Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

As the dues of power distribution companies (discoms) to power generators surge to unsustainable levels, with states holding back payments to be made to discoms for electricity supplies as well as against subsidies for free power schemes, the Centre is set to give distribution reforms a renewed push.

• The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022, to be introduced in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, is likely to push state electricity regulatory commissions to take up timely revision of tariffs and catalyse competition in the retail power distribution sector.
• This also comes amid a renewed debate on the freebie culture and the focus on the mounting dues of power distribution companies.
• According to latest government data, discoms of three states
• Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Telangana owed about 57 per cent of total dues to power generating companies (gencos); 
• Followed Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and the UTs of Jammu & Kashmir, which account for another about 26 per cent of the total dues of Rs 1,14,222 crore owed to power generation companies.
• Government data updated till March 31, 2022 show that states owe Rs 62,931 crore for services and another Rs 76,337 crore against cost of freebies announced by them to state discoms.

Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022

• The suggested amendments are to the Electricity Act, 2003 which was enacted to consolidate the laws relating to the generation, transmission, distribution, trading, and use of electricity and generally for taking measures conducive to the development of electricity.
• The Bill proposes that power distribution licensees will be allowed to use the networks of other licensees, which could boost competition and enhance efficiency.
• The government also hopes to insert a new section in the Act that will enable the management of power purchase and cross-subsidy in case of multiple distribution licensees in the same area of supply.
• These measures are expected to promote competition in the power distribution sector so that consumers benefit from competitive prices.
• The government also proposes to enable regulators to fix a minimum tariff ceiling to discourage unhealthy pricing wars among distributors and a maximum ceiling to ensure consumers are protected against price increase shock.
• Amendments are also being made in the Act to strengthen the functioning of the National Load Despatch Centre for ensuring the safety and security of the grid and for the economic and efficient operation of the power system in the country.

The amendments to the act and other recent policy initiatives like the Ministry of Power’s flagship Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) are aimed at resolving issues in the power sector.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Rajya Sabha Chairman has clarified that members of Parliament do not enjoy any immunity from arrest in criminal cases when the House is in session, and they cannot avoid summons issued by law enforcement agencies.

MP’s Privileges on Arrests

• Under Article 105 of the Constitution, members of Parliament enjoy certain privileges, so they can perform their duties without any hindrances.
• One of the privileges is that a member of Parliament cannot be arrested in a civil case 40 days before the commencement of the session or committee meeting and 40 days thereafter. This privilege is already incorporated under Section 135A of the Civil Procedure Code,1908.
• However, in criminal matters, members of Parliament are not on a different footing than a common citizen. That means members of Parliament do not enjoy any immunity from being arrested in a criminal case during the session or otherwise.

Issues

• Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha has claimed he was “insulted” as he was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate during the working hours of Parliament.
• For this Chairman said, it was “a wrong notion” among members that they have privilege from action by agencies while Parliament is in session.
• He cited Article 105 of the Constitution, Section 135A of the Civil Procedure Code and Supreme Court Judgments.
• He stated that in criminal matters, MPs are not on a different footing than a common citizen. That means MPs do not enjoy any immunity from being arrested in a criminal case during the Session or otherwise.

Supreme Court Judgements on this Issue

• K Anandan Nambiar Case: In this, the Court held that the true Constitutional position is that so far as a valid order of detention is concerned, a Member of Parliament can claim no special status higher than that of an ordinary citizen and is as much liable to be arrested, detained or questioned even during the Session.
• In July 2021, the SC rejected a plea by the Kerala government to withdraw criminal cases against its MLAs, who destroyed public property and disrupted a Budget speech in the Assembly in 2015.
• The state had claimed parliamentary privilege and immunity from criminal prosecution, arguing that the incident occurred inside the Assembly hall. They also said that prior sanction of the Speaker was necessary before the registration of an FIR by the police.
• But the SC held that legislators who indulge in vandalism and general mayhem cannot claim parliamentary privilege and immunity from criminal prosecution, and that this could not be called “essential legislative action”

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

The Mullaperiyar Dam in Kerala was built on the Periyar river in 1895.

• The dam is located on the confluence of the Mullayar and Periyar rivers in Kerala’s Idukki district. The dam is located on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats.
• The dam is located in Kerala but is operated and maintained by the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
• The dam is operated by Tamil Nadu following an 1886 lease agreement for 999 years. It was signed between the Maharaja of Travancore and the Secretary of State for India during British Rule.
• In the 1970s, the lease agreement was renewed by Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It gave the former, rights to the water from the dam, besides the authority to develop hydropower projects at the site. In return, Kerala receives rent from Tamil Nadu.

Periyar River

• The Periyar River is the longest river in the state of Kerala with a length of 244 km.
• It is also known as ‘Lifeline of Kerala’ as it is one of the few perennial rivers in the state.
• Periyar River originates from Sivagiri hills of Western Ghats and flows through the Periyar National Park.
• The main tributaries of Periyar are Muthirapuzha, Mullayar, Cheruthoni, Perinjankutti.

United Nations University-Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) has released a report titled “Ageing Water Storage Infrastructure: An Emerging Global Risk”. The report provides an overview of the current state of knowledge on the ageing of large dams.

• The report says the dam is located in a seismically active area, making it prone to earthquakes. The intended lifespan of the dam is 50 years.
• A minor earthquake caused cracks in the dam in 1979, and in 2011, more cracks appeared in the dam due to seismic activity. It warns that in case of a catastrophe, 3.5 million people would be in danger.
• Consequently, the Central Water Commission decided that water level in the dam be brought down from the full reservoir level of 152 ft to 136 ft. It will enable Tamil Nadu to carry out dam strengthening works.
• By the 1990s, Tamil Nadu started demanding restoration of the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam as it completed the task assigned to it. When no consensus was reached through negotiations, the Supreme Court was approached.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

The Act promotes energy efficiency and conservation. It provides for the regulation of energy consumption by equipment, appliances, buildings, and industries.

Key proposals under the Bill are:

• Obligation to use non-fossil sources of energy: The Act empowers the central government to specify energy consumption standards. 
• Carbon Trading:  The Bill empowers the central government to specify a carbon credit trading scheme. 

Carbon Markets

• Carbon markets allow the trade of carbon credits with the overall objective of bringing down emissions.
• These markets create incentives to reduce emissions or improve energy efficiency.
• For example, an industrial unit which outperforms the emission standards stands to gain credits.
• Another unit which is struggling to attain the prescribed standards can buy these credits and show compliance to these standards.
• The unit that did better on the standards earns money by selling credits, while the buying unit is able to fulfill its operating obligations.
• Under the Kyoto Protocol, the predecessor to the Paris Agreement, carbon markets have worked at the international level as well.
• As the world negotiated a new climate treaty in place of the Kyoto Protocol, the developed countries no longer felt the need to adhere to their targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
• A similar carbon market is envisaged to work under the successor Paris Agreement, but its details are still being worked out.

Carbon Credit 

It implies a tradeable permit to produce a specified amount of carbon emissions.  

• The central government or any authorised agency may issue carbon credit certificates to entities registered under and compliant with the scheme.   
• The entities will be entitled to purchase or sell the certificate.  
• Any other person may also purchase a carbon credit certificate on a voluntary basis.
• Energy Conservation Code for Buildings:  The Act empowers the central government to specify energy conservation code for buildings.  The code prescribes energy consumption standards in terms of area.  The Bill amend this to provide for an ‘energy conservation and sustainable building code’. 
• Applicability to Residential Buildings:  Under the Act, the energy conservation code applies to commercial buildings: 

• Erected after the notification of the code
• Having a minimum connected load of 100 kilo watts (kW) or contract load of 120 kilo volt ampere (kVA).  
• Standards for Vehicles and Vessels:  Under the Act, the energy consumption standards may be specified for equipment and appliances which consume, generate, transmit, or supply energy.  The Bill expands the scope to include vehicles (as defined under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988). 
• Regulatory Powers of SERCs: The Act empowers the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) to adjudge penalties under the Act.  The Bill adds that SERCs may also make regulations for discharging their functions.
• Composition of the Governing Council of BEE: The Act provides for the setting up of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).  The Bureau has a governing council with members between 20 and 26 in number.   These include: (i) secretaries of six departments, (ii) representatives of regulatory authorities such as the Central Electricity Authority, and the Bureau of Indian Standards, and (iii) up to four members representing industries and consumers.  The Bill instead provides that the number of members will be between 31 and 37.  It increases the number of secretaries to 12.   It also provides for up to seven members representing industries and consumers.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

As per the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008, the Government is mandated to provide Social Security to the workers of unorganised sector including daily wage workers by formulating suitable welfare schemes on matters relating to  

• Life and disability cover
• Health and maternity benefits
• Old age protection 
• Any other benefit as may be determined by the Central Government.
• The Life and Disability cover is provided through Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).
• The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) provides an annual health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per eligible family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization corresponding to 1949 treatment procedures across 27 specialties.  It is a completely cashless and paperless scheme. The beneficiary families under AB-PMJAY have been identified from Social Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011 basis 6 deprivation and 11 occupational criteria across rural and urban areas.
• The old age protection is provided through the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM) pension scheme in the form of monthly pension of Rs. 3,000/- after attaining the age of 60 years.
• The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, mandates the appropriate Government to provide free and compulsory elementary education to every child of the age 6 to 14 years in a neighbourhood school. Education is a subject in the concurrent list of the Constitution and majority of the schools are under the control of the respective State Governments.
• Apart from these schemes,

• Atal Pension Yojana, 
• Public Distribution System under National Food Security Act,
• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 
• Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gramin Kaushal Yojana, 
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, National Social Assistance Programme,
• Gareeb Kalyan Rojgar Yojana, 
• Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana, 
• Deen Dayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Yojana, 
• PMSVANidhi, 
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, are also available to the unorganised workers including daily wage workers  depending upon their eligibility criteria.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 4

India’s satellite-based navigation system, NavIC, is as good as GPS of the United States in terms of position accuracy and availability in its service region.

• NavIC can help in navigation on land, air, sea and also in disaster management.
• NavIC satellites are placed at a higher orbit than the GPS of United States. 
• NavIC satellites are placed in geostationary orbit (GEO) & geosynchronous orbit (GSO) with an altitude of about 36,000 km; GPS satellites are placed in medium earth orbit (MEO) with an altitude of about 20,000 km.
• NavIC uses dual frequency bands, which improves accuracy of dual frequency receivers by enabling them to correct atmospheric errors through simultaneous use of two frequencies. 
• It also helps in better reliability and availability because the signal from either frequency can serve the positioning requirement equally well.
• At the time of inception, an indigenously developed satellite navigation system was conceptualized to cater to requirements of critical national applications, including those of defence and commercial establishments. 
• Hence the coverage area was designed to cover Indian Territory and surrounding 1500 km of Indian borders. 
• The needs of critical national applications do evolve with time and efforts are continuously made to meet these requirements, including from the point of view of coverage.

Applications of NAVIC

• Terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation
• Disaster management
• Vehicle tracking and fleet management
• Integration with mobile phones
• Precise timing, mapping and geodetic data capture
• Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travelers
• Visual and voice navigation for drivers

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

The Hasdeo Aranya forests are called the lungs of Chhattisgarh. 

• Over the past one year, protests against mining in this region have erupted several times and some still continue to sit-in demanding a complete stop to mining.
• The Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a private member resolution urging the Centre to cancel allocation of all coal mining blocks in the ecologically sensitive area.

Importance of the Hasdeo-Aranya Region

• The Hasdeo Aranya (Aranya means forest) lies in the catchment area of the Hasdeo river and is spread across 1,878 sq km in North-Central Chhattisgarh. 
• The Hasdeo river is a tributary of the Mahanadi river which originates in Chhattisgarh and flows through Odisha into the Bay of Bengal. 
• The Hasdeo forests are also the catchment area for the Hasdeo Bango Dam built across the Hasdeo river which irrigates six lakh acres of land, crucial to a State with paddy as its main crop. 
• Besides, the forests are ecologically sensitive due to the rich biodiversity they offer and due to the presence of a large migratory corridor for elephants.

When did the controversy surrounding coal mining start?

• Underneath the Hasdeo Aranya is a coalfield that comprises of 22 coal blocks. 
• In 2010, the Centre categorised Hasdeo Aranya to be a “no-go” zone for mining. It ruled out mining in any of these blocks. 
• However, only a year later, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) granted clearance for the mining for one coal block. 
• At present, of the 22 blocks, seven blocks have been allotted to different companies, says the resolution.

Private Member Resolution

• An MLA who is not a Minister whether she happens to be from the ruling party or not is a private member.
• A private member resolution can be brought in by a private member and if passed, it becomes an expression of what the House thinks.
• This is different from a private member bill which would become law in case of approval.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

India is exploring the possibilities of joining the Minerals Security Partnership.

• Minerals Security Partnership is an ambitious new US-led partnership to secure supply chains of critical minerals, aimed at reducing dependency on China.
• Major members are US, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the European Commission.
• The new grouping could focus on the supply chains of minerals such as Cobalt, Nickel, Lithium and also the 17 “rare earth” minerals.

Significance for India

• Given the push of India towards Electric Vehicles, it needs to secure the supply of critical minerals.
• China has created a processing infrastructure in rare earth minerals and has acquired mines in Africa for elements such as cobalt.

Rare Earth Element

• Rare earth comprises seventeen elements and are classified as light RE elements (LREE) and heavy RE elements (HREE).
• Scandium and yttrium, while not true rare earth elements, are also included. 
• REEs are key components in many electronic devices that we use in our daily lives, as well as in a variety of industrial application.
• Some REs are available in India such as Lanthanum, Cerium, Neodymium, Praseodymium, and Samarium.
• While others such as Dysprosium, Terbium, Europium that are classified as HREE are not available in Indian deposits in extractable quantity.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has approved India’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to be communicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

• NDC seeks to enhance India’s contributions towards achievement of the strengthening of global response to the threat of climate change, as agreed under the Paris Agreement.
• India at the 26th  session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Glasgow, United Kingdom, expressed to intensify its climate action by presenting to the world five nectar elements (Panchamrit) of India’s climate action.
• Earlier, India submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to UNFCCC on October 2, 2015.

As per the updated NDC, 

• India now stands committed to reduce Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030, from 2005 level.
• To achieve about 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030. 
•  “To put forward and further propagate a healthy and sustainable way of living based on traditions and values of conservation and moderation, including through a mass movement for ‘LIFE’– ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ as a key to combating climate change”.
• NDC also represents the framework for India’s transition to cleaner energy for the period 2021-2030.
• The Net Zero target by 2030 by Indian Railways alone will lead to a reduction of emissions by 60 million tonnes annually. 
• Similarly, India’s massive LED bulb campaign is reducing emissions by 40 million tonnes annually.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

India adds 10 more wetlands designated as Ramsar sites to make total 64 sites covering an area of 12,50,361 ha in the country. 

The 10 new sites include:  

• Six (6) sites in Tamil Nadu and 
• One (1) each in Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.
• Designation of these sites would help in conservation and management of wetlands and wise use of their resources.
• India is one of the Contracting Parties to Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. 
• India signed it on 1st Feb 1982. So far 64 wetlands covering an area of 12,50,361 ha have been designated as Ramsar Sites of International Importance from India, till date.

10 Wetlands Designated as Ramsar sites