Hello, this week’s agenda includes India’s new vehicle scrappage policy, IPCC’s new report and why we need to know about it and lastly, how pandemic may have impacted the children.
India’s new Vehicle Scrappage Policy
On March 18, 2021, the Minister for Road Transport and Highways announced the Vehicle Scrappage Policy.
What is the scheme?
Commercial vehicles of > (More than) 15 years and passenger vehicles of > 20 years will have to be mandatorily scrapped if they don’t pass the fitness and emission tests.
Government departments too will have to let go of their vehicles after usage of 15 years.
The fitness test facilities
The Government will set up fully automated fitness test facilities on a PPP basis involving private firms and state governments - garnering investments worth Rs. 10,000 cr.
What happens if you get the fitness tests done voluntarily?
Well, a rebate (partial refund) would be initiated on road tax in the range of 15% to 25% and a complete waiver of registration fees on the next new vehicle purchase.
Automobile manufacturers will also have to offer a discount of 5% against a certificate of vehicle scrapping.
Also, owners will get a value for their old vehicles from scrap yards which will be around 4-6% of the price of a new vehicle.
How will this policy help India’s automobile industry?
It would generate employment in scrap yards and fitness centres.
Tata Motors and Daimler India have expressed that this policy would boost vehicle sales.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, there are 17 lakh old medium and heavy vehicles lacking a valid certificate. Also, the number of light motor vehicles older than 20 years is > 51 lakh.
Challenges of the policy
Since commercial vehicle sales would boom by over 30%, it would adversely affect air pollution.
Lack of a supporting infrastructure to build fitness centres and scrapping yards would implement the policy challenge.
There must be proper cooperation between states and the centre in reducing road tax, but post lockdown, states would fear to take that risk.
The Centre must also make sure scrapyard waste doesn’t affect India’s lakes, rivers and forests.
Is it the ‘Code Red’ for Humanity?
This week, the UN climate panel or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) released its most comprehensive report yet and here are its key fundamentals.
We’re running out of time- Extreme heat waves that struck only once in 50 years are now expected to happen once every decade.
Humans are to blame- The report asserted that “we” are to be blamed for the severity of the situation. The prime reason for Global warming is the release of heat-trapping gasses such as CO2 and Methane, along with the burning of fossil fuels.
The Paris Agreement is falling apart- The Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the increase of temperature 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average by the year 2100, the 200 plus authors of the report concluded that the world will cross the 1.5-degree threshold in the 2030’s itself.
Temperatures will keep rising- The year 2021 saw the heatwaves, floods and wildfires across the world. As per the experts, all these sudden changes in the climate were due to Global warming. Moreover, the global mean sea level in the Indian Ocean is at an all-time high rising at 3.7 mm annually.
(Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, Indian Express)
Pandemic and Children
The Pandemic has created a sense of uncertainty among all of us, but today let’s talk about the kids and adolescents. A study at the University of Calgary mapped out the impact of the pandemic on the well-being of children and adolescents.
The Study- The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 29 separate studies which included 80,879 youth globally. This study was published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics.
The Findings-
Depression and anxiety symptoms have doubled in children and adolescents, compared to pre-pandemic times.
As the pandemic restrictions went up, the symptoms of depression and anxiety went up too.
Social isolation took a toll on their mental health. Their school routines and social interactions have been limited.
Older teens in particular have missed out on significant life events such as graduations, sporting events, and various coming of age activities.
Experts’ say-
The lead author Dr Nicole Racine, a clinical psychologist stated that one in four youth globally, are experiencing clinically elevated depression symptoms while one in five has clinically elevated anxiety symptoms.
(Sources: Quint, Healthychildren.org)
What else is happening?
On August 11 a landslide happened at Nigulsari, Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh. One bus, a truck and three small vehicles are reported to be completely damaged because of the landslide. State Disaster Management director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said that the death toll has risen to 23, 9 people are still missing and 2 sustained injuries.
Rick Spaniard, the administrator of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest month ever recorded.