💥Join UPSC 2027,2028 Mentorship (July Batch) + XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to Mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

Distribution: yearly

  • State of Child Custody Cases abroad

    child

    Central idea:

    • Activists are calling on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to take a stronger interest in child custody cases in Western countries.
    • The call comes as the movie Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway, which focuses on the diplomatic row between India and Norway in 2011.
    • The movie sheds light on cases where parents lose custody of their children over cultural differences in their upbringing.

    Child Custody norms in India

    • India’s child custody laws are governed by-
    1. Guardians and Wards Act of 1890: It recognizes the welfare of the child as the paramount consideration in custody matters.
    2. Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act of 1956: It deals with the custody and guardianship of Hindu children.
    • Indian law generally gives custody of children to the mother in case of young children, but the father can also seek custody.
    • In recent years, there have been calls to reform the law to provide more equal rights to fathers in custody battles.

     The story beyond: Bhattacharya Case

    • The movie depicts real life story of a Bengali couple who had moved to Norway in 2007.
    • Their child reportedly developed ‘autism-like’ symptoms in his early years and was placed in a family kindergarten.
    • The family was reportedly under watch for months by the child welfare service and in May 2011, the authorities took away the couple’s children under the pretext of bad parenting.
    • Finally the Norwegian authorities took the child away to their shelter home for almost 14 months.

    What accounts to ‘bad’ parenting in Norway?

    • Hand feeding: Norwegian authorities raised objection to the family hand-feeding the baby and equated it to force-feeding.
    • Child sleeping with parents: They also had problems with children sleeping on the same bed as their parents- something that is very common in Indian households.
    • Ban on physical discipline: Charges against the parents also included a slap by the parents – just once. Even mild physical discipline, such as a slap, is considered illegal in Norway.
    • Lack of recreation: Authorities accused the couple that the children did not have enough room to play. They were also accused of providing “unsuitable” clothes and toys to their children.

    About Norway’s Child Welfare Services

    • The Child Welfare Services in Norway is commonly known as Barnevernet and is responsible for child protection in the country.
    • The organization is very strict about child protection and applies strict regulations for all citizens living in the country, regardless of their cultural background.
    • The primary responsibility of the Child Welfare Services is to implement measures for children and their families in situations where there are special needs in relation to the home environment.
    • Assistance is provided through counseling, advisory services, and aid measures, including external support contacts, relief measures in the home, and access to daycare.

    The Bhattacharya Case and Diplomatic Row

    The case of the Bhattacharya couple, whose children were taken away by Barnevernet, caused a diplomatic row between Norway and India. The Bhattacharya had appealed to the foreign ministry to intervene in the case where the Child Welfare Services had taken their children away from them.

    • Bias against non-citizens: The couple was accused of mistreating their children, but some claimed that the decision was biased against non-Norwegian citizens.
    • State kidnapping of children: Human rights activists in India, called the incident “state kidnapping”.
    • Labelling parents for being of unsound mind: In almost every case, they claim that one of the parents has a mental problem just to make their case stronger.

    How did Norway response?

    • After a diplomatic row between the two countries, the Norwegian authorities decided to award the custody of the children to their father’s brother, enabling him to bring them back to India.

    Way forward

    • The case highlights the need for transparent and unbiased decision-making processes in child welfare services, especially in cases involving non-native citizens.
    • While child protection is of utmost importance, the authorities must ensure that their actions are fair, just, and not biased against any particular group or culture.
    Are you an IAS Worthy Aspirant? Get a reality check with the All India Smash UPSC Scholarship Test

    Get upto 100% Scholarship | 900 Registration till now | Only 100 Slots Left

  • International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin

    putin

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for war crimes for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights.

    Charges against Putin

    • The ICC issued the warrants because it believes that Putin bear individual criminal responsibility for the war crime of –
    1. Unlawful deportation of population and
    2. Unlawful transfer of population from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation

    The ICC and its Background

    • The ICC is a standing body created two decades ago to investigate war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity under a 1998 treaty known as the Rome Statute.
    • The court is based in The Hague, a Dutch city that has long been a center for international law and justice.
    • Many democracies joined the ICC, including close American allies such as Britain.
    • However, the United States has kept its distance due to fears that the court may one day seek to prosecute American officials.
    • Russia is also not a member.

    Implications of the Warrants   

    • Human rights groups hailed the warrant as an important step toward ending impunity for Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
    • The likelihood of a trial while Putin remains in power appears slim since the court cannot try defendants in absentia, and Russia has said it will not surrender its own officials.
    • Putin’s isolation in the West deepens, and his movements overseas could be limited.
    • If he travels to a state that is a party to the ICC, that country must arrest him according to its obligations under international law.

    Possibility of Putin Facing Trial

    • The ICC has no power to arrest sitting heads of state or bring them to trial, and instead must rely on other leaders and governments to act as its sheriffs around the world.
    • A suspect who manages to evade capture may never have a hearing to confirm the charges.
    Are you an IAS Worthy Aspirant? Get a reality check with the All India Smash UPSC Scholarship Test

    Get upto 100% Scholarship | 900 Registration till now | Only 100 Slots Left

  • PM MITRA Scheme: 7 States to get textile parks

    pm mitra

    The Centre has selected seven states in India to set up new textile parks under the PM MITRA (Mega Investment Textiles Parks) Scheme.

    What is PM MITRA Scheme?

    • The scheme was announced in October 2021, and the parks will be established by 2026-27.
    • MITRA aims to enable the textile industry to become globally competitive, attract large investments, and boost employment generation and exports.
    • It will create world-class infrastructure with plug and play facilities to enable create global champions in exports.
    • It will be launched in addition to the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI).
    • It will give our domestic manufacturers a level-playing field in the international textiles market & pave the way for India to become a global champion of textiles exports across all segments”.

    Its implementation

    • An special purpose vehicle (SPV) owned by Centre and State Government will be set up for each park, which will oversee the implementation of the project.
    • The Ministry of Textiles will provide financial support in the form of Development Capital Support up to ₹500 crore per park to the Park SPV.
    • A Competitive Incentive Support (CIS) up to ₹300 crore per park to the units in PM MITRA Park shall also be provided to incentivize speedy implementation.
    • Convergence with other Government of India schemes shall also be facilitated in order to ensure additional incentives to the Master Developer and investor units.

    Envisaged Benefits

    • The parks will boost the textiles sector in line with 5F (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign) vision.
    • The Centre envisages an investment of nearly ₹70,000 crore into these parks, with employment generation for about 20 lakh people.
    • The parks will function as centres of opportunity to create an integrated textiles value chain, right from spinning, weaving, processing, dyeing and printing to garment manufacturing, all at a single location.

    Need for such scheme  

    • Textile industry is critical to India’s economy, employing 4.5 crore people and contributing 7% of GDP. Despite its potential, the industry is facing challenges that need to be addressed.
    • The unorganized textile industry in the country increased wastage and logistical costs, impacting the competitiveness of the country’s textile sector.

    Challenges Faced by India’s Textile Industry

    • High input costs due to high taxes and tariffs, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of skilled labor.
    • Competition from cheaper imports (ex. from Bangladesh) and a growing informal sector.
    • Environmental concerns related to the industry’s high water usage, pollution, and hazardous waste disposal.
    • The pandemic further disrupted supply chains and led to reduced demand.

    Conclusion

    • PM MITRA Parks represent a unique model where the Centre and State Governments will work together to increase investment, promote innovation, create job opportunities and ultimately make India a global hub for textile manufacturing and exports.
    Are you an IAS Worthy Aspirant? Get a reality check with the All India Smash UPSC Scholarship Test

    Get upto 100% Scholarship | 900 Registration till now | Only 100 Slots Left

  • E-Postal Ballot for Overseas Indian Voters

    post-vote

    Central idea: The Election Commission of India (EC) has proposed to facilitate the electronically-transmitted postal ballot system for overseas Indian voters.

    Why such a move?

    • The total number of overseas voters on January 1, 2023, was over 1.15 lakh.

    Measures taken

    • The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was passed by the Lok Sabha in August 2018 on the recommendation of the EC.
    • The Bill sought to enable overseas electors to cast their vote either in person or by proxy.
    • However, it lapsed when the 16th Lok Sabha was dissolved as it was pending in the Rajya Sabha.

    How can overseas voters currently vote in Indian elections?

    • Prior to 2010, an Indian citizen who is an eligible voter and was residing abroad for more than six months, would not have been able to vote in elections.
    • This was because the NRI’s name was deleted from electoral rolls if he or she stayed outside the country for more than six months at a stretch.
    • After the passing of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2010, eligible NRIs who had stayed abroad beyond six months have been able to vote, but only in person at the polling station where they have been enrolled as an overseas elector.
    • Just as any resident Indian citizen above the age of 18 years) is eligible to vote in the constituency where she/he is a resident, and overseas Indian citizens are also eligible to do so.
    • In the case of overseas voters, the address mentioned in the passport is taken as the place of ordinary residence and chosen as the constituency for the overseas voter to enrol in.

    How has the existing facility worked so far?

    • Hike in voters: From merely 11,846 overseas voters who registered in 2014, the number went up to close to a lakh in 2019. But the bulk of these voters (nearly 90%) belonged to just one State — Kerala.
    • Section 20-1A, Part III of the RP Act: It addresses this to some extent by qualifying “a person absenting himself temporarily from his place of ordinary residence shall not by reason thereof cease to be ordinarily resident therein.
    • Proxyprovisions: The Bill provided for overseas voters to be able to appoint a proxy to cast their votes on their behalf, subject to conditions laid down in the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.
    • Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System: The ECI then approached the government to permit NRIs to vote via postal ballots similar to a system that is already used by service voters, (a member of the armed Forces of the Union; or a member of a force to which provisions of the Army Act, 1950 (46 of 1950) which is ETPBS. The ECI proposed to extend this facility to overseas voters as well.

    What is ETPBS and how does it function?

    • The Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 was amended in 2016to allow service voters to use the ETPBS.
    • Under this system, postal ballots are sent electronicallyto registered service voters.
    • The service voter can then download the ETPB(along with a declaration form and covers), register their mandate on the ballot and send it to the returning officer of the constituency via ordinary mail.
    • The post will include an attested declaration form(after being signed by the voter in the presence of an appointed senior officer who will attest it).
    • The postal ballot must reach the returning officer by 8 a.m.on the day of the counting of results.
    • In the case of NRI voters, those seeking to vote through ETPBS will have to inform the returning officer at least five days after notification of the election.

    Are postal ballots a viable means of voting?

    • The ETPBS method allowed for greater turnout among service voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
    • With the increasing mobility of citizens across countries for reasons related to work, the postal ballot method has been internationally recognized.
    • A postal ballot mechanism that allows for proper authentication of the ballot at designated consular/embassy offices and an effective postal system should ease this process for NRIs.

    Back2Basics: NRI vs OCI

    Non-Resident Indian (NRI)

    • To mention it, NRI is someone who is not a resident of India.
    • However, the law is much more complicated and must be delved deeper to gain an inclusive insight into the sector.
    • A person is considered a resident of India if he/she has been staying in India for a minimum tenure of 182 days during the previous financial year of a particular year. OR
    • A person living in India for a total of 365 days during the previous four financial years and a minimum of 60 days during the last financial years is considered a citizen for a particular year.
    • Now an NRI or a non-resident of India is eligible to pay charges for only the first two situations, which means either the income received or earned in India.
    • Therefore, the NRI status also influences the enjoyable rights of that person.

    Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)

    • OCI is a card issued by the government of India that denotes that a non-resident or foreigner has been permitted to stay and work within Indian boundaries.
    • Hence, this card provides foreigners with an immigration status without any limited tenure.
    • There are cases where PIOs of specific categories are allowed for OCI cards that have migrated from India to foreign countries (except Pakistan and Bangladesh) if the other government agrees for dual citizenship.
    • An individual holding an OCI card can be an overseas citizen of India in layman’s language.
    • So an OCI is not a citizen of India, but the Indian government has given the cardholder permission to reside and work within the boundaries of India.
    • Residents migrating from Pakistan and Bangladesh are not eligible for holding the OCI card. Even if their parents are citizens of both countries, the applicants will be denied having an OCI card.

     

    Are you an IAS Worthy Aspirant? Get a reality check with the All India Smash UPSC Scholarship Test

    Get upto 100% Scholarship | 900 Registration till now | Only 100 Slots Left

  • Africa’s splitting plates could give birth to a new Ocean: Study

    africa

    Central idea

    • Scientists predict a new ocean will be created as Africa splits into two separate parts connected to the East African Rift
    • This geological process will inevitably divide the continent resulting in new coastlines and sub-sea internet infrastructure but also will have significant repercussions

    What is Rifting?

    • The Earth’s lithosphere, comprising the crust and upper part of the mantle, is divided into tectonic plates that move in relation to each other at varying speeds.
    • Tectonic forces move the plates and can cause them to rupture, resulting in the formation of a rift and potentially leading to the creation of new plate boundaries.
    • Rifting refers to the geological process in which a single tectonic plate is split into two or more plates separated by divergent plate boundaries.
    • In the present day, the gradual separation of the Somali and Nubian tectonic plates is leading to the formation of a rift that could eventually lead to the creation of a new ocean basin.
    • The movement of tectonic plates is a fascinating geological phenomenon.

    Rifting in African Continent

    • The African continent is located on the African Plate, which is one of the Earth’s major tectonic plates.
    • The continent is characterized by a number of geological features, including rift valleys.

    Most profound feature: The East African Rift System

    • The East African Rift System is the most prominent example of rifting in Africa.
    • It stretches for over 6,000 kilometers from the Red Sea in the north to the Zambezi River in the south.
    • The rift system includes a series of interconnected rift valleys, volcanoes, and lakes.

    Causes of the East African Rift System

    • The rift system is caused by the movement of the African Plate away from the Arabian Plate and the Somalian Plate.
    • This movement creates tension in the Earth’s crust, causing it to pull apart and form a rift.

    Impact: Lakes Formed by Rifting

    • Over time, the rifting process has led to the formation of several large lakes in the region.
    • These lakes include Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Malawi.
    • They are believed to have formed as a result of the sinking of the land between the rift valleys.

    Future of Rifting in Africa

    • The rifting process is ongoing and may eventually lead to the splitting of the African continent into two or more separate land masses.
    • However, this process is expected to take millions of years and is not likely to have a significant impact on human populations in the near future.
    • The necessary evacuation of people and potential loss of lives will be an unfortunate cost of this natural phenomenon.
    • The emergence of new coastlines will unlock opportunities for economic growth
    • As the plates continue to split in the future, this phenomenon will result in the displacement of communities, settlements, and various flora and fauna.

    Conclusion

    • The movement of tectonic plates has significant implications for the continent’s future.
    • It is important to study and monitor these changes while remembering the power of the Earth’s natural forces and the impact they can have over time.
    Are you an IAS Worthy Aspirant? Get a reality check with the All India Smash UPSC Scholarship Test

    Get upto 100% Scholarship | 900 Registration till now | Only 100 Slots Left

  • What is GPT-4 and how is it different from ChatGPT?

    gpt

    Central idea: OpenAI announced GPT-4 as the next big update to the technology that powers ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing.

    What is GPT-4?

    • GPT-4 is a large multimodal model created by OpenAI that accepts images as input, making it a more advanced version of GPT-3 and GPT-3.5.
    • It exhibits human-level performance on various professional and academic benchmarks, and it can solve difficult problems with greater accuracy.

    How is GPT-4 different from GPT-3?

    • GPT-4 is multimodal, allowing it to understand more than one modality of information, unlike GPT-3 and GPT-3.5, which were limited to textual input and output.
    • It is harder to trick than previous models, and it can process a lot more information at a time, making it more suitable for lengthy conversations and generating long-form content.
    • It has improved accuracy and is better at understanding languages that are not English.

    GPT-4’s abilities

    • GPT-4 can use images to generate captions and analyses, and it can answer tax-related questions, schedule meetings, and learn a user’s creative writing style.
    • It can handle over 25,000 words of text, opening up a greater number of use cases that include long-form content creation, document search and analysis, and extended conversations.
    • It significantly reduces hallucinations and produces fewer undesirable outputs, such as hate speech and misinformation.

    Multilingual abilities of GPT-4

    • GPT-4 is more multilingual and can accurately answer thousands of multiple-choice questions across 26 languages.
    • It handles English best, with an 85.5% accuracy, but Indian languages like Telugu aren’t too far behind either, at 71.4%.

    Availability of GPT-4

    • GPT-4 has already been integrated into products like Duolingo, Stripe, and Khan Academy for varying purposes.
    • Image inputs are still a research preview and are not publicly available.
    Are you an IAS Worthy Aspirant? Get a reality check with the All India Smash UPSC Scholarship Test

    Get upto 100% Scholarship | 900 Registration till now | Only 100 Slots Left

  • Foreign lawyers, firms can operate in India: Bar Council

    bar

     

    Central Idea: The Bar Council of India (BCI) has opened up law practice in India to foreign lawyers and law firms. It has framed the ‘Bar Council of India Rules for Registration of Foreign Lawyers and Foreign Law Firms in India, 2021’.

    About Bar Council of India (BCI)

    • The BCI is a statutory body established under the section 4 of Advocates Act 1961 that regulates the legal practice and legal education in India.
    • Its members are elected from amongst the lawyers in India and as such represents the Indian bar.
    • It prescribes standards of professional conduct, etiquettes and exercises disciplinary jurisdiction over the bar.
    • It also sets standards for legal education and grants recognition to universities whose degree in law will serve as a qualification for students to enroll themselves as advocates upon graduation.

    History

    • In March 1953, the ‘All India Bar Committee’, headed by S. R. Das, submitted a report which proposed the creation of a bar council for each state and an all India bar council as an apex body.
    • It was suggested that the all-India bar council would regulate the legal profession and set the standard of legal education.
    • The Law Commission of India was assigned the job of assembling a report on judicial administration reforms and helps India to reform justice and equity to whole country.
    • In 1961, the Advocates Act was introduced to implement the recommendations made by the ‘All India Bar Committee’ and ‘Law Commission’.

    Functions

    The functions of the Bar Council are to:

    1. Lay down standards of professional conduct and etiquette for advocates.
    2. Lay down procedure to be followed by disciplinary committees
    3. Safeguard the rights, privileges and interests of advocates
    4. Promote and support law reform
    5. Deal with and dispose of any matter which may be referred by a State Bar Council
    6. Promote legal education and lay down standards of legal education.
    7. Determine universities whose degree in law shall be a qualification for enrollment as an advocate.
    8. Conduct seminars on legal topics by eminent jurists and publish journals and papers of legal interest.
    9. Organise and provide legal aid to the poor.
    10. Recognise foreign qualifications in law obtained outside India for admission as an advocate.
    11. Manage and invest funds of the Bar Council.
    12. Provide for the election of its members who shall run the Bar Councils.

    Constitution

    • As per the Advocates Act, the BCI consists of members elected from each state bar council, and the Attorney General of India and the Solicitor General of India who are ex officio members.
    • The council elects its own chairman and vice-chairman for a period of two years from among its members.
    • Assisted by the various committees of the council, the chairman acts as the chief executive and director of the council.

    Why such move?  

    • The BCI notification also stated that the Rules would help to address the concerns expressed about the flow of Foreign Direct Investment into the country.
    • The Rules would also help make India a hub for international commercial arbitration.

    Move to benefit Indian lawyers

    • The rules enable foreign lawyers and law firms to “practice foreign law, diverse international law and international arbitration matters in India on the principle of reciprocity in a well-defined, regulated and controlled manner”.
    • The BCI said that the move would benefit Indian lawyers, whose standards of proficiency in law are comparable with international standards.
    • The legal fraternity in India is not likely to suffer any disadvantage since the move would be mutually beneficial for lawyers from India and abroad.

    How foreign lawyers can begin operating in India?

    • The Rules prescribe that foreign lawyers and firms would not be entitled to practice law in India without registration with the BCI.
    • Foreign lawyers and law firms are not allowed to practice Indian law in any form or before any court of law, tribunal, board or any other authority legally entitled to record evidence on oath.
    • However, the restriction does not apply to law practice by a foreign lawyer or foreign law firm on a ‘fly in and fly out basis’ for the purpose of giving legal advice to a client in India on foreign law or international legal issues.
    • In such a case, the lawyer or firm cannot have an office in India, and their practice cannot exceed 60 days in any 12-month period.

    Requirements for foreign lawyers and firms

    A primary qualification required from foreign lawyers and firms is-

    1. Certificate from the competent authority of their country that they are entitled to practice law in that country.
    2. Undertaking that they shall not practice Indian law in any form or before any court of law, tribunal, board or any other authority legally entitled to record evidence on oath.

     

    Are you an IAS Worthy Aspirant? Get a reality check with the All India Smash UPSC Scholarship Test

    Get upto 100% Scholarship | 900 Registration till now | Only 100 Slots Left

  • India’s Foreign Trade Policy set to be revised from April 1

     

    trade

    Central idea: The revision of India’s Foreign Trade Policy, which has been unchanged since 2015 and due for three years, may finally be announced by the end of this month.

    What is a Foreign Trade Policy?

    • India’s Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) is a set of guidelines for goods and services imported and exported.
    • These are developed by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s regulating body for the promotion and facilitation of exports and imports.
    • FTPs are enforceable under the Foreign Trade Development and Regulation Act 1992.

    What is India’s Foreign Trade Policy?

    • In line with the ‘Make in India,’ ‘Digital India,’ ‘Skill India,’ ‘Startup India,’ and ‘Ease of Doing Business initiatives, the Foreign Trade Policy (2015-20) was launched on April 1, 2015.
    • It provides a framework for increasing exports of goods and services, creating jobs, and increasing value addition in the country.
    • The FTP statement outlines the market and product strategy as well as the steps needed to promote trade, expand infrastructure, and improve the entire trade ecosystem.
    • It aims to help India respond to external problems while staying on top of fast-changing international trading infrastructure and to make trade a major contributor to the country’s economic growth and development.

    Issues with FTP (2015-2020)

    • Acting on Washington’s protest, a WTO dispute settlement panel ruled in 2019 that India’s export subsidy measures are in violation of WTO norms and must be repealed.
    • Tax incentives under the popular Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) (now renamed as RODTEP Scheme)and Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) programmes were among them.
    • The panel found that because India’s per capita gross national product exceeds $1,000 per year, it may no longer grant subsidies based on export performance.

    Why such a delay in Foreign Trade Policy?

    • Geopolitical uncertainty: The geo-political situation is not suitable for long-term foreign trade policy, said Union Commerce Minister.
    • Global recession: Currently, fears of a recession in major economies like the US and Europe have escalated a panic among investors.
    • Decline in USD inflows: Foreign investors have begun to pull back their money from equities.
    • Rupee depreciation: The US Dollar is at a 22-year high, while the Rupee hit a new all-time low of $81.6.
    • Huge trade deficit: The trade deficit widened by more than 2-folds to $125.22 billion (April – August 2022) compared to $53.78 billion in the same period last year.
    Are you an IAS Worthy Aspirant? Get a reality check with the All India Smash UPSC Scholarship Test

    Get upto 100% Scholarship | 900 Registration till now | Only 100 Slots Left

  • Smart Cities Mission: With 2023 deadline looming, a status check

    smart-cities

    Central idea: The Govt asks 20 worst-performing cities to improve as June 2023 Smart Cities Mission deadline nears.

    What is the Smart Cities Mission?

    smart cities

    • The Smart Cities Mission is an initiative of the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry that was launched by PM on June 25, 2015.
    • Cities across the country were asked to submit proposals for projects to improve municipal services and to make their jurisdictions more liveable.
    • Between January 2016 and June 2018 (when the last city, Shillong, was chosen), the Ministry selected 100 cities for the Mission over five rounds.

    Deadline of the project

    • The projects were supposed to be completed within five years of the selection of the city.
    • However, in 2021 the Ministry changed the deadline for all cities to June 2023, which was earlier the deadline for Shillong alone.

    What kinds of projects were proposed?

    • Project proposals ranged from making certain stretches of roads more accessible and pedestrian-friendly to more capital-intensive ones like laying water pipelines and constructing sewage treatment plants.
    • All 100 cities have constructed Integrated Command and Control Centres.
    • These centres monitor all security, emergency and civic services.
    • During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of these centres were converted into emergency response units by the cities.

    What is the status of the projects?

    • As of March 3, 100 cities have issued work orders for 7,799 projects worth Rs 1.80 lakh crore.
    • Out of these, 5,399 projects worth Rs.1.02 lakh crore have been completed, and the rest are ongoing.
    • Only around 20 cities are likely to meet the June deadline. The rest will need more time.
    • Shillong has completed just one of its 18 proposed projects.

     

  • Why are India’s garbage landfill burning?

    landfill

    The Kochi landfill site has caught fire. This is a stark reminder that Indian cities need to be prepared for more such incidents as summer approaches.

    What are Landfills?

    • Garbage landfills, also known as waste disposal sites or dumps, are areas where waste materials are disposed of by burying them in the ground.
    • They are designed to contain and isolate the waste from the surrounding environment, preventing the spread of pollutants and contamination of soil and water sources.
    • Garbage landfills are commonly used for the disposal of non-hazardous municipal solid waste, such as household trash, construction debris, and yard waste.
    • However, they can also be used for the disposal of hazardous waste and other types of industrial waste, depending on the regulations and restrictions in place.

    Is landfilling best way for waste management?

    • Landfilling is not considered the best way for garbage disposal, as it can have negative environmental impacts.
    1. Landfills take up space
    2. Release harmful gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, and
    3. Contaminate groundwater and soil if not properly managed
    • Landfills can emit odours and create noise pollution, which can impact nearby communities.

    Alternative methods for garbage disposal

    • Recycling: This involves the separation of waste materials such as plastics, glass, metals, and paper from the general waste stream, and processing them into new products.
    • Composting: This is the process of breaking down organic waste materials such as food scraps, yard waste, and paper into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.
    • Waste-to-energy: This involves the conversion of waste into energy through incineration, gasification, or pyrolysis. The energy produced can be used to generate electricity or heat.
    • Landfill gas recovery: This involves the collection and use of methane gas produced by decomposing waste in landfills to generate electricity or heat.
    • Mechanical biological treatment: This is a process that combines mechanical and biological processes to separate and treat waste materials, producing compost and recyclable materials.
    • Anaerobic digestion: This is a biological process that breaks down organic waste in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas and fertilizer.

    Landfills in India

    landfill

    • Indian municipalities collect more than 95% of the waste generated in cities.
    • The efficiency of waste processing is 30-40% at best.
    • Indian municipal solid waste consists of about 60% biodegradable material, 25% non-biodegradable material, and 15% inert materials.
    • Municipalities are expected to process wet and dry waste separately and have recovered by-products recycled.

    Why do Indian landfills often catch fire in summers?

    • The rate of processing in India’s cities is far lower than the rate of waste generation.
    • Unprocessed waste remains in open landfills for long periods.
    • Openly disposed waste includes flammable material like low-quality plastics and rags and clothes.
    • In summer, the biodegradable fraction composts much faster, increasing the temperature of the heap.
    • Higher temperature and flammable material increase the chance for the landfill to catch fire.
    • Some fires have been known to go on for months.

    Is there a permanent solution?

    There are two possible permanent solutions to manage landfill fires.

    1. Completely cap the material using soil and close landfills in a scientific manner: This solution is unsuitable in the Indian context as the land can’t be used again for other purposes. Closed landfills have specific standard operating procedures, including managing methane emissions.
    2. Clear the piles of waste through bioremediation: Excavate old waste and use automated sieving machines to segregate the flammable refuse-derived fuel (RDF), such as plastics, rags, clothes, etc., from biodegradable material. The recovered RDF can be sent to cement kilns as fuel, while the bio-soil can be distributed to farmers to enrich soil. The inert fraction will have to be landfilled.

    Some immediate measures to manage landfill fires

    • Divide the site into blocks: Based on the nature of waste, separate fresh waste from flammable material and capping portions with soil to reduce the chance of fire spreading across blocks.
    • Cap the most vulnerable part of the landfill: That contains lots of plastics and cloth, with soil.
    • Provide enough moisture to the fresh-waste block: By sprinkling water and regularly turn the material for aeration to cool the waste heap.
    • Classify incoming waste: On arrival and dispose of it in designated blocks rather than dumping mixed fractions.
    • Send to kilns on time: Send already segregated and baled non-recyclable and non-biodegradable waste to cement kilns instead of allowing it to accumulate at the site.

    Way forward

    • Sites should be equipped with water tankers with sprinklers for immediate action.
    • The municipality should work with the nearest fire department and have a plan of action in advance.
    • Waste-processing workers (plant operators, segregators, etc.) should have basic fire safety and response training.
    • People around landfill sites should also be trained and equipped to safeguard themselves during fires.
    • The municipality should have routine round-the-clock video surveillance of the most flammable portion of the landfill.
    • Flammable material like chemical waste, match sticks, and lighters should not enter the site.
    • Machines at the site, like sieves and balers, should be cleaned and moved away from the flammable material.
    • On-site staff and security personnel should be housed away from the flammable portion.
    Are you an IAS Worthy Aspirant? Get a reality check with the All India Smash UPSC Scholarship Test

    Get upto 100% Scholarship | 900 Registration till now | Only 100 Slots Left