The

Analyst SOLAR WASTE

Handout
21st March 2024
CONTEXT: According to a new study by CEEW, India generated about 100 kt of solar waste
in the financial year 2022-2023.The amount of solar waste produced by the country is
expected to reach 600 kt by 2030, the study said.

SOLAR ENERGY: SOLAR WASTE:

● Captured through - Photovoltaics & ● India’s Current Installed Solar
Solar Thermal Energy processes. Capacity
● Photovoltaics i.e. Solar Power - Waste
Systems - Components: ● 5 States - to produce 67% of this
○ Solar Panels waste by 2030
○ PV Cells ● Discarded Modules - contain ‘Critical
Minerals’:
○ Inverter
○ Silicon
○ Balance of System ○ Silver
○ Cadmium & Tellurium
Solar Power in India:
● Installed Capacity - 73.31 GW
(December 2023)
● Prospects:
○ Abundant Sunshine
○ Ambitious Target
○ Job Creation
● Challenges:
○ Lack of Domestic
Manufacturing
○ Land Acquisition
○ Grid Integration

SOLAR WASTE:
● Study by MNRE & CEEW How to deal with solar waste?
● Solar Capacity: ● Maintain a comprehensive database
○ Current of the installed solar capacity
○ Expected
● Incentivising recyclers and
● Study:
concerned stakeholders
○ In FY 2022-23
○ By 2030 ● Focus on creating a market for solar
○ By 2050 recycling
● Two broad ways of recycling solar
panels:
➔ Conventional recycling or bulk
material recycling
➔ High-value recycling
 The
Analyst INCOME & WEALTH INEQUALITY
Handout
21st March 2024
CONTEXT: Top 1% Indians’ income share is higher now than under British-rule - says
recently released ‘Income and Wealth Inequality in India’ report published by the World
Inequality Lab.

Definition: ● In 2022, the share of national income

that went to the wealthiest 1% of
● Income Inequality Indians recorded a historic peak,
● Wealth Inequality higher than the levels seen in
developed countries such as the
United States and the United
Kingdom.
Causes of Income and Wealth
● Close to one crore adults were in the
Inequality in India: top 1%, 10 crore in the top 10%, 36
crore in the middle 40% and 46 crore
● Unequal Access to Education and
were there in the bottom 50% of the
Skills
income pyramid.
● Labor Market Rigidities
○ Notably, about 10,000 richest
● Gender Pay Gap
Indians — the top 0.001% of the
● Informal Sector Dominance income pyramid — earned 2.1%
● Caste System and Social Exclusion of the national income.
● Inheritance and Wealth Accumulation ● While income disparity has always
● Asset Price Inflation existed in India, in recent years, that
the gap widened at a reckless pace.

‘Income and Wealth Inequality in ● Post-liberalisation, in the 1990s, the

India’ Report: income share of the top 10%
skyrocketed, with the other two
● Published by World Inequality Lab
group’s share recording a steady
● In 2022, 22.6% of the national income
fall.
went to the top 1% of Indians.
● In 1951, their share was only 11.5% and
in the 1980s — just before India
opened-up its economy — at 6%.
● Share of the top 10% of Indians
increased — from 36.7% of national
income in 1951 to 57.7% in 2022.
● The bottom 50% of Indians earned
only 15% of the national income in
2022, compared with 20.6% in 1951.
● The middle 40% of Indians also
recorded a sharp fall in their share of
income from 42.8% to 27.3% in the
period.
● The gap between the rich and the
poor has widened rapidly in the last
two decades.
 The
Analyst INCOME & WEALTH INEQUALITY
Handout
21st March 2024
CONTEXT: Top 1% Indians’ income share is higher now than under British-rule - says
recently released ‘Income and Wealth Inequality in India’ report published by the World
Inequality Lab.

● China and Vietnam’s average

● Just before independence, in the incomes grew at a much faster pace
1930s, the top 1%’s share of national than India’s trajectory.
income crossed the 20% mark. But
after independence, the share of the Impact of Inequality:
top 1% steadily declined, reaching
close to the 6% mark in the 1980s. ● Social Mobility
● However, post-liberalisation, their
● Social Unrest
income share surged again and is
presently hovering around the 22.5% ● Economic Stagnation
mark,
○ much higher than their share
under British-rule. Addressing Inequality:
● In 2022-23, the income shares of
India’s top 1% were above the levels
● Investment in Education
recorded in the U.S., China, France, the
U.K. and Brazil. ● Labour Market Reforms
● Social Safety Nets
● Taxation Policies
 The
Analyst DISEASE ELIMINATION
Handout
21st March 2024

CONTEXT: Ending the epidemics of malaria, tuberculosis and Neglected Tropical

Diseases by 2030 is one of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.

Burden of Diseases: In context of Disease Elimination, the first step in

Developing and LDCs: Disease Eradication:

● The burden of disease is measured ● For Developing Countries & LDCs -

by a metric - Disability-Adjusted Life Disease Elimination - Highly
Years (DALYs) desirable objective.

● In 2019, CMNN diseases accounted for ● Disease Elimination strategy -

an average of 52% of DALYs in Challenging and Resource intensive
developing countries, compared to - needs:
21% in developed countries
● Robust PHC, Diagnostics, Surveillance
● In 2019, NCDs accounted for 48% of capacity.
DALYs in developing countries,
compared to 79% in developed
● Increased deployment of Health
countries. This highlights the ongoing
Professionals
burden of CMNNs but also the
increasing trend of NCDs in
Developing & LDCs. ● International Support

● Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) ● Political and Bureaucratic

commitment

● Multi-sectoral collaboration

● Public participation
 The
Analyst SMALL SCALE LNG
Handout
21st March 2024
CONTEXT: Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri this month
dedicated to the nation India’s first small-scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) unit at GAIL
(India) Ltd’s Vijaipur complex in Madhya Pradesh.

Natural Gas: Promising Solution :SSLNG -

● Fossil Fuel - Primarily Methane Small-Scale Liquefied Natural Gas:
● Other HCs - Smaller Quantities ● Globally nascent industry - Lacks
● Formed over millions of years ago Definition
● Refers to the liquefaction of natural
gas and its transportation using
Benefits of Natural Gas over unconventional means in a
Conventional HCs like Coal or Oil: significantly smaller-scale operation
● Cleaner Burning than the usual large-scale
● Cheaper than Oil liquefaction, regasification, and
transportation infrastructure and
● Reduced Health Risks
processes.
● Transportation & Storage ● Simply put - LNG, in its liquid or
● Fuel Efficiency super-chilled form — is supplied in
specialised trucks and small vessels
to industrial and commercial
Considering the benefits over
consumers in regions that are not
conventional HCs: connected by pipelines.
GoI has been pushing adoption and use of ● Supplying CNG for vehicles and
natural gas across sectors: piped gas for
● Aim to increase the share of natural households/manufacturing units -
gas in the primary energy mix to 15% the buyer would regasify the LNG
by 2030 from around 6% at present. using small vaporizers, and then
● Major challenge in scaling up gas supply it to end-users.
consumption - Transportation of gas ● Where the fuel is to be used directly
to places that are not connected to in its liquid form, it would be supplied
the natural gas pipeline grid. to end-users without regasification.
○ Also hinders the use of LNG as ● The SSLNG chain can start from a
fuel for long-haul trucks and large-scale LNG import terminal
inter-city buses from where the LNG can be
transported to consumers by
● Large-scale pipeline projects - Long
cryogenic road tankers or small
Gestation Periods
vessels.
● Last-mile delivery challenges -
persist in many parts of the country
● Thus, new-age solutions with fast
turnaround times - need of the hour
- to expand the reach, access, and
consumption of natural gas.
 The
Analyst SMALL SCALE LNG
Handout
21st March 2024
CONTEXT: Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri this month
dedicated to the nation India’s first small-scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) unit at GAIL
(India) Ltd’s Vijaipur complex in Madhya Pradesh.

● The chain can also start at locations ● Replacing a major chunk of India’s
with natural gas supply or diesel consumption by LNG could
production, where small liquefaction lead to substantial foreign exchange
plants can be set up. The SSLNG unit savings.
at Vijaipur, which is GAIL’s largest gas
processing facility, is an example of
● LNG has been used successfully in
the latter kind of location. medium and heavy commercial
vehicles in many countries, most
● Petronet, which is jointly promoted by notably in China.
GAIL, ONGC, IOC and BPCL, has been
pushing for greater adoption of LNG
● The challenges in India- a lack of
as automotive fuel, marine fuel, and
easy availability of LNG-powered
in regulation use cases such as CGD
vehicles, the higher initial cost of
networks and industries that use
these vehicles and the absence of
natural gas as feedstock.
an LNG vehicle financing ecosystem,
and the virtually non-existent LNG
Use of LNG in long-haul trucks retail network.

and buses:
● Companies such as GAIL and
● Compared with diesel, LNG is
Petronet are working to build a
significantly cleaner — reduced
viable ecosystem for transporters to
carbon dioxide emissions and
move from diesel vehicles to LNG e.g.
negligible particulate matter,
building LNG dispensing stations
nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide
along major highways.
emissions.

● LNG offers slightly longer range to

vehicles than diesel with
similar-sized fuel tanks, and is
usually cheaper than crude oil, from
which diesel is derived.
 The
Analyst NCLT & NCLAT
Handout
21st March 2024

CONTEXT: NCLAT directs banks not to take action against IL&FS, directors

NCLT & NCLAT: NCLAT:

● Quasi-Judicial bodies ● It is the appellate tribunal for matters
● Established under the Companies decided by the NCLT, IBBI, CCI, & NFRA.
Act, 2013
● Regulate and Adjudicate matters ● The NCLAT includes
related to Indian Companies ○ Chairperson,
○ 3 judicial members, and
NCLT: ○ 2 technical members.
● Serves as the primary body for ○ It consists of a total of not more
adjudicating company law matters than eleven members.
in India. It has original jurisdiction.
● The NCLT bench is chaired by a ● The decisions of National Company
Judicial member who is supposed to Law Appellate Tribunal are appellable
be a retired or a serving High Court in Supreme Court of India.
Judge and a Technical member who
● National Company Law Appellate
must be from the ICLS Cadre - has 16
Tribunal has principal bench in Delhi
Benches.
and other one in Chennai.
● It handles a broad range of matters
including:
○ Company incorporation and
registration
○ Increase or decrease in share
capital
○ Mergers and acquisitions
○ Company restructuring
○ Oppression and
mismanagement by Directors
○ Insolvency and bankruptcy
proceedings (under the IBC,
2016)
○ Winding up of companies