Current Affairs 18-NOV-2023 (The Hindu)

Conference of Parties (CoP) - UNFCCC

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CoP - UNFCCC

• Supreme decision-making body - UNFCCC.
• States party to the Convention - Members of COP.
• Meets every year.
• Presidency of the COP - Rotates among 5 recognized UN regions.
• Africa, Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Central & Eastern Europe & Western Europe.

Important Sessions of COP & Significance

COP 3, 1997 - Kyoto, Japan

• Parties adopted the Kyoto Protocol.
• Establishes 3 mechanisms
• Emissions trading,
• Joint implementation,
• Clean development mechanism.

COP 8, 1997 – New Delhi, India

• Delhi Declaration - Transfer of Technology.

COP 14, 2008 – Ponzan, Poland

• Launch of Adaptation fund.

COP 16, 2010 - Cancun, Mexico

• Creation of a US$100 billion per annum “Green Climate Fund”, & “Climate Technology Centre” and network.

COP 19, 2013 – Warsaw, Poland

• Warsaw International mechanism for Loss and damage - established.

COP 21, 2015 – Paris, France

• Paris agreement - aims to keep the global temperature less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial time.
• Rich countries to pledge 100 billion dollars a year to help developing and poor Nations.

COP 27, 2022 - Sharm-el-sheikh, Egypt

• Loss and damage fund - launched,
• African carbon market Initiative,
• AWARe Initiative - launched.

Practice Question – Prelims

Consider the following statements about the Green Climate Fund:

1. It aims to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.

2. It was created under the Kyoto Protocol for mitigating climate change.

3. GCF is mandated to invest 50% of its resources to mitigation and 50% to adaptation in grant equivalent.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 2 only

(d) 1 and 3 only

Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO)

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EPFO

• EPFO - one of the World's largest Social Security Organizations.
• Statutory body established by the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act of 1952.
• Under the Ministry of Labor and Employment.

Organizational Structure

• Administered by a tri-partite Board - Central Board of Trustees.
• Implements 3 major schemes:
1. The Employees' Provident Funds Scheme 1952 (EPF)
2. The Employees' Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS)
3. The Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme 1976 (EDLI)

Employee Pension Scheme (EPS)

• Administered by EPFO and initiated in 1995, replacing the Family Pension Scheme (FPS) of 1971.
• Provides employees with a pension upon reaching the age of 58 years.

Enrollment of Scheme

• Automatic membership for individuals joining an establishment covered by EPFO.
• Eligibility: Employees earning a base salary + DA of Rs.15,000 or less.

Practice Question – Prelims

Consider the following statements about Employees’ Provident Fund Organization:

1. It is a statutory body.

2. The highest body of EPFO is the Central board of Trustees which is a tripartite body.

3. It works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Finance.

How many of the statements given above is/are correct:

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Distribution of Opium and Regulation

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Distribution of Opium

• Opium is distributed across Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia.
• Illicit cultivation is prominent in countries such as Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Mexico.
• In India, opium cultivation is confined to three states: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Regulation of Opium

• The responsibility lies with the Central Government, specifically the Narcotic Commissioner.
• Regulation is governed by two acts:
1. Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act 1985
2. Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Rules, 1985
• Opium crops are sown only in designated tracts of land as notified by the Central Government.
• Currently, cultivation is allowed in 22 districts across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
• The government establishes a licensing policy for opium cultivation annually.
• Details of the policy include minimum qualifying yield, maximum area per cultivator, etc.

Practice Question – Prelims

Consider the following statements about the Cultivation of Opium in India:

1. It is regulated under Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act 1985.

2. The Superintendence of Opium cultivation lies with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

3. Opium is cultivated in India in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan only.

How many of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None