Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023 clear by Parliament (GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- The Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was recently passed by the both Houses of the Parliament.
- The Government intends to reiterate that the coastal aquaculture and activities connected therewith are permitted activities within the CRZ under the CRZ notifications.
Key Highlights:
Exemptions:
- Specific exemption has been granted under the CAA Act, through this amendment for the establishment of aquaculture units like hatcheries, Brood stock multiplication centres (BMC) and Nucleus Breeding Centres (NBC) within the No Development Zone (NDZ) (200m from the HTL) of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).
Penalty:
- The principal Act has a provision of imprisonment for a period up to 3 years for carrying out coastal aquaculture without registration.
- This appears to be a very harsh punishment for an offence of purely civil nature and hence the amendment bill replaces the same with suitable civil instruments such as penalty in line with the principle of decriminalizing civil transgressions.
Purview:
- The Amendment Bill provides for broad basing “coastal aquaculture” to comprehensively cover all activities of coastal aquaculture under the purview of this Act and to remove the ambiguity existing in the Principal Act between the farm and other verticals of coastal aquaculture.
- This is likely to ensure that no coastal aquaculture activity is left out of the ambit of the Act and operate in an environmentally hazardous manner.
Scale of activities:
- In 2005, coastal aquaculture activity was essentially shrimp farming. Now newer forms of environment friendly coastal aquaculture such as cage culture, seaweed culture, bi-value culture, marine ornamental fish culture, pearl oyster culture etc. have come up which can be done in coastal areas and mostly within CRZ.
- These activities also have the potential for generating huge revenue and creating large scale employment opportunities for coastal fisher communities especially fisherwoman and hence need to be promoted which can be done by bringing them within the ambit of Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act.
Ease of doing business:
- The Government intends to promote ease of doing business in coastal aquaculture by fine tuning some of the operational procedures of Coastal Aquaculture Authority.
- The present amendment provides for effecting changes to the certificate of registration in case of changes in ownership or size of the activity and for providing new certificate in case of mutilation, damage or loss of certificate etc.
- It also provides for condoning the delay in applying for renewal of registration with compounded fee which was absent in the principal Act.
Authority:
- Many of the administrative matters such as the powers of Member Secretary of the CAA and normal functioning of the Authority in the absence of Chairperson which were ambiguous have been suitably resolved under the Amended Act for administrative efficiency and accountability.
- The Amendments empower the Authority to appoint Committees which can contain experts, stake holders and public representatives for the efficient discharge of its duties and performance of its functions under Act.
Disease prevention:
- The Government intends to create facilities that produce genetically improved and disease-free stocks for use in coastal aquaculture.
- Such facilities, that is Hatcheries, Brood stock Multiplication centers and Nucleus Breeding Centers can be established only in areas having direct access to seawater and the Government intends to enable and facilitate them.
- Simultaneously, it also intends to prevent use of antibiotics and pharmacologically active substances in coastal aquaculture by making express provisions in the Act.
Background:
- The Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act was enacted in 2005 with an aim to protect coastal environment, while promoting orderly growth of costal aquaculture farming in coastal areas in a manner consistent with it.
- The Act provisions have also ensured continued operation of coastal aquaculture within Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) area subject to restrictions imposed by the Authority.
Economic aspect:
- Today, coastal aquaculture is one of the major success stories crafted by diverse and hardworking small farmers and educated youth of 2-4 hectares land holding around the fulcrum of vibrant policy support of government.
- During the last 9 years, the shrimp production of the country increased by 267% from 3.22 lakh tons in 2013-14 to a record 11.84 lakh tons (provisional figures) in 2022-23.
- India’s seafood exports doubled from Rs 30,213 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 63,969 crore in 2022-23 with shrimp contributing the lion’s share of exports i.e. Rs. 43,135 crore.
- Shrimp exports have more than doubled with an increase of 123% from Rs. 19,368 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 43,135 crore in 2022-23 with USA being the largest importer.
- In fact, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha and Tamil Nadu have contributed substantially to the growth of coastal aquaculture shrimp production and export.
How National Green Hydrogen Mission seeks to Reduce Cost of Green Hydrogen
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy has informed in written reply in Rajya Sabha about the Green Hydrogen production in India.
Green Hydrogen production in India:
- Green Hydrogen can be produced through electrolysis of water using renewable electricity, and from biomass through thermochemical and biochemical routes.
- At present, there is very limited production of Hydrogen through renewable sources in the country.
- The costs of the electrolysers and input renewable energy are the two major components of Green Hydrogen production cost.
- The costs of capital, supply and treatment of water, storage and distribution, conversion of hydrogen to suitable derivatives, and enabling infrastructure would also contribute to the final delivered cost of Green Hydrogen for any particular application.
National Green Hydrogen Mission:
- On 4th January 2023, the Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with an outlay of ₹ 19,744 crore.
- The overarching objective of the Mission is to make India a Global Hub for production, usage and export of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives.
Key components:
- Facilitating demand creation through exports and domestic utilization;
- Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) programme, a major financial measure with an outlay of ₹ 17,490 crore. The programme comprises two distinct financial incentive mechanisms to support domestic manufacturing of electrolysers and production of Green Hydrogen;
- Pilot Projects for green steel, mobility, shipping, decentralized energy applications, hydrogen production from biomass, hydrogen storage, etc.;
- Development of Green Hydrogen Hubs;
- Support for infrastructure development;
- Establishing a robust framework of regulations and standards;
- Research & Development programme;
- Skill development programme; and
- Public awareness and outreach programme.
Expected outcome:
- The Mission does not have a provision of incentives for consumption of Green Hydrogen or its derivatives.
- The Mission is expected to lead to development of 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonne) Green Hydrogen production capacity per annum by 2030, contributing to reduction in dependence on import of fossil fuels.
- Achievement of Mission targets is expected to reduce a cumulative ₹ 1 lakh crore worth of fossil fuel imports by 2030. This is likely to leverage over ₹8 lakh crore in total investments and create over 6 lakh jobs.
- Nearly 50 MMT per annum of CO2 emissions are expected to be averted through production and use of the targeted quantum of Green Hydrogen.
- The Mission aims to develop and scale up Green Hydrogen production technology and make it affordable and widely accessible.
Other steps taken by the Government to turn India into a global hub for the production, use and export of Green Hydrogen, including inter-alia:
- Waiver of inter-state transmission charges has been granted for a period of 25 years to the producers of Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia for the projects commissioned before 31st December 2030.
- The Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2022, notified in June 2022 have specified provisions for facilitating supply of renewable energy through Open Access for Green Hydrogen production.
Vulnerable 'Kamar' tribe in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari gets habitat rights
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
Why in news?
- The ‘Kamar’ tribe in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district, which is a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG), has received habitat rights.
- It which would help in the protection of their culture and livelihood means and enable the government to work for their development.
Status of Kamar tribe:
- The Kamar tribe families living in 22 settlements in Magarlod development block of Dhamtari district will be benefited by the move.
- The Kamar tribe members mainly reside in Gariaband, Dhamtari, Mahasamund and Kanker districts.
- Their population as per the 2011 census was 26,630.
- The recognition of habitat rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) would not only help in protection and promotion of customary arrangements, culture, tradition, livelihood means, habitat of the PVTG by officially documenting them, but also enable the government to work for their empowerment and development of their areas through schemes of various departments.
- This is the first time that habitat rights have been given to a PVTG in the state. With this move, Chhattisgarh has become the second state in the country to have issued such a right to a PVTG after neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
PVTGs in Chhattisgarh:
- Chhattisgarh has five PVTGs declared by the Centre that include the Abujmadia, Baiga, Kamar, Birhor and Hill Korva, while the state government has given the PVTG status to two tribal groups- Pando and Bhunjia.
What is Habitat rights?
- Habitat rights is a special provision under the Forest Rights Act (FRA)-2006, specially meant for the recognition of traditional rights of PVTG/Pre-agricultural Communities while community forest rights extend to all types of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs).
- The habitat rights include rights of habitation and customary habitat of a PVTG community.
- Under this, the habitat is defined in four parameters; demographic and geographic composition of the PVTG, socio-cultural parameters and cultural intangibles, economic parameters and ecological and knowledge of biodiversity including traditional knowledge.
- The habitat right is recognised over customary territories.
Habitat of Kamar tribe:
- The territory/habitat of Kamar tribe is divided into sub-habitats which are called as Pali and the sub-habitat comprise multiple para/tola (settlements), the official said.
- Every para/tola has a traditional leader called 'Mukhdihvar' and every Pali has a traditional leader named 'Mudadaar'.
- They have a distinct social structure of administration and cultural system. The habitat right also recognises such social, cultural systems.
Way Forward:
- Efforts will soon be made to give similar rights to the Kamar tribe in other areas of Chhattisgarh as well as other PVTGs in the state.
