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News Analysis 27 Aug, 2022

AGRICULTURE HEALTH ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECH.
27 Aug, 2022

NEWS HEADLINES  

1. Battery Waste Management Rules,2022.
2. Tribal TB Initiative.
3. Candidiasis.
4. One Nation One Fertilizer Scheme.

1. Battery Waste Management Rules,2022.

 

Theme: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation.
 

GS-3
 

CONTEXT :
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India published the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 to ensure environmentally sound management of waste batteries.

 


 

GOVERNMENT PUBLISHES BATTERY WASTE MANAGEMENT RULES,2022 TO PROMOTE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN FULL EARNEST.

About Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022:

  • New rules will replace Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001.

  • Covers all types of batteries: Electric Vehicle batteries, portable batteries, automotive batteries and industrial batteries.

  • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Producers (including importers) of batteries are responsible for collection and recycling/refurbishment of waste batteries and use of recovered materials from wastes into new batteries. It mandates that all waste batteries are to be collected and sent for recycling/refurbishment, and it prohibits disposal in landfills and incineration. To meet the EPR obligations, producers may engage themselves or authorize any other entity for collection, recycling or refurbishment of waste batteries.

  • Centralized online portal: The rules will enable setting up a portal for exchange of EPR certificates between producers and recyclers/refurbishers to fulfill the obligations of producers.

  • Setting up of new industries and entrepreneurship in collection and recycling/refurbishment of waste batteries.

  • Mandatory minimum percentage of recovery of materials from waste batteries will bring new technologies and investment in recycling and refurbishment industry and create new business opportunities.

  • Use of a certain amount of recycled materials in making of new batteries will reduce the dependency on new raw materials and save natural resources.

  • Online registration & reporting, auditing, and committee for monitoring the implementation of rules and to take measures required for removal of difficulties.

  • On the principle of Polluter Pays Principle, environmental compensation will be imposed for non-fulfilment of Extended Producer Responsibility targets, responsibilities and obligations set out in the rules.

  • The funds collected under environmental compensation shall be utilized in collection and refurbishing or recycling of uncollected and non-recycled waste batteries.

 

Principle of Polluter Pays Principle:

  • Environmental compensation will be imposed for non-fulfilment of Extended Producer Responsibility targets, responsibilities and obligations set out in the rules.

  • The funds collected under environmental compensation shall be utilized in collection and refurbishing or recycling of uncollected and non-recycled waste batteries.

     




 

2. Tribal TB Initiative.

 

Theme: Health

 

GS-2

 

CONTEXT :
Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare conduct door-to-door screening for TB in more than 68,000 villages under Aashwasan under ‘Tribal TB Initiative’.

 



 

About Tribal TB Initiative:

  • Jointly launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 26th March 2021.

  • Supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as technical partner and Piramal Swasthya as implementing partner.

  •  Aim: To address TB among the tribal communities of India; who are known to have a higher prevalence of the disease compared to the rest of the population.

  • Focuses on strengthening collaboration between donors, governments and partners to strengthen primary health care service delivery from a system’s perspective, building a strong technology & information backbone, and providing support to the health workforce in the tribal areas.

  • Seeks to strengthen governance, financing, supply-chain and infrastructure to obtain the goals of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).
     

About National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP):

  • 1962 : National TB Programme (NTP) was launched for BCG vaccination at the district level.

  • 1993: WHO declared TB as a global emergency and devised the directly observed treatment (DOTS).

  • 1993: GOI revitalized NTP as Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP).

  • 1997 : DOTS was launched under the RNTCP strategy and the entire country was covered by 2006.

  • 2012-2017 : National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Control was documented with the goal of ‘universal access to quality TB diagnosis and treatment’.

  • 2017-2025 :National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination involving all the stakeholders was formulated by RNTCP to eliminate TB in India by 2025

  • 2020: RNTCP was renamed as National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).
     

About Aashwasan Campaign:

  • Started on 7th January this year for active case finding for TB in 174 tribal districts of India, under the ambit of the Tribal TB Initiative.

  • It was flagged off in Nandurbar District, Maharashtra.

  • Under the initiative, door-to-door screening for TB was undertaken covering 68,019 villages.

 

Steps taken by Government of India:

  • National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Tuberculosis Elimination (2017-2025): Integrated into the four strategic pillars of “Detect– Treat – Prevent – Build” (DTPB).

  • Nikshay Ecosystem:To facilitate TB notification, RNTCP has developed a TB surveillance system.

  • Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY- financial support)

  • TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign.

  • Tribal TB Initiative

     



 

3. Candidiasis

 

Theme: Developments related to Science and Technology

 

GS-2

 

CONTEXT
Newly identified gene CSA6 could be a clue to treatment of fungal infection Candidiasis in immuno-compromised patients like AIDS or Cancer.

 


 

About CSA6 :

  • The gene called CSA6 has been identified in Candida albicans, a fungal species infamous for causing high rates of morbidity and mortality under certain immuno-compromised conditions such as AIDS or during cancer treatment.

  • The fungal species residing in mucosal linings of the gastrointestinal and urogenital tract of healthy individuals turns into a pathogen under immuno-compromised conditions breaching the host defense causing superficial as well as life threatening systemic infection.

  • Small molecule modulators that alter expression levels of the gene called Csa6 offer potential avenues for treatment with no side effects in humans.

 

About Candidiasis:

  • White Fungus or Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by a yeast (a type of fungus) called Candida.

  • Candida normally lives on the skin and inside the body, in places such as the mouth, throat, gut, and vagina, without causing any problems.

  • Candida can cause infections if it grows out of control or if it enters deep into the body (for example, the bloodstream or internal organs like the kidney, heart, or brain).

  • The most common species that causes infection is Candida albicans.

     

 

 

4. One Nation One Fertilizer Scheme 

 

Theme: Agriculture

 

GS-3

 

CONTEXT :
The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers announced that it has been decided to implement One Nation One Fertiliser by introducing a “Single Brand for Fertilizers and Logo” under the fertilizer subsidy scheme named “Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna”

(PMBJP)

 



 

About One Nation One Fertilizer Scheme:

  • A logo indicating Fertilizer subsidy scheme namely Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna will be used on fertilizer bags.

  • The single brand name for UREA, DAP, MOP and NPKs etc. will be BHARAT UREA, BHARAT DAP, BHARAT MOP and BHARAT NPK etc. respectively for all Fertilizer Companies, State Trading Entities (STES) and Fertilizer Marketing Entities (FMEs).

  • Companies are allowed to display their name, brand, logo and other relevant product information only on one-third space of their bags.

  • On the remaining two-thirds space, the “Bharat” brand and Pradhanmantri Bharatiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana logo will have to be shown.

 

Drawbacks of the scheme?

  • Disincentivize  fertilizer companies from undertaking marketing and brand promotion activities.

  • They will now be reduced to contract manufacturers and importers for the government.

  • Any company’s strength ultimately is its brands and farmer trust built over decades.

  • Currently, in case of any bag or batch of fertilizers not meeting the required standards, the blame is put on the company. But now, that may be passed on fully to the government.

  • Politically, the scheme might well boomerang rather than benefit the ruling party.