Daily Current Affairs for TNPSC Group Exams, Upsc Exams, SSC, RRB, BANK & All Government Exams – The Hindu – 05 July 2022

1. Hotels can’t force customers to pay service charge: Centre

• Front Page.
• Inclusive Growth, Economy (Taxes).
• The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued asking hotels and restaurants not to collect service charge from customers. These establishments should not add service charge automatically or by default to the food bill, the guidelines say.

2. A Chaotic World, The Perils of Multilateralism 

• Page 6.
• IR.
• The limited gains of India at the BRICS and G7 summits have been in contrast with the enthusiastic welcome, the Indian PM received in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which was visited for a few hours. Multilateral negotiations will be increasingly difficult in the present chaotic global situation. It is only by working bilaterally with potential allies that India can attain the status of a pole in the new world with steadfast friends and followers.

3. India Needs to Scale Up Direct Nutrition Interventions

• Page 6.
• Health, Govt Policies and Interventions.
• It is disconcerting that even after seven decades of Independence, India is afflicted by public health issues such as child malnutrition (35.5% stunted, 67.1% anaemic) attributing to 68.2% of under-five child mortality. Poor nutrition not only adversely impacts health and survival but also leads to diminished learning capacity, and poor school performance. And in adulthood, it means reduced earnings and increased risks of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. it is disconcerting that even after seven decades of Independence, India is afflicted by public health issues such as child malnutrition (35.5% stunted, 67.1% anaemic) attributing to 68.2% of under-five child mortality. Poor nutrition not only adversely impacts health and survival but also leads to diminished learning capacity, and poor school performance. And in adulthood, it means reduced earnings and increased risks of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 2019-21, as compared to NFHS-4 2015-16, reveals a substantial improvement in a period of four to five years in several proxy indicators of women’s empowerment.

4. Right Intent, Confusing Content 

• Page 7.
• Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Issues Arising Out of Design & Implementation of Policies.
• Last month marked a decade since the E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules came into effect in India. The Rules have been amended a few times since. The most recent amendment is the Draft E-waste Management Rules, 2022, released for public comments in May 2022 by the Environment Ministry. Despite retaining the underlying extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework, the new draft Rules depart significantly from the previous regulations.

Daily Current Affairs for TNPSC Group Exams, Upsc Exams, SSC, RRB, BANK & All Government Exams

– The Hindu – 05 July 2022

5. Enforcing The Single-Use Plastic Ban

• Page 8.
• Govt Policies and Interventions, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Issues Arising Out of Design & Implementation of Policies.
• A ban on the use of single use plastics that was notified by the Union Environment Ministry on August 2021 came into effect on July 1 this year. A single use plastic is an object made of plastic that is intended to be used “only once” before being disposed off or recycled. So far 32 States/UTs have reportedly constituted a dedicated Task Force to eliminate the use of single use plastics. The All-India Plastic Manufacturers Association said that the ban would shutter 88,000 units in the plastic manufacturing business. These employ close to a million people and contribute to exports worth ₹25,000 crore.

6. The Need for Space Sustainability

• Page 8.
• Space, Science and Technology, Growth and Development.
• As the outer space is considered a shared natural resource, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in 2019 adopted a set of 21 voluntary, nonbinding guidelines to ensure the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. The U.K. Space Sustainability plan mentions four primary elements: to review the regulatory framework of the U.K.’s orbital activity; to emphasise international engagement on space sustainability; to try and develop safety and quality related metrics that quantify the sustainability of activities; and, to induce additional funding for active debris removal. The ISRO has initiated ‘Project NETRA’ to monitor space debris. The domestic surveillance system would provide first-hand information on the status of debris, which would aid further planning on protecting space assets.

7. Australia to give minerals to Indian EV makers

• Page 10.
• IR, Resources, Technology.
• Australia is all set to supply critical minerals required for India’s electric vehicles, solar power projects and other strategic areas. Presenting the emerging outline of India Australia collaboration in the critical minerals sector, Mr. Joshi referred to the recently signed MoU between Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL) and the Critical Minerals Facilitation Office (CMFO) of Australia that will try to source lithium and cobalt from Australia.