NationAge

Sustainable Development for Eradication of Hunger

Trumpet call to Indian Premier League

Women and Environment Protection

NATIONAGE September 2020

Volume 10 | Issue 10 | `20

Confusion & Distrust

of the farmers should be addressed

The three farm bills recently cleared by the Parliament which has got the assent of the President of India became the law of the land.

A genuine comment about this bill is that “be careful what you wish for, you may actually get it”.

NATION AGE

A Unit of Gyan Prabha Media Private Limited

VOLUME 10 NUMBER 10 September 2020

Cover Story

The three farm bills recently cleared by the Parliament which has got the assent of the President of India became the law of the land. A genuine comment about this bill is that “be careful what you wish for, you may actually get it”.

6

Agriculture Reforms Laws; Scope and Challenges James Vadakkan

Editor Haneef Shibu Chief Executive Officer Rehana Shibu Editorial Advisor Joe Joseph Thayamkary Editorial Board Shiv Prakash Legal Advisor Advocate Jojo Jose Public Relation Head Radhika Menon Content Writer David Buisness Development Incharge Bibin Mathew Senior Graphic Designer Ratheesh Kumar R Digital consultant Manu V S Marketing Circulation Tony John, Anson Joseph Chandan Kumar, Daniel Christopher

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Will the three bills ensure transformation of Agriculture and raise the income of farmers

16

Sustainable Development for Eradication of Hunger

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34

Sports Trumpet call to Indian Premier League

The report said India has been faring reasonably well in its clean energy transition and has set itself one of the world's most ambitious renewable energy targets but lack of FGD units in most power plants overshadows it...

Sam Alex

Report Drop in Sulphur dioxide emissions in India during 2019

26 38

Possibilities are ever vast. But in a nut shell we can say that woman has a vital role to play as a mother and as a teacher in inculcating environmental values in the minds of children.

By basic definition, sustainable food systems do not take away resources from the soil or environment.

They seek to maintain Earth’s natural resources.

Environment Women and Environment Protection

AGRICULTURE Will Sustainable Agriculture sustain?

Dr. Elizabeth Vista Paul

Jayasankar Prasad

44

30

With a population projected to reach 9.8 billion by2050, farmers will have to produce more food than ever before.

Development Rural Development and Sustainability

48

International DIARY

The blockchain is a new technological institution that will fundamentally change how we exchange value. Blockchain lowers uncertainty and holds huge promise to transform our economic systems in radical ways beyond bitcoin.

Technology So, what is Blockchain?

54

NATION DIARY

VOLUME 10 NUMBER 10 September 2020

Editorial

T

Confusion and Distrust of the farmers should be addressed

he Central Government has introduced three historic legislature in the Parliament regarding the reformation of Agriculture Sector in the country namely The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020: The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020: The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020: These three bills are considered to bring a drastic change in the basic structure of the Indian Agriculture. The decade’s old tradition and laws are modified by the new three bills.

Agriculture is considered to be the back bone of Indian economy. Majority of Indians are still depending agriculture for their daily bread. Even in this developed era the Indian households depend on farming as a way for earning their daily life. Farmers and agriculture labourers are the major portion of population in the democratic country. But unfortunately agriculture is not attractive to the country. They are selecting other jobs as their profession. Most of the youth are selecting low income sectors other than agriculture for their livelihood.

Farming is considered as a low status profession even in the villages as the farmers are not earning a good income from agriculture. So even traditional farmers wish their next generation to acquire white collar jobs such as In some of the states like Punjab and Haryan a big scale farming turn out to be an attractive profession. But these type of glorious life style is attainable only to a few number of farmers. Most of the farmers in India have only small size cultivation area. From a small area they will get only a small amount as their return of their month’s long efforts..

Indian agriculture mainly depend upon the climate of the country. Mainly monsoon is the key The flood in some area every year destroys the yearlong hope of the Indian farmers of that area. It is true that the government will help the farmers by giving free seeds and other support. But the loss is very high when compared to the gain or support from the government. The group insurance and other support from the co-operative agencies are considered to be very low when compared to the huge loss the farmers of India are facing during every flood affected season. The farmer will be in a dilemma at the time of next farming season whether they have to initiate for the next crop.

Low price of the agriculture product is one of the major problems faced by the Indian farmers. When the harvest is over or during the harvest season the over production will be a good opportunity for the middle men to cheat the farmers at large. The middle men artificially create a situation of low demand and the farmers will be forced to sell their product at a low price. Even if the farmer get a good harvest the real beneficiary will be the middle men. The farmer will have no other choice but to sell the product at a low price which is fixed by the middle men.

The middle men or the wholesaler keep the product for some time and when the demand shows an upper trend

the product will be dumped to the market and the wholesaler will get the huge margin. And as the product is purchased from the farmer at a very low price the farmer will not get the benefit of a good crop in any time. But he/she has to face the burden of all climate related hazards and over production of the agricultural products.

Natural calamities like flood and landslide will bring huge loss to the farmers all over India. The Indian farmers could not escape from these untimely disasters during their life span. Several times they will have to face these type of sad occasions and they need lot of their time to recover from the situation. So most of the people in the agriculture sector will have to start from scrap for a new life. Thus they will have to struggle in a very big manner for a new farming season.

In some of the places the attack of wild animals pose as a threat to the agricultural sector. As most of the agriculture land are either at remote places or near the forest area there is a chance for the wild animals to encroach the agriculture land thus creating a bad situation destroying entire plants or crop in that area. And there arise a dire need for the farmers to protect their farming even neglecting their life.

Overcoming these obstacles a lot of Indians are still selecting farming as their profession. This may be due to their pathetic condition as they have no other alternative.

Only very few people are selecting agriculture as their passion. Anyway majority of Indians are depending agriculture as their way of life.

Even if either by passion or by compulsion Indian farmers are set for agriculture they have to face a lot of restrictions such as selecting their crops, fixing the price of their product, selecting the buyers, selecting the market to sell etc. These restrictions are for the benefit of the consumers not for the farmers. The government has the idea to control price of the edibles offered to the public.

It is true that the government has the responsibility to provide the food at a reasonable cost to the people. That means the government has the mandate to control the price of the food items which are essential for the people.

Keeping this idea in mind the Government has passed laws in the parliament time to time to restrict the price of the essential commodities which will indirectly affect the income of the farmers. The new three bills seem to be helpful to the agricultural sector but most of the farmers are in doubt whether these are for big business groups rather than the farmers. It is true that they want the existing restrictions to be removed. But they also think that it is not for them. It is for the big corporates and they will decide what to plant, whom to sell, at what price etc. So what is needed is that these basic doubts has to be cleared and then only the spirit of the bill will be materialized.

Editor

Cover Story

Agriculture Reforms Laws;

Scope and Challenges James Vadakkan

The three farm bills recently cleared by the Parliament which has got the assent of the President of India became the law of the land. A genuine comment about this bill is that “be careful what you wish for, you may actually get it”.

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NATION AGE September 2020

S

atyagraha and Swadeshi are fundamentals in Gandhi’s philosophy of life. Gandhiji defined swadeshi as the “spirit in us which restricts us to the use and service of our immediate, to the exclusion of the more remote”. According to Mahatma ‘a true votary of Swadeshi will never harbor ill-will towards the foreigner: he will not be actuated by antagonism towards anybody on earth.’ Swaseshism is not a cult of hatred. It is a doctrine of selfless service that has its roots in the purest ahimsa, i.e. love. In the Swadeshi economic order there will be healthy exchange of products and not cut-throat competition through the play of market forces. If we follow the Swadeshi doctrine, it would be your duty and mine to find out neighbours who can supply our wants and to teach them to supply them where they do not know how to proceed, assuming that there are neighbours who are in want of healthy occupation. Then every village of India will almost be a self-supporting and self-contained unit, exchanging only such necessary commodities with other villages where they are not locally producible”.

The three farm bills recently cleared by the Parliament which has got the assent of the President of India became the law of the land. A genuine comment about this bill is that “be careful what you wish for, you may actually get it”. These farm laws represent fairly important changes in agriculture produce marketing regulation.

The income gap between the farmers and the organized workers were increasing year after year.

The government through various policy measures like APMC and MSP had blocked the natural increase in the prices of agriculture produces and the profitability of the farmers. Increase in the MSP prices is not even matching the inflationary trends. When the prices of agricultural commodities increased by 10 times between 1980 and 2020, the wages or salaries of the organized sector including government service, insurance, banking, post, railways, central and state public sector undertakings etc. increased by 70 times On an analysis of the plight of the farmers of the nation during the last 70 years, several studies have found that the Indian farmers were enslaved by the need to create cheap food for the better nourished and better income earning organized and urban and semi urban counterparts, the farmers are stabbed by India’s nonrealistic attitude and farmers are robbed of a future for decades together.

September 2020 NATION AGE

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Real farmers had already understood the urban India which cries through social media for low cost food, vegetables, milk and meat at the cost of the farmers remaining poor has no business to shed their tears.

The fact is that Indian farmers have been burned in regulatory government hell for decades without getting remunerative prices or prices in consonance with inflation. It is said that the new scenario opened up by the legislation of the three farmer bills will surely improve the life of the farmers and it cannot be worse than what they have faced for the last so many decades .

Post independent successive governments wanted always to keep food prices as low as possible through various legislations and controls like APMC, MSP, and FCI. Etc. Food Security has been the watch 8

NATION AGE September 2020

word for successive socialist thinking of Indian Governments for decades.

Farmers have been reduced to laboring on the fields to produce cheap food for the Indians, meaning the urban residents. So whenever potato or onion prices rise, the government intervenes and brings down the prices every time. But when prices fall, no such government intervention and farmers are forced to throw their produce over main roads. The present market prices of most of the agriculture produces are not even meeting 50% of the cost of production On many occasions the farmers have lost export opportunities to realize better prices due to the banning of agriculture produce exports by the government.

One of the main arguments against the bill is that, farmers will be

trapped and exploited by corporates and hoarders. Some even say that the Food Corporation of India is the biggest hoarders in the nation.

Real farmers had already understood the urban India which cries through social media for low cost food, vegetables, milk and meat at the cost of the farmers remaining poor has no business to shed their tears. 1991 is seen as the year that Indian Industry escaped the regulatory clutches to a large extent. It is claimed that 2020after the enactment of the three farmer legislations – should be seen as the year in which Indian farmers will also make such an escape.

Minimum Support Price & APMC Markets

Till the mid-1970s the government notified two types of price support, namely (i) Minimum Support Price (MSP); and (ii)Procurement Price.

be the bench mark below which nobody should be permitted to trade By passage of time MSP itself has become the Procurement price as the “Government transferred the responsibility of providing cheap food produce to the farmers rather than the budgets of the states and the nation. This is the most critical aspect which the Government should consider that the farmers became the food subsidiary providers of the nation.

Agriculture Declining

India has been an agriculture based economy. Though agricultural SGDP is growing, as a ratio of the total

SGDP of the economy it has been declining. During 1960s Agriculture contributed 43.68% of the GDP/GVA. During 2016-17 it came down to just 11.63 %. In spite of the decline in the contribution of Agriculture to GDP, majority of the population still depend upon agriculture for their livelihood. Though the percentage of population dependent on agriculture declined, it is seen that in terms of absolute numbers, a sizable population is still dependent on agriculture for its livelihood.

Agriculture influences the lives of the entire population. “Farmers feed the Population”. Several efforts have been made even before

The MSP was intended to serve as a floor price and an assurance against risks that could arise from sharp falls in market price. The Procurement price was used to undertake domestic purchases of cereals by public agencies, for the purpose of the Public Distribution System. Normally, the procurement price was higher than the MSP, but lower than the open market price.

This provided the farmer the choice to avail of either the price in open market, or sell to the public agencies.

Government notifies MSP for only 23 commodities which raises the issue of notifying MSP for all agriculture produces. The MSP should be announced for all agriculture produces. The MSP should be fixed based on the inflation, cost of production, real national wages and the interest on the cost of the land.

In any free regime, the MSP should September 2020 NATION AGE

9

Movement of India Economy: trends in GDP/GVA across various sectors- Share (5) Period

1960-61/ 1968-69/ 1975-76/ 1988-89/ 1995-96/ 2004-05 / 1968-69 1975-76 1988-89 1995-96 2004-05 2016-17

Agriculture & Allied

43.68

Industry

15.80 16.90 19.04 20.60 20.73 20.30

Services

40.52 42.53 46.34 50.74 56.81 68.07

Total

40.57

34.62

28.66

22.47

11.63

100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

independence to evolve appropriate agricultural policies. Several policies like Production subsidies, Minimum Support Price, Public Procurement, Storage and distribution of food grains , trade protection, export ban were adopted in the mid- 1960s. Though most of these policies ensured food grain supply, it never considered the viability and profitability of agriculture operations.

Several Commissions like of Royal Commission on Agriculture (1926), Food Grains Policy Committee (1943), Food grain Policy Committee (1947), Maitra Committee (1950), Mehta Committee (1957), Venkatappaiah Committee (1966), National Commission on Agriculture (1976), Bhanu Pratap Sinhg Committee (1990), National Agriculture Policy (2000), National Commission on Farmers (2004), were constituted but the condition of the Indian farmers remain same.

The vision shared by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2016 to double the income of farmers by 2022, when the nation celebrates 75th years of independence led to the constitution of the “InterMinisterial Committee on Doubling Farmers Income” (DFI Committee) constituted in April 2016. The DFI Committee considered agriculture sector as an Agri-value system and recommended major market reforms and to bring increased focus on animal husbandry, poultry, fisheries and other allied enterprises

Three Farmer Bills

Reminding us of the strategic liberalization moves initiated in the 10

NATION AGE September 2020

While liberalization of the 1990s gave freedom to all, the 2020 Farmer legislations should free farmers to plant any seed of his choice, plant and produce of his choice.

Indian Economy during 1990s, the Narendra Modi Govt had passed three legislations related to Farmers and Agriculture Development. All the legislations were enacted based on the recommendations of various expert groups and committees, the prominent of which is “Doubling of Farmers Income Committee” DOFI).

They are

• Farmer

Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020, permitting farmers to sell their produce anywhere they like

• Farmers

(Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020, permitting farmers Contract Farming

• Essential

Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance Act of 2020 to partly do away with the anti-farmer provisions of the 1955 Essential commodities Act

Agriculture absorbs maximum number of labourers as a sector.

The livelihood dependence on agriculture can be ascertained from the number of workers employed in agriculture, in the form of cultivators and agricultural labourers.

Agriculture

contributes

to

rural

prosperity through employment and income provision to masses. The speed with which agriculture sector reduces rural poverty is at least twice that what rest of the sectors in the economy does

Top Agri Exporters in the World ($ Billion)

Nation

Exports

EU 181

Farm workers get 1/3rd wages compared to other

US 172

Disparity between farm income and nonfarm income is rising and that those who work outside agriculture are progressing much faster than those who work in it. A non – agriculture worker earned three times the income earned by a farmer or his family members engaged in agriculture as their main economic activity

China 83

One of the biggest misconceptions is that India is severally short of food production and therefore poverty in the nation. But the fact is that India has grown from food deficit nation to food surplus nation and now the nation faces the food surplus crisis problem. India is one of the largest producers of milk, sugarcane, pulses, cereals, vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry and much more. Even before the Prime Minister coined the “Make in India” concept, it was the farmer community which took it to their hearts and became the 8th biggest exporter of agriculture produces in the world. Go downs are full and overflowing. From 1990s India has become a net food exporter. All-time record of 297 million tons of food and 320 million tons of horticulture made India one of the world’s food leaders.

All these were achieved on two unjustified realities, below livelihood income to farmers and lowest wages to labourers, which only made Indian Agri Produces cheaper in the country of import.

If export performance is a barometer of judging international competence and economic performance, our farmers are right up there. Top agri exports In most Global Rankings India is at the bottom of most of global rankings , in Per Capita GDP, India is 145th , in Happiness Index it is in the

Brazil 93 Canada 69 Indonesia 46 Thailand 44

has to change its own stands and policies. When the Government said that it will free farmers from the control regime, the next day the government banned exports of onion. The government is extremely vague even when it says it will free farmers from the control regime.

India’s agriculture sector is the biggest fitting of the license, permit, and control raj system. Every step of its operation from land, to seed, to fertilizer, to pesticides, to cropping, to transporting, to processing, to pricing, to exporting is regulated

India 39

last 10 ranks . But our farmers are right on top. Agri Exports have grown from 4 billion $ in early 2000s to 39 billion $ now. Recent RBI Report says surplus management became a major challenge When agriculture sector is showing the above indicators, farm distress and maximum farmer suicides make cover stories in newspapers.

Three key reasons for the present agricultural situation are over staffing, private money lending to farmers by middle men and low productivity.

License raj in farming sector

After the enactment of the three Farmer Laws, the government

Double standards of the policy makers should also change after the enactment of the three Farmer legislations. India’s refusal to let farmers use the latest technology and even seeds should be changed immediately.

While liberalization of the 1990s gave freedom to all, the 2020 Farmer legislations should free farmers to plant any seed of his choice, plant and produce of his choice. Farmers cannot wait any more for the adoption of the modern technology in farming as in the case of other fields like science and space. Then only the Indian agriculture will flourish.n September 2020 NATION AGE

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Cover Story

Will the three bills ensure transformation of

Agriculture and raise the income of farmers While India has become surplus in most agro-commodities, farmers have been unable to get better prices due to lack of investment in cold storage, warehouses, processing and export as the entrepreneurial spirit gets dampened due to Essential Commodities Act.

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hree bills aimed at transformation of agriculture in the country and raising farmers’ income were introduced in Lok Sabha to replace ordinances promulgated on 5th June 2020 are The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020,The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020,And The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar introduced The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020

and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, while Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve introduced The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Lok Sabha.

While seeking permission of the Chair to introduce the Bills, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said that the measures contained therein will enable barrierfree trade in agricultural produce, and also empower farmers to engage with investors of their choice. He said that these steps are only the latest in a series of measures taken by the Government, which shows its continuous commitment to championing the cause of welfare of

the farmers of India.

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 seeks to provide for the creation of an ecosystem where the farmers and traders enjoy the freedom of choice relating to sale and purchase of farmers' produce which facilitates remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels to promote efficient, transparent and barrierfree inter-State and intra-State trade and commerce of farmers' produce outside physical premises of markets or deemed markets notified under various State agricultural produce market legislations; to provide a facilitative framework for electronic trading and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

September 2020 NATION AGE

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Farmers in India suffered from various restrictions in marketing their produce. There were restrictions for farmers in selling agro-produce outside the notified APMC market yards. The farmers were also restricted to sell the produce only to registered licensees of the State Governments. Further, Barriers existed in free flow of agriculture produce between various States owing to the prevalence of various APMC legislations enacted by the State Governments. This legislation is a historic-step in unlocking the vastly regulated agriculture markets in the country. It will open more choices for the farmer, reduce marketing costs for the farmers and help them in getting better prices.

It will also help farmers of regions with surplus produce to get better prices and consumers of regions with shortages, lower prices.

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 seeks to provide for a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services and sale of future farming produce at a mutually agreed remunerative price framework in a fair and transparent manner and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Indian agriculture is characterized by fragmentation due to small holding sizes and has certain weaknesses such as weather dependence, production uncertainties and market unpredictability. This makes agriculture risky and inefficient in respect of both input & output management.

This legislation will transfer the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the sponsor and also enable the farmer to access modern technology and better inputs. It will reduce cost of marketing and improve income of farmers. Farmers will engage in direct marketing thereby eliminating intermediaries resulting in full realization of price. Farmers have 14

NATION AGE September 2020

While seeking permission of the Chair to introduce the Bills, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said that the measures contained therein will enable barrierfree trade in agricultural produce, and also empower farmers to engage with investors of their choice. been provided adequate protection.

Effective dispute resolution mechanism has been provided for with clear time lines for redressal.

The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 seeks to remove commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities. This will remove fears of private investors of

excessive regulatory interference in their business operations. The freedom to produce, hold, move, distribute and supply will lead to harnessing of economies of scale and attract private sector/foreign direct investment into agriculture sector.

While India has become surplus in most agro-commodities, farmers have been unable to get better prices due to lack of investment in cold storage, warehouses, processing and export as the entrepreneurial spirit gets dampened due to Essential Commodities Act. Farmers suffer huge losses when there are bumper harvests, especially of perishable commodities. The legislation will help drive up investment in cold storages and modernization of food supply chain. It will help both farmers and consumers while bringing in price stability. It will create competitive market environment and also prevent wastage of agro-produce that happens due to lack of storage facilities.n

September 2020 NATION AGE

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Cover Story

Sustainable Development for Eradication of Hunger

A

chieving Sustainable Development Goal is zero hunger which requires rethinking how we grow, share, and consume our food (United Nations). In order to find sustainable alternatives it is necessary not to think about the immediate solution, but instead, the long term consequences if we were to 16

NATION AGE September 2020

continue with our current practices.

Solutions like simply producing more food may sound like the easy fix but it is not a sustainable solution to a global problem. The United Nations (UN) outlines that the goal is not to just eliminate hunger globally but to also “achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture”.

Finding sustainable solutions to shift the current agricultural practices to a more eco-friendly approach will help us in the fight against climate change and would also allow for healthier consumable options for generations to come. For example, using less chemicals, equals less contaminated soil and less ingestion of chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, and

The solution to hunger and agricultural sustainability is not easy, the answer has eluded us for centuries.

This is mainly because there is no one size fits all solution to most global issues.

fungicides. These chemicals used in the growing process are meant to deter animals and insects from eating the plants but in order for them to work, these chemicals must first be fully absorbed by the plant.

But what are the side effects for not only ingesting pesticides but also for those that come in constant contact with these chemicals? Californians

for Pesticide Reform explain that pesticides can cause short-term adverse health effects, which are referred to as acute effects, as well as chronic adverse effects that can occur months or years after exposure. They go on to explain that acute health effects include stinging eyes, rashes, blisters, blindness, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea and death.

These chemicals are not only absorbed by the plants, and ingested by the people who eat them, they are also in the fibers of the clothing we wear. The farm to table movement has served as an amazing eye opener for what goes into our bodies and where it comes from but there is a less distinct connection between what goes onto our bodies September 2020 NATION AGE

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and where that is coming from.

The fracture between where the textiles come from and the process which takes place before the newest collection hits the stores, leaves us, as consumers, without a clear picture of just how massive the environmental footprint is that the fashion industry is leaving behind.

Fashion’s Link to Hunger

Fashion used to be primarily associated with style, creative geniuses, and the latest trends. Now it is most closely linked to pollution, waste, and excess consumption but nonetheless it is a highly profitable industry. This promise of profitability has served as the catalyst for why former farmers of subsistence crops have shifted towards growing things like cotton, hence, the “cash crop” to be spun into textiles (Ag America, 2019). In order to grow cotton in a way that leaves the crop undisturbed by animals and insects, the crops are saturated in chemicals which then seep into the ground causing soil degradation. 23% of the produced agricultural chemicals are used to sustain the textile industry (sustainyourstyle.org).

Soil degradation also minimizes the chances of increasing food production efforts because it results in the land no longer being viable for continuous planting. This is why we must take action now and begin the process of healing our vast lands before it is too late.

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NATION AGE September 2020

Synthetic fibers which shed from our clothes as we wear them are creating another obstacle as these fibers end up in landfills across the globe and take hundreds of years to decompose. Plastic for example has a decomposition time of a thousand years, this is why a good alternative is natural fibers which have much shorter decomposition times and would ultimately free up this idle space for something more productive. Natural fibers can be divided into two groups, animal fibres and plant fibres. One of the advantages of these fibers is that they are degradable so when a piece of clothing is disposed of it does not stay in a landfill for hundreds of years, also, the production of these fibers is more

eco-friendly. An example of a more sustainable natural fiber is alpaca fiber. As a matter of fact, even this majestic animal has been graced with characteristics that make it ecofriendly. Alpacas pull on grass which allows it to continue growing and also the soft padding on their feet is gentle to the soil (sustainyourstyle. org).

As the demands of fast consumption have converted our wide open spaces into endless farming grounds, the demands of the earth are also becoming more apparent with each passing year. Our world is hurting.

We must urgently stray from detrimental agricultural practices and turn to sustainable ways to grow crops that are also more nutritious.

For instance, the cultivation of cotton is an example of how damaging and harmful current agricultural methods are for our earth. Ponder on this, to produce a kilogram of cotton 20.000 litres of water is necessary (worldwildlife.org)! Considering that nearly half of the existing textiles are made with cotton, it is necessary to employ methods that make its production more sustainable.

The solution to hunger and agricultural sustainability is not easy, the answer has eluded us for centuries. This is mainly because there is no one size fits all solution to most global issues.

What works for one part of the world won’t work for another but one thing that HxN can suggest doing is taking a step back and slowing down, getting back to our basics. Let’s work together to apply the serene ancestral wisdom that is much needed to trade in fast fashion and quick consumption habits and opt for a slower and more conscious approach.n

September 2020 NATION AGE

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Sports

Trumpet call to Indian The IPL season usually happens by the end of March.

But with the unprecedented Coronavirus pandemic taking its toll across the world, the latest edition of the Indian Premier League is slated to be held in UAE commencing from September 19, 2020.

Sam Alex

20

E

NATION AGE September 2020

ver since its inception, the Indian Premier League has changed the way we see the cricket. The sport of Cricket is at the centre of a revolution and IPL has been the flagbearer of a historic shift in the way the sport was played. The new, concise format of cricket, Twenty/20 (T20) has evolved to

become the most popular franchise-based club competitions taking place around the world. Owned and managed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Indian Premier League has also become the world’s richest franchise-based T20 competition (IPL) owing to the huge money flow and media publicity.

Indian Premier League – The Beginning What set the stage for the Indian Premier League was the great setback Indian team faced at the 2007 ODI World Cup. Under the leadership of Rahul Dravid and coaching of Greg Chappel, the Indian team went out of the game in the initial round itself.

It was soon after this the smaller format of cricket Twenty – Twenty was introduced and the Indian team realised the potential of the game

to find fresh and young talents for the national team. Sachin Tendulkar suggested MS Dhoni as the captain of the 2007 World Twenty - Twenty team and what followed was a historic moment where the Indian team gloriously won 2007 Twenty – Twenty World Cup under the strong leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Soon after this win, the format of twenty-twenty games became hugely popular in India and the game soon started to change. The first IPL

was initialized by the then BCCI vicepresident Lalit Modi in 2008. The game followed the same format as that of English Premier League where teams were put for auction and the highest bidder could own the team and hiring and transfers of players followed. The maiden edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) had eight teams comprising a minimum of 16 players and the first season lasted for 44 days with 59 matches.

The Rajasthan Royals won the firstever IPL season in 2008.

Premier League

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Since the first season, the involvement of the Indian entertainment industry, particularly Bollywood, with IPL was loud and clear.

The first season proved that the format is here to stay and IPL proved a great space for heavy business, glamour with even Bollywood glamour, along with corporate giants, making their presence from the initial season itself. It was evident that cricket would never be the same again.

IPL and Bollywood

The IPL signified a tremendous revolution in cricket with its commercial success and involvement of showbiz celebrities. Since the first season, the involvement of the Indian entertainment industry, particularly Bollywood, with IPL was loud and clear. There existed a 22

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great opportunity to generate hefty revenue which increased the interest of corporates and Bollywood stars in the game. Soon after, stalwarts from the glamour industry increasingly became owners or promoters of the event. The Indian Premier League became more and more corporatized and commercialised. The game soon featured Indian and international showbiz celebrities and became the great buzz at the world market. India would soon become the centre of

attention for cricket fans across the globe and corporates as well.

The Indian Premier League helped in the globalisation of the sports industry and the sports and entertainment industries started to work together as chief driving forces of the Indian economy. The shorter span of the new format attracted broadcasters and advertisers who found IPL matches the perfect fit for prime-time television. The

coming-together of these industries played a significant role due to their rapid growth and popular appeal.

The Indian Premier League has been influential in flourishing the international cricket economy in favour of countries like India. The league has undoubtedly put forth a significant platform to domestic as well as international cricketers who are sold and bought for millions of dollars in the IPL auction. The game has generated huge interest among the Indian entrepreneurs to invest in the game, and the new format interspersed with entertainment content has enhanced its appeal extensively. The IPL-Bollywood connection is a new opportunity that is likely to attract the attention of global entertainment corporations to Indian cricket.

leading international cricketers have shown willingness to forego their national commitments to play in the IPL. Owing to the pressure from cricketers, several national cricket events of other countries were reorganised not to clash with the schedule of IPL. Heralded by the BCCI, the Indian Premier League has developed into

edition of the great Indian Premier League were the Mumbai Indians, the Chennai Super Kings, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Deccan Chargers, the Delhi Daredevils, the Punjab XI Kings, the Kolkata Knight Riders, and the Rajasthan Royals. Later in 2010 two franchises, Rajasthan and Punjab were barred from the league by the BCCI on the grounds of breaches of ownership

IPL – The Great Indian Spectacle of the 21st Century

The Indian Premier League, since its debut, has encouraged the modernday obsession of the cricket-craving world by delivering them the greatest spectacle of the sport. In all extravaganza, the Indian Premier League has changed the event to an overwhelmingly televisual experience which can cash in huge profits. By the end of the first edition, the IPL has become the biggest cricketing legend in the world since the World Cup. The biggest plus point was that the IPL was able to capture that global cricket market and create a new kind of record in the name of viewership of the game. The study of KPMG revealed that in 2015, the IPL had an economic output of Rs.2605 crores and its contribution to India’s Gross Domestic Product was Rs.1150 crores.

In The Cambridge Companion to Cricket (2011), Boria Majumdar writes gloriously of the Indian Premier League, pointing out that “India’s position as the new nerve centre of world cricket, completing what I call the ‘decolonisation of Indian cricket,’ has been strengthened in recent times thanks to the impact of the IPL”. It must even be noted that

the most lucrative and most popular outlet for the game of cricket.

The owners of the IPL franchises, who included major companies, Bollywood film stars, and media moguls, bid for the best players in auctions organized by the league.

IPL initially had eight teams. The eight founding franchises of the first

policy, but they were later reinstated in time for the 2011 tournament. At 2011, two new franchises, the Pune Warriors India and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala also joined the IPL. The Kochi club played just one year before the BCCI terminated its contract.

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Hyderabad.

For the 2020 edition of IPL, eight teams participate while the Mumbai Indians being the defending champions for the season. The Indian Premier League regular season is a doubleheader round robin. Where each team plays every other team.

One game at home, one game away.

The top 4 teams in the table after the regular season qualify for the playoffs. The playoffs consist of one single game elimination. There are 2 semi-finals games, and 1 final.

IPL 2020

Over the decade, BCCI has been determined to transform the Indian 24

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Premier League into India’s biggest sporting phenomenon. There have been consistent efforts to make the event more attracting, engaging and more profitable.

The IPL season usually happens by the end of March. But with the unprecedented Coronavirus pandemic taking its toll across the world, the latest edition of the Indian Premier League is slated to be held in UAE commencing from September 19, 2020. The 13th season of IPL will have its final match on November 8th. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi and the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah

are all set to play host to the IPL 2020 season. This is the third time IPL is being held outside India. It was ion 2009, IPL was held in South Africa and the 2014 season was held partially in UAE. The BCCI has set aside Rs10 crore for Covid testing alone throughout the tournament. The tournament is sponsored by Dream XI this year as Vivo withdrew due to the India-China border dispute.

The maiden game of the season will happen between Chennai Super Kings vs. the defending champions Mumbai Indians at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. This year’s event will not see the usual extravagant inaugural ceremony nor

while Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene is the team’s coach.

Delhi Capitals, led by youngster Shreyas Iyer, were one of the first teams to reach the UAE for the tournament. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting is the coach.

Delhi has a line-up of young and experienced players. Although the captain is relatively young, there are many experienced players in the team. Punjab Kings XI, who have never won the title so far is very determined to win the title this time.

KL Rahul, who has also found a place in the Indian team as a wicketkeeper, is leading the team. Anil Kumble is the coach. Punjab also has two foreign players with the most experienced in the Twenty20 format - Chris Gayle and Glenn Maxwell.

Rajasthan Royals is a team that has attracted a lot of attention with the presence of Malayalee player Sanju Samson. The captain is former Australian captain Steven Smith. The coach is Andrew McDonald from Australia. Other notable stars include David Miller, Robin Uthappa, Oshane Thomas, Andrew Tye, Jaidev Unadkat and Makarand Markande. Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders is led by two - time Indian wicketkeeperbatsman Dinesh Karthik. The coach

will the games have the cheerleaders.

Owing to the pitch reports of UAE, it is speculated that the players who have usually performed well in the IPL in Indian ground will not be able to shine this time.

Let’s have a brief overview of the teams participating in this year’s IPL season as well.

Upon reaching UAE, the Chennai Super Kings was unable to start practice like others. Batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad and bowler Deepak Chahar contracted Covid19 and this delayed the team’s practice. The defending champions Mumbai Indians are under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma

is expected to put in a great fight. For Royal Challengers Bangalore who is yet to clinch another title, the arrival of Virat Kohli looks promising. Virat and AB de Villiers are the top scorers this time as well. Former Australian cricketer Simon Katich is the coach.

With every team fighting hard for the title, be sure to witness some of the greatest moments of thrill during the entire season. It will be a great delight to see your favourite stars compete with such determination to grab the title.

The anticipation and excitement surrounding IPL have been intensifying with each passing day.

Be it the arrival of teams in UAE, the announcement of sponsors or social media posts - everything related to IPL has been generating immediate buzz and social media platforms have already been flooded with analysis of teams and players. It is one big event the entire cricketing fraternity and millions of fans across the globe are eagerly looking forward to.

IPL has transformed, over the years, into the most anticipated sporting phenomenon not simply because of all the glam and glitz around the cash-rich tournament but also owing to the quality of cricket played year after year since it made its debut in 2008. With the Covid situation

The IPL season usually happens by the end of March. But with the unprecedented Coronavirus pandemic taking its toll across the world, the latest edition of the Indian Premier League is slated to be held in UAE commencing from September 19, 2020. is former Kolkata skipper and former Kiwis captain Brendon McCullum.

Malayalee pacer Sandeep Warrier is also in the team.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, led by Australian opener David Warner, was the 2016 IPL champions. Warner was in sparkling form last season.

The coach is former Australian coach Trevor Bayliss. Sunrisers Hyderabad

bringing in more concerns, this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) is more significant than just eight top-notch teams or franchises coming together to fight for ultimate glory. In the post-corona scenario, the successful hosting of the league also means that it opens new vistas of opportunity for a return of fullfledged cricketing action.n September 2020 NATION AGE

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Environment

Women and Environment Protection Dr. Elizabeth Vista Paul

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Possibilities are ever vast. But in a nut shell we can say that woman has a vital role to play as a mother and as a teacher in inculcating environmental values in the minds of children.

T

he relevance of eco preservation never ends. .So is the relevance of environmental values.

Values like empathy, compassion, sharing, caring, respect for Nature etc. which shows the obligation human beings have concerning the environment can be termed as environmental values and steps should be taken to inculcate all these values. We can say that it is the need of the hour. But whose concern is this? .No doubt we can say that it is the concern of the women.

Environmental values should be inculcated at a very early stage.

Studies show that women have conceptualized the crisis related to ecology. They have always tried to fight against the dangerous situation related to environment. Cases like Chipko Movement, Movement against Water Scarcity, Movement against Commercialization of Crops prove this. If we talk of natural management from a global perspective, whom do we find in the fore front of the race for protection and preservation of the resources.

The answer comes very naturally—it is the women. It becomes the duty of a woman to let children know how to protect and sustain elements seen

as essential to the human condition which we can all together call as eco preservation.

Mother can be said as the first teacher. Women have always played an important role as first educator for their children in inculcating values. It is perhaps looked at as a responsibility which a woman has brought upon herself as part of motherhood. She can instill in future generation environmental values like how to respect Nature and can develop good habits in the child from the very beginning. She must ensure that desired and right values should be developed among children. The right foundation should be laid in the childhood itself because it will play a very important role in determining the personality of the child and also developing him into a good citizen.

So we can train children regarding the values of eco preservation by telling them by way of instructions like, Don’t hurt or spoil plants/trees, Don’t throw rubbish here and there, Love and respect Nature.

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development, and making sure that women’s voices are heard and their perspectives are taken into account The direct concern of Indian women with environment protection can be traced long back to 1731 A.D when Amrita Bai of Khajaralli Village of Jodhpur District of Rajasthan sacrificed her life for saving trees of her village. This was revived by Bachni Devi and Gaura Devi of Utter Pradesh in 1972. They snatched axe from the wood cutter and warned contractor not to cut trees.They gave a slogan which means forests bear soil, water and air and these three substances are basic requirements of our life.

Environmental activists like Sugathakumary, Medha Padkar, Vandana Shiva, Sunita Narain, Maneka Gandhi, Arundhathi Roy are playing key role for the conservation and promotion of the environment in India.

for gathering food fuel and fodder.

They are the ones who spend most of the time working on the farms to feed the household. Shouldering the responsibility leads them to learn more about soil, plants and trees and also teach them not to misuse them. The rural women tend to have a closer relationship with land and other natural resources which promote a new culture of respectable use and preservation of natural resources. Today women struggle against alarming global trends, but they are working to effect change. They understand clearly that economics and environment are compatible. Their experience reveals to them that soil, water and vegetation necessary for their day to day life requires care and good management. So they protect them.

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in managing plants and animals in forests, dry lands, wetlands and agriculture; in collecting water, fuel and fodder for domestic use and income generation; and in overseeing land and water resources.

By doing so, they contribute time, energy, skills and personal vision to family and community development.

Women’s extensive experience make them an invaluable source of knowledge and expertise on environmental management and appropriate action. Sometimes despite large obstacles, women have proven to be highly effective agents of change, organizing all over the world to demand and work towards a healthy environment. Innumerable organization with women at the helm have contributed to setting a sustainable agenda through their advocacy and lobbying, developing alternatives to unsustainable

Environmental activists like Sugathakumary, Medha Padkar, Vandana Shiva, Sunita Narain, Maneka Gandhi, Arundhathi Roy are playing key role for the conservation and promotion of the environment in India. The best example of women’s activities is represented by the work of Nobel Prize winner Wangeri Maathai, the founder of Green Belt Movement. With her effort participants in this movement have planted more than 30 million trees in both public and private lands. Her work has led to the restoration of Kenya’s rapidly diminishing forests and has empowered rural women in environmental preservation techniques. When we think about the environment in a global way we can’t forget personalities like Rachel Carson, Francis Beinecke, etc. When the whole world was after the so called development in the field of agriculture it was Rachel Carson who raised her voice against the pollution resulting from the massive and indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides through her book Silent Spring( 1962 ) Women have a vital role to play in sustainable development. Despite large obstacles, women have proven to be highly effective agents of change, organizing all over the world to demand and work towards a healthy environment. Principle 20 of the Rio Declaration states

that ‘women have a vital role in environmental management and development. Their full participation is therefore essential to achieve sustainable development’. Women as agricultural producers, workers and resource managers contribute to influencing sustainable consumption and production, safeguarding the nat.ural environment and bio diversity, preserving traditional knowledge and allocating adequate and sustainable resources within the household and community.

Providing women with opportunities and resources and engaging them in decision making processes regarding the environment could improve their social livelihoods and wellbeing and benefit entire communities in areas that advance sustainability.

So considering all these aspects we can reach certain conclusions.

Woman can play the role of a mother as well as a teacher. As a mother she can help children to learn the first steps of eco preservation by way of planting trees at home, watering them ,nurturing them, gifting plants to their friends etc. in order to develop the environmental values in them. They should be instilled with the idea that all things on this Earth, whether animate or inanimate has the right to be here on this Earth. Or in other words, all these things are the rightful heirs of this Earth and we have no right to destroy them. And as a teacher woman can encourage students to develop awareness regarding eco preservation through observational learning. Field Trips, Exhibitions, Camps, Exploratory Studies etc. can be organized. They can be given awareness regarding the 3Rs that is Reduce, Reuse, Re cycle regarding the preservation

of resources. They can also be given chance to prepare creative, ecofriendly products.

Activities like adopting a tree, learning about climate variation, soil variation etc. are examples of such studies Possibilities are ever vast. But in a nut shell we can say that woman has a vital role to play as a mother and as a teacher in inculcating environmental values in the minds of children. In that way we can develop a Nature Smart child or a Nature Smart citizen. From all these what we drive at is that women has a key role to play in the field of environmental value inculcation. She can play the role both as an educator and as a practitioner. And this shows that it is the woman who can take the pivotal role in the case of environmental value inculcation.n

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Development

D

efinitions differ, but at its heart, sustainable agriculture is about meeting the needs of the present, without sacrificing those of tomorrow—it’s farming that is environmentally sound, socially responsible, and profitable for farmers. Sustainable agriculture strives for the best long-term outcomes for forests, climate stability, human rights, and livelihoods.

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With a population projected to reach 9.8 billion by2050, farmers will have to produce more food than ever before. Unfortunately, conventional farming methods degrade land, which actually reduces crop productivity over time—and that can prompt smallholder farmers to cut down nearby forests in search of new fertile earth. While clearing trees on a few acres of land may not cause the massive greenhouse emissions that accelerate climate

change—that dubious honor goes to industrial farming for mega crops like soy and palm oil—it’s a tack that smallholders can’t sustain. If we’re to meet the needs of a ballooning population—and allow smallholder farmers to support their families— farmers of all kinds must adopt more sustainable agriculture methods.

Sustainability is always a journey

First farmers stop the most harmful

practices, like deforestation and forced labor, then move toward restoring the land and improving their incomes. Various agencies provides a sustainability roadmap for farmers to follow

Forest conservation and agroforestry

Did you know that agriculture is responsible for 80 percent of tropical deforestation? That’s terrible news for all of us, not least of all smallholder

farmers, whose crops can be wiped out by droughts, floods, and pests and diseases. Avoiding deforestation is a crucial step in making agriculture more sustainable.

Beyond avoiding deforestation, planting new trees can make farms more sustainable. Luckily, some crops, like coffee and cocoa, grow beautifully under the shade of larger trees. Nurturing existing trees and planting new ones side

by side with crops—a practice called agroforestry—can bring a host of benefits. On-farm trees can help connect forest fragments, which benefits migratory species.

A protective canopy regulates temperature and humidity, while many shade-tree varieties help improve the health of the soil. Fruitbearing shade-trees, such as bananas and mangos, can provide additional income. To top it all, shade-grown coffee tastes better, as it ripens

With a population projected to reach 9.8 billion by2050, farmers will have to produce more food than ever before.

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slowly, developing complex flavors over time.

Did you know that agriculture is responsible for 80 percent of tropical deforestation? That’s terrible news for all of us, not least of all smallholder farmers, whose crops can be wiped out by droughts, floods, and pests and diseases.

Better incomes for farmers

Farming can only be called sustainable if farmers can support their families.

Fortunately, many of the approaches to improve farmer incomes improve the health of the Earth, too.

Managing pests and weeds naturally, for example, reduces the need for harmful pesticides, thereby lowering costs. Planting fruit trees on farms can give farmers another product to sell, store carbon, and nourish soils.

Business has a crucial role to play in improving farmer incomes, too.

Companies can help farmers with the upfront costs of adopting sustainable practices and pay more for crops that have been produced more sustainably.

Better wages and working conditions

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larger farms tend to hire many workers. Giving workers freedom of association so they can organize and bargain for better wages and conditions, is crucial. So is addressing daunting, entrenched problems like child labor and forced labor. Working toward a sustainable agriculture sector means putting systems in place to identify these issues and remediate them.

Decent housing, personal protective equipment for workers, maternity leave, and health and safety protections are also critical. Workers should earn at least minimum wage, with employers eventually paying what is called a minimum wage— remuneration that allows for a decent standard of living that covers food, water, housing, education health care, transportation, clothing, and other essentials, including a provision for unexpected events.

Maximizing soil health and carbon storage

What could be more essential for

farmers than the health of the soil? The healthier the soil, the better it retains moisture, which can help plants survive drought.

Healthy soil also leads to higher crop yields, thereby reducing the economic desperation that drives farmers to clear forests in search of fertile earth. Organic composting enriches soil and reduces the need for expensive chemical fertilizers, which also pollute waterways. In addition, rotating different types of cover crops—plants grown in the off-season to prevent soil erosion— can also greatly bolster soil quality.

Another bonus: Cover crops can store half a ton of CO2 per acre, making crop rotation a powerful natural climate solution.

Water conservation

Water scarcity is one of the most urgent crises facing humanity.

According to the UN, Certain crops, such as coffee, are not only waterthirsty, they also require copious amounts of freshwater during the

processing stage. All that processing water becomes wastewater that can pollute nearby rivers and streams. To make agriculture more sustainable it’s important to find ways to reduce water usage and to keep waterways clean. One practical, lowcost solution is to plant natural tree buffers along waterways; the trees help prevent erosion and polluted runoff from entering rivers and streams .

Integrated weed and pest management

Heavy reliance on pesticides and herbicides carries high risks, and not just for ecosystems—these harsh chemicals can also harm the health of farmers and their families.

The first step, then, is to phase out the most harmful chemicals, then gradually reduce others over time. Integrated pest and weed control includes introducing natural enemies of common pests, “selective weeding” that allows beneficial weeds to replenish the soil, and

managing weed outbreaks with regular pruning. Meanwhile, harmful weeds can be uprooted by hand and turned into organic fertilizer.

Though more labor-intensive at first, these methods have been proven to reduce costs and boost crop yields in the long run in many cases.

Gender equality

While nearly half of the world’s farmers are women, many cannot own property or trees due to legal or cultural constraints. They’re also frequently denied access to education and excluded from decision-making in farming cooperatives..

When women farmers have equal access to resources and opportunities, they can boost crop productivity, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. Closing the gender gap also has a significant impact on the welfare of children, since women are more likely to invest their incomes in the health and education of their families.n September 2020 NATION AGE

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Report

Drop in Sulphur dioxide emissions in India during 2019

I

ndia's sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions, which contribute to air pollution, recorded a significant decline of approximately six per cent in 2019 as compared to 2018, the steepest dip in four years, a report has said. However, India continues to occupy the top emitter's position for the fifth consecutive year, the report based on an analysis

by Greenpeace India and the Centre for Research on

The report said India has been faring reasonably well in its clean energy transition and has set itself one of the world's most ambitious renewable energy targets but lack of FGD units in most power plants overshadows it...

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Energy and Clean Air (CREA), released on Tuesday, said.

Sulphur dioxide is a poisonous air pollutant that increases the risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and premature death.In 2019, India emitted 21 per cent of global anthropogenic (human-made SO2 emissions, nearly double that of second-ranked global emitter, Russia."China occupies the third position. The annual report ranks the world's biggest emitters of sulphur dioxide," the report said.

As per the report, the biggest emission hotspots in India are thermal power stations (or clusters of power stations) at Singrauli, Neyveli, Sipat, Mundra, Korba, Bonda, Tamnar, Talcher, Jharsuguda, Kutch, Surat, Chennai, Ramagundam, Chandrapur, Visakhapatnam and Koradi.It said,"While credit needs to be given to India for making ambitious strides in renewable energy, contrarily concern arises from the consistent support given to coal-based energy generation."

has been faring reasonably well in its clean energy transition and has set itself one of the world's most ambitious renewable energy targets but lack of FGD units in most power plants overshadows it... "Renewable energy capacity has been increasing in India's power sector, delivering more than twothirds of the subcontinent's new capacity additions during the FY 2019-20.""However, these efforts are overshadowed by the fact that most of the power plants in India lack fluegas desulfurization (FGD) units. The FGD units are critical in the process of reducing emissions," it said.

In 2015, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change introduced SO2 emission limits for coal power stations. But power plants missed the initial deadline of December 2017 for the installation of

The report said India

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It's high time that governments reduce investments in fossil fuels and shift to safer energy sources.

FGD units, the report said. "Though the deadline was extended till 2022, as of June 2020 most of the power plants are operating without compliance to standards."

"Five years after setting the SO2 emission limits, the Indian government has decided to shut down non-compliant thermal power stations and has also allocated Rs 4,400 crore to tackle the air pollution crisis," it said.

An analyst in the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), said, SO2 emissions are affecting the health of millions of people directly and worse through converting to PM2.5.

The most efficient and easiest way to reduce PM2.5 levels is to install FGD and reduce SO2 emissions from power plants as they form a significant fraction of total PM2.5 pollution at different locations across the country.""Every single day delay in implementation of

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prescribed norms and not installing the FGD system is causing huge health and economic damage to our society, it's time the offenders/ non-complying power plants are pulled up for inaction and damage to the society to ensure better implementation moving ahead," he said.

It's high time that governments reduce investments in fossil fuels and shift to safer energy sources, such as wind and solar, the report said, adding that they must also strengthen emission standards and effectively implement flue gas pollution control technology on coal-fired power plants, smelters, and other major industrial SO2 emitters. In August last year, a study by Greenpeace had claimed that India is the world's largest emitter of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide, which is produced from coal burning, and greatly contributes to air pollution.n

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aGRICULTURE

Will Sustainable Agriculture sustain?

Jayasankar Prasad

By basic definition, sustainable food systems do not take away resources from the soil or environment. They seek to maintain Earth’s natural resources.

S

ustainable agriculture has become one of the live discussion topics in the field of sustainable development. In such a quickly changing world, can anything be sustainable? What do we want to sustain? Amid increasing consumer demand for transparency and a 38

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multitude of labels and initiatives, it can be hard to define what’s truly sustainable in the global agricultural system.

By basic definition, sustainable food systems do not take away resources from the soil or environment. They seek to maintain Earth’s natural resources.

But about one-third of the world’s topsoil is already acutely degraded, and the United Nations estimates a complete degradation within sixty years if current practices continue.

According to a 2019 UN report, nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history, with the accelerating pace of species’

extinctions. Given this current state, are sustainable agriculture activists limiting themselves by merely maintaining? Regenerative agricultural methodologies seek to add to the soil through a selfnourishing ecological system that benefits the environment in the process. A closed-loop system is that

doesn’t halt humans’ impact on the environment, but reverses it. Is it too good to be true?

Regenerative Farming Technics

The regenerative farming approach focuses on restoring soils that have been degraded by the industrial,

agricultural system. Its methods promote healthier ecosystems by rebuilding soil organic matter through holistic farming and grazing techniques. In short, regenerative agriculture practitioners let nature do the work.

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tissue in the process of decay. While most soils are only 2% to 10% soil organic matter, this plays a vital role in soil health. Each one-percent increase in soil organic matter helps soil hold 20,000 gallons more water per acre. And heightened water holding capacity means crops are more resilient through times of drought or heavy rain.

By maintaining surface residues, roots, and soil structure with better aggregation and pores, soil organic matter reduces nutrient runoff and erosion, as well.

And the healthier the soil, the healthier the crop. When plants have the nutrients and roots systems they need to thrive, they build compounds to help protect against insects and disease. There is also growing evidence that a healthy soil micro biome full of necessary bacteria, fungi, and nematodes is more likely to produce nutrient-dense food, promoting better human health.

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Regenerative farming practices boost soil health through a variety of techniques:

Integrating livestock

As animals move, their hooves break up the soil, compacting inedible plants and allowing nutrients and sunlight to new plants—essentially speeding up the building of soil organic matter, with crushed leaves and stalks creating a natural mulch. This better equips the soil for germinating seeds. And the livestock’s excrement adds nutrients to the ground, further improving water retention One of the major principles of regenerative agriculture techniques is to keep the soil covered at all times. This can be achieved through both plant residues and cover crops, which protect the soil from wind and water erosion, lower the temperature of the soil, and feed the microorganisms within it.

One teaspoon of healthy soil has more living organisms than there are people on Earth—which is a vitally important building structure and overall soil health. Mechanical, physical, and chemical (synthetic fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, and fungicide) disturbances, all have a negative on the soil micro biome, putting soil nutrient cycling and environmental resilience at risk.

Limiting the disturbance of the soil maintains the soil structure and prevents erosion.

Crop diversity

The importance of soil health is no news—many have argued this for years. But the modern institutes around the world is often credited with popularizing the term regenerative organic. Regenerative prioritizes soil health while simultaneously encompassing high standards for animal welfare and worker fairness. The idea is to create farm systems that work in harmony

One teaspoon of healthy soil has more living organisms than there are people on Earth—which is a vitally important building structure and overall soil health. landscape of the ranch itself, his previously indebted operation began turning a profit.

A 2013 study showed that, compared to conventionally managed farms, regenerative farms could accommodate more cattle per acre, lowered cow and calf mortality, purchased less feed, and used fewer herbicides. Researchers also found that topsoil there was deeper, more aerated, and densely covered with plants.

Scientific studies focusing solely on regenerative agriculture as its own methodology are harder to come by. Often, studies overlap heavily with organic farming, since regenerative practices are inherently organic or focus on just one aspect of regenerative techniques. The most

significant debates on regenerative agriculture, for example, surround the potential to sequester carbon from the atmosphere—and this debate focuses almost entirely on livestock management.

The great carbon debate

It is said that a rule of thumb for every percent of organic matter, you put down about five tons of carbon per acre. Not using technology, using photosynthesis.

Nonprofit organizations claims that transitioning 10% to 20% of agricultural production to best practice regenerative systems will sequester enough carbon dioxide to reverse climate change. And studies that applying this intensive grazing management increased soil carbon sequestration and reduced

with nature to improve quality of life for every creature involved. The main difference is the systems-based approach.

Every farmer practicing regenerative agriculture will adapt it to his or her individual crop type, soil type, and property needs. What’s important, proponents say, is that measures are being taken to build soil organic matter and add to the overall system’s biodiversity.

The results

There are ample stories to suggest the relatively fast, transformative impact of regenerative agricultural techniques—so far, on a much smaller scale. After introduction of regenerative practices, organic matter and rainwater uptake tripled while he was able to handle fivetimes the number of cattle he used to. The ranch is also home to sheep, chickens, and dozens of crops. While he noticed a dramatic change in the September 2020 NATION AGE

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the lifetime GHG impact of grass-fed beef by 24%.

Major studies supports the claim that appropriate grazing management can sequester enough carbon to offset GHG emissions.

Incorporating forages and ruminants into re generatively managed agro ecosystems can elevate soil organic C, improve soil ecological function by minimizing the damage of tillage and inorganic fertilizers and biocides, and enhance biodiversity and wildlife habitat.

According to some study, moderately stocked cattle on continuously grazed native land had a net margin of carbon sequestered over emissions of 0.607 metric ton per hectare, per year. And when grazing management practices have improved ecosystem function and productivity (as in a re generatively managed system), a net sink of up to 2.0 metric tons of carbon have been found in using high livestock densities for short durations.

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According to some study, moderately stocked cattle on continuously grazed native land had a net margin of carbon sequestered over emissions of 0.607 metric ton per hectare, per year.

Carbon emission It’s been estimated that meat production is responsible for 14.5% of total global GHG emissions, so achieving a net carbon sink in the global meat industry would make a significant impact. But no studies have investigated the claim that re generatively-managed systems can produce a net carbon sink worldwide—and given the complexity of the overall food

system, never mind other industries, this would be incredibly difficult to determine with accuracy.

Even if exaggerated claims about carbon sequestration were true, it is simply not possible to carry on eating as much meat, and dairy as trends indicate and obtain it through grass-fed systems alone. Because of its highly efficient production, some even argue that intensively reared livestock is actually the most eco-friendly of all methods of raising the world’s meat, given the global appetite. Many of these claims, however, neglect to analyze the entire systems, disregarding important variables such as quality of meat and types of animal feed.

There is no easy way out for both climate change solutions and food system fixes. Regenerative principles have proven to sequester significant amounts of carbon into the ground.

But achieving enough to reverse the course of climate change would require cooperation across the entire

system

Towards mainstream Today, more and more institutions, corporations, and growers are becoming interested in regenerative agriculture—particularly in the recent years. Leading organizations in this field like a nonprofit coalition Regeneration International has 250 global partners, consisting mostly of sustainably driven organizations and companies. Meanwhile, a regenerative agriculture Facebook Group has more than 21,500 members who actively discuss on the platform.

natural processes, is inherently lowtech. But many say that agro tech innovations will play a vital role in both increasing the efficiency of the operation and facilitating communication.

Technology can also booster supply chain traceability. With a cloudbased tracking system for their livestock, modern farmers hope to communicate to the customer where the animal was born, how it grew up, and how it got to their plates.

We need to develop technology that is derived from the underlying principles of regenerative agriculture

techniques. And sharing this insight will be key to spreading the practice.

New trends

Large companies have the funding for sustainability initiatives to back these efforts—and the tech to support it even further. But for smaller-scale, family farmers looking to transition, it does come with a cost. Many agree that connecting soil health to consumer health will be one of the biggest drivers of consumer demand.

And increased consumer demand will make it easier for more farmers to justify and invest in the transition.

There are a few regenerative agriculture consultation service worldwide. The group partners are there to help farm producers implement regenerative practices like no-till, crop rotation, and diversification, integrating cover crops, and integrating livestock when possible. Creating much buzz, General Mills announced a commitment to bring regenerative agriculture practices to one million acres of farmland by 2030.

And in 2018, the government of Andhra Pradesh, India, launched a plan to transition 8 million hectares of land from conventional agriculture methodology to Zero budget natural farming by 2024- India’s first 100% natural farming state, meaning they will eliminate the use of synthetic chemical agriculture. Organizers highlight the positive externalities of regenerative agriculture methodologies: climate-resilient systems which will help transform and protect local food systems and long-term well-being of farmers.

Regenerative agriculture has even broken into the online grocery business. Investors are getting in on the action too: more and more investment opportunities are becoming available for regenerative agriculture operations.

Modernizing the agriculture

Regenerative agriculture, with its ideology based on returning to

that address the root cause of problems such as weeds or pests, for instance. Stuff we can’t see sensors will notice, making regenerative processes even more regenerative or making the processes work for each farmer.

Soil sensors can measure aeration and respiration—key soil health indicators—as well as nutrient levels throughout the season, so a farmer newly taking up regenerative practices can quantify the results with data. Satellite crop health imagery software can allow growers to compare crop health at each growing stage as well as from season to season—a visual representation of the impact of regenerative

Right now, regenerative agriculture is primarily a grassroots movement happening across the globe. Whether they’re labeling it as regenerative, sustainable, or organic, many firsttime farmers are embracing the regenerative promise of restoring a broken agricultural system. With more young people entering the field and more farmland rental options for those unable to buy, the opportunity to collaborate for collective change is stronger than ever. Meanwhile, more politicians are bringing solutions into the modernization of agriculture conversation of environment, and more mainstream news outlets are defining the practices for wider audiences.n September 2020 NATION AGE

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Technology

The technology likely to have the greatest impact on different social strata for the coming decades has arrived.

And it’s not social media, big data, AI; it’s the Blockchain Technology, the technology behind the much-talked-about cryptocurrency, bitcoin.

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency have been a major talking point recently all over the world and this is only scratching the surface.

So, what is Blockchain?

“T he blockchain is an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transactions that can be programmed to record not just financial transactions but virtually everything of value,” says Don & Alex Tapscott, authors of Blockchain Revolution (2016). The blockchain is an undeniably original innovation – the idea of a person or group of people known by the pseudonym, Satoshi Nakamoto. It has evolved into something bigger ever since. By allowing digital information to be disseminated but not copied, blockchain technology created the spine of a new type of internet.

The blockchain is a database technology that works on the principle of a distributed ledger – a record shared by multiple owners – so that when changes are made by one person, all other copies of 44

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the ledger adjust accordingly. These ledgers could help fight fraud and accounting errors, and make even the smallest entry into a database easy to track far down the line. The most noteworthy advantage of the blockchain is the idea that data is theoretically secured and protected from data breach threats.

Blockchain’s capacity to provide clarity and accountability in an instant, and to minimise the influence and costs of middlemen in so many applications, makes it a technology everyone looks forward to. Blockchain holds vast potential for every business, every society and for all of us, individually. The technology behind cryptocurrencies can renovate a wide range of industries for the better, from food and medicine to shipping – and even hit social problems such as child trafficking.

In the wake of fast-developing

efficient healthcare record systems, wearable devices, and medical examination systems implementing artificial intelligence, cryptography will soon become an important tool that anchorages how hospitals work. Within the healthcare sector, there is an ongoing increase in patient numbers. A new requisite for managing the daily increasing health data on a regular basis is on the rise.

Huge demand for safe data sharing tools, which allows both healthcare providers and their dependent entities to verify the correctness of data, are crucial for ensuring proper medical services.

The data integrity quality of blockchain technology finds immense potential. After information has been recorded and encrypted, it becomes not possible to change or remove.

Anchoring the data to the public blockchain allows for the secure recording and sharing of information

which involves generating a proof of data integrity. This proof makes it possible for any user to verify the data timestamp without the need to rely on third-parties. The technology provides a more secure way to guard data than regular encryption methods. It allows for the implementation of new standards in managing insurance claims, PHI, and medical records.

Blockchain in the area of supply chain management has immense potential which will revolutionise the way transactions are made. In a supply chain system, anything from self-executing supply contracts to automated cold chain management seems a relevant process. Blockchain technology makes it possible for us to more securely and transparently track all types of transactions.

Every time a product changes hands across the supply chain, it could be documented, creating a

permanent history of a product, from manufacture to sale. This could drastically lower time delays, added costs, and human error that affect transactions today.

Blockchain technology provides the opportunity for transfer of funds anywhere in the world sans using the traditional banking transactions, as these secure and rapid transactions are made directly between payer and payee. These bitcoin transfers also incur lower fees. Apart from these, blockchain in supply chain management could make recording the quantity and transfer of assets as they move between supply chain nodes easy. The different activities like tracking purchase orders, change orders, receipts, shipment notifications, or other trade-related documents, assigning or verifying certifications or certain properties of physical products, linking physical goods to serial numbers, barcodes,

digital tags like RFID, etc and sharing information about manufacturing process, assembly, delivery, and maintenance of products with suppliers and vendors are all made hassle-free incorporating blockchain tech into supply chain.

The blockchain is moving towards transforming the food industry as well. With growing consumer consciousness towards food safety, blockchain applications play a vital role in solving many agriculturerelated problems. Food safety is more about handling, preparing and storing food in such ways that prevent food-borne illnesses. The key aspect of food integrity refers to the fairness and authenticity of food in food value chains both at the physical and the digital level. The digital level must work efficiently in providing reliable and trustworthy information about the origins of food products at the physical level.

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These issues of food safety and integrity can be enhanced through higher traceability. At this juncture, the blockchain can be used by food companies to quickly trace outbreaks back to specific sources, which could lessen food fraud.

An impressive list of companies has already started to utilize the blockchain technology in their attempts to safeguard food safety and integrity. Companies like Cargill uses it to let shoppers trace their turkeys from the store to the farm that raised them, Coca-Cola use blockchain to identify cases of forced labour in the sugarcane supply chain. Carrefour is using blockchain to authenticate standards and trace food origins. An initiative called the ‘blockchain for agrifood’ project has developed a proof of concept application targeting table grapes from South Africa.

Integrating blockchain into the food supply chain simplifies and improves transparency of the data management across a complex network that includes farmers, brokers, distributors, processors, retailers, regulators, and consumers.

Improved data sharing helps reduce growing issues of food waste.

Farmers and all members of the supply chain can have access to all the information throughout the chain, making the entire supply chain more democratic and efficient.

This further will result in lesser food wastage and higher remuneration being paid to the stakeholder adding the amount of value.

Apparently, blockchain eases the procedures involved in drawing up for the leasing of land for agriculture.

Blockchain can make all kinds of land recording more efficient and accessible and contracting between corporate farming firms and farmers more traceable and fraud-free.

The state of Andhra Pradesh has partnered with the Swedish startup ChromaWay to build blockchain solution for land registration and recordkeeping.

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being extensively used, the issues of cybersecurity and online data security are gaining much importance. Blockchain tech with its decentralized infrastructure could play a vital role in safeguarding cybersecurity. Blockchain technology is one of the best tools we currently possess to protect important data from hackers, preventing potential fraud and decreasing the chance of data being stolen or compromised.

Bigger blockchain networks with a large number of users have an infinitely decreased risk of getting attacked by hackers owing to the complexity required to penetrate such a network. This complexity provides blockchain tech with the ability to be the most secure form of storing and sharing information online discovered so far.

Implementing rigorous encryption and data distribution protocols on a network using blockchain ensures any

The blockchain is a new technological institution that will fundamentally change how we exchange value. Blockchain lowers uncertainty and holds huge promise to transform our economic systems in radical ways beyond bitcoin. business that their information will remain safely intact. The technology behind blockchain is versatile and incredibly useful allowing users to better secure their data. Blockchain implementations now have improved scope for data confidentiality as well as better access control. The complete encryption of data using the tech ensures that data as a whole or in part is not accessible to any wrongful person or organization while in transit. Many companies are seeking Blockchain to secure their

personal and private information exchanged over chats, messaging apps and social media as well.

The blockchain tech provides a reliable and robust infrastructure for cross-border transactions in the financial sector. The technology allows for financial institutions to develop direct links between each other, avoiding correspondent banking. With the propulsion of bitcoin as a digital entity that could be owned, blockchain opened up an opportunity, a way to own something digital that couldn’t be copied. This gave the digital code value. A possibility to build a platform enabling private companies to issue and trade shares was enabled using blockchain. Developers across the world are coding financial instruments that could be preprogrammed to carry out corporate actions through business logic. These chains can serve as a fully transparent and accessible system of record for regulators which can also be coded to authorize transactions that comply with regulatory reporting.

Around the world, public sector agencies are exploring its potential in solving different problems and blockchain-related innovations are already providing solutions to longstanding issues. Blockchain has a special role to play in public administration as governments are looking for ways to modernize their services along with digital lines. They provide a neutral place for a transaction to occur.

Once a network is established, blockchain can provide a platform for smart contracts to run on top of it and government procedures less hassling. For the government, smart contracts can have effects on how it can regulate more efficiently. For example, the auditing functions of a government can be embedded in the smart contract itself. Compliance is an area where governments are using the blockchain. This can boost efficiency by eliminating some of the intermediaries in areas such as tax collection.

With the online landscape evolving, the blockchain helps help us gain more control over our personal data. We all possess a human right to identity, beginning the moment we are born. But the traditional forms of identification require the maintenance of physical artefacts in an increasingly digital world and are completely reliant upon the central authorities that issue and validate them. Blockchain helps to tackle this challenge of trustworthy digital identification. Blockchain technology allows for the creation of a better and secure digital ID. Blockchain systems reduce dependence on third-party mediators and can even survive disasters that might wipe out or compromise more centralized record-keeping systems.

The real value of blockchain lies in its matchless ability to create and secure an economic identity for the world’s billions living in extreme poverty over the world.

For those who are homeless, these digital identities registered on the blockchain could help reduce the

burden of maintaining physical copies of ID. These digital IDs would allow users to quickly and easily verify their identities, allowing them to access more services. They would also help build a profile of transactions that could be shared across different service providers through a blockchain. The tech could be beneficial to aid refugees over the world to regain the legal identities they lost when forced to flee their homes. Creating a digital ID with blockchain technology could also allow for greater voter participation across the world.

Thus it is evident that the emerging potentials of the blockchain technology would be a gamechanger for almost all sectors of the society. It is predicted to be a technology that could propel us into the next industrial revolution, with shifting paradigms for doing business in finance, supply chain, transportation, shared economy, and many other industries. The blockchain technology can create dramatic improvements in digital

identity, providing individuals with control over their identity, and subsequently, reclaim control over their lives.

The blockchain is a new technological institution that will fundamentally change how we exchange value.

Blockchain lowers uncertainty and holds huge promise to transform our economic systems in radical ways beyond bitcoin. The blockchain enables to create a shared reality across non-trusting entities and instil a sense of transparency among entities. Blockchains provide the technological capability of creating a record of human exchange, of exchange of currency, of all kinds of digital and physical assets, even of our own personal attributes, in a totally innovative way. It’s giving us another opportunity to rewrite the economic power grid and the old order of things and solve some of the world's most difficult problems.

Blockchain creates the conditions for prosperity for potentially billions of people across the globe and will continue to do so.n September 2020 NATION AGE

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International DIARY Bahrain–United Arab Emirates relations

September 1

Bahrain's Civil Aviation Affairs grants first freedom rights to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), allowing flights between the UAE and any country to enter Bahraini airspace. Bahrain follows Saudi Arabia in granting such rights to the UAE, which the latter did two days prior following the establishment of diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE. Like Saudi Arabia and most Arab states, Bahrain currently neither maintain any official relations nor recognizes Israel.

Israel–Kosovo relations, Israel–Serbia relations

McDonald’s litigation

American fast food company McDonald’s is sued by 50 black owners for racial discrimination.

According to the lawsuit, McDonald's steered black franchisees to stores which had lower revenue and higher security expenses than stores in more affluent areas.

Facebook on news

American social media service Facebook announces, it may block Australian users from sharing both local and international news stories on its platform, should the Australian Government enact legislation that would require technology companies in the country to pay local news agencies.

In an additional statement Facebook says it has discovered a Russian influence campaign based in St. Petersburg called Peace Data on the site which targeted left wing voters in the US and United Kingdom, by recruiting personnel’s to write Englishlanguage articles concerning domestic politics, racial and political tensions, and criticism of President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden. Twitter says it has suspended five accounts related to the Russian campaign. (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that Kosovo and Serbia will open their embassies in disputed Jerusalem, recognizing the city as Israel's capital. Netanyahu says Kosovo is the first Muslim-majority country to do so. Until this day, only the United States and Guatemala have moved their embassies to Jerusalem, a move that Palestinians reject.

September 3

September 2

Saudi Arabia –UAE Relations Normalizes

Saudi Arabia opens its airspace to all flights between the United Arab Emirates and "all countries", upon the request of the Emirati government. The move comes days after Israel and the United Arab Emirates restored diplomatic ties and Israeli flag carrier El Al commenced commercial flights to the UAE. Saudi Arabia still maintains a policy of neither maintaining diplomatic ties nor recognizing Israel, and does not allow Israeli aircraft to fly in Saudi Arabian airspace under any other circumstances.

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Ship Wreck in East China Sea

Panamanian-flagged cargo ship Gulf Livestock 1 with 43 crew members and thousands of cattle onboard is reported missing in the East China Sea. The Japan Coast Guard says it has found one person drifting in rough waters in a lifejacket. A distress signal was sent from the ship shortly before disappearing.

Fire on board near SRILANKA A second fire breaks out on board the oil ship MT New Diamond off the coast of Sri Lanka. The ship departed a port in Ahmadi Governorate, Kuwait, and was headed to the port of Paradeep in India.

Authorities fear the 2 million barrels of oil could cause an "environmental disaster". Russian ships depart to assist and one out of the 23 crew was missing following the incident Sri Lanka announces legal action against the owner and manager of the MT

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres urges Japan and other wealthy nations to give up on their reliance on fossil fuels and invest in green energy. Guterres noted that many countries are using green energy to keep global warming at 1.5 °C (2.7 °F)

September 8

New Diamond ship which caught fire last Thursday off the coast of the country. Sri Lankan authorities say the lawsuit will be issued under the nation's law. Neither the owner nor manager of the ship commented on the statement.

September 5

Climate change in the Arctic

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service reports that the Arctic Circle has experienced its worst wildfire season on record after the service released data indicating that a series of wildfires occurring in the first half of 2020, mostly in the Russian republic of Sakha, have emitted more than 244 million tons of carbon dioxide. The emissions within that period have increased by more than a third of carbon emissions in the whole of 2019.

Satellite imagery shows that a big chunk of ice shattered into many small pieces from the last remaining ice shelf in Greenland. It also reported that Arctic sea ice is declining in a fast phase. The National Snow and Ice Data Center of the United States reports that the Arctic sea ice in 2020 has melted to an area of 3.74 million square kilometers, its second smallest area since records began in 1979.

September 6

Climate movement Environmental activists of the Extinction Rebellion movement in England gather around several printing presses used by the Rupert Murdochowned publishing company News Corp in the towns of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and Knowsley, Merseyside, criticizing the coverage of global warming by News Corp-owned newspapers. At least 34 protesters are arrested, while the protests lead to delays in the dissemination of the newspapers.

COVID-19 vaccine

American company Pfizer and German company BioNTech announce that their vaccine could be ready for approval mid-October or early November.

Nine vaccine companies sign a pledge that they won't submit vaccine candidates for review by the Food and Drug Administration until their safety and efficacy is shown in large clinical trials.

Phase III clinical trials for AstraZeneca and Oxford University's vaccine are paused after a participant suffers an illness requiring investigation in the United Kingdom.

September 9

2020 United States racial unrest, George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon

Hundreds of people protested against police violence and racial injustice in Portland, Oregon in demonstrations that have now lasted over 100 days since George Floyd was killed. Molotov cocktails were thrown in the street sparking a large fire and prompting police to declare a riot. Tear gas was again deployed to clear protesters. In another incident protesters and police clashed near the Portland City Hall in Oregon. Portland Police Bureau announced that 11 arrests have been made.

September 10

2020 California wildfires

Over 200 people are airlifted to safety after wildfires break out at the Sierra National Forest. Evacuations are issued in San Diego County, California, after the Valley Fire, which was ignited southeast of Alpine, reaches 4,000 acres and consumes 10 structures.

The United States Forest Service announces that forests in California will close after wildfires reach two million acres. The Pacific Gas and Electric Company shuts down power for an estimated 172,000 California customers in 22 counties. The

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death toll in the North Complex Fire in Northern California rises to ten, while 16 people are missing, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Department.

The town of Berry Creek in Butte County is reported as being "mostly destroyed". A firefighter dies in the El Dorado Fire while battling blazes in the San Bernardino National Forest.

September 11

Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement

In a historic movement Israel and Bahrain agree to establish relations. It is expected this move will normalize the relations among the countries which have different interest in that area. Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement will improve the Bahrain– United States relations The United States embassy in Manama warns American citizens in Bahrain of the "need for caution", days after the gulf kingdom signed a U.S.-backed deal with Israel.

The Palestinian National Authority resigns the chairmanship of the Council of the Arab League in protest of the bloc's failure to condemn Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates’ normalization of ties with Israel.

"horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeing's engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of Boeing's management, and grossly insufficient oversight" by the Federal Aviation Administration for two deadly Boeing 737 MAX crashes, resulting in the airliner being grounded worldwide.

September 18

September 12

Afghan peace process

The first peace talks between the government and the Taliban start in Doha, Qatar. The Taliban had confirmed it would attend after the final release of six of their prisoners. Abdullah, representing the government, says they are seeking a "dignified peace" while U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calls the meeting "historic".

Hurricane Sally

Hurricane has affected to multiple locations in USA at Louisiana and Mississippi as Hurricane Sally approaches from the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 50 mph (80 km/h). Flood affected in Florida's west coast, including Tampa. Hurricane warnings were issued on Belize's coast in case hurricane-force winds are present. Tropical Storm Nana strengthens into a hurricane as it is expected to make landfall

September 13 Four soldiers are killed during a raid at a house in north Lebanon in pursuit of a militant wanted in connection with a fatal shooting last month. The militant is killed during the raid, and is identified as Khaled al-Talawi, a former Islamic State member who formed a splinter terrorist cell overnight in Belize. Hurricane Nana makes landfall and downgrades to a tropical storm. The death toll from Hurricane Laura in Louisiana increases to 17.

Eight of the deaths were linked to carbon monoxide poisoning. Two people in Louisiana die from Hurricane Laura, bringing the statewide death toll to 25. A 52-year old man in Grant Parish died from heat-related illness while removing storm debris, and a 25-year old man in Natchitoches Parish died from electrocution.

September 14 The first discovery of the perfectly preserved remains of a cave bear, believed to be 22,000 to 39,500 years old (Late Pleistocene), is made in Lyakhovsky Islands, Siberia.

September 16

Boeing 737 MAX groundings

A United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure report blames a

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Hurricane Sally rapidly intensifies into a strong Category 1 hurricane, and is expected to make landfall near the Louisiana-Mississippi border as a strong Category 2 hurricane. Governor of Louisiana John Bell Edwards declares a state of emergency for New Orleans and other parts of the state as it is

expected that Hurricane Sally will make landfall as a strong hurricane on Tuesday. Hurricane Paulette makes landfall on Bermuda as a high-end Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane Teddy strengthens into a Category 3 hurricane over the Atlantic Ocean and heads to Bermuda, which is recovering from Hurricane Paulette. Nearly 400,000 homes in the U.S. are left without power after Hurricane Sally made landfall.

near the Grand Palace in Bangkok, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his government as well as a reform of the Thai monarchy.

September 21

September 19

Internet censorship in the United States, China–United States relations become worsen

The United States Department of Commerce says it will ban U.S. citizens from downloading the Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat with effect from September 20, unless a partnership between Oracle Corporation and TikTok owner Byte Dance is agreed to and approved by President Donald Trump. Internet censorship in the United States, It is considered as a United States trade war. Chinese technology company Byte Dance announces a proposed joint deal with American corporations Oracle and Walmart to continue the operation of its video-sharing social networking service TikTok in the United States under the name Tiktok Global. U.S. President Donald Trump recognizes the proposal, having threatened to ban the service in suspicion of Chinese espionage. Meanwhile a federal judge blocks the Commerce Department from requiring U.S. app stores to remove WeChat downloadsThe U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia temporarily blocks U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order banning TikTok from smartphone app stores hours before it was to go into effect, after lawyers representing the app's company Byte Dance argued its ban would constitute a form of censorship.

Thai protests in Bangkok

More than 15,000 pro-democracy protesters led by students of the Thammasat University gather

Aftermath of the 2012 Burgas bus bombing

A court in Bulgaria sentences two men, a Lebanese Australian and a Lebanese Canadian, to life in prison in absentia, for their roles in the suicide bombing

of a bus in Burgas in 2012 that killed five Israeli tourists, the Bulgarian driver and the bomber. The whereabouts of the men is unknown and they are the subject of an Interpol red notice.

September 22

September 20

Microsoft agrees to buy video game holding company ZeniMax Media, including Bethesda Softworks and their following subsidiaries for $7.5 billion, in what is the biggest and most expensive takeover in the history of the video game industry.

Abu Dhabi ends its alcohol license system, meaning residents will no longer need a license to buy and consume alcohol. Customers must be at least 21 and the purchase should be for personal use only, according to the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism.

September 23

Second Libyan Civil War

The United States embassy in Libya reports that the Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, has committed itself to end monthslong blockade of oil facilities, saying that "the LNA had conveyed personal commitment from General Haftar to allow the full reopening of the energy sector no later than September 12".

Protesters, some armed with guns, set ablaze a House of Representatives building in Benghazi, Libya. Protests against deteriorating living conditions and corruption continue in eastern Libya for a third consecutive day.

The Tobruk-based House of Representatives resigns amid violent protests in eastern Libya over September 2020 NATION AGE

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September 24

German vehicle company BMW is fined $18 million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve allegations that it inflated sales figures between 2015 and 2019. The fine amounts to less than 0.3% of the company's yearly income.

September 25

deteriorating living conditions and corruption. A spokesman for Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who is the de facto leader of eastern Libya, says the administration supports peaceful protests but would not allow "terrorists and the Muslim Brotherhood" to hijack them.

The South Korean defense ministry alleges that North Korean officials killed and cremated an official from the South Korean fisheries ministry who disappeared from a ship conducting maritime patrol activities along the Northern Limit Line on September 21 and entered North Korean territory

Hong Kong pro-democracy camp activist Joshua Wong loses a court case against his disqualification from running in last year's November election.

The returning officer had disqualified him because she did not believe Wong had changed his stance on Hong Kong independence and his "subversive intentions".

Aftermath of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, 2020 Belarusian protests

President Alexander Lukashenko is sworn in for a sixth term in office at an unannounced inauguration at the Independence Palace in Minsk. The opposition and some foreign governments do not recognize the

legitimacy of the inauguration, and call for continued civil resistance.

Astronomers announce the crescent shadow of Messier 87's supermassive black hole is wobbling.

Back in April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope captured the crescent shadow of the black hole, making it the first image ever taken of a black hole.

Archaeologists discover some chromium crucible steel (stainless steel) that was first made in Persia as early as the 11th century.

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Border incidents involving North and South Korea

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by the following afternoon. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issues an apology to South Korea over the "unfortunate" shooting death of a South Korean official in disputed border waters on Tuesday.

Thousands of protesters, predominantly farmers, block roads and railways in India to protest legislation that would remove government-guaranteed grain prices which are paid to farmers who sell their produce to the government.

2020 United States presidential election, Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign

U.S. President Donald Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the November 3 presidential election, saying "We're going to have to see what happens". At a campaign rally, United

States President Donald Trump is set to make a speech in Atlanta, Georgia, advocating to make June tenth a federal holiday. Google and YouTube announce that after the polls close on November 3 for the Presidential election, they will stop allowing political ads even if there is confusion or civil unrest while votes are counted. The New York Times reports that it has obtained more than two decades of tax-return data for Donald Trump and his business enterprises, including The Trump Organization. The documents show that Trump paid no federal income tax in 11 of the last 15 years, and paid just $750 as income taxes in 2016, and $750 in 2017.

September 26

Security forces kill at least nine insurgents in Lebanon during operations against Islamic State-linked militants that killed four security forces earlier this month and three civilians in August. Three security forces are also injured in this incident. Militants open fire on an army checkpoint in Araman, Lebanon, killing two members of the security forces.

A militant is also killed in the attack. It is the third of a spate of attacks by Islamic State-linked militants in the country since August.

calls for the United Nations Security Council to stop human rights abuse in her country.The United States formally no longer recognizes Alexander Lukashenko as President of Belarus, according to a U.S. Department of State statement. A State Department spokesperson calls for a new "free and fair election" in Belarus under independent observation. Police carry out mass arrests as thousands of people gather for new protests; more than 50 protesters are arrested.

Russia announces that they have supplied their first batch of their Sputnik V vaccine to Belarus for clinical trials.

Water on Mars

Scientists in a paper published to Nature Astronomy confirm the existence of four underground saltwater

September 27

Armenian and Azerbaijani clashes

Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces clash along the border of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh, formerly known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Several cities in Artsakh, including its capital city of Stepanakert, are under attack. At least 23 people are killed during the battle, of whom 16 are NagornoKarabakh servicemen, five Azerbaijani civilians and two Armenian civilians. Armenia and the selfproclaimed Republic of Artsakh declare martial law and a full mobilization of its Artsakh Defence Army amid an Azerbaijani invasion. Azerbaijani Armed Forces say they have captured six Armenian villages.

In a live televised address to the nation, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declares a general mobilization and orders citizens to "get ready to defend our sacred homeland", following the clashes with Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declares martial law, and imposes curfews from 9 pm to 6 am in major cities, including the capital Baku, in response to the clashes between Azeri and Armenian forces in NagornoKarabakh. Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence says advancing Azerbaijani troops have "liberated" the strategic Murovdag mountain peak, which was the scene of a previous battle in 1993, that ended in Armenian victory.

September 28

Belarusian protests, Foreign relations of Belarus

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

lakes spread out over 75,000 square kilometres (29,000 sq mi) near Mars' south pole. Depending on their salt content, these lakes could be potential holders of life.

September 29

COVID-19 vaccine

Results from Phase I trials find that the vaccine candidate from Moderna works well with older adults. The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 exceeds one million. The United States remains the largest contributor, accounting for 21% of the total deaths.

The United Arab Emirates announces the Emirates Lunar Mission to send a space exploration vehicle to the Moon in 2024.

September 30 George Floyd protests, 2020 United States racial unrest protests in Portland, Oregon Alan Swinney, a member of the Proud Boys, is arrested by Portland Police for assault, unlawful use of weapon and tear gas, menacing and pointing a firearm at another individual during two incidents in August.

September 2020 NATION AGE

53

NATION DIARY China–India skirmishes The Embassy of China in India accuses the Indian Armed Forces of "conducting flagrant provocations" along the Line of Actual Control near the disputed Pangong Lake in Ladakh. The statement comes a day after the Indian defence ministry accuses China's People's Liberation Army of militarising along the same area, to which the Chinese foreign ministry denied.

China–India skirmishes, Internet censorship in India

India bans 118 apps linked to Chinese companies including popular Tencent-backed video game PUBG Mobile, stating they are "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India".China says that Indian troops crossed the Line of Actual Control into the Shenpao mountain region near Pangong Tso Lake and then fired warning shots to intimidate Chinese border troops. A few hours later, India said that Chinese troops had fired into the air to intimidate Indian border troops, and that at no stage had the Indian Army crossed the LAC.

India–Russia relations, COVID-19 pandemic in Russia

Russia says that they will begin phase 3 clinical trials of their Gam-COVID-Vac vaccine in India later this month.

54

NATION AGE September 2020

Bangladesh–India relations, Deaths along the Bangladesh–India border The border guards of Bangladesh and India agree to launch joint patrols along the two countries' border following a spate of deaths linked to illegal entries.

COVID-19 pandemic in India

The number of deaths in India exceeds 90,000. In the past 24 hours, the country reported 83,347 new cases and 1,085 more deaths.

On September 23.Railway Minister Suresh Angadi dies from the disease at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.

September 28

COVID-19 pandemic in India

India surpasses six million cases of COVID-19, becoming the second country after the United States to reach that milestone. Meanwhile, 82.5% or more than five million people have recovered.

September 29

COVID-19 pandemic in India

Vice President of India Sri. M. Venkaiah Naidu tests positive for COVID-19. He is asymptomatic and quarantined at home.

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KARENG/2009/30564

Nation Age

September 2020 Volume 10. Issue 10 Rs. 20

Printed & Published by Haneef Shibu on behalf of Gyan Prabha Media Pvt. Limited, 38-39, Prestige Enclave, B.B. Road, NH-7, Bangalore-562157.

Printed at Jai Printers, No.76B, 2nd Main , 2nd Cross, Prakash Nagar, Bangalore-560021, Karnataka. Place of Publication Gyan Prabha Media Pvt. Ltd, No: 38-39, "Prestige Enclave" Bettahalasur Cross, B.b. Road, Nh- 7, Bangalore- 562157, Karnataka.