23 Dec 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. One Rank One Pension
2. Minimum Support Price
3. National Farmers Day
4. GM Mustard
5. Adjournment Sine Die
6. Year End Review: Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change

1. One Rank One Pension

Syllabus: GS02-Government Policies & Interventions in Various Sectors

Prelims: OROP Policy

Context: Union Cabinet approved the revision of the pension of Armed Forces Pensioners.

Key Details:

• Union Cabinet approved the revision of the pension of Armed Forces Pensioners/family pensioners under One Rank One Pension with effect from July 01, 2019.
• Pension of the past pensioners would be re-fixed on the basis of the average minimum and maximum pension of Defence Forces retirees of the calendar year 2018 in the same rank with the same length of service.
• The Armed Forces Personnel retired up to June 30, 2019 (excluding pre-mature (PMR) retired w.e.f. July 01, 2014) will be covered under this revision. 
• The benefit would also be extended to family pensioners, including war widows and disabled pensioners.
• Arrears will be paid in four half-yearly instalments. However, all the family pensioners, including those in receipt of Special/Liberalised Family Pension and Gallantry Award Winners, shall be paid arrears in one instalment.

Read more on One Rank One Pension.

2. Minimum Support Price

Syllabus: GS03-Economy

Prelims: Policies to enhance agricultural production in India

Context: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra.

Key Details: 

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra for the 2023 season.  
• The approval is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices and views of major coconut-growing states.
• The government has increased the MSP of milling copra by Rs 270 per quintal and ball copra by Rs 750 per quintal.
  • The MSP for Fair Average Quality of milling copra has been fixed at Rs. 10860/- per quintal and for ball copra at Rs. 11750/- per quintal for the 2023 season.  
• The announced MSP of copra for the 2023 season is in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production as announced by the Government in the Budget 2018-19.
• National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) will continue to act as Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) for the procurement of copra and de-husked coconut under the Price Support Scheme (PSS).

3. National Farmers Day

Syllabus: GS01-Modern Indian History

Prelims: Chaudhary Charan Singh; Land reforms

Context: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah wished farmers across the country on the occasion of Farmer’s Day.

Key Details:

• The ‘Kisan Diwas’ or National Farmers Day is observed across the country on 23rd December to celebrate the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the former Prime Minister of India.
• It is celebrated to promote awareness among the citizens to understand the importance of the contributions of the farmers to society and the overall economic and social development of a country.
• By hosting events like seminars and debates on agriculture, the government also hopes to inspire farmers all throughout the nation.

Read more on National Farmers Day.

4. GM Mustard

Syllabus: GS03-Agriculture

Prelims: Genetically Modified Crops

Context: In October 2022, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee approved the environmental release of DMH-11.

Key Details:

• The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change approved GM mustard for commercial use on October 26, 2022. 
• DMH-11 is a mustard hybrid developed by the University of Delhi that is resistant to insect damage. 
• It is the first genetically modified crop in the country to get approval in 20 years.

Need for hybrids:

• Crossing of genetically diverse parents results in hybrids with increased yield and adaptation, a phenomenon known as hybrid vigour or heterosis which has been widely exploited in crops like rice, maize, pearl millet, sunflower and many vegetables. 
• It has been convincingly demonstrated that hybrids in general show 20-25 per cent higher yield over the conventional varieties across the crops. 
• Hybrid technology can play an important role in enhancing the productivity of rapeseed mustard in the country.
• The genetically engineered barnase/barstar system provides an efficient and robust alternative method for hybrid seed production in mustard and it has been successfully deployed in countries like Canada, Australia and America for many decades. 
• In India, the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP), University of Delhi has made a successful attempt with some alterations in the barnase/ barstar system which culminated in the development of GM mustard hybrid MH11 which has undergone the required regulatory testing processes during 2008-2016.

Transgenic crops in national and global perspectives:

• Globally, GM crops are grown on 195 million hectares in more than 30 countries. In several countries, adoption rates of GM traits have been very high.
• There is no evidence of adverse effects reported from the use of GM crops globally.
• A bulk of produce from GM crops like maize, soybean, etc. is exported from USA, Argentina and Brazil, the major GM crops growing countries to many countries including the EU as animal feed and these countries are earning substantial foreign exchange by exporting GM crops. 

5. Adjournment sine die

Syllabus: GS02-Polity

Prelims: Adjournment, Adjournment sine die, Prorogation and Dissolution.

Context: Winter Session of Parliament adjourned sine die on December 23, 2022.

Key Details:

• The Winter Session, 2022 of Parliament which commenced on 7 December 2022 has been adjourned sine die on 23 December 2022.  
• The Winter Session, 2022 provided 13 sittings spread over a period of 17 days.
• The Session was originally scheduled to have 17 sittings till 29 December 2022. It was curtailed due to the completion of essential Government Business and on the recommendations of Business Advisory Committees (BACs) of both Houses of Parliament.  
• The total number of Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament during the Session is 9.

Read more on Adjournment Sine Die.

6. Year End Review: Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change

Syllabus: GS03-Environment

Prelims: Various policies on conservation and environment pollution

Context: Year-end review by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change.

Major policies by and initiatives by the Union ministry of Environment Forest and Climate:

1. Lifestyle for Environment – LiFE:

• A Global call for Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) was first introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP 26 in Glasgow and was officially launched by Prime Minister Modi and the UN Secretary-General António Guterres in October 2022.
• The primary objective of this initiative is to make the lifestyle of people environment-friendly and sustainable. 
• Mission LiFE carries the spirit of the P3 model. i.e. Pro Planet People along with highlighting the concept of lifestyle of the planet, for the planet, and by the planet.
• Climate change and sustainable lifestyle will be among the key agendas occupying the centre spot during India’s G20 presidency. 
• India participated in COP 27, with a focus on mainstreaming the theme of LiFE – Lifestyle for Environment. 
  • India invited all countries to join the LiFE movement which is a pro-people and pro-planet effort, seeking to shift the world from mindless and wasteful consumption to mindful and deliberate utilisation of natural resources.

     2.  Promoting Circular Economy – Waste-to-Wealth

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on the occasion of 75th Independence Day on August 15, 2021, highlighted India’s action on ‘Mission Circular Economy’. 
• NITI Aayog constituted 11 Committees for the development of circular economy (CE) action plans for different categories of waste.
• The Waste-to-Wealth Mission/Mission Circular Economy is bound to create new business models as well as new employment opportunities. 
• This will also result in the integration of the informal sector which will result in moving away from mindless consumption to mindful utilisation and will help achieve the vision of Mission LiFE – Lifestyle for Environment given by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

     3.  National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)

• It was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in January 2019.
• It is the first-ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target.
• A comprehensive action plan has been prepared under NCAP which includes the action plans of different Ministries/Departments of the Government of India. This includes the convergence of schemes/programmes of different Ministries/Departments.
• MoEF&CC has also launched “PRANA”, a portal for monitoring the implementation of NCAP in 2021.
• An overall improvement in ambient air quality has been observed in 95 cities during 2021-22 as compared to 2017. 
• 18 cities were found to be within the prescribed National Ambient Air Quality Standard (PM10 less than 60^g/m3) in 2019-20 which has increased to 20 in the year 2021-22.

Read more on National Clean Air Programme.

     4.  Cheetah Introduction in India

• Eight Namibian cheetahs were relocated to the Kuno National Park (KNP), Madhya Pradesh, from Namibia on September 17, 2022 as part of an ambitious Cheetah reintroduction project. 
• The goal of the Cheetah introduction project in India is to establish a viable cheetah meta-population that allows the cheetah to perform its functional role as a top predator and provide space for the expansion of the cheetah within its historic range thereby contributing to its global conservation efforts.
• Further, the project provides opportunities for eco-development and eco-tourism to enhance local community livelihoods.

    5.  India establishes Asia’s largest Ramsar Sites network

• On the eve of the 76th Independence Day – 15th August 2022), India added ten wetlands to the List of Wetlands of International Importance within the framework of the Ramsar Convention, taking the total number of Ramsar Sites in India to 75, the highest in Asia.
• India ratified the Ramsar Convention in 1982. 
• Keoladeo National Park (in Rajasthan) and Chilika (in Odisha) were the first two sites to be placed on the Ramsar List by the Government of India. 
• Ramsar Sites form an international network of wetlands which are important for conserving global biological diversity and sustaining human lives through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and services. 
  • The international significance of these sites is indicated by their fulfilling at least one of the nine criteria set by the Convention. 
• Ramsar Sites are one of the three pillars of the Ramsar Convention, the other two being working towards the wise use of wetlands and cooperating internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetlands and shared species. 

    6.  Ban on identified Single Use Plastics 

• India has imposed a ban on identified single-use plastic items from 1st July 2022. The ban was notified on 12th August 2021.
• The thickness of plastic carry bags increased to 75 microns (30.9.2021) and to 120 microns (31.12.2022).
• The introduction and use of alternatives to banned single-use plastic items have led to the creation of new employment opportunities, promoting innovation and developing new business models. The manufacturing of alternatives with eco-friendly materials in the MSME sector will further support the development of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• India piloted a resolution in 2019 for addressing pollution caused by single-use plastics which was adopted by the 4th meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly in 2019.

     7.  TX2 International Award to Tiger Reserves of India

• The TX2 Tiger Conservation Excellence award is organised by a consortium of international organisations namely the Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS), Fauna & Flora International, Global Tiger Forum, IUCN Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme, Panthera, UNDP Lion’s Share, Wildlife Conservation Society and WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative. 
• The award is given to tiger reserves that have made significant progress towards doubling the tiger number since 2010 or displayed conservation excellence.            
  • In 2010, the ambitious goal of doubling the wild tiger number by 2022 was set by the 13 tiger range countries. 
• From India, in 2020, the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh won the TX2 award and the Manas Tiger Reserve, Assam was selected for Conservation Excellence award for the transboundary conservation partnership.
• The TX2 award for the year 2021 was awarded to the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu. 
• There are 53 Tiger Reserves covering an area of 75000 sq km in the country. India harbours more than 70% of the global tiger population and has the honour of being the largest tiger range country in the world.

Read the previous PIB articles here.

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