Ecomark scheme and Green Credit Programme

Ahead of the COP 28, set to held in Dubai in November-December 2023, the Union government has notified two initiatives namely Eco Mark Scheme and Green Credit Programme.

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has introduced 2 pioneering initiatives to promote country's pro-active approach to climate change.
• These initiatives seek to encourage environmentally friendly practices rooted in tradition and conservation; reflecting the ideas of LiFE concept.
• The 2 initiatives include:
  1. Green Credit Program (GCP)
  2. Ecomark scheme

Green Credit Program (GCP)

• It is an innovative market-based mechanism designed to incentivize voluntary environmental actions.
• The environmental actions include across diverse sectors such as various stakeholders like individuals, communities, private sector industries and companies.
• GCP will focus on water conservation and afforestation.
• The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) serves as the GCP Administrator, responsible for program implementation, management, monitoring, and operation.
• Green Credit Registry and trading platform is being developed by ICFRE to facilitate the registration and the buying and selling of green credits.
• The GCP's governance framework is supported by an inter-ministerial Steering Committee.

Ecomark Scheme

• Ecomark Scheme promotes Eco-Friendly Products.
• It provides accreditation and labelling for household and consumer products that meet specific environmental criteria while maintaining quality standards as per Indian norms.
• The Central Pollution Control Board administers the Eco mark Scheme in partnership with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
• Products accredited under the Ecomark Scheme will adhere to specific environmental criteria, ensuring minimal environmental impact.
• It will build consumer awareness of environmental issues and encourage eco-conscious choices.
• It will also motivate manufacturers to shift towards environmentally friendly production.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971

The Supreme Court have questioned of foetal viability and rights of unborn child in its recent hearing of a married woman’s request to end her 26-week pregnancy.

• An unwanted pregnancy due to failure of contraceptive methods is the same as a forced pregnancy for which termination is allowed up to 24 weeks.
• The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (MTP Act), 1971 allows termination of pregnancy in 3 stages.
  • Termination of pregnancy up to 20 weeks is allowed on the advice of one doctor.
  • If a pregnancy is 20-24 weeks, the right to seek abortion is determined by two registered medical practitioners as an exception, but only under certain categories.
  • After 24 weeks of pregnancy, a medical board must be set up in “approved facilities”, which may “allow or deny termination of pregnancy” only if there is substantial foetal abnormality.
• Section 3B of the Rules under the MTP Act lists 7 categories of forced pregnancies that includes
  • Statutory rape in case of minors or sexual assault and
  • Women with disabilities or when there is a change in marital status of women during pregnancy.
• But in several cases the Supreme Court has allowed termination beyond 26 weeks for rape survivors.
• Foetal viability is the ability of a human foetus to survive outside the uterus.
• Foetal viability in 1973 was pegged at 28 weeks (7 months), which is now with scientific advancement lower at 23-24 weeks.
• The criticism of India’s law is that the decision to terminate after 20 weeks is shifted to doctors and not the woman.

NexCAR19

Recently ‘NexCAR19’ received approval from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation’s (CDSO) for the treatment of cancer.

• NexCAR19 is an indigenously developed CD19-targeted CAR-T cell therapy.
• CD-19 is biomarker for B lymphocytes and can be utilised as a target for leukemia immunotherapies.
• It was developed by the Immunoadoptive Cell Therapy Private Limited (ImmunoACT), an IIT Bombay-incubated company.
• CAR-T Cell Therapy – A type of cancer immunotherapy treatment that uses immune cells called T cells that are genetically altered in a laboratory to enable them to locate and destroy cancer cells more effectively.
• CAR T-cell therapy is generally accompanied by some side effects that include cytokine release syndrome (CRS).
• It is when CAR T-cells multiply, they can release large amounts of chemicals called cytokines into the blood, which can ramp up the immune system.
• NexCAR19 has shown an excellent balance of efficacy and low toxicity, which is a significant advantage in clinical management (post-infusion) of the patients in our resource-constrained settings.

Kawar Lake

Bird hunting and land acquisition threaten Kawar Lake and it is on the verge of drying up.

• It is also known as Gokhur Lake.
• It is a natural freshwater wetland.
• It is the only Ramsar site that is located in Bihar.
• To be designated as a Ramsar site, wetlands must meet certain criteria, the most important of which is that they should be rare and natural.
• The second most important is that they should support the life cycle of endangered species in adverse conditions.
• This lake draws water from the confluence of the Gandak, the Bia and the Kareh river.
• It is an oxbow lake.
• Oxbow lakes are crescent-like water bodies formed due to erosion and deposition in meanders of rivers.
• The lake has been drying up since 2010.

African Swine Fever (ASF)

Recently the Manipur's Imphal witnessed the outbreak of the African swine fever.

• African swine fever is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease affecting both domestic and feral swine of all ages.
• ASF is not a threat to human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans.
• It is found in countries around the world.
• ASF is a different disease to swine flu.
• The clinical signs of ASF may occur in chronic, sub-acute or acute form.
• The incubation period for ASF is variable but is usually between 5 and 15 days.
• The symptoms of ASF includes:
  • Vomiting,
  • Diarrhoea (sometimes bloody),
  • Reddening or darkening of the skin, particularly ears and snout,
  • Gummed up eyes,
  • Laboured breathing and coughing,
  • Abortion, still births and weak litters and
  • Weakness and unwillingness to stand.
• Traditionally this serious disease has occurred mainly in Africa with the only endemic area in the European Union (EU) being the Italian island of Sardinia.
• However, since 2017 the disease has also been reported in Central and Eastern Europe.
• African Swine Fever can be spread through the following ways:
  • Direct contact with infected pigs, faeces or body fluids,
  • Indirect contact via fomites such as equipment, vehicles or people who work with pigs between pig farms with ineffective biosecurity and
  • Pigs eating infected pig meat or meat products.