[Mission 2023] SECURE SYNOPSIS: 17 June 2022 – INSIGHTSIAS

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NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.

Answer the following questions in 150 words:

General Studies – 1

 

1. The simmering discontent of the tribal people broke out into popular uprisings in different parts of India at different points of time due to the shared experience of colonial oppression. Elaborate.

Reference: Insights on India

Introduction

The Tribal population, being conservative, was interested in retaining the existing salient features of their society. Tribal movements were inspired by revolutionary tendencies. They wanted to make use of the situation to fight and eliminate evils and ill-tendencies that existed in the contemporary tribal society. Before British influence, tribals had depended on the forest for food, fuel and fodder. They practiced shifting cultivation (jhum, podu, etc.), taking recourse to fresh forest lands when their existing lands showed signs of exhaustion. The colonial government changed all this.

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The causes for the tribal uprisings included

  • Imposition of Land revenue Settlement. For instance, Famine, enhanced land revenue demands and economic distress goaded the Chuar aboriginal tribesmen of the Jungle Mahal of Midnapore district and also of the Bankura district (in Bengal) to take up arms.
  • British policies and acts like the establishment of  the Forest  department  in  1864, Government  Forest  Act (1865) and Indian  Forest  Act (1878)which restricted the activities of tribals in forest areas led to their ire against the British. g.: Koya revolt against British for denial of tribal’s rights over forest areas.
  • Extension of settled agriculture. E.g.: : The British expansion on their territory led to an uprising by the martial Pahariyas of the Raj Mahal Hills in 1778.
  • New excise regulations which imposed a ban on tribals to make their own liquor, an important trait of their culture.
  • Large scale transfer of forest land. g.: large-scale transfers of land from Kol headmen to outsiders like Hindu, Sikh and Muslim farmers and money-lenders who were oppressive and demanded heavy taxes.
  • Restrictions on shifting cultivation in forest. For e.g.: Khasi and Garo rebellions against occupation of hilly land and ban on shifting cultivation.
  • Introduction of the notion of private property.
  • Exploitation by   low   country   traders   and money lenders. E.g.: Santhal rebellion against moneylenders and traders. The Ulgulan uprising against money lenders
  • Work of Christian Missionaries and against the interference of other religions such as Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. g: Tana Bhagat Movement

Significance

  • The uprisings helped create an united notion against the oppressive nature of British rule.
  • It laid bare the colonial rule of East India company.
  • It played an important role in bringing the tribal people together and imparting to them the consciousness of belonging to one country.
  • The Tribal rebellions in India took place for social, cultural and political reasons, particularly against the acquisition of their land and exerted their rights over forest resources.

Reasons for failure

  • Though these early movements created a healthy culture promoting expression of local dissent against authoritarianism, they also faced certain limitations.
  • Though as single events, these revolts were powerful and pervasive in their region; from the national perspective, they were localised and isolated events that didn’t capture the popular imagination of the nation at large. This limited the effect that these uprisings could have had.
  • Additionally, most of these uprisings arose from dissatisfaction over local grievances, and the rest of the nation could not identify with the agitating persons and express empathy for their grievances.
  • The uprisings were not revolutionary in ideas, thought or ideology, but were just external manifestations of protests over particular grievances.
  • They presented no alternate solution to the public, and failed to galvanise them into action.
  • The leaders of most of these uprisings were semi-feudal in character and hence, had a traditional, conservative outlook.
  • They were easily satisfied if the British provided even minor concessions or agreed to their specific demands.
  • Hence, no large scale reform of society was perceived or even demanded for by the people participating in these protests.

Conclusion

It is evident that the colonial rule even, during the days of the east India Company witnessed numerous uprising and disturbances. These varied grievances reached their climax in the revolt of 1857, which in spite of targeting certain groups of Indians remains the prominent uprising against the British before the beginning of the Indian Freedom movement.

 

2. What is the need for population control in the country? Do you think there is a need for a population country law? Critically examine.

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India

Introduction

India is projected to become the most populous country in the world by 2027 (currently at 1.37 billion). In 2050, India’s population is projected to be 1.69 billion, which will be higher than that of China. Undoubtedly, India has a population problem, but any strategy to change fertility rates should be carefully thought out. India’s population concern is largely restricted to Bihar, UP, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and MP.

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Statistics on population

  • The National Population Policy 2000 affirmed a commitment to achieve replacement levels of fertility (total fertility rate of 2.1) by 2010.
  • Ten states — Karnataka, Punjab, Gujarat, Assam, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala — and Jammu and Kashmir, have achieved this goal, albeit much delayed.
  • Kerala and Tamil Nadu had accomplished it decades earlier. This fertility decline over half of India has cut across all sections of society — the privileged and the poor, those educated or not, and the high and low caste.
  • The National Family Health Survey-4 has shown how TFR has reduced even among illiterate women from all religions in the southern states — even in Kerala and Telangana which have a high proportion of Muslims.
  • India has entered a demographic sweet spot that will continue for another two to three decades. Half of India’s population is under 29 years of age, which means that in this period, a greater proportion of young people will drive India’s economic growth and social progress.
  • So, they must not only be healthy, knowledgeable and skilled but must also be provided with the rights and choices to develop to their fullest potential, including, and especially, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

Need for population control

  • It is indeed a fact that population of India is growing and will continue to grow for the next couple of decades.
  • This is because, as compared to the past, there are a higher proportion of people in the marriageable age group who will produce children, and people are now living longer.
  • In India, the global demand for water in 2050 is projected to be more than 50 per cent of what it was in 2000.
  • The demand for food will double in the year 2050 and even if India manages to feed its expanding population, its growth may not be ecologically sustainable.
  • Though China’s one-child policy has been criticized as against human dignity and rights, it has improved and controlled the nation’s population by a possible 400 million people as per the report of East India Forum.
  • If Population control won’t happen, there will be no resources left, and the growing population’s demand will increase to the next level, resulting in increasing death rates increasing in the country.
  • Changing social norms is one of the biggest challenges for India to address the needs of the next generation.

Thus, due to the burgeoning growth of Population it can lead to failure of realization of our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) namely the zero hunger, eradicating poverty etc. and economic aspirations.

Need for population control law: Critical Analysis

  • Counter-productive measure: Through an affidavit filed in court, the central government argued that “international experience shows that any coercion to have a certain number of children is counter-productive and leads to demographic distortions”.
  • Against international obligations: India is committed to its obligations under international law, including the contained in the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, 1994.
  • Foremost in those principles was a pledge from nations that they would look beyond demographic targets and focus instead on guaranteeing a right to reproductive freedom.
  • Against right to reproductive freedom and privacy: In Suchita Srivastava & Anr vs Chandigarh Administration (2009), the Court found that a woman’s freedom to make reproductive decisions is an integral facet of the right to personal liberty guaranteed by Article 21.
    • However, In Javed & Ors vs State of Haryana & Ors (2003), the Court upheld a law that disqualified persons with more than two children from contesting in local body elections.
    • In Devika Biswas vs Union of India (2016), the Court pointed to how these population control camps invariably have a disparate impact on minorities and other vulnerable groups.
  • Negative consequences: An already skewed sex ratio may be compounded by families aborting a daughter in the hope of having a son with a view to conforming to the two-child norm.

Conclusion

Experiences from other States in India show us that there are more efficacious and alternative measures available to control the growth of population, including processes aimed at improving public health and access to education. Incentivise later marriages and child births; make contraception easy for women and promote women’s labour force participation. This should be substantiated with better education and awareness rather than an iron hand policy to control the population. Government should improve the implementation of poverty alleviation measures which can also help control population.

General Studies – 2

 

3. What is Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)? Is India ready to adopt ESG model given its diversity and developmental challenges? Analyse.

Reference: Live Mint

Introduction

ESG environmental, social and governance describes areas that characterize a sustainable, responsible or ethical investment. It is a generic term used in capital markets and used by investors to evaluate corporate behaviour and to determine the future financial performance of companies.

ESG is a subset of non-financial performance indicators which include sustainable, ethical and corporate governance issues such as managing a company’s carbon footprint and ensuring there are systems in place to ensure accountability.

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About ESG

  • ESG refers to a class of investing that is also known as “sustainable investing.” This is an umbrella term for investments that seek positive returns and long-term impact on society, the environment, and the performance of the business.
  • There are several different categories of sustainable investing.
    • They include impact investing, socially responsible investing (SRI), ESG, and values-based investing.
    • Another school of thought puts ESG under the umbrella term of SRI. Under SRI are ethical investing, ESG investing, and impact investing.
  • Responsible investors evaluate companies using ESG criteria as a framework to screen investments or to assess risks in investment decision-making.
  • Environmental factors determine a company’s stewardship of the environment and focus on waste and pollution, resource depletion, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, deforestation, and climate change.

India’s readiness to adopt ESG model

  • Heavy industries like iron and steel can help reduce India’s carbon dioxide exhaust by undertaking incremental capacity expansion through smaller ‘scrap based steel process plants’ (recycling) located near urban centres.
    • Once deep decarbonization steel technologies develop on a commercial scale, including green hydrogen from electrolysis of water or blue hydrogen from natural gas (where carbon by-products get captured), polluting entities could choose to make the appropriate technology investments.
  • In the energy and commodities space where coal and hydrocarbons are necessities, refining companies that guzzle finance to the tune of $20-40 million for every imported tanker consignment, could do more, given the sheer scale of their operations.
    • Business and corporate social responsibility support is needed to promote greener technologies and bring about a large CO2 impact.
    • Projects like the afforestation of habitats and revival of lost water bodies need priority.
  • Power distribution companies can do their bit to support electric vehicle (EV) usage by upgrading back-end transformer infrastructure and raising the sanctioned loads of connections , which remain as low as 5 KWh, leaving little spare load for quick EV battery charging at most alternative-current plug-in points.
  • In the construction industry, rain water harvesting (RWH) systems should be a strict precondition for issuing building plan approvals to reverse groundwater depletion and prevent urban flooding.
    • If water-challenged Tamil Nadu could successfully implement mandatory RWH for all buildings across urban and later rural areas in the early 2000s, surely such best practices require replication today in heavy consumption areas across the country.

Conclusion

A green economic transition and the financing needed for ESG should not be elusive buzzwords, but an opportunity that Indian corporates and financiers should act upon right away before climate action regulations start hitting them hard.

General Studies – 3

 

4. Minimum support prices (MSP) are meant to function as a safety net. Yet, they are unable to become the means of farmer’s income security as intended. Analyse.

Reference: Live Mint

Introduction

Minimum Support Price (MSP)is the rate at which the government buys grains from farmers. Currently, it fixes MSPs for 23 crops grown in both Kharif and Rabi seasons. The Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for the Khari season 2022-23 were recently approved by the cabinet. The rates for 14 Kharif crops have been increased, the hikes ranging from 4% to 8%.

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Yes, MSP helps farmers to an extent

  • MSP has been beneficial in transferring incomes to rural areas and to counter farm level inflation.
  • It can also counter the agricultural distress brought on by natural hazards in the country. It gives farmers hope of earning more in the new sowing season.
  • In the last few years, India has become a net importer of pulses. Massive hike in the MSP of these crops will encourage the farmers to grow nutritional crops. It will help in changing the cropping pattern which was long due.
  • A higher MSP regime will also help in achieving the Government’s target of doubling farmer’s income by 2022.
  • It also acts as an incentive for farmers to produce the crop which is in short supply.
  • Higher profits for the farmer will also help them to invest in necessary infrastructure and equipment.
  • The MSP to some extent will protect the farmer by guaranteeing a minimum floor price so that they can plan in advance for the next season.

However, MSP is fraught with limitations

The trouble with MSP is that while it is touted as an all-important factor for farmers promising an instant rise in their income and stability, it also has many drawbacks in implementation. This affects the price realisation of farmers, in reality for several reasons.

  • Methodology: MSP covers numerous costs such as the cost of sowing (A2) and labour (FL). These considerations are controversial with suggestions that it should be based on comprehensive costs (C2), which also include land rent costs.
  • Inflation: Too much of a hike on MSP either paves way for inflationary effects on the economy, with a rise in prices of food grains and vegetables, or loss to government treasury if it decides to sell at a lower price as compared to the higher MSP it bought at.
  • Diverse factors: MSP is a nationwide single price policy. However, the actual costing for production varies from place to place, more severely so in areas lacking irrigation facilities and infrastructure. Thus, not all farmers have equal benefits.
  • Procurement at MSP is flawed: First, procurement of wheat and paddy for meeting the requirement of the public distribution system (PDS) is undertaken largely by state governments.
    • Of the total procurement of wheat and paddy from farmers, the Food Corporation of India’s (FCI’s) share is less than 10%.
    • In the north-east and many other states, procurement operations are almost non-existent and farmers are forced to sell below MSP.
    • As the experiences of these schemes show, the benefit of higher MSPs for kharif crops or rabi, is unlikely to be available to most farmers as the states lack adequate storage capacity, working capital and manpower for undertaking large-scale procurement of all commodities.
    • The MSP-based procurement system is also dependent on middlemen, commission agents and APMC officials, which smaller farmers find difficult to get access to.
  • Agri-Infrastructure: Hiking the MSP without investing in infrastructure is just a short-term play. While it does deliver immediate results, long-term developments to back-it up are also important.
  • Environmental harm: It degrades the soil because of irrespective of the soil condition, some crops are preferred which have MSP over them which results in exploitation of group water resources, alkalinity, decrease in the production of the crops in long run and much harm to environment.

Conclusion

The government should shift its focus from providing only price support to farmers and focus on building better infrastructure, minimizing the gap between farmers and the market, land reforms, policy reforms to increase flow of credit to farmers, establishing food-processing industries for perishable goods, providing better irrigation facilities etc so, that agriculture emerges as a viable means of sustenance.

 

5. Describe the features of Agnipath scheme for recruiting soldiers. Evaluate the various benefits and risks associated with the scheme.

Reference: Indian Express , Indian Express

Introduction

Agnipath Defence Policy Reform is a government scheme launched to recruit young men and women in the Indian Armed forces. The Agnipath scheme was announced by the defence Minister Rajnath Singh on June 14th 2022.

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About the Agnipath scheme

  • Agnipath is a new defence recruitment model that would allow “patriotic and motivated” youth to serve in the armed forces for a period of four years.
  • The process of recruitment will commence in 90 days.
  • The plan is to recruit about 45,000-50,000 personnel below officer rank in the three services every year through a biannual exercise with a six-month gap.
  • As per the Agnipath scheme, this year there will be a planned intake of about 46,000 young men and women.
  • Soldier recruited through Agnipath scheme will be known as ‘Agniveers’.
  • This scheme will be the only form of recruitment of soldiers into the three defence services Armed Force, Indian Navy and Air Forces, hereon.
  • Enrolment of Agniveers to all three services will be through a centralized online system, with special rallies and campus interviews at recognised technical institutes such as the Industrial Training Institutes, and the National Skills Qualifications Framework. The Model is based on an all-India merit-based selection process.

Objectives

  • It aims at providing an opportunity to the patriotic and motivated youth with the ‘Josh’ and ‘Jazba’ to join the Armed Forces.
  • It is expected to bring down the average age profile of the Indian Armed Forces by about 4 to 5 years.
  • The scheme envisions that, the average age in the forces is 32 years today, which will go down to 26 in six to seven years.

Various benefits to Youth

  • Upon the completion of the 4-years of service, a one-time ‘Seva Nidhi’ package of Rs 11.71 lakhs will be paid to the Agniveers that will include their accrued interest thereon.
  • They will also get a Rs 48 lakh life insurance cover for the four years.
  • In case of death, the payout will be over Rs 1 crore, including pay for the unserved tenure.
  • The government will help rehabilitate soldiers who leave the services after four years. They will be provided with skill certificates and bridge courses.
  • Furure Ready Soldiers: It will create “future-ready” soldiers.
  • More Employment Opportunities: It will increase employment opportunities and because of the skills and experience acquired during the four-year service such soldiers will get employment in various fields.
  • Higher Skilled Workforce: This will also lead to availability of a higher-skilled workforce to the economy which will be helpful in productivity gain and overall GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth.

Issues related to the scheme

  • Difficult to Find Another Job:The ‘Agnipath’ scheme opens the way for recruitment of about 45,000 soldiers into Army, Navy and Air Force in the first year but on a short-term contract of four years. After the completion of the contract, 25% of them will be retained and the rest will leave the forces.
    • The four years of service will mean other jobs will be out of reach after that, and they will be left behind their peers.
  • No Pension Benefit: Those hired under the ‘Agnipath’ scheme will be given a one-time lumpsum of a little more than Rs 11 lakh when they end their four-year tenure.
    • However, they do not receive any pension benefits. For most, seeking a second job is essential to support themselves and their families.
  • Training May Remain Unutilized: Forces will lose experienced soldiers.
    • The jawans joining the Army, Navy and Air Force will be given technical training so that they are able to support the ongoing operations. But these men and women will leave after four years, which could create a void.

Conclusion

Despite the reservations, there is potential for future employment to these youth as the defence industry is ready to take off in a huge manner in India. Once this happens, the industry will have readily skilled youth for the jobs and hence there is also future to these youths. At the same time, national security is ensured.

 

Answer the following questions in 250 words(15 marks each):

General Studies – 1

 

6. Sustained growth of the India’s older population presents many socio-economic challenges. We must quickly recognize the scope of the new demographic reality and adjust current policies accordingly. Discuss.

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India

 

Introduction

In 2009, there were 88 million elderly people in India. By 2050, this figure is expected to soar over 320 million. Between 2000 and 2050 the overall population of the country is anticipated to grow by 60 per cent whereas population of people of age 60 years and above would shoot by 360 per cent. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was cleared by the Cabinet recently

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Challenges posed by growing elderly population in India:

  • Isolation and loneliness among the elderly is rising.
    • Nearly half the elderly felt sad and neglected, 36 per cent felt they were a burden to the family.
  • Rise in age-related chronic illness:
    • Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases will cause more death and illness worldwide than infectious or parasitic diseases over the next few years.
    • In developed nations, this shift has already happened. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are expected to almost double every 20 years, as life expectancy increases.
  • Special challenges for less developed nations:
    • Poorer countries will carry the double burden of caring for older people with chronic diseases, as well as dealing with continued high rates of infectious diseases.
  • Increasing need for long-term care:
    • The number of sick and frail elderly needing affordable nursing homes or assisted living centers will likely increase.
  • Rise in the Health care costs:
    • As older people stop working and their health care needs increase, governments could be overwhelmed by unprecedented costs.
    • While there may be cause for optimism about population aging in some countries, the Pew survey reveals that residents of countries such as Japan, Italy, and Russia are the least confident about achieving an adequate standard of living in old age.
  • Elderly women issues:
    • They face life time of gender-based discrimination. The gendered nature of ageing is such that universally, women tend to live longer than men.
    • In the advanced age of 80 years and above, widowhood dominates the status of women with 71 per cent of women and only 29 per cent of men having lost their spouse.
    • Social mores inhibit women from re-marrying, resulting in an increased likelihood of women ending up alone.
    • The life of a widow is riddled with stringent moral codes, with integral rights relinquished and liberties circumvented.
    • Social bias often results in unjust allocation of resources, neglect, abuse, exploitation, gender-based violence, lack of access to basic services and prevention of ownership of assets.
    • Ageing women are more likely to get excluded from social security schemes due to lower literacy and awareness levels.
  • Ageing individual is expected to need health care for a longer period of time than previous generations but elderly care for a shorter period of time

Roadmap for elderly care with passage of time

  • As a signatory to Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), India has the responsibility to formulate and implement public policy on population ageing.
  • Issues of poverty, migration, urbanization, realization and feminization compound the complexity of this emerging phenomenon. Public policy must respond to this bourgeoning need and mainstream action into developmental planning.
  • Gender and social concerns of elderly, particularly elderly women, must be integrated at the policy level.
  • The elderly, especially women, should be represented in decision making.
  • With the WHO declaring 2020 to 2030 as “Decade of Healthy Ageing”, there is a need for Institutes like AIIMS to be in the forefront in promoting healthy ageing.
  • Increasing social/widow pension and its universalization is critical for expanding the extent and reach of benefits.
  • Renewed efforts should be made for raising widespread awareness and access to social security schemes such as National Old Age Pension and Widow Pension Scheme. Provisions in terms of special incentives for elderly women, disabled, widowed should also be considered.
  • Government must proactively work on life style modification, non-communicable disease management, vision and hearing problem management and accessible health care through Ayushman Bharat.

Conclusion

The elderly are the fastest growing, underutilized resource that humanity has to address many other problems. Re-integration of the elderly into communities may save humanity from mindlessly changing into a technology driven ‘Industry 4.0’ which futurists are projecting: an economy of robots producing things for each other. Healthy elderly citizens can share their wealth of knowledge with younger generations, help with child care, and volunteer or hold jobs in their communities.

 

General Studies – 2

 

7. Malnutrition occurs as a result of complex interplay among various factors. However, simple yet practical and innovative solutions can contribute towards ending malnutrition and anaemia. Elaborate.

Reference: The Hindu

Introduction

India has 5,772,472 children below five years affected by severe wasting, the most in the world, alerted UNICEF. It had been reported in 2017 by the National Health Survey that approximately 19 crore people in the country were compelled to sleep on an empty stomach every night.

Underweight is most common among the poor, the rural population, adults who have no education and scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Hence it clear that hunger and malnutrition is also a direct consequence of socio-economic status of people in India.

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Malnutrition in India

  • India, currently has the largest number of undernourished people in the worlde. around 195 million.
  • Nearly 47 million or 4 out of 10 children in India do not meet their full human potential because of chronic undernutrition or stunting.
  • 9% of children under 5 years are stunted and 20.8% are wasted, compared to the Asia average of 22.7% and 9.4% respectively.
  • Rate of overweight and obesity continues to rise, affecting almost a fifth of the adults, at 21.6% of women and 17.8% of men.
  • Inequities in food and health systems increase inequalities in nutrition outcomes that in turn can lead to more inequity, perpetuating a vicious cycle.

Causes of hunger and malnutrition in India

  • Poverty: Poverty restricts the food choices and has been the causative factor of hunger related deaths.
    • If the persistent high prices of food items and the regional disparities in terms of development, especially the backwardness among the hilly and tribal areas also taken into account, the percentage of people who cannot afford balanced nutrition will be much higher in India.
  • Poor access to safe drinking water: Safe and tap drinking water is still a luxury in many parts of rural India and urban slums/shanties. Unsafe water causes water borne diseases and children are prone to it more than adults.
  • Issues with agriculture: The change from multi to mono cropping systems limits the diversity of agricultural products.
    • Inclination towards cash crops and changing food habits result in malnutrition, undernutrition and even micro-nutrient deficiencies.
    • Local cuisine such as millets are not being consumed causing nutrient deficiencies and anaemia.
  • Food wastage: Food wastage is also an emerging challenge that undermines the efforts to end hunger and malnutrition. According to the FAO, the global volume of food wastage is estimated at 1.6 billion tonnes of primary product equivalents.
  • Poor health services: The relationship between poverty and access to health care can be seen as part of a larger cycle, where poverty leads to ill health and ill health maintains poverty.
  • Insufficient education and training: In developing countries, children do not have access to basic education because of inequalities that originate in sex, health and cultural identity. It has been revealed in reports that illiteracy and lack of education are common factor that lead to poverty and in turn hunger.
  • Covid-19 impact: The momentum set by this entire nutrition movement was disturbed once Covid lockdowns led to the shutting of schools, Anganwadi centres, Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres.
    • Further, frontline workers had to be engaged in Covid-related work that took precedence over their daily duties, which entailed identifying, referring and monitoring children suffering from severe acute malnutrition and moderate acute malnutrition among other nutrition-strengthening activities.
  • States tried to cope to the best of their abilities by replacing hot-cooked meals with dry ration or cash transfers.
  • Moreover, indirect forces triggered by the pandemic such as disruption in food systems, dried-up income sources, job losses and consequent financial hardships also mean that access to nutrient-rich food might have reduced among economically vulnerable people.

Measures needed to tackle hunger

  • Agriculture-Nutrition linkage schemes have the potential for greater impact in dealing with malnutrition and thus, needs greater emphasis.
    • Recognising the importance of this link, the Ministry for Women and Child Development launched the Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh in 2019.
    • There is a need to promote schemes directed to nutrition-agriculture link activities in rural areas. However, implementation remains the key.
  • Early fund disbursement: The government needs to ensure early disbursement of funds and optimum utilisation of funds in schemes linked to nutrition.
  • Underutilisation of Resources: It has been pointed out many a times that expenditure made under many nutrition-based schemes is considerably lower than what was allocated under them. Thus, emphasis needs to be on implementation.
  • Convergence with other Schemes: Nutrition goes beyond just food, with economic, health, water, sanitation, gender perspectives and social norms contributing to better nutrition. This is why the proper implementation of other schemes can also contribute to better nutrition.
    • The convergence of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Jal Jeevan Mission with schemes pertaining to nutrition, will bring holistic changes to India’s nutrition scenario.
  • Mid-Day Meal Scheme: The Mid-Day Meal Scheme aims to enhance the nutrition of school children by providing a balanced diet in schools.
    • By including milk and eggs in each states’ menu, preparing a menu based on climatic conditions, local foods etc. can help in providing the right nutrition to children in different States.

Conclusion

Welfare measures must continue to reach the most vulnerable population and children and mothers must be at the centre of the focus to target hunger and malnutrition. Achieving zero hunger requires agriculture and food systems to become more efficient, sustainable, climate-smart and nutrition–sensitive. It is important to look at the future of food production to achieve the zero-hunger goal. Human resource capacity building is the key as is access to education and health services and empowering the poor through partnerships.

Value Addition

Government welfare measures

  • Eat Right India: An outreach activity organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for citizens to nudge them towards eating right.
  • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: A centrally sponsored scheme executed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, is a maternity benefit programme being implemented in all districts of the country with effect from 1st January, 2017.
  • Food Fortification: Food Fortification or Food Enrichment is the addition of key vitamins and minerals such as iron, iodine, zinc, Vitamin A & D to staple foods such as rice, milk and salt to improve their nutritional content.
  • National Food Security Act, 2013: It legally entitled up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population to receive subsidized food grains under the Targeted Public Distribution System.
  • Mission Indradhanush: It targets children under 2 years of age and pregnant women for immunization against 12 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD).
  • Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme: Launched on 2nd October, 1975, the ICDS Scheme offers a package of six services to children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
    • Supplementary Nutrition,
    • Pre-school non-formal education,
    • Nutrition & health education,
    • Immunization,
    • Health check-up and
    • Referral services.
  • POSHAN Abhiyaan: Also called National Nutrition Mission, was launched by the government on the occasion of the International Women’s Day on 8th March, 2018.
  • The Abhiyaan targets to reduce Stunting, undernutrition, Anaemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight by 2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.
  • It also targets to bring down stunting among children in the age group 0-6 years from 4% to 25% by 2022.

 

8. Evaluate the performance of Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). The issue underutilisation and misutilisation of MPLADS funds poses some serious question to the viability of the scheme in the future. Analyse.

Reference: Down to Earth

Introduction

The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) was launched in December, 1993, to provide a mechanism for the Members of Parliament to recommend works of developmental nature for creation of durable community assets and for provision of basic facilities including community infrastructure, based on locally felt needs. The MPLADS is a Central Sector Scheme which is fully funded by Government of India. The annual MPLADS fund entitlement per MP constituency is Rs. 5 crore.

Several irregularities in the utilisation of funds disbursed under the MPLAD programme were highlighted by an MPLAD committee member during a recent meeting held in Delhi. The committee, made for fund monitoring of Rajya Sabha members, has 10 members, with representatives from most major political parties.

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Challenges in MPLADS

  • Since its inception in 1993, MPLADS has attracted increasing scholarly and media attention focusing on the various ways in which its politicised nature leads to the underutilisation of funds or the misallocation of funds over space and time.
  • MPs in the run-up to an election allocate significantly more funds than at other times to projects that eventually end up incomplete.
  • TheComptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) has time and again flagged instances of financial mismanagement and artificial inflation of amounts spent.
  • Within MPLADS, the automatic ‘rollover’ of unspent MPLADS funds from one year to the next enables politicians to concentrate their project recommendations before anticipated election dates, which is associated with higher project failure rates.
  • MPLADS is not governed by any statutory law and is subject to the whims and fancies of the government of the day.
  • MPLADS encroaches upon the domain of local self-governing institutions and thereby violates Part IX and IX-A of the Constitution.
  • The scheme faces conflict with Doctrine of Separation of Powers as MPs are involved in executive functions.

Way forward

  • There is a need to eliminate the automatic rollover provision.
  • In addition, providing information to voters on the efforts of incumbents, or lack thereof, with regard to the progress of specific public works projects could incentivize newly elected MPs to follow through on the proposals made by their predecessors.
  • Political parties could also help by encouraging competent incumbents to stand for election again in the same constituency which could have beneficial effects on any future discretionary spending programmes.
  • More broadly, policies that minimise discretion and that require more stringent and standardised criteria for the approval of project proposals could also reduce the negative effect of democratic elections on public service provision.
  • This could also reduce negative effects of demands by the public for greater accountability and transparency from lawmakers to design programmes to benefit the public instead of supporting the interests of incumbent politicians.

Value addition:

Objectives:

  • To enable MPs to recommend works of developmental nature with emphasis on the creation of durable community assets based on the locally felt needs to be taken up in their Constituencies.
  • Lok Sabha Members can recommend works within their constituencies and elected Members of Rajya Sabha can recommend works within the State they are elected from.
  • Nominated Members of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the country.
  • To create durable assets of national priorities viz. drinking water, primary education, public health, sanitation and roads, etc.

Features for effective development of each constituency

  • An MP knows the developmental and welfare issues of his constituency better than anyone else.
  • The MPLADS has enabled MPs to play a leadership role in the developmental process of his constituency and sort out its day-to-day problems.
  • It is one of the ways government funds are transferred to the grassroots with precision.
  • Local MPs can channel fund for specific needs of local communities, whether it is to tar a road, install streetlights or water pumps, or bolster local school and healthcare infrastructure.
  • Besides capacity building in the local economy, these works also offer jobs to local people.
  • The pork barrel policy of State and Union Governments often leads to skewed development and regional imbalance. The ruling party channels public money to particular constituencies based on political considerations, at the expense of broader public interests. The elected opposition legislators of those constituencies fall victim to this pork barrel politics.
  • MPLADS has been an antidote to the above favouritism. The Scheme provided opposition MPs some chance to cater to the developmental needs of their constituency. 
  • Of the MPLADS corpus, 15% has been earmarked for the development of Scheduled Castes and 5% for the Scheduled Tribes. Around ₹20 lakh of the MPLADS fund per annum has been allotted for the welfare of differently abled people.

 

 

General Studies – 3

 

9. Inflation further exacerbates inequalities and affects poor the most. Discuss the policy measures that are needed to ensure that inequalities do not deepen amidst rising inflation.

Reference: Indian Express

 

Introduction

Inflation refers to the rise in the prices of most goods and services of daily or common use, such as food, clothing, housing, recreation, transport, consumer staples, etc. Inflation measures the average price change in a basket of commodities and services over time. The opposite and rare fall in the price index of this basket of items is called ‘deflation’. Inflation is indicative of the decrease in the purchasing power of a unit of a country’s currency. This is measured in percentage.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) show an upward rising trend, annually, at 13.11 per cent and 6.07 per cent respectively.

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Inflation & Inequalities

  • This upsurge of inflation is affecting the poor more than any other social group.
  • This is because some of the commodities whose prices are increasing the most like petrol and certain food items represent a larger fraction of the budget of the most vulnerable sections of society.
  • For instance, WPI and CPI inflation rates of food were at 8.5 per cent and 5.9 per cent, respectively.
  • the State of Inequality in India report showed that an Indian making Rs 3 lakh a year belonged to the top 10 per cent of the country’s wage earners.
  • Inequalities are also increasing among salaried people, who are privileged compared to those of the informal sector: The bottom 50 per cent account for only 22 per cent of the total salary income.
  • The situation of the lower-middle class and poor is deteriorating. A recent report from CRISIL pointed out that the data from the Reserve Bank of India shows slow farm wage growth in nominal terms.
  • India’s spending on healthcare is among the lowest in the world.
  • A decent level of healthcare is available only to the ones who can afford it because of increasing out-of-pocket expenditure — the payment made directly by individuals for the health service, not covered under any financial protection scheme.

Policy measures to keep the inflation under control

  • Monetary policy Measures:
    • Maintaining price stability is the foremost objective of the monetary policy committee of RBI. However, during the pandemic, growth has taken centre stage and RBI has rightly cut interest rates.
  • Job creation:
    • A higher allocation of funds for MGNREGS in rural areas, as well as the introduction of similar employment generation schemes in urban areas, should, therefore, be a priority.
  • Bond markets:
    • At the state level, the development of municipal bond markets could be a plausible alternative.
  • Fuel prices:
    • A reduction in the excise duty on fuel prices and easing the fuel tax burden could also supplement the disposable income and reduce the input cost burden for producers.
    • Bringing them under GST would reduce the prices by at least 30 rupees. GST council must agree to this with haste.
  • Commodity prices:
    • GoI needs to remove supply side bottlenecks. For example, GoI can immediately offload 10-20% of its pulses stock with NAFED in the open market.
  • Policy measures:
    • Navigating out of this will need a fiscal stimulus to shore up consumer spending, an investment revival to increase the productive capacity of the economy, and a careful management of inflationary expectations.
  • Other measures:
    • Concomitantly, the government will also need to pursue redistribution of income to reduce the widening disparity.
    • This also calls for fiscal prudence to cut wasteful spending, find new revenue through asset sales, mining and spectrum auctions, and build investor confidence.

Conclusion

With the rise in inflation amidst a second wave, the balancing acumen of the MPC will now be sorely tested. Factors like rising commodity prices, supply chain disruptions are expected to raise overall domestic inflation. Government and RBI need to chalk out a fiscal plan to ensure that the inflation doesn’t burden the common man in the country

 

10. What is demographic dividend? Examine the impact of unemployment on India’s demographic dividend. Do you think high public sector employment can be a panacea to waning dividend due to unemployment?

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India

Introduction

Demographic dividend, as defined by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) means, “the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a population’s age structure, mainly when the share of the working-age population (15 to 64) is larger than the non-working-age share of the population (14 and younger, and 65 and older).” India has one of the youngest populations in an aging world. By 2020, the median age in India was 28 years. Demographics can change the pace and pattern of economic growth.

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Background

  • Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) in 2018 revealed that India’s unemployment rate was the highest (6.07%) in four decades.
    • The latest PLFS suggests that the numbers now are not so drastic, with the overall unemployment rate at2% in 2020-21 compared to 4.8% in 2019-20 and the labour force participation rate (LFPR) increasing to 41.6%, up from 40.1% in 2019-20.
  • In terms of the more widely used statistic internationally, the current weekly status of unemployment, the figure of5% for all persons in 2020-21 is still worrying.
  • The study on demographic dividend in India by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) throws up two interesting facts.
  • The window of demographic dividend opportunity in India is available for five decades from 2005-06 to 2055-56, longer than any other country in the world.
  • This demographic dividend window is available at different times in different states because of differential behaviour of the population parameters.
  • Since 2018, India’s working-age population (people between 15 and 64 years of age) has grown larger than the dependent population (defined as children aged 14 or below as well as people above 65 years of age).
  • This bulge in the working-age population is going to last till 2055, or 37 years from its beginning.
  • This transition happens largely because of a decrease in the total fertility rate (TFR, which is the number of births per woman) after the increase in life expectancy gets stabilised.
  • Many Asian economies — Japan, China, South Korea — were able to use this ‘demographic dividend’, defined by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as the growth potential that results from shifts in a population’s age structure.

Impact of unemployment on India’s demographic dividend.

  • Jobless growth: There is mounting concern that future growth could turn out to be jobless due to de-industrialization, de-globalization, the fourth industrial revolution and technological progress. As per the NSSO Periodic Labour Force Survey 2017-18, India’s labour force participation rate for the age-group 15-59 years is around 53%, that is, around half of the working age population is jobless.
  • Asymmetric demography: The growth in the working-age ratio is likely to be concentrated in some of India’s poorest states and the demographic dividend will be fully realized only if India is able to create gainful employment opportunities for this working-age population.
  • Lack of skills: Most of the new jobs that will be created in the future will be highly skilled and lack of skill in Indian workforce is a major challenge. India may not be able to take advantage of the opportunities, due to a low human capital base and lack of skills.
  • Low human development parameters: India ranks 130 out of 189 countries in UNDP’s Human Development Index, which is alarming. Therefore, health and education parameters need to be improved substantially to make the Indian workforce efficient and skilled.
  • Informal nature of economy in India is another hurdle in reaping the benefits of demographic transition in India.

Can public sector employment alleviate the problem?

  • The latest data showed that there were 86 lakh vacant jobs among all central government civilian posts as of March 2020.
  • The government recently announced Agnipath scheme for youth as a contract employment of four years.
  • But even this measure would be ameliorative in the real economy that continues to remain distressed, a consequence of effects of the pandemic in the last few years.
  • The country cannot afford to squander more years in its race to reap the benefits of its demographic dividend, and the push to provide jobs for those seeking to enter the labour force, even if belated, will help ease matters for the medium term.
  • Real jobs in manufacturing, industries, MSME’s are the key to reaping demographic dividend. Skill development will also help in youth getting jobs in high paying services sector.

Measure needed and way forward

  • Building human capital: Investing in people through healthcare, quality education, jobs and skills helps build human capital, which is key to supporting economic growth, ending extreme poverty, and creating a more inclusive society.
  • Skill development to increase employability of young population. India’s labour force needs to be empowered with the right skills for the modern economy. Government has established the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) with the overall target of skilling/ up skilling 500 million people in India by 2022..
  • Education: Enhancing educational levels by properly investing in primary, secondary and higher education. India, which has almost 41% of population below the age of 20 years, can reap the demographic dividend only if with a better education system. Also, academic-industry collaboration is necessary to synchronise modern industry demands and learning levels in academics.
    • Establishment of Higher Education Finance Agency (HEFA) is a welcome step in this direction.
  • Health: Improvement in healthcare infrastructure would ensure higher number of productive days for young labourforce, thus increasing the productivity of the economy.
    • Success of schemes like Ayushman Bharat and National Health Protection scheme (NHPS) is necessary. Also nutrition level in women and children needs special care with effective implementation of Integrated Child Development (ICDS) programme.
  • Job Creation: The nation needs to create ten million jobs per year to absorb the addition of young people into the workforce. Promoting businesses’ interests and entrepreneurship would help in job creation to provide employment to the large labourforce.
    • India’s improved ranking in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index is a good sign.
    • Schemes like Start-up India and Make in India , if implemented properly, would bring the desired result in the near future.
  • Urbanisation: The large young and working population in the years to come will migrate to urban areas within their own and other States, leading to rapid and large-scale increase in urban population. How these migrating people can have access to basic amenities, health and social services in urban areas need to be the focus of urban policy planning.
    • Schemes such as Smart City Mission and AMRUT needs to be effectively and carefully implemented.

Conclusion

India is on the right side of demographic transition that provides golden opportunity for its rapid socio-economic development, if policymakers align the developmental policies with this demographic shift.

To reap the demographic dividend, proper investment in human capital is needed by focussing on education, skill development and healthcare facilities.

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