1. POLICY MEASURES BY THE EU (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Economy)

Context: India and other developing countries, including China, Indonesia, and South Africa, have questioned unilateral trade policy measures by the European Union (EU), such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the Deforestation Act at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

• During the Trade Policy Review of the EU, India said that while bilateral economic and commercial relations have been on the upswing, certain “irritants” are acting as barriers, preventing both sides from achieving the full potential of their economic partnership.

Carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM)

• About: It is a mechanism to be introduced by the European Union (EU) to put a fair price on the carbon emitted during the production of carbon intensive goods that are entering the EU, and to encourage cleaner industrial production in non-EU countries.
• The EU plans a gradual introduction of CBAM from 1st October 2023 and this will translate into a 20-35% tax on selected imports to the EU nations by 1st January 2026.
• From 1st January 2026, the EU will start levying the carbon tax on multiple products exported to the EU.
• The products included in the CBAM list will be expanded over a period of time and by 2034, it will cover all products entering the EU.

EU Deforestation Regulation ("EUDR") 

• The European Union Deforestation-Free Products Regulation puts the onus on companies registered in EU member states to ensure seven agricultural commodities – cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soy, and wood – that they import or export have not been produced on land deforested after December 31, 2020.
• Under the EUDR, "deforestation-free" means that the good does not contain, has not been fed with or been made using, relevant commodities that were produced on land not subject to deforestation since 31 December 2020.

---

2. INDIA AND SINGAPORE AGREEMENT (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Energy)

Context:  India and Singapore have fast-tracked plans to connect their power grids through an undersea cable via Andaman & Nicobar, which will allow India to sell renewable energy to Singapore.

Key Points

• The landed cost of the renewable energy that will be exported through this arrangement to Singapore is projected to be cheaper than their gas-based electricity.
• Singapore also needs to fulfil its nationally determined contributions (NDC) to the Paris Agreement and taking renewable energy from India will help in achieving that target.
• The two countries held discussions on the matter on the sidelines of the G20 Energy Ministerial and Clean Energy Ministerial meetings earlier this month.
• Being isolated from the mainland, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands have unique challenges in terms of power supply. 
• The union territories cumulative generation capacity is around 109. 45 MW in various islands, of which, diesel-based generation is almost 91%, and the rest is hydro and solar.
• The arrangement with Singapore will benefit the islands’ connectivity as well, especially with renewable energy.
• India has also been in talks with Saudi Arabia and the UAE to connect with their power grids to trade renewable energy. 
• This proposal has been in the works along with Oman, where India could look to make a stop, before taking the connectivity further to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

---

3. WORLDCOIN PROJECT (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Infrastructure)

Context: Recently, OpenAI CEO formally introduced Worldcoin, a project of his that was eclipsed by the popularity of ChatGPT. 

• The Worldcoin venture runs on a simple model: allow your eyes to be scanned in order to prove your human uniqueness, and receive some crypto and an ID (called a World ID) in exchange. 
• Worldcoin claims it is building the “world’s largest identity and financial public network” open to people worldwide.

Worldcoin Project

• Worldcoin is an initiative to create a digital network in which everyone can claim some kind of stake, and join the digital economy. 
• Using a device called “Orb,” Worldcoin volunteers known as ‘Orb operators’ scan a person’s iris pattern to collect their biometric data and help them get a World ID through the World app. 
• With the app, scanned participants can collect a cryptocurrency called Worldcoin [WLD] at regular intervals or make transactions with their World ID where possible. 
• This process is called “proof of personhood” and makes sure that people do not sign themselves up multiple times in exchange for crypto.

---

4. ROAD ACCIDENT IN INDIA (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 - Infrastructure)

Context:  In 2021, India witnessed a tragic loss of 18 lives every hour due to road accidents, according to the Minister of Road Transport and Highways..

• The data received from police departments of all states and Union Territories indicated a total of 153,972 road accident fatalities in 2021, averaging 18 deaths per hour.

Key Points

• According to the 2022 edition of the International Road Federation´s World Road Statistics, the number of road accident related deaths per 100,000 population varies between 0 and 39.4.
• For India, it is 9.5. 
• The minister attributed road accidents to various causes, including speeding, use of mobile phones while driving, drunk driving, driving on the wrong side or lane indiscipline, jumping red lights, failure to use safety devices like helmets and seat belts, vehicle condition, weather and road conditions, and human errors by drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.
• The ministry also informed the House that to address the issue of road safety, it has formulated a multipronged strategy based on education and engineering-both of roads and vehicles, enforcement and emergency care.
• At least 130 stretches of national highways (NH) have been identified for development as Model Safe Roads under the ministry and 85 project stretches of NH have been identified for development as Model Safe Construction Zone.
• A road safety audit of all highways is now compulsory at all stages, including design, construction, operation, and maintenance, conducted by third party auditors or experts.
• Additionally, vehicles are now required to have airbags in the front seats and seat belt reminders for the driver and codriver.
• Further, it specifies the use of a safety harness, and crash helmet, and restricts speed to 40 kilometres per hour.
• Speeding warnings are also mandatory in some vehicles.
• The vehicle scrappage policy has been introduced as part of the efforts to reduce fatalities.

---

5. GOBARDHAN INITIATIVE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Agriculture)

Context: The GOBARdhan initiative of the Union Government which aims to transform “Waste to Wealth” using a “Whole of Government” approach has started stimulating investments and reaping good results by creating a nurturing ecosystem for Compressed Biogas (CBG)/Biogas through a slew of policy enablers and attractive benefits.

• The Unified Registration Portal for GOBARdhan, developed by Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the nodal coordination department, was launched for streamlining the process of registration of functional/under construction /yet to start Biogas/Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants across the country.

GOBARdhan scheme

• About: The Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBAR-DHAN) scheme is implemented under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin-Phase 2, by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Jal Shakti ministry.

• It was launched in 2018.

• In her Budget 2023-24 speech,, Finance Minister had announced the setting up of 500 biogas plants across the country under the Gobardhan scheme. Of these, 75 plants were to be set up in urban areas.

• The scheme aims to augment income of farmers by converting biodegradable waste into compressed biogas (CBG).

• The initiative aims at attracting entrepreneurs for establishing community-based CBG plants in rural areas.

• Benefits of the scheme:

• Helpful for the country as India is home to the highest cattle population in the world, close to 300 million in number, with a daily output of 3 million tonnes of dung.

• Encourage farmers to consider dung and other waste not just as a waste but as a source of income.

• It will be easier to keep the village clean and sanitized, livestock health will improve and farm yields will increase.

• Increase self-reliance in energy utilized for cooking and lighting.

• Provides a stable fuel supply in the market for oil companies and accessible credit in the market through government schemes and banks for entrepreneurs.

• Unified Portal of Gobardhan: In 2021, it has been launched to ensure smooth implementation of Biogas schemes/initiatives and their real time tracking.
• Objectives: Ensure close coordination with various Departments/Ministries for smooth implementation of Biogas schemes/initiatives and its real time tracking.

---

6. IIPS (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 - Governance)

Context: Members of Opposition parties and of the scientific community have expressed their anger and dismay at the Central Government’s move in suspending Director and senior Professor at the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), which conducts crucial data collection for the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), among others. 

• The Health Ministry cited complaints regarding irregularities in recruitment and compliance with the reservation roster at the IIPC.

Key Points

• The Centre was informed through NFHS-5 that 40% households did not have access to clean cooking fuel (questioning the impact of the Centre’s Ujjwala Yojana), and that in rural areas, more than half (57% households) do not have access to LPG or natural gas. 
• It also noted that anaemia is on the rise in India. It found that 19% households lacked toilet facilities and their members defecate in the open.

International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) 

• It serves as a regional Institute for Training and Research in Population Studies for the  Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) region.
• The Institute was re-designated to its present title in 1985 to facilitate the expansion of its academic activities and was declared as a 'Deemed University' on 19 August 1985 under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (Ministry of Education).
• The Institute is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
• The IIPS’ mandate is to contribute to the improvement of the population health outcomes and their determinants, and the achievement of health equity through programmatic initiatives.
• Besides teaching and research activities, the Institute also provides consultancy to the Government and Non-Government organizations and other academic institutions.

---

7. GLOBAL SCIENCE FUNDING (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 - Education)

Context: The current science around sustainability science model requires a fundamental revamp to keep up with the pace and intricacy of climate challenges, the report Flipping the Science Model: A Roadmap to Science Missions for Sustainability by Global Commission on Science Missions for Sustainability (GCSMS) said.

• GCSMS was established in 2021 by the International Science Council (ISC), a non-profit.

Key Points

• The commission recommended establishing an ambitious $1 billion per year mission science network of Regional Sustainability Hubs across the world to rectify the issue.
• These hubs would address context-specific and complex issues - from climate change and malnutrition to water security and clean energy - through a systematic engagement process.
• The hub would deal with myriad challenges from problem definition to implementation by engaging key stakeholders of the regions, particularly those in the Global South.
• Though this sort of initiative costs not even one per cent of the global annual research and development budget, it would significantly accelerate the progress towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on sustainable development.
• To seek integrated and sustainable solutions, policy and political decisions at the United Nations must be supported by science-based evidence.
• Almost halfway to meeting the 2030 deadline, countries remain far from achieving poverty eradication goals.
• Nearly 1.1 billion of the 6.1 billion people across 110 countries are poor.
• Global hunger is back to 2005 levels and nearly 600 million people will remain mired in extreme poverty by 2030.
• To address these challenges, the commission called for a ‘mission science’ approach that can bring together the fragmented, compartmentalised scientific knowledge that often fails to connect with society’s most immediate needs.

---

8. DISASTER-PRONE REGION (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Env & Eco)

Context: Asia is the world’s most disaster-prone region and more than 50 million people were directly affected due to 81 weather-, climate- and water-related disasters in Asia during 2022, according to a new report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

• The number of reported disaster events in the region decreased in comparison to 2021, when Asia was affected by more than 100 natural hazards.
• The economic cost of the damage due to these events has been more than $?36?billion.
• Asia, the continent with the largest land mass extending to the Arctic, is warming faster than the global average. 

---

9. ALL INDIA TIGER ESTIMATION -2022 (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Env & Eco)

Context: On the occasion of  the Global Tiger Day celebrated at the Corbett Tiger Reserve, a detailed report of All India Tiger Estimation -2022 was released by Union MoS.

Key Points

• India currently harbors almost 75% of the world’s wild tiger population.
• With significant changes in the spatial patterns of tiger occurrence and an increase in unique tiger sightings from 2461 in 2018 to 3080 in 2022, now more than 3/4th of the tiger population is found within protected areas.
• The upper limit of the tiger population is estimated to be 3925 and the average number is 3682 tigers, reflecting a commendable annual growth rate of 6.1% per annum.
• The largest tiger population of 785 is in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Karnataka (563) & Uttarakhand (560), and Maharashtra (444).
• The tiger abundance within the Tiger Reserve is highest in Corbett (260), followed by Bandipur (150), Nagarhole (141), Bandhavgarh (135), Dudhwa (135), Mudumalai(114), Kanha (105), Kaziranga (104), Sundarbans (100), Tadoba (97), Sathyamangalam (85), and Pench-MP (77).
• Approximately 35% of the tiger reserves urgently require enhanced protection measures, habitat restoration, ungulate augmentation, and subsequent tiger reintroduction.

---

10. ESOP AND ESPP (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Economy

Context: GST authorities are raising inquiries in cases where shares of a foreign parent or holding company are being allotted to an Indian subsidiary’s staff under schemes like employee stock option plan (ESOP) and employee share purchase plan (ESPP).

Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)

• An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is a type of employee benefit plan which is intended to encourage employees to acquire stocks or ownership in the company.
• Under these plans, the employer gives certain stocks of the company to the employee for negligible or less costs which remain in the ESOP trust fund, until the options vests and the employee exercises them or the employee leaves/retires from the company or institution.
• These plans are aimed at improving the performance of the company and increasing the value of the shares by involving stockholders, who are also the employees, in the working of the company. 
• The ESOPs help in minimizing problems related to incentives.

Employee share purchase plan (ESPP)

• An ESPP is a program in which employees can purchase company stock at a discounted price.
• Employees contribute through payroll deductions, which build until the purchase date.
• Income or loss from the sale of shares purchased through an ESPP is generally taxed as a capital gain or loss, though there are holding period requirements.

---