4 Dec 2023
#GS3: -01. Bhopal Gas Tragedy
At the pesticide manufacturing plant of Union Carbide Corporation, a tank holding 45 tonnes of Methyl isocyanate sprang a leak. Most people in the neighbourhood had retired for the night. But as the gas spread, they woke up with a burning sensation in the eyes. Things soon got worse As the gas impaired functioning of their lungs. Now breathless and frantic, people began running out of their dwellings on to streets. More than 3,500 people died in the immediate after math of the Leak and about20,000 more perished in the weeks that followed. The official death toll stand sat 3,787,though.People exposed to the gas suffered irreversible lung damage and in many cases also suffered permanent damage to eye sight, kidney or the liver. For a city with a population of about 900,000,the loss of so many lives meant that every other house hold was touched by the tragedy.
– editor-in-chief, Hindustan Shashi Shekhar
Key Terms/Issues : Methyl isocyanate
#GS2: – 02. India-Maldives Relation
In the discussions we had, the Indian government has agreed to remove Indian soldiers. We also agreed to setup a high level committee to solve issues related to development projects.
-Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu
#GS3: -03. Sustainability in Debt Resolution
Valuation professionals could do a lot in bringing sustainability considerations into debt resolution.
ESG (environment, social and governance criteria) is about sustainability Of projects —that is, future risks taken Into account today, be it the market-related, technology or any other risk. If a resolution plan is to be successful, viable
orsu stainable.it has to take in to account all the potential risks.
-Commentary in News
Key Terms/Issues : ESG
#GS3: – 04. Natural Gas
The target is increasing the share of gas in India’s energy mix to 15% by 2030 from the current 6%.So far, gas distributors have been authorized to supply in 300 geographical areas, covering about 88% of the country’s area, and 98% of its population.
In a bid to boost natural gas adoption, the Union cabinet has approved new guidelines for gas pricing following recommendations made by the Kirit Parikh led committee on Natural gas pricing, paving the Way for linking domestic natural gas prices in India to global crude prices
– Commentary in News
#GS2: – 05. Ayush
Ayush and modern medicines need to complement each other in treatments. This is the goal of the government and we are working very rapidly towards that.
-Health secretary Sudhansh Pantshrink
Key Terms/Issues : Ayush
#GS3: -06. National Planning Group (NPG)
National Planning Group (NPG) can save up to ₹15 crore per km for projects run by the National Highway Authority of India(NHAI). The estimated savings are due to a reduction in the length of roads by integrating various expressway corridors after modifications of alignment for NHAI projects.
-Sumita Dawra,whois leadingthe NPG as special secretary
Key Terms/Issues : National Planning Group
#GS3: -07. Tropical Diseases and Climate Change
The burden of tropical diseases will worsen as the world warms, along with other climate-driven health threats including malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress. Many tropical diseases are already easy To treat. River blindness and sleeping sickness, for example, are both endemic to Africa and spread through parasitic Worm sand flies that are likely to proliferate in a warming world. More than 120 countries have signed COP28 declaration acknowledging their responsibility to keep people safe amid global warming. The declaration made no mention of fossil fuels, the main source of climate- warming missions, which the Global Climate and Health Alliance called a “glaring mission”.
-Commentary in News
Key Terms/Issues : Tropical Diseases
#GS3: -08. Dams and Safety Issues
A Glacial Lake Outburst Flood in Sikkim, this October, destroyed a hydropower dam over the Teesta. It has rekindled an old debate: how safe are India’s dams?
India has 6,138 large dams. Despite so many large dams, India has a rather poor record of dam safety. There had been 42 dam failures in India till September this year.
None of the older dams have till date been decommissioned, which is a controversial issue since there are socio-economic concerns. Dams create colonies and economy around them.
-Commentary in News
Key Terms/Issues : GLOF
#Essay–#GS1: -09. Social Capital
Community connectedness is not just about warm fuzzy tales of civic triumph. …Social capital makes an enormous difference in our lives…Social capital makes us smarter, healthier, safer, richer, and better able to govern a just and stable democracy.
-ROBERT D. PUTNAM
Unfortunately, contemporary Indian Politics is weakening the kind of social capital that bridges different identity groups and creates a sense of shared nationhood, state hood and cityhood. Religious and sectarian polarization, caste-affirming politics and geographic chauvinism are undermining what little sense of commonality we have. I am afraid we cannot make meaningful progress towards saving the planet without first seeing each other as ‘us’.
-NITIN PAI is co-founder and director of The Takshashila Institution