Wednesday, 22 January 2025

UPSC Current Affairs January 14th 2025 - Part 06

Under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986, the new rules will take effect from April 1, 2025.

End-of-Life Vehicles (EoLV) refer to vehicles that are no longer validly registered, declared unfit by Automated Fitness Centres, or have had their registrations canceled.

Key Highlights

  • Applicability: These rules apply to producers, registered vehicle owners, Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSF), automated testing stations, and all entities involved in vehicle testing, handling, processing, and scrapping of EoLV.
  • Exceptions: These rules do not apply to:
    • Waste batteries covered under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022.
    • Plastic packaging covered under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
    • Waste tyres and used oil covered under the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016.
    • E-waste covered under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022.
  • Producer Responsibilities: Producers must fulfill their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) either through the purchase of an EPR certificate from their own RVSF or another RVSF entity.
  • EPR Certificate: Issued by the Central Pollution Control Board via an online portal for RVSFs.
  • Registered Owners and Bulk Consumers: They are required to deposit EoLV at a producer’s designated sales outlet, Collection Centre, or RVSF within 180 days.
  • Implementation Committee: Established by the Central Government and chaired by the CPCB Chairman to ensure effective implementation of the rules.

India's Renewable Energy Growth
India's renewable energy capacity has grown by approximately 16% since December 2023, reaching around 181 GW, marking strong progress toward its 500 GW non-fossil energy target by 2030.

Key Contributors to Growth

  • Solar Energy: Installed capacity increased from about 73 GW in 2023 to 98 GW in 2024.
  • Wind Energy: Increased by 7.64%, reaching approximately 48 GW in 2024.
  • Bioenergy: Installed capacity grew from ~11 GW in 2023 to 11.35 GW in 2024.

Significance of Renewable Energy

  • Climate Change Mitigation: Reduces reliance on fossil fuels and lowers greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., India aims to cut carbon intensity by 45% by 2030).
  • Energy Security: Decreases dependence on coal imports from countries like Australia and Indonesia.
  • Sustainable Development Goals: Supports SDGs such as Clean Energy (SDG 7) and Climate Action (SDG 13).

Challenges

  • High Costs: Initial investments for renewable infrastructure, like solar panels and wind turbines, are significant.
  • Environmental Concerns: Issues such as habitat loss and species mortality can arise from certain renewable energy projects.
  • Legacy Infrastructure: Existing fossil-fuel-based infrastructure poses challenges for integrating renewables.
  • Grid Stability: Solar and wind energy’s variability affects grid stability.

Promoting Renewable Energy in India

  • Green Energy Corridor
  • PM Surya Ghar Yojana: Aims to install rooftop solar plants in 1 crore households by FY27.
  • FDI: Allows up to 100% foreign direct investment in renewable energy generation.
  • Solar Parks Scheme: Offers a plug-and-play model for developers, including necessary infrastructure and statutory clearances.
  • National Green Hydrogen Mission, 2023: Targets 5 MMT annual green hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

Corporate Debt Market
Niti Aayog recently highlighted that the government debt market in India is more developed than the corporate debt market.

Corporate Debt Market Status

  • It constitutes over 20% of the Indian fixed-income universe, according to IMF (2023).
  • Government securities are the largest segment (68%), followed by corporate securities.
  • Key Instruments: Bonds and commercial papers.
  • Commercial Paper: An unsecured, short-term debt instrument used by corporations.
  • Primary Regulator: SEBI
  • Opportunities: Offers borrowers an alternative to bank financing and can lower long-term funding costs.

Challenges in Corporate Debt Markets

  • Limited Investor Base: Dominated by domestic institutions, such as insurance companies and mutual funds.
  • Private Placement: Securities are often issued to a select group of investors.
  • Corporate Preferences: Many companies prefer bank lending over corporate debt due to risks like default.

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