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For current affairs on daily basis from both the hindu and PIB, the telegram channel- Prelims specific notes for IAS is very good alternative and definitely a supplement.Copy-pasting the current affairs of the hindu of 28th July 2019 here from their telegram channel:THE HINDU ANALYSIS 28th JULY 2019NAGALAND SET TO BEGIN ITS VARIANT OF NRCContext: Nagaland has decided to start a variant of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN), that neighbouring Assam is updating.The RIIN, a register of all the indigenous inhabitants of the State, is required to prevent issuance of indigenous inhabitant certificates to ineligible persons.The RIIN will help identify the citizens who settled in Nagaland prior to December 1, 1963, the day it became a full-fledged State.RIIN is different from Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) as exclusion or inclusion in RIIN is not going to determine the Indian citizenship of anyone in Nagaland.Unlike other States, Nagaland's decadal population dropped by 0.47% between 2001 and 2011. (Pg 1, 7, The Hindu)AnalysisNational Register of CitizensThe Citizenship Act, 1955 provides for compulsorily registration of every citizen of India and issuance of National Identity Card to him.The Citizenship Rules, 2003 framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955 prescribe the manner of preparation of the National Register of Citizens.National Register of Citizens in AssamThe National Register of Citizens (NRC) is the list of Indian citizens of Assam.There is a special provision under the Rules to prepare National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam which is application based and distinct from the rest of India where the process is enumeration based.The applications for preparation of NRC in Assam were invited in May-August, 2015 and after necessary scrutiny & verification, the draft NRC has been published in July, 2018.After the publication of draft NRC, the process of filing claims & objections on the draft NRC and the verification process in accordance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court is going on.Any person, who does not find his/her name in the draft NRC may file the claims.Similarly, any person can file objections in respect of inclusion of any name in the draft NRC list.Hon’ble Supreme Court of India is monitoring the NRC process in the State of Assam.Foreigners TribunalsThe Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964 was issued by the Central Government under the Foreigners Act, 1946.It is applicable to the whole country.Major amendments in the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964 were undertaken in 2013 and in May, 2019.All these orders are applicable to the whole country and are not specific to any state.This Amendment Order provides for reference by District Magistrate to the Tribunal for its opinion as to whether the Appellant is a “foreigner” or not within the meaning of the Foreigners Act, 1946.Since the Foreigners Tribunals under this order have been established only in Assam and in no other state of the country, this amendment in effect is going to be relevant only to Assam at present.ELECTRIC VEHICLESContext: In a bid to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council decided to reduce the tax rate on electric vehicles from 12% to 5% and on EV chargers from 18% to 5% from August 1.The GST council also exempted the hiring of electric buses by local authorities from taxation.The EV industry now awaits corresponding reduction of 18% GST on spare batteries. (Pg 1, 10, 13, The Hindu)AnalysisFAME India SchemeThe FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric & Hybrid Vehicles) scheme aims for the faster adoption of eco-friendly automobile technologies.The main objective of the scheme is to encourage faster adoption of electric vehicles by way of offering upfront incentive on purchase of electric vehicles and also by establishing the necessary charging infrastructure.The scheme is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, which was launched in 2015.Under the NEMMP scheme, the government aimed to invest Rs 14000 crore in creating infrastructure and promoting the use of electric vehicles.The mother programme of FAME- the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 was launched in 2013 to achieve sales of six-seven million units of electric vehicles and thus to realise fossil fuel saving of 2.2 to 2.5 million tonnes.In early 2018, the Ministry of Power launched the new National Electric Mobility Programme.Here, the focus is for establishing the electric charging infrastructure and a policy framework to set realise more than 30% electric vehicles by 2030.The FAME India scheme has four focus areas:technology development,demand creation,pilot projects andcharging infrastructure.It is being administered by the Heavy Industries Ministry.Main thrust of FAME is to encourage electric vehicles by providing subsidies.Vehicles in most segments – two wheelers, three wheelers, electric and hybrid cars and electric buses obtained the subsidy benefit of the scheme.An EV is relatively simpler to build with only 20 moving parts against around 2,000 in an ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle.There is no proposal from Government of India to invest in manufacturing of E-Buses.100 % FDI by automatic route is permitted in the automobile sector.It was proposed to be implemented till March 2019. However, in February this year, the Cabinet had approved the second phase of the FAME scheme, with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore for three years. This came into effect from April 1, 2019.Only advanced battery and registered e-vehicles will be incentivised under the scheme with greater emphasis on providing affordable & environment friendly public transportation options for the common man.Various initiatives have been taken by the Government to promote electric mobility in the country. Some of them are summarized hereunder:In a bid to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council decided to reduce the tax rate on electric vehicles from 12% to 5% and on EV chargers from 18% to 5% from August 1.The GST council also exempted the hiring of electric buses by local authorities from taxation.The Union Power Ministry has already declared charging batteries of electric vehicles as a “service” to allow stations to operate without a license under the Electricity Act 2003.Ministry of Road Transport Highways issued notification regarding exemption of permit in case of battery operated vehicles and Transport Vehicles running on Ethanol and Methanol fuels.Recently, Nagpur became the first city in India to get an EV charging station, started by Indian Oil Corp (IOC).The Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy envisages a complete switch of the state transport system by 2030.The Union Budget 2019-20 proposes to provide an income tax deduction of ₹1.5 lakh on the interest paid on loan taken to buy electric vehicles (EV).Accordingly, the buyer of an EV will get a total benefit of ₹2.5 lakh over the purchase period.The EV industry believes that this would bring the cost of ownership of EV significantly down and therefore expedite EV adoption in the country.But the fact is that there are not too many electric vehicles in the market now. And even for those that are there, the waiting period to deliver one is long.Besides, there is no ecosystem, such as charging points, even in the major cities. The government’s hope seems to be that this incentive will create a market for e-vehicles that will then lead to the development of the ecosystem.The Budget also proposed that customs duty is being exempted on certain parts of electric vehicles, including e-drive assembly and on board charger, to further incentivise e-mobility.DEEP OCEAN MISSIONContext: The ‘Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)’ to be led by the Union Earth Sciences Ministry will commence from October 31.A major thrust of the mission will be looking for metals and minerals. (Pg 9, The Hindu)AnalysisIndia has been allotted a site of 75,000 sq. km. in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by the UN International Sea Bed Authority for exploitation of polymetallic nodules (PMN).These are rocks scattered on the seabed containing iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt.Being able to lay hands on even 10% of that reserve can meet the energy requirement for the next 100 years.It has been estimated that 380 million metric tonnes of polymetallic nodules are available at the bottom of the seas in the Central Indian Ocean.India’s Exclusive Economic Zone spreads over 2.2 million sq. km. and in the deep sea, lies “unexplored and unutilised”.Polymetallic NodulesSource: telegram channel: Prelims specific notes for IASOf all the mineral resources considered as potential targets for deep-sea mining, polymetallic nodules (also commonly called manganese nodules) are probably the most likely commodity to be developed into a commercial operation.These are rounded accretions of manganese and iron hydroxides that cover vast areas of the seafloor, but are most abundant on abyssal plains at water depths of 4000-6500 metres.They range in size from a few millimeters to tens of centimeters.How do nodules grow?Manganese nodules grow when metal compounds dissolved in the water column (hydrogenous growth) or in water contained in the sediments (diagenetic growth) are deposited around a nucleus.Most nodules are a product of both diagenetic and hydrogenous growth.Growth of these nodules is extremely slow, at a rate of millimetres per million years, and they remain on the seafloor surface, often partially buried in a thin layer of sediment.This means that manganese nodules can only grow in areas where the environmental conditions remain stable over this kind of time scale.The following factors are essential for the formation of manganese nodules:Low sedimentation rates of suspended material.Otherwise the nodules would be covered too rapidly;Constant flow of Antarctic bottom water.This water flushes fine sediment particles away that would otherwise bury the nodules over time.The coarser particles, such as the shells of small marine organisms and clam or nodule fragments, may be left behind to act as nuclei for new nodules;Good oxygen supply.The Antarctic bottom water, for example, transports oxygen-rich water from the sea surface to greater depths. Without this the manganese oxide compounds could not form;Aqueous sediment.The sediment has to be capable of holding large amounts of pore water.Diagenetic nodule growth can only take place in very aqueous sediments.Furthermore, some researchers hold the opinion that bottom-dwelling organisms such as worms that burrow around in the sediment must be present in large numbers in order to constantly push the manganese nodules up to the sediment surface.This hypothesis, however, has not yet been proven.CompositionThe composition of nodules varies with their environment of formation, but in addition to manganese and iron, they can contain nickel, copper and cobalt in commercially attractive concentrations as well as traces of other valuable metals such as molybdenum, zirconium and Rare Earth Elements.In part, the manganese nodule deposits are of interest because they contain greater amounts of some metals than are found in today’s known economically minable deposits on land.Although the conditions for the formation of manganese nodules are the same in all four of the major regions, their metal contents vary from place to place.DistributionManganese nodules occur in all oceans. But only in 4 regions is the density of nodules great enough for industrial exploitation.Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ):With an area of around 9 million square kilometres, approximately the size of Europe, this is the world‘s largest manganese nodule region.The CCZ is located in the Pacific, extending from the west coast of Mexico to Hawaii.On the average, one square metre in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone contains around 15 kilograms of manganese nodules.The occurrences in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) alone hold around 10 times more manganese than the economically minable deposits on land today.Peru Basin:The Peru Basin lies about 3000 kilometres off the Peruvian coast.It is about half as large as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.The region contains an average of 10 kilograms of manganese nodules per square metre.Penrhyn Basin:This also lies in the Pacific and is near the Cook Islands, a few thousand kilometres east of Australia.It has an area of around 750,000 square kilometres.The region contains an average of 25 kilograms of manganese nodules per square metre of sea floor.Indian Ocean:So far only a single large area of manganese nodules has been discovered here, with an area comparable to that of the Penrhyn Basin.It is located in the central Indian Ocean.Each square metre of the sea floor here contains around 5 kilograms of manganese nodules.Associated ecosystemsThe nodules provide a substrate for a wide variety of suspension feeders and specialised nodule epi- and in-fauna, which are dependent on the hard substrate provided by the nodules.Who owns resources in the sea?The international Law of the Sea precisely regulates who can mine manganese nodules or massive sulphide and cobalt crusts in the future.If the resources are located within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of a country, the so-called 200 nautical mile zone, this country has the sole right to mine them or to award mining licences to foreign companies.This is the case, for example, in a part of the Penrhyn Basin near the Cook Islands.The CCZ, the Peru Basin, and the Indian Ocean area, on the other hand, all lie far outside the Exclusive Economic Zones, in the realm of the high seas.Here, mining is centrally regulated by an agency of the United Nations, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), with headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica.In particular, the ISA ensures that the benefits from future activities related to marine mining are shared equitably and exclusive access to the promising resources in the deep sea by rich countries should be prevented.Its authority is based on various articles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which define the high seas as the common heritage of mankind.For the manganese nodule areas this means that contractors apply to the ISA for an exploration area of up to 150,000 square kilometres.The individual contractor must pay a licence fee for these areas.The crucial condition is that the countries can only use half of their licence area, or a maximum of 75,000 square kilometres.After preliminary exploration, the other half is reserved for developing states.So far the ISA has awarded 12 licences for the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and one for the Indian Ocean, all to various states.ExtractionThere are two major hurdles:cheap availability of metals from more easily accessible land-based deposits.presence of numerous volcanic hills with a relief of about 100m which make the extraction of nodules extremely patchy.The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)It is an international treaty which was adopted and signed in 1982.The Convention has created three new institutions on the international scene:the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea,the International Seabed Authority,the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.MILITARY LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGREEMENTSContext: India is looking to conclude three Military Logistics Support Agreements (MLSA) by the year-end with Australia, Japan and Russia. (Pg 11, The Hindu)AnalysisIndia signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (LEMOA) with the U.S. in August 2016 after decade-long negotiations.Since then, it has concluded several such agreements with France, Oman, the Philippines and Singapore and gained access to the Sabang port in Indonesia.Logistics agreements are administrative arrangements facilitating access to military facilities for exchange of fuel and provisions on mutual agreement, simplifying logistical support and increasing operational turnaround of the military away from India.BHARAT STAGE (BS) POLLUTION NORMSContext: An article on pg 14. (Pg 14, The Hindu)AnalysisBharat Stage (BS) Pollution NormsIndia has followed the regulatory pathway for fuel quality and vehicle emissions standards termed as Bharat Stage (BS).The different norms are brought into force in accordance with the timeline and standards set up by the Central Pollution Control Board which comes under the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change.Leapfrogging directly from BS-IV to BS-VIThe Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has successfully introduced the BS-IV grade transportation fuels across the country w.e.f April 1st 2017.To meet international best practices Government has decided leapfrogging directly from BS-IV to BS-VI grade by 1st April, 2020 for various classes of motor vehicles, skipping BS-V altogether.Taking into account the serious pollution levels in Delhi and adjoining areas, Petroleum Ministry in consultation with Public Oil Marketing Companies has decided for preponement of BS-VI grade auto fuels in NCT of Delhi w.e.f 01.04.2018 instead of 01.04.2020.On April 1, 2018, Delhi became the first city in our country to have fuel that is BS VI complaint. India currently operates on Bharat Stage IV emission norms for two-, three- and four-wheelers.While this will lead to better air quality in the short term, it also means higher vehicle prices and costs, both because of better engine technology and higher cost of BS-VI fuel.Bharat Stage norms Vs European regulationsThe Bharat Stage norms are based on European regulations, though with a time-lag of five years.With India moving on to Euro VI/BS VI standards, we will finally be at par with Europe.The aim of BS-VI is to reduce levels of harmful car and van exhaust emissions, both in petrol and diesel cars.This includes nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (THC and NMHC) and particulate matter (PM), which is basically soot from diesel cars.The knock-on effect of reducing these pollutants can also mean improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.The latest BS-VI regulations set different emissions standards for petrol and diesel cars, but that is a reflection of the different kind of pollutants the two fuels produce.Among other things, the new norms make on-board diagnostics (OBD) mandatory for all automobiles.Using BS-VI fuel in the current BS-IV engines or, conversely, running BS-VI engines on the current-grade fuel, may be ineffective in curbing vehicular pollution, and may damage the engine in the long run.What is the difference between BS-IV and BS-VI?The main difference in standards between the existing BS-IV and the new BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of sulphur.The BS-VI fuel is estimated to bring around an 80 per cent reduction of sulphur, from 50 parts per million to 10 ppm.This key reduction in sulphur makes it possible to equip vehicles with better catalytic converters that capture pollutants.According to analysts, the emission of NOx (nitrogen oxides) from diesel cars is also expected to come down by nearly 70 per cent and 25 per cent from cars with petrol engines.BS-VI confers several other benefits, the most important of which is limits set on Particle Number (PN) for engines, a reference to direct injection engines that emit more particulates but are more efficient and release less carbon dioxide.Why do ultra-low sulphur fuels so important?Fuel sulphur also increases emissions of sulphur dioxide — a harmful ingredient of smog.Moreover, in the oxygen-rich diesel exhaust, several per cent of the sulphur dioxide oxidise to become sulphate particles and contribute to the formation of ultra-fine particles in the exhaust, which are considered especially hazardous because of their ability to penetrate deeply into the lungs.Generally, the lower the sulphur levels, the less the engines wear out.Fuel sulphur can damage and reduce efficiency of the advanced emissions control systems that will be fitted in the BS-VI compliant vehicles to reduce particles and NOx.Advanced and sophisticated emissions control systems that are needed to control particulate emissions in BS-VI diesel vehicles can also be retrofitted in the current on road fleet if 10 ppm sulphur fuel is available. These advanced systems are extremely sensitive to sulphur.Thus, all on-road vehicles benefit from ultra-low sulphur fuels.Recent developmentsHyundai India which exports almost all its models does not face issues with migration and the company is said to be fully ready for BS-VI.Some new manufacturers such as Kia are entering the market with BS-VI vehicles.Maruti Suzuki, the largest car maker in the country, announced plans to discontinue selling all diesel cars here from April 1, 2020, citing uncertainty over demand for such vehicles due to “significant” increase in price once the new BS VI emission norms kick in.News in briefSecuritypedia (Pg 5, The Hindu)The Central Industrial Security Force launched an online encyclopaedia — Securitypedia — which incorporates a wide gamut of security-related practices across the globeWhat is the Irish backstop? (Pg 12, The Hindu)It is a plan to ensure that there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.The backstop, opposed by hard-Brexiteers, will keep the U.K. territory of Northern Ireland in the EU customs union and much of the single market.US-France Trade Dispute (Pg 12, The Hindu)US President Donald Trump said he would impose tax on French wine in retaliation of France’s digital services tax that would impact American companies.Afghan Peace Process (Pg 12, The Hindu)Diplomats from the U.S., Russia China and Pakistan met in Beijing to discuss the peace process in Afghanistan.Peace talks between the US and Taliban are going on in Doha, Qatar.India has refused to be a part of talks with the Taliban directly, sending only retired officials in a “non-official” capacity for one round of talks in Moscow last year.India’s traditional position is supporting only an “Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled” process, which includes the government in Kabul.Recent developmentsAn Afghan official says the government will hold its first-ever direct talks with the Taliban, with the meeting expected within the next two weeks.The apparent development comes after Taliban negotiators sat with Afghan representatives at a so-called intra-Afghan dialogue brokered by Germany in Doha this month.Already analysed in previous issuesHong Kong Protests pg 12National Disaster Response Force pg 1National Green Tribunal pg 2Red Sanders pg RTI Amendment Bill pg 10The following two articles though have already been covered in the past but will be modified with the additional information from Pg 14, The Hindu in subsequent editions.Zero Budget Farming pg 14Kashmir Mediation pg 14Note: Bills will be covered once they will be passed by both the Houses or when the workload would be less.The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019

For current affairs on daily basis from both the hindu and PIB, the telegram channel- Prelims specific notes for IAS is very good alternative and definitely a supplement.Copy-pasting the current affairs of the hindu of 28th July 2019 here from their telegram channel:THE HINDU ANALYSIS 28th JULY 2019NAGALAND SET TO BEGIN ITS VARIANT OF NRCContext: Nagaland has decided to start a variant of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN), that neighbouring Assam is updating.The RIIN, a register of all the indigenous inhabitants of the State, is required to prevent issuance of indigenous inhabitant certificates to ineligible persons.The RIIN will help identify the citizens who settled in Nagaland prior to December 1, 1963, the day it became a full-fledged State.RIIN is different from Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) as exclusion or inclusion in RIIN is not going to determine the Indian citizenship of anyone in Nagaland.Unlike other States, Nagaland's decadal population dropped by 0.47% between 2001 and 2011. (Pg 1, 7, The Hindu)AnalysisNational Register of CitizensThe Citizenship Act, 1955 provides for compulsorily registration of every citizen of India and issuance of National Identity Card to him.The Citizenship Rules, 2003 framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955 prescribe the manner of preparation of the National Register of Citizens.National Register of Citizens in AssamThe National Register of Citizens (NRC) is the list of Indian citizens of Assam.There is a special provision under the Rules to prepare National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam which is application based and distinct from the rest of India where the process is enumeration based.The applications for preparation of NRC in Assam were invited in May-August, 2015 and after necessary scrutiny & verification, the draft NRC has been published in July, 2018.After the publication of draft NRC, the process of filing claims & objections on the draft NRC and the verification process in accordance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court is going on.Any person, who does not find his/her name in the draft NRC may file the claims.Similarly, any person can file objections in respect of inclusion of any name in the draft NRC list.Hon’ble Supreme Court of India is monitoring the NRC process in the State of Assam.Foreigners TribunalsThe Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964 was issued by the Central Government under the Foreigners Act, 1946.It is applicable to the whole country.Major amendments in the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964 were undertaken in 2013 and in May, 2019.All these orders are applicable to the whole country and are not specific to any state.This Amendment Order provides for reference by District Magistrate to the Tribunal for its opinion as to whether the Appellant is a “foreigner” or not within the meaning of the Foreigners Act, 1946.Since the Foreigners Tribunals under this order have been established only in Assam and in no other state of the country, this amendment in effect is going to be relevant only to Assam at present.ELECTRIC VEHICLESContext: In a bid to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council decided to reduce the tax rate on electric vehicles from 12% to 5% and on EV chargers from 18% to 5% from August 1.The GST council also exempted the hiring of electric buses by local authorities from taxation.The EV industry now awaits corresponding reduction of 18% GST on spare batteries. (Pg 1, 10, 13, The Hindu)AnalysisFAME India SchemeThe FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric & Hybrid Vehicles) scheme aims for the faster adoption of eco-friendly automobile technologies.The main objective of the scheme is to encourage faster adoption of electric vehicles by way of offering upfront incentive on purchase of electric vehicles and also by establishing the necessary charging infrastructure.The scheme is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, which was launched in 2015.Under the NEMMP scheme, the government aimed to invest Rs 14000 crore in creating infrastructure and promoting the use of electric vehicles.The mother programme of FAME- the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 was launched in 2013 to achieve sales of six-seven million units of electric vehicles and thus to realise fossil fuel saving of 2.2 to 2.5 million tonnes.In early 2018, the Ministry of Power launched the new National Electric Mobility Programme.Here, the focus is for establishing the electric charging infrastructure and a policy framework to set realise more than 30% electric vehicles by 2030.The FAME India scheme has four focus areas:technology development,demand creation,pilot projects andcharging infrastructure.It is being administered by the Heavy Industries Ministry.Main thrust of FAME is to encourage electric vehicles by providing subsidies.Vehicles in most segments – two wheelers, three wheelers, electric and hybrid cars and electric buses obtained the subsidy benefit of the scheme.An EV is relatively simpler to build with only 20 moving parts against around 2,000 in an ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle.There is no proposal from Government of India to invest in manufacturing of E-Buses.100 % FDI by automatic route is permitted in the automobile sector.It was proposed to be implemented till March 2019. However, in February this year, the Cabinet had approved the second phase of the FAME scheme, with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore for three years. This came into effect from April 1, 2019.Only advanced battery and registered e-vehicles will be incentivised under the scheme with greater emphasis on providing affordable & environment friendly public transportation options for the common man.Various initiatives have been taken by the Government to promote electric mobility in the country. Some of them are summarized hereunder:In a bid to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council decided to reduce the tax rate on electric vehicles from 12% to 5% and on EV chargers from 18% to 5% from August 1.The GST council also exempted the hiring of electric buses by local authorities from taxation.The Union Power Ministry has already declared charging batteries of electric vehicles as a “service” to allow stations to operate without a license under the Electricity Act 2003.Ministry of Road Transport Highways issued notification regarding exemption of permit in case of battery operated vehicles and Transport Vehicles running on Ethanol and Methanol fuels.Recently, Nagpur became the first city in India to get an EV charging station, started by Indian Oil Corp (IOC).The Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy envisages a complete switch of the state transport system by 2030.The Union Budget 2019-20 proposes to provide an income tax deduction of ₹1.5 lakh on the interest paid on loan taken to buy electric vehicles (EV).Accordingly, the buyer of an EV will get a total benefit of ₹2.5 lakh over the purchase period.The EV industry believes that this would bring the cost of ownership of EV significantly down and therefore expedite EV adoption in the country.But the fact is that there are not too many electric vehicles in the market now. And even for those that are there, the waiting period to deliver one is long.Besides, there is no ecosystem, such as charging points, even in the major cities. The government’s hope seems to be that this incentive will create a market for e-vehicles that will then lead to the development of the ecosystem.The Budget also proposed that customs duty is being exempted on certain parts of electric vehicles, including e-drive assembly and on board charger, to further incentivise e-mobility.DEEP OCEAN MISSIONContext: The ‘Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)’ to be led by the Union Earth Sciences Ministry will commence from October 31.A major thrust of the mission will be looking for metals and minerals. (Pg 9, The Hindu)AnalysisIndia has been allotted a site of 75,000 sq. km. in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by the UN International Sea Bed Authority for exploitation of polymetallic nodules (PMN).These are rocks scattered on the seabed containing iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt.Being able to lay hands on even 10% of that reserve can meet the energy requirement for the next 100 years.It has been estimated that 380 million metric tonnes of polymetallic nodules are available at the bottom of the seas in the Central Indian Ocean.India’s Exclusive Economic Zone spreads over 2.2 million sq. km. and in the deep sea, lies “unexplored and unutilised”.Polymetallic NodulesSource: telegram channel: Prelims specific notes for IASOf all the mineral resources considered as potential targets for deep-sea mining, polymetallic nodules (also commonly called manganese nodules) are probably the most likely commodity to be developed into a commercial operation.These are rounded accretions of manganese and iron hydroxides that cover vast areas of the seafloor, but are most abundant on abyssal plains at water depths of 4000-6500 metres.They range in size from a few millimeters to tens of centimeters.How do nodules grow?Manganese nodules grow when metal compounds dissolved in the water column (hydrogenous growth) or in water contained in the sediments (diagenetic growth) are deposited around a nucleus.Most nodules are a product of both diagenetic and hydrogenous growth.Growth of these nodules is extremely slow, at a rate of millimetres per million years, and they remain on the seafloor surface, often partially buried in a thin layer of sediment.This means that manganese nodules can only grow in areas where the environmental conditions remain stable over this kind of time scale.The following factors are essential for the formation of manganese nodules:Low sedimentation rates of suspended material.Otherwise the nodules would be covered too rapidly;Constant flow of Antarctic bottom water.This water flushes fine sediment particles away that would otherwise bury the nodules over time.The coarser particles, such as the shells of small marine organisms and clam or nodule fragments, may be left behind to act as nuclei for new nodules;Good oxygen supply.The Antarctic bottom water, for example, transports oxygen-rich water from the sea surface to greater depths. Without this the manganese oxide compounds could not form;Aqueous sediment.The sediment has to be capable of holding large amounts of pore water.Diagenetic nodule growth can only take place in very aqueous sediments.Furthermore, some researchers hold the opinion that bottom-dwelling organisms such as worms that burrow around in the sediment must be present in large numbers in order to constantly push the manganese nodules up to the sediment surface.This hypothesis, however, has not yet been proven.CompositionThe composition of nodules varies with their environment of formation, but in addition to manganese and iron, they can contain nickel, copper and cobalt in commercially attractive concentrations as well as traces of other valuable metals such as molybdenum, zirconium and Rare Earth Elements.In part, the manganese nodule deposits are of interest because they contain greater amounts of some metals than are found in today’s known economically minable deposits on land.Although the conditions for the formation of manganese nodules are the same in all four of the major regions, their metal contents vary from place to place.DistributionManganese nodules occur in all oceans. But only in 4 regions is the density of nodules great enough for industrial exploitation.Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ):With an area of around 9 million square kilometres, approximately the size of Europe, this is the world‘s largest manganese nodule region.The CCZ is located in the Pacific, extending from the west coast of Mexico to Hawaii.On the average, one square metre in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone contains around 15 kilograms of manganese nodules.The occurrences in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) alone hold around 10 times more manganese than the economically minable deposits on land today.Peru Basin:The Peru Basin lies about 3000 kilometres off the Peruvian coast.It is about half as large as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.The region contains an average of 10 kilograms of manganese nodules per square metre.Penrhyn Basin:This also lies in the Pacific and is near the Cook Islands, a few thousand kilometres east of Australia.It has an area of around 750,000 square kilometres.The region contains an average of 25 kilograms of manganese nodules per square metre of sea floor.Indian Ocean:So far only a single large area of manganese nodules has been discovered here, with an area comparable to that of the Penrhyn Basin.It is located in the central Indian Ocean.Each square metre of the sea floor here contains around 5 kilograms of manganese nodules.Associated ecosystemsThe nodules provide a substrate for a wide variety of suspension feeders and specialised nodule epi- and in-fauna, which are dependent on the hard substrate provided by the nodules.Who owns resources in the sea?The international Law of the Sea precisely regulates who can mine manganese nodules or massive sulphide and cobalt crusts in the future.If the resources are located within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of a country, the so-called 200 nautical mile zone, this country has the sole right to mine them or to award mining licences to foreign companies.This is the case, for example, in a part of the Penrhyn Basin near the Cook Islands.The CCZ, the Peru Basin, and the Indian Ocean area, on the other hand, all lie far outside the Exclusive Economic Zones, in the realm of the high seas.Here, mining is centrally regulated by an agency of the United Nations, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), with headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica.In particular, the ISA ensures that the benefits from future activities related to marine mining are shared equitably and exclusive access to the promising resources in the deep sea by rich countries should be prevented.Its authority is based on various articles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which define the high seas as the common heritage of mankind.For the manganese nodule areas this means that contractors apply to the ISA for an exploration area of up to 150,000 square kilometres.The individual contractor must pay a licence fee for these areas.The crucial condition is that the countries can only use half of their licence area, or a maximum of 75,000 square kilometres.After preliminary exploration, the other half is reserved for developing states.So far the ISA has awarded 12 licences for the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and one for the Indian Ocean, all to various states.ExtractionThere are two major hurdles:cheap availability of metals from more easily accessible land-based deposits.presence of numerous volcanic hills with a relief of about 100m which make the extraction of nodules extremely patchy.The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)It is an international treaty which was adopted and signed in 1982.The Convention has created three new institutions on the international scene:the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea,the International Seabed Authority,the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.MILITARY LOGISTICS SUPPORT AGREEMENTSContext: India is looking to conclude three Military Logistics Support Agreements (MLSA) by the year-end with Australia, Japan and Russia. (Pg 11, The Hindu)AnalysisIndia signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (LEMOA) with the U.S. in August 2016 after decade-long negotiations.Since then, it has concluded several such agreements with France, Oman, the Philippines and Singapore and gained access to the Sabang port in Indonesia.Logistics agreements are administrative arrangements facilitating access to military facilities for exchange of fuel and provisions on mutual agreement, simplifying logistical support and increasing operational turnaround of the military away from India.BHARAT STAGE (BS) POLLUTION NORMSContext: An article on pg 14. (Pg 14, The Hindu)AnalysisBharat Stage (BS) Pollution NormsIndia has followed the regulatory pathway for fuel quality and vehicle emissions standards termed as Bharat Stage (BS).The different norms are brought into force in accordance with the timeline and standards set up by the Central Pollution Control Board which comes under the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change.Leapfrogging directly from BS-IV to BS-VIThe Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has successfully introduced the BS-IV grade transportation fuels across the country w.e.f April 1st 2017.To meet international best practices Government has decided leapfrogging directly from BS-IV to BS-VI grade by 1st April, 2020 for various classes of motor vehicles, skipping BS-V altogether.Taking into account the serious pollution levels in Delhi and adjoining areas, Petroleum Ministry in consultation with Public Oil Marketing Companies has decided for preponement of BS-VI grade auto fuels in NCT of Delhi w.e.f 01.04.2018 instead of 01.04.2020.On April 1, 2018, Delhi became the first city in our country to have fuel that is BS VI complaint. India currently operates on Bharat Stage IV emission norms for two-, three- and four-wheelers.While this will lead to better air quality in the short term, it also means higher vehicle prices and costs, both because of better engine technology and higher cost of BS-VI fuel.Bharat Stage norms Vs European regulationsThe Bharat Stage norms are based on European regulations, though with a time-lag of five years.With India moving on to Euro VI/BS VI standards, we will finally be at par with Europe.The aim of BS-VI is to reduce levels of harmful car and van exhaust emissions, both in petrol and diesel cars.This includes nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (THC and NMHC) and particulate matter (PM), which is basically soot from diesel cars.The knock-on effect of reducing these pollutants can also mean improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.The latest BS-VI regulations set different emissions standards for petrol and diesel cars, but that is a reflection of the different kind of pollutants the two fuels produce.Among other things, the new norms make on-board diagnostics (OBD) mandatory for all automobiles.Using BS-VI fuel in the current BS-IV engines or, conversely, running BS-VI engines on the current-grade fuel, may be ineffective in curbing vehicular pollution, and may damage the engine in the long run.What is the difference between BS-IV and BS-VI?The main difference in standards between the existing BS-IV and the new BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of sulphur.The BS-VI fuel is estimated to bring around an 80 per cent reduction of sulphur, from 50 parts per million to 10 ppm.This key reduction in sulphur makes it possible to equip vehicles with better catalytic converters that capture pollutants.According to analysts, the emission of NOx (nitrogen oxides) from diesel cars is also expected to come down by nearly 70 per cent and 25 per cent from cars with petrol engines.BS-VI confers several other benefits, the most important of which is limits set on Particle Number (PN) for engines, a reference to direct injection engines that emit more particulates but are more efficient and release less carbon dioxide.Why do ultra-low sulphur fuels so important?Fuel sulphur also increases emissions of sulphur dioxide — a harmful ingredient of smog.Moreover, in the oxygen-rich diesel exhaust, several per cent of the sulphur dioxide oxidise to become sulphate particles and contribute to the formation of ultra-fine particles in the exhaust, which are considered especially hazardous because of their ability to penetrate deeply into the lungs.Generally, the lower the sulphur levels, the less the engines wear out.Fuel sulphur can damage and reduce efficiency of the advanced emissions control systems that will be fitted in the BS-VI compliant vehicles to reduce particles and NOx.Advanced and sophisticated emissions control systems that are needed to control particulate emissions in BS-VI diesel vehicles can also be retrofitted in the current on road fleet if 10 ppm sulphur fuel is available. These advanced systems are extremely sensitive to sulphur.Thus, all on-road vehicles benefit from ultra-low sulphur fuels.Recent developmentsHyundai India which exports almost all its models does not face issues with migration and the company is said to be fully ready for BS-VI.Some new manufacturers such as Kia are entering the market with BS-VI vehicles.Maruti Suzuki, the largest car maker in the country, announced plans to discontinue selling all diesel cars here from April 1, 2020, citing uncertainty over demand for such vehicles due to “significant” increase in price once the new BS VI emission norms kick in.News in briefSecuritypedia (Pg 5, The Hindu)The Central Industrial Security Force launched an online encyclopaedia — Securitypedia — which incorporates a wide gamut of security-related practices across the globeWhat is the Irish backstop? (Pg 12, The Hindu)It is a plan to ensure that there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.The backstop, opposed by hard-Brexiteers, will keep the U.K. territory of Northern Ireland in the EU customs union and much of the single market.US-France Trade Dispute (Pg 12, The Hindu)US President Donald Trump said he would impose tax on French wine in retaliation of France’s digital services tax that would impact American companies.Afghan Peace Process (Pg 12, The Hindu)Diplomats from the U.S., Russia China and Pakistan met in Beijing to discuss the peace process in Afghanistan.Peace talks between the US and Taliban are going on in Doha, Qatar.India has refused to be a part of talks with the Taliban directly, sending only retired officials in a “non-official” capacity for one round of talks in Moscow last year.India’s traditional position is supporting only an “Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled” process, which includes the government in Kabul.Recent developmentsAn Afghan official says the government will hold its first-ever direct talks with the Taliban, with the meeting expected within the next two weeks.The apparent development comes after Taliban negotiators sat with Afghan representatives at a so-called intra-Afghan dialogue brokered by Germany in Doha this month.Already analysed in previous issuesHong Kong Protests pg 12National Disaster Response Force pg 1National Green Tribunal pg 2Red Sanders pg RTI Amendment Bill pg 10The following two articles though have already been covered in the past but will be modified with the additional information from Pg 14, The Hindu in subsequent editions.Zero Budget Farming pg 14Kashmir Mediation pg 14Note: Bills will be covered once they will be passed by both the Houses or when the workload would be less.The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019