INSIGHTS DAILY

CURRENT
AFFAIRS + PIB
SUMMARY
16 November 2022

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Health as the focus of air Underrepresentation of health
pollution policy sector representatives in
policymaking: As per the
Syllabus: Governance/ Environment
Commission for Air Quality
Conservation
Management, they comprise less than
5% of the members of State Pollution
Source: The Hindu
Control Boards.
Direction: This is from an editorial
Recommendations/initiatives:
article. A few unique points can be
An exposure-centred view to
noted down.
policy: This means, prioritising
Context: The deterioration of winter
initiatives that contribute the most
air quality in north India has once
to reducing exposure and hence
again brought to light the negative
generating health benefits.
impacts of air pollution on health,
Revising National ambient air
particularly among the most vulnerable
quality standards (NAAQS): To
in society.
include not only local conditions
Negative impacts of air pollution on
but also the impact of exposure on
health: According to the Lancet,
vulnerable groups.
excessive levels of pollution are
responsible for 17.8% of all deaths and
Way ahead:
11.5% of respiratory, cardiovascular
This public health emergency has
and other related diseases in India in
prompted calls for health to be
2019.
prioritised in the development of
Gaps in India’s environmental
air pollution policies.
policies:
For this, health should be at the
Isolated nature of policy-
core of air pollution policy, rather
making: Whether it is stubble
than one of the several equally
burning or thermal power plant
relevant facets.
emissions, decisions are made
Front-line air pollution regulators to
without any consideration of their
be more sensitive to the health
potential effects on health.
needs of society.
A lack of understanding of
Conclusion:
health among policymakers: As
To primarily focus on health
a result, policies are created and
benefits, policymakers must
implemented with little cognisance
include experts from epidemiology,
of the effect it has on society’s
environment, energy,
health.
transportation, public policy and
economics.
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 This approach will accelerate Solution: a)
climate and air quality measures The World Health Organisation (WHO)
to limit emissions from the in its first-ever update since 2005 has
industries that cause the most tightened global air pollution standards
health damage. in a recognition of the emerging
Insta Links: science in the last decade that the
Air Pollution impact of air pollution on health is
much more serious than earlier
Mains Links: envisaged.
Q. The worsening winter air quality
in north India has yet again brought The move doesn’t immediately impact
into public focus the harmful effects India as the National Ambient Air
of air pollution on our health. This Quality Standards (NAAQS) don’t
public health emergency has meet the WHO’s existing standards.
resulted in calls for health to be The government has a dedicated
made central to air pollution National Clean Air Programme that
policymaking. Critically analyse. aims for a 20% to 30% reduction in
particulate matter concentrations by
Prelims Links: 2024 in 122 cities, keeping 2017 as
Consider the following statements: the base year for the comparison of
a. The National Clean Air concentration. These are cities that
Programme aims for a don’t meet the NAAQS when
reduction in particulate matter calculated from 2011-2015.
concentrations in cities that
don’t meet the National Is climate change affecting
Ambient Air Quality Standards global health?
(NAAQS).
Syllabus:Environment
b. India’s National Ambient Air
Conservation/ Social Justice/ Health
Quality Standards (NAAQS)
Source: The Hindu
meet the WHO’s existing
Direction: This is taken from the
standards.
explained section of the Hindu.
Which of the above statements is/are
Previously we covered it as FFP, but
correct?
here we are providing analysis.
(a) 1 only
Context: As countries gather in Egypt
(b) 2 only
for the ongoing COP27, a recent
(c) Both 1 and 2
Lancet report traces in detail the
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
intimate link between climate change
and its influence on people’s health.
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Highlights of the 2022 Lancet
Countdown on Health and Climate
Change:
Overview:
Climate change is not an
isolated incident, but a global
phenomenon, leaving its
impact on almost every aspect
of life.
While countries are still dealing
with the COVID-19 pandemic,
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
and continued reliance on
fossil fuels has driven the
world into global energy and
cost-of-living issues.
The world’s reliance on fossil
fuels increases the risk of
disease, food insecurity and
other illnesses related to
heat.
As these crises develop,
climate change accelerates,
altering the foundations of
human health and welfare.
Health and climate change:
The rapidly increasing response
temperatures exposed
people, especially vulnerable
populations to more
heatwaves in 2021 than
annually between 1986–2005.
The changing climate is affecting
the spread of infectious
diseases. For example, coastal
waters are becoming more suited
for the transmission of Vibrio
pathogens.
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Food security and climate
change:
Higher temperatures threaten
crop yields directly, with the
growing season shortening for
many cereal crops.
Extreme weather events
disrupt supply chains,
thereby undermining food
availability, access, stability
and utilisation.
Way ahead:
The pace and scale of climate
change adaptation, planning and
resilience need to be increased.
An accelerated transition to clean
energy forms, balanced and more
plant-based diets.
Spreading awareness through
media campaigns.
The government’s commitment
to assess and address the threats
from climate change.
Conclusion: A health-centred
through global
coordination, funding, transparency
and cooperation to reduce the
vulnerabilities that the world is
otherwise exposed to is the need of
the hour.
 Context: 27th COP has launched
Water Adaptation and Resilience
Action Plan, formerly known as Action
on Water Adaptation or Resilience
(AWARe), with an Africa-first focus,
giving hope to drought-ravaged
populations, especially in the Horn of
Africa
It is the result of collaboration
between the African Union (AU), Water
Insta Links: and Climate Coalition Leaders, the
Climate change amplifying health World Meteorological Organization
impacts (WMO) and the African Ministers’
Council on Water (AMCOW), among
Mains Links: others.
Q. Analyse the growing impacts of AWARe will address water security as
climate change on India. Are the steps part of climate change adaptation and
taken so far adequate enough to will focus on three priorities:
tackle climate change? Decrease water losses worldwide
and improve water supply;
Implementing policies for
Content for Mains Enrichment cooperative water-related
Water Adaptation and adaptation action and cooperation
Resilience Action Plan Interlinkages between water and
climate action
Source: DTE
Ensure there is 50 per cent less
damage from floodsand droughts
Direction:
by 2030
There will be several initiatives launched
It has global water information
in COP27. However, keep a watch on
services like accurate hydrological
initiatives where India is involved directly.
data to help understand the scarcity
Other less important ones you may
and availability of water per region;
ignore.
water and climate stock take and a
cryosphere information mechanism

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Related News:
Other important initiatives launched
in COP27:
In our LiFEtime Campaign (by the
National Museum of Natural History,
MoEFCC): To encourage youth
between 18-23 years to become
message bearers of sustainable
lifestyles.
Global Shield against Climate Risks
(by G7 and Vulnearbly Twenties (V20
group): To financially support the
needs of poor and vulnerable countries
facing increasing risks of losses and
damages from climate change.
Why has LNG become so
important?
Source: BBC
Context:
Amid war and criticism, Russia reduced
the supply of natural gas to Europe
forcing countries to find alternative
sources of energy mainly LNG.
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About LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas)
LNG is methane, or methane mixed
with ethane, cleansed of impurities
and cooled to approximately -160C.
This turns the gas into a liquid, which
takes up 600 times less space. It is
turned back into a gas and used, like
any other natural gas, for heating,
cooking and power.
The world’s largest exporters of LNG
are Australia, Qatar and the US.
Outcome:
LNG accounts for 40% of all the
gas EU countries use, according
to the European Commission.
LNG also makes up half of all the
gas which the UK imports–
mostly from the US.
The extra supplies of LNG have
helped to stop gas prices from
climbing even higher.
Online Bond Platforms (OBPs) E.g. GoldenPi is India’s first online
platform to buy Bonds and Debentures
online for the retail population in India
Bonds are debt instruments used by
companies, and governments to raise
long-term loans as against money market
instruments where short-term loans (less
than a year) can be raised and transacted.

VOSTRO Accounts

Source: Economic Times

Context: SEBI has released the
regulatory framework for OBP
providers to regulate its activities and
ensure transparency.

OBPs are electronic systems

(similar to stock exchanges) on
which debt securities can be
transacted. It provides an avenue for
investors, particularly non-
institutional investors to access the
bond market, however, their
operations were outside Sebi’s
Source: Business-Standards
regulatory purview.
Therefore as per the new regulation,
Context: The Reserve Bank of India
Online Bond Platform Providers
(RBI) has allowed the opening of nine
(OBPPs) should be the companies
special Vostro accounts (under Foreign
incorporated in India and registered
Exchange Management (Deposit)
as stock brokers in the debt segment
Regulation, 2016) with two Indian lenders
of the stock exchange
— UCO and IndusInd Bank — to facilitate
overseas trade in rupee
A Vostro account is an account a
correspondent bank holds on behalf of
another bank.
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Background:
In July, the RBI unveiled a mechanism
to settle international transactions in
rupee to promote the growth of global
trade, with emphasis on exports from
India, as well as pushing the rupee as
an international currency. It is also
expected to enable trade with a
sanction-hit nation such as Russia.
National Anti-Profiteering
Authority (NAPA)
Source: Economic Times
Context: All GST anti-profiteering
complaints would be dealt with by the
Directorate General of Anti-
profiteering (DGAP) which will then
submit a report to the Competition
Commission of India (CCI) from
December 1 as the extended tenure of
the National Anti-profiteering
Authority ends on November this
year.
Initially, it was set up for two years till
2019 but was later extended till
November 2021
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The National Anti-profiteering
Authority (NAA) is a statutory body set
up in November 2017 under the Goods
and Services Tax (GST) law to check
unfair profiteering activities by
registered suppliers.
The Authority’s core function is to
ensure that the benefits of a reduction
in GST rates on goods and services
and of the input tax credit are passed on
to consumers by way of a reduction in
prices. It can take suo moto action
even without a complaint from a citizen.
About CCI
CCI was established to enforce the law
under the Competition Act, of 2002. It
consists of a chairperson and six
members appointed by the central
government.
The Commission is tasked with the job
of eliminating anti-competitive
practices, protecting the interest of
consumers and ensuring free trade.
UNGA (United Nations
General Assembly) Resolution
Source: Economic Times
Context: India abstained from the
UNGA resolution calling for reparation
to be paid to Ukraine by Russia.
Reparations are the act or process of
making amends for a wrong through
compensatory funding or other means.
Government explanation:
India has doubted whether a
reparation process through a vote in
the General Assembly would
contribute to efforts at a resolution
of the conflict and cautioned against
precedents being set through such
resolutions. Moreover, the legal
validity of such a process by a
General Assembly resolution remains
unclear.
About UN Resolution
United Nations resolutions are formal
expressions of the opinion or will of
United Nations organs. UNGA
resolutions are non-binding and
generally recommendatory. In contrast,
resolutions by the UN security council
are considered binding.
About UNGA
UNGA is one of the 6 principal organs
of the UN and represents all the
members of the UN. It meets annually
(in September) under a President
(elected every year). Each member
holds one vote and most decisions are
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taken by a simple majority (except for a
few important decisions being taken by
a 2/3rd majority.
Only one Indian (Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
in 1953) has been elected as the
president of the General Assembly.
Gram Nyayalayas (GN)
Source: TOI
Context: The Supreme Court is
hearing a case seeking direction to the
centre and states for taking steps to set
up ‘Gram Nyayalayas’.
Despite a direction by the top court in
2020, as of Dec 2021, only 476 GNs
have been notified by 15 states and
256 functional.
About GNs:
GN came by Gram Nyayalayas Act
2008 on the recommendation of the
114th Report of the Law Commission.
The act provides for:
Establishment of GNs at the
Panchayat level to try criminal,
and civil claims and disputes.
 GNs will be headed by Highlights of the report:
‘Nyayadhikari’ ( will be appointed By 2036, 600 million peopleor
by the state government in 40% of India’s population, would
consultation with the high court). be living in cities, putting further
It shall be guided by the principle strain on the country’s already
of natural justice ( and not bound overburdened urban infrastructure.
by rules of evidence provided in the To adequately address the needs of
Indian Evidence Act, 1872) its rapidly growing urban
population, India would need to
The World Bank report on invest $840 billion in urban
India’s cities
infrastructure over the next 15
years – an average of $55 billion
per year.
It emphasizes the urgent need to
leverage additional private
investments to cover rising
financial gaps.

Issues with private financing in

Cities: Low funding base, weaker
governance in ULBs, low financial
capacity and poor quality of data
available.

Recommendations: Continuous,
Source: TH formula-based and unconditional
Direction: This can also be used in funding to ULBs; increasing property
Mains answer writing for tax, and user fees; establishing Cities
Geography/Governance Qn. investment Support Unit; developing
Context: A report titled “Financing the capacity of ULBs.
India’s Infrastructure Needs:
Commercial Financing Constraints and
Policy Action Prospects,” has been
recently released by WB.

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Birsa Munda The Ulgulan movement (1899):
Munda encouraged the tribals to
refuse following colonial laws
and drive out foreigners using
weapons and guerrilla warfare.
He also aided societal reform by
confronting religious superstition,
earning him the titles ‘Bhagwan’ (God)
and ‘Dharati Aba’ (Father of the Earth)
from his followers.

Facts for Prelims

Data Points: Teenage
pregnancies

Source: IE
Direction: Ulgulan movement is
important for prelims.
Context: On the occasion of tribal
leader Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary,
the Centre held the second Janjatiya
Gaurav Divas on November 15 to
celebrate the contributions of tribal
communities to Indian culture.
Background: The government has
also paid tributes to other pre- Source: DTE
independence era tribal leaders Context: A new study by an India-
recently, with the statue of Alluri based non-profit Child Rights and You
Sitharama Raju inaugurated and new (CRY) has found the practice of child
‘tribal museums’ announced. marriage is regarded as an important
Role Birsa Munda played: From 1886 custom for over half the parents and
to 1890, Birsa Munda was majorly in parents-in-law in India. As a result,
Chaibasa (Jharkhand), which was three out of five child brides report
close to the centre of the Sardari teenage pregnancies.
agitation, influencing his anti- At least 5 million girls under 18
missionary and anti-government get married in India, according to
programmes. the United Nations child rights body
The prevalence of child marriage
among girls is likely to be six times
higher than the prevalence of child
marriage among boys, according to a
2019 UNICEF press note.
No Money for Terror
Conference (NMFT)
Source: The Hindu
Context: India is hosting the 3rd
edition of the NMFT conference. The
conference was first held in Paris in
2018, followed by Melbourne in 2019
Hosted by the Ministry of Home
Affairs with over 75 countries
participating
Major agenda for the conference:
Regulate the use of crowdfunding
platforms to finance terrorist
activities
Enhance the control mechanisms
of social media platforms
Monitor global trends in terrorism
and terrorist financing
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Regulate the use of formal and
informal channels for terrorism
Control the use of emerging
technologies and terrorist financing
e.g. cryptocurrency and Dark Web
Ensure international cooperation to
address challenges in combating
terrorist financing
Strengthening the role of the
Financial Action Task Force
(FATF) (an inter-governmental
policymaking body) in setting
global standards for combatting
terror funding
YUDH ABHYAS 2022
Source: PIB
Context: 18th Indo-US joint training
Army exercise will commence in
Uttarakhand. The previous exercise
was in the USA in 2021.
 The joint exercise will focus on
Humanitarian Assistance and
Disaster Relief (HADR) operations
and peacekeeping operations.
Yudh Abhyas’s yearly exercise
started in 2004 and has been the
longest-running bilateral military
training project between the two
countries.
Other Indo-US exercises: Tiger
Triumph (between armed forces);
Vajra Prahar ( between special
forces); Cope India( between Air
force); Malabar Exercise ( between
navies of India, US, Japan and
Australia)
Mapping:
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Data Points: Teenage
pregnancies
Source: DTE
Context: A new study by an India-
based non-profit Child Rights and
You (CRY) has found the practice of
child marriage is regarded as an
important custom for over half the
parents and parents-in-law in India.
As a result, three out of five child
brides report teenage pregnancies.
At least 5 million girls under 18
get married in India, according
to the United Nations child rights
body (UNICEF).
The prevalence of child marriage
among girls is likely to be six times
higher than the prevalence of child
marriage among boys, according to
a 2019 UNICEF press note.