India’s fivefold plan on climate
- India has demanded a trillion dollars over the next decade from developed countries to adapt to, and mitigate, the challenges arising from global warming, and has kept this as a condition for delivering on climate commitments made by India.
- India’s five-fold plan aims at reducing the carbon intensity of its economy and eventually achieving net zero by 2070.
- Net zero is when a country’s carbon emissions are offset by taking out equivalent carbon from the atmosphere, so that emissions in balance are zero.
- However, achieving net zero by a specific date means specifying a year, also called a peaking year, following which emissions will begin to fall.
- NDCs are voluntary targets that countries set for themselves, which describe the quantum and kind of emission cuts they will undertake over a fixed period to contribute to preventing runaway global warming.
- India’s last NDC was submitted following the 2015 Paris deal.
- Before COP26 began on November 1, nations were expected to provide updated NDCs
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India’s Glasgow announcement
- India, as a developing country, was not obliged to cut emissions, and asserted that although India was not a part of the problem, it was now willing and able to contribute to reduction efforts in global emissions.
- New pledges are contingent upon substantial financial assistance from developed countries, with figures such as $1 trillion.
- India’s new targets, details perhaps varying in an updated NDC, comprise five elements:
- Reducing Emissions Intensity (EI), or emissions per unit of GDP, by 45% in 2030 relative to 2005 levels;
- Cutting absolute emissions by one billion tonnes, presumably from projected business-as-usual (BAU) 2030 levels;
- 500 GW (1 Gigawatt = 1,000 Megawatts) of non-fossil fuel installed power generation capacity by 2030;
- 50% electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030; and net-zero emissions by 2070.
- Emissions reduction by one billion tonnes by 2030, the first time India has put an absolute number to this,
- India’s current annual emissions are around 2.8 billion tonnes and projected to reach about 4.5 billion tonnes in 2030 on a BAU basis.
- On installed power generation capacity, India’s extant NDC had incorporated the Government’s declared goal of 175 GW from renewable energy (RE) sources by 2022, even though the NDC stretched to 2030, raising an anomaly.
- Even so, India has reached only around 101 GW of solar and wind due to numerous constraints.
- If one adds large hydro and nuclear, both now considered renewable, current RE installed capacity is about 150 GW or just under 40% of total, almost achieving the NDC target for 2030 showing under-projection
- The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) in its 2020 Report on Energy Mix for 2029-30 has projected around 525 GW or 64.3% non-fossil fuel installed capacity including 280 GW Solar and 140 GW wind.
- Only 267 GW is projected to come from coal and lignite, compared to 203 GW in 2019, so almost all of India’s future growth of capacity is to come from RE.
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“Lifestyle for Environment (LIFE)”.
- It is also time that India, hitherto vociferous about equity between nations, now seriously addresses the deep inequity in access to energy and other essentials within India.
- Climate change is multi-dimensional, not confined to mitigation alone
- Accelerated deployment of electric or fuel-cell vehicles must go alongside a rapid reduction in personal vehicle use and a major push for mass transportation.
- Carbon lock-ins and energy use need to be minimized through mandatory “green” construction codes for the huge housing and other buildings stock, highways and infrastructure yet to be built.
- A leap in employment-intensive recycling of waste goods and materials, including in solid and liquid waste management linked to methane recovery, would deliver substantial co-benefits across sectors.
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Taxes and federal rights of states
- Indian government reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel on the eve of Deepavali.
- While the reduction for petrol was ₹5, duty on diesel came down by ₹10
- The Centre has been levying around ₹31 and ₹33 as additional cess on petrol and diesel, respectively, till the beginning of November.
- The Constitution does permit the Centre to levy cess and surcharges beyond the basic taxes and duties in extraordinary situations.
- These additional taxes do not go to a divisible pool
- Surcharge is defined as a small amount of tax levied over and above the existing tax.
- Article 271 says: “Notwithstanding anything in articles 269 and 270, Parliament may at any time increase any of the duties or taxes referred to in those articles except the goods and services tax under 246A by a surcharge for purposes of the Union and the whole proceeds of any such surcharge shall form part of the Consolidated Fund of India.”
- After the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), States have the right to decide the taxes on just three goods petrol, diesel and liquor
- The promise was that the revenue neutral rate (RNR) will be implemented, which means States would get revenues similar to what they were getting before the implementation of GST.
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Chennai flood
- In a large urban setting such as Chennai, shrinking open space, the gap between the coverage of the drains and that of sewer lines, ageing drains and sewer networks in core areas of the city, and encroachments or obstructions hampering the free flow of water are responsible for the mess.
- The city is blessed with a few rivers such as the Coolum and the Adyar, apart from a number of canals including the Buckingham Canal.
- All these water bodies, if properly maintained, can be very effective flood carriers, sparing several residential localities from inundation.
- The State Government, which is executing a couple of integrated storm water drain projects, should look for durable solutions to the city’s long-standing woes and executing them in a short span of time.
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Privilege motion
- All Members of Parliament (MPs) enjoy rights and immunities, individually and collectively, so that they can discharge their duties and functions effectively.
- Any instance when these rights and immunities are disregarded by any member of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha is an offence, called ‘breach of privilege’, which is punishable under the Laws of Parliament.
- Any member from either house can move a notice in the form of a motion against the member who he/she thinks is guilty of the breach of privilege.
- Both Houses of the Parliament reserve the right to punish any action of contempt (not necessarily breach of privilege) which is against its authority and dignity, as per the laws.
- The rules governing the privilege are mentioned in the Rule No 222 in Chapter 20 of the Lok Sabha Rule Book and Rule 187 in Chapter 16 of the Rajya Sabha rulebook.
- The rules explain that any member of the House may, with the consent of the Speaker or the Chairperson, raise a question involving an incident that he or she considers a breach of privilege either of a member or of the House or of a committee.
- The Speaker of Lok Sabha nominates a committee of privileges consisting of 15 members of parliament from each party.
- The report prepared by the committee is submitted to the House for its consideration.
- The Speaker may also allow a half-hour debate on the report by the committee before passing orders or directing that the report be tabled before the House.
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Governor Role
- Governors to play the role of a “friend, philosopher and guide” in their States
- Governors played an important role in creating awareness of national goals and ensuring participation of the public.
- Governor was a “critical connect between the Centre and the State”.
- The Governor’s office should be “lively and active” and they should travel to remote villages, particularly in border States, to spend time with residents,
- Governors to proactively “monitor and guide” State Governments in the implementation of Central programmes.
- Governance and public life should be marked by strict adherence to the philosophy and provisions of the Constitution.
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F.W de Klerk
- W. de Klerk, South Africa’s last white President, who freed anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela from jail, died on Thursday aged 85, his foundation announced.
- De Klerk and South Africa’s first black President Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for leading the “miracle” transition from white rule over the country.
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