Current Affairs 26 August 2022 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 26 August 2022 focuses on Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

One Year of Taliban 2.0

Source : Indian Express
GS II : India and its neighbourhood- relations

What is discussed under One Year of Taliban 2.0?

1. History Of Taliban
2. Current Situation in Afghanistan
3. India Relations With Afghanistan After Taliban Takeover
4. Afghan in World Map

Why in News ?

A year after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul and American troop withdraws. 

History Of Taliban 

• Started in northern Pakistan in the early 1990s as a result of the Soviet pullout from Afghanistan with an Islamic fundamentalist political and military organisation.
• In 1996, the Taliban captured Kabul for the first time and Afghanistan was in ruins, and a violent civil war had destroyed most of its infrastructure.
• They have been in conflict with the Afghan government, which the United States supports, for about 20 years and they want to re-establish their conservative interpretation of Islam.

Extend of Threat by Taliban

• 11th September 2001, terrorist attacks in America killed nearly 3,000 people.
• Pakistani Taliban attacks took place in October 2012, when schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai was shot on her way home in the town of Mingora.

Came into power

• By July 2021, the US claimed that it had withdrawn 90% of the troops and Taliban claimed that it had controlled over 85% of the Afghan Territory.
• Taliban have been led for decades by a leadership council, called the Rahbari Shura. It is better known as the Quetta Shura
• The international community has not yet recognised the regime formally, and sanctions, including travel bans on many Taliban, remain in place.

Current Situation in Afghanistan

• Many affluent individuals as well as middle-class individuals with resources and education, including governmental officials, have left the nation because they do not want to support the Taliban government.

Women’s Situation

• In the weeks after the Taliban takeover, Taliban authorities announced a steady stream of policies and regulations rolling back women’s and girls’ rights.
• These included laws that severely restricted the freedom to peaceful assembly as well as access to work and education. 
• High-profile women were also targeted by the Taliban and prohibited from leaving their houses.
• Taliban have also dismissed almost all female government employees.

Freedom of Speech

• Nearly 70% of Afghan media outlets shut down, while others operated under fear and with self-censorship.
• Taliban subsequently banned protests that did not have prior approval from the Justice Ministry in Kabul.

Finances for the Regime

• The Taliban government’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2022 is $2.6 billion.
• Taliban primarily earned revenue through criminal activities, including opium poppy cultivation, drug trafficking, extortion of local businesses, and kidnapping, according to the UN monitoring group. However, in April 2022, the Taliban banned poppy cultivation.

Threat to Taliban’s power

• The primary military threat to the Taliban has emerged as the terrorist organisation known as Islamic State in Khorasan, which has up to 4,000 members in Afghanistan.
• A resistance movement of former officials, local militia members, and Afghan security forces who call themselves the National Resistance Front formed to oppose the Taliban’s rule.

India Relations With Afghanistan After Taliban Takeover

• For the first time since the Taliban takeover on 15 August 2021, India has sent an official delegation to Afghanistan.
• India hasn’t recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
• In June 2022, India re-opened its embassy in Kabul.
• India has been sending food aid and medicines to the country since 2021.
• Taliban want India to complete the infra projects that it had left unfinished in the country.
  • One of the projects that was left incomplete was the Shahtoot Dam to provide drinking water to 2 mn residents of Kabul.

Afghan in World Map

Drought A Planetary Disaster In 2022

Source : Down to Earth
GS III : Environment

What is discussed under Drought A Planetary Disaster In 2022?

1. Key Facts in Studies
2. What is Drought?
3. Way Forward

Why in News ?

Climate change is fuelling the intensity of drought in already vulnerable regions while tightening its grip on not-so-vulnerable areas a study has revealed.

Key Facts in Studies

• This is the first time that drought as a disaster has become planetary as, in Africa, Europe, North America and Asia, nearly 300 million people are in the grip of drought.

  

• Nearly half of the US is dry, East Africa is suffering from its worst drought in four decades, and the worst drought on record is affecting France and Portugal, among other nations.
• Drought has the potential to become a deadly disaster because it accounts for 15% of all natural disasters worldwide but has killed 0.65 million people between 1970 and 2019 making it the deadliest one.
• UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) :  Losing 12 million hectares of land every year to drought and desertification.
• International Organization for Migration : By 2050 around 215 million people could be displaced due to drought and other climate-related factors. 
  • Drought may affect two-thirds of the world’s population by 2050.
• Also reveals the worst facet of the changing climate as it affects two fundamental resources: Land and water.

World Scenario

• As a result of extended dry periods and frequent droughts, every fifth person on earth experiences water stress.
• Although this catastrophe has primarily affected Africa, Europe has also had 45 significant droughts over the past century.
• Drought affects 15% of Europe’s territory on average, but 60% of areas have been affected by the present drought.

About India

• Odisha, Jharkhand and those in the North East are already under drought-like conditions.
• Notwithstanding the severe floods that hit these areas in August.

What is Drought?

• According to World Health Organisation , in the natural climate cycle, a drought is an extended dry spell that can happen anywhere in the world.
• On health, agriculture, economy, energy, and the environment, drought can have a devastating impact.
• Droughts affect 55 million people worldwide each year and pose the greatest threat to livestock and crops in almost every region of the world.

What are the causes of Drought?

• Insufficient rainfall and high temperatures
• Excessive use of surface and groundwater resources
• Poor water management techniques can cause the demand for water to exceed the supply
• Temperature changes between land and water
• Changes in air circulation and erratic weather patterns
• Human activities such as land use changes, deforestation, urbanisation, pollution

Impact of Drought

• Causes water and food shortages
• Drought may have acute and chronic health effects
• Severe drought can also affect air quality

How is a drought declared in India?

• According to the Manual for Drought Management and the established revised guidelines for drought declaration, severity of the drought is determined by looking at the following four types of indices:
  • Rainfall-related indices
  • Remote sensing-based vegetation indices
  • Crop situation-related indices
  • Hydrological indices
• If all three chosen indicators are in the Severe category it amounts to Severe Drought
• If two of the three chosen impact indicators are in the ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’ class, it amounts to Moderate Drought.
• Rainfall is considered to be the most important while others are looked at in combination with rainfall.
• When a drought is identified, the state government must notify the public and explain its geographic scope ,unless revoked sooner, the notification is valid for six months.

Drought Management in India

• The National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) constituted under 2005 Disaster Management Act, provide immediate drought relief to the affected people.
• National Disaster Management Cell monitors the drought situation in different states.
• National Calamity Contingency Fund from the Government deals with calamities of severe nature.
• Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) seeks to lessen the suffering experienced by the insured farmers by reducing the risk of financial loss due to expected crop loss brought on by unfavourable weather conditions such as rainfall, temperature, wind, humidity, etc.

Way Forward

• It is obvious that we need to be better equipped to lessen the effects of a drought as the country continues to experience scarce rainfall and declining water levels.
• Understanding the hazards and urgency would be made easier with access to reliable water information

Expanding National Food Security Act’s protections

Source : Business Standard
GS II : Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation; 

What is discussed under Expanding National Food Security Act’s protections?

1. Supreme Court’s direction and Response from Government
2. National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013
3. What is One Nation One Ration Cards?

Why in News ?

The Supreme Court directed the Centre to come out with a solution so that benefits under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) are not restricted in accordance with the Census 2011.

• And, more and more needy persons get the benefits under the Act.

Key Facts

Background

• Article 21 of the Constitution recognises the “Right to Food” as a basic right.

  

• In 2021, the Supreme Court ordered the Center to reassess coverage in compliance with Section 9 of the NFSA..
• The Union of India did not undertake any exercise to re-determine the coverage under the Act, the current petition was filed in the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court’s direction and Response from Government

• The apex court directed the Centre to re-determine coverage under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) so that “more and more needy persons and citizens get the benefit”.
• Supreme Court also noted that “Right to Food is a fundamental right available under Article 21 of the Constitution”.
• In the order, the court also directed States which were not able to register unorganised workers, including migrant labourers, in the eShram portal to do so within six weeks.
• Government Response
  • It has made it possible for all States and Union Territories to issue One Nation One Ration Cards which will benefit around 80 crore NFSA beneficiaries.

National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

• The Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution is the nodal ministry for implementing this Act.
• It came into effect in July 2013 which offers 67% of the population the legal right to obtain heavily subsidised foodgrains
• This covers 75% of the population living in rural areas and 50% in urban areas, Act presently covers 81.35 crore people, is being implemented in all 36 States and UTs.

Food Security the access to enough food by all people at all times for an active and healthy life having  three Dimensions Food availability,
Food accessibility & Food affordability according to United Nations’ Committee.

Eligibility Criteria

• 1. Priority household category is entitled to 5 kg per person per month.
  2. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families are entitled to 35 kg per family per month.
• Ration Card is a document that the State Government issues to enable the purchase of necessities from stores with reasonable prices.

What is One Nation One Ration Cards?

• Beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) can get their quota of subsidised foodgrains from any electronic point of sale device (ePoS)-enabled fair price shops of their choice by using their existing ration cards with biometric authentication.
• ONORC programme has been successfully implemented in all states and Union Territories, making food security portable throughout the country.
• During the two years of the COVID-19 epidemic, the portability of ration cards has greatly helped to ensure that subsidised foodgrains are provided to NFSA beneficiaries, particularly migrant beneficiaries.
• Since 2019, about 71 crore portable transactions have taken place delivering foodgrains equivalent to about Rs 40,000 crore in food subsidy through portability.
• MERA RATION’ mobile application which has been rolled out to take maximum advantage of the ONORC plan.
• The mobile app is providing a host of useful real time information to the beneficiaries and is available in 13 languages.

Battery Waste Management Rules 2022

Source : PIB
GS III :  Environment

What is discussed under Battery Waste Management Rules 2022?

1. Battery Waste Management Rules 2022
2. Significance
3. Previous Year Questions

Why in News ?

To ensure environmentally sound management of used batteries and to support the circular economy, the new regulations will replace the Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001.

Significance

• The publication of these regulations is a critical step in carrying out Government’s promise to promote the circular economy in earnest during his address to the nation on Independence Day on August 15, 2021.
• The rules cover all types of batteries, viz. Electric Vehicle batteries, portable batteries, automotive batteries and industrial batteries.
• Sustainable battery waste management in light of India’s desire for electric vehicles.
• New technologies, investments, and business opportunities will be brought to the recycling and refurbishment sector.
• Save natural resources and lessen your reliance on fresh raw materials.

Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022

• The rules are based on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle, which states that battery producers including importers are

  

  responsible for the collection, recycling, and refurbishment of used batteries as well as the use of recovered materials from wastes in the manufacture of new batteries.

• EPR requires that all used batteries be collected and delivered for recycling or refurbishing, and it forbids their combustion and disposal in landfills.
  • Producers can arrange for their own collecting, recycling, or refurbishment of used batteries in order to fulfil their EPR duties, or they can give permission to any other organisation.
• The rules will allow for the establishment of a mechanism and centralised web platform for the exchange of EPR certificates between producers and recyclers/refurbishes.
• The rules promote setting up of new industries and entrepreneurship in collection and recycling/refurbishment of waste batteries.
• Most important characteristics of regulations for effective implementation and compliance are online registration and reporting, audits, and committees for monitoring rule implementation and taking necessary actions to remove obstacles.
• In accordance with the Polluter Pays Principle, environmental compensation will be required if Extended Producer Responsibility goals, obligations, and responsibilities are not met.
• The funds collected under environmental compensation shall be utilised in collection and refurbishing or recycling of uncollected and non-recycled waste batteries.
• Batteries covered under the new rules:
  • Electric Vehicle batteries
  • Portable batteries
  • Automotive batteries
  • Industrial batteries

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