Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 19th Feb 2022

NEWS

A recent Study on the impact of Adani's Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) has shown high levels of environmental pollution caused by violations

ABOUT THE REPORT

• State government entrusted the Environment Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI) to conduct an environmental impact study, as per the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT)
• Experts warned that the proposal to expand the plant by adding two 800 MW units will have adverse consequences
• The UPCL, built in 2003-04, had faced opposition for years before Adani Power took over the plant in 2015. When the new management received clearance to expand the plant capacity by 1400 MW in 2017, Janajagruti Samiti took the matter to the NGT
• Report included photographs of the untreated brackish water released into drainage carrying rainwater and crops covered in coal dust which seemed to corroborate the farmers' complaint of reduced yield
• Results showed that the carrying the carrying capacity of the ambient atmosphere of sulfur dioxide (359 microgram per cubic metre) was exceeding the national standards (80 micro gram per cubic metre)
• Mass emission load of sulfur dioxide at 80.18 tonnes/per day was too high. was too high. The nitrogen oxide emissions at 27.5 tonnes was also high
• This is likely to have an adverse effect on human health and agricultural output
• Groundwater was tested at 10 locations and aluminum and manganese contamination was found at three places while lead was found to exceed the limit in the UPCL's ash pond area
• Soil samples taken from 10 locations showed high levels of iron (5094 to 3.9 lakh mg/kg of dry soil), manganese (15 to 271)), zinc (5 to 114), chromium (19 to 92), copper (3.5 to 78)
• Study said the arsenic in UPCL's fly ash and pond ash Coal and ash location sample exceed the limit
• Expansion of the capacity of the power plant is likely to have adverse implications from air pollution including dust, marine ecology, and groundwater and soil contamination from heavy metals
• Issues related to cattle reproduction problems, grievances of fishermen community and health issues of people require a long term study and recommended a detailed study on biodiversity considering the rapid change in land use were discussed

UDUPI POWER CORPORATION LIMITED

• 2 X 600 MW imported coal based power project
• Situated in the western coastal Karnataka
• First independent power project (IPP) using 100% imported coal as fuel in the country and was awarded the Gold Shield award for early completion of Thermal power project Unit-1 from Ministry of power, Government of India in FY 2010-11 and also the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award in FY 2014-15.
• Supplies 90% of the power it generates to the State of Karnataka and 10% to the State of Punjab

NEWS

Karnataka tourism department to set up digital museum at Sanganakallu

SANGANAKALLU

• Archaeological site from the Neolithic period
• Approximately 8 km from Bellary in eastern Karnataka
• Group of hills south of a horseshoe shaped valley, with Kupgal to the north
• One of the earliest settlements in South India, spread over 1,000 acres
• There is a layer of red-brown fossilized soil spread over Sanganakallu and Kupgal that can be dated back to 9000 BC
• Considered to be a neolithic factory site due to the surface excavation revealing large numbers of pottery, stone axes, and other stone tools
• First majorly excavated in 1946, by Bendapudi Subbarao, on Sannarasamma hill
• Subbarao divided their culture into 3 phases
  • Pre-Mesolithic, the phase when Sanganakallu was first settled, had little pottery, and the people made crude microliths.
  • Mesolithic, the phase when pottery was handmade and stone axes were mass produced.
  • Neolithic, the phase when pottery and tools became more sophisticated.[2]
• Sanganakallu was excavated again in 1964

NEWS

Karnataka State Cabinet approved the Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency Policy

ABOUT

AIM - Conserve about 744 Million Units (MUs) of energy till 2026 through energy efficiency measures

OUTCOME –

• Avoid fossil-fuel generation capacity addition of 454 MW
• Reduction of CO2 emission of 6,10,080 tonne

OTHER DETAILS

• In tune with the national policy
• Implemented by constituting a high-level committee that would look into the ways and means of implementing the policy for different sectors
• Plan of action would also be evolved for each of the sector for conserving energy and also bringing about energy efficiency, according to the policy document.
• Evolve various schemes and also initiate measures to achieve the above mentioned target of energy conservation
• Targets to achieve energy conservation level of 304 MUs in municipal sector, 117 MUs in domestic sector, 230 MUs in agriculture sector, 79 MUs in commercial sector, and 14 MUs in Industrial sector till 2026
• Achieve the target through participatory approach in which stakeholders will be actively involved through public awareness programme

NEWS

Karnataka activist seeks deemed forest status for Western Ghat areas

WHAT ARE DEEMED FORESTS

• The concept of deemed forests has not been clearly defined in any law including the Forest Conservation Act of 1980.
• However, the Supreme Court in the case of T N Godavarman Thirumalpad (1996) accepted a wide definition of forests under the Act.
• It covered all statutorily recognised forests, whether designated as reserved, protected or otherwise for the purpose of Section 2 (1) of the Forest Conservation Act.
• The term ‘forest land’ occurring in Section 2 will not only include ‘forest’ as understood in the dictionary sense but also any areas recorded as forest in the government record irrespective of the owners said the court.

OTHER INFO

The Forest Survey of India (FSI) classifies forest cover in 4 classes.

• Very Dense forest: All lands with tree cover (including mangrove cover) of canopy density of 70% and above.
• Moderately dense forest: All lands with tree cover (including mangrove cover) of canopy density between 40% and 70%.
• Open forests: All lands with tree cover (including mangrove cover) of canopy density between 10% and 40%.
• Scrubs: All forest lands with poor tree growth mainly of small or stunted trees having canopy density less than 10%.

NEWS

Government has approved the scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) for continuation till 31.03.2026 or till further review, whichever is earlier.

ABOUT THE SCHEME

Centrally Sponsored Scheme

LAUNCH - October 2013

AIM

• Operating in mission mode for funding the state government universities and colleges to achieve the aims of equity, access and excellence
• Operated in mission mode for funding state universities and colleges to achieve the aims of equity, access and excellence

OBJECTIVES

• Improve the overall quality of state institutions by conforming to the prescribed norms and standards.
• Adoption of accreditation (certification of competency) as a mandatory quality assurance framework.
• Promoting autonomy in state universities and improving governance in institutions.
• Ensure reforms in the affiliation, academic and examination system.
• Ensure adequate availability of quality faculty in all higher educational institutions and ensure capacity building at all levels of employment.
• Create an enabling atmosphere for research in the higher education system.
• Correct regional imbalances in access to higher education by setting up institutions in unserved and underserved areas.
• Improve equity in higher education by providing adequate opportunities to the disadvantaged.

NEWS

The Centre recently notified the green hydrogen and green ammonia policy aimed at boosting the domestic production of green hydrogen to 5 million tonnes by 2030 and making India an export hub for the clean fuel.

WHAT IS GREEN HYDROGEN?

Hydrogen gas produced through electrolysis of water

WHAT IS ELECTROLYSIS - Intensive process for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen

ABOUT THE POLICY

Offers 25 years of free power transmission for any new renewable energy plants set up to supply power for green hydrogen production before July 2025

INCENTIVES

• Single portal for all clearances required for setting up green hydrogen production as
• Facility for producers to bank any surplus renewable energy generated with discoms for upto 30 days and use it as required.
• Energy plants set up to produce green hydrogen/ammonia would be given connectivity to the grid on a priority basis
• Power distribution companies may also procure renewable energy to supply green hydrogen producers but will be required to do so at a concessional rate which will only include the cost of procurement, wheeling charges and a small margin as determined by the state commission
• Port authorities will also provide land at applicable charges to green hydrogen and green ammonia producers to set up bunkers near ports for storage prior to export.

WHAT NEXT?

The government is set to come out with mandates requiring that the oil refining, fertiliser and steel sectors procure green hydrogen and green ammonia for a certain proportion of their requirement.

NEWS

The Union Environment Ministry notified extended producer responsibility (EPR) guidelines for plastic packaging waste.

ABOUT THE GUIDELINES

• Implemented from July 1
• Mandate recycling and reusing a certain percentage of plastic produced by manufacturers, importers and brand owners
• Promote development of new alternatives to plastics and provide a roadmap for businesses to move towards sustainable plastic packaging
• Registering with the central and state pollution control boards has also been compulsory under the new rules
• After recycling the mandated percentage of plastic, a company would have to submit a certificate to the relevant authority and if more than the mandated amount is recycled, it could be sold to other companies
• Idea is to create an eco-system of recycling and incentivising it. Recycling will now be driven by market forces
• It is expected more companies to enter the recycling market and this will create a circular economy
• Specify three categories
• Second category relates to flexible plastic packaging of single layer or multilayer
• Third category covers multi-layered plastic packaging and one of material other than plastic).

BACKGROUND

• The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, mandate the generators of plastic waste to take steps to minimise it, ensure its segregated storage at source and hand it over to local bodies or agencies.
• The rules cast Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) on producer, importer and brand owner for collection and recycling of plastic packaging waste.

NEWS

PM recently inaugurated municipal solid waste based Gobar-Dhan plant in Indore

GALVANISING ORGANIC BIO-AGRO RESOURCES-DHAN (GOBAR-DHAN)

• Under this scheme Cattle dung, kitchen waste and agricultural waste can be tapped to create biogas-based energy
• The objectives of this initiative is to make villages clean and to generate wealth and energy from cattle and other waste.
• Pursued as a priority programme under the Swachch Bharat Mission Grameen-Phase 2.
• Implemented by Jal Shakthi Ministry.
• Expected to create opportunities to convert cattle dung and other organic waste to compost, biogas and even larger scale bio-CNG units.

BIO-CNG

• Purified form of biogas with over 95% pure methane gas
• Similar to natural gas in its composition (97% methane) and energy potential
• While natural gas is a fossil fuel, bio-CNG is a renewable form of energy produced from agricultural and food waste
• A typical bio-CNG station comprises a biogas purification unit, a compressor, and a high-pressure storage system
• Bio-CNG is being looked at as an environment-friendly alternative to diesel.

• Karnataka government on Friday gave its approval to the Rs 93.40-crore ropeway project at Nandi hills under a public-private-participation (PPP) model.
• The Government of India, the State Governments of Karnataka and Odisha and the World Bank have signed a $115 million (INR 869 crore) Programme called Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development (REWARD) Programme that will help national and state institutions adopt improved watershed management practices to help increase farmers’ resilience to climate change, promote higher productivity and better incomes.
• Government of India approves ₹ 235 crore Legacy Waste Remediation Proposal of Andhra Pradesh. This is the largest one-time approval of funds for legacy dumpsite remediation.