TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Fit India Freedom Run 2.0 2. Vehicle Scrappage Policy 3. Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021 4. Brand launched for SHG Products 5. IndiGau 6. RoSCTL Scheme
Context:
Fit India Freedom Run 2.0 launched to celebrate 75 years of Independence.
Details:
- The run is being organized at 75 iconic locations across the country, who will further take it to 75 villages in nearly 750 districts of the nation and promote the Fitness ki Doze, Aadha Ghunta Roz campaign.
- The aim of the campaign is to encourage people to take up fitness activities such as running and sports in their daily life.
- The key activities of Fit India Freedom Run 2.0 include pledge, rendering of National Anthem, Freedom Run, cultural functions at venues, awareness among Youth Volunteers to participate and also organize similar Freedom Runs in their villages.
Also read: Khelo India Programme
Context:
Vehicle Scrappage Policy launched.
Know more about the Vehicle Scrappage Policy in the linked article.
3. Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021
Context:
Government notifies the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.
Details:
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, which prohibits identified single use plastic items which have low utility and high littering potential by 2022.
Background:
- Pollution due to single use plastic items has become an important environmental challenge confronting all countries.
- India is committed to taking action for mitigation of pollution caused by littered Single Use Plastics.
- In the 4th United Nations Environment Assembly held in 2019, India had piloted a resolution on addressing single-use plastic products pollution, recognizing the urgent need for the global community to focus on this very important issue.
- The adoption of this resolution at UNEA 4 was a significant step.
What the notified Rules entail?
- The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the following single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from 1st July, 2022:
- ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration;
- plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers.
- From 30 September 2021, the thickness of plastic carry bags will be increased from 50 microns to 75 microns and 120 microns, the statement said adding that this will also allow the reuse of plastic carry bags.
- The plastic packaging waste, which is not covered under the phase out of identified single use plastic items, shall be collected and managed in an environmentally sustainable way through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) of the Producer, importer and Brand owner (PIBO), as per Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
- For the effective implementation of the EPR, the guidelines for the same have been given legal force through the amendment Rules.
The following steps have also been taken to strengthen implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and also to reduce the use of identified single use plastic items:
- States/UTs have been requested to constitute a Special Task Force for the elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
- A National Level Taskforce has also been constituted by the Ministry for taking coordinated efforts to eliminate identified single use plastic items and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
4. Brand launched for SHG Products
Context:
MoHUA launched brand -‘SonChiraiya’ – for Urban SHG products.
Details:
- The ‘SonChiraiya’ brand and logo was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for marketing urban Self-Help Group (SHG) products.
- This initiative will prove as a step in the right direction towards increased visibility and global access for the products made by urban SHG women.
- The Ministry expects to link many more such SHG members, with a variety of professionally packaged, hand-crafted ethnic products, reaching the doorsteps of the customers globally.
5. IndiGau
Context:
India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip IndiGau released.
About IndiGau:
- IndiGau is India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip for the conservation of pure varieties of indigenous cattle breeds like Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal, Ongole, etc.
- This indigenous chip was developed by the concerted efforts of scientists of the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NAIB), Hyderabad, an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology.
- According to the statement released, IndiGau is the largest cattle chip of the world.
- It has 11,496 markers (SNPs) more than that placed on 777K Illumina chip of US & UK breeds.
- IndiGau will have practical utility in the government schemes to achieve the goal of conservation of the indigenous breeds with better characteristics.
What is an SNP chip?
- It is a small sliver of glass, about the size of a finger-nail, into which are etched a very large number of very small pits. Each of these hold a tiny amount of DNA, which has been extracted from the tissue sample of an animal or plant, and can be ‘read’ by a DNA sequence-reading machine.
- If cattle owners/breeders want to get DNA or genomic information on an animal, they simply take a hair or other tissue sample (probably using a blood card), and send it off to be read.
- The information the chip conveys can include pedigree testing, test for horn/poll status, and/or traits like growth rate or eating quality.
Context:
Government notified the continuation of the scheme for Rebate of State and Central Taxes (RoSCTL) and levies on Export of Apparel/Garments and Made-ups.
Know more about the RoSCTL Scheme in PIB dated July 14, 2021.
Read previous PIB here.
August 13th, 2021, PIB:- Download PDF Here
Comments