PIB – December 28 , 2019


General Studies-III

Topic- Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

BS VI level Emission Norms

Context

Public Comments invited for mandating BS VI level Emission Norms for Quadricycles.

About

  • Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has invited suggestions and comments for the proposed amendment to mandate BS VI level emission norms for Quadricycle.
  • BS VI level Emission Norms for Quadricycles will be implemented from 1st April 2020.

Why BS VI level Emission Norms are needed?

  • According to World Health Organization (WHO), 9 out of 10 people on the planet are now breathing polluted air.
  • In India, air pollution is the one of major cause of deaths of children under the age of five every year and is responsible for 12.5% of all deaths in the country.
  • According to WHO’s measure, India has nine of the world’s ten most polluted cities.
  • To address the issues related to air pollution, the Government has taken initiative to launch
  • The Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission norms.

What are the Bharat Stage Emission Standards Norms?

  • The Bharat Stage (BS) emission standards are instituted by the Government of India to regulate the output of air pollutants from motor vehicles.
  • The Environment Ministry is responsible for deciding the fuel standard in the country. The Central Pollution Control Board implements these standards.
  • The BS regulations are based on the European emission standards.
  • BS regulations set limits for release of air pollutants from equipment using internal combustion engines, including vehicles.
  • To check the growing menace of air pollution through the vehicles emission, the Govt. has decided to leapfrog from the exiting BS – IV norms to the BS- VI.

Key features of BS VI level Emission Norms

  • The BS-VI emission norms will be implemented from the year 2020, and this will drastically reduce vehicular pollution.
  • In order to comply with BS-VI norms, the vehicle manufacturers need to move to the new technology to make vehicles compliant with the BS VI standards.
  • Earlier, the switch to BS-VI vehicles was to happen in 2022.
  • But, looking at the poor air condition, the move was advanced by four years.
  • The BS -VI standards cover four and two-wheelers and commercial vehicles.
  • Companies can come up with new vehicles with BS VI fuel standards even before the April 2020 deadline.
  • After the deadline, vehicles that do not comply with BS VI standards will not be registered.

Difference between BS VI and existing BS IV

  • The major difference is the presence of sulphur in the fuel.
  • While the BS-IV fuels contain 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, the BS-VI grade fuel only has 10 ppm sulphur content.
  • The harmful NOx from diesel cars can be brought down by nearly 70%.
  • NOx from the petrol cars can be reduced by 25%.
  • In air pollution, particulate matter like PM 2.5 and PM 10 are the most harmful components.
  • The BS VI will bring the cancer causing particulate matter in diesel cars by a phenomenal 80%.

Significance

  • About one-third of the air pollution is caused by cars and motor vehicles.
  • At present, BS IV and BS III fuels are available across India.
  • Due to their use, hazardous pollutants in the air are increasing leading to health ailments like Asthma, Bronchitis, heart diseases and even cancer.
  • With the implementation of new norms, pollution levels are expected to come down significantly as the particulate matter (PM) will decrease.

General Studies-I

Topic- population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.

Nagpur Resolution

Context

‘Nagpur Resolution: A Holistic approach for empowering citizens’ adopted during regional conference organised in Nagpur.

About

  • The ‘Nagpur Resolution- A holistic approach for empowering citizens’ was adopted during the Valedictory session of the two-day Regional Conference on ‘Improving Public Service Delivery – Role of Governments’, in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
  • The conference was organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India.
  • Previously, the Shillong Declaration and the Jammu Resolution have been adopted for good governance.

Highlights

The Conference resolved that Government of India, the Government of Maharashtra, the Maharashtra State Commission for Right to Public Services and the participating State Governments shall collaborate to:

  • To empower the citizens by policy interventions for better service delivery through timely updation of citizens charters, implementation of enactments and benchmarking standards for continuous improvement;
  • To empower citizens by adopting a bottom-up approach to bring massive improvements in quality of grievance redressal and reduction in timelines of grievance redressal;
  • To adopt a holistic approach of systemic public grievance reforms through improved mapping, formulation of monitoring matrix, data collection and evaluation in quality of grievance redressal;
  • To provide an enabling environment for States and Ministries/ Departments of the Government of India for creating web portals and to adopt a holistic approach for improved service delivery through digital platforms;
  • To focus on dynamic policy making and strategic decisions, monitoring of implementation, appointment of key personnel, coordination and evaluation;
  • To achieve a sense of common identity by exchange of technical expertise in the areas of Improved Service Delivery between the paired States under the Ek Bharat – Shresht Bharat Program;
  • To work towards long-term engagements in the areas of Improved Service Delivery for Empowering Citizens through greater cooperation between the DARPG and the participating States and,
  • To ensure timely publication of Good Governance Index to identify the quality of governance in 10 sectors especially those pertaining to welfare and infrastructure at the Union, State and District levels.

For Prelims

Mission Shat Pratishat

Highlights

  • The Mission Shat Pratishat is an initiative of Punjab education department, Punjab Government.
  • It aims -to further improve the results of government schools, as compared to the previous year.
  • The objective is to achieve 100 per cent result in classes 5, 8, 10, and 12 of government schools.
  • Mission’s slogan is :’Asambhav Nu Sambhav Banaiye, Shatpratishat Natija Liyaiye’ .

Gandhi Encyclopedia

Highlights

  • Gandhi Encyclopedia has been launched by National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata.
  • It aims for promotion of appropriate Gandhian philosophy and thoughts through social media platforms.

 

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