Global E-Waste Monitor Report

E-waste is a term used to cover all items of electrical and electronic equipment and its parts that
have been discarded by its owner as waste without the intent of re-use, also known as WEEE
(Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment).
The 'Global E-Waste Monitor 2014', compiled by UN's think tank United Nations University (UNU),
said at 32 per cent, the US and China produced the most e-waste overall in 2014. India came in fifth,
behind the US, China, Japan and Germany, the report said.
Most e-waste in the world in 2014 was generated in Asia at 16 Mt or 3.7 kg per inhabitant. The top
three Asian nations with the highest e-waste generation in absolute quantities are China (6.0 Mt),
Japan (2.2 Mt) and India (1.7 Mt).
The top per capita producers by far are the wealthy nations of northern and western Europe, the top
five being Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, and the UK. The lowest amount of e-waste per
inhabitant was generated in Africa (1.7 kg/inhabitant).
In 2014, people worldwide discarded all but a small fraction of an estimated 41.8 Mt of electrical and
electronic equipment -- mostly end-of-life kitchen, laundry and bathroom equipment like microwave
ovens, washing machines and dishwashers.
The volume of e-waste is expected to rise by 21% to 50 Mt in 2018, said the report, which details the
location and composition of the world's fast-growing e-waste problem.
While only 7% of e-waste last year was made up of mobile phones, calculators, personal computers,
printers, and small information technology equipment, almost 60% was a mix of large and small
equipment used in homes and businesses, such as vacuum cleaners, toasters, electric shavers,
video cameras, washing machines, electric stoves, mobile phones, calculators, personal computers,
and lamps.
The 41.8 Mt weight of last year's e-waste is comparable to the distance from New York to Tokyo and
back. The global quantity of e-waste in 2014 is comprised of 1.0 Mt lamps, 3.0 Mt of Small IT, 6.3 Mt
of screens and monitors, 7.0 Mt of temperature exchange equipment (cooling and freezing
equipment), 11.8 Mt large equipment, and 12.8 Mt of small equipment. The amount of e-waste is
expected to grow to 49.8 Mt in 2018, with an annual growth rate of 4 to 5 per cent.
The e-waste generated in 2014 contained an estimated 16,500 kilotons of iron, 1,900 kilotons of
copper, 300 tons of gold (equal to 11 per cent of the world's total 2013 gold production), as well as
silver, aluminum, palladium plastic and other resources with a combined estimated value of USD 52
billion.
Toxins in that e-waste include 2.2 Mt of lead glass, 0.3 Mt of batteries, as well as mercury, cadmium,
chromium and 4,400 tones of ozone-depleting substances (CFCs). Health problems associated with

such toxins include impaired mental development, cancer, and damage to livers and kidneys, the
report added.
However, they are likely to be the gap between the e-waste generated, officially collected and the ewaste in the waste bin. Official data for the trans boundary movement of e-waste (mostly from
developed to developing countries) are unknown.
"The monitor provides a baseline for national policymakers, producers and the recycling industry, to
plan take-back systems. It can also facilitate cooperation around controlling illegal trade, supporting
necessary technology development and transfer, and assisting international organizations,
governments and research institutes in their efforts as they develop appropriate countermeasures.
"This will eventually lead to improved resource efficiency while reducing the environmental and
health impacts of e-waste."
Recyclable Materials in e-waste are valuable, secondary resources, and this "Urban Mine" needs to
be explored by efficient and environmental system. In the mean time, toxic material in e-Waste are
harmful to the environment, and this "toxic mine" need to be taken care of by proper handling system
as well.

Government's 100,000 MV Solar

Energy Plan, Discuss
The world is facing a grave crisis of climate change caused by the excessive emission of green
house gases due to human activities. In tropical countries like India, the manifestation of climate
change has been in form of deadly heat waves, drought, flash floods unseasonal rains and so on
which claims hundreds of lives each year. It is the poor farmers, labourers, construction workers and
homeless who suffer the most. About 30% of this green house gases are emitted by power plants. In
the Indian culture we consider Sun as a God and we have turned towards him to help us to mitigate
the problem of climate change to an extent. The Government of India aims to install 100000 MW
capacity of solar power by the year 2022. This will provide us with clean energy without any green
house gas emissions. However, the question in front of us is that can India achieve such an
ambitious target of installing 100000 MW of solar power in seven years? This question must be
answered. This is because if this feat is achieved then it will be a great boost towards our goal of
energy security. It will also help us reduce air pollution and green house gas emissions and mitigate
climate change. The poor farmers whose crops are being destroyed due to erratic behavior of the
weather will get some respite. Finally, it will make India a leader on the world stage in terms of solar
energy just as Germany is in terms of wind energy. However, if we fail, then it will only lead to
wastage of resources which otherwise could have been invested in research and development to
search for other solutions to our problems. Although the goal is very challenging, it is achievable
provided we are able to meet some of the challenges which stand in our way.
Geography of India is such that it is perfect for solar power production. Being in the tropical and
subtropical region, it receives about 320 W/m2 of energy equivalent to about 5000 trillion units
annually. States like Rajasthan, Gujrat, Telangana, Karnataka and so on which have barren lands,
which cannot be used for agriculture, are well suited for setting up solar power plants.
The policy scenario in India is extremely conducive to solar power production. The government is
providing tax incentives for investors setting up solar power plant and lower custom duties for import
of solar power equipments. The procedures for setting up solar power plants have been greatly
simplified and the clearances are obtained smoothly to reduce the delays.
The support for solar industry is not only coming from Indian government but also from foreign
countries that recognize the threat of climate change, thanks to the IPCC reports. The UN has
devised various mechanisms like Kyoto protocol using which the countries can provide support for
solar industry in India to mitigate the effects of climate change. Very recently there was Renewable
Energy Conference organized in India where solar power got lot of investment promises from
companies like SunEdison and Adani power.
However, as mentioned earlier, the task ahead of us is very daunting. The current installed capacity
of solar power in India is about 3000 MW. Taking it to 100000 MW in 7 years will be a feat in itself.

The technology for solar power is still expensive and the cost of power comes out to be minimum Rs
7 compared to thermal power which costs Rs 3-4 per unit. Indian lower and middle class may not
agree to pay high rates. The solar power will be available during the day while peak demands in
India is during the night. The technology for storing electricity is expensive and may add to the cost.
The Grid in India is very unstable and weak and might not be able to absorb the solar power
generated.
The problems listed above mainly have to do with expensive technology and infrastructure
weakness. These problems are complex but solvable. India can use funding from Green Climate
Fund and loans from World Bank and newly opened New Development Bank and Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank to strengthen the power grid and remove other infrastructural
bottlenecks. Platforms like UNFCCC can be used to get solar technologies from developing
countries at lower costs under the principles of CBDR which will lead to lower cost of solar power.
The development of solar energy is imperative for India. It can be used to partly solve the problem of
climate change which affects all but most severely the poor and vulnerable. If the government
adopts the right plan and executes it well utilizing the global partnership for action against climate
change, India will definitely reach its goal of 100000 MW of solar power by 2022 and the sun of solar
energy will shine brightly in India.

China's refusal to aid Nepal due to

Indian Military Presence in Nepal, is it
justified?
It has always been a matter of fact that most of the times even a natural cause of humanitarian crisis
are taken on the grounds of political advantage or motive. The similar instance happened in Nepal,
which was shook by the disastrous earthquake that took place on April 25th. Amid such wide spread
impact on the lives of people, killing more than 8000 and injuring above 20,000 with scores of bodies
still to be recovered.
The Indian government was the first to active its synapses and get involved in the rescue
operation within six hours of the impact. India was followed by China which also endeavored a brisk
attempt to the rescue effort. This is when controversies have been raised when China claimed and at
the meantime showed reluctance to aid Nepal just because of Indias military presence. It is true
that Indo-Chinese relationship for decades is not on the right track. And over the past few months
being hassled by border disputes and other engagement related issues over the Indian Ocean and
the subcontinent.
China has always had an eye on Nepal for its own advantage. In 2014 China overtook India as the
biggest foreign direct investor in Nepal in a very unconventional and unfriendly way intensifying the
speculations about Chinas unfriendly nature. Many countries all over the world have sought help
to Nepal and they very well accomplished their jobs. China should also have focused on that point
rather than dragging implicitly all the disputes with India on the grounds of Nepal, making it more
victimized where the toll kept on rising every single day.
The question of ethics and humanity is raised over here is that-Does China always endeavors a
motive of political gain or profit irrespective of the conditions of any country? Indian military was in
Nepal not to challenge China but to help out its residents in every way possible. How come China
was having problem from this? It is really very saddening that China, one of the leading growing
economies in Asia is ready to compete with India, that too on the grounds of Nepal which was shortly
eradicated with all types of developmental aspects. This could never be justified for China or any
other country showing such apathy towards humanity. Humanity should prevail over every other
priority and that is what China ought to have forgotten.
India and China have a glorious history and similarly Nepal is amalgamated with majority of two
religions that is Hinduism and Buddhism, making it a sister country of both. Aspects related to
development should always be there in every country but when a country is facing such severe crisis
like Nepal at present. The superior ones should always lend a helping hand to them irrespective of
any profit motive. There are several prospects which the government of every nation should follow.
These are they should all possess the capability to learn from their histories both bad and good and
to rectify the former in the future. The principle of humanity should be clear to all and should be

prevailing over every other priority. All should maintain friendliness, cooperation, peaceful
movements and competition for development in a bona fide way. Great leaders have always spoken
that humanity is greater than religion and it should encapsulate all.

Is the youth of India swayed by the use

of social media in politics.
With proliferation of social media into the masses there has been quite a tectonic change in the
mindset of the society as a whole and this change is visible in the way our general elections have
been conducted in recent times. Politicians today realize that they need to harness the power of
youth and social media. In modern times, social media has played a mammoth role as a
communication channel between the politicians and the public and has helped in connecting the two.
Just about a decade ago, the newer technologies neither attracted the audience nor the officials,
who were busy in giving traditional interviews to age old media outlet. Indias large population and
increasing teledensity especially in urban pockets has spurred impressive jump of people online and
that has resulted in political parties beginning to harness the power of social media, taking a leaf out
of
Barack
Obamas
online
Presidential
electioneering
book.
I believe social technologies are now fast moving out of the research labs into real life monitoring of
peoples reaction to politics, policy and rapid responses to crisis situations. In the recent years we
have seen how social networking has been at centre stage of dramatic rise of Narendra Modi from
an ordinary citizen to the Chief Minister of Gujarat and finally becoming the Prime Minister of largest
democracy of the world. Back in 2012 when his Government came to power in Gujarat, he became
the first CM to interact with the audience through an online medium. His movement gained high
popularity so much so that #Modihangout became a trending topic and similarly his #misssion_272
stormed the virtual and political world. He realized that the rules of the games have changed and
walking shoulder to shoulder with the youth of the color emerged as a game changer for his political
career.
Further it has not been long when Anna Hazare started the Lok Pall Bill movement and it didn t
take time for fire of unity to spread among Indians through the most widespread mean the virtual
media. Volunteers, social workers, activists, students and even artists came together in a fight
against corruption. Twitter and facebook in particular proved to be one of the liveliest
communications platforms for mobilizing youth and shifting them around. Desire to form a corruption
free government led to the emergence of a hero in the form of Arvind Kejriwal who formed a fairy tale
majority administration in Delhi with their backbone being youth. Public media has the power to
mould the plastic minds of the youth. This was again demonstrated by the Delhi Nirbhaya case
which gained humongous popularity principally through social media. Immense advertisements,
cartoons, jokes, debates, articles as well as blogs which are being viewed day in and day out by the
people of all the ages have led to a whole new governance. Due to this, officials who were once
sceptical about the use of social media are embracing it now with much more comfort.
The rapid growth of social media in recent years means people are exposed to an abundance of
information. Every day we are witnessing various political groups online, circulating a blog post
about political issue or forwarding political videos to friends thus making each other more politically
aware. It is also affirmed that if our friends share an article, they are more likely to be read and get

interested in the topic, giving evidence of peer effects in socialization. Dominance of social media as
the preferred mode of acquisition of political information by young people is indisputable and their
political knowledge is positively influenced by it. Time and again it has been proved that
parliamentary knowledge and political interest of the youth is interlinked and this is the reason why in
recent times we are seeing substantial number of young people across racial and ethnic divide
engaging in participatory politics. Rise of several younger politicians are perfect examples to
prove the above stated point. As leaders they have interacted and connected with the youth and
have emerged as major forces in the world of Indian politics, mainly predominated by elderly age
group.
In an era when publics time and attention is increasingly directed towards social media platforms it
is important to realize how young people especially youth of the color are using new media to
amplify their voices in the political realm that need not be only elections or governance but also
various other matters that may affect a larger society. This new trend has turned feeble voices into a
roar and has caused individuals to act, taking our country by a storm.

Gold Monetization Scheme (GMS),

Discuss.
Seeking to mobilize idle gold worth up to Rs 60 lakh crore held by households and institutions,
government proposed a new scheme offering tax-free interest on depositing the yellow metal with
banks.
The draft gold monetization scheme also provides for incentives to the banks, while individuals and
institutions can deposit as low as 30 gms of gold, while the interest earned on it would be exempt
from
income
tax
as
well
as
capital
gains
tax.
The stock of gold in India that is held by people of the country that is 'neither traded nor monetized'
is estimated to be over 20,000 tonnes, which would be worth about Rs 60 lakh crore at the current
market
price.
India is one of the largest consumers of gold in the world and imports as much as 800-1,000 tonnes
of
the
metal
each
year.
As per the draft guidelines, a person or institution holding surplus gold can get it valued from BISapproved hallmarking centers, open a Gold savings Account in banks for a minimum period of one
year
and
The scheme,

earn
which is

interest
proposed

in
to

be

either
initially

cash
introduced

or
only

gold
in select

units.
cities.

"The new scheme will allow the depositors of gold to earn interest in their metal accounts and the
jewelers to obtain loans in their metal account. Banks/other dealers would also be able to monetize
this
gold."
The proposed scheme is aimed at monetizing idle gold held by households and institutions provide a
fillip to the gems and jewellery sector and reduce reliance on import of the metal over time to meet
the
domestic
demand.
"The amount of interest rate to be given is proposed to be left to the banks to decide. Both principal
and interest to be paid to the depositors of gold will be valued in gold.
It added, as an example, that if a customer deposits 100 gms of gold and gets 1 per cent interest,
then,
on
maturity
he
has
a
credit
of
101
gms.
With regard to redemption, the guidelines said that customers will have the option of getting it back
either in cash or in gold which will have to be exercised at the time of making deposit.
The tenure of the scheme has been proposed at a minimum 1 year and with a roll out option in
multiples of one year, it said, adding that it would be like a fixed deposit, breaking of lock-in period
will
be
allowed.
"To incentivize banks, it is proposed that they may be permitted to deposit the mobilized gold as part
of their CRR/SLR requirements with RBI. This aspect is still under examination," it said.
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) are mandatory requirement which
banks have to follow as per RBI directive.
Elaborating other benefits of the scheme, the guidelines said, banks may sell the gold to generate
foreign currency. The foreign currency thus generated can then be used for onward lending to

exporters

or

importers.

Bank may convert mobilized gold into coins for onward sale to their customers and can be used for
lending
to
jewelers,
it
said.
The government is also planning to commence work on developing an Indian Gold Coin, which will
carry
the
Ashok
Chakra
on
its
face.
While there is a mention about "mobilize the gold held by households and institutions in the country",
the real impact and benefit of this measure in terms of providing a major boost to the Indian
economy by release of the idle funds locked in these gold assets and its Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) multiplier effect has not been highlighted. Further, with India presently importing over 850
950 tons, mobilization under this Scheme will also enable in bringing down gold imports significantly
over a period of time, which will also provide a major relief to the Current Account Deficit being faced
in
the
balance
of
payments
in
foreign
exchange
by
the
Country.
The present draft of the Scheme does not bring out this objective and intent clearly and forcefully
and as such unless this is redrafted and re-positioned in a proper manner, the Scheme s objectives
and

ultimately

the

Scheme

itself

may

get

diluted.

Ultimately, scheme of gold is to boost the Indian economy using rest of the gold of India and getting
the foreign currencies.

Minimum Alternate Tax(MIT) Issue on

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs),
Comment.
MAT-Minimum Alternate Tax was introduced back in 1998. The Finance act 2000, inserted section
115 JB of Income tax Act, 1961 providing for levy of 20 % tax if the regular tax payable falls below 20
% of book profits. The intention of government was clear to tax so called zero tax companies which
had significant book profits, paid dividends but paid little or no tax because of various tax holidays
and deductions. FIIs began investing in India in 1993. Technically applies to all companies. It was
widely believed that MAT only applied to domestic companies as the stance on the issue in the
formal law was ambiguous. In fact the Authority for Advance Ruling, a tax body to determine issues
on foreign tax liability concluded in 2010 that MAT did not apply to companies without a permanent
establishment in India. This changed in 2012 when the same body contradicted its prior ruling stating
for the first time in Castleton case that foreign investors were required to make MAT payments. The
issue laid dormant as the company against whom ruling was passed sought an appeal.
Our honorable Prime Minister began his tenure at the helm of one of the world's fastest growing
economies with special focus on foreign investment. Everything seemed to be in place. The new and

jubilant era had commenced apparently. Moody changed its outlook on India from stable to positive.
India was hailed as 'bright spot' in Asia by none other than IMF chief Christian Laggarde. Bushels of
foreign investment over flowing in.The the World Bank pegged India's estimated growth at 7.5
percent. To cut a long story short, party was on for India until the MAT issue caught fire. The issue
got rekindled when finance minister exempted FII income from MAT after apple 1 2015 on the
budget day. But what about the FII income before April 1, 2015?
The tax department issued demand notices to the tune of Rupees 6500- 7000 crores for payment of
MAT on capital gains much lower than $ 6-7 billion as claimed by overseas investors to pressurize
government. During January to April investments by FPIs totaled Rupees 94,241 crores but the bad
news is that investors have pulled out nearly Rs. 17,000 crore from Indian capital markets in the first
week of May amid taxation worries.
Though statements have been issued to allay foreign investors that MAT won't be levied in countries
with whom India has double taxation agreements.Arun Jaitley issued statements to justify Income
tax department's actions to quell tensions between foreign investors and tax department. Legal
stance on the issue is vague as a result of which two schools of thought have emerged corroborating
and criticizing the tax department's actions.
Indian markets are on tenterhooks waiting for the final decision to come on the issue. However, apart
from the legal position, we need to look at broader logical and coherent perspective. India is now
more of a liberalized economy intertwined with global nerves. Hence retractmemt of funds from
Indian stock markets will destabilize the economy and the sweet period will soon come to an end.
Rupee which was enjoying stability till now will become volatile. India will lose its competitive edge
when the the position is so much favourable for India as India's growth rate is predicted to be higher
than China by international agencies. Moreover, the money will move to Chinese markets especially
when India is facing the dreaded fear of China a shares being enlisted in MSCI emerging market
index .Some will argue that relieving foreign investors of the tax will imply India ceding to foreign
pressure. Well for those remember that - "Taking one step back sometimes means preparing for a
big jump "to reassess the things for a better and clear perspective.

The Role of National Tiger conservation

Authority.
Mrs. Indira Gandhi used to say "The tiger cannot be preserved in isolation. It is at the apex of a large
and complex biotope. Its habitat, threatened by human intrusion, commercial forestry and cattle
grazing, must first be made inviolate".
The tiger, India's national animal, is a symbol that is an intrinsic part of our culture. One of the
earliest portrayals of the tiger in India is found in the Harappan seals from the Indus valley culture,
dating back to 2500 BC, which depict an intricate association between people and tigers. India is
one of the thirteen tiger range countries and has the largest number of source sites with wild tigers.
The Indian government has always made Tiger protection a priority and Project Tiger, launched in
the early seventies, has put the endangered tiger on a definite path to recovery.
Role of National Tiger Conservation Authority:
i.

Anti-poaching initiatives

ii.

Strengthening infrastructure within tiger reserves

iii.

Habitat improvement and water development

iv.

Addressing man-animal conflicts

v.

Co-existence agenda in buffer / fringe areas with landscape approach

vi.

Deciding inviolate spaces and relocation of villages from crucial tiger habitats within a
timeframe by providing a better relocation package, apart from supporting States for
settlement of rights of such people

vii.

Rehabilitation of traditional hunting tribes living in and around tiger reserves

viii.

Providing support to States for research and field equipments

ix.

Supporting States for staff development and capacity building in tiger reserves.

x.

Mainstreaming wildlife concerns in tiger bearing forests outside tiger reserves, and fostering
corridor conservation in such areas through restorative strategy involving local people to
arrest fragmentation of habitats.

xi.

Providing safeguards / retrofitting measures in and around tiger reserves and tiger bearing
forests for wildlife conservation.

xii.

Strengthening the infrastructure of National Tiger Conservation Authority at the Centre.

xiii.

Carrying out independent monitoring and the evaluation of tiger reserves.

xiv.

Establishment and development of eight new tiger reserves.

xv.

Provision of project allowance to all categories of staff working in tiger reserves.

xvi.

Providing residential amenities to facilitate basic education to children of frontline field staff
posted in tiger reserves.

xvii.

Providing assistance to States for fostering ecotourism to benefit local people.

NTCA
accomplished
Key
Milestones
and
Major
achievements:
From nine tiger reserves in 1973, it expanded to 39 tiger reserves in 2010. In the early eighties, it
undertook path breaking radio-telemetry study. The recent All India Tiger Estimation, using a peer
reviewed internationally recognized scientific methodology, highlights the achievement of Project
Tiger by showing that viable tiger population exists only in Project Tiger areas, while outside
populations are highly depleted. Over the years, the Project envisioned a core-buffer-corridor
strategy. While the core area of a tiger reserve is managed for wildlife conservation, the buffer is
treated
as
a
multiple
use
zone.
Project Tiger has saved the endangered tiger from extinction, and has put the species on an assured
path to recovery by improving the protection and status of its habitat. The core buffer strategy of
Project Tiger has provided scope for eliciting local public support through site specific ecodevelopment in the buffer/fringe areas. The Project has contributed towards several intangible
environmental benefits to society, such as absorption of carbon dioxide, improvement of micro
climate, rainfall and river flow. The Project has generated considerable wages for the benefit of
fringe dwelling communities, who are deployed as local work force for protection. While conserving
the flagship species, the Project has saved several other species of plants and animals from
extinction. The local communities are benefiting from eco-tourism apart from eco developmental
inputs in fringe areas. The Project has served as a role model for wildlife management planning,
habitat restoration, protection and eco-development. States have been provided funding support for
enhancing protection through deployment of local work force, ex-army personnel. The field staff have
been provided allowance as an incentive for working in difficult conditions. Independent monitoring
of tiger reserves has been undertaken by a panel of experts, based on the framework of the World
Commission of Protected Areas of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN). The All India Estimation of tiger, co-predators and prey animals has been refined
by Project Tiger in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, with a peer review mechanism
comprising independent experts, both national and international (IUCN).