Top News Highlights- 24 September 2024

NGT Orders on Nainital’s Environmental Sustainability

• Environmental Categorization: NGT has asked for the environmental categorization of Nainital as a development and prohibitive areas.
• Lake Rehabilitation: The state government has been asked to treat the catchment area treatment plans regarding the preservation of lakes in the district.
• Master Plan for Nainital: The master plan will focus on carrying capacity, hydrology, vegetation, sanitation, and present tourism trends.

India’s Role in Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)

• Clean Economy Agreement: The Clean Economy agreement under IPEF means India agreed to speed up adopting clean energy technologies.
• Fair Economy Agreement: The Fair Economy agreement further strengthens cross-border investigations while also accelerating asset recovery.
• Supply Chain Resilience: India ratified the Supply Chain Resilience pillar in February 2024. It has actively been a part of IPEF initiatives.

Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) Scheme

• IDWH Continuation: The Union Cabinet has approved continuing IDWH for the 15th Finance Commission cycle.
• Wildlife Conservation Area: Protected areas such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and conservation reserves also come under the scheme.
• Species Recovery: Programmes for species that have critically endangered species; so far 22 species have been identified under the program.

Quad’s Focus on Global Good

• Health Security Initiatives: Quad Cancer The Indo-Pacific region has witnessed a robust commitment to combating cervical cancer.
• Technological Resilience: The Quad Semiconductor Supply Chains Contingency Network is enhancing the resilience of Quad semiconductor supply chains.
• Space-Based Climate Monitoring: India is leading the space-based monitoring in Mauritius of extreme weather and climate impact.

Nanozymes in Biomedical Advancements

• Nanozyme Properties: Nanozymes are synthetic enzymes composed of nanomaterials that ensure the integrity of collagen and resistance against enzymatic degradation.
• Advantages Over Biological Enzymes: Nanozymes are stable and the easiest to prepare at a lower cost compared to biological enzymes.
• Applications in Medicine and Environment: They are largely applied in biosensing, drug delivery, water purification, and air purification

Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 and Legacy Waste Management

• Low Reclamation Rate: Reclamation work has only been done on 16% of the land through the legacy waste management project of SBM 2.0.
• Environmental Legacy Waste: Legacy waste in landfills gives out greenhouse gases and soil and groundwater pollution.
• Scalable Waste Management Alternative Solution: Short-term solutions include sustainable waste management, along with full utilization of reclaimed land.

Key Concepts and Policies

• Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF): A regional partnership on trade, clean energy, supply chains, and fair economies.
• Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats: A centrally sponsored scheme aimed at conservation of India’s wildlife habitats, Project Tiger, and Project Elephant.
• Nanozymes: artificial enzymes made from nanomaterials for applications in the biomedical fields and for environmental protection.
• Carrying capacity: It means the maximum population that an area can carry under a given set of resource availability and environmental conditions.