Beirut blast impact: Customs reports storage of 740 tonne of ammonium nitrate in Chennai.
As
much as 740 tonne of ammonium nitrate, classified as a special category
explosive substance, is stored at a container freight station (CFS) in Manali,
a senior official in Chennai seaport customs said on Thursday.
Ammonium
nitrate is the chemical which is believed to be the cause for the massive blast
in Lebanon's capital and port city Beirut two days ago.
A
common chemical ingredient of agricultural fertilisers, the nitrogen rich
compound is also the main component of the explosive composition known as ANFO
— ammonium nitrate fuel oil.
The
Tamil Nadu police have put out an alert stating that the chemical has been
stored in 37 containers. Intelligence officials have been asked to take
immediate action. Other ports like Ennore, Tuticorin and Karaikal have also
been asked to report on storage of explosives, if any.
What
is this chemical, how and where is it used or misused, what hazards does it
present, and what are the rules and regulations about its use in India?
In
its pure form, ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) is a white, crystalline chemical which
is soluble in water. It is the main ingredient in the manufacture of commercial
explosives used in mining and construction.
In
India, The Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012, under The Explosives Act, 1884, define
ammonium nitrate as the “compound with formula NH4NO3 including any mixture or
compound having more than 45 per cent ammonium nitrate by weight including
emulsions, suspensions, melts or gels but excluding emulsion or slurry
explosives and non explosives emulsion matrix and fertilizers from which the
ammonium nitrate cannot be separated”.
Pure
ammonium nitrate is not an explosive on its own. It is classified as an
oxidiser (Grade 5.1) under the United Nations classification of dangerous
goods. If mixed with ingredients like fuel or some other contaminants, or
because of some other external factors, it can be very explosive.
Stored ammonium
nitrate is a major fire hazard
Large
quantities of stored ammonium nitrate are regarded as a major fire hazard, with
multiple reported cases across the world. The explosion of large storage can
happen primarily in two ways.
One
is by some type detonation or initiation because the storage comes in contact
with explosive mixture. Second, the blast can result due to a fire which starts
in the ammonium nitrate store because of the heat generated due to the
oxidation process at large scale. The second one seems to be the primary likely
cause of the incident at Beirut port. There are several documented examples of
deadly ammonium nitrate fire and explosion incidents in the past, some with
large numbers of fatalities like in China in 2015 and in Texas in 1947.
Gramodyog
Vikas Yojana.
The
Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has recently approved a
programme for the benefit of Artisans involved in manufacturing of Agarbatti
under the Gramodyog Vikas Yojana.
Highlights:
➡It will initially
include four pilot projects, including one in the north eastern part of the
country.
➡The Khadi and Village
Industries Commission (KVIC) will provide training and assistance as well as
work and raw material to artisans working in this area, in tie-up with
Agarbatti manufacturing machines.
➡It is a statutory body
established by Khadi And Village Industries Commission Act, 1956.
➡It is an apex
organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises charged
with the planning, promotion, organisation and implementation of programs for
the development of Khadi and other village industries in the Rural Areas.
➡The Revival of
Agarbatti manufacturing in the villages and small towns. The Generation of
sustainable employment and increase in wages for the traditional Artisans.
The
Mitigation of the gap between the indigenous ‘production and demand’. The
Reduction in import of ‘Agarbatti’ in the country.
About Gramodyog
Vikas Yojana:
•
It is one of the two components of Khadi Gramodyog Vikas Yojana which aims to
promote and develop the village industries through common facilities,
technological modernization, training etc.
•
The Research & Development and Product Innovation would be given to the
institutions that intend to carry product development, new innovations, design
development, product diversification processes etc.
•
The Activities of existing dedicated verticals of Village Industries includes
Agro Based & Food Processing Industry, Mineral Based Industry, Handmade Paper,
Leather & Plastic Industry among others. Under the Human Resource
Development and Skill Training components, exclusive capacity building of staff
as well as the artisans.
•
The village institutions will be provided market support by way of preparation
of product catalogue, Industry directory, market research, new marketing
techniques, buyer seller meet, arranging exhibitions etc.
MoES-Knowledge
Resource Centre Network (KRCNet)
Under
the Digital India initiative of Government of India, Ministry of Earth Sciences
(MoES)aims to develop a World-Class Knowledge Resource Centre Network (KRCNet).
Knowledge
Resource Centres:
•
Keeping in mind the spectacular developments in information technology, the
traditional
libraries
of the MoES system will be upgraded into a top-notch Knowledge Resource Centres
(KRC).
•
KRCs will be connected with each other and integrated into the KRCNet portal.
It will be a single point entry to the intellectual world of Ministry of Earth
Sciences (MoES).
•
The resources and services of MoES system will be accessible 24X7 through a one
point dynamic, updated and integrated KRCNet portal.
•
A pilot project has been developed at MoESheadquarters which will be integrated
with other MoES institutes.
Objectives:
•
Establish a Total Quality Management (TQM) system by securing ISO certification
for documenting MoESknowledge resources, its maintenance, easy retrieval and
dissemination.
•
Collect, collate, analyze, index, store and disseminate the intellectual
resources, products and project outputs available in MoES headquarter and its
institutes.
•
Develop and maintain an up-to-date meta-data of the print & digital
resources available in MoES headquarter and MoES institutes, including MoES services.
•
Provide 24X7 access to the subscribed knowledge contents through the KRCNet
portal.
•
Application of information analytical tools & techniques like
bibliometrics, scientometrics, big-data analytics, social media analytics etc.,
for policy formulation, report preparation and information dissemination.
•
Periodically organize training workshops to popularize usage of electronic
journals, databases, digital products, data analytics etc.
Naidu
urges Indian government and judiciary to ensure faster justice.
India's
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu today urged the government and judiciary to
ensure faster justice keeping in view the mounting pendency of court cases in
Supreme Court and other courts.
Naidu
was addressing the virtual platinum jubilee meet of Dr BR Ambedkar College of
Law, Andhra University on the occasion of its 76th Foundation Day.
Expressing
concern over the growing pendency of court cases, he underscored the need to
make delivery of justice faster and affordable. Mr. Naidu asked law students to
use their legal knowledge to empower the marginalized sections.
He
also told them to nurture professionalism and ethical conduct when it comes to
discharging their duties. The Vice President stressed the need of avoiding
ambiguity while drafting law. He said, laws should be simple and uncomplicated.
In
another instance the supreme courtdirected the States to provide care, support
and priority medical treatment for senior citizens, especially those living
alone or quarantined, amid the pandemic.
S
Africa urges Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan to continue Nile dam talks.
South
Africa, the current mediator in a long-running feud over Ethiopia's dam on the
Blue Nile urged that talks should continue despite threats of suspension and
walkout.
Initially
Egypt called for a halt in the talks while Sudan threatened to withdraw,
rattling efforts to calm the dispute.
South
Africa, which as current chair of the African Union (AU) has been acting as
mediator, said negotiations were at a "critical phase" and it
"encourages the parties to remain engaged".
The
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been a source of tension in the Nile
River basin ever since Ethiopia broke ground on it in 2011.Egypt and Sudan view
the dam as a threat to vital water supplies, while Ethiopia considers it
crucial for its electrification and development.
Egypt
and Sudan invoke an "historic right" over the river guaranteed by
treaties concluded in 1929 and 1959.
But
Ethiopia uses a treaty - signed in 2010 by six riverside countries and
boycotted by Egypt and Sudan - authorising irrigation projects and dams on the
river.
UN
report finds 24million school drop outs due to pandemic
Almost
24 million children are at risk of not returning to school next year due to the
economic fallout of COVID-19, according to the United Nation’s policy brief on
the pandemic’s impact on education, released on Tuesday. The educational
financing gap is also likely to increase by one third, it said.
More
than 1.6 billion learners across the world have been affected by the disruption
of the education system, but the pandemic has also served to exacerbate
existing disparities, with vulnerable populations in low-income countries
taking a harder and longer hit.
Review
of India-ASEAN FTA could double bilateral trade.
Minister
of State for Commerce and Industry Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday said that a
review of the India’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) group has the potential to double the bilateral
trade. He also said that e-commerce, fintech, Artificial Intelligence and
blockchain have the maximum potential for collaboration.
The
Asean Agreed to India’s request for review of the FTA as the trade deficit with
the 10-member grouping rose from around $5 billion in FY11 to $21.8 billion in
FY19.
Ceferino
S Rodolfo from Philippines Department of Trade and Industry said India and
Philippines could work together in areas such as transport infrastructure,
heavy industry, pharmaceuticals, online education among others. Besides, a
bilateral FTA between India and the Philippines could also be explored.
In
the aviation sector, the government is moving ahead with the privatisation of
airports and this presents a huge opportunity for countries from the
Indo-ASEAN-Oceanic (IAOR) region, said Puri, who is also MoS for Civil Aviation
(Independent Charge).
India–Myanmar–Thailand
Trilateral Highway (IMTTH)
The
Supreme Court has stayed the litigation initiated by a defaulting contractor
tasked to build the IMTTH before the Manipur High Court.
India-Myanmar-Thailand
Trilateral Highway:
•
Total length: 1,360 km.
•
Connects India with Thailand through Myanmar.
•
Signed in 2016 and is to be completed in 2020.
•
The road will connect Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar.
•
The IMT trilateral highway project is largely funded by the Indian govt.
•
Delays affected the implementation of the project.
Expected
Benefits:
•
The project will boost trade and commerce in the ASEAN–India Free Trade Area.
•
Help connect with rest of the countries in Southeast Asia like Cambodia, Laos
and Vietnam.
•
Act as a counterweight to the strategic influence of China in the region.
Space
X with NASA crew returns to earth.
Two
NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style
splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to finish an
unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk’s SpaceXcompany.
It
was the first splashdown by U.S. astronauts in 45 years, with the first
commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit.
The return clears the way for another SpaceX crew launch as early as next month
and possible tourist flights next year.
Test
pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken returned to earth in their SpaceX Dragon
capsule named Endeavour, less than a day after departing the International
Space Station and two months after blasting off from Florida. The capsule
parachuted into the calm gulf waters about 40 miles off the coast of Pensacola.
“Welcome
back to planet Earth and thanks for flying SpaceX,” said Mission Control from
SpaceX headquarters. After medical checkups, the astronauts were flown to
Houston.
France
has agreed to supply HAMMER missiles to India for the Rafale Combat Aircraft.
About HAMMER
(Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range)
•
It is a medium-range air-to-ground weapon. It has the capability to take out
any types of targets at the range of around 60-70 kms.
•
The order for missiles is being processed under the emergency powers for
acquisition given to the armed forces by the Government of India.
•
It belongs to the Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) family of missiles, which
know as it is an Air-to-Ground Modular Weapon.
•
It is modular because it can integrate different types of guidance units and
different types of bombs.
•
It has been developed by Safran Electronics & Defense for the French Air
Force and Navy.
•
It would give India the capability to take out any bunkers or hardened shelters
in any type of terrain including the mountainous locations such as Eastern
Ladakh.
Entire
B2C online sector strictly within the ambit of consumer protection act, claims
experts.
There’s
a widespread impression that the new Consumer Protection Act will only regulate
the operations of the legacy e-commerce players Amazon and Flipkart.
However,
that’s a misconception as the new law brings the entire B2C online sector
strictly within its ambit, said a top official at the Ministry of Consumer
Affairs.
“The
Consumer Protection Act has already kicked in, but many online service
providers still want to believe they are outside its scope,” said the official
on condition of anonymity. “All kinds of B2C online services, irrespective of
their size and reach, all mobile app-based services and all businesses running
on social media platforms, will come within the bill’s purview.
“There’s
no need to resist or ignore a law that aims to clean up the online B2C sector
in the country. Only unscrupulous players who exercise unfair trade practices
or indulge in counterfeit merchandise need to worry. Otherwise, this is a
win-win piece of regulation that will protect the rights of customers and
dignity of the brands,” the official said.
WEE
cohort initiative promotes women entrpreneurship programme.
The
Women Entrepreneurship and Empowerment, WEE cohort initiative helps women
ranging from college going students to middle-aged housewives to take up
entrepreneurship as a viable, fulfilling career option.
It
is India’s first of its kind initiative to strengthen women's ecosystem at IIT
Delhi, supported and sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology.
Meghna
Gandhi is one of the winners at the WEE cohort initiative. She is the Founder
and Creative Director at Ribbon Candy which is a homegrown label that makes
handmade apparel and accessories for girls.
She
has worked with underprivileged women in Vadodara during the COVID 19 lockdown
and had created natural textiles and COVID 19 related accessories.
Focus on mains
Topic: Environment ecology and climate change.
Investment
to Reduce Plastic Waste in India.
A
Singapore-based-NGO namely ‘Alliance to End Plastic Waste’ plans to invest
between USD 70 million to 100 million in India over the next five years to
reduce plastic waste.
What is Alliance
to End Plastic Waste?
•
Alliance to End Plastic Waste was founded in 2019 as a non-profit organisation
to help solve this serious and complex issue – 8 million tons of plastic waste
entering the ocean every year.
•
Nearly fifty companies across the plastics value chain have joined the Alliance
and together they have committed to invest USD 1.5 billion towards solutions
that will prevent the leakage as well as recover and create value from plastic
waste.
•
Overall, the Alliance has a USD 500 million budget for environmental projects
including the USD 100 million for India. The rest is for South East Asia and
China.
About World
Nature Conservation Day:
•
The investment to end plastic waste in India was announced on the World Nature
Conservation Day (28th July).
•
It is celebrated every year to create and increase awareness about the
importance of natural resources. The day also encourages people to save and
protect Earth’s natural resources that are fast-depleting owing to over-
exploitation and even misuse.
What are Ongoing
Initiatives in India?
•
Currently, ‘Alliance to End Plastic Waste’ is working on the Project Aviral
which aims to reduce plastic waste in the Ganga River.
•
Aviral seeks to pilot an approach to address waste management challenges. In
particular, it will focus on strengthening an integrated Plastic Waste
Management System.
What
are some Worldwide Initiatives?
UN-Habitat Waste
Wise Cities (WWC):
•
Alliance to End Plastic Waste is also collaborating with the UN-Habitat to
implement solutions toward a circular economy, creating business and livelihood
opportunities while enhancing resource recovery.
•
It intends to use the UN-Habitat Waste Wise Cities (WWC) Tool to map waste
flows and assess potential plastic leakage from waste management systems.
•
The collaboration supports the WWC Challenge to clean up and establish
sustainable waste management in 20 cities around the world by 2022.
•
It is also expected to identify short- and long-term pathways to increase the
amount of plastic waste collected, recycled and recovered.
Zero Plastic
Waste Cities Initiative:
•
It is also implementing the Zero Plastic Waste Cities initiative in India and
Vietnam which aims to tackle the plastic issue by improving and supplementing
municipal waste management, repurposing collected waste and preventing it from
flowing into the ocean.
•
It will also develop sustainable social businesses that improve the livelihoods
of many while preventing plastic waste from escaping into the environment.
•
The two initial cities involved in this project are Puducherry in India and Tan
An in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.
Key Facts about
Plastic Waste:
Global Scenario:
•
Over 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since 1950, and about 60%
of that has ended up in landfills or in the natural environment.
•
Only 9% of all plastic waste ever produced has been recycled and about 12% has
been incinerated, while the remaining 79% has accumulated in landfills, dumps
or the natural
Environment.
•
Plastic waste, whether in a river, an ocean, or on land can persist in the
environment for centuries, hence by 2050, the amount of plastic in seas and
oceans across the world will weigh more than the Fish.
Indian Scenario:
•
India currently generates around 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day and
over 10,000 tonnes of which is not Collected.
•
India’s per capita plastic consumption of less than 11 kg is nearly a tenth of
the United States of America (109 kg).
•
For India, bringing plastic waste back into the supply chain could bring annual
benefits of Rs.40 lakh crore in 2050.
Global as well
as Indian Government’s Interventions:
•
The Group of 20 (G20) environment ministers, agreed to adopt a new
implementation framework for actions to tackle the issue of marine plastic
waste on a global scale.
•
Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 state that every local body has to be
responsible for setting up infrastructure for segregation, collection,
processing, and disposal of plastic waste.
•
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2018 introduced the concept of
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
•
EPR is a policy approach under which producers are given a significant
financial and physical responsibility (with respect to segregation and collection
of waste at the source) for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer
products.
•
A new national framework on plastic waste management is in the works, which
will introduce third-party audits as part of the monitoring mechanism.
Way Forward:
➡ Government has to look
into it with a very holistic perspective while forming policies to take all
aspects into consideration and ensure strict implementation of regulations.
➡Economically affordable
and ecologically viable alternatives which will not burden the resources are
needed and their prices will also come down with time and increase in demand.
➡Citizens have to bring
behavioural change and contribute by not littering and helping in waste
segregation and waste management. Everybody, by doing their bit, can ensure
Elimination of single use Plastic.
