GS PAPER II
Drink From Tap-Sujal Mission
Why in news
Puri became the first city in India where people can avail high quality drinking water directly from the tap on 24-hour basis.
Key Points
- Puri has become the first city in the country to implement a project of this kind.
- It has enabled the people of Puri to collect quality drinking water directly from the tap.
- The inauguration of ‘Drink from Tap’ project’ marks a new chapter. No metropolitan city in India has such facility yet. Similar facilities are available only in world-class cities like London, New York and Singapore.
- The project would benefit 2.5 lakh citizens of Puri and 2 crore tourists who visit the tourist place every year. They need not have to move around with water bottle.
- Water fountains have been developed at 400 locations in Puri. The Srikshetra scheme is going on as per plan and with Puri will reach a new peak of development.
- A similar project is under various stages of implementation in 16 other urban centres of Odisha.
Drink From Tap-Sujal Mission
- The Sujal Mission was launched on 13th October, 2020 by the State Government of Odisha to ensure quality tapped drinking water for more than 1.5 million people in more than 15 urban areas.
- It includes a 24/7 helpline centre with IVRS for grievance redressal, a mobile water testing laboratory and a quick response team for rapid redressal of water supply complaints.
- The State Government has planned to cover all urban areas of Odisha by March 2022, making the State first to do so in India.
- The initiative will benefit more than 2.5 lakh residents of the pilgrim town and millions of people who visit the holy city every year.
- The move will now eliminate the usage of 3 crore plastic water bottles. This would mean the city will now be free from nearly 400 Mt tonnes of plastic waste.
- The project is one of the best under the 5T initiative.
GS PAPER II
Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana
Why in news
As per the Ministry of Mines, District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) have been constituted in 600 districts in 22 States.
Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY)
- PMKKKY meant to provide for the welfare of areas and people affected by mining related operations.
- The most productive mining areas in the country are largely areas inhabited by scheduled tribes.
- The PMKKKY is focused on safeguarding the health, environment and economic conditions of the tribals and providing them with opportunities to benefit from the vast mineral resources that are extracted from the areas where they live.
- The Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) will be implemented by the District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) of the respective districts using the funds accruing to the DMF.
- All 600 districts in 22 States have incorporated Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) guidelines into their DMF Rules.
- The overall objective of PMKKKY scheme will be:
- To implement various developmental and welfare projects/programs in mining affected areas;
- These projects/programs will be complementing the existing ongoing schemes/projects of State and Central Government;
- To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment, health and socio-economics of people in mining districts; and
- To ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas.
Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act
- The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2021 which came into effect on 28 March, 2021 further empowers the Central Government to issue directions to the State Governments with respect to composition and functions of District Mineral Foundations (DMF).
- Accordingly Central Government issued order on 23 March, 2021 to all the States to include MPs, MLAs and MLCs in the Governing Council in the larger public interest.
- Moreover, Ministry of Mines issued order dated 12th July, 2021 to ensure that the fund available in DMF shall not be transferred/spent to any fund or purposes other than as prescribed under MMDR Act.
District Mineral Foundations (DMFs)
- District Mineral Foundations are statutory bodies in India established by the State Governments by notification.
- It derives their legal status from section 9B of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 as amended on 26 March 2015 as Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015. This amendment came into force from 12 January 2015.
- Each District Mineral Foundation is established by the State Governments by notification as a trust or non-profit body in the mining operation affected districts.
- The objective of District Mineral Foundation is to work for the interest of the benefit of the persons and areas affected mining related operations in such manner as may be prescribed by the State Government.
GS PAPER III
Special Economic Zones
Why in News
Recently, Kandla Special Economic Zones (KASEZ) was awarded IGBC Platinum Rating.
Key Points
- KASEZ became the First Green SEZ to achieve the IGBC Green Cities Platinum Rating for Existing Cities.
- IGBC Platinum rating has been awarded for ‘Green master planning, policy initiatives and implementation of green infrastructure’ by CII’s Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
- This is a part of activities envisaged under the commitment of the Government to the Green SEZs Mission as part of celebrations marking India@75 – Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav.
Special Economic Zones (SEZ)
- A special economic zone (SEZ) is the region of country having different economic regulations than other regions within the same country.
- They are typically created in order to facilitate rapid economic growth by leveraging tax incentives to attract foreign investment and spark technological advancement.
- While many countries have set up special economic zones (SEZs), China has been the most successful in using SEZs to attract foreign capital.
- The first SEZs appeared in the late 1950s in industrialized countries. They were designed to attract foreign investment from multinational corporations.
- The first was in Shannon Airport in Clare, Ireland.
- In the 1970s, SEZs were also established in Latin American and East Asian countries.
- India was one of the first in
- Asia to recognize the effectiveness of the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) model in promoting exports, with Asia’s first EPZ set up in Kandla in 1965.
Significance of Special Economic Zone (SEZ)
- They are usually created to facilitate rapid economic growth in certain geographic regions, is accomplished by leveraging tax incentives as a way of attracting foreign dollars and technological advancement.
- It also increases export levels for the implementing country and other countries that supply it with intermediate products.
- However, there is a risk that countries may abuse the system and use it to retain protectionist barriers in the form of taxes and fees.
- SEZs can also create a high level of bureaucracy due to their regulatory requirements.
- SEZs play a key role in rapid economic development of a country. In the early 1990s, it helped China and there were hopes that the establishment in India of similar export-processing zones could offer similar benefits provided, however, that the zones offered attractive enough concessions.
Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)
- The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) is a part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) was formed in the year 2001.
- Objective of IGBC is to enable a sustainable built environment for all and facilitate India to be one of the global leaders in the sustainable built environment by 2025.
- The council is committee-based, member-driven and consensus-focused. All the stakeholders of construction industry comprising of architects, developers, product manufacturers, corporate, Government, academia and nodal agencies participate in the council activities through local chapters.
- The council also closely works with several State Governments, Central Government, World Green Building Council, bilateral multi-lateral agencies in promoting green building concepts in the country.
GS PAPER III
Draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021
Why in News
Recently, the Ministry had circulated the draft Indian Ports Bill 2020 for seeking inputs from all stakeholders viz. State Governments, State Maritime Boards, major ports, General Public etc.
Key Points
- The feedback/ suggestions on the draft Indian Ports Bill, 2020 as received from the concerned stakeholders were carefully examined by the Ministry and suitably incorporated in the draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021.
Draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021
- The draft Indian Ports Bill, 2020, seeks to, inter alia, enable the structured growth and sustainable development of ports to attract investments in the port sector for optimum utilisation of the Indian coastline by effective administration and management of ports.
- The proposed bill will provide measures to facilitate conservation of ports, taking into account the prevalent situation with respect to the high number of non-operational ports.
- It shall further ensure greater investment in the Indian maritime and ports sector through the creation of improved, comprehensive regulatory frameworks for the creation of new ports and management of existing ports.
- The Bill will bolster structured growth and sustained development of ports and ensure achieving this objective on fast-track basis.
- The bill also seeks to, inter alia, create an enabling environment for the growth and sustained development of the ports sector in India through constitution of Maritime Port Regulatory Authority and formulation of the National Port policy and National Port plan in consultation with Coastal State Governments, State Maritime Boards and other stakeholders.
- It also looks to formulate specialised Adjudicatory Tribunals – Maritime Ports Tribunal and Maritime Ports Appellate Tribunal to curb any anti-competitive practices in the port sector and act as a speedy and affordable grievance redressal mechanism.
- The Bill would ensure safety, security, pollution control, performance standards and sustainability of Ports.
- The Bill ensures that all up-to-date conventions /protocols to which India is a party, are also suitably incorporated. It will promote marine safety and security in the true sense and fill up the gaps for achieving scientific development of Ports and Port Network.
- The Bill seeks to provide increased opportunities for public and private investments in the Indian maritime and ports sector by way of removing barriers to entry, simplifying processes and establishment of agencies and bodies to plan and enable growth of the ports sector.
- “Enhancing ‘Ease of Doing Business’, it will provide greater impetus to a self-reliant domestic investment climate in the maritime sector, towards Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives of the government.
- The proposed legislation is still under consultative stage.
GS PAPER III
Yamuna River
Why in News
According to the report submitted by the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, the Yamuna cannot become fit for bathing in the absence of a minimum environment flow in the river.
Key Points
- Levels of fecal coliform (microbes from human and animal excreta) are above desirable limits in all points tested in the Yamuna in Delhi.
- The report submitted to the Union Ministry of Jal Sakti also stated that in the absence of a “minimum environmental flow” of the Yamuna in Delhi, it is very difficult to achieve even bathing quality standards of the river water.
- Minimum environmental flow for the dilution of the polluted water in the Yamuna in Delhi is required to meet the desired water quality levels in the river for bathing purpose.
- As per the Central Pollution Control Board, for bathing in a river, the desirable level of fecal coliform in the water is 500 MPN/100 ml or lesser.
- But the level was as high as 1,40,000 MPN/100 ml — 280 times the desired level — at Okhla Barrage, a point along the river in Delhi, as per the report.
Over 80% polluted
- The 22 km stretch of Yamuna from Wazirabad to Okhla in Delhi, which is less than 2% of the river length, accounts for about 80% of the pollution load in the river.
- According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, an environmental flow is the water provided within a river, wetland or coastal zone to maintain ecosystems and their benefits where there are competing water uses and where flows are regulated.
Yamuna River
- The Yamuna rises on the slopes of the Bandarpunch massif in the Great Himalayas near Yamnotri (Jamnotri) in western Uttarakhand.
- It flows in a southerly direction swiftly through the Himalayan foothills and, exiting Uttarakhand, onto the Indo-Gangetic Plain, along the border between Uttar Pradesh and Haryana state to the west.
- The Eastern and Western Yamuna canals are fed from the river at that point.
- It is the biggest tributary of the Ganga River. It is also considered as a sacred river in India.
- There are 24 industrial areas in Delhi of which 17 are connected to 13 CETPS which treat the wastewater from the industrial units before it can be reused or discharged into the Yamuna.
- The ministry/National Mission for Clean Ganga has observed that the water sharing agreement of 1994 among the riparian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi is due for revision only in 2025 unless any of the states so demand, implying that no revision of water sharing will be possible to achieve the E-flow in the Yamuna.