• Black carbon is a short-lived pollutant. It is found worldwide but its presence and impact are particularly strong in Asia.
• PM2.5 consists of black carbon, often called soot, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, among others.
• A study in Italy correlated the incidence of coronavirus cases with increase in PM2.5 levels.
• Another recent study concluded that the COVID-19 virus piggybacks only black carbon emitted during biomass burning, and not all PM2.5 particles.
• It also found that the concentration of black carbon directly corresponds to the speed at which infections spread after the onset of winter and stubble burning period and then reduced with a declining trend in BC with reduction in stubble fire counts.

• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is proposed by EU to meet its target of curbing carbon emission by atleast 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels.
• It proposed to impose a carbon tax on imported goods from countries with less strict climate policies.
• It aims to create a level playing field between imports and domestic production.
• India, china and other developing countries opposed to this mechanism.

• DICGC covers all Scheduled commercial banks, foreign bank branches, regional rural banks, cooperative Banks except primary cooperative societies.
• It does not cover Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC).

• Two state-owned fertilizer firms, National Fertilisers Limited (NFL) and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd (RCF)
   signed a MoU with fertilizer cooperative, IFFCO to push production of Nano urea liquid.
• India has become the first country globally to start commercial production of Nano urea.
• There is an imbalanced use of fertilizers in India and this is deteriorating the health of soil.
• Imbalanced use is also causing water and air pollution.
• More production of Nano urea liquid will help in reducing the use of urea by up to 50% and it will also protect the health of the soil.
• The Nano urea liquid is expected to potentially replace 137 lakh tonnes of conventional urea usage by 2023.
• Even cost wise, this is cheaper than the conventional urea. 

• ISRO has realised a geo-imaging satellite, "EOS-03", for Earth Observation from Geostationary Orbit.
• It is scheduled for launch in the third quarter (Q3) of 2021.

EOS-03

• It is capable of imaging the whole country four-five times daily and would enable near real-time monitoring of natural disasters like floods and cyclones.
• In addition to natural disasters, EOS-03 would also enable monitoring of water bodies, crops, vegetation condition, and forest cover changes.

Emigration Bill 2021

• The Bill intends to replace the Emigration Act of 1983.
• The bill proposes a three-tier institutional framework:

1. It launches a new emigration policy division in (MEA) which will be referred to as the Central Emigration Management Authority.
2. It proposes a Bureau of Emigration Policy and Planning, and a Bureau of Emigration Administration shall handle day-to-day operational matters and oversee the welfare of emigrants.
3. It proposes nodal agencies under a Chief Emigration Officer to ensure the welfare and protection of the emigrants.

• It permits government authorities to punish workers by cancelling or suspending their passports and imposing fines up to Rs 50,000 for violating any of the Bill’s provisions.
• When enforced, it can be used as a tool to crackdown on workers who migrate through unregistered brokers or via irregular arrangements such as on tourist visas.

Right to be Forgotten

• It is the right to have publicly available personal information removed from the internet, search, databases, websites or any other public platforms, once the personal information in question is no longer necessary, or relevant.
• In India, there is no law that specifically provides for the right to be forgotten. However, the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 recognised this right.
• Information Technology Act, 2000 provides for safeguard against certain breaches in relation to data from computer systems.
• It contains provisions to prevent the unauthorized use of computers, computer systems and data stored therein.
• Personal Data Protection Bill introduced in Lok Sabha in 2019, aims to set out provisions meant for the protection of the personal data of individuals.
• Clause 20 under Chapter V of this draft bill titled “Rights of Data Principal” mentions the “Right to be Forgotten.”

Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL)

• It has been established by the Union Ministry of Power in 2004, it has jurisdiction throughout India.
• The Appellate Tribunal shall consist of a Chairperson and three other Members.
• It is a statutory body located in Delhi, established by virtue of Section 110 of The Electricity Act, 2003.
• Its mandate is to hear appeals or original petitions against the orders of the Adjudicating officer or The Central Regulatory Commission or State Regulatory Commission or Joint Commission constituted under Section 76(i) or 82 or 83 of the Act.
• The Tribunal is conferred with original jurisdiction to hear petitions under Section 121 of the Act and issue directions to any Appropriate Commission for the performance of its statutory functions.

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021

• Juvenile Justice Act 2015 replaced the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act with more universally accessible adoption law.
• The Act made the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) the statutory body for adoption-related matters.
• Recently, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021, was passed in the Rajya Sabha.
• The present Act provides that an offence which is punishable with imprisonment between three to seven years to be cognizable (where arrest is allowed without warrant) and non-bailable.
• The Bill amends this to provide that such offences will be non-cognizable
• Presently, the adoption order issued by the court establishes that the child belongs to the adoptive parents.
• The Bill provides that instead of the court, the District Magistrate (including Additional District Magistrate) will issue such adoption orders.

Periodic Labour Force Survey

• It is India’s first computer-based survey launched by the NSO in 2017.
• It essentially maps the state of employment in the country.
• In doing so, it collects data on several variables such as the level of unemployment, the types of employment and their respective shares, the wages earned from different types of jobs, the number of hours worked etc.
• According to recent survey the unemployment rate fell to 4.8% in 2019-20. In 2018-19, it stood at 5.8% and 6.1% in 2017-18.
• Worker Population Rate improved to 38.2% in 2019-20 compared with 35.3% in 2018-19 and 34.7% in 2017-18.
• Labour Force Participation Ratio increased to 40.1% in 2019-20 from 37.5% and 36.9%, respectively, in the last two years.
• Gender Based Unemployment Rate data showed the jobless rate for both male and female fell to 5.1% and 4.2%, respectively, in 2019-20 from 6% and 5.2% in 2018-19.