we are here to help you in the duration of your preparation feel free to contact us for any query regarding your exam contact us at : 9454721860, 0522-4241011 or log on to our website : www.iasnext.com

1. D A I L Y N E X T
C A P S U L E W I L L
H E L P Y O U T O
P R O V I D E
2nd floor, shahar plaza, munshi pulia, indira nagar, lucknow
Feel Free to call us at:
9454721860
Follow us on:

2. Air Pollution in India
About this article:
Air pollution was responsible for 16.7 lakh deaths in India in 2019, or 17.8% of all deaths in the
country that year. This is the largest number of air-pollution-related deaths of any country
 Globally, air pollution alone contributes to 66.7 lakh deaths.
 Overall, pollution was responsible for an estimated 90 lakh deaths in 2019 (equivalent to one
in six deaths worldwide), a number that has remained unchanged since the 2015 analysis.
 Ambient air pollution was responsible for 45 lakh deaths, and hazardous chemical pollutants
for 17 lakh, with 9 lakh deaths attributable to lead pollution.
Pollution in India
Out of the majority of the air pollution-related deaths in India
 8 lakh were caused by PM2.5 pollution
 1 lakh by household air pollution.
 Although the number of deaths from pollution sources associated with extreme poverty (such
as indoor air pollution and water pollution) has decreased, these reductions are offset by
increased deaths attributable to industrial pollution (such as ambient air pollution and
chemical pollution).
 The World Health Organization (WHO) has lowered the guideline value for PM2.5 from 10
micrograms per cubic metre to 5. This means that there is hardly any place in India which
follows the WHO norms.
 Air pollution is most severe in the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
 Burning of biomass in households was the single largest cause of air pollution deaths in
India, followed by coal combustion and crop burning.
Major Issues:
Lack of a strong centralised administrative system to drive its air pollution control efforts:
 The number of deaths remains high despite India’s considerable efforts against household air
pollution, including through the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana programme.
 India has developed a National Clean Air Programme, and in 2019 launched a Commission
for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region.
 Therefore, improvements in overall air quality have been limited and uneven.
The Way Forward
 Need for a radical shift in the approach to pollution management efforts: Towards a green
recovery model that is less emissions-intensive
 Governance: Along with political will and the ability to reduce corruption at the planning in
monitoring level, air pollution control of Indian cities has to be tackled at the city governance
level – not at the central level.
 Need integrated surveillance platforms for health and exposure survf-eillance: Population
exposure surveillance via biological and environmental monitoring can inform risk

3. attributions within health programmes already in place to reduce the burden of maternal and
child health as well as non-communicable diseases.
 Capacity Building: Public and media discussions are needed for the longer-term adverse
health effects of chronically high pollution levels throughout the year. More awareness needs
to be created among policymakers and the general public about the slow but substantial
impact of ambient particulate matter and household air pollution.
 A viable public transport system strategy: While the Metro has provided massive relief to
Delhi’s commuters, it is not viable for all economic classes. Therefore, Delhi needs an active
bus service that runs on electricity. Regardless of the high initial cost, such vehicles offer
other advantages like low maintenance cost, longer service life and lower operational costs
per kilometre. More importantly, they reduce pollution levels.
 Electric mobility is a definitive way towards cleaner air, without compromising
functionality. A shift to electric mobility is long-overdue.
Lead pollution
 An estimated 9 lakh people die every year globally due to lead pollution and this number is
likely to be an underestimate.
 Globally more than 80 crore children (India alone contributes to 27.5 crore children) are
estimated to have blood lead concentrations that exceed 5 µg/dL — which was, until 2021,
the concentration for intervention established by the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. This concentration has now been reduced to 3.5 µg/dL.
 Earlier the source of lead pollution was from leaded petrol which was replaced with unleaded
petrol.
 However, the other sources of lead exposure include unsound recycling of lead-acid batteries
and e-waste without pollution controls, spices that are contaminated with lead, pottery glazed
with lead salts and lead in paint and other consumer products.
Coal Blocks Cases
About this article:
The Supreme Court has asked the Enforcement Directorate to file a status report on the over 50
cases of money laundering it is probing in connection with the coal blocks allocation scam.
What the coal blocks cases are about?
 In the early 1990s, the government decided to allocate to private companies coal blocks and a
list of companies was prepared.
 In March 2012, a leaked draft report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) revealed
irregularities in the allocation and pegged the loss to the exchequer at Rs 10.76 lakh crore.
 The CAG’s final report (2012), however, reduced down the loss to Rs 1.8 lakh crore which
was still the biggest scam India had seen.
 The CAG argued that the government had the authority to auction the coal blocks but it
wasn’t done and so the allottees received a windfall gain.

4.  A Parliamentary Standing Committee report said coal blocks distributed between 1993-2008
were done in unauthorized manner.
 The Supreme Court took cognisance of the case and directed the CBI to directly report to it
and cancelled allocation of 214 coal blocks in 2014.
Why has the court sought a report?
 The CBI and ED are the two agencies probing the coal scam cases.
 According to SC directions, officers associated with the coal blocks cases cannot be
transferred without its permission and so agencies approach it whenever an officer has to be
relieved.
 There has been an issue of cases pending investigation for over a decade and even the SC had
expressed concern over delay in investigation in 2017.
 Reasons for the delay- Various reasons have been cited by the CBI such as the
o Enormity of the cases
o Influence of corporates delaying the court proceedings
o Limited resources of the CBI
o Tracing cases as far back as 1993
What is the status of the cases?
 In the 12 cases where trial has been completed, conviction has been achieved in 10.
 Around 45 chargesheets have been filed.
 The only cases pending are the ones in which either prosecution sanction from the Centre has
not been received or three-four cases involving investigations in foreign countries.
How coal blocks are allocated?
 Ministry of Coal has comprehensively taken the responsibility for determination of various
policies and strategies which are used to explore and develop coal.
 Before 1993- No specific criteria about allocation of captive coal blocks were enforced till
1993.
 However certain amendments were introduced in the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act, 1973
after which captive coal mining was allowed.
 To private companies, the allocations of coal blocks was by or through the screening
committee.
 In case of government companies, Ministry directly were to make allocations of coal blocks.
 2015 bill- The 2015 Bill provides details for the auction process, compensation for the prior
allottees, the process for transfer of mines and details of authorities that would conduct the
auction.
 In December 2014, the ministry notified the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Rules, 2014.
 The Bill creates three categories of mines, Schedule I, II and III.
 Schedule I mines can be allocated by way of either public auction or allocation and they can
use the coal for their own consumption, sale or for any other purpose as specified in their
mining lease.

5.  Schedule II and III mines are to be allocated by way of public auction, and the auctions
have to be completed by March 31, 2015.
 Any government company, private company or a joint venture with a specified end-use is
eligible to bid for these mines.
e-Shram portal with One Nation One Ration Card scheme
About this article:-
The centre is in the process of integrating the e-Shram portal of the Ministry of Labour and
Employment with the One Nation One Ration Card scheme.
Need for:
A comparison of the location data with permanent address data on e-Shram shall help identify
migrant workers within e-Shram.
About the e-Shram Portal:
 Launched in August 2021 by the Union Ministry of Labour & Employment.
 It is a national database to register unorganised workers.
 The portal came into being after the Supreme Court directed the Government to complete
the registration process of unorganised workers.
 Each registered worker will be issued an identity card, which can be used across the
country to avail any benefits announced by the Government.
What is One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC)?
 The ONORC scheme is aimed at enabling migrant workers and their family members to buy
subsidised ration from any fair price shop anywhere in the country under the National Food
Security Act, 2013.
 ONORC was launched in August, 2019.
 Implementing Agency: Department for the nation-wide portability of ration cards under
National Food Security Act (NFSA).
 Eligibility: Any citizen, who is declared under Below Poverty Line (BPL) category is
eligible to get the benefit of this scheme across the country.

6. Fortified Rice is Leading To
Side-Effects Among Adivasis
About this article:-
According to a report, iron-fortified rice should no longer be distributed to address anaemia in
places like Jharkhand.
 These states contain large tribal populations with sickle cell disease, thalassemia, and
tuberculosis, all of which can be exacerbated by an excess of iron.
Background:
To combat hunger and poor health outcomes among a wide segment of the population, the Union
Cabinet approved a programme on April 8 to deliver fortified rice through government-run food
programmes.
 The decision was made following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise during his 2021
Independence Day speech that his government would solely provide fortified rice in all food
initiatives by 2024.
What is food fortification?
Food fortification is defined as the practice of adding vitamins and minerals to commonly
consumed foods during processing to increase their nutritional value.
Fortified rice:
According to the Food Ministry, fortification of rice is a cost-effective and complementary strategy
to increase vitamin and mineral content in diets.
 According to FSSAI norms, 1 kg fortified rice will contain iron (28 mg-42.5 mg), folic acid
(75-125 microgram) and Vitamin B-12 (0.75-1.25 microgram).

7.  In addition, rice may also be fortified with micronutrients, singly or in combination, with zinc
(10 mg-15 mg), Vitamin A (500-750 microgram RE), Vitamin B1 (1 mg-1.5 mg), Vitamin
B2 (1.25 mg-1.75 mg), Vitamin B3 (12.5 mg-20 mg) and Vitamin B6 (1.5 mg-2.5 mg) per
kg.
What are the benefits of
Fortification?
Since the nutrients are added to staple
foods that are widely consumed, this is
an excellent method to improve the
health of a large section of the
population, all at once.
 It does not require any
changes in food habits and
patterns of people. It is a socio-
culturally acceptable way to
deliver nutrients to people.
 It does not alter the
characteristics of the food—
the taste, the feel, the look.
 It can be implemented
quickly as well as show results
in improvement of health in a
relatively short period of time.
 This method is cost-
effective especially if advantage
is taken of the existing
technology and delivery
platforms.
What is 5Gi?
About this article:-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently opened India’s first 5G testbed, which will allow start-ups
and industrial companies to test their products locally, eliminating reliance on international
facilities.
 He added during the occasion that India’s own 5G standard, 5Gi, was a source of great pride
for the country and that it will play a significant role in delivering 5G technology to the
country’s villages.
What is 5Gi?

8.  The 5G Radio Interface Technology, called 5Gi is a locally designed telecommunication
network that has been designed by IIT Hyderabad, IIT Madras and the Centre of Excellence
in Wireless Technology.
 The technology will be an alternative to the global 5G standards.
 5Gi offers more range at a lower frequency, which is the opposite of 5G. The latter works
between the 700 MHz to 52,000 MHz bands and sacrifices on range.
Benefits of 5Gi:
 Using the 5Gi standard will allow telcos in the country to widen the 5G connectivity to
villages.
 Cost-effective.
 5Gi can make sure there is no lag between the advancement of 5Gi in cities like Delhi,
Mumbai, Chennai, and rural parts of the country.
Challenges of 5Gi:
1. This could become problematic for telcos. Their existing setup will have to be re-
engineered to support the 5Gi standard. And that will cost them a lot of money once again.
2. Moving from 5G to 5Gi will be cost-intensive and most likely make the local bands
incompatible with the global network right now. Because 5Gi cannot work with the global
5G standard that is based on the 3GPP technology.
World Forestry Congress adopts Seoul Forest Declaration
About this article:-
The Seoul Forest Declaration was an outcome of the discussions held at the recently
concluded XV World Forestry Congress in Seoul, South Korea.
 This was the second congress held in Asia, with Indonesia hosting the first Congress in
Asia in 1978.
About World Forestry Congress:
 The World Forestry Congress is held approximately once every six years.
 The first Congress was held in Italy in 1926.
 The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has helped host countries organize the
Congress since 1954.
 Responsibility for the organization and financing of each Congress lies with the host
country.
 Theme for 2022: Building a Green, Healthy and Resilient Future with Forests.
What is WFC? What is it not?
The Congress is not an intergovernmental meeting; it has no formal constituencies nor country
delegations.

9.  The Congress is a forum for the exchange of views and experiences on all aspects of forests
and forestry, which may lead to the formulation of broad recommendations applicable at
national, regional and global levels.
Seoul Forest Declaration:
 It identifies priority areas with potential to lead to a green, healthy and resilient future.
 It urges that responsibility for forests should be shared and integrated across
institutions, sectors and stakeholders.
 Investment in forest and landscape restoration globally needs to triple by 2030.
 Move towards a circular bioeconomy and climate neutrality.
Other outcomes of XV World Forestry Congress:
New partnerships launched:
1. The Assuring the Future of Forests with Integrated Risk Management (AFFIRM)
Mechanism.
2. The Sustaining an Abundance of Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) initiative.
What is Forest landscape
restoration?
 It is the ongoing
process of regaining
ecological functionality
and enhancing human
well-being across
deforested or degraded
forest landscapes.
 FLR is more than just
planting trees – it is
restoring a whole
landscape to meet
present and future needs
and to offer multiple
benefits and land uses
over time.

10. Changes to Biological Diversity Act, 2002
About this article:-
Government had, in December 2021, introduced the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill,
2021 in Lok Sabha. The bill is in the final stages of consultations in the Joint Parliamentary
Committee.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has expressed concerns over contentious provisions of the
bill. This includes:
 Exemption given to AYUSH practitioners from the provisions of the law. This exemption
could open the law for abuse.
 Distinction has been made in the law between cultivated biodiversity and forest-based
biodiversity.
 The appointment of sixteen ex-officio officers of the Government of India dilutes the
authority of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA).
 NBA approval is required only at the time of commercialisation of a patent and not at
the time of application for a patent.
Highlights of the Bill:
1. It seeks to reduce the pressure on wild medicinal plants by encouraging the cultivation of
medicinal plants.
2. The Bill also facilitates fast-tracking of research, simplify the patent application process,
decriminalises certain offences.
3. It brings more foreign investments in biological resources, research, patent and commercial
utilisation, without compromising the national interest.
4. It focuses on regulating who can access biological resources and knowledge and how
access will be monitored.
Why is the Biodiversity Act 2002 being amended?
 People from AYUSH medicine urged the government to simplify, streamline and reduce the
compliance burden to provide for a conducive environment for collaborative research and
investments.
 They also sought to simplify the patent application process, widen the scope of access
and benefit-sharing with local communities.
Why are environmentalists opposed to this bill?
 The main focus of the bill is to facilitate trade in biodiversity as opposed to conservation,
protection of biodiversity and knowledge of the local communities.
 The bill has been introduced without seeking public comments as required under the pre-
legislative consultative policy.
 The bill has excluded the term Bio-utilization which is an important element in the Act.
Leaving out bio utilization would leave out an array of activities like characterization,
incentivisation and bioassay which are undertaken with commercial motive.

11.  The bill also exempts cultivated medicinal plants from the purview of the Act but it is
practically impossible to detect which plants are cultivated and which are from the wild.
What is the Biological Diversity Act, 2002?
 Enacted for the conservation of biological diversity and fair, equitable sharing of the
monetary benefits from the commercial use of biological resources and traditional
knowledge.
 The main intent of this legislation is to protect India’s rich biodiversity and associated
knowledge against their use by foreign individuals.
 It seeks to check biopiracy, protect biological diversity and local growers through a three-tier
structure of central and state boards and local committees.
 The Act provides for setting up of a National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), State
Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in local
bodies.
 The NBA will enjoy the power of a civil court.
Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2022:
About this article:-
Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2022 is an annual country benchmarking report by the
World Economic Forum (WEF).
Key highlights:
 Linked to the energy triangle’s three dimensions, high energy prices, the risk of energy
supply shortages and climate emergencies jeopardize the energy transition.
 The extreme volatility in energy markets raises concerns about energy security, energy
affordability and the energy transition.
 Energy systems resilience to supply and environmental shocks is essential to maintain energy
affordability for economic growth and ensure a just transition.
 Energy mix and import diversification can bring countries greater energy security,
affordibility and sustainability.
 Now is the time to strengthen commitments to clean energy investments and anchor more
efficient energy consumption habits in society.
 The energy transition must be made robust with adequate enablers and support mechanisms
to maintain to momentum despite the challenges.
Key findings:
 The report found that energy transition is not matching with the growing urgency for change.
 Energy affordability, energy security, and sustainability are becoming more important than
ever.
 Energy unaffordability is threatening the goal of fair and just transition.
 There is a lack of energy diversity.

12. Key recommendations:
1. The report called for urgent action by both public and private sectors to ensure resilient
energy transition.
2. A comprehensive approach with a proper timeline is critical to achieving long-term
climate goals.
3. The governments should prioritize access to affordable energy for all. Energy equity can
be ensured with the help of direct benefits transfer (DBT) and other support measures.
4. To diversify, import-dependent countries must try to import energy from many countries and
not overly depend on a few countries.
5. Domestic energy can be diversified with low-carbon alternatives which make countries self-
reliant and ensure energy security.
6. Regulatory frameworks need to be made robust to attract investments in clean
energy and to ensure that commitments turn into legally binding frameworks.
7. Decarbonizing industries are critical to the energy transition.