DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
1 – Codex Alimentarius Commission: GS II – International Issues:
Context:
- India has been unanimously elected to the Codex Alimentarius Commission’s Executive Committee, where it will represent the Asian area (CAC).
Important information:
- The CAC’s Executive Committee is a crucial division.
- In this role, India will be able to participate in the decision-making process as well as have a significant potential to contribute to the international standard-setting process for several food product categories.
- By critically evaluating work proposals and keeping an eye on the development of standards, the Executive Committee assists in the management of the Commission’s standards development programme.
What is the Alimentarius Codex Commission?
- Adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Codex Alimentarius, sometimes known as the “Food Code,” is a set of standards, rules, and codes of practice.
About CAC:
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) collaborated to form the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), an international body that sets food standards, in 1963.
Goals:
- to safeguard consumer health and advance ethical food trading standards.
- It convened for the first time in 1963.
- All FAO and WHO Associate Members and Member Nations with an interest in global food standards are eligible to join the Commission.
- Every year, the Commission convenes in regular session in Geneva or Rome.
- The six official UN languages are used by the Commission for work. These are the following:
- Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, and Russian.
- There are currently 189 Codex Members of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, consisting of 188 Member Countries and 1 Member Organisation (the European Union).
- In 1964, India joined Codex Alimentarius as a member.
Source The Hindu
2 – Lakadong turmeric from Meghalaya: GS III – Indian Agriculture/Geography:
Context:
- Lakadong Turmeric was granted the coveted Geographical Indication designation by the Registrar of Geographical Indications (GI), Chennai.
Important information:
- Meghalaya Lakadong turmeric, grown in the alluvial valleys of the Jaintia Hills, is reported to have three times the potency of standard turmeric.
- Grown in the valley close to the meeting point of the Myntang and Mynriang rivers, the area is surrounded by thick stands of evergreen trees.
- There are no artificial pesticides or fertilisers used in the farming process; everything is done by hand.
Why is turmeric such a unique spice?
- Native to India, turmeric has long been used in Chinese, Ayurvedic, Unani, and Siddha traditional medicine.
- It has been a staple of Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisine for ages.
- It is revered and has been included into customs, ceremonies, and even beautification routines.
- Curcumin, an active substance with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities, is found in turmeric.
The Lakadong turmeric’s uniqueness:
- According to sources, ordinary turmeric has a curcumin content of 2 to 3%, however Lakadong turmeric is claimed to have a value of 7 to 12%.
- Lakadong turmeric is thought to have higher health benefits and culinary benefits than normal turmeric because of its high curcumin level.
- One of Meghalaya’s most sought-after spices is this naturally cultivated kind.
Importance of the GI label:
- Due to Lakadong Turmeric’s widespread appeal in both domestic and international markets, turmeric goods from other sources are now frequently mislabeled, mismarketed, and sold under the Lakadong brand.
- Small farmers can gain from GI by giving them a differentiator that will help them stand out in the marketplace.
- Demand for high-quality products or in specialist markets may rise as a result, driving up prices.
- GI aids in the preservation of customs and knowledge.
- It guarantees that the GI label can only be used by people who are inside the specified geographic area and follow the conventional procedures.
- This supports the preservation of regional agricultural traditions and history.
- GI status has the potential to expand one’s market reach both locally and globally.
- Products may become more noticeable and appealing as a result, attracting the attention of merchants and customers looking for genuine, regionally specific goods.
- GI has a major impact on rural development.
- Farmers may earn more money as a result of better pricing obtained and the promotion of regional goods.
- Thus, local economies and the sustainable utilisation of available resources may be boosted.
- GI highlights a product’s distinct origin and qualities, adding a powerful factor to the brand identity.
A GI Tag: What Is It?
- Geographical Indication (GI) Tags serve as a unique designation applied to a town, state, or area.
- These tags are applied to certain goods, such as handicrafts or agricultural products, that represent the distinctiveness of that specific area or region.
- The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 was passed by India, a WTO member nation.
- It became operative on March 1, 2003.
- The definition of Geographical Indications (GI) is “Indications that designate a good as originating in a member’s territory, or in a region or locality within that territory, where a particular good’s quality, reputation, or characteristic is primarily attributable to its geographic origin.”
- When a product, name, or sign is granted a GI tag, it indicates that it is one-of-a-kind, has distinguishing features, and was created using traditional techniques that uphold the region’s reputation.
- This tag can also be seen as a safeguard against copyright infringement of any kind.
Source The Hindu
3 – NCRB report: GS II – Statutory and Non-Statutory Bodies
Context:
- The annual report on crime in India for the year 2022 was recently released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Important information:
- The study presents a wide overview of developments in crime registration by compiling data on reported crimes from all throughout the nation.
- The Union Ministry of Home Affairs oversees the NCRB, which publishes reports with statistics on offences ranging from financial and commercial crimes to crimes against women.
About NCRB:
- The organisation in charge of gathering and evaluating crime data as specified by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws is the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
- Head office: New Delhi.
- Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is the nodal ministry.
- The NCRB publishes the “Crime in India” report, which is an annual compilation of detailed statistics on crime nationwide.
By whom is the NCRB report published?
- The NCRB was founded in January 1986 with the intention of creating a body responsible for gathering and maintaining crime data.
- Under the Union Home Ministry, it operates.
- In addition to releasing yearly reports, its duties encompass:
- gathering, organising, and sharing of data with the relevant states about international and interstate crimes.
- Additionally, NCRB serves as a “national warehouse” for the fingerprint databases of foreign and Indian offenders and helps track down interstate offenders via fingerprint searches.
Information gathering:
- The 36 states and the Union Territories of the United States provided data for the NCRB study.
- The corresponding state-level crime records bureaus provide comparable data for 53 metropolitan cities, or those with a population of over 10 lakh according to the 2011 census.
- State and UT police submit this data at the police station or district level, and it is then verified by the NCRB, the state, and the district levels.
How is the information gathered for NCRB reports?
- The NCRB was created in January 1986 with the mission of gathering and maintaining crime statistics records.
- Additionally, it serves as a “national warehouse” collecting criminals’ fingerprint records from both domestic and international countries and helps track down interstate offenders via fingerprint searches.
- The police departments of 36 states and Union Territories provide information for the NCRB’s renowned annual Crime in India reports.
- Comparable data are provided by the corresponding state-level crime records bureaus for 53 cities that have populations greater than 10 lakh apiece according to the 2011 Census.
- State/UT police submit the data at the local police station level, which is then verified by the district and state levels before being approved by the NCRB.
Important lessons from the NCRB report for 2022:
Total offences:
- A total of 58,24,946 legally recognised offences were reported in 2022, including:
- 35,61,379 crimes under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and
- 22,63,567 crimes under Special and Local Laws (SLL).
- The number of cases registered during the second pandemic year, 2021, decreased by 4.5%.
Rate of crime:
- Given that crime rates rise in absolute terms as the population grows, this is thought to be a more reliable indication.
Crime pertaining to women:
- Compared to 2021, there was a 4% increase in these figures.
- According to IPC sections, the percentage of crimes against women was recorded under:
- Abuse by Spouse or His Family (31.4%),
- Women’s Kidnapping and Abduction (19.2%), and
- Attacks on Women Meant to Offend Her Empathy (18.7%).
Online criminality:
- Cybercrime reporting jumped by 24.4 percentage points in comparison to 2021.
- Fraud accounted for almost 64.8% of incidents that were reported, with extortion coming in second at 5.5% and sexual exploitation at 5.2%.
Suicides:
- The number of suicides reported in 2022 compared to 2021 increased by 4.2%.
Reasons:
- Family issues (apart from issues pertaining to marriage) (31.7%),
- Problems Associated with Marriage (4.8%) and
- Disease (18.4%).
Top trends in the report’s state-by-state data:
The following states and territories have the highest rate of chargesheeting for IPC offences:
- Kerala (96.0%),
- Puducherry(91.3%) as well as
- Bengal, West (90.6%).
- Out of all genuine cases, this represents the proportion of cases where the police proceeded to file charges against the defendant.
- when a final report was presented as true, along with the total number of instances chargesheeted, but no charge sheet was laid.
Report limitations from the NCRB:
The Rule of Principal Offence:
- The “Principal Offence Rule” is followed in the publishing, which means that the true number of crimes committed by each offender may be underreported.
- According to the Principal Offence Rule, only the “most heinous crime,” which carries the worst sentence, shall be taken into account when counting in a case when numerous offences are reported.
- For instance, “Murder with Rape” is recorded as “Murder,” which causes the crime of rape to be undercounted.
Local data submission:
- Inefficiencies or gaps in data at the local level affect the report since it only gathers data that is supplied at that level.
- Officer shortage:
- Data gathering may be hampered by local police officer shortages or vacancies.
Real crime not documented:
- Rather than real crime, the numbers document the incidence of registered crime.
- After the 2012 bus gangrape case, there was a marked increase in reported crimes against women in Delhi; however, this rise may not have been due to an increase in actual crime rates against women, but rather to heightened awareness among those affected and the police about the importance of reporting crimes.
Comparing registered and actual numbers:
- A “crime rate” is computed per unit of population, with the larger states likely to have higher actual numbers.
- However, the information now utilised to calculate the overall population is outdated, having come from the 2011 Census.
Fear of law enforcement:
- Some groups might not be prepared to come forward and record cases for a variety of reasons, such as the fear of an uncooperative or hostile response from the authorities.
Source The Hindu
4 – Climate finance: GS III – Environmental Conservation related issues:
Context:
- Since climate finance has been a point of disagreement between rich and low-income countries, it is a major issue of discussion at COP28. Let’s examine the problem.
Climate finance: what is it?
- The term “climate finance” describes the substantial financial outlays necessary for initiatives meant to lessen or prepare for the effects of climate change.
About the term “adaptation”:
- Anticipating the negative effects of climate change and taking the necessary steps to minimise or minimise the harm they can cause are part of adaptation.
- Building infrastructure to shield coastal populations from sea level rise is one example of an adaptation strategy.
Mitigation: What is it?
- Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere is known as mitigation, and it helps to lessen the severity of climate change’s effects.
- Increasing the proportion of renewable energy sources and increasing the amount of forest cover are two ways to mitigate.
Why are underdeveloped countries asking for climate finance?
- Since the emissions from the (now) rich world over the last 150 years produced the climate problem in the first place, developing countries have claimed that wealthier nations should financially aid them in addressing climate change.
- High-income nations were obligated to give climate funding to the developing world under the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is the main agreement under which COP meetings have been held.
- Developed nations ultimately decided in 2009 to give developing nations $100 billion annually by 2020.
- The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was created in 2010 and is a crucial channel of delivery.
- This goal was reaffirmed in the 2015 Paris Agreement and was extended until 2025.
- The high-income nations have not yet fulfilled their promise, nevertheless.
To what extent is climate money required?
The precise sum:
- As to the research conducted by the UNFCCC standing committee in 2021, developing nations must accumulate a minimum of $5.8 trillion by 2030 to fulfil the requirements outlined in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
- Their efforts to lower national emissions and prepare for the effects of climate change are outlined in their NDCs.
- This indicates that their annual budget needs are about $600 billion, which is substantially less than what developed nations had pledged.
- By 2030, it’s predicted that developing nations would require annual funding of almost $2 trillion to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the repercussions of climate change.
Different shortcomings:
- These numbers are probably underestimates because there is a dearth of information, resources, and ability to assess and evaluate these demands in many different nations.
Damage and loss:
- The enormous costs that governments bear to combat the effects of extreme weather events like floods, droughts, and wildfires brought on by climate change are also not included in the UNFCCC estimate.
- This specific category of costs is being evaluated independently under the loss and damage funding system that was disclosed by nations at the 2022 COP27.
- Although the fund was finally established during COP28, it is still unknown how big it will be or when it will be replenished.
How much funding is being given for climate change?
OECD estimates:
- According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), low-income nations received $83.3 billion in climate money from the rich world in 2020.
- The majority of the wealthy nations that make up the OECD are the US, the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Canada.
- In contesting the statistic, Oxfam said that the wealthy countries had inflated their contributions to climate finance to developing countries by up to 225% through dishonest and misleading accounting.
- Oxfam projects that the “true value” of climate finance delivered in 2020 will be only $21-24.5 billion, compared to the stated $68.3 billion in public finance that wealthy nations claimed was provided.
- Together with the private funding that was mobilised, the total came to $83.3 billion.
Loans for financing:
- The higher-income nations have also come under fire for providing non-concessional loans for the majority of the funding.
- Pressure from debt has increased in all areas and income brackets as a result.
- According to a recent study, twenty-three wealthy nations contributed 52% of the climate cash they gave between 2011 and 2020. The money had previously been allocated to development expenditures, which included health, education, and women’s rights programmes.
The next step:
Increasing individual investment:
- Businesses in industrialised nations may invest in climate-related initiatives in poor nations, such as wind turbines or solar farms, through the use of climate finance.
- Rich countries and international development banks can incentivize private companies to fund these initiatives by offering grants, low-cost loans, or loan guarantees to reduce risk and launch projects.
- The importance of private funding in increasing overall climate finance is widely acknowledged.
- The private sector is predicted to provide $3 trillion of the $4.2 trillion in global investment required by 2030 to meet the 1.5C objective.
Issues:
- Investments in wealthier, more stable countries are typically preferred by private climate funding over some of the most vulnerable low-income countries.
- The latter frequently have higher borrowing costs and risk premiums when investing in them.
- The perceived and actual dangers in developing and emerging economies are reflected in their higher cost of capital.
- Funding is also skewed towards mitigation rather than adaptation due to worries about ROI.
- Even though sustainable energy infrastructure can be very profitable, adaptation strategies frequently don’t pay off right away unless they safeguard a company’s assets.
- The public sector provided 98% of the funding for adaptation in 2019 and 2020, according to the Climate Policy Initiative.
International financial institution reform:
- Public climate money might flow through major international financial institutions or be given from one nation to another.
- Reforms of these organisations are increasingly demanded in order to assist align the funds they give with climate goals, especially in developing nations.
- About 40% of the wealthy countries’ climate money during the last few years has gone through multilateral organisations.
- These are huge organisations with an abundance of knowledge and resources that are supported by the members of industrialised nations.
- They can fund early-stage products and initiatives that the commercial sector is probably going to shy away from since they are public entities.
Particular rights of drawing:
- Over the past year, an innovative suggestion that has gained attention is the use of special drawing rights (SDRs) to provide climate finance.
SDRs: What are they?
- SDRs are one of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) “global reserve assets.”
- They are not money, but they can be exchanged for cash at a central bank in a nation that is ready to accept them in exchange for dollars or other foreign currencies.
- In addition to fulfilling the climate financing targets that wealthy nations are presently failing to reach, any redistribution of SDRs ought to occur.
Fair collaborations for energy transition:
- An agreement between the governments of South Africa, France, Germany, the UK, the US, and the EU at COP26 unveiled a new paradigm for climate finance.
- The $8.5 billion programme, known as a “just energy-transition partnership” (JETP), entails wealthy countries providing financial help for South Africa’s move away from coal.
- South Africa is one of the biggest emitters because it still gets about 90% of its electricity from coal.
- Therefore, reducing this reliance will have an impact on combating climate change on a worldwide scale.
Increasing the number of participants:
- Increasing the number of contributors on the list is one way to raise the quantity of global climate financing.
- Under the UN system, only the countries of western Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, along with the EU, are required to give climate funding.
- Large developing economies like China and Russia, affluent non-Western countries like South Korea and Chile, and significant oil producers like Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are all left out.
- Many of these countries do offer developing nations financial assistance relating to climate change.
- But it’s not official climate finance, so it doesn’t go towards the $100 billion goal, for example.
Managing debt:
- Financing climate-related initiatives is made more challenging by the fact that many of the countries that require the most financial support also have high debt loads.
- The World Bank estimates that 58% of the world’s poorest nations are either heavily indebted or very likely to become so.
- Analyses have revealed that small-island developing states spend eighteen times more on debt repayment than they do on climate finance, and low-income countries spend five times more on debt than on climate adaptation.
- The majority of climate money takes the form of loans, which adds to the debt issue.
- To address this, more grant-based funding may be available.
- Another strategy to deal with the debt crisis and increase climate spending is the debt-for-climate exchange.
- In these swaps, the creditor country forgives a portion of its debt, with the proceeds going towards financing domestic climate projects.
Source The Hindu
