Current Affairs 04 August 2022 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 01 August 2022 focuses on Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill 2021

Source : Indian Express
GS II : Biodiversity & Environment

What is discussed under Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill 2021 ?

1. About the Order
2. How it helps

Why in News ?

Recently, Lok Sabha passed by voice vote the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 that seeks to provide for implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Key Facts

The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021

• • The Act regulates the protection of wild animals, birds and plants.
  • The Bill seeks to increase the species protected under the law, and implement the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
  • The Bill amends the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Key features of the Bill

• • The Bill seeks to implement these provisions of CITES.
  • The Bill reduces the total number of schedules to four by:
    • Reducing the number of schedules for specially protected animals to two (one for greater protection level)
    • Removes the schedule for vermin species
    • Inserts a new schedule for specimens listed in the Appendices under CITES (scheduled specimens).

      

  • Bill provides for the central government to designate a
    • Management Authority, which grants export or import permits for trade of specimens
    • Scientific Authority, which gives advice on aspects related to impact on the survival of the specimens being traded.
    • The Bill prohibits any person from modifying or removing the identification mark of the specimen.
  • Bills empowers the central government to regulate or prohibit the import, trade, possession or proliferation of invasive alien species.
  • The Act entrusts the Chief Wild Life Warden to control, manage and maintain all sanctuaries in a state.
    • The Chief Wild Life Warden is appointed by the state government.
    • The Bill specifies that actions of the Chief Warden must be in accordance with the management plans for the sanctuary.
  • Under the Act, state governments may declare areas adjacent to national parks and sanctuaries as a conservation reserve, for protecting flora and fauna, and their habitat.
  • The Bill provides for any person to voluntarily surrender any captive animals or animal products to the Chief Wild Life Warden.

Penalties under the Act : The Act prescribes imprisonment terms and fines for violating the provisions of the Act.  The Bill increases these fines.

Energy Conservation Amendment Bill 2022

Source : Indian Express
GS II : Governance

What is discussed under The Energy Conservation Amendment Bill 2022 ?

1. Key Features
2. How it helps ?

Why in News ?

Recently, the Ministry of Power has tabled the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2022 in Lok Sabha.

Key Facts

The Bill seeks to amend the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. The Act promotes energy efficiency and conservation. It provides for the regulation of energy consumption by equipment, appliances, buildings, and industries.

Key Features are

• • Use non-fossil sources of energy Policies
    • The Act empowers the central government to specify energy consumption standards.
    • The Bill adds that the government may require the designated consumers to meet a minimum share of energy consumption from non-fossil sources.
    • Different consumption thresholds may be specified for different non-fossil sources and consumer categories.
    • Designated consumers include:
      • Industries such as mining, steel, cement, textile, chemicals, and petrochemicals
      • Transport sector including Railways
      • Commercial buildings, as specified in the schedule.
    • Failure to meet the obligation for use of energy from non-fossil sources will be punishable with a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh.
    • It will also attract an additional penalty of up to twice the price of oil equivalent of energy consumed above the prescribed norm.
  • Carbon trading
    • The Bill empowers the central government to specify a carbon credit trading scheme.

      

    • Carbon credit implies a tradeable permit to produce a specified amount of carbon emissions.
    • The central government or any authorised agency may issue carbon credit certificates to entities registered under and compliant with the scheme.
    • The entities will be entitled to purchase or sell the certificate.
    • Any other person may also purchase a carbon credit certificate on a voluntary basis.
  • Energy conservation code for buildings
    • The Act empowers the central government to specify energy conservation code for buildings.
    • The code prescribes energy consumption standards in terms of area.
    • The Bill amend this to provide for an ‘energy conservation and sustainable building code’.
    • This new code will provide norms for energy efficiency and conservation, use of renewable energy, and other requirements for green buildings.
  • Energy conservation code
    • Energy conservation code applies to commercial buildings
      1. Erected after the notification of the code
      2. Having a minimum connected load of 100 kilo watts (kW) or contract load of 120 kilo volt ampere (kVA).
    • Also apply to the office and residential buildings meeting the above criteria.
  • Standards for vehicles and vessels:
    • Under the Act, 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).
    • The failure to comply with standards will be punishable with a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh.
    • Non-compliance in case of vessels will attract an additional penalty of up to twice the price of oil equivalent of energy consumed above the prescribed norm.
    • Vehicle manufacturers in violation of fuel consumption norms will be liable to pay a penalty of up to Rs 50,000 per unit of vehicles sold.
  • The Act empowers the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) to adjudge penalties under the Act.
  • 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.
    • These include
      • Secretaries of six departments
      • Representatives of regulatory authorities such as the Central Electricity Authority, and the Bureau of Indian Standards
      • Up to four members representing industries and consumers.
    • The Bill instead provides that the number of members will be between 31 and 37.
      • It increases the number of secretaries to 12.
      • It also provides for up to seven members representing industries and consumers.

Minerals Security Partnership And India

Source : Indian Express
GS II : International Relations

What is discussed under Minerals Security Partnership And India?

1. About the Minerals Security Partnership
2. What are the major Critical Mineral ? 
3. Major concerns in India

Why in News ?

Growing concern in the Government over India not finding a place in the Minerals Security Partnership, an ambitious new US-led partnership to secure.

Key Facts

What is Mineral Security Partnership (MSP) ?

• • United States recently announced the formation of a global alliance called the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP).

    

  • Background :
    • To break the dominance and reduce dependence on China in mining and processing rare earth minerals.
    • Demand for critical minerals, which are essential for clean energy and other technologies, is projected to expand significantly in the coming decades.
  • Other countries to have joined this partnership are : Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, the UK, and the European Commission.
  • Announcement : The partnership was announced at the world’s largest mining event, held in Toronto in June. 

What are the major Critical Mineral ? 

• • They are mineral deposits with high economic vulnerability and high global supply chain risk.
  • Major focus on minerals on such as Cobalt, Nickel, Lithium and also the 17  rare earth minerals.
    • Rare earth (RE) comprises seventeen elements and are classified as light RE elements (LREE) and heavy RE elements (HREE).
  • Among critical minerals Graphite, Lithium and Cobalt, they are used for making EV batteries and are also critical for making semiconductors and high-end electronics manufacturing.
  • They are critical for aerospace, communications and defence industries.

Who are the top producers ?

• • According to International Energy Agency in 2021 and subsequently updated in March 2022, the major producers of critical minerals globally are Chile, Indonesia, Congo, China, Australia and South Africa.
  • Aong these global giants in minerals, only Australia and Japan as part of Mineral Security Partnership.

Major concerns in India

• • Some of the rare earth elements available India are : Lanthanum, Cerium, Neodymium, Praseodymium and Samarium while Dysprosium, Terbium, Europium are not available in extractable quantity.
  • Because India lacks knowledge and technology for extraction and process, it would not have been accepted into the MSP grouping.
  • India has an ambitious plan to convert a large percentage of its transport to electric, and would require these minerals.
  • There is a dependence on countries such as China for HREE.
  • Like the other countries demand for critical minerals which are essential for clean energy and other technologies is projected to expand significantly in the coming decades.

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