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Type: IOCR

  • Pharma Sector – Drug Pricing, NPPA, FDC, Generics, etc.

    Global Drug Policy Index inaugurated

    10 November 2021 | IOCR | Governance
    Mains Paper 2: GS2-13.Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Global Drug Policy Index

    Mains level: Not Much

    The first-ever Global Drug Policy Index was recently inaugurated.

    Global Drug Policy Index

    • It is released by the Harm Reduction Consortium, ranks Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, the UK and Australia as the five leading countries on humane and health-driven drug policies.
    • It is a data-driven global analysis of drug policies and their implementation.
    • It is composed of 75 indicators running across five broad dimensions of drug policy:
    1. Criminal justice
    2. Extreme responses
    3. Health and harm reduction
    4. Access to internationally controlled medicines and
    5. Development

    Highlights of the 2021 ranking

    • The five lowest-ranking countries are Brazil, Uganda, Indonesia, Kenya, and Mexico.
    • Norway, despite topping the Index, only managed a score of 74/100.
    • And the median score across all 30 countries and dimensions is just 48/100.

    India’s performance

    • India’s rank is 18 out of 30 countries
    • It has an overall score of 46/100.

     

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  • Civil Aviation Sector – CA Policy 2016, UDAN, Open Skies, etc.

    What is Freedom of Air?

    9 November 2021 | IOCR | International Relations
    Mains Paper 2: GS2-18.Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Freedom of Air

    Mains level: Not Much

    A flight from Srinagar to Sharjah had to avoid flying over Pakistan after the country denied permission to use its airspace for the said flight. With this refusal, Pakistan has violated the first freedom of air.

    Freedom of Air

    • Following the Chicago Convention in 1944, the signatories decided to set rules that would act as fundamental building blocks to international commercial aviation.
    • As a part of these rules, initially, six ‘freedoms of air’ were decided.
    • These freedoms or rights still operate within the ambit of multilateral and bilateral treaties.
    • It allows to grant airlines of a particular country the privilege to use and/or land in another country’s airspace.

    ‘Freedoms’ accorded

    1. Flying over a foreign country without landing
    2. Refuel or carry out maintenance in a foreign country without embarking or disembarking passengers or cargo
    3. Fly from the home country and land in a foreign country
    4. Fly from a foreign country and land in the home country
    5. Fly from the home country to a foreign country, stopping in another foreign country on the way
    6. Fly from a foreign country to another foreign country, stopping in the home country on the way
    7. Fly from a foreign country to another foreign country, without stopping in the home country
    8. Fly from the home country to a foreign country, then on to another destination within the same foreign country
    9. Fly internally within a foreign country

    Why did Pakistan deny use of its airspace?

    • There has been no official explanation given by Pakistan authorities.
    • Indian has approached Pakistan to raise the issue of the refusal to use its airspace for the said flight.
    • Notably, other Indian airlines flying to west Asia from airports such as Delhi, Lucknow, etc have not been barred from using Pakistan airspace.
    • This also raises the concern of Pakistan violating the first freedom of air.

     

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  • Climate Change Negotiations – UNFCCC, COP, Other Conventions and Protocols

    Principles of Responsible Banking (PRBs)

    8 November 2021 | IOCR | Economics
    Mains Paper 3: GS3-02.Inclusive growth and issues therein

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Principles of Responsible Banking (PRBs)

    Mains level: Not Much

    Global banks are pledging to report annually on the carbon emissions linked to the projects they lend to in an extension to the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRBs).

    What are PRBs?

    • The PRBs are a unique framework for ensuring that signatory banks’ strategy and practice align with the vision society has set out for its future in the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement.
    • It was created in 2019 through a partnership between founding banks and the United Nations.
    • The framework consists of 6 Principles designed to bring purpose, vision and ambition to sustainable finance.
    • Signatory banks commit to embedding these 6 principles across all business areas, at the strategic, portfolio and transactional levels:

    Note: India’s YES BANK Limited is the only Indian signatory to this framework.

    Significance of the PRBs

    • Banks can contribute to solving the climate crisis from two angles: their lending and their investments.
    • Many bank policies concentrate their investments on securities that were focused on sustainability.

    Issues with PRB

    • Being a signatory to the PRBs is a limited commitment.
    • Signatories have four years to comply with the principles.
    • Even then, everything is voluntary and non-binding, so signatories are not penalized or even named and shamed for failing to live up to the principles.

    Way forward

    • When signatories to the PRBs are lending money, they are supposed to carry out environmental impact assessments and to measure the greenhouse gas emissions of projects.
    • This is not a minor issue considering that such work is beyond the traditional competencies of banks and will significantly affect their operational costs.
    • Signatories are also supposed to ensure that loans go to projects that are carbon neutral.

     

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  • Climate Change Negotiations – UNFCCC, COP, Other Conventions and Protocols

    Global Methane Pledge

    5 November 2021 | IOCR | Environment
    Mains Paper 1: GS1-14.Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc.,

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: GHGs, CO2 Equivalents

    Mains level: Greenhouse Effect

    The Global Methane Pledge was launched at the ongoing UN COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.

    What is the Global Methane Pledge?

    • Global Methane Pledge is an agreement to reduce global methane emissions.
    • One of the central aims of this agreement is to cut down methane emissions by up to 30 per cent from 2020 levels by the year 2030.
    • The pledge was first announced in September by the United States and the European Union.
    • So far, over 90 countries have signed this pledge.

    Why methane?

    • According to the UN, 25 % of the warming that the world is experiencing today is because of methane.
    • Methane is the second-most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, after carbon dioxide.
    • According to IPCC, methane accounts for about half of the 1.0 degrees Celsius net rise in global average temperature since the pre-industrial era.

    About Methane

    • Methane is a greenhouse gas, which is also a component of natural gas.
    • There are various sources of methane including human and natural sources.
    • The anthropogenic sources are responsible for 60 per cent of global methane emissions.
    • It includes landfills, oil and natural gas systems, agricultural activities, coal mining, wastewater treatment, and certain industrial processes.
    • The oil and gas sectors are among the largest contributors to human sources of methane.
    • These emissions come primarily from the burning of fossil fuels, decomposition in landfills and the agriculture sector.

    What is Coal-based Methane?

    • CBM, like shale gas, is extracted from unconventional gas reservoirs — where gas is extracted directly from the rock that is the source of the gas (shale in case of shale gas and coal in case of CBM).
    • The methane is held underground within the coal and is extracted by drilling into the coal seam and removing the groundwater.
    • The resulting drop in pressure causes the methane to be released from the coal.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. With reference to two non-conventional energy sources called ‘coalbed methane’ and ‘shale gas’, consider the following ‘statements:

    1. Coalbed methane is the pure methane gas extracted from coal seams, while shale gas is a mixture of propane and butane only that can be extracted from fi ne-grained sedimentary rocks.
    2. In India abundant coalbed methane sources exist, but so far no shale gas sources have been found.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”crtvj8gxcp” question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

    Why is dealing with methane important for climate change?

    • Methane has a much shorter atmospheric lifetime (12 years as compared to centuries for CO2).
    • However, it is a much more potent greenhouse gas simply because it absorbs more energy while it is in the atmosphere.
    • The UN notes that methane is a powerful pollutant and has a global warming potential that is 80 times greater than carbon dioxide, about 20 years after it has been released into the atmosphere.

    Back2Basics: CO2 Equivalents

    • Each greenhouse gas (GHG) has a different global warming potential (GWP) and persists for a different length of time in the atmosphere.
    • The three main greenhouse gases (along with water vapour) and their 100-year global warming potential (GWP) compared to carbon dioxide are:

    1 x – carbon dioxide (CO2)

    25 x – methane (CH4) – I.e. Releasing 1 kg of CH4into the atmosphere is about equivalent to releasing 25 kg of CO2

    298 x – nitrous oxide (N2O)

    • Water vapour is not considered to be a cause of man-made global warming because it does not persist in the atmosphere for more than a few days.
    • There are other greenhouse gases which have far greater global warming potential (GWP) but are much less prevalent. These are sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and perfluorocarbons (PFCs).
    • There are a wide variety of uses for SF6, HFCs, and PFCs but they have been most commonly used as refrigerants and for fire suppression.
    • Many of these compounds also have a depleting effect on ozone in the upper atmosphere.

     

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  • Climate Change Negotiations – UNFCCC, COP, Other Conventions and Protocols

    India offers ‘Panchamrita’ Strategy for Climate Conundrum at Glasgow

    2 November 2021 | IOCR | Environment
    Mains Paper 1: GS1-14.Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc.,

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Panchamrita

    Mains level: India's INDC

    PM Modi has proposed a five-fold strategy called the ‘Panchamrita’ for India to play its part in helping the world get closer to 1.5 degrees Celsius on the first day of the global climate meeting in Glasgow.

    What is Panchamrita?

    • ‘Panchamrita’ is a traditional method of mixing five natural foods — milk, ghee, curd, honey and jaggery. These are used in Hindu and Jain worship rituals. It is also used as a technique in Ayurveda.
    • The PM euphemistically termed his scheme as ‘Panchamrita’ meaning the ‘five ambrosia’.
    • Under Panchamrita’, India will:
    1. Get its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030
    2. Meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements till 2030 with renewable energy
    3. Reduce its projected carbon emission by one billion tonnes by 2030
    4. Reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 per cent by 2030
    5. Achieve net zero by 2070

    Key takeaways of PM’s speech

    (a) Commitment for climate action

    • India consists of 17 per cent of the world’s population but contribute only five per cent of emissions.
    • Yet, it has left no stone unturned in doing our bit to fight climate change.
    • At Paris, India was making promises not to the world but to itself and 1.3 billion Indians, PM said.

    (b) Climate finance

    • The 2015 Paris CoP where the Paris Agreement was signed was not a summit but a sentiment.
    • The promises made till now on climate finance were useless.
    • When we all are increasing our ambitions on climate action, the world’s ambition could not stay the same on climate finance as was agreed at the time of Paris.

    (c) India’s track record

    • India was fourth as far as installed renewable energy capacity was concerned.
    • The Indian Railways has pledged to make itself net-zero by 2030. This will result in an annual 60 million tonnes reduction in emissions.
    • India initiated the International Solar Alliance for solar energy.
    • It has also set up the coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure for climate adaptation.

     

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  • Climate Change Impact on India and World – International Reports, Key Observations, etc.

    [pib] BASIC Countries

    2 November 2021 | IOCR | Environment
    Mains Paper 1: GS1-14.Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc.,

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: BASIC Countries, Copenhagen Accord

    Mains level: Not Much

    The Union Environment Minister has delivered the statement on behalf of the BASIC group of countries at the UN Climate Change Conference underway at Glasgow.

    Who are the BASIC Countries?

    • The BASIC countries (also Basic countries or BASIC) are a bloc of four large newly industrialized countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
    • It was formed by an agreement on 28 November 2009.
    • The four committed to act jointly at the Copenhagen climate summit, including a possible united walk-out if their common minimum position was not met by the developed nations.
    • This emerging geopolitical alliance, initiated and led by China, then brokered the final Copenhagen Accord with the United States.

    What is the Copenhagen Accord?

    • The Copenhagen Accord is a document signed at COP 15 to the UNFCCC on 18 December 2009.
    • The Accord states that global warming should be limited to below 2.0 °C (3.6 °F).
    • It does not specify what the baseline is for these temperature targets (e.g., relative to pre-industrial or 1990 temperatures).
    • In January 2010, the Accord was described merely as a political agreement and not legally binding, as is argued by the US and Europe.
    • It is not legally binding and does not commit countries to agree to a binding successor to the Kyoto Protocol, whose round ended in 2012.
    • According to the UNFCCC, these targets are relative to pre-industrial temperatures.

     

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  • Climate Change Impact on India and World – International Reports, Key Observations, etc.

    Sundarbans among 5 sites with highest ‘Blue Carbon’ globally

    29 October 2021 | IOCR | Environment
    Mains Paper 1: GS1-14.Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc.,

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Blue carbon, Sunderbans

    Mains level: Carbon sequestration

    India’s Sundarbans National Park is among five sites that have the highest blue carbon stocks globally, according to a new assessment.

    Highlights of the study

    • ‘World Heritage forests’ are now releasing more carbon than they are absorbing, primarily due to human activity and climate change, according to the assessment.
    • UNESCO lists 50 sites across the globe for their unique marine values. These represent just one per cent of the global ocean area.
    • But they comprise at least 15 per cent of global blue carbon assests.

    Try this question from CSP 2021:

    Q. What is blue carbon?

    (a) Carbon captured by oceans and coastal ecosystems

    (b) Carbon sequestered in forest biomass and agricultural soils

    (c) Carbon contained in petroleum and natural gas

    (d) Carbon present in atmosphere

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”l9htqze5i9″ question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

    Carbon capacity of Sundarbans

    • The Sundarbans National Park has stores of 60 million tonnes of carbon (Mt C).
    • The other four sites besides the Sundarbans National Park in India are:
    1. Bangladeshi portion of the Sundarbans (110 Mt C)
    2. Great Barrier Reef in Australia (502 Mt C)
    3. Everglades National Park in the US (400 Mt C) and
    4. Banc d’Arguin National Park in Mauritania (110 Mt C)

    About Sundarbans

    • Sundarbans is the largest delta and mangrove forest in the world.
    • The Indian Sunderbans, which covers 4,200 sq km, comprises of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve of 2,585 sq km is home to about 96 Royal Bengal Tigers (2020) is also a world heritage site and a Ramsar Site.
    • The Indian Sunderbans is bound on the west by river Muriganga and on the east by rivers Harinbhahga and Raimangal.
    • Other major rivers flowing through this eco-system are Saptamukhi, Thakuran, Matla and Goasaba.

    Worrying scenario

    • The researchers found that 10 of 257 forests emitted more carbon than they captured between 2001 and 2020.
    • The reasons for included clearance of land for agriculture, the increasing scale and severity of wildfires due to drought as well as extreme weather phenomena.
    • The 10 sites are:
    1. Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Indonesia)
    2. RĂ­o PlĂĄtano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras)
    3. Yosemite National Park (US)
    4. Waterton Glacier International Peace Park (Canada, US)
    5. Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains (South Africa)
    6. Kinabalu Park (Malaysia)
    7. Uvs Nuur Basin (Russian Federation, Mongolia)
    8. Grand Canyon National Park (US)
    9. Greater Blue Mountains Area (Australia)
    10. Morne Trois Pitons National Park (Dominica)

    (Try mapping these sites)

    Back2Basics: Types of Carbon

    • Brown Carbon: It is brown smoke released by the combustion of organic matter.
    • Black Carbon: It is also a greenhouse gas and causes more pollution than Brown Carbon. The particles leftover from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels (soot and dust). It has a greater effect on radiation transmission.
    • Green Carbon: Carbon incorporated into plant biomass and the soils below. Green carbon is carbon removed by photosynthesis and stored in the plants and soil of natural ecosystems.
    • Blue Carbon: Blue Carbon refers to coastal, aquatic and marine carbon sinks held by the indicative vegetation, marine organism and sediments.

     

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  • G20 : Economic Cooperation ahead

    G7 Trade Ministers’ Digital Trade Principles

    25 October 2021 | IOCR | International Relations
    Mains Paper 2: GS2-18.Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: G7

    Mains level: Digital Trade Principles

    The Group of Seven wealthy nations agreed on a joint set of principles to govern cross-border data use and digital trade.

    What are the Digital Trade Principles?

    • Open digital markets: Digital and telecommunications markets should be competitive, transparent, fair, and accessible to international trade and investment.
    • Cross-border data flows: To harness the opportunities of the digital economy and support the trade of goods and services, data should be able to flow freely across borders with trust.
    • Safeguards for workers, consumers, and businesses: Labour protections must be in place for workers who are directly engaged in or support digital trade, providing decent conditions of work.
    • Digital trading systems: To cut red tape and enable more businesses to trade, governments and industries should drive forward the digitization of trade-related documents.
    • Fair and inclusive global governance: Common rules for digital trade should be agreed and upheld at the World Trade Organization.

    About Group of Seven

    • The G-7 or ‘Group of Seven’ includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
    • It is an intergovernmental organization that was formed in 1975 by the top economies of the time as an informal forum to discuss pressing world issues.
    • Initially, it was formed as an effort by the US and its allies to discuss economic issues.
    • The G-7 forum now discusses several challenges such as oil prices and many pressing issues such as financial crises, terrorism, arms control, and drug trafficking.
    • It does not have a formal constitution or a fixed headquarters. The decisions taken by leaders during annual summits are non-binding.
    • Canada joined the group in 1976, and the European Union began attending in 1977.

    Evolution of the G-7

    • When it started in 1975—with six members, Canada joining a year later—it represented about 70% of the world economy.
    • And it was a cosy club for tackling issues such as the response to oil shocks.
    • Now it accounts for about 40% of global gdp.
    • Since the global financial crisis of 2007-09 it has sometimes been overshadowed by the broader g20.
    • The G-7 became the G-8 in 1997 when Russia was invited to join.
    • In 2014, Russia was debarred after it took over Crimea.

     

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  • Agricultural Sector and Marketing Reforms – eNAM, Model APMC Act, Eco Survey Reco, etc.

    Global Agricultural Productivity Report, 2021

    23 October 2021 | IOCR | Agriculture
    Mains Paper 3: Major Crops & Cropping Patterns

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Global Agricultural Productivity Report, 2021

    Mains level: Agricultural Productivity

    Global agricultural productivity (GAP) is not growing as fast as the demand for food, amid the impact of climate change, according to a new report.

    GAP Report

    • The GAP Report is released by Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
    • It urges the acceleration of productivity growth from smallholders to large-scale farmers to meet consumers’ needs and address current and future threats to human and environmental well-being.

    Key indicator: Total factor productivity (TFP)

    • In agriculture, productivity is measured as Total Factor Productivity or TFP.
    • An increase in TFP growth indicates that more crops, livestock, and aquaculture products were produced with the same amount (or less) land, labor, fertilizer, machinery, feed, and livestock.
    • TFP grows when producers increase output using improved technologies and practices, such as advanced seed varieties, precision mechanization, efficient nutrient and water management techniques, and improved animal care practices.
    • Using agricultural inputs efficiently to generate more output reduces agriculture’s environmental impact and lowers costs for producers and consumers.

    Highlights of the report

    • Total factor productivity (TFP) is growing at an annual rate of 1.36 per cent (2020-2019).
    • This is below the annual target of 1.73 per cent growth to sustainably meet the needs of consumers for food and bioenergy in 2050.
    • Climate change has already reduced productivity growth globally by 21 per cent since 1961, the report said.
    • In the drier regions of Africa and Latin America, climate change has slowed productivity growth by as much as 34 per cent.
    • The report noted that middle-income countries including India, China, Brazil and erstwhile Soviet republics continued to have strong TFP growth rates.

    Agricultural productivity in India

    • India has seen strong TFP and output growth this century.
    • The most recent data shows an average annual TFP growth rate of 2.81 per cent and output growth of 3.17 per cent (2010–2019).

    Key recommendations

    • The report urged accelerating investments in agricultural R&D to increase and preserve productivity gains, especially for small farmers.
    • It identified six strategies and policies that would create sustainable agricultural growth at all scales of production:
    1. Invest in agricultural research and development
    2. Embrace science-and-information-based technologies
    3. Improve infrastructure for transportation, information and finance
    4. Cultivate partnerships for sustainable agriculture, economic growth and improved nutrition
    5. Expand and improve local, regional and global trade
    6. Reduce post-harvest loss and food waste

     

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  • Terrorism and Challenges Related To It

    Pakistan, Turkey on FATF greylist

    22 October 2021 | IOCR | Internal Security
    Mains Paper 3: Money-Laundering & Its Prevention

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: FATF

    Mains level: Globar terror financing

    The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) kept Pakistan on the grey list yet again since 2018. The FATF also announced the ‘greylisting’ of Jordan, Mali and Turkey.

    What is the FATF?

    • FATF is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering.
    • The FATF Secretariat is housed at the OECD headquarters in Paris.
    • It holds three Plenary meetings in the course of each of its 12-month rotating presidencies.
    • As of 2019, FATF consisted of 37 member jurisdictions.

    India and FATF

    • India became an Observer at FATF in 2006. Since then, it had been working towards full-fledged membership.
    • On June 25, 2010, India was taken in as the 34th country member of FATF.
    • The EAG (Eurasian Group) is a regional body comprising nine countries: India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

    What is the role of FATF?

    • Watchdog on terror financing: The rise of the global economy and international trade has given rise to financial crimes such as money laundering.
    • Recommendation against financial crimes: The FATF makes recommendations for combating financial crime, reviews members’ policies and procedures, and seeks to increase acceptance of anti-money laundering regulations across the globe.

    What is the Black List and the Grey List?

    • Black List: The blacklist, now called the “Call for action” was the common shorthand description for the FATF list of “Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories” (NCCTs).
    • Grey List: Countries that are considered safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put in the FATF grey list. This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the blacklist.

    Consequences of being in the FATF grey list:

    • Economic sanctions from IMF, World Bank, ADB
    • Problem in getting loans from IMF, World Bank, ADB and other countries
    • Trade sanctions: Reduction in international trade
    • International boycott

    Pakistan and FATF

     

    • Pakistan, which continues to remain on the “grey list” of FATF, had earlier been given the deadline till June to ensure compliance with the 27-point action plan against terror funding networks.
    • It has been under the FATF’s scanner since June 2018, when it was put on the Grey List for terror financing and money laundering risks.
    • FATF and its partners such as the Asia Pacific Group (APG) are reviewing Pakistan’s processes, systems, and weaknesses on the basis of a standard matrix for anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) regime.

     

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