Daily Prelims Notes 28 February 2023

February 28, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

28 February 2023

Table Of Contents

1. E-Waste (Management) Rules 2022

Subject : Environment

Section: Pollution

Context: The Government notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, on November 2, 2022. These rules will replace the E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016, and will be effective from April 1, 2023. These rules will launch a new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regime for e-waste recycling.

E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022

The salient feature of new rules is as under:
- Applicable to every manufacturer, producer, refurbisher, dismantler, and recycler who must register with CPCB.
- No entity shall carry out any business without registration and not deal with any unregistered entity.
- The authorization has now been replaced by registration through an online portal, and only manufacturers, producers, refurbishes and recyclers require registration.
- It includes the provision of an EPR framework with the mandatory requirement of ‘Registration of Stakeholders’ (manufacturer, producer, refurbisher, and recycler).
- A ‘digitalized systems approach’ is also proposed in the new rules (2022) which will address the challenges of the weak monitoring systems, lack of transparency, inadequate compliance, and channelizing processing to the informal sector (which is a violation of the law).
- A common digital portal will also reduce instances of ‘paper trading’ or ‘false trails’. It means the practice of falsely revealing 100% collection on paper while collecting and/or weighing ‘scrap’ to meet targets.
- It also briefly touches on the two aspects namely ‘component recovery’ and ‘residual disposal’.
- Component recovery refers to adequate and efficient recoveries of rare earth metals so as to reduce dependence on virgin resources.
- Residual disposal means the safe disposal of the ‘residual’ material during the e-waste recycling process.

Schedule I has been expanded, and now 106 Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) have been included under the EPR regime.
Producers of notified EEE have been given annual E-Waste Recycling targets based on the generation from the previously sold EEE or based on sales of EEE, as the case may be.
Management of solar PV modules /panels/ cells added in new rules.
The recycled quantity will be computed based on end-products to avoid false claims.
Provision for generation and transaction of EPR Certificate has been introduced.
Provisions for environmental compensation and verification & audit have been introduced.
Under these rules, a provision for reducing hazardous substances in the manufacturing of EEE has been provided. It mandates that every producer of EEE and their components shall ensure that their products do not contain lead, mercury, and other hazardous substances beyond the maximum prescribed concentration.

E waste:

The International Telecommunication Union defines e-waste as all items of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and its parts that have been discarded by its owner as waste without the intent of re-use.
This waste is classified into six categories: Cooling and freezing equipment like refrigerators, freezer other equipment such as televisions, monitors, laptops, notebooks and tablets.
It also comprises fluorescent lamps and other large and small equipment like washing machines, clothes dryers, dish-washing machines, vacuum cleaners and microwaves.
The e-waste stream contains diverse materials — most prominently hazardous substances such as lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), mercury, polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and valuable substances such as iron, steel, copper, aluminum and plastics.
Decomposing e-waste is an expensive process and only a few developed countries can afford to do so.
Laws to manage e-waste have been in place in India since 2011, mandating that only authorized dismantlers and recyclers collect e-waste. E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016 was enacted in 2017.
India’s first e-waste clinic for segregating, processing and disposal of waste from household and commercial units has been be set-up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

It is a policy approach under which producers are given a significant responsibility financial and/or physical for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products.
Assigning such responsibility could in principle provide incentives to prevent wastes at the source, promote product design for the environment and support the achievement of public recycling and materials management goals.

2. The Yellow River has been known as ‘China’s sorrow’

Subject : Geography

Section :Places in news

Context: Deforestation, erosion on the Loess Plateau caused the Chinese to construct levees to tame the river, in turn, worsening the risk of flooding

More on the News:

The mighty Yellow River, the ‘mother river’ of Chinese civilisation, has also been known as the ‘River of Disaster’ and ‘China’s sorrow’ because of the devastating floods it has wrought in its basin from pre-history to the last century.
The study’s author’s geologists, paleontologists and environmental scientists from Jiangsu Normal University, the Chinese Academy of Science as well as the Coastal Carolina University in the United States visited several sites along the river.
They also studied sediment and historical records to conclude that the river used to flood four times every century before humans began to alter the environment.
Around 6,000 years (3500 Before Common Era), when humans brought the practice of settled farming to the region, the river began to flood 10 times.
The authors pinpointed the Chinese practice of building mud embankments especially during the Imperial Period to ‘tame’ the river as having only made matters worse.

Yellow River

Yellow River or Huang He is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of 5,464 km.
Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai province of Western China, it flows through nine provinces, and it empties into the Bohai Sea near the city of Dongying in Shandong province.
The river has long been critical to the development of northern China, and is regarded by scholars as one cradle of civilization.
Among the deadliest were the 1332–33 flood during the Yuan dynasty, the 1887 flood during the Qing dynasty which killed anywhere from 900,000 to 2 million people, and a Republic of China era 1931 flood (part of a massive number of floods that year) that killed 1–4 million people.
The cause of the floods is the large amount of fine-grained loess carried by the river from the Loess Plateau, which is continuously deposited along the bottom of its channel. The sedimentation causes natural dams to slowly accumulate.
These subaqueous dams are unpredictable and generally undetectable. Eventually, the enormous amount of water needs to find a new way to the sea, forcing it to take the path of least resistance. When this happens, it bursts out across the flat North China Plain, sometimes taking a new channel and inundating most farmland, cities or towns in its path.

3. 150th Anniversary of Calcutta trams

Subject : History

Section : Culture

Concept:

Kolkata’s iconic tram service celebrated 150 years since the first tram was flagged off.
The celebration saw tram enthusiasts from as far away as Germany and Australia come to the city for a historic “Tramjatra” festival, organised by the West Bengal Transport Department.

History of trams

the first trams entered service in the then British capital of Calcutta in 1873. The horse-drawn trams plied on a 3.8 km route between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street.
In 1874, the first horse-drawn trams emerged in Mumbai, plying on two routes – Colaba to Pydhonie via Crawford Market, and Bori Bunder to Pydhonie.
Nasik would be the third city in India which saw trams – a four-horse-driven tram (with two cabins) that would travel a distance of around 8 km.
In 1880, trams re-emerged in Calcutta, when Lord Ripon inaugurated a new, longer, metre-gauge route, this time with steam locomotives.
However, Mumbai, Nasik or Patna would never switch to steam locomotives.
Forest trams were opened in cochin in 1907 and later in princely state of Bhavangar in 1926.
Electric trams : In 1895, Madras (present-day Chennai) saw India’s first electric tramways enter service with seven cars and it was later introduced in calcutta.
By the 1960s, tramways, which were once seen as a revolutionary development in urban transport, had all but vanished in India. Today, Kolkata remains the last city which still operates trams, though these old colonial relics are perpetually at risk of being discontinued.

Tramjatra Event

Tramjatra (tram’s journey) is a moving tram carnival that was started back in 1996 jointly by enthusiasts from Melbourne and Kolkata.
At the time, Kolkata, the only Indian city where the tram still runs, was home to about two dozen routes.
Today the number of routes that remain operational has shrunk to just two.
The 2023 event, therefore, will be more about impressing the West Bengal government to preserve the tram.
Tramjatra is essentially an international collaboration of trammies, artists, environmentalists, and tram-loving communities.
It seeks to educate people, particularly the younger generation, about climate change, air pollution, and sustainable development objectives with a focus on green mobility and Kolkata’s tram legacy.

4. ISRO successfully conducts key rocket engine test for Chandrayaan-3

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Space Technology

Concept :

The flight acceptance hot test of the CE-20 cryogenic engine that will power the cryogenic upper stage of the launch vehicle for the Chandrayaan-3 mission was successfully conducted, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation.
The hot test was carried out for a planned duration of 25 seconds at the High Altitude Test Facility of the ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu on February 24, the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency said.
All the propulsion parameters during the test were found satisfactory and closely matched with predictions.
The cryogenic engine will be further integrated with the propellant tanks, stage structures and associated fluid lines to realise the fully integrated flight cryogenic stage.
Flight acceptance test is carried out with an aim to confirm the integrity of the hardware, assessment of subsystems’ performance and tune the engine for meeting the mission requirements parameters.

IPRC Complex

ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri is equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities necessary for realising the cutting-edge propulsion technology products for the Indian space programme.
The activities carried out at IPRC, Mahendragiri are: assembly, integration and testing of earth storable propellant engines, cryogenic engines and stages for launch vehicles; high altitude testing of upper stage engines and spacecraft thrusters as well as testing of its sub systems; production and supply of cryogenic propellants for Indian cryogenic rocket programme, etc.
A Semi-cryogenic Cold Flow Test facility (SCFT) has been established at IPRC, Mahendragiri for the development, qualification and acceptance testing of semicryogenic engine subsystems.
IPRC is responsible for the supply of Storable Liquid Propellants for ISRO’s launch vehicles and satellite programmes.
IPRC delivers quality products to meet the zero defect demand of ISRO space programme ensuring high standards of safety and reliability.
It also carries out Research & Development (R&D) and Technology Development Programmes (TDP) towards continued improvement of its contribution to the Indian space programme.

5. ‘Organ on a chip’: a tech which mimics disease systems in laboratory conditions

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Concept:

The passage of the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act 2.0 by the US government in December 2022 is expected to provide momentum to the R&D of “organ chips”.

Organ chips or Organ on a chip model

Organ chips are small devices with human cells that are used to mimic the environment in human organs such as blood flow and breathing movements, that can act as synthetic environments to test new drugs.
Such chips are translucent which helps provide a window for researchers to look into the inner workings of the organ being studied.
Donald Ingber, a professor of bioengineering and director of the Wyss Institute at Harvard University along with his colleagues developed the first human organ-on-a-chip model in 2010.
This first organ-on-a-chip model was a “lung on a chip” that resembled the biochemical aspects of the lung and its breathing mechanism.
Later in 2014, members of the Wyss Institute started a startup named “Emulate Inc.” to commercialise the organ-on-a-chip technology.
This group of researchers at Emulate Inc have created various such different chips which include that of the epithelial barrier, bone marrow, kidney, gut, vagina and liver.

Significance

The most significant advantage of using Organ on a chip technology is that it can help predict how specific organs respond to the exposure of a potential chemical hazard found in foods, cosmetics and/or dietary supplements with better precision than other methods currently in use such as cell-culture or animal-based tests.
Further, the Organ on a chip model is seen to be an alternative for clinical trials of drugs on animals which are criticised widely as an unethical and scientifically bogus practice.
Organ chips can thus help prevent the death of thousands of laboratory animals.
The technology can be used to identify, develop, and test novel drugs to treat a host of different diseases in a reliable manner and predict treatment outcomes better than conventional systems.
Example: the liver chips developed by Emulate Inc could predict the ability of drugs to cause liver injury with 87% sensitivity and 100% specificity.
Further, the liver chips were used to assess the toxic effects of 27 drugs known to be either safe or unsafe for human livers.
The organ chips developed from isolating cells from a patient to develop biomimetic tissues that mimic a specific disease can be used to extend personalised therapies for individual patients.

Organ chips in India

A few of the research groups in India have also involved themselves in developing new organ-on-chip models.
Researchers and experts at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai along with a team of chemical engineers at IIT Bombay have developed a skin-on-chip model.
This model is being tested for studying skin irritation and toxicity.
This group of experts has also developed a retina-on-chip model.
Researchers in India are also developing a placenta-on-chip model.
Apart from organs, researchers are also trying to mimic different diseases using organ chips.
A team of experts at the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), have developed an infection-on-a-chip model to recreate a human skin wound infection state.
The objective is to mimic an infection that doesn’t heal despite repeated antibiotic treatment.

6. 1300-year-old Buddhist stupa found in Odisha’s Jajpur

Subject : History

Section: Art and culture

Concept :

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found a 1,300-year-old stupa in the middle of a mining site in Odisha’s Jajpur district from where Khondalite stones were excavated for the project around the Jagannath Temple in Puri.
According to preliminary analysis, the stupa is 4.5 metres tall and may belong to the 7th or 8th century.
This stupa was found at Parabhadi situated near Lalitagiri, which was a major Buddhist complex, having a large number of stupas and monasteries.
Post the discovery of the Buddhist stupa from the mining site, the ASI intervened and asked the Odisha government to stop mining in the location.
The ASI would now try to fully retrieve the structure’s archaeological heritage, restore it to its original form and undertake the protection of the site.
Experts opine that the State government must conduct a heritage assessment of a site when it is located near any place of archaeological interest, before giving permission for mining as the destruction of smaller artefacts such as stupas cannot be restored if destroyed.

Khondalite stones:

They were widely used in ancient temple complexes.
The State government had come up with an ambitious plan to spend ₹3,208 crore under the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme in three years to transform Puri into a world heritage city.
Khondalite stones are proposed to be used widely to maintain aesthetic value of some projects such as the heritage security zone, the Jagannath Ballav pilgrim centre, Puri lake development project, the Atharnala heritage project and the Matha Development Initiative.
Controversy
After discovery of the Buddhist stupa from the mining site, the ASI intervened and asked the Odisha government to stop mining through its Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC). The mining has since stopped.
Sukhuapada was the biggest of six Khondalite stone blocks reserved for the OMC.
With the ASI taking control of Sukhuapada site, the OMC may find it difficult to supply Khondalite stones for the State government’s ambitious temple development programmes.
It may trigger another round of confrontation between the Centre and the State government. Violation of the ASI guidelines was a major controversy surrounding the redevelopment project in Puri.

7. U.K., EU start ‘new chapter’ over N. Ireland trade pact

Subject : International Relations

Section: Msc

Concept :

The British Prime Minister has negotiated a new deal with the European Union (EU) on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland.
According to the British Prime Minister, the deal would pave the way for a new chapter in London’s relationship with the bloc.
Northern Ireland, which is a British province, has an open border with Ireland, which is an EU member.

The deal seeks to resolve tensions caused by the 2020 post-Brexit arrangements governing Northern Ireland and its open border with the Republic of Ireland.
The issue has triggered the collapse of the regional government, and affected Northern Ireland’s peace process and ties between the UK and EU.
The new deal is expected to ease physical checks on goods flowing from other parts of the UK to Northern Ireland.

8. Green Energy Corridor Phase II

Subject : Economy

Section: Msc

Concept :

About

The Green Energy Corridor Project aims at synchronizing electricity produced from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, with conventional power stations in the grid.
Green Energy Corridor is an intra-/ inter-state transmission system which is being implemented by eight renewable rich states in India – Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Intra-State Transmission System is being implemented by respective State Transmission Utilities (STU) and Inter-State Transmission System is being implemented by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL).
The scheme will facilitate grid integration and power evacuation of about 20 GW of renewable energy (RE) projects in seven states.

Green Energy Corridor Phase 1

The Government of India initiated the Green Energy Corridor project in 2013.
It is under implementation in renewable resource rich states for the likely renewable power capacity addition during 12thFive Year Plan period.
The first phase of green energy corridors is under implementation in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu and will help supply around 20 GW of renewable energy by 2022.

Green Energy Corridor Phase 2

It will facilitate grid integration and power evacuation of approximately 20 GW of Renewable Energy (RE) power projects in seven States namely, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
The transmission systems will be created over a period of five year from Financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26.
It is targeted to be set up with a total estimated cost of Rs. 12, 031 crores, and the Central Finance Assistance (CFA) will be 33% of the project cost.
The CFA will help in offsetting the Intra-State transmission charges and thus keep the power costs down.
The scheme will help in achieving the target of 450 GW installed RE capacity by 2030.

Significance:

It will contribute to the long-term energy security of India and will promote ecologically sustainable growth by reducing carbon footprint.
It will facilitate in generating large direct and indirect employment opportunities for both the skilled and unskilled personnel.

9. The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK)

Subject: Polity

Section: National Body

Concept:

Evolution: The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) was constituted on 12th August, 1994 as a statutory body by an Act of Parliament ‘National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993’, for a period of three years i.e. up to 31st March, 1997. As per sub-section (4) of Section 1 of the Act, it ceased to exist after 31.3.1997. However, validity of the Act was extended up to March 2004, by subsequent amendments.
Nature: After 2004, The Commission is acting as a non-Statutory body of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The Commission’s tenure is extended from time to time through Government Resolutions
Structure: It comprises one Chairman (in the rank and status of the Union Minister of State) and four members, including a lady member (in the rank and status of the Secretary to the Government of India) and the Secretary (in the rank of Joint Secretary to the Govt. of India) along with other supporting staff

The mandate:

Recommend to the Central Government specific programmes of action towards elimination of inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities for Safai Karamcharis.
Study and evaluate the implementation of the programmes and schemes relating to the social and economic rehabilitation of Safai Karamcharis; and scavengers, in particular.
Investigate specific grievances and take suo-motu notice of matters relating to non-implementation of: –
1. programmes or schemes in respect of any group of Safai Karamcharis
2. decisions, guidelines or instructions, aimed at mitigating the hardships of Safai Karamcharis
3. measures for the social and economic upliftment of Safai Karamcharis
4. the provisions of any law in its application to Safai Karamcharis; and take up such matters with the concerned authorities or with the Central or State Governments
To study and monitor the working conditions, including those relating to health, safety and wages of Safai Karamcharis working under various kinds of employers including Government, Municipalities and Panchayats, and to make recommendations in this regard.
Make reports to the Central or State Governments on any matter concerning Safai Karamcharis, taking into account any difficulties or disabilities being encountered by Safai Karamcharis
Any other matter which may be referred to it by the Central Government.

However, with the enactment of “The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013”, the mandate and scope of the Commission has also been enlarged. As per Section 31 (1) of the said Act, the Commission shall perform the following functions, namely:-

To monitor the implementation of the Act.
To enquire into complaints regarding contravention of the provisions of the Act, and to convey its findings to the concerned authorities with recommendations requiring further action.
To advise the Central and the State Governments for effective implementation of the provisions of the Act.
To take suo motu notice of matter relating to non-implementation of the Act.

The powers

To call for information with respect to any matter specified above from any Government or local or other authority.
It monitors the implementation of Supreme Court Judgement in Safai Karamchari Andolan & ors Vs. Union of India. “Identify the families of all persons who have died in sewerage work (manholes, septic tanks) since 1993 and award compensation of Rs. 10.00 lakhs for each such death to the family members depending on them”.

Working:

The Chairperson and Members of the Commission undertake extensive touring of the country to study the socio-economic and living conditions of Safai Karamcharis and their dependents. The grievances of the Safai Karamcharis are then taken up by the Commission with the concerned local civil and police authorities
The Commission also receives complaints/petitions from Safai Karamcharis from all over the Country. The Commission calls for the factual reports in connection with these complaints/petitions from the concerned authorities and impress upon them to redress the grievances of the affected Safai Karamcharis.
Based on the information received through print or electronic media, the Commission suo motu takes cognizance of problems of Safai Karamcharis and try to resolve them by playing a pro active role.
Whenever a matter is to be investigated or inquired into or progress of any scheme, programme etc. has to be evaluated or non-implementation of any decision, guidelines, instructions, measures or provisions of any law in relation to Safai Karamcharis etc. has to be looked into, the Commission holds sittings, as often as may be necessary, in any part of the country, for the purpose
The Commission also reviews various problems of Safai Karamcharis, status of payment of compensation to the legal heirs of sewer death victims, through number of meeting/VCs with State/Local authorities.
Based on its findings, the Commission gives its recommendations for rehabilitation and liberation of Safai Karamcharis from the scourge of manual scavenging to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment from time to time as well as in its Annual Reports.

10. Blue Economy to be next GDP multiplier: CAG GC Murmu

Subject: Economy

Section : National income

Context: CAG is handling the SAI20 Summit on Blue Economy on occasion. The conference will focus on the study of the Blue Economy.

Concept:

Blue Economy to be next GDP multiplier:

Around 80 per cent of the total volume of International trade in goods is carried by sea, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). World Economic Forum, Davos Agenda 2022 recognized the fact that G20 Nations, primarily have 45 per cent of global coastline and jurisdictional responsibility over 21 per cent of the World’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
SDG 14 helps to focus attention on the priority area of the Blue Economy
The blue economy occupies a vital position in India’s economic growth and it could well be the next multiplier of GDP and well-being, provided sustainability and socio-economic welfare are kept at the centre stage
India has a 7,517 km long coastline that is home to nine coastal states and 1,382 islands. The coastal economy sustains over 4 million fishermen and other coastal communities.
There are nearly 199 ports, including 12 major ports that handle approximately 1,400 million tons of cargo each year,
India’s Exclusive Economic Zone of over 2 million square kilometres has a bounty of living and non-living resources with significant recoverable resources such as crude oil and natural gas.
The blue economy occupies a vital potential position in India’s economic growth. It could well be the next multiplier of GDP and well-being, provided sustainability and socio-economic welfare are kept at centre stage

Blue Economy:

Blue Economy encompasses a wide range of economic activities pertaining to sustainable development of resources and assets in the oceans, related rivers, water bodies and coastal regions – in a manner that ensures equity, inclusion, innovation and modern technology
Blue Economy sectors include: Fisheries, Aquaculture, Mariculture and Marine Products; Marine Biotechnology ; Offshore and Deep-Sea Mining ; Marine Tourism and Leisure ; Shipping, Port and Maritime Logistics ; Marine Construction ;Marine Renewable Energy Marine Manufacturing ; Marine Commerce and ICT and Marine Education and Research.

Mutiplier Effect

The multiplier effect refers to the effect on national income and product of an exogenous increase in demand. For example, suppose that investment demand increases by one. Firms then produce to meet this demand. That the national product has increased means that the national income has increased. Consequently, consumption demand increases, and firms then produce to meet this demand. Thus, the national income and product rises by more than the increase in investment. The multiplier effect is greater than one

11. Coconut

Subject : Geography

Section :Economic geography

Context: Coconut Development Board, in association with International Coconut Community (ICC), is organizing the two-day International Conference on Trade and Marketing of Coconut Products, in Hyderabad.

Concept:

Ranking in production: India is the largest coconut producing country in the world, with 30.93% share of global production, followed by Indonesia and Philippines. India ranks second in terms of productivity
Distribution: Traditional areas of coconut in India are the states of Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Goa, West Bengal, Pondicherry, Maharashtra and Islands of Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar. However, several states like Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh have emerged as non-traditional areas for the cultivation of coconut.
Climatic Conditions: tropical plant but has been found to grow under varying agro climatic conditions.
Temperature and rainfall: mean annual temperature of around 270C , evenly distributed annual rainfall ranging from 100 cm to 300 cm.
Altitude:600 m above sea level.
Soil types : laterite, alluvial and coastal sandy soils.

Coconut Development Board

Coconut Development Board (CDB) is a statutory body established under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, for the integrated development of coconut cultivation and industry with focus on productivity increase and product diversification.
Headquarters: Kochi in Kerala
Regional Offices at Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati and Patna.
State Centres: Pitapally in Odissa, Kolkata, Thane, Vijayawadah and Port Blair.
Market Development cum Information Centre:
Technology Development Centre: Vazhakulam near Aluva in Kerala and a Field office at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD

Adopting measures for the development of coconut industry, inter alia.
Imparting technical advice to those engaged in coconut cultivation and industry.
Providing financial and other assistance for the expansion of area under coconut.
Encouraging adoption of modern technologies for processing of coconut and its products.
Adopting measures to get incentive prices for coconut and its products.
Recommending measures for improving marketing of coconut and its products.
Recommending measures for regulating imports and exports of coconut and its products.
Fixing grades, specifications and standards for coconut and its products.
Financing suitable schemes to increase the production of coconut and to improve the quality and yield of coconut.
Assisting, encouraging, promoting and financing agricultural, technological, industrial or economic research on coconut and its products.
Collecting statistics on coconut and its products and publishing them.
Undertaking publicity activities and publishing books and periodicals on coconut and its products.

12. SC raps govt. on plea on ED chief ’s term

Subject :Polity

Section :National Body

Context:

Directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) may now continue in their jobs for up to five years if the government desires.
Both posts currently have a fixed tenure of two years.
The Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act and The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Act have been amended to give the government the power to keep the two chiefs in their posts for one year after they have completed their two-year terms.
- The CBI is governed by The DSPE Act;
- The CVC Act lays down the term of office of the Director of Enforcement.
And this one-year extension, the amendment says, can continue to be given until the officers complete five years as the chiefs of the agencies.
Section 4B(1) of the Act deals with the fixed two-year tenure of the CBI Director.
- The ordinance issued on Sunday said the following provisos shall be inserted in section 4B(1) of the DSPE Act, 1946:
- “Provided that the period for which the Director holds the office on his initial appointment may, in public interest, on the recommendation of the Committee under sub-section (1) of section 4A (the committee led by the Prime Minister and leader of Opposition and CJI as members) and for the reasons to be recorded in writing, be extended up to one year at a time… Provided further that no such extension shall be granted after the completion of a period of five years in total including the period mentioned in the initial appointment.”
In the case of The CVC Act, the government has inserted an amendment in clause D of Section 25 of the law that deals with the fixed two-year tenure.
- “Provided that the period for which the Director of Enforcement holds the office on his initial appointment may, in public interest, on the recommendation of the Committee under clause (a) — comprises of CVC chief, Revenue and Home Secretaries among others — and for the reasons to be recorded in writing, be extended up to one year at a time… Provided further that no such extension shall be granted after the completion of a period of five years in total including the period mentioned in the initial appointment.”