- To combat climate challenges, the Finance Commission needs to step up
- In recent years, India has been a leading participant in global efforts to improve forest cover and combat climate change.
- These initiatives have contributed to building resilience of communities and ecosystems.
- Include climate vulnerability and emission intensity in the tax devolution formula to align with India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Pact.
- Consider performance-based grants for sectors crucial to achieving NDCs and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on clean energy.
- The 16th FC should evolve from a conventional fiscal arbitrator to an orchestrator of India’s climate readiness.
- A fiscal blueprint is crucial aligning economic growth with environmental imperatives, positioning the 16th FC as the ideal mechanism for this transformation.
2. Indore, Surat cleanest cities, Maharashtra 1st among states
- Recently, Surat and Indore were jointly declared cleanest cities of India at the annual clean city awards 2023 of the Union Urban Affairs Ministry.
- Both cities exhibit 100% door-to-door waste collection, 98% source segregation, and 100% remediation of dumpsites.
- This was for the seventh year in a row that Indore has been ranked as the cleanest city in India.
- Swachh Survekshan is the world’s largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey.
- Started in 2016 with 73 cities, the annual ranking covers 4,416 urban local bodies, 61 cantonments, and 88 Ganga towns in 2023.
- It is conducted under the ambit of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).
- It was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) with Quality Council of India (QCI) as its implementation partner.
- Objective: To encourage large-scale citizen participation and create awareness amongst all sections of society about the importance of working together toward making towns and cities better places to reside in.
3. THE HOTTEST YEAR
- In 2023, global temperatures edged dangerously close to the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit set in the Paris Agreement.
- Averaging 1.46 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels until November, the world witnessed record-breaking temperatures.
- The World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO) provisional State of the Global Climate Report confirms that 2023 is the warmest year on record.
- The WMO has also forecast that the planet will get hotter in 2024.
- The report attributes this to a warming El Nino event, emphasising its potential impact on temperatures after its peak.
- The creation of the Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Council at COP21 aimed to address this.
- However, the market for cost-competitive solutions is still evolving, hindering widespread adoption of LDES technologies.
- As global temperatures continue to rise, policymakers face the complex task of addressing vulnerabilities without neglecting developmental needs.
- Striking this balance becomes essential to lift populations out of poverty while navigating the challenges posed by a hotter planet.
4. One Vehicle One FASTag
- NHAI Takes ‘One Vehicle One FASTag’ Initiative to Enhance National Highway Experience.
- NHAI is implementing the ‘One Vehicle One FASTag’ initiative to discourage users from using a single FASTag for multiple vehicles or linking multiple FASTags to a particular vehicle.
- FASTag users must comply with ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’ and discard all the earlier issued FASTags through their respective banks.
- Only the latest FASTag account shall remain active as previous tags will be deactivated/blacklisted after 31st January 2024.
- NHAI is also encouraging FASTag users to complete the ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) process of their latest FASTag by updating KYC as per RBI guidelines.
- FASTags with a valid balance but with incomplete KYC will get deactivated/blacklisted by banks after 31st January 2024.
5. India Signs Agreement for Lithium Exploration & Mining Project in Argentina
- The agreement was signed between Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) and the state-owned enterprise of Catamarca province of Argentina.
- KABIL will start the exploration and development of 5 lithium brine blocks covering an area of about 15,703 hectares, located in the Catamarca province of Argentina.
- KABIL is also preparing to set up a branch office in Catamarca, Argentina.
- The project’s cost is about 200 crores.
- This is the first ever lithium exploration and mining project by a Government Company of India.
- This will not only boost its quest for sourcing lithium for India but will also help in bringing in technical & operational experience for Brine type lithium exploration, exploitation and extraction.
- Argentina is the part of “Lithium Triangle” along with Chile and Bolivia with more than half of the world’s total lithium resources and has the distinction of having the 2nd largest lithium resources, 3rd largest lithium reserves and 4th largest production in the world.
TNPSC – ONE LINER
- AMRITH (Anti Microbial Resistance Intervention for Total Health) an Health Operation launched by the Government of Kerala. Its motive to prevent overuse of antibiotics and to conduct surprise raids in pharmacies
- January 15th to commemorate the appointment of first Indian Commander in Chief of Independent India. Theme is (In The Service of Nation – 2024). First Indian Commander in Chief (General K.M.Cariapa)
