Guidelines On Compensation of Mutual Fund Employees: SEBI
Syllabus: GS3/ Indian Economy & related issue.
In News: Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has said that a minimum
20% of the compensation of mutual fund managers in an asset management company (AMC)
should be in the form of units of the mutual fund schemes they manage.
● An asset management company (AMC) is a firm that invests pooled funds from clients,
putting the capital to work through different investments including stocks, bonds, real
estate, master limited partnerships, and more.
Changes proposed by SEBI
● A minimum of 20 percent of the salary/perks/bonus/non-cash compensation (gross
annual cost-to-company) net of income tax and any statutory contributions (provident
fund and national pension scheme) of the key employees of the AMCs shall be paid in the
form of units of MF schemes in which they have a role and oversight.
● Units allotted to key employees shall be subject to clawback in the event of violation of
code of conduct, fraud, gross negligence by them, as determined by Sebi.
○ Upon clawback, the units shall be redeemed and the amount shall be credited to
the scheme.
○ A clawback is a contractual provision whereby money already paid to an
employee must be returned to an employer or benefactor, sometimes with a
penalty.
● The units obtained as compensation will be subject to a lock-in period of three years.
Image Courtesy: BS
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Reasons for changes announced by SEBI
● The primary objective of the new rule is to align the interest of the key employees of the
AMCs with the unit holders of the mutual fund schemes.
● The SEBI wants fund managers to demonstrate to investors that they have confidence in
the schemes they manage.
Implication of new SEBI rule on investors
● The move by SEBI will boost the transparency of fund manager compensation and also
helps build accountability.
● It ensures that fund houses actually link the pay of fund managers to performance and
go beyond lip service.
● It could encourage whistleblowing if wrongdoing is happening.
● It will give a lot of psychological comfort to investors that their fund manager has skin
in the game.
Arguments from Mutual Fund industry against new SEBI rule
● The common refrain from mutual fund CEOs has been that SEBI’s intention is good but
the rules are too clunky to follow.
● The rule by SEBI, which in effect specifies percentages of investments in different schemes,
could conflict with the personal finance goals of the fund managers.
● It could even lead to a flight of talent from the industry.
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
● It was established on April 12, 1992 in accordance with the provisions of the Securities
and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992.
● It is a statutory body which is constituted as the regulator of capital markets in India
under a resolution of the Government of India.
● Aim: To protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote the development
of, and to regulate the securities market.
○ It is the regulator of the securities and commodity market in India owned by
the Government of India
Source: BS
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Polity & Governance
Government of National Capital Territory (GNCT) of Delhi
(Amendment) Act, 2021
Syllabus: GS2/Features & Amendments
In News: Recently, the Government of National Capital Territory (GNCT) of Delhi
(Amendment) Act, 2021 came into force.
Rationale Behind This
● Section 44 of the 1991 GNCT Act deals with the conduct of business and there is no
structural mechanism for effective time-bound implementation of the said section.
○ Section 44 of the 1991 Act says that all executive actions of the L-G, whether taken
on the advice of his Ministers or otherwise shall be expressed to be taken in the
name of the LG.
● Further, there is no clarity as to what proposal or matters are required to be submitted to
Lieutenant Governor before issuing an order thereon.
Key Highlights of the Act
● It amended Sections 21, 24, 33 and 44 of the GNCT of Delhi Act, 1991
○ According to the legislation, the "government" in Delhi means the "Lieutenant
Governor."
● The city government will now mandatorily have to take the opinion of the L-G
before taking any executive action.
● The Act defines the responsibilities of the elected government and the L-G along
with the “constitutional scheme of governance of the NCT” interpreted by the
Supreme Court in recent judgements regarding the division of powers between
the two entities.
● It will also seek to ensure that the L-G is “necessarily granted an opportunity” to
exercise powers entrusted to him under proviso to clause (4) of Article 239AA of
the Constitution.
● This particular clause provides for a Council of Ministers headed by a
Chief Minister for the NCT to “aid and advise the Lieutenant Governor”
in the exercise of his functions for matters in which the Legislative
Assembly has the power to make laws.
● It will also provide for rules made by the Legislative Assembly of Delhi to be
“consistent with the rules of the House of the People” or the Lok Sabha.
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Criticism
● It is an unholy attempt to curtail the powers of a democratically elected Government
○ It is an affront not only to the will of the people but to the spirit of federalism
● It is being argued that by virtually handing over executive powers to the Lieutenant
Governor, the government has acted against the spirit of the Supreme Court ruling that
aimed to safeguard the elected government of Delhi from undue interference or obstacles
from the Lieutenant Governor.
● The amendment stipulates that the State government shall obtain the Lieutenant
Governor’s opinion on its decisions before taking executive action on them.
○ This prevents the government from urgently acting in case of an emergency as it
would have to wait for the Lieutenant Governor’s assent/viewpoint.
● Significantly, the Lieutenant Governor is not obliged to give his opinion to the State
government within a time frame.
● Critics argue that the Lieutenant Governor could politically exploit these unbridled
powers to hamper the government’s administrative work and thus turn the political tides
against the incumbent if he so desires.
○ That truly would undermine the interests of the party in power and also of the
people.
Union Government's Stand
● Government has attempted to contradict all the above observations.
● This will increase the administrative efficiency of Delhi and will ensure a better
relationship between the executive and the legislator. This is a technical Bill. This is not a
Bill related to politics.
● It will bring accountability and overall transparency in governance.
● The amendments have been brought to remove ambiguities in the existing Act and
stressed that changes in the law have been sought in the spirit of what has been said in a
Supreme Court judgment.
● It will further define the responsibilities of the elected government and the L-G, in line
with the constitutional scheme of governance of Delhi.
Previous Issue between Lieutenant Governor and Delhi Government
● The genesis of the act lies in the administrative tug of war between the Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) led-Delhi government and then Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Najeeb Jung
immediately after the former came to power for a second stint in 2015.
● Between early 2015 and mid-August 2016, several orders issued by the Delhi government
related to the matters such as transfer of bureaucrats, setting up of Commissions of
Inquiry and the administration of the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), were either
declared void or reversed by the L-G citing procedural lacunae ranging from lack of
approval from his office to not being constitutionally empowered to take such decisions.
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○ Over the years, there was friction between the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant
Governor over power-sharing.
○ The focal point of these conflicts was that in case of a difference between the
Lieutenant Governor and the Council of Ministers on any matter, the matter was
to be referred to the President by the Lieutenant Governor for his decision and
pending such decision the Lieutenant Governor was empowered to take any
action on the matter as he deemed right.
● The issue was taken by the Delhi government to the Delhi High Court which, in August
2016, held that the L-G had “complete control” of matters related to the NCT and
“nothing will happen without the concurrence of the L-G.”
○ However, the judge held that the L-G was bound by the aid and advice of the
Council of Ministers on some matter.
■ The Delhi government then moved the Supreme Court.
Judgement of the Supreme Court:
● The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, in Government of NCT of Delhi vs Union
of India in 2018, held that the government was not under obligation to seek the
concurrence of the Lieutenant Governor on its decisions and that any differences between
them should be resolved keeping in view the constitutional primacy of representative
government and cooperative federalism.
● The Supreme Court ruled that the Lieutenant Governor should attempt to resolve the
differences within the framework of the law and the Transaction of Business Rules before
he decided to refer a matter to the President.
○ Essentially, the Supreme Court judgment made it extremely difficult for the
Lieutenant Governor to refer such matters to the President.
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991
● Delhi’s current status as a Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly is an outcome
of the 69th Amendment Act through which Articles 239AA and 239BB were introduced
in the Constitution.
○ Article 239AA provides that the Union Territory of Delhi be called the National
Capital Territory of Delhi and its administrator shall be known as Lt. Governor.
■ This article provided Delhi with an Assembly, fully elected, and a
Council of Ministers responsible to the Assembly. It stipulated that the
Delhi Assembly could legislate on all matters in the State List as well as
the Concurrent List except land, police and public order..
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○ Article 239AB provides that the President may by order suspend the operation
of any provision of Article 239AA or of all or any of the provisions of any law
made in pursuance of that article. This provision resembles Article 356
(President’s Rule)
● For all practical purposes, the GNCTD Act outlines the powers of the Assembly, the
discretionary powers enjoyed by the L-G, and the duties of the Chief Minister with
respect to the need to furnish information to the L-G.
Source: TH
Social Justice
Child Marriage
Syllabus: GS 2, Government Policies & Interventions, Welfare Schemes, Mechanisms, Laws,
Institutions & Bodies for Protection & Betterment of these Sections.
In News: Recently, incidents of child marriage have surfaced across the country raising serious
concerns.
Child Marriage
● It is a marriage or union before the age 18.
● Child marriages in parts of Europe and Central Asia may reflect a hardening of gender
attitudes that reinforce stereotypical roles for girls and limit their opportunities.
● Child marriage is often linked to patriarchal attitudes towards girls, including the need
to safeguard family ‘honour’.
● While some boys marry before the age of 18, the vast majority of children who marry are
girls, often against their will and with grave consequences.
Impacts
● It has a disproportionate impact on girls and curtails their education, compromises their
health and traps them in poverty, undermining their prospects and potential.
● Child brides experience isolation from their family, friends and communities, as well as
violence, abuse and exploitation.
● Girls who marry early often become pregnant while they are still children themselves,
with great risks for their own well-being and that of their babies.
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● There are clear links between child marriage and school drop-out, with girls who are
married before the age of 18 less likely to be in school than their peers, and girls who drop
out of school more likely to be married.
● Rescued children are not produced in most cases before the Child Welfare Committees
(CWCs) and are often sent back to their parents if they are produced before the CWC
resulting in forced marriage in secrecy.
● Others are forced to reside in the same socioeconomic cultural situation, leading to
frustration and anxiety.
● Those who stay with their parents, face adversity and humiliation every day and such
instances are discouraging adolescents to raise their voice against child marriage.
Legislative Protection
● Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929: It restricts the practice of child marriage.
● Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: It was enacted to address and fix the
shortcomings of the Child Marriage Restraint Act.
● Special Marriage Act, 1954 and Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: These prescribe
18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men
respectively.
● Juvenile Justice Care and Protection Act, 2015: Powers to safeguard the best interests of
India’s children.
○ For this purpose, Child Protection Committees, Child Protection Units and CWCs
have been formed and are functioning at the district level.
● Committee by the Ministry for Women and Child Development: To examine matters
pertaining to age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering Maternal Mortality Ratio
(MMR) and the improvement of nutritional levels among women.
● District Child Protection Unit (DCPU): Responsible for identification and rescues
children in need of care and protection.
● District Child Protection Committee: These are headed by the Chairperson of the Zilla
Parishad and are nodal organisations at the district level to review and monitor the work
related to ensuring child rights.
● State governments are trying to reduce child marriages to zero by 2030.
● Sustainable Developmental Goal (SDG) 5: It deals with gender equality and
empowerment of all women and girls with an aim to prevent child marriage.
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Suggestions
● After stopping a child marriage, the relatives should be monitored and the child should
be provided with support and protection.
● Strategies to delay or prevent child marriage:
○ Empower girls with information, skills and support networks.
○ Provide economic support and incentives to girls and their families.
○ Educate and rally parents and community members.
○ Enhance girls’ access to a high-quality education.
○ Encourage supportive laws and policies.
● In order for the next generation of development programmes to make ending child
marriage a priority, policymakers must pay attention to these strategies while
continuing to test innovative approaches and evaluation techniques.
● There should be focus on those girls who are most at-risk and mobilise those who
influence families and wider society to give girls more control over their own lives and
prospects.
● It should be addressed through programming across sectors to tackle the many aspects
of this harmful practice, particularly in marginalized communities.
● Ending child marriage involves tackling the many challenges that perpetuate this rights
violation, such as gender inequality and discrimination, lack of education, and poverty.
Source: DTE
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Facts in News
Financial Stability and
Development Council
(FSDC)
● It is a non-statutory apex council under the Ministry of
Finance constituted by the Executive Order in 2010
○ The Raghuram Rajan Committee (2008) on
financial sector reforms first proposed the creation
of FSDC.
● Composition of FSDC
○ Chairperson: The Union Finance Minister of India.
● Members: Governor Reserve Bank of India (RBl),
Finance Secretary and/ or Secretary, Department of
Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary, Department of
Financial Services (DFS), Secretary, Ministry of
Corporate Affairs, Chief Economic Advisor,
Ministry of Finance.
● Other members include the Chairman of SEBI,
IRDA, PFRDA and IBBI
○ The FSDC Sub Committee is Chaired by the
Governor of the RBI.
■ All the members of the FSDC are also
members of the Sub-committee.
● Aims and Objectives
○ To strengthen and institutionalise the mechanism
of maintaining financial and macroeconomic
stability.
○ Financial literacy & literacy.
○ Coordinating India’s international interface with
financial sector bodies such as the Financial Action
Task Force (FATF) and Financial Stability Board
(FSB).
Palladium
● Palladium is a chemical element with the symbol Pd and
atomic number 46.
● It is a shiny white metal in the same group as platinum,
along with ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, and iridium.
● Most of it is extracted as a byproduct in the mining of other
metals, usually platinum and nickel.
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Image Courtesy Britannica
● The majority of the world's palladium comes from Russia
and South Africa.
Image Courtesy: ET
Usage
● Its key commercial use is as a critical component in catalytic
converters - a part of a car's exhaust system that controls
emissions - found mainly in petrol and hybrid vehicles.
● About 85% of palladium ends up in the exhaust systems in
cars, where it helps turn toxic pollutants into less harmful
carbon dioxide and water vapour. It is also used in
electronics, dentistry and jewellery.
Char Dham Pilgrimage ● Chardham in Uttarakhand is a pilgrimage to four
destinations – Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and
Badrinath.
● All of these four sites are devoted to a specific deity.
○ Gangotri is dedicated to the Goddess Ganga,
○ Yamunotri is dedicated to the Goddess Yamuna,
○ Kedarnath is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of
the 12 jyotirlingas,
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○ Badrinath, which is also part of India’s Char Dham,
is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
What is the Char Dham Project?
● Char Dham National Highway (NH) project comprises
improvement as well as the development of 889 km length
of national highways and was launched by the Ministry of
Road Transport & Highways.
● It will connect Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath Dham,
Gangotri, Yamunotri, and part of the route leading to
Kailash Mansarovar yatra.
● Environmentalists had pointed out that the unregulated
cutting of tries and scooping up land at the base of the hills
is irreversibly damaging the ecosystem.
Image Courtesy:TH
MACS 1407 ● It is a newly developed high-yielding, pest-resistant, low
water and fertiliser requiring soybean variety.
● Named after Maharashtra Association of Cultivation of
Science.
● It has been developed by scientists from Agharkar Research
Institute (Pune) and Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICMR) New Delhi.
● It is resistant to major insects and pests like girdle beetle,
leaf miner, white fly and defoliators.
● It is suitable for rain-fed conditions of north-east India
and for Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh
as well.
● The new seeds will be made available to farmers for sowing
during the 2022 Kharif season.
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Image Courtesy: BL
PM Kisan ● It is a Central Sector Scheme and is being implemented by
the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
● It aims to supplement the financial needs of the Small and
Marginal Farmers (SMFs) in procuring various inputs to
ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields and
commensurate with the anticipated farm income at the end
of each crop cycle.
● Provisions
○ Rs. 6000 per year is transferred in three instalments
directly into bank accounts of the farmers.
○ It covers all farmer families in the country
irrespective of the size of their landholdings.
○ Special provisions for the North-Eastern States
with community-based land ownership rights,
Forest Dwellers and Jharkhand (Not up-to-date
land records and restrictions on land transfer).
Vaccine Maitri
Initiative
● It was initiated by the Ministry of External Affairs,
following requests from for the supply of Indian-
manufactured vaccines.
● Aim: To supply Covid-19 vaccines to different nations
across the globe.
● India has supplied over 64 million doses to more than 80
countries till now as grant assistance, under commercial
basis and through the COVAX initiative.
● Under the Partnerships for Accelerating Clinical
Trials(PACT) programme, India has also provided training
to several neighbouring countries to enhance and
strengthen their clinical capabilities.