Rakesh Garhwal

 Biofuels  Delhi has been facing chronic problem of smoke during every winter season, due to burning of rice stubble in Punjab and Haryana.  The smoke produces toxic pollutants which are disease causing such as chest congestion, lung diseases etc. Biofuels are derivatives of renewable Biomass resources such as Municipal waste, agriculture waste like stubble etc. The problem of Delhi smog can be addressed if we can convert the rice stubble into biofuels. Bio-energy sector is may provide as numerous benefits in employment opportunities along with reducing pollution. Bio fuels and its derivatives have various benefits such as it may increase income of farmers.  Instead of burning stubble which is dangerous to soil and environment, it can be converted into coal. Biofuels also increase income of farmers due to more demand of crops such as sugarcane (used for ethanol blending) etc.other Other benefit of using biofuels are increased in Employment generation due to creation of new supplies and

Impact of Climate Change on India ◆The first ‘Assessment of Climate Change over Indian Region’ was released by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. ◆According to the report tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, heat waves, floods and droughts have increased in India. The Projections are for the decade leading to the end of the 21st century. Key findings Temperature ◆Surface temperature over India has risen by 0.6-degree celsius per year during 1901-2018. ◆The Northern Region has warmed more than the Southern region of India, Where warming Has been mainly during winters. ◆By the end of the 21st century, the average temperature over India is projected to rise by 4.4-degree celsius. Monsoon ◆During 1951-2015, annual rainfall over India showed a declining trend. The reduction ranged between 1-5 mm over central India, Kerala and the far Northeast region. ◆The coming decades are projected to witness a considerable rise in the mean, extreme and inter-annual variability of rainfall associated with the

Child Labour  ILO (International Labour Organisation) conventions adopted in 1999, against child labour has got universal ratification now in 2020. Child labour is a very serious Global problem present in most of the countries.  According to UN, in India child labour contributes 20% of gross national product (GNP). Causes of child labour  Poverty : lack of basic necessities makes the children in the family to work  Lack of educational institutions :in many remote village there is no sufficient schools and they suffer students - teacher ratio problems.  Illiteracy and lack of awareness - illiterate parents Lake than knowledge about importance of education in make children to work.  Disease and disability parents : due to disease parents depends on earning from their children  Cheap labour: child labour is increased as they are paid less.  Gender bias - in some families male are educated and female are sent to work.  Safety and sanitation - in schools girl children are sent to work due t

Fake News: ◆Fake news is news, stories or hoaxes created to deliberately misinform or deceive readers. ◆Usually, these stories are created to either influence people’s views, push a political agenda or cause confusion and can often be a profitable business for online publishers. ◆Fake news affects free speech and informed choices of the subjects of the country, leading to the hijacking of democracy. Controlling Mechanism: Rebuttal: It is a form of fact-checking wherein the fake news is debunked by pointing out errors like mismatch, malicious editing and misattribution. Public Education: Educating the end-users to be more discerning consumers of news by informing them of verification tools so that they can ascertain the accuracy of a news item before sharing it. Laws and Regulation to Curb Fake News in India: ●There is no specific law against fake news in India. Free publication of news flows from Article 19 of the Constitution guaranteeing Freedom of Speech. ●Press Council of India: It

Poverty in India ●Poverty estimation in India is carried out by NITI Aayog’s task force through the calculation of poverty line based on the data captured by the National Sample Survey Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI). ●Poverty line estimation in India is based on the consumption expenditure and not on the income levels. Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2020: ◆India lifted as many as 270 million people out of multidimensional poverty between 2005-06 and 2015-16. ◆Impact of Covid-19: Covid-19 is having a profound impact on the development landscape. ◆The study finds that on average, poverty levels will be set back 3 to 10 years due to Covid-19. ◆Sustainable Development Goals: The index emphasises on measuring and monitoring progress under the goals to reach ‘zero poverty by 2030-Goal 1’ of the SDGs. Recent Measures Taken: ●The government enhanced its social safety programs including direct benefit transfers such as cash transfers under PM

Juvenile Crime - Arguments in favour: ●There has been a steep rise in serious crimes involving youth of 16-18 years of age and the age factor had been used as an escape from the criminal prosecution. ●It has been found that the juveniles of 16-18 age groups are involved in serious crimes and they are doing such criminal acts with full knowledge and maturity. ●Thus, while trialling juveniles, juvenility should be decided on the basis of state of mind and not the state of body solely. ●Also, to have a deterrent effect it was necessary to amend the existing law. Arguments in opposition: ◆The critics are of the view that the root of the problem needs to be addressed instead of punishment. It is not only the responsibility of the child that he/she has committed such heinous crimes but also the responsibility of the society and the government which has failed to provide healthy childhood to the child and let them drift towards criminal activities. ◆Before punishing, it should also be taken i

Live Streaming of Court Proceedings Why in News-Recently, the Gujarat High Court has become the first Court to live stream judicial proceedings on YouTube channel ◆The High Court allowed the open court proceedings through the video conferencing, except the proceedings to be conducted in camera. ◆In camera means in private chambers of a judge, with the press and public excluded. ◆It observed that the initiative of live telecast is on an experimental basis and the aspect of continuing with or adapting the modality of live court proceedings will be decided based on the outcome of this trial. ◆The move has been welcomed by lawyers, law students and the public at large besides litigants, being seen as a major measure towards transparency in judicial proceedings. Benefits ●A live stream would help litigants follow the proceedings in their case and also assess their lawyers’ performance. People from far-flung States such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala do not have to travel all the way to the nation