Food Authority approves amendments to streamline Food Safety and Standards Regulations
Time to Read :🕑 5 Mins
Why in news?
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) approved amendments to streamline food regulations at its recent meeting, promoting 'One Nation, One Commodity, One Regulator' for ease of doing business.
About new amendments
No need for multiple certifications
Various amendments across different Food Safety and Standards Regulations were approved in the meeting to do away with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) or AGMARK certification for food products.
After the amendments are finalised, food businesses would not have to go to different authorities for mandatory certification with only FSSAI certification being made mandatory for food products.
Expansion of Standards
The standards of Mead (Honey wine) and Alcoholic Ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, revision of standards of milk fat products, standards for Haleem etc.
The amendments across different Food Safety and Standards Regulations were approved in the meeting for draft notification to invite stakeholder comments before finalisation. These regulations included the revision of standards of Milk Fat Products, as part of which the fatty acid requirements for Ghee will also be applicable for other milk fat products.
The Food Authority is also going to set standards for ‘Haleem’ as part of standards for meat products.
Haleem is a dish made of meat, pulses, grains and other ingredients, which currently don’t have any set standards.
Brumation
Time to Read :🕑 5 Mins
Why in news?
Brumation season is approaching for reptiles.
About Brumation
Brumation is a physiological state in reptiles and amphibians in the cold winter months that involves a slowing of metabolic processes, reduced activity, and minimal food intake. While often compared to hibernation in mammals, it’s not the same thing.
Examples of Animals That Brumate
Many reptile and amphibian species brumate, especially those living in temperate climates with harsh winters. Common examples include:
Snakes, such as garter snakes and rattlesnakes.
Lizards, like bearded dragons and blue-tongued skinks.
Tortoises and some species of turtles.
Amphibians, including certain types of frogs and salamanders.
Why Brumation Occurs?
Brumation is a survival mechanism triggered by decreasing temperatures and reduced daylight hours.
As cold-blooded animals, reptiles and amphibians rely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature and metabolic processes.
Brumation helps these animals conserve energy, survive on limited food resources, and avoid the dangers of a cold environment.
Direct tax kitty picks up pace, up 20.25% by Feb.
Time to Read :🕑 5 Mins
Why in news?
Direct tax collection for FY2023-24 has reached 80% of the revised budget estimates as of February 10, 2024.
About Recent update
Net direct tax collection in the current fiscal year to date rose 20.25% year on year (YoY) to ₹15.60 lakh crore.
According to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) statements, the provisional figures of direct tax collections continue to register steady growth. Direct tax collections up to 10th February 2024 show that gross collections are at ₹18.38 lakh crore, which is 17.30 per cent higher than the gross collections for the corresponding period of last year.
From April 1, 2023, to February 10, 2024, refunds totalling ₹2.77 lakh crore have been issued.
According to Finance ministry, there has been a consistent increase in gross revenue collections for both Corporate Income Tax (CIT) and Personal Income Tax (PIT). CIT saw a growth rate of 9.16%, while PIT recorded a growth rate of 25.67%.
Upon adjusting for refunds, the net growth in CIT collections stands at 13.57%, and for PIT, it is 26.91%.
Olive Ridleys
Time to Read :🕑 5 Mins
Why in news?
Olive Ridleys returned to Karnataka after 39 years.
More about news
On February 5, 2024 - 12 nesting sites were identified on Tannirbhavi and Sasihithlu beaches in coastal Karnataka.
Each site should have closer to 150 eggs as per the typical nesting habits of the Olive Ridley turtles.
This was the first incident of nesting after a hiatus of 39 years (since 1985).
About Olive Ridley
It gets its name from the olive-green colour of its heart-shaped shell.
Found primarily in the warm tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans.
The Olive Ridley turtles are Schedule 1 animals under the Wildlife Act of 1972.
The Olive Ridley turtles are listed as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Climate and Catastrophe Insight Report- 2024
Time to Read :🕑 7 Mins
Why in news?
A risk-mitigation service provider, Aon PLC, recently published its 2024 Climate and Catastrophe Insight report, highlighting significant natural disaster damages in 2023.
Summary of the Climate and Catastrophe Insight Report 2024
Economic losses were above average due to devastating earthquakes.
Global natural disasters in 2023 resulted in above-average economic losses totalling $380 billion, which was driven by significant earthquakes and relentless severe convective storm activity in the United States and Europe.
The single most catastrophic event was the earthquake sequence that hit Turkey and Syria in February.
Global losses surpassed $300 billion for the eighth time in a row and were 22 percent higher than the long-term average.
Severe convective storms were the most damaging peril for insurers.
Insurers across the world covered $118 billion, which was above the 21st century average ($90 billion), as well as the decadal mean ($110 billion).
U.S. drought and the earthquake sequence in Turkey and Syria were the costliest events for insurance, considering both public and private entities.
New Zealand, Italy, Greece, Slovenia and Croatia all recorded their costliest weather-related insurance events on record.
The global protection gap increased to average levels in 2023, after the lowest gap on record in 2022.
Significant regional differences still exist:
Insurance only paid out 31% of total damages incurred (USD 118 bn) indicating a significant “protection gap” of approx.
The majority of disaster losses are covered in the United States, but most of the losses in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia and Pacific (APAC) and Americas (non-US) are still uninsured.
This shows that closing the protection gap will continue to pose a challenge but also a huge opportunity for certain regions.
The human toll was the highest since 2010.
The year 2023 was the deadliest since 2010, which was driven by more than 64,000 fatalities from earthquakes. Multiple significant heatwaves around the globe resulted in at least 16,500 heat-related deaths.
2023 was the hottest year on record.
Extremely high temperature anomalies recorded in many parts of the globe resulted in 2023 being reported as the warmest year on record.
Behavior of many natural perils continued to be affected not only by the warming trend, but also by the El Niño conditions during the year.
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