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By admin: March 4, 2022

International Summit on Plastics Recycling & Waste Management held in New Delhi

Tags: Summits

Union Minister of State for  Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma inaugurated the International Summit on Plastics Recycling & Waste Management on 4 March 2022.

• It is being organised by the Ministry of MSME in association with The All-India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association (AIPMA) from 4th – 5th March, 2022 at New Delhi.

• The Ministry of MSME also launched two special initiatives - 'Sambhav', National Level Awareness Program and 'Swavlamban' to promote entrepreneurship amongst youth, especially in aspirational Districts all across the country.

Andhra Government cannot change the state capital; High Court

Tags: State News

The High Court of Andhra Pradesh has ruled that the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly does not have the power to make any law  for shifting, bifurcating or trifurcating the capital. It instructed the government to build the capital of Amravati within six months.

• The High court gave its verdict on a bunch of petitions filed by the farmers of Amravati who voluntarily gave up their land  for development of Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh .

• The decision to develop Amravati as a capital in and around Guntur and Vijayawada area of Andhra Pradesh was taken by the Telugu Desam Party government  led by N. Chandra Babu Naidu after  Hyderabad was  made the capital of  Telangana.

• The High court held that the capital city and location of the High court can be set up only under the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Act, 2014 (APCRDA), and the land pooled under the Andhra Pradesh Capital City Land Pooling Scheme Rules, 2015. 

• Under these laws Amravati is to be the capital of Andhra Pradesh with the seat of the State Legislature and  state High Court to be at Amravati.

• The Jagan Mohan Reddy government which came into power in 2019 decided to make Amaravati, Visakhapatnam and Kurnool as the state’s legislative, executive and judicial capitals, respectively. 

Important for  Exam 

• Andhra Pradesh reorganisation act 2014 passed by the Parliament divided the state of Andhra Pradesh into two states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana 

• The new State came into being on 2 June 2014.

• Hyderabad was to be the common capital of the two states for ten years  and after that Hyderabad will come under Telangana .

Russia Captures, Ukraine’s Nuclear Complex

Tags: Popular International News

Russian troops have taken control of the Ukrainian  Zaporizhzhia nuclear  complex.  

Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex is the largest nuclear plant in Europe and fifth largest in the world.

• The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has an installed capacity of 6,000MW. 

• It provides one-fifth of Ukraine's electricity needs.  

• Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex is in southeastern Ukraine near the city of Enerhodar.

• Russia has already captured the Chernobyl nuclear plant of Ukraine , which was the site of a major nuclear accident in 1986.

Important for Exam 

• The largest Nuclear Power plant in the world is  Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Japan with an installed capacity of 7,965MW.

• India’s largest nuclear power plant is at Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu with an installed capacity of 2000 MW and additional 2000 MW is under construction . It is being built with the help of Russia .

Note-Update on  Russian -Ukrainian war Click Here

Fifth United Nations Environment Assembly resolves to end plastic pollution

Tags: Popular Summits

The Fifth session of the United Nation Environment Assembly (UNEA) adopted a resolution to tackle the pollution created by plastics .The United Nation Environment Assembly resumed its second   session also called as (UNEA 5.2) at the  Kenynian capital Nairobi. It was held from 28th February 2022 to 2nd March 2022.

•  The environment ministers from 175 of the United Nation member countries  agreed to establish an intergovernmental negotiating committee to  work out an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution.

• Plastics are polymeric materials made from petroleum which do not decay naturally. They are non-biodegradable and can exist for a very long time in nature. Single use plastics which are thin cannot be recycled and it ends up in polluting rivers, oceans, mountains soil etc. 

Steps taken by Indian government to tackle plastic pollution 

• The government of India has set a target to eliminate single use plastics by 2022. Single use plastics cannot be reused and are thrown away after use.

• According to the Government of India,the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of following single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st July, 2022.

• The thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from fifty microns to  one hundred and twenty microns with effect from the 31st December, 2022. This will also allow reuse of plastic carry due to increase in thickness.

United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP)

• The United Nations Environment Programme was set up in 1972 after the United Nation Conference on Human Environment was held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972.
• In 1988 it set up Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) with World Meteorological Organisation
• Headquarters : Nairobi, Kenya 
•  Director: Inger Andersen 

117th meeting of Indus Water Commission held in Pakistan

Tags: International News

The 117th Meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) comprising of Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan was held from March 1-3, 2022 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

• The Indian delegation was led by Shri PK Saxena, the Indian Commissioner for Indus Waters. 

• Under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty (Treaty), signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, the two Commissioners are required to meet at least once every year, alternately in India and Pakistan.

•  The last meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) was held from March 23-24, 2021 in New Delhi.

• During the meeting, technical discussions were held regarding on-going projects including Pakal Dul, Kiru and Lower Kalnai.

• Both sides discussed the issue of the Fazilka drain, and Pakistan assured that all necessary actions will continue to be taken to ensure the free flow of Fazilka drain into the river Sutlej.

Indus Water Treaty 1960 

• It was signed between India and Pakistan in 1960. It divided Indus and its tributaries between India and Pakistan.

• Pakistan was given the right to use the waters of Indus, Chenab and Jhelum while India was to use Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers for irrigation, power projects etc..

• The Indus Water Treaty was mediated by the World Bank.