Gujarat has launched India’s first Emission Trading Scheme to combat particulate air pollution.
The programme is a market-based system where the government sets a cap on emissions and allows industries to buy and sell permits to stay below the cap.
Under the cap and trade system, the regulator first defines the total mass of pollution that can be put into the air over a defined period by all factories put together.
Then, a set of permits is created, each of which allows a certain amount of pollution, and the total is equal to the cap.
These permits are the quantity that is bought and sold, each factory is allocated a share of these permits (this could be equal or based on size or some other rule).
After this, plants can trade permits with each other, just like any other commodity on the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX).
The reason for trading is that in a cap and trade market, the regulator will measure pollution over a period of time and industries must own enough permits to cover their total emissions.
Factories who find it very expensive to reduce pollution, will seek to buy more permits.
Those who can easily reduce pollution are encouraged to do so because then they have excess permits to sell.
Globally, cap-and-trade systems have been used to reduce other forms of pollution, such as programmes that have successfully reduced Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the United States.
But the Gujarat programme is the first in the world to regulate particulate air pollution.
International Disability Alliance
The International Disability Alliance (IDA) was established in 1999 as a network of global and regional organizations of persons with disabilities (DPOs) and their families.
IDA is a key player in the negotiation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD).
The Alliance aims to promote the effective and full implementation of the UN CRPD worldwide.
IDA represents the estimated one billion people worldwide living with a disability.
This is the world’s largest and most frequently overlooked minority group.
IDA is hosting its 2nd Global Disability Summit in Argentina.
Cabinet Committee
Transaction of Business Rules (TBR) of 1961, prescribed the procedure in which the Executive arm of the Government would conduct its business in a convenient and streamlined manner.
In terms of the TBR, 1961, inter-alia, there shall be “Standing Committees of the Cabinet”, with the functions specified therein.
The Prime Minister may, from time to time, amend the Schedule by adding to or reducing the numbers of such Committees or by modifying the functions assigned to them.
Every Standing Committee shall consist of Prime ministers and ministers of other departments, who may from time to time.
Conventionally, while Ministers with Cabinet rank are named as ‘members’ of the Standing Committees, Ministers of State, irrespective of their status of having ‘Independent Charge’ of a Ministry/Department, and others ‘with rank of’ a Cabinet Minister or Minister of State are named as ‘special invitees’.
Standing Committees of the Cabinet shall be competent to take a final decision on a matter presented before it, except in cases where the relevant entries in the respective Schedules themselves preclude the Committees from taking such decisions.
Any decision taken by a Standing Committee can be reviewed by the Cabinet.
Apart from standing committees government can form Ad-hoc committees (temporary) to deal with specific tasks.
Cabinet committees are extra-constitutional in nature and are nowhere mentioned in the Constitution.
Recently union government has formed two new cabinet committees namely Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth, and Cabinet Committee on Employment & Skill Development.
World Environment Day
June 5th of every year is celebrated as World Environment Day.
The World Environment Day is a part of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) for creating awareness and action worldwide for the environment.
The first World Environment Day was celebrated in 1973.
Ganga Praharis
Ganga Praharis are cadre of self-motivated volunteers from the local communities.
Ganga Praharis have been created by Wild Life Institute of India.
These Praharis are working for biodiversity conservation and cleanliness of the Ganga River.
