With a 160 minutes speech, the
longest Budget speech by any finance minister so far, Finance minister Nirmala
Sitharaman tabled the Union Budget 2020-21 in the Lok Sabha yesterday, aimed
towards introducing a slew of measures to boost the economy suffering from a
slowdown.
FM announced the launch of a new
personal income tax regime wherein taxpayers will get certain tax benefits if
they forego exemptions. Personal income
tax rates along with important sections such as Section 80C, deductions under
Chapter VIA, standard deduction are critical elements that are watched closely
by taxpayers.
Key Highlights:
– To introduce a new simplified
personal tax regime
– No income tax for income up to
Rs 2.5 lakh
– 10% income tax for those
earning between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh versus 20% earlier
Under the proposed I-T slab,
Income between Rs 5 and 7.5 lakh will be taxed at 10 per cent, while those
between Rs 7.5 and 10 lakh at 15 per cent. Those earning between Rs 10 and 12.5
lakh will pay tax at the rate of 20 per cent, while those between Rs 12.5 and
Rs 15 lakh will pay at the rate of 25 per cent. Income above Rs 15 lakh will be
taxed at 30 per cent.
However, the new regime will be
optional and those who want to stick to claiming deductions will be allowed to
do so.
Tax experts say that individuals
will have to check if they will have greater benefit under the new tax rates.
It depends on a case to case basis. However, individuals with business income
cannot switch to the new tax rates and then back again to the old rates. But
others can do so.
Also, the FM in her Budget 2020
speech has proposed for rationalization of tax treatment of employer’s
contribution to recognized provident funds, superannuation funds and national
pension scheme. The proposal is to provide a combined upper limit of Rs 7.5
lakh in respect of employer’s contribution in a year to NPS, superannuation
fund and recognised provident fund and any excess contribution is proposed to
be taxable.
The budget presented by finance
minister Nirmala Sitharaman has brought in some major changes for investors.
The dividend distribution tax (DDT) has been abolished at both the company and
mutual fund levels. Instead, dividends will be taxable in the hands of
investors and will be taxed at their slab rates. In addition, tax will be
deducted at source (TDS) on mutual fund dividends in excess of ₹5,000 per year
at the rate of 10%.
To simplify the entire process and lower tax rates, she announced that around 70 of more than 100 income tax deductions and exemptions have been removed. Also, PAN cards will be allotted instantly online soon with Aadhaar. ‘Vivad se Vishwas’ scheme will be introduced for direct tax payers whose appeals are pending at various forum. These new income tax related proposals will come into effect from financial year 2020-21.
“Pakistan is not an enemy country, our armies are alike too, their army kills their people and our army kills our people, there is no difference between them.” These words were spoken by Tapan Bose, an activist and film maker from West Bengal. For good measure he added that “the ruling class of India and Pakistan are alike.”
The statement should
be ignored as being made by an ignorant person who’s attempting to gain some media
limelight with sensational verbosity. However, it would compel a soldier to
pause and wonder – Is this person actually convinced about what he is saying? How
many more in the nation think the same way?
This is not about
Tapan Bose alone; it’s about the proclivity among petty, media & limelight hungry
elements that have no compunction in sucking the Indian Army into political
debates even when the matter at hand does not concern the latter at all, as it
was in this case. Tapan Bose had come to address an anti-CAA rally that has no
connect with the India’s armed forces, but he knew that the best way to gain publicity
would be to hound the Indian Army and that is what he did. Lo Behold! He was in
the news throughout the day; objective achieved.
Do these people
even pause for a moment to think what effect their loose words and utterances
have on the soldiers deployed in the frontiers? The innocent soldier who is
braving great odds, challenges, deprivation and even death is left wondering
about the reasons that causes him to be subject to such abuse from his fellow
countrymen whom he is sworn to protect. Young officers who command platoons and
companies suffer pangs of guilt when their work is criticised and condemned in
this manner. What face do they have to show to their soldiers whom they have to
lead in combat?
A soldier would
wonder whether this person (Tapan Bose) and others like him, have actually seen
a border–the very volatile Line of Control (LOC). A soldier would also wonder
if such persons have somebody from their family, a friend or acquaintance
serving in the armed forces. If they had, they would not be speaking in this
manner.
If Tapan Bose is so
pained about the conduct of his country’s Armed Forces surely he could have
spoken to some among the thousands of Bengalis who serve the force proudly in
all ranks from a Sepoy to a General. The best person in West Bengal to clear
his doubts would be General Shankar Roychowdhury, who steered the Indian Army as
Chief of Army Staff from November 1994 to September 1997, at a time when
Pakistan sponsored terrorism was at its peak in Jammu and Kashmir. The General has
enough experience to clear all queries that Tapan Bose may have.
One wonders as to
what kind of people from Pakistan Tapan Bose and his ilk have interacted with,
apart from the many artists who throng to India to earn a living with song and
dance? What has been their interaction with radicalised Pakistani hardliners, highly
trained Islamic mercenary terrorists, war lords or designated terrorists? Are
they even aware that such persons exist? Do they realise that the artists from
Pakistan come to India to earn their bread and butter and have no option but to
speak of their country’s yearning for peace?
The Indian Army has
to bear the cross of an emotional engagement with the people of the country. On
the one hand, affection touching the sky is expressed in an exhibition of national
pride and on the other hand is the rock bottom in the case of people like Tapan
Bose. Subjecting the performance of the army to a national debate is a welcome
development in a democracy. The debate, however, needs to be orchestrated on
the basis of the traditions that drive the force. Indian Army is a one million
strong organisation comprising of normal citizens who hail from diverse social
segments from across the country. They are well trained, balanced professionals
who like to stay in the shadows while performing their duty. They are
embarrassed by the adulation and perturbed by the brick bats.
Indian Army is a
highly traditional organisation that has not changed the basic ethos and
culture that it inherited from the British. This is a wise step since the
system is time tested and has absorbed the collective wisdom to more than 200
years of a highly successful existence. The flip side is that the Indian Army is
unable to comprehend the fatuous behaviour of the internet generation of today;
it does not have the capacity to ignore the raving and ranting that passes off
as discussion and discourse in the modern times. It fails to comprehend that independent
India is very different from imperialist British India.
If matters are not
taken in hand then the force may be compelled to initiate a process of psychologically
hardening the soldier against such vicious attacks, but would that be good for
the nation? Do we wish to change sensitive soldiers into hardened professionals
akin to mercenaries? Can the likes of Tapan Bose withstand a reaction from a
soldier?
The emerging
society comprises of the young and the restless who are forever in search of
new challenges and greener pastures. There is no dearth in the choice of
professions or careers. Under these circumstances, finding a person who is
ready to sacrifice all for the sake of the country has become a herculean task.
If the gratitude of the nation for the sacrifices made by the soldier becomes
questionable, who will join the forces?
Indian Army
prepares every soldier to become a national asset, by and large army personnel
perform well not only within the Army but outside of it in the civil stream
also. If the likes of Tapan Bose start looking at them as murdering pariahs
what would be the end result? It is time to introspect; it is time to give some
breathing space to the Indian Army before it becomes too late.
BRAS, the coalition of armed groups of Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the killing of two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists at Zamuran attack.
Baloch Raji Ajoi Sangar (BRAS), a coalition of Baloch armed groups such as Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and Baloch Republican Guard (BRG) has claimed the responsibility for the attack in Zamuran area of Turbat (Balochistan) on Thursday.
“BRAS fighters attacked the activists of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a religious extremist organization under the patronage of Pakistan Army in Zamuran, Balochistan. The attack resulted in killing 2 and injuring several other members of the organization. Their weapons and motorcycles were confiscated as well,” the spokesperson of the BRAS Baloch Khan said in the statement.
Baloch Khan added that the Baloch fighters attacked the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists at Kulbar Shahab Dikk Jah area when they were on their way to Tump in Balochistan. Two terrorists killed by the BRAS attack were identified as Nawaz (s/o Saeed) and Asghar (s/o Majeed). Both were residents of PulAbad Tump, Balochistan.
The spokesperson further added that both Nawaz and Asghar were directly involved in the attack on the BRAS comrades on Thursday. “The terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba or the so-called ‘death squad’ of Pakistan government-sponsored criminals and the Pakistani military had jointly tried to surround our fighters. But Baloch Sarmachars bravely managed to break the siege and while in the battle, five of our soldiers were martyred. We want to clarify that all the terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba and members of these ‘death squad’ have been identified and such elements will no longer get dispensation of being Baloch or citizens of Balochistan.
The spokesman explained that for the purpose of eliminating all these enemy elements BRAS announces the launch of a large-scale operation called ‘Operation Aas-Rech’ under a comprehensive strategy.
“We want to convey this message to Baloch people that they must keep distance from terrorists of L-e-T and the local death squads to avoid any kind of loss. We also want to convey a message to the families of these terrorists that if they are not the partners in crime with them then they should also stay away from them in public places, so that they can avoid becoming innocent victims,” Baloch Khan explained.
Finally, a bold move from the Narendra Modi government. While presenting the Union budget on Saturday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the listing of public sector insurance behemoth Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India on the bourses in the next financial year, as part of the government’s disinvestment exercise.
Sitharaman said that only a part of the government stake in LIC would be sold through an initial public offer (IPO). The move will enhance credibility, transparency and accountability in LIC’s functioning, which will then have to adhere to stringent disclosure norms.
“The government’s decision to list LIC is a welcome move. This will result in better governance and greater transparency given the disclosure requirements of listed entities. It will also contribute materially to the efforts of the government to raise funds through divestments,” Sandeep Ghosh, partner & leader — Financial Services Advisory, EY India said.
Until now, the LIC that holds savings and investments of millions of people, has been actively bailing out other ailing public sector companies. In 2018, when it decided to pick up stake in the NPA (non performing asset) ridden IDBI Bank, many eye brows were raised. In fact, the public sector life insurer has been consistently subscribing to CPSE shares during the disinvestment process, including those of Coal India, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and The New India Assurance Co. Ltd.
“In 2015, LIC bought almost 50% of Coal India’s and 86% of Indian Oil’s issue size. A year earlier, it had bought roughly 72% of SAIL’s offer size and subsequently 5% of the government’s stake in BHEL through private placement, since going to the market had been ruled out,” a Pahle India study said. The capital of the LIC is also collected from insurance policies.
While on paper, the decision to list LIC is a bold move, but the jury is out on its efficacy. The exercise of launching an IPO for LIC will not be easy and the trade unions have already threatened to go on protest. That apart, it is to be seen whether it remains just another big announcement only on paper or some concrete action has taken place.
Let us not forget that the disinvestment target for 2019-20 was set at Rs 1.05 lakh crore. However, from what it appears today, it is unlikely to exceed Rs 60,000 crore, falling way short of the target. The government had expected a big bonanza from the sale of public carrier Air India. However, the divestment of Air India is yet to take of.
India was at the heart of a global forum in faraway Spain which discussed the looming dangers of pneumonia
The first ever global forum on childhood pneumonia didn’t trigger breaking headlines in India — the world’s most crowded market for news — even though the findings were very, very alarming.
The forum, which recently met in Barcelona, said an estimated nine million children could die in a decade unless world acts on pneumonia, driven by malnutrition, air pollution and lack of access to vaccines and antibiotics. In 2019, pneumonia killed a child every 39 seconds. The task to counter pneumonia is enormous, efforts need to be made across the world to avert such deaths, claimed speakers at the conference.
And India, sadly, is at the heart of it.
Reports say child deaths from pneumonia are concentrated in the world’s poorest countries and it is the most deprived and marginalised children who suffer the most. Forecasts say an estimated 6.3 million children under the age of five could die from pneumonia between 2020 and 2030, deaths are deaths are likely to be highest in Nigeria (1.4 million), India (880,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo (350,000) and Ethiopia (280,000).
So what is the answer?
Vaccines — historically — have been one of the greatest public health tools to prevent disease. Helped by new technology and advancements in genomics, researchers work with improved global coordination. Yet, development of vaccine remains risky and expensive. The time taken is immense, it takes years because the vaccines undergo extensive testing in animals and humans. And then, it becomes available to the public. And then one has to wait and see if such vaccines work on a mass scale. If they don’t, it’s a failure despite undergoing so many tests. If they succeed, it is a boon for the world. “They may not help in the very early stages of an outbreak, but if we’re able to develop vaccines in time, they will be an asset later,” Richard Hatchett, the chief executive of the epidemic preparedness coalition, was quoted by the New York Times.
Doctor examines a child suffering from pneumonia. (Representational Picture)
Consider the case of China. It was in early January, Beijing reported cases of a strange, pneumonia-like illness. Interestingly, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Maryland readied themselves for a vaccine to prevent the new disease. What is significant is the fact that the scientists had amply clues that a coronavirus, almost similar to ones that caused the 2003 SARS outbreak and 2012 MERS, was the culprit. It was widely reported how, Dr. Barney Graham, deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center at the NIH, urged Chinese scientists to share the genetic makeup of the virus. The Chinese scientists posted the information on January 10, 2020, and Dr. Graham’s team within hours had pinpointed the letters of the genetic code that could be used to make a vaccine. Speedy coordination across the world is a must to counter epidemics, scientists have repeatedly warned.
Now, a modelling by Johns Hopkins University says scaling up pneumonia treatment and prevention services can save the lives of 3.2 million children under the age of five. It would also create ‘a ripple effect’ that would prevent 5.7 million extra child deaths from other major childhood diseases at the same time, underscoring the need for integrated health services. Other causes of pneumonia deaths include malnutrition, and lack of access to vaccines and antibiotics. Of the total 8.9 million deaths from all causes that could be averted over the next decade, 3.9 million would be the result of greater efforts to reduce levels of malnutrition alone, said the study.
Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, and leaves children fighting for breath as their lungs fill with pus and fluid. It is the biggest single killer of children across the world. Although pneumonia can be prevented with vaccines and is easily treated with $1 antibiotics if properly diagnosed, tens of millions of children are still un-vaccinated – and one in three children with symptoms do not receive essential medical care.
Children with masks to ward off disease causing microbes. (Representational Picture)
But key measures like timely health interventions aimed at improving nutrition, providing antibiotics and increasing vaccine coverage, boosting breastfeeding rates could reduce the risk of children dying from pneumonia and prevent millions of child deaths from diseases like diarrhoea (2.1 million), sepsis (1.3 million), and measles (280,000).
Kevin Watkins, Chief Executive of Save the Children, raised a very important point: “The number of lives that could be saved is potentially far higher as the modelling did not take into account factors like availability of medical oxygen, or action to reduce levels of air pollution, a major risk factor for pneumonia. These results show what is possible. It would be morally indefensible to stand and allow millions of children continue to die for want of vaccines, affordable antibiotics and routine oxygen treatment.”
Agreed Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF: “If we are serious about saving the lives of children, we have to get serious about fighting pneumonia. As the current coronavirus outbreak shows, this means improving timely detection and prevention. It means making the right diagnosis and prescribing the right treatment. It also means addressing the major causes of pneumonia deaths like malnutrition, lack of access to vaccines and antibiotics, and tackling the more difficult challenge of air pollution.”
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation says outdoor air pollution contributes to 17.5 per cent – or nearly one in five – pneumonia deaths among children under five worldwide. Household pollution from the indoor use of solid cooking fuels contributes to an additional 195,000 (29.4 per cent) deaths.
But this can be checked, and the deaths prevented, says Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: “Pneumococcal pneumonia is an easily preventable, often treatable disease – no parent should go through the agony of losing their child to this disease. Over the past decade we have made progress in boosting the number of children receiving lifesaving pneumococcal vaccine and it is vital that we keep up these efforts to protect the next generation against this deadly disease.”
She found instant support from Quique Bassat, Research Professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and Chair of the Global Forum on Childhood Pneumonia. “The disease that kills most children in the world cannot be neglected any longer in terms of its scarce global research funding.”
Said Leith Greenslade, Co-ordinator of the Every Breath Counts Coalition: “Governments and international development agencies must act urgently to protect the most vulnerable children from malnutrition and exposure to air pollution, and ensure that they receive pneumonia-fighting vaccines and speedy diagnosis, child-friendly antibiotics and oxygen if they become sick. If they don’t, 9 million children’s lives are at stake.”
And let’s remember that 91 percent of the world population is breathing outdoor air that exceeds WHO standards. The scale of the air pollution challenge could potentially undermine the impact of scaling up pneumonia-related interventions.
The world is getting together to prevent child deaths from pneumonia. As many as nine leading health and children’s organisations – ISGlobal, Save the Children, UNICEF, Every Breath Counts, “la Caixa” Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID,Unitaid and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance – are getting together to create a bandwagon of help. Among many things, the group will soon announce a more affordable, PCV vaccine from the Serum Institute of India and ensure commitments from governments in high-burden countries to develop national strategies to reduce pneumonia deaths.
The Group of Nine knows with each new outbreak, scientists typically have to start from scratch. Researchers took almost two years to develop a vaccine for human trials after the 2003 SARS outbreak in 2003. And by the time an epidemic caused by the Zika virus occurred in 2015, researchers had reduced the timeline to six months. This time, they hope the joint efforts will cut that time in half if they use the SARS vaccine template and swap it with enough genetic codes. Many are calling it Plug & Play. And it is working, which is good news for the researchers. And the world. Nations with high-risk need to pitch in more, they need to be brave and they must know there is no financial incentive in doing this, except it will be a great service to mankind.
Will India take the lead, and join hands with some of the world’s finest scientists and researchers?
After almost seven years, the
Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted its stay on a proposal to introduce African
cheetahs from Namibia into the Indian habitat on an experimental basis. With
India’s own cheetahs vanishing, a plea for this had been filed by the National
Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), seeking permission to introduce the
African cheetah.
Removing the stay, the Supreme
Court Bench decided to set up a three-member committee, comprising former
director Wildlife Institute of India Ranjit Singh, DG of Wildlife Institute of
India Dhananjay Mohan, and DIG, Wildlife, Ministry of Environment and Forests
to ensure NTCA take all necessary precautions while implementing this plan. The
Supreme Court has directed to conduct a proper survey to identify the best
possible habitat for the cheetahs. Every effort should be taken to ensure that
they adapt to the Indian conditions. Chief Justice Bobde, speaking for the
Bench, also directed the committee to file a progress report every four months.
The committee would help, advice and monitor the NTCA on these issues. The
action of the introduction of the animal would be left to the NTCA’s
discretion.
In May 2012, the apex court had
stalled the plan to initiate the foreign cheetahs into the Palpur Kino
sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh fearing they may come into conflict with a parallel
project to reintroduce lions into the same sanctuary. The court was also
worried whether the African cheetahs would find the sanctuary a favourable climate
as far as abundance of prey is concerned. However, on Tuesday, a Bench led by
Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde gave the go ahead to the National Tiger
Conservation Authority (NTCA) to take the plunge and bring the African cat to
India.
Hunting of the last Asiatic cheetah
in the forests of Koriya, Chhattisgarh
Maharajas in Central India have
always been notorious for shikaars. In 1947, Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh
of Deoghar of Koriya, Chhattisgarh — who was infamous for shooting over 1,150
tigers — reportedly killed the last known Asiatic cheetah in India.
In that year, a few miles from
Ramgarh village in the state, the Maharaja killed three of the animals —
brothers — during a night drive. After that, the Maharaja’s kin continued to
report the presence of a few stragglers in the forests of Surguja district,
including a pregnant female, up until the late 1960s. Some more unconfirmed
sightings were reported in 1951 and 1952, from the Orissa-Andhra Pradesh border
and Chittoor district. The latter sighting is generally accepted to be the
final credible sighting of a cheetah in India. In 1952, the cheetah was
officially declared extinct from India.
Hopefully, this new strategy to conserve threatened species and restore the ecosystem brings back the Asiatic cheetahs in this world.
India’s former envoy to USA, Harsh Vardhan Shringla has taken charge as the new Foreign Secretary. A career diplomat and a member of the Indian Foreign Service since 1984, during a diplomatic career spanning over 35 years, he has held a variety of positions in New Delhi and abroad. He has served Ambassador of India to the United States of America, Kingdom of Thailand and as High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh. He has also served in France (UNESCO); USA (UN, New York); Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City); Israel and South Africa (Durban).
Shringla has served in the
Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi as Joint Secretary (Director General)
responsible for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives. He has also headed
the United Nations Political and SAARC Divisions in the Ministry. Earlier, he
served as Director of the Northern Division dealing with Nepal and Bhutan and
as Deputy Secretary of the Europe West Division.
Shringla has graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University and has worked in the Corporate and Public Sectors in India prior to joining the Indian Foreign Service. He has pursued courses and published papers on conflict prevention, economic diplomacy, the Indian diaspora and India-Bangladesh relations. Shringla speaks French, Vietnamese and Nepalese apart from English and Indian languages. He is married to Hemal Shringla and has one son.
Taranjit Singh Sandhu goes to USA
Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu
Seasoned diplomat Taranjit Singh
Sandhu has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to the US, replacing Harsh
Vardhan Shringla. A 1988 batch IFS officer, Sandhu’s appointment comes days
before the expected visit of President Donald Trump to India. As the top Indian
diplomat in Washington D.C., he has to deal with the ongoing Congressional
hearings regarding India’s controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA).
The other issue on the agenda will be to negotiate with the U.S. authorities,
so that the number of H1B visas are not curtailed.
He had earlier also served as
Deputy Chief within the Indian Embassy in Washington DC. The authorities will
send Gopal Bagle to Colombo in place of Sandhu, who is presently dealing with
duty on the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in New Delhi.
With Delhi persistently emerging as one of the most polluted
cities globally, and governments -Central as well as state- shying away from
taking tough measures, many citizen groups across the city have found it
opportune to raise the issue of air pollution in the upcoming assembly
elections. Recently, a special manifesto that calls for making clean air an
essential issue for the polls next month, was unveiled in the city
The manifesto, titled “People’s Green Manifesto 2020”, presents
ten demands of the people of Delhi for the next five years of government to
make the city resource-wise and sustainable by 2025. It includes specific goals
that residents would like to see achieved in the next five years. These
includes, 65 per cent reduction in air pollution by 2025 to meet national
standards, 15,000 buses on the roads, 100 per cent doorstep collection of
waste, and most critically, 50% share of EVs in new vehicle registration by
2025, overhaul of PUC test regime and disincentives for non-electric vehicles,
develop a ‘Regional Common Minimum Air-Shed Program’ in coordination with
states of Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
Interestingly, in the event organised to release the
manifesto, representatives from all three major political parties – BJP,
Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) – declared their commitment to the
“clean air” manifesto. Speaking at the event, the residents’ welfare
associations (RWAs) umbrella body URJA President Atul Goyal said: “Delhi
is looking for strong leadership that can bring in structural reforms and
revamp the policies needed to improve the air quality of the city.The people of
Delhi expect their leaders to demonstrate leadership and showcase their
solutions for the air pollution crisis,”
One of the event organisers, My Right To Breathe (MRTB),
spokesperson Ravina Raj Kohli said: “With 80 people dying every day due to
pollution from particulate matter, Delhi’s air pollution is a public health
emergency.”
“The 2020 Delhi state elections are a critical
opportunity for the people of Delhi to learn from these political parties about
what their intentions and commitments are, for improving the air quality and
quality of life in Delhi,” she added.
In a major achievement, India has successfully phased out Hydrochlorofluorocarbon
(HCFC)-141 b, which is a chemical used by foam manufacturing enterprises and
one of the most potent ozone depleting chemical after Chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) .(HCFC)-141 b is used mainly as a blowing agent in the production of
rigid polyurethane (PU) foams.
India has consciously chosen a path for environment friendly
and energy efficient technologies while phasing out Ozone Depleting Substances
(ODSs). Importantly, India is one among the few countries globally and a
pioneer in some cases in the use of technologies, which are non-Ozone Depleting
and have a low Global Warming Potential (GWP).
India had proactively and successfully taken the challenge of
complete phase out of Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-141 b, which is a chemical
used by foam manufacturing enterprises by 1.1.2020. On 31 December, 2019, as part of the
Government’s commitment for moving towards environment friendly technologies,
in a significant first, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
(MoEFCC) brought out a notification in the Gazette of India through which the
issuance of import license for HCFC-141b is prohibited from 1st January, 2020
under Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Amendment Rules, 2019
issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
HCFC-141b is not produced in the country and all the domestic
requirements are met through imports. With this notification, prohibiting the
import of HCFC-141 b, the country has completely phased out the important ozone
depleting chemical. Simultaneously, the use of HCFC-141 b by foam manufacturing
industry has also been closed as on 1st January, 2020 under the Ozone Depleting
Substances (Regulation and Control) Amendment Rules, 2014.
Nearly, 50 % of the consumption of ozone depleting chemicals
in the country was attributable to HCFC-141 b in the foam sector. The Ministry
adopted a structured approach to engage with foam manufacturing enterprises for
providing technical and financial assistance in order to transition to non-ODS
and low GWP technologies under HCFC Phase out Management Plan (HPMP). Around
175 foam manufacturing enterprises have been covered under HPMP out of which,
163 enterprises are covered under stage II of HPMP. The complete phase out of
HCFC 141 b from the country in foam sector is among the first at this scale in
Article 5 parties (developing countries) under the Montreal Protocol. The
implementation of HPMP through regulatory and policy actions, implementation of
technology conversion projects has removed around 7800 Metric Tonnes of HCFC
141-b from the baseline level of 2009 and 2010 of the country.
The phase out of HCFC-141b from the country has twin
environmental benefits viz. (i) assisting the healing of the stratospheric
ozone layer,and (ii) towards the climate change mitigation due to transitioning
of foam manufacturing enterprises at this scale under HPMP to low global
warming potential alternative technologies.
The polyurethane foam sector has links with important
economic sectors related to buildings, cold storages and cold chain
infrastructure, automobiles, commercial refrigeration, domestic appliances such
as refrigerators, water geysers, thermo ware, office and domestic furniture
applications, specific high value niche applications etc. In India, the foam
manufacturing sector is mix of large, medium and small enterprises having
varying capacities, with preponderance of MSMEs. Many of the MSMEs operate
largely in the informal sector.
To ensure minimal dislocation in the sector and for enhancing
the capacities of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in converting to
low-GWP non-ODS technologies, training and awareness programmes on non ODS and
low GWP alternatives to HCFCs including adoption of such alternatives have been
organized in close collaboration with Industry and MSMEs will also be
facilitated for adequate tie-ups with system houses, laboratories for getting
their material tested, etc, in addition to organizing study tours, field
visits, etc.
Noting the
challenges, the Ozone Cell, MoEF&CC entered into a MOA with the Central
Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology, Department of Chemicals
&Petrochemicals to facilitate and hand-holding foam manufacturing
enterprises. Transitioning to non HCFC and low GWP alternatives. As part of
assistance made available to the enterprises technology workshops, field
trials, on-site demonstration and support, practical hands on training and
product validation are being provided. Already enterprises assisted for
stabilizing alternative technologies have been able to move towards adoption of
alternatives at commercial scale
In
a major recognition towards Government of India’s effort towards conservation,
restoration and rejuvenation of its wetlands, Ramsar has declared 10 more
wetland sites from India as sites of international importance. The Ramsar
Convention signed on February 2, 1971, is one of the oldest inter-governmental
accord signed by members countries to preserve the ecological character of
their wetlands of international importance.
The aim of the Ramsar list is to develop and
maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the
conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life
through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and
benefits. Wetlands declared as Ramsar sites are protected under strict
guidelines of the convention.
With
this, the numbers of Ramsar sites in India are now 37 and the surface area
covered by these sites is now 1,067,939 hectares. Maharashtra gets its first
Ramsar site (Nandur Madhameshwar), Punjab which already had 3 Ramsar sites adds
3 more (Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve, Nangal) and UP with 1 Ramsar
site has added 6 more (Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and
SarsaiNawar).
Expressing
happiness over the announcement, the Union Environment Minister Prakash
Javadekar in a tweet message said that the Ramsar declaration is an
acknowledgement of Government of India’s commitment in achieving the
conservation and sustainable use of the important wetlands of the country.
“Happy to inform that #Ramsar has declared 10 more #wetland sites from India as sites of
international importance for the conservation of global biological diversity.
It is an acknowledgment of India’s commitment towards #conservation and #sustainable use of its wetland.@PMOIndia”
The
Union Minister also said that conservation of wetlands would also go a long way
in achieving our Prime Minister’s dream of ‘Nal se Jal’ in each household. The government has recently in July launched the new ‘Nal se Jal’
scheme, which aims to provide piped water connection to every household by 2024.
Wetlands
provide a wide range of important resources and ecosystem services such as
food, water, fibre, groundwater recharge, water purification, flood moderation,
erosion control and climate regulation. They are, in fact, are a major source
of water and our main supply of freshwater comes from an array of wetlands
which help soak rainfall and recharge groundwater.
In the past six months, Ministry of Environment,
Forest & Climate Change has prepared a four pronged strategy for the
restoration of wetlands which includes preparing a baseline data, wetland
health cards, enlisting wetland mitras and preparing targeted Integrated
Management Plans. Conservation of wetlands would also go a long way in
achieving our PM’s dream of ‘Nal se Jal’ in each household. The Ministry would
be working closely with the State Wetland Authorities to ensure wise use of
these sites.
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