Top News Highlights- 4 October 2024

EnviStats India 2024: Environment Accounts

• India is a standard-bearer of energy leadership: The latest EnviStats account well for Total Protected Areas, increasing by 72% in numbers and 16% in areas between 2000 and 2023. Such performances demonstrate good environmental policy.
• Biodiversity Increase: Mangrove cover increased by 8% between 2013 and 2021, said the researchers, which led them to believe that indeed, the conservation efforts were fruiting.
• Policy Implementations: these figures create policies that help in environmental upliftment without the economic growth infringing on the environment on evidential grounds.

Demand for Inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule

• Constitutional Context: The Sixth Schedule addresses tribal area administrations in NE states wherein powers have been granted to ADCs and ARCs for governing land, revenue, and local laws.
• Governance Implication: It would only strengthen local governance and resource management by the agenda for decentralization undertaken by the central government.

ILO Social Protection Report for Asia and the Pacific

• Coverage Statistics: The statistics show that 53.6% of the regional population covers social protection with India at 48.8%.
• Challenges and Recommendations: Raises for strong social protection to build climate resilience, proposes improved coverages and subsidy reforms.

Ecomark Rules, 2024

• Sustainability Norms: The ecomark mark will be applied to products with some environmental standards, encouraging eco-friendly manufacturing processes.
• Consumer Impact: Empower consumers’ choices toward a step for a circular economy.

Swachh Bharat Mission: 10 Years Review

• Health and Economic Impact: The mission has prevented 60,000-70,000 infant mortalities every year while saving the exchequer about ₹50,000 annually per household.
• Challenges Underway: Ensure ODF status and incorporation of waste management. These are the factors that require policy attention in the respective sectors.

Grey Zone Warfare Tactics by China

• Tactical Insights: Engages in low-intensity but persistent strategies to assert territorial claims but not through full-scale warfare, thereby complicating international response.
• Strategic Implications: These tactics illustrate how the nature of international conflict is changing, requiring nations to keep their borders alert and maintain international diplomacy.

PM Electric Drive Revolution (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme

• Objective: This shall increase the adoption of Electric Vehicles in India through big-bang subsidies to install requisite charging infrastructure.
• Economic and Environmental Impact: Works in sync with India’s vision of sustainable transport and lower emissions.

People’s Plan Campaign (Jan Yojana Abhiyan)

• Citizen Engagement: Engages the grassroots citizenry to work out plans so that the local governance bodies can be worked upon.
• Developmental Focus: Planned growth with optimal resource utilization, at the grassroots level.

Key Concepts and Policies

• SEEA Framework: It refers to the global framework of statistical standards that quantify the interactions between the economy and the environment.
• Sixth Schedule: It deals with provisions related to self-governance in certain areas of NE India. Which provides the areas more control over their resources.
• MGNREGA: Provides at least 100 days of wage employment every year. During the lean seasons to every rural household to gain livelihood security.