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  • In news: Geminids meteor shower

    geminids

    Bengalurians are all set to witness the annual Geminids meteor shower.

    What are meteor showers?

    • Meteors are usually fragments of comets.
    • As they enter the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, they burn up, creating a spectacular “shower”.
    • Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from asteroids.
    • When these objects come around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them.
    • Every year Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.

    What makes the Geminids unique?

    • Geminids is one of the brightest and most reliable annual meteor showers.
    • They are unique because unlike most meteor showers, they originate not from a comet, but from an asteroid, the 3200 Phaethon.
    • The 3200 Phaethon was discovered on October 11, 1983.
    • It is named after the Greek mythology character Phaethon, son of the Sun God Helios.
    • It takes 1.4 years to complete one round of the Sun.
    • As the 3200 Phaethon moves close to the Sun while orbiting it, the rocks on its surface heat up and break off.
    • When the Earth passes through the trail of this debris, the Geminids are caused.

    Why are they called Geminids?

    • That comes from the constellation Gemini, from whose location in the sky the meteor shower appears to originate.
    • The constellation for which a meteor shower is named only serves to aid viewers in determining which shower they are viewing on a given night.
    • The constellation is not the source of the meteors.

    Back2Basics:

    gemenids

     

  • Why are nitrogenous fertilizers still a first choice of farmers?

    fertilizers

    Context

    • Two ambitious schemes of the Central government such as Soil Health Card and mandatory neem-coating of urea were supposed to promote balanced use of fertilisers. However, far from weaning farmers from urea, annual consumption of this nitrogenous fertiliser has only risen from 30 to 35 million tonnes (mt) in the last five years.

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    Rise in the sales of nitrogenous fertilizers

    • Rise in sales of not only urea but also DAP: This year, not only have urea sales gone up by 3.7 per cent during April-October over the same period of 2021, it has grown even more, at 16.9 per cent, for di-ammonium phosphate (DAP).
    • Sales are not in correct proportion: It has come even as sales of all other fertilisers including complexes containing nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), K (potash) and sulphur (S) in different proportions have fallen.
    • Urea and DAP are the dominant choice of Indian farmers: In other words, instead of balanced use of plant nutrients based on soil testing and specific crop requirement, Indian farmers are effectively applying just urea and DAP both high-analysis fertilisers containing 46 per cent N and P respectively.

    Fertilizers

    What are the reasons for increasing use of Urea and DAP Fertilizers?

    • The non-urea fertiliser is decontrolled or fixed by the companies: The government has fixed the maximum retail price (MRP) of urea at Rs 5,628 per tonne. The MRPs of other fertilisers are technically decontrolled, but companies have been “told” not to charge more than Rs 27,000/tonne for DAP.
    • Informally fixed prices are higher: The informally-fixed MRPs are higher at Rs 29,000-31,000 and Rs 34,000 per tonne for NPKS complexes and muriate of potash (MOP) respectively, but farmers have little incentive to buy at these prices.
    • DAP is cheaper to apply: Farmers are reluctant to apply complexes such as 10:26:26:0, 12:32:16:0 and 20:20:0:13 when DAP is cheaper and has 46 per cent P as well as 18 per cent N.
    • Price is the primary concern for over micronutrients: The fact that DAP does not contain K, S or other macro and micro nutrients wouldn’t matter to a majority of farmers. For them, choice of fertilisers is primarily a function of prices.
    • Subsidies on individual ferlizers are to be blamed: Underpricing of urea (a historical phenomenon) and DAP (recent) is a product of subsidy-induced market distortions, for which the blame lies squarely with the Government.

    Ideal ratio for N:P:K and effects of excessive use

    • Ideal ratio v/s current NPK ratio: The effects of these the current NPK ratio is about 13:5:1, as against the ideal 4:2:1 would ultimately show up in crop yields.
    • Plants will respond poorly: Plants, like humans, will respond poorly to fertilisers if only one or two nutrients are given in excess.
    • Disturbs soil health: Excessive use of chemical fertilizers kills all the microorganisms available in the soil, which are so essential for maintaining soil health

    What the government can do?

    • Changing the subsidy policies: The Government should replace subsidies on individual fertiliser products with a flat per-hectare cash transfer, maybe twice a year.
    • E- wallet account for money transfer only to purchase fertilizers: Every farmer can have an e-wallet account into which this money can be credited before the kharif and rabi planting seasons. The e-wallet may be used only for the purchase of fertilisers.
    • Maintaining stock of basic fertilizers: The government can maintain a stock of basic fertilisers, including urea and DAP, to ensure no untoward price rise even in a decontrol scenario.

    Fertilizers

    Have you heard? “PM PRANAM” scheme

    • In order to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers by incentivising states, the Union government plans a new scheme – PM PRANAM, which stands for PM Promotion of Alternate Nutrients for Agriculture Management Yojana.
    • The proposed scheme intends to reduce the subsidy burden on chemical fertilisers.
    • This burden if uneased, is expected to increase to Rs 2.25 lakh crore in 2022-2023, which is 39% higher than the previous year’s figure of Rs 1.62 lakh crore.
    • The scheme will not have a separate budget and will be financed by the “savings of existing fertiliser subsidy” under schemes run by the Department of fertilisers.

    Conclusion

    • The compulsions of electoral politics have clearly trumped concerns over soil nutrient imbalances. Price distortions in fertilisers will not help farming in the long run. Govt can offer acreage-based cash transfers.

    Mains Question

    Q. Despite government efforts to reduce nitrogenous fertilizers, the annual consumption of these fertilizers is increasing. Discuss the reasons and what government can do more?

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  • Species in news: Badri Cow

    badri

    To increase the productivity of its indigenous petite Badri cow that grazes on the medicinal herbs of the Himalayas, Uttarakhand is now planning for its genetic enhancement.

    Badri Cow

    • Badri/Pahari desi cow is a native cow species of Uttarakhand.
    • This cow grazes in the Himalayas on native herbs and shrubs and hence its milk has high medicinal value.
    • These cattle are well adapted to the hilly terrain and the climatic conditions of Uttarakhand.
    • This sturdy and disease-resistant breed is found in hilly regions of the Almora and Pauri Garhwal districts of Uttarakhand.
    • Disease resistance is a very important characteristic of this breed as it rarely gets any disease.

    Medicinal benefits

    • This breed is blessed with strong immunity.
    • The milk of the Badri cow contains almost 90% A2 beta-casein proteins – and is one of the highest in any indigenous varieties.
    • Antioxidants in pure desi ghee help the body better absorb vitamins and minerals, thus boosting immunity.
    • Butyric acid in Badri cow ghee helps strengthen immunity by increasing T-cell production in the gut which helps fight against allergens.

    Why in news?

    • The State authorities proposed to use sex-sorted semen technology to improve production of Badri cattle.
    • They also proposed to opt for the embryo transfer method in order to produce more cattle of high genetic stock.

    Economic significance of Badri cow

    • The Badri ghee is available at the rate of ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 per kg.
    • There is a huge marketing potential for gaumutra ark (distilled cow urine), cow dung, and Panchgavya (the five products of the cow, including milk, curd, ghee, dung and urine).

     

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  • In news: Hornbill Festival

    hornbill

    The logo for India’s upcoming G20 presidency was officially unveiled recently at the Hornbill festival in Nagaland.

    What is Hornbill Festival?

    • The Hornbill Festival is a celebration held every year from 1 – 10 December, in Kohima, Nagaland.
    • The festival was first held in the year 2000.
    • It is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird which is displayed in the folklore of most of the state’s tribes.
    • Festival highlights include the traditional Naga Morungs exhibition and the sale of arts and crafts, food stalls, herbal medicine stalls, flower shows and sales, cultural medley – songs and dances, fashion shows etc.

    About Great Indian Hornbill

    IUCN status: Vulnerable (uplisted from Near Threatened in 2018), CITES: Appendix I

    • The great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) also known as the great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family.
    • The great hornbill is long-lived, living for nearly 50 years in captivity.
    • It is predominantly fruit-eating, but is an opportunist and preys on small mammals, reptiles and birds.
    • Its impressive size and colour have made it important in many tribal cultures and rituals.
    • A large majority of their population is found in India with a significant proportion in the Western Ghats and the Nilgiris.
    • The nesting grounds of the birds in the Nilgiris North Eastern Range are also believed to support some of their highest densities.

    Their ecological significance

    • Referred to as ‘forest engineers’ or ‘farmers of the forest’ for playing a key role in dispersing seeds of tropical trees, hornbills indicate the prosperity and balance of the forest they build nests in.

    Threats

    • Hornbills used to be hunted for their casques — upper beak — and feathers for adorning headgear despite being cultural symbols of some ethnic communities in the northeast, specifically the Nyishi of Arunachal Pradesh.
    • Illegal logging has led to fewer tall trees where the bird’s nest.

     

    Try this PYQ:

    In which of the following regions of India are you most likely to come across the ‘Great Indian Hornbill’ in its natural habitat? (CSP 2016)

    (a) Sand deserts of northwest India

    (b) Higher Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir

    (c) Salt marshes of western Gujarat

    (d) Western Ghats

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”0gkuycfa4i” question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

     

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  • India-China trade deficit is at $51.5 Bn

    The trade deficit, difference between import and exports, between India and China has touched $51.5 billion during April-October this fiscal.

    Widening deficit

    • The deficit during 2021-22 had jumped to $73.31 billion as compared to $44.03 billion in 2020-21.
    • According to the data, imports during April-October this fiscal stood at $60.27 billion, while exports aggregated at $8.77 billion.
    • The merchandise exports from India to China had increased from $11.93 billion in 2014-15 to $21.26 billion in 2021-22.

    India-China bilateral trade

    • In 2021, annual two-way trade crossed $100 billion for the first time, reaching $125.6 billion, with India’s imports accounting for $97.5 billion, pegging the imbalance at close to $70 billion.
    • This is certainly a healthy deficit compared to the industrial development in both nations.

    A quick backgrounder

    • Trade ties began to boom since the early 2000s.
    • This was driven largely by India’s imports of Chinese machinery and other equipment.
    • It rose up from $3 billion in the year 2000 to $42 billion in 2008, the year China became India’s largest trading partner.

    The Hindi-Chini buy buy

    • A third of machinery and almost two-fifths of organic chemicals that India purchases from the world come from China.
    • Automotive parts and fertilizers are other items where China’s share in India’s import is more than 25 per cent.
    • Several of these products are used by Indian manufacturers in the production of finished goods, thus thoroughly integrating China in India’s manufacturing supply chain.
    • For instance India sources close to 90 per cent of certain mobile phone parts from China.

    India’s export to China

    • Even as an export market, China is a major partner for India.
    • China is the third-largest destination for Indian shipments.
    • At the same time, India only accounts for a little over two percent of China’s total exports, according to the Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO).

    Should we worry about this?

    • Trade deficits/surpluses are just accounting exercises and having a trade deficit against a country doesn’t make the domestic economy weaker or worse off.
    • In this light, India’s trade imbalance with China should not be viewed in isolation.
    • For instance, pharmaceuticals that India exports to the world require ingredients that are imported from China.
    • Chinese imports of Indian seafood are one area that has recently shown robust growth and carries scope to grow in future.

    So, having a trade deficit is good?

    • Of course NOT. Running persistent trade deficits across all countries raises two main issues.
    1. Availability of foreign exchange reserves to “buy” the imports.
    2. Lack of domestic capacity to produce most efficiently.

    Can we ban trade with China?

    Ans. Certainly NOT!

    • It will hurt the Indian poor the most: This is because the poor are more price-sensitive. For instance, if Chinese TVs were replaced by either costlier Indian TVs or less efficient ones, unlike poor, richer Indians may buy the costlier option.
    • It will punish Indian producers and exporters: Several businesses in India import intermediate goods and raw materials, which, in turn, are used to create final goods — both for the domestic Indian market as well as the global market (as Indian exports).
    • Pharma sector could be worst hit: For instance, of the nearly $3.6 billion worth of ingredients that Indian drug-makers import to manufacture several essential medicines, China catered to around 68 percent.
    • Ban will barely hurt China: According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) data for 2018, 15.3% of India’s imports are from China, and 5.1% of India’s exports go to China.
    • Chinese money funds Indian unicorns: India and China have also become increasingly integrated in recent years. Chinese money, for instance, has penetrated India’s technology sector, with companies like Alibaba and Tencent strategically pumping in billions of dollars into Indian startups such as Zomato, Paytm, Big Basket and Ola.
    • India will lose policy credibility: It has also been suggested that India should renege on existing contracts with China. This can be detrimental to India’s effort to attract foreign investment.

    China is our Frenemy. Here is why.

    • The first thing to understand is that turning a border dispute into a trade war is unlikely to solve the border dispute.
    • Worse, given India and China’s position in both global trades as well as relative to each other, this trade war will hurt India far more than China.
    • Again, these measures will be most poorly timed since the Indian economy is already at its weakest point ever — facing a sharp GDP contraction.

    Way forward

    • In the long term, under the banner of self-reliance, India must develop its domestic capabilities and acquire a higher share of global trade by raising its competitiveness.
    • But no country is completely self-sufficient and that is why trade is such a fantastic idea.
    • For the long run, a more effective strategy needs to be built to provide an ecosystem that addresses the cost disability of Indian manufacturing leading to such imports.

     

     

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  • ISRO successfully conducts test of Scramjet Engine

    jet

    The ISRO successfully conducted test for credible next-generation air-breathing scramjet engines, in order to launch satellites in a predetermined orbit at a low cost.

    What is a jet engine?

    • A jet engine is a machine that converts energy-rich, liquid fuel into a powerful pushing force called thrust.
    • The thrust from one or more engines pushes a plane forward, forcing air past its scientifically shaped wings to create an upward force called lift that powers it into the sky.

    Ramjet vs. Scramjet Engine

    • Both scramjet and Ramjet are types of jet engines.
    • A ramjet is an air breathing jet engine which is usually associated with supersonic transport.
    • Ramjets can start at supersonic speeds only, so as a result they cannot be started at zero velocity and cannot produce thrust as there is a lack of airspeed.
    • Hence assisted take off flights or rockets are needed to or accelerate it to a supersonic speed from which it starts producing thrust.
    • This makes ramjet engine to be efficient only at supersonic speeds as it can accelerate to speeds of about Mach 6.
    • Ramjet has revolutionized Rocket Propulsion and Missile Technology over the years.

    How different is Scramjet?

    • The Scramjet or the Supersonic Combustion Ramjet is a further complex model and is efficient at hypersonic speeds, usually upwards of Mach 6.
    • They do not have any moving parts to compress the air as the air entering is already at high pressure.
    • Scramjets have a very similar working to that of the ramjet except the fact that combustion also takes place at supersonic speed.
    • This means that the air being compressed does not slow down as it enters the combustion chamber.

     

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  • What is a Trisonic Wind Tunnel?

    tunnel

    The new trisonic wind tunnel at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) was inaugurated by conducting the first blow-down test successfully.

    What is a Wind Tunnel?

    • Wind tunnels are large tubes with air moving inside.
    • The tunnels are used to copy the actions of an object in flight.
    • Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft will fly.
    • Space agencies uses wind tunnels to test scale models of aircraft and spacecraft. Some wind tunnels are big enough to hold full-size versions of vehicles.
    • The wind tunnel moves air around an object, making it seem like the object is really flying.

    How do Wind Tunnels work?

    • Most of the time, powerful fans move air through the tube.
    • The object to be tested is fastened in the tunnel so that it will not move.
    • The object can be a small model of a vehicle. It can be just a piece of a vehicle.
    • It can be a full-size aircraft or spacecraft. It can even be a common object like a tennis ball.
    • Smoke or dye can be placed in the air and can be seen as it moves. Threads can be attached to the object to show how the air is moving.
    • Special instruments are often used to measure the force of the air on the object.

    About Trisonic Wind Tunnel at VSCC

    • ‘Trisonic’ refers to the tunnel’s capability to test in three speed regimes—below the speed of sound (subsonic), at the speed of sound (transonic), and above the speed of sound (supersonic).
    • Its parts include air storage vessels, a settling chamber where the airflow is ‘smoothened’ out, and nozzles for releasing the air into the test section.
    • It is about 160 metres long and measures 5.4 metres at its widest part.
    • In a ‘blow down test’, stored gases are released and blown through the tunnel’s test section, simulating flight conditions.
    • The tunnel can simulate flight conditions from 0.2 times the speed of sound (68 metres per second) to four times the speed of sound (1,360 metres per second), according to the space agency.
    • Commissioned in 2017, this tunnel can simulate flow speeds up to Mach 12.

     

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  • Three Himalayan medicinal plants enter IUCN Red List

    Three medicinal plant species found in the Himalayas have made it to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species following a recent assessment.

    Species assessed-

    1. Meizotropis pellita : ‘Critically Endangered’
    2. Fritilloria cirrhosa : ‘Vulnerable’
    3. Dactylorhiza hatagirea : ‘Endangered’

    (1) Meizotropis pellita

    iucn

    • Commonly known as Patwa, is a perennial shrub with restricted distribution that is endemic to Uttarakhand.
    • The species is listed as ‘critically endangered’ based on its limited area of occupancy (less than 10 sq. km)
    • The species is threatened by deforestation, habitat fragmentation and forest fires.
    • The essential oil extracted from the leaves of the species possesses strong antioxidants and can be a promising natural substitute for synthetic antioxidants in pharmaceutical industries.

    (2) Fritillaria cirrhosa

    iucn

    • Also called, Himalayan fritillary, it is a perennial bulbous herb.
    • It is reasonable to conclude a decline of at least 30% of its population over the assessment period (22 to 26 years).
    • Considering the rate of decline, long generation length, poor germination potential, high trade value, extensive harvesting pressure and illegal trade, the species is listed as ‘vulnerable’.
    • In China, the species is used for the treatment of bronchial disorders and pneumonia.
    • The plant is also a strong cough suppressant and source of expectorant drugs in traditional Chinese medicine.

    (3) Dactylorhiza hatagirea

    iucn

    • Known as Salampanja, it is threatened by habitat loss, livestock grazing, deforestation, and climate change.
    • It is extensively used in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and other alternative systems of medicine to cure dysentery, gastritis, chronic fever, cough and stomach aches.
    • It is a perennial tuberous species endemic to the Hindu Kush and Himalayan ranges of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

    Back2Basics: IUCN Red List

    • The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species founded in 1964, has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species.
    • It uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of all species and subspecies.
    • A series of Regional Red Lists are produced by countries or organizations, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit.
    • The IUCN aims to have the category of every species re-evaluated every five years if possible, or at least every ten years.
    • For plants, the 1997 Red List is the most important source.
    • The formally stated goals of the Red List are-
    1. to provide scientifically based information on the status of species and subspecies at a global level,
    2. to draw attention to the magnitude and importance of threatened biodiversity,
    3. to influence national and international policy and decision-making, and
    4. to provide information to guide actions to conserve biological diversity.

    Red List Categories of IUCN

    Species are classified by the IUCN Red List into nine groups specified through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation. They are:

    • Extinct (EX) – beyond reasonable doubt that the species is no longer extant.
    • Extinct in the wild (EW) – survives only in captivity, cultivation and/or outside native range, as presumed after exhaustive surveys.
    • Critically endangered (CR) – in a particularly and extremely critical state.
    • Endangered (EN) – very high risk of extinction in the wild, meets any of criteria A to E for Endangered.
    • Vulnerable (VU) – meets one of the 5 red list criteria and thus considered to be at high risk of unnatural (human-caused) extinction without further human intervention.
    • Near threatened (NT) – close to being at high risk of extinction in the near future.
    • Least concern (LC) – unlikely to become extinct in the near future.
    • Data deficient (DD)
    • Not evaluated (NE)

     

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  • RS clears Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2022

    wild

    The Rajya Sabha has passed the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2022.

    Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2022

    • The Bill amends the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 by increasing the species protected under the law.
    • There are 50 amendments to the Act proposed in the Bill.
    • Substituting the definition of ‘Tiger and other Endangered Species’ to ‘Wild Life’, this Bill includes flora, fauna and aqua under its protection.
    • The Bill also regulates wild life trade as per the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

    Key propositions

    (1) Implementing CITES

    • The Bill aims to implement CITES — which was signed in Washington D.C. on March 3, 1973, and later amended in 1979 — to trade plant and animal specimens with other governments.
    • Regulating the possession of specimens, the Bill defines ‘specimen’ as any animal or plant (dead or alive).
    • It also constitutes a Management authority which will issue permits for the trade of scheduled specimens in accordance with CITES.
    • The Centre can designate a management authority to grant export or import permits for the trade of specimens and a scientific authority to give advice on the trade impact on the survival of the specimens, as per the Bill.

    (2) Classification of specimens

    • Classifying animals into two specially protected schedules, the Bill prohibits their trade by anyone, barring certain exceptions.
    • The Bill removes the present schedule for vermin species and inserts a new schedule for specimens listed for extinction under CITES.
    • The Bill also lists 131 mammals, 112 birds, 43 birds, 26 fishes, 63 insects, 388 corals under schedule I and 41 mammals, 864 birds, 12 reptiles, 58 insects, molluscs, and sponges under schedule II.
    • A separate schedule for plants is also listed.

    (3) Prohibitions

    • The Bill seeks to empower the Centre to regulate or prohibit the import, trade, possession or proliferation of plant or animal species not native to India – invasive alien species.
    • Apart from states, the Centre too can notify a conservation reserve — an area adjacent to national parks and sanctuaries.
    • Any person can voluntarily surrender any captive animals or animal products to the Chief Wild Life Warden (an appointee of state governments).
    • However, no compensation will be paid to the person for it and the surrendered items become the property of the state government.
    • Under the Bill, the fine for General violation is up to Rs 1,00,000 and for specially protected animals is at least Rs 25,000.

    Concerns raised

    (1) Elephants transportation

    • The amendment has given huge discretion for the transportation of live elephants and expressed concern on protecting the animal.
    • The elephant is a national heritage animal for India.
    • The Standing Committee accepted the religious significance of the elephant, but the Minister has also included the words ‘any other purpose’

    (2) Vermins

    • The damage to the national economy due to crop depredation by wild animals has never been computed.
    • Since 1972, the WLPA has identified a few species — fruit bats, common crows and rats — as vermin.
    • Killing animals outside this list was allowed under two circumstances:
    1. Under Section 62 of WLPA, given sufficient reasons, any species other than those accorded the highest legal protection (such as tigers and elephants but not wild boars or nilgais) can be declared vermin at a certain place for a certain time.
    2. Under Section 11 of WLPA, the chief wildlife warden of a state can allow the killing of an animal, irrespective of its status in the Schedules, if it becomes “dangerous to human life”.
    • The issue of the declaration of Vermins has since entered the realm of centre-state politics.

    Back2Basics:  Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

    • WPA provides for the protection of the country’s wild animals, birds and plant species, in order to ensure environmental and ecological security.
    • It provides for the protection of a listed species of animals, birds and plants, and also for the establishment of a network of ecologically-important protected areas in the country.
    • It provides for various types of protected areas such as Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks etc.

    There are six schedules provided in the WPA for the protection of wildlife species which can be concisely summarized as under:

    Schedule I: These species need rigorous protection and therefore, the harshest penalties for violation of the law are for species under this Schedule.
    Schedule II: Animals under this list are accorded high protection. They cannot be hunted except under threat to human life.
    Schedule III & IV: This list is for species that are not endangered. This includes protected species but the penalty for any violation is less compared to the first two schedules.
    Schedule V: This schedule contains animals which can be hunted.
    Schedule VI: This list contains plants that are forbidden from cultivation.

     

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  • Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 introduced in RS

    The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has introduced the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill in Rajya Sabha.

    Highlights of the Bill

    • The Bill amends the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 to empower the central government to specify a carbon credit trading scheme.
    • Designated consumers may be required to meet a proportion of their energy needs from non-fossil sources.

    Why was this Bill introduced?

    • During the COP-26 summit in 2021, India made commitments relevant for energy efficiency efforts.
    • Against this backdrop, the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was introduced in Lok Sabha in August 2022.

    Key features of the bill

    • Carbon credit trading:The Bill empowers the central government to specify a carbon credit trading scheme.   Carbon credit implies a tradable permit to produce a specified amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse emissions.
    • Obligation to use non-fossil sources of energy:The Act empowers the central government to specify energy consumption standards for designated consumers to meet a minimum share of energy consumption from non-fossil sources.  Designated consumers include: (i) industries such as mining, steel, cement, textile, chemicals, and petrochemicals, (ii) transport sector including Railways, and (iii) commercial buildings, as specified in the schedule.
    • Energy conservation code for buildings: The bill empowers the central government to specify norms for energy efficiency and conservation, use of renewable energy, and other requirements for green buildings.   Under the Act, the energy conservation code applies to commercial buildings: (i) erected after the notification of the Code, and (ii) having a minimum connected load of 100 kilowatt (kW) or contract load of 120 kilo volt ampere (kVA).
    • Standards for vehicles and vessels: Under the bill, 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), and vessels (includes ships and boats).
    • 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.

    Concerns raised

    • Carbon credit trading aims to reduce carbon emissions, and hence, address climate change.  The question is whether the Ministry of Power is the appropriate Ministry to regulate this scheme.
    • A further question is whether the market regulator for carbon credit trading should be specified in the Act.
    • Same activity may be eligible for renewable energy, energy savings, and carbon credit certificates.
    • The Bill does not specify whether these certificates will be interchangeable.
    • Designated consumers must meet certain non-fossil energy use obligation.  Given the limited competition among discoms in any area, consumers may not have a choice in the energy mix.

     

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