Environment Conservation
Cabinet approves Ratification of seven Persistent Organic Pollutants listed under Stockholm Convention

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about POPs + about Stockholm Convention on POPs) + Mains ( GS III Environment conservation)
What's the NEWS

• The Union Cabinet, has approved the Ratification of seven (7) chemicals listed under Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
• The Cabinet further delegated its powers to ratify chemicals under the Stockholm Convention to Union Ministers of External Affairs (MEA) and Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MEFCC) in respect of POPs already regulated under the domestic regulations thereby streamlining the procedure.

Stockholm Convention

• The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and environment from POPs, which are identified chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate in living organisms, adversely affect human health/ environment and have the property of long-range environmental transport (LRET).
• Exposure to POPs can lead to cancer, damage to central & peripheral nervous systems, diseases of immune system, reproductive disorders and interference with normal infant and child development.
• POPs are listed in various Annexes to the Stockholm Convention after thorough scientific research, deliberations and negotiations among member countries.
• India had ratified the Stockholm Convention on January 13, 2006 as per Article 25(4), which enabled it to keep itself in a default "opt-out" position such that amendments in various Annexes of the convention cannot be enforced on it unless an instrument of ratification/ acceptance/ approval or accession is explicitly deposited with UN depositary.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had notified the 'Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants Rules, on March 5, 2018 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The regulation inter alia prohibited the manufacture, trade, use, import and export seven chemicals (which were already listed as POPs under Stockholm Convention) namely
(i) Chlordecone
(ii) Hexabromobiphenyl
(iii) Hexabromodiphenyl ether and Heptabromodiphenylether (Commercial octa-BDE)
(iv) Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and Pentabromodiphenyl ether (Commercial penta-BDE)
(v) Pentachlorobenzene
(vi) Hexabromocyclododecane
(vii) Hexachlorobutadiene,

• The ratification process would enable India to access Global Environment Facility (GEF) financial resources in updating the National Implementation Plan (NIP)

The Global Environment Facility (GEF)

• It was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet's most pressing environmental problems.
• The GEF unites 184 countries in partnership with international institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the private sector to address global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives.
• Through its Small Grants Programme (SGP), the GEF has provided support to nearly 24,000 civil society and community initiatives in 133 countries.
• An independently operating financial organization, the GEF provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, sustainable cities.

The GEF also serves as financial mechanism for the following conventions:

• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
• Minamata Convention on Mercury

National Implementation Plan (NIP)

• Under Article 7 of the Stockholm Convention, Parties to the Convention are required to prepare a plan on how they are going to implement the obligations under the Convention and make efforts to put such plan into operation.
• The National Implementation Plan (NIP) is not a stand alone plan for the management of POPs but is a part of a national sustainable development strategy of the Party preparing and implementing such plan.
• The NIP is a dynamic document as it is to be reviewed periodically and updated to address new obligations under the Convention.

Environment
Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding between Zoological Survey of India and International Barcode of Life

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about ZSI + about iBOL + MoU - highlights + DNA barcoding + Barcode 500k, Bioscan and Planetary Biodiversity Mission(PBM) + Mains ( GS III Environment conservation)
What's the NEWS

• The Union Cabinet, approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June, 2020 between Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), a subordinate organization under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and International Barcode of Life (iBOL), a Canadian not-for-profit corporation.

DNA barcoding

• ZSI and iBOL have come together for further efforts in DNA barcoding, a methodology for rapidly and accurately identifying species by sequencing a short segment of standardized gene regions and comparing individual sequences to a reference database.

Know! about iBOL

• iBOL is a research alliance involving nations that have committed both human and financial resources to enable expansion of the global reference database, the development of informatics platforms, and/or the analytical protocols needed to use the reference library to inventory, assess, and describe biodiversity.

• The MoU will enable ZSI to participate at the Global level programmes like Bioscan and Planetary Biodiversity Mission.

International Barcode of Life Consortium (iBOL )

• Established in 2008, the International Barcode of Life Consortium (iBOL, is a research alliance of nations with the desire to transform biodiversity science by building the DNA barcode reference libraries, the sequencing facilities, the informatics platforms, the analytical protocols, and the international collaboration required to inventory and assess biodiversity.

The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL)

• It is an international initiative dedicated to supporting the development of DNA barcoding as a global standard for species identification.

Barcode 500k, Bioscan and Planetary Biodiversity Mission(PBM)

• iBOL has overseen the completion of one major program, BARCODE 500K, and a second program, BIOSCAN runs for seven years from June 2019.
• The first program barcoded 500,000 species reflecting the investment of $150 million by research organizations in 25 nations.
• BIOSCAN will extend barcode coverage to 2.5 million species by 2025.
• This program will stimulate activation of the Planetary Biodiversity Mission (PBM) - iBOL's final project.
• PBM is a research initiative that will deliver a comprehensive understanding of the composition and distribution of multi-cellular life by 2045.

iBOL maintains the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD)

• BOLD is a cloud-based data storage and analysis platform developed at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics in Canada.
• It consists of four main modules, a data portal, an educational portal, a registry of BINs (putative species), and a data collection and analysis workbench

DNA barcoding

• It is a method of species identification using a short section of DNA from a specific gene or genes.
• The premise of DNA barcoding is that, by comparison with a reference library of such DNA sections (also called "sequences"), an individual sequence can be used to uniquely identify an organism to species
• These "barcodes" are sometimes used in an effort to identify unknown species, parts of an organism, or simply to catalog as many taxa as possible, or to compare with traditional taxonomy in an effort to determine species boundaries.

Miscellaneous
Cabinet approves ‘Natural Gas Marketing Reforms'

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Natural Gas Marketing Reforms- highlights) + Mains ( GS III infrastructure development -energy + GS II government policies and interventions)
What's the NEWS

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved ‘Natural Gas Marketing Reforms', taking another significant step to move towards gas based economy.

Natural Gas Marketing Reforms

• The objective of the policy is to prescribe standard procedure to discover market price of gas to be sold in the market by gas producers, through a transparent and competitive process,
• The policy aims to provide standard procedure for sale of natural gas in a transparent and competitive manner to discover market price by issuing guidelines for sale by contractor through e-bidding.
• This will bring uniformity in the bidding process across the various contractual regimes and policies to avoid ambiguity and contribute towards ease of doing business.
  
  
• The policy has also permitted Affiliate companies to participate in the bidding process in view of the open, transparent and electronic bidding.
• This will facilitate and promote more competition in marketing of gas. However, rebidding will have to be done in case only affiliates participate, and there are no other bidders.
• The policy will also grant marketing freedom to the Field Development Plans (FDPs) of those Blocks in which Production Sharing Contracts already provide pricing freedom.
• The domestic gas production has complete marketing and pricing freedom. All discoveries and field development plans approved after 28 Feb, 2019 have complete market and pricing freedom.

Government Schemes
API integration between PM SVANidhi and SBI portal launched

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the role of Application Programming Interface (API) + about PM SVANidhi
What's the NEWS

• As a part of Prime Minister Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs launched the Application Programming Interface (API) integration between the PM SVANidhi Portal and the State Bank of India (SBI) portal.

Application Programming Interface (API)

• This integration will facilitate seamless flow of data between the two portals i.e. PM SVANidhi Portal and SBI's eMudra Portal in a secure environment and expedite the loan sanctioning and disbursement process, which will benefit the street vendors seeking working capital loan under the Scheme.

PM SVANidhi Scheme

• The Ministry is implementing PM SVANidhi Scheme since June 01, 2020, for providing affordable working capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown.
• This scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh Street Vendors who had been vending on or before 24 March, 2020, in urban areas including those from surrounding peri-urban/ rural areas.
• Under the Scheme, the vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year.
• On timely/ early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy @ 7% per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on quarterly basis.
• There will be no penalty on early repayment of loan.
• The scheme promotes digital transactions through cash-back incentives up to an amount of Rs. 1,200 per annum.

Prelims Factoids
Launch Jan Andolan for COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Jan Andolan for COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour campaign)
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a Campaign on 8th October, 2020 by way of a Tweet on Jan Andolan for COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour.

Know! about the campaign

• The campaign will be launched in view of the upcoming festivals and winter season as well as the opening up of the economy.
• The campaign will be launched with the aim to encourage People's Participation (Jan Andolan).
• It endeavours to be a Low Cost High Intensity Campaign with the Key Messages of 'Wear Mask, Follow Physical Distancing, Maintain Hand Hygiene'
• A COVID-19 Pledge will be taken by all. A Concerted Action Plan will be implemented by Central Government Ministries/ Departments and State Governments/ Union Territories

Prelims Factoids
Justice Department in association with Atal Innovation Mission under Niti Ayog organizes a Webinar on "Citizens' Duties for School Children"

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the webinar and the Ministries involved in these events)
What's the NEWS

• On the occasion of the 151st Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, in association with Atal Innovation Mission under Niti Ayog organized a Webinar on "Citizens' Duties for School Children: Strive for Excellence, Develop Scientific Temper and Utilize Opportunities for Education"
• Department of Justice in collaboration with CSC e-Gov is also undertaking Citizens' Duties Awareness Programme in 1000 Digital Villages in 16 States.
• On 2nd October 2020, programmes were conducted in 647 Common Service Centres (CSCs) in which nearly 12000 citizens participated.

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