08-07-22 Daily-Himachal Pradesh-HPPSC Current Affairs

The Environment Ministry proposes to soften the provisions of the Environment Protection Act (EPA) by replacing a clause that provides for imprisoning violators with one that only requires them to pay a fine. This, however, doesnt apply to violations that cause grave injury or loss of life. The proposed fines, in lieu of imprisonment, are also 5-500 times greater than those currently levied.

The Act currently says that violators will be punishable with imprisonment up to five years or with a fine up to 1 lakh, or with both. Were violations to continue, an additional fine of up to 5,000 for every day during which such failure or contravention continues after the conviction would be levied. Theres also a provision for jail terms to extend to seven years.

There should be a dedicated hour during the Rajya Sabha proceedings to discuss the import and implications of the reports finalised by Parliamentary , a panel headed by former General Secretary and advisor P. P. K. Ramacharyulu has recommended.

The panel was instituted by Chairman Venkaiah Naidu in January this year. The extensive report, that studied the working of the Rajya Sabha secretariat and other procedural issues, has made 130 recommendations.

This is the first ever comprehensive study of the Rajya Sabha secretariat. The study has suggested streamlining of the secretarial work, including disposing of 75% of the issues by lower and middle level in a ten-layer hierarchy that exists in the secretariat at present. The Rajya Sabha secretariat, that in 1952 had started out with 200 officers and staff, has 1,700 personnel at present.

During the conclave Assessment on the Sustainable Use of Wild Species report will be published at the 9^thconference of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

9^thconference of IPBES is scheduled to held on July 8, 2022.

Report will be made on the basis of earlier IPBES assessment reports.

New report will incorporate the details on diverse uses of wild species and practices that are connected with them, these practices include, Gathering, Logging, Fishing, observing and Terrestrial animal harvesting (shearing and hunting).

It will investigate, what sustainable use implies and how it is associated to United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals.

Buses and trucks will be required to comply with fuel consumption norms from April 2023 that applied only to passenger vehicles so far, according to a draft notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The Ministry has proposed to amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules so that the Constant Fuel Consumption Standards (CFCS) include medium and heavy-duty motor vehicles of various categories either manufactured in India or imported to the country. These rules so far applied only to passenger vehicles with up to nine seats.

Shortened daily regimen for tuberculosis treatment which enables better drug compliance and gives the patients better chance at completing treatment is the aim of a study that the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT), Chennai, is all set to undertake.

NIRTs multi-centric study to be carried out in Nagpur, Lucknow, Vellor and Delhi will evaluate the efficacy of a four-month daily regimen for TB treatment using Moxifloxacin, a drug used to prevent the disease as compared with the existing six-month course.

Under the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP), the anti-TB drugs are offered as fixed-dose combinations (FDC) and a pilot study for this has been completed.