Why in news?

• SC was hearing a petition challenging various provisions of the NGT Act, 2010 including:
  • Power vested in the Centre to establish specific benches of tribunals and
  • SC as the only appellate forum against the order of the NGT
• The SC emphasised that the principle of access to justice coupled with the idea of protecting the environment should guide the Centre in considering more zonal benches.
  • At present the NGT has a presence in five zones- North, Central, East, South and West.
  • The Principal Bench is situated in the North Zone, headquartered in Delhi.
• Benefits of zonal benches
  • It will lighten the burden of the existing benches.
  • More people will be induced to take up the causes of protecting the environment.
  • This will bring environmental justice to the doorstep of the citizens.

About National Green Tribunal

• NGT is a statutory and quasi-judicial body established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection.
• It is not bound by the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 or Indian Evidence Act, 1872 but is guided by principles of natural justice.
• Jurisdiction of NGT: civil cases under the seven laws related to the environment
  • The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
  • The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977
  • The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
  • The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
  • The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
  • The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991
  • The Biological Diversity Act 2002

Why in news?

• The United Nations General Assembly has designated 5 April to be observed as an International Day of Conscience every year.
• The resolution was adopted on 31 July 2019 by the UN General Assembly.
• The year 2022 marks the third edition of the celebrations.
• This day serves to remind people to self-reflect, follow their conscience, and do the right things.
• This Day is observed every year on the 5^th of April and the first International Conscience Day was observed in 2020.

Why in news?

• It seeks to merge three Municipal corporations of Delhi i.e., South, North, and East.
• It amends The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, and reverses the 2011 amendment to the Act for trifurcation of MCD into North, South, and East MCD.

Key provisions

• The number of seats in MCD is to be capped at 250.
• The Centre will appoint a Special officer until the first meeting of the unified MCD takes place.
• Replacement of the word “government” with “Central government”.
• Mandatory E-governance system for citizens by the new corporation.
  • Under Article 239AA the Parliament is empowered to legislate on any matter, including subjects on which the Assembly can make laws.

Why in news?

• Himcare health cards will now be made for three years at a cost of Rs 1,000 and Rs 365 in different categories specified by the government.
• The card holders will get a health insurance of Rs 5 lakh every year for medical treatment.
• Common people can avail of the health facility free of cost in government as well as private hospitals specified by the government

Why in news?

• Report provides an updated global assessment of climate change mitigation progress and pledges, and examines the sources of global em
• Assessment Reports are widely accepted scientific evaluations of the state of the Earth’s climate.

About IPCC

• It is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.
• Its objective is to provide its governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies.
• It was created in 1988 by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Key Findings

• Emission Trends– Amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by the world needs to peak at most by 2025, followed by a 43% reduction over the next 10 years in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C by the year 2100. GHG emissions were 54% higher in 2019 than they were in 1990, but growth is slowing.
• Carbon inequality remains pervasive as ever with Least Developed Countries (LDCs) emitting only 3.3% of global emissions in 2019.
• Carbon Capture-Without the technology to capture and store carbon (CCS), all coal-fired power plants need to be shuttered by 2050 if the world aspired to limit global temperature rise to 1.5c.
• Paris Agreement -Pledges to the Paris Agreement are insufficient, emissions must fall 43% by 2030 compared to 2019.
• Demand-side mitigation– Right policies, infrastructure, and technology in place to enable changes to our lifestyles and behavior can result in a 40-70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
• Finance – There is a need for scaled-up public grants, as well as increased levels of public finance and publicly mobilized private finance flows from developed to developing countries in the context of the 5100 billion-a-year goal.

Why in news?

• Satellite internet operators are turning to Very High Throughput Satellites (VHTS), a type of fixed service satellites (FSS) that offer significantly higher data bandwidth over the previous generation FSS satellites provided by Telcos.
  • Bandwidth refers to maximum amount of data transmitted over an internet connection in a given amount of time.
• FSS are used in television broadcasting and telephone communication, and depend on dish-style antennas.
  • FSS are typically deployed at a geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO) of 35,786km above Earth’s surface.
• Satellite Internet Services is a wireless internet connection which uses satellites in space to get an Internet signal from Internet Service Provider (ISP) to users.
• Satellite-based low-bit-rate connectivity is possible using Geo Stationary, Medium and low Earth orbit Satellites.
• It is different from satellite television as Internet signals have to go both ways with a much greater amount of bandwidth to move all that data.
• They operate by sending and receiving broadband signal to a satellite in space rather than using an underground copper/fibre network.
• Benefits of Satellite Internet Services: Cheap and easy internet option for rural areas. hilly terrains. Faster than Digital Subscriber Line (DSO connection etc.

Models for satellite-based connectivity

• Direct to Satellite Model: Allows devices to directly communicate with the satellite without the need of any Intermediate ground gateway.
• Hybrid (LPWAN + Satellite) or Indirect Model: In this, each sensor and actuator in a network may communicate with the satellite through an Intermediate sink node. i.e., Low Power Wide-Area Network gateway.

Why in news?

• Stand-Up India Scheme has recently completed 6 years.

About the Scheme

• It was launched in 2016, as part of efforts to support entrepreneurship among women and SC & ST communities.
• Its objective is to provide a bank loan between Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 1 crore to at least one SC or ST borrower and one-woman borrower per bank branch (without collateral) for setting up a Greenfield enterprise.
• The government does not allocate funds for loans under the Stand Up India Scheme rather loans are extended by Scheduled Commercial Banks as per commercial parameters.

Why in news?

• NCC has initiated a nationwide flagship campaign ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyan’ to clean seashores/beaches and other water bodies, including rivers and lakes of plastic & other waste material.

About NCC

• It is a tri-service organization set up in 1948 through the National Cadet Corps Act,1948 (based on the recommendations of the Kunzru committee).
• It provides for voluntary participation by school and college students.
• It aims for armed forces drills & training and also engages in community services.

Why in news?

• National Maritime Da y in India is observed on 5 April every year. This year is the 59th edition of the National Maritime Day. The National Maritime Day is celebrated every year day to illustrate the awareness in supporting intercontinental commerce and the global economy as the most well-organized, safe and sound, environmentally responsive approach of transporting goods from one corner to another corner of the world.
• On this day ‘NMD Award of Excellence’ is usually given during the celebrations and there is a trophy and citation, given to recognize and honour individuals for their lifetime distinguished and exceptional achievements and performances in the Indian Maritime sector at a senior level.
• The theme of the National Maritime Day is “Sustainable Shipping beyond Covid-19’’.
• History of National Maritime Day of India: National Maritime Day was first celebrated on April 5, 1964.The saga of Indian shipping first started on April 5, 1919, when the SS Loyalty, the first ship of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd travelled from Mumbai to the United Kingdom (London).
• On this day an award called “Varuna” is conferred to those who made an outstanding contribution to the Indian maritime sector.

Why in news?

• The Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi has launched a website ‘Temple 360’ during an event organized by the Ministry of Culture at IGNCA Ampitheatre, Indira Gandhi National Centre of Arts, New Delhi under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

About the Temple 360:

• Temple 360 is a digital platform where anyone can visit or do darshan of 12 Jyotirlinga and Char Dham from any location, making everyone’s life convenient while also keeping people connected.
• The website also allows a devotee to perform e-Darshan, e-Prashad, e-Aarti and several other services. Temple 360 is a website where one can visit a temple of their choice, anytime and from anywhere from India.
• With the help of this website, one can digitally witness the magnificence of some of the most pious Hindu pilgrimages that exist. The website also allows a devotee to perform e-aarti and several other services.