Pb. Current Affairs - UPSC Preparation Made Easy

March 9th,2020

Topic: Governance and Bureaucratic hurdles.

Wildlife department fumes at the proposal of Punjab Pollution Control Board to expand the molasses capacity by Chadha Sugar mill.

In 2018, Chadha Sugar mill at Kiri Afghans in Gurdaspur faced a leakage due to which massive damage was done to the cause of the river Beas.
A large number of aquatic life was adversely affected.
Due to this spillage, PPCB had imposed a fine of ₹ 5 crore on the mill.
Though the Wildlife department is seeking ₹3.60 crores, the PPCB sanctioned only ₹ 1.03 crore.
Of this amount, only ₹74 lakh has been sanctioned by the PPCB.
This delaying and unenthusiastic response from PPCB has caused a setback in the process of revival of the Beas river and its ecology.

Creating a buffer zone between the Beas and land.
Removal of plastic and other waste materials from the region.
Mapping and keeping a record of species of aquatic wildlife in the Beas till Harke Downstream.
Replenishment of the river base and special efforts for Gharial and dolphin protection.
Restocking 20000 kg fish seedlings.
Planting saplings for healthy and stable river banks.

National Green Tribunal can take a suo moto cognisance of the matter.
The NGOs such as the Centre for Science and Environment can study every aspect of the damage and give some recommendations.
Civil society and citizens active role is a must for making the mills accountable.
the comprehensive River rejuvenation plan could be done with the help of the World Bank and other institutions.

(Source:- The Tribune)

Coronavirus threat leads to sharp downfall in the income of the poultry farmers.
Coronavirus scare has led to a sharp fall in the income of the poultry farmers.
The demand for poultry products has plunged by 50%.

misconception and misinformation about the relationship between the virus and non-vegetarian food is a big reason.
The government and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India ( FSSAI) have stepped in to clarify th doubts regarding this.
People are probably mistaking coronavirus flu with bird flu.

The wholesale price of eggs has fallen from ₹ 3.75 to Around ₹2.60 to 2.80.
The wholesale prices have also dropped from ₹ 70 per kg of live bird to ₹25 to ₹40.
Sales in Amritsar city have faced a downfall of around 25%.
There are other reasons for this loss in the poultry sector:
High input costs such as feed is an issue ( the cost of feed has gone up by 30%).
The subsidised poultry farms of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been supplying cheap poultry products.
So, the government along with Punjab Poultry farms Association should chalk out a course of action to tackle this dip in the poultry sector.

(Source:-The Tribune)