Solution (b)

Black carbon, or soot, is part of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) and contributes to climate change.

Black carbon is formed by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, wood and other fuels.

Black carbon is a short-lived climate pollutant with a lifetime of only days to weeks after release in the atmosphere.

During this short period of time, black carbon can have significant direct and indirect impacts on the climate, the cryosphere (snow and ice), agriculture and human health.

Environmental Implication:

• Black carbon is an important contributor to warming because it is very effective at absorbing light and heating its surroundings.
• Per unit of mass, black carbon has a warming impact on climate that is 460-1,500 times stronger than CO2.
• It also influences cloud formation and impacts regional circulation and rainfall patterns.
• When deposited on ice and snow, black carbon and co-emitted particles reduce surface albedo (the ability to reflect sunlight) and heat the surface.
• The Arctic and glaciated regions such as the Himalayas are particularly vulnerable to melting as a result.

Article Link: Black carbon in High Asia can go down 23% if Subcontinent cuts emissions: Report

Solution (a)

The Performance Grading Index (PGI) is a tool to provide insights on the status of school education in States and UTs including key levers that drive their performance and critical areas for improvement. Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) has designed the PGI to catalyse transformational change in the field of school education.

The Government has introduced the Performance Grading Index with a set of 70 parameters to catalyse transformational change in the field of school education.

Latest report released for the year 2019-20. The highlights of the report are:

• Punjab, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Kerala occupy the highest grade (Grade A++) for 2019-20.
• Most of the States/UTs have improved their grade in PGI 2019-20 compared to the earlier years.
• As many as thirteen States and UTs have shown improvement by 10% (15 points) or more in the PGI domain: Infrastructure and Facilities.
• Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Odisha have shown improvement by 20% or more.
• Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Odisha have shown more than 10% improvement in the PGI domain: Equity.

Article Link: Punjab, TN, Kerala lead in 2019-20 school grading index

Solution (b)

SAGE (Seniorcare Ageing Growth Engine) initiative is launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

It will be a “one-stop access” of elderly care products and services by credible start-ups. The start-ups will be selected on the basis of innovative products and services, which they should be able to provide across sectors such as health, housing, care centers, apart from technological access linked to finances, food and wealth management, and legal guidance.

Up to Rs 1 crores will be given to Startups for elderly care. An amount of Rs 100 crore has been assigned for the promotion of the silver economy.

Article Link: SAGE( Seniorcare Ageing Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal to support India’s elderly launched

Solution (d)

Advanced economies making up the G7 grouping have reached a “historic” deal on taxing multinational companies. 

The Group of Seven nations have backed a minimum global corporation tax rate of at least 15%.

They also seek to put in place measures to ensure that taxes are paid in the countries where businesses operate based on the principle of ‘Significant Economic Presence’.

The global minimum tax rate would apply to overseas profits of a multinational.

The envisaged framework allows individual governments to set whatever local corporate tax rate they want.

But if companies pay lower rates in a particular country, their home governments could “top-up” their taxes to the minimum rate, thus eliminating the advantage of shifting profits.

Article Link: What the G7 corporate tax deal means for India

Solution (c)

The pollutants in wastewater act as nutrients for the trees and plants and also help yield higher fuel wood biomass. The process of uptake of pollutants from wastewater through tree roots and conversion into less toxic form is called dendroremediation. When plants perform the same thing, it is known as Phytoremediation.

These techniques are also more cost-effective than conventional wastewater treatment. Casurina and dendrocalamus can reduce nitrogen by 61-76 per cent, phosphorus by 18-70 per cent and biological oxygen demand by 80-94 per cent from wastewater.

Eucalyptus has shown 25 per cent higher biomass growth when irrigated with polluted water. The biomass of poplar and salix trees have also doubled and quadrupled when fertigated with domestic wastewater.

Article Link: How trees can purify wastewater and provide economic benefits