Author: Urmila Singh

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This Spotlight is a part of our Mission Nikaalo Prelims-2023.

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8th May 2023

Constitutionalism, Liberty, Rule of Law, Equality and Liberalism

Constitutionalism refers to the act that defines that a country or state should be governed by specific rules or the ruling document, i.e., the Constitution. A constitution is a ruling document within a country that defines the specific rules and behaviours to govern and run the country. The ideas of Constitutionalism and the Constitution are of the people and for the people. They work in favour of the people to ensure the protection of their human rights. It is a philosophy that restricts the government to some extent to run the country properly.

Importance of Constitutionalism

Constitutionalism is the basic structure on which the governance of a country or state strictly depends. Its importance cannot be ignored in any aspect. Some key points are mentioned below:

• It is a set of norms that prevents the state from abusing its power
• It ensures that the people have liberty and get justice which is crucial for a democratic country such as India
• It ensures proper governance within the country or state as it puts restrictions on the overuse of state power, thereby protecting the rights of the democracy
• It helps in the better development and welfare in the developing countries as it denotes equal rights for all
• It ensures that the state is based on specific rules and guidelines, which states every person has the right to human dignity.

Elements of Constitutionalism

It implies the following elements which characterise the Constitution in India.

• Sovereignty

It initiates that the government is free from any bias from any particular authority. In short, it ensures the government is of the people, by the people, for the people. 

• Supremacy of the Constitution and Rule of Law

It denotes the country is run through rules, not authority or powers. No one can decide the governance except the laws and regulations which have been already stated.

• Political Democracy

In a democracy, individual rights and equality should be protected. It declares equal rights to all the individuals within the country.

• Representative-limited Government 

It declares the representatives are selected through a proper election process by the people. They elect representatives for their welfare, so they should be accountable and answerable to the general public for their actions.

• Separation of Power 

It divides the whole power into three branches, i.e., Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary. This helps keep checks and balances in each area separately and in a better way.

• Civilian Control of the Military Force

It denotes that the Civilian government should control the Military force in such a way that the Military cannot have any way to interfere in the democratic decision-making process of the country.

• Police Governed by Law and Judicial Control

It ensures the Police power should be judged by the Law and Judicial control. Police have no right to harm the dignity of the people.

• An Independent Judiciary

The independence of the Judiciary system ensures the freedom of the democratic power in India. It means that the government is free to run the country if the laws support it.

Liberalism

Liberalism is a political and philosophical ideology to establish individual freedom, consent and equality. Different liberals adopt a vast range of views based on their understanding of this ideology. Individual rights, including civil and human rights, come first among these views.

It also supports freedom and liberty of speech, religious conscience and press, defining secularism and democracy. 

Liberalism in India

Liberalism in India developed through several phases as follows:

• It started with an ancient theory that stressed earthly life and materialism.
• Then, it evolved through social reforms and political independence in the middle and late 19^th century.
• It now emphasises economic and social freedom with minimal Government intervention.

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Dear Aspirants,

This Spotlight is a part of our Mission Nikaalo Prelims-2023.

You can check the broad timetable of Nikaalo Prelims here

Session Details

YouTube LIVE with Parth sir – 7 PM  – Prelims Spotlight Session

Evening 04 PM  – Daily Mini Tests

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5th May 2023

Current affairs Developments in Economics

Refer to the economics current affairs compilation.

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Dear Aspirants,

This Spotlight is a part of our Mission Nikaalo Prelims-2023.

You can check the broad timetable of Nikaalo Prelims here

Session Details

YouTube LIVE with Parth sir – 7 PM  – Prelims Spotlight Session

Evening 04 PM  – Daily Mini Tests

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4th May 2023

Cropping Pattern in India

Back to Basics: Cropping Pattern mean the proportion of area under different crops at a point of time, changes in this distribution overtime and factors determining these changes.

Cropping pattern in India is determined mainly by rainfall, climate, temperature and soil type.

Technology also plays a pivotal role in determining crop pattern. Example, the adoption of High Yield Varieties Seeds along with fertilisers in the mid 1960’s in the regions of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh increased wheat production significantly.

The multiplicity of cropping systems has been one of the main features of Indian agriculture. This may be attributed to following two major factors:

1. Rainfed agriculture still accounts for over 92.8 million hectares or 65 percent of the cropped area. A large diversity of cropping systems exists under rainfed and dryland areas with an overriding practice of intercropping, due to greater risks involved in cultivating larger area under a particular crop.
2. Due to prevailing socio-economic situations (such as; dependency of large population on agriculture, small land-holding size, very high population pressure on land resource etc.), improving household food security has been an issue of supreme importance to many million farmers of India, who constitute 56.15 million marginal (<1.0 hectare), 17.92 million small (1.0-2.0 hectare) and 13.25 million semi-medium (2.0-4.0 hectare) farm holdings, making together 90 percent of 97.15 million operational holdings.
3. An important consequence of this has been that crop production in India remained to be considered, by and large, a subsistence rather than commercial activity.

What are the types of cropping System?

Different types of cropping systems are adopted on farms depending on the resources and technology available. The different & basic types of cropping System is explained below:

Mono-cropping: If only one crop is grown in the land season after season, it is referred to as Monocropping. Example: Wheat will be planted year after year in the same field. 

Crop Rotation: In this method, the type of crops grown in the field is changed each season or each year. farmers also change from crops to fallow. Example: Maize will be planted in the first year and beans in the second year. This Crop rotation system is a key principle of agriculture conservation as it improves the soil structure and fertility. It also helps to control weeds, pests, and diseases.

Sequential Cropping: This system involves growing two crops in the same field, one after the other in the same year. Example: Planting maize during long rains, then beans during the short rains. 

Inter-cropping: Growing two or more crops in the same field at the same time is called Intercropping. Examples: Planting alternating rows of maize and beans, or growing a cover crop in between the rows. 

Mixed Intercropping: In this method, seeds of two crops are distributed or dibbling the seeds without any row arrangement. This method is called mixed intercropping. This method is easy to sow but makes weeding, fertilization, and harvesting difficult. 

Multiple-Cropping: In this cropping system, farmers grow two or more crops on farmland in one year with intensive input management practices. It includes inter-cropping, mixed-cropping, and sequence cropping.

Row Intercropping: In this method, both the main crop and the intercrop in rows are planted. The row intercropping makes weeding and harvesting easier than with mixed intercropping.

Stir Cropping: This type of cropping involves planting broad strips of several crops in the field. Each strip will be 3–9 m wide. On slopes, the strips are laid out along the contour to prevent erosion. The farmer can rotate crops by planting each strip with a different crop in the next year. Example: Alternating strips of maize, soybean, and finger millet are planted. 

Relay Cropping: In this method, one crop is planted and another crop, usually a cover crop, is planted in the same field before harvesting the first. It avoids competition between the main crop and the intercrop. Relay cropping uses the field for a long time since the cover crop usually continues to grow after the main crop is harvested.

In Indian agriculture, three types of Cropping System is used. They are:

• Mono-Cropping

• Inter-cropping

• Multiple-Cropping

Factors Determining Cropping Pattern in India

Cropping Pattern in India

30 most important cropping patterns in India

Specific Issues Related to the Cropping Pattern

Crop Pattern	Region/State	Issues Related to Crop Pattern
Rice-Wheat	UP, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh.	Over the years there is stagnation in the production and productivity loses. The main reasons for stagnation are: Over Mining of Nutrients from the soil. Declining Ground Water Table. Increase Pest Attacks and Diseases. Shortages of Labour. Inappropriate use of Fertilizers.
Rice-Rice	Irrigated and Humid coastal system of Orrisa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.	The major issues in sustaining the productivity of rice-rice system are: Deterioration in soil physical conditions. Micronutrient deficiency. Poor efficiency of nitrogen use. Imbalance in use of nutrients. Non-availability of appropriate trans planter to mitigate labour shortage during the critical period of transplanting.
Rice- Groundnut	Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orrisa and Maharashtra.	The major issues in the pattern are: Excessive Rainfall and Water Logging. Non-availability of quality seeds. Limited expansion of Rabi Groundnut in Rice grown areas.
Rice-Pulses	Chhattisgarh, Orrisa and Bihar.	Factors limiting Productivity are: Droughts and Erratic Rainfall distribution. Lack of Irrigation. Low coverage under HYV Seeds. Weed Attacks. Little attention to pest attacks and diseases. Marginalisation of land and Removal of Tribal from their own land.
Maize-Wheat	UP, Rajasthan, MP and Bihar	The Reason for Poor Yields are: Sowing Timing. Poor Weed Management. Poor Plant Varieties. Poor use of organic and inorganic fertilizers. Large area under Rain Fed Agriculture.
Sugarcane-Wheat	UP, Punjab and Haryana accounts for 68% of the area under sugarcane. The other states which cover the crops are; Karnataka and MP.	Problems in Sugarcane-Wheat system are: Late Planting. Imbalance and inadequate use of nutrients. Poor nitrogen use efficiency in sugarcane. Build-up of Trianthema partu lacastrum and Cyprus rotundus in sugarcane. The stubble of sugarcane pose tillage problem for succeeding crops and need to be managed properly.
Cotton-Wheat	Punjab, Haryana, West UP, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.	Problems in Cotton-Wheat system are: Delay Planting. Stubbles of cotton create the problem of tillage operations and poor tilth for wheat. Cotton Pest like Boll Worm and White Fly. Poor nitrogen use efficiency in cotton.
Soya bean-Wheat	Maharashtra, MP and Rajasthan	Constraints limiting the soybean production and productivity are: A relatively recent introduction of soybean as a crop. Limited genetic diversity. Short growing period available in Indian latitudes. Hindered agronomy/availability of inputs at the farm level. Rainfed nature of crop and water scarcity at critical stage of plant growth. Insect pests and diseases, Quality improvement problems. Inadequate mechanization and partial adoption of technology by farmers have been identified.
Legume Based Cropping Systems (Pulses-Oilseeds)	MP, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.	The major issues in Legume based system are: Lack of technological advancement. Loses due to erratic weather and waterlogging. Diseases and Pests. Low harvest index, flower drop, indeterminate growth habit and very poor response to fertilizers and water in most of the grain legumes. Nutrient needs of the system have to be worked out considering N-fixation capacity of legume crops.

Horticulture Crops in India

India has made a good place for itself on the Horticulture Map of the World with a total annual production of horticultural crops touching over 1490 million tones during 1999-00.

The horticultural crops cover about 9 percent of the total area contributing about 24.5 percent of the gross agricultural output in the country. However, the productivity of fruits and vegetables grown in the country is low as compared to developed countries.

Vegetable Crops

Vegetable crops in India are grown from the sea level to the snowline. The entire country can broadly be divided into six vegetable growing zones:

Low productivity is the main feature of vegetable cultivation in India as farm yields of most of the vegetables in India are much lower than the average yield of the world and developed countries.

The productivity gap is more conspicuous in tomato, cabbage, onion, chilli and peas. The preponderance of hybrid varieties and protected cultivation are mainly responsible for high productivity in the developed countries.

Constraints in vegetable production:

1. Lack of planning in Production

2. Non-availability of seeds of improved varieties.

3. High cost of basic production elements

4. Inadequate plant protection measures and non-availability of resistant varieties.

5. Weak marketing facilities

6. Transportation limits

7. Post-harvest losses

8. Abiotic stresses.

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