Air pollution cause of 1 in 8 deaths: Study
According to the study by the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative; one in every eight deaths in India last year could be attributed to air pollution, which now contributes to more disease burden than smoking.It was published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.
The states which recorded the highest exposure to particulate matter PM 2.5 were Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.
Highlights of the study:
State-Level Disease Burden Initiative, which offers the first comprehensive estimates of deaths, disease burden, and life expectancy reduction associated with air pollution in each state.According to study; 12.4 lakh deaths in India in 2017 were attributable to air pollution — 6.7 lakh due to outdoor particulate matter and 4.8 lakh due to household air pollution.
Of these, over half were aged less than 70 years.
The estimates show that India, which accounts for 18 per cent of the global population, recorded a 26 per cent of the global premature deaths and disease burden due to air pollution.
Air Pollution: A Burden for the government
India has one of the highest annual average ambient particulate matter PM 2.5 exposure levels in the world.In 2017, no state in India had an annual population weighted ambient particulate matter mean PM 2.5 less than the WHO recommended level of 10 µg/m³, and 77 per cent of India’s population was exposed to mean PM 2.5 more than 40 µg/m³, which is the recommended limit set by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards of India.
PM 2.5 particles are those that are suspended in air and have a diameter lesser than 2.5 microns.
While Delhi, Haryana and Punjab recorded the highest exposure to ambient particulate matter, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand recorded the highest levels of both ambient particulate matter and household air pollution.
According to the WHO database of air pollution, 14 of the 15 cities with the worst air pollution in the world are in India.
SC approves Centre's draft witness protection scheme
The Supreme Court on 05 Dec approved the Centre’s draft witness protection scheme and directed all states and union territories to implement it until Parliament passes legislation.The SC bench was headed by Justice AK Sikri.
Witness Protection Scheme (Draft)
The draft witness protection scheme provides for protection based on the level of threat perception, for a specific duration, subject to review.The scheme, formulated by the Union Home Ministry, assigns three categories of threat perception:
- threat to life of witness or family members, during or after investigation or trial,
- threat to safety, reputation or property of the witness or family members
- a moderate threat extending to harassment or intimidation of the witness or family members.
On receiving the application, the authority will file a Threat Analysis Report to gauge the presence and extent of the threat, and decide the types of protection that can be provided.
Annual Startup India Venture Capital Summit 2018 begins
The annual Startup India Venture Capital Summit, a joint initiative by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and the Government of Goa, has begun in Goa on December 7, 2018.
Theme of 2018: 'Mobilizing Global Capital for Innovation in India’
Objective:
The key objectives will be to showcase the India opportunity, increase capital flow for Indian startups and further promote ease of doing business.
Startups in India: A brief glance
India has the world's third-largest startup base with more than 14,000 recognised startups.
More than 8,200 startups were recognised by the ministry in 2018 alone, leading to the creation of more than 89,000 new jobs this year, taking the total job creation contribution of recognised startups to 1,41,775.
National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 6, 2018 approved the launching of National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS).
The mission will be launched by the Ministry of Science and Technology at an expected cost of Rs 3660 crore for a period of five years.
The mission aims to establish 15 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH), 6 Application Innovation Hubs (AIH) and 4 Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP).
Construction of Shahpurkandi Dam on river Ravi in Punjab approved
The Union Cabinet on 06 Dec gave its nod to the implementation of Shahpurkandi Dam project in Punjab on the river Ravi in an attempt to minimise wastage of water of the river, which currently flows downstream to Pakistan.
For implementing the project, central assistance of ₹485.38 crore for the irrigation part would be given over five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23.
On completion, the project has an irrigation potential of 5,000 hectares in Punjab and 32,173 hectares in Jammu and Kashmir.
Punjab would also be able to generate 206 MW of hydro-power.
Cabinet approves Agriculture Export Policy, 2018
The Union Cabinet has approved the Agriculture Export Policy (AEP) in line with the government's commitment to double farmer's income by 2022.
It removes all the restrictions on export of all organic and processed products.
The policy aims to boost exports of agriculture commodities such as tea, coffee and rice and increase the country’s share in global agri-trade.
The policy would focus on all aspects of agricultural exports including modernising infrastructure, standardisation of products, streamlining regulations, curtailing knee-jerk decisions, and focusing on research and development activities.
It will also provide an institutional mechanism for pursuing market access, tackling barriers and deal with sanitary and phyto-sanitary issues.
National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems
The mission will be launched by the Ministry of Science and Technology at an expected cost of Rs 3660 crore for a period of five years.
Objectives of the NM-ICPS
The mission addresses the ever-increasing technological requirements of the society and takes into account the international trends and roadmaps of leading countries for the next generation technologies.The mission aims to establish 15 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH), 6 Application Innovation Hubs (AIH) and 4 Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP).
Benefits:
- Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) and associated technologies within the reach of India.
- Adoption of CPS technologies to address India specific national and regional issues.
- Produce next generation skilled manpower in CPS.
- Catalyse translational research.
- Accelerate entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem development in CPS.
- Place India at par with other advanced countries and derive several direct and indirect benefits
Why it is important?
The Cyber-Physical Systems and its associated technologies such as artificial intelligence, internet of things, big data analytics, robotics, quantum computing, communication and encryption, data science and predictive analytics, cyber security for physical infrastructure and other infrastructure, have pervaded and are playing a transformative role in almost every field of human endeavour, in almost all the sectors.
Construction of Shahpurkandi Dam on river Ravi in Punjab approved
The Union Cabinet on 06 Dec gave its nod to the implementation of Shahpurkandi Dam project in Punjab on the river Ravi in an attempt to minimise wastage of water of the river, which currently flows downstream to Pakistan.For implementing the project, central assistance of ₹485.38 crore for the irrigation part would be given over five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23.
How it will benefit Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab?
The ambitious Shahpurkandi dam project on the Ravi river is a major irrigation project which will benefit both Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. Jammu and Kashmir is entitled to 0.69 MAF of water from the Ravi and it is utilising only 0.215 MAF.On completion, the project has an irrigation potential of 5,000 hectares in Punjab and 32,173 hectares in Jammu and Kashmir.
Punjab would also be able to generate 206 MW of hydro-power.
Can Pakistan object?
It may be noted that the Indus Waters Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 for sharing of Indus waters. According to the treaty, India got the full rights for utilization of waters of the three eastern Rivers namely Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.Cabinet approves Agriculture Export Policy, 2018
Objective:
AEP seeks to double the agricultural export to $50 billion by 2022.It removes all the restrictions on export of all organic and processed products.
The policy aims to boost exports of agriculture commodities such as tea, coffee and rice and increase the country’s share in global agri-trade.
The policy would focus on all aspects of agricultural exports including modernising infrastructure, standardisation of products, streamlining regulations, curtailing knee-jerk decisions, and focusing on research and development activities.
It will also provide an institutional mechanism for pursuing market access, tackling barriers and deal with sanitary and phyto-sanitary issues.
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