Coming soon, an app that will track your carbon footprint 

News important for: GS paper 3 I Environment

Context

The state government of Maharashtra announced an app that can track citizen’s carbon footprint.

 

About

• The app is developed by the State Forest Department on the side lines of an event to launch the drive to plant 33 crore saplings in the State.
• The app will track its citizen’s carbon footprint and reward those who achieve an emission neutral status
• The citizens would be awarded a certificate and tax rebate once they achieve a neutral status.
• The footprints of an individual as per the app will include his use of electricity, air conditioning, kitchen activities among others.
• The step comes after central government announced to bring India’s pollution levels to 2005 levels by 2030 and to generate 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, out of which 100 GW will be solar.
• India as part of the Paris Summit, promised to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 20% to 25%.

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/coming-soon-an-app-that-will-track-your-carbon-footprint/article28255572.ece

Thermal plants contribute to wastage of water

News important for: GS paper 3 I Environment, Pollution

Context

The latest study found that major thermal power plants across the country are wasting water, contravening the 2015 order by the environment ministry to use water efficiently.

 

 

Analysis

• Only about 51% of the plants were in compliance with the regulations of the environment ministry. 
•  Out of the total 156 plants, 66 claimed that they complied with the water consumption limits, while 30 admitted that they were non-compliant.  
•  As other 14 plants were using sea water, they are exempted from the regulations. 
• Thermal power plants consume, on an average, 5-7 cubic metres/MWh of water. 
• According to a central electricity power authority report of 2012:
  •  Every reduction of 0.5 cubic metres/MWh in the specific consumption of a 1000 MW thermal plant could save enough water in a year to irrigate 700 ha of land.
  •  Provide drinking and domestic use water to 68,000 people for one year. 

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/thermal-plants-are-wasting-water/article28254005.ece

Violation of reservation in top posts at universities

News important for: GS paper 3 I Issues relating to management of Education, Human Resources

 

Context

Violations of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Ordinance, 2019 is observed in several universities.

 

 

Analysis

·        According to a recent study the OBCs occupy only around 1% of top teaching posts.

• The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Ordinance, 2019 provides for the reservation of posts in appointments by direct recruitment of persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the socially and educationally backward classes, to teachers’ cadre in certain Central Educational Institutions established, maintained or aided by the Central Government provides reservation for OBC candidates at higher level of teaching position.
• Advertisements by 13 universities are found to be in clear violation of the rule.
• Only few universities have followed the reservation policy by earmarking positions for OBCs at all levels.
• OBCs are about 50% of the country’s population and their representation in faculty positions in all central educational institutions is only 9.8%.
• According to a recent report by the University Grants Commission, only 13.87% of positions at the Assistant Professor-level in central universities were occupied by OBCs.
• The representation at higher levels for Associate Professor and Professor, accounting for just 1.22% and 1.14%, respectively.
• The representation of OBCs was less than that of Muslims at higher levels of teaching.
• If the Muslims recognised as OBCs are excluded the representation of non-Muslim OBCs in the institutions would become negligible.

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/violation-of-reservation-in-top-posts-at-universities/article28252966.ece

Rajya Sabha to debate poll reforms tomorrow

News important for: GS paper 2 I Election Reform

Context

Rajya Sabha is about to debate electoral reforms with a co-ordinated floor strategy.

 

Analysis

·        This will be the First synchronised effort by the Opposition after lok sabha elections.

·        The conflict between “one nations, one poll” is countered by discrepancies in the EVM.

·        The Opposition parties demand that at least 50% of the voter verified paper trail (VVPAT) entries should be tallied with the EVM counts in every constituency counting VVPAT entries first.

·         The opposition has also raised the demand for state funding for polls as recommended by the Indrajit Gupta report of 1998 and raise the issue of misuse of social media such as Facebook during the elections.

Source link

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rajya-sabha-to-debate-poll-reforms-on-july-2/article28253986.ece

Core sector growth slows to 5.1% 

News important for: GS paper 3 I Economy

Context

A slowdown in the growth of core sectors to 5.1% in May 2019 has been observed.

 

Analysis

·        The Slowdown in the refinery sector of 1.5% compared with a growth of 4.3% in previous month.

·         Slowdown in the growth of coal sectors to 1.8% from 3.2% in May was also observed.

·        The month of May observed the slowdown in the growth of Index of Eight Core Industries from the nine-month high of 6.3% registered in April.

·        The crude oil sector witnessed a continued contraction for the eighteenth consecutive month in May with growth contracting 6.96% in that month compared with a contraction of 6.75% in April.

·        The natural gas sector registering zero growth.

·        The fertilizer sector contracted again in May, by 1.03%.

·        The strongest performer of the eight sectors was the steel sector. The sector grew 19.8% in May.

 

Source link: https://www.thehindu.com/business/core-sector-growth-slows-to-51/article28254181.ece

Finally, aircraft carrier INS Viraat to be scrapped

News important for: GS paper 3 I Internal Security

 

Context

 INS Viraat to be finally decommissioned from the Indian Navy.

 

 

Analysis

• The expenditure of aircraft such as provision of electricity, water and repairs has been incurred by navy till date.

About INS Viraat

• INS Viraat is a Centaur class aircraft carrier.
• Weight: 27,800 tonnes.
• It has also served in the British Navy as HMS Hermes for 25 years from November 1959 to April 1984.
• It was decommissioned from the Navy in March 2017 at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.

About INS Vikrant

• INS Vikrant is also a Centaur class aircraft carrier.
• It was maintained by the Navy in Mumbai for 17 years
• Various proposals to convert it into a museum were unsuccessful and ship was eventually sent to a scrapyard in 2014.

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/finally-aircraft-carrier-viraat-to-be-scraped/article28252048.ece

Soon, first of its kind audio visual archive on the northeast

News important for: GS paper 1 I Cultural heritage, Art and culture 

 

Context

 It will be first of its kind and will help in procuring archival footage and relevant images and videos.

 

About

• The visual archive will be situated at the Department of Mass Media, St. Anthony’s College, Shillong.
• Students, scholars, researchers, filmmaker and film enthusiasts would be able to access the material offline.
•  The archive will also have a digital/web platform of its own.
• The launch will also be marked by Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF) having a special section of films from Northeast India this year.
• The Cinema of north east will be an important component.
• Apart from the films, the archive will also feature audio-visual material of anthropological value.
• To formally start the archive a Northeast India Archive Summit will be held in Shillong on July 19 and 20, 2019.

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/shillong-will-house-the-non-commercial-venture-where-users-can-access-cinema-documentaries-and-anthropological-material-from-october/article28254410.ece

Lok Sabha passes teachers’ reservation Bill

News important for: GS paper 3 I Issues relating to management of Education, Human Resources

 

Context

The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Bill 2019 was introduced to replace the ordinance.

 

About

• The bill provides to fill the 8,000 existing vacancies in 41 Central universities.
• It is in opposition of the Supreme Court decision on reservation in the appointment of teachers in universities.
• The Lok Sabha passed the Bill proposing to make a university or college a unit instead of a department for the purpose of providing reservation.
•  The Bill is applicable to all Central universities.
•  The bill aims to provide for reservation of posts in appointments by direct recruitment of person belonging to the SC, ST, Socially and Economically Backward Classes and EWS to teachers’ cadre in certain Central Education Institutions.
• The bill also has a provision of 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections.

Source link:

https://indianexpress.com/article/education/lok-sabha-passes-teachers-reservation-bill-5809819/