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- Purpose: Acts as a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to improve litigation management within the government framework, promoting good governance, public welfare, and timely justice.
- Scope: Applies to:
- All Central Government Ministries/Departments, their attached/subordinate offices, autonomous bodies, and CPSEs (for arbitration).
- State Governments are encouraged to adopt it voluntarily.
- Key Challenges in Government Litigation:
- High Volume: Central government is a party in ~700,000 pending cases.
- Capacity Issues: Many ministries lack legal cells and sufficient resources.
- Narrow Legal Interpretations: Leads to unnecessary litigation.
- Procedural Gaps: Errors in forms, affidavits, etc., contribute to case backlog.
- Directive Measures:
- Strengthen Legal Capacity:
- Establish dedicated Legal Cells.
- Appoint Nodal Officers with legal expertise.
- Introduce litigation management courses on i-GOT Karmayogi platform.
- Improve Grievance Redressal:
- Quarterly reviews and data-driven analysis of grievances.
- Example: “Staff Adalats” by the Department of Posts.
- Strengthen Legal Capacity:
- IMO’s Net-Zero Framework for Shipping
- The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has introduced the world’s first sector-wide system that merges mandatory emission limits with greenhouse gas (GHG) pricing, targeting the entire shipping industry.
- Why It Matters:
- Shipping contributes nearly 3% of the world’s total GHG emissions.
- This framework marks a significant shift toward cleaner maritime operations.
- Key Components of the Framework:
- The measures will be added to Annex VI of MARPOL (the international agreement focused on preventing air pollution from ships).
- Goal: Achieve net-zero emissions from the shipping sector by around 2050.
- Main Requirements:
- Global Fuel Standard (GFS):
- Ships must gradually reduce their greenhouse gas fuel intensity (GFI)—the amount of emissions per unit of energy used.
- Global Economic Mechanism:
- Ships exceeding GFI limits must purchase emission credits to offset their surplus emissions.
- Ships using zero or low-emission technologies may receive financial incentives.
- IMO Net-Zero Fund:
- A dedicated fund will be set up to collect emission-related payments and support low-carbon initiatives.
- Global Fuel Standard (GFS):
- Implementation Timeline:
- Adoption: Expected in October 2025.
- Enforcement: Begins in 2027.
- Scope: Will apply to large vessels over 5,000 gross tonnage, which are responsible for approximately 85% of CO₂ emissions from international maritime transport.
- About MARPOL:
- MARPOL (1973) is the main international treaty that aims to prevent marine pollution from ships, whether accidental or routine.
- Managed by the IMO, a UN agency that oversees global shipping standards.
- MARPOL is divided into six annexes, each dealing with different pollution sources (e.g., oil, sewage, air emissions).