Prelims Focus – 30th March 2024
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024
Recent News:
The Indian Ministry of Environment has brought forth stricter rules to keep a check on the false labelling of the disposable plastic products which are labelled as being ‘biodegradable’ in an attempt to reduce plastic pollution and enable transparency which helps in moving towards sustainable alternatives. This shows India care for the environment and eco-conscious consumption.
Details:
- New regulations in India distinguish between biodegradable and compostable plastics.
- Natural biodegradable plastics decompose but may form microplastics in the ecosystem.
- Industrial facilities are a requirement for degrading compostable plastics.
- Standards for microplastics are non-existent when it comes to testing methods and quantity to be reduced.
- The presence of microplastics in the environment is a major environmental issue.
- The absence of clarifications and standards hamper plastic waste management activities.
- The challenge for manufacturers is to negotiate the certification process for biodegradable plastics.
Tejas Mark 1A
Recent News:
On March 28, 2024 a landmark was reached in Bengaluru as the home grown LCA Tejas Mark 1A had its first flight. Thus, the fact that it happened for a mere fifteen minutes does not conceal the reality that it did reflect India’s capability in the fields of designing state-of the art fighters which are, for the case in point, Tejas Mark 1A, and also the ease in development and realisation of new inventions- the Tejas’ successor, thereby securing the national defense.
Details:
- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) took to the skies on March 28, 2024 in Bengaluru with the Tejas Mark 1A fighter jet.
- Tejas is an indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) developed by HAL and ADA for the Indian Air Force and Navy.
- Tejas Mark 1A is an advanced one and has been integrated with advanced systems like radar and electronic warfare (EW) mechanisms.
- The HAL’s commitment is to offer the first two-seat instructor set by the end of the current financial year.
- The Indian Air Force has placed an order for 83 Tejas Mark 1A fighter jets and aims to deploy them at the Nal base close to the Pakistan border.
Gray Whale
In News: Gray whales were seen in the United States’ New England region.
- It was last seen in the Atlantic Ocean in the 18th century.
- It is a normally bottom feeder and is thus limited to shallow continental shelf waters for feeding.
- Habitat and Distribution : It is now often located in the North Pacific and adjacent seas.
- The maximum numbers occur alongside the west coast of Canada, America and Mexico, but small numbers are located each year in near-shore waters of eastern Russia and Japan.
- IUCN Red List repute: It is listed as Least Concern.
Pebanista Yacuruna
In News: Scientists have recently discovered the fossilised skull of a giant river dolphin.
- It was named Pebanista yacuruna after the Yacuruna, a Peruvian mythological being that lived in deep water.
- It belongs to the Platanistoidea, a group of dolphins that have been not unusual in the world’s oceans between 24 and 16 million years in the past.
- It was the largest dolphin ever recognised to have lived in the waters of South America, measuring 3 to 3.5 meters long.
- Its closest living relatives are found today in South Asia.
- The Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) is seenin India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
- The Indus river dolphin (Platanista minor) is seen in the Indus and its tributaries in Pakistan and the Beas (also an Indus tributary) in India.
Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-Slls)
In News: Recently, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) retained certain insurers in India as Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-Slls).
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- These are perceived as insurers which are ‘too large or too important to fail’ (TBTF).
- Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC), and New India Assurance Co stay recognized as D-Slls for the year 2023-24.
- This identity is a continuation from the 2021-22 list of D-SIIs.
- The Role of D-SIIs:
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- D-SIIs consult with insurers of such size, marketplace importance, and domestic and worldwide interconnectedness, whose misery or failure would cause a massive dislocation inside the domestic financial device.
- Therefore, the ongoing functioning of D-SIIs is important for the uninterrupted availability of insurance services to the national economy.
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