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  • Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

    PM Modi has launched the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, an employment scheme for migrant workers.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. Discuss the silent success of MGNREGA in COVID-19 times.

    Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

    • It is a skill-based employment scheme aimed primarily at migrant workers who have returned to their villages to escape the COVID lockdown distress.
    • With a 125-workday mandate to create public infrastructure, with the involvement of 11 central departments, the Rs 50,000-crore initiative will focus on job creation.
    • It will be implemented in 116 districts in six states — UP, MP, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan and Bihar — that saw the maximum number of migrant workers returning over the last three months.

    Works under the scheme

    • The government has identified 25 work areas for employment in villages, for the development of various works.
    • These 25 works or projects are related to meet the needs of the villages like rural housing for the poor, Plantations, provision of drinking water through Jal Jeevan mission,  Panchayat Bhavans, community toilets, rural mandis, rural roads, other infrastructure like Cattle Sheds, Anganwadi Bhavans etc.

    Must read:

    [Burning Issue] Reorienting MGNREGA in times of COVID

  • Sukapha: The founder of Ahom kingdom

    Recently, Assam CM ordered the arrest of a political commentator who had described Chaolung Sukapha as a “Chinese invader”.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. Who are the Ahoms? Describe the role of Ahom Kingdom in cultural assimilation of modern-day Assam.

    Who was Chaolung Sukapha?

    • Sukapha was a 13th-century ruler who founded the Ahom kingdom that ruled Assam for six centuries. Contemporary scholars trace his roots to Burma.
    • He reached Brahmaputra valley in Assam from upper Burma in the 13th century with around 9,000 followers.
    • Sukapha is said to have left a place called Maulung ( in Yunnan, China ) in AD 1215 with eight nobles and 9,000 men, women and children — mostly men.
    • In 1235, Sukapha and his people settled in Charaideo in upper Assam after wandering about for years, defeating those who protested his advance and temporarily staying at different locations.
    • It was in Charaideo (in Assam) that Sukapha established his first small principality, sowing the seeds of further expansion of the Ahom kingdom.

    Who are the Ahoms today?

    • The founders of the Ahom kingdom had their own language and followed their own religion.
    • Over the centuries, the Ahoms accepted the Hindu religion and the Assamese language, scholars say.
    • The Ahoms embraced the language, religion and rituals of the communities living here — they did not impose theirs on those living here.
    • Today, the Ahom community is estimated to number between 4 million and 5 million.

    Why is Sukapha important in Assamese culture?

    • Sukapha’s significance — especially in today’s Assam — lies in his successful efforts towards the assimilation of different communities and tribes.
    • He developed very amicable relationships with the tribal communities living here — especially the Sutias, the Morans and the Kacharis.
    • Intermarriage also increased assimilation processes. He is widely referred to as the architect of “Bor Asom” or “greater Assam”.

  • Paying attention to condition of migrant workers

    Issue of migrant workers caught attention of the nation amid lockdown. This issue has wider implications for the economy. This article highlights need for formulating a program to deal with the migrant labourers’ issue in its entirety.

    Issue with many implications: Migrant labour

    • Out of the total labour force of 465 million workers, around 91 per cent (422 million) were informal workers in 2017-18.
    • The Economic Survey (2017) estimated 139 million seasonal or circular migrants.
    • Circular urban migrants perform essential labour and provide services.
    • Hence, this issue has implications for livelihoods, agriculture, food security, and safety net policy as well as programme responses.

    Existing and proposed legal provision

    • There exists The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act of 1979.
    • Despite this act, there is no central registry of migrant workers.
    • The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code of 2019 has been introduced in Parliament.
    • This code seeks to promote the welfare of migrant workers and legal protection for their rights.
    • The code seeks to merge 13 labour laws, including the Inter-state Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 into a single law.

    One nation, one ration card

    • “One nation one ration card” addresses the problem of ration-card portability.
    • The move would benefit nearly 670 million people and will be completed by March 2021.

    Provisions in the package for migrant workers, small farmers, street vendors

    • There is a provision of Rs 30,000 crore through NABARD, in addition to the already existing Rs 90,000 crore allocation, for the rabi harvest and post-harvest rabi-related work for small and marginal farmers.
    • Further, Rs 2 lakh crore concessional credit will be provided to two crore farmers across the country.
    • About Rs 11,000 crore was allocated for the urban poor, which includes the migrant workers, for building shelter homes for the homeless.
    • Several government-funded housing projects in major cities would be developed into affordable rental housing complexes on a PPP mode.

    Free grains for two months

    • The Centre will transfer 8 lakh metric tonnes of grain and 50,000 metric tonnes of chana to state governments.
    • Form this stave will provide 5 kg of grain (wheat or rice) per labourer and 1kg of chana per family per month for two months free.
    • This is expected to benefit up to eight crore migrant workers.

    Program for growth and structural transformation

    • Devicing such a program requires a review of national legal, regulatory and institutional concerns in resettlement and rehabilitation of migrant labourers.
    • There is a need to adopt a human rights approach to address the socio-legal issues.
    • The resolution of contradictions in trade, fiscal, monetary and other policies would also require.
    • Following 3 policy changes are urgently required.
    • 1)The implementation of the report of the task force on migration (2017).
    • 2)Expansion of the outreach of the Integrated Child Development Services– to include migrant women and children.
    • 3) Inclusion of migrant children in the annual work plans of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
    • Given the environment of uncertain livelihoods it is necessary to strengthen the resilience of the financial system and skill workers.
    • The issues and challenges of migrant workers require leveraging information and communication technologies and the JAM trinity.

    Consider the question “Migrant workers issue is an issue with many implications. This issue needs to be considered in its entirety to formulate a speedy and effective response. In light of this suggest the required policy changes.”

    Conclusion

    The debilitating physical effects of the coronavirus necessitate coordinated and concerted efforts by all stakeholders to meet the challenges of the present and the expectations of the future. We shall overcome.

  • Reshaping the gig economy

    3 min

    The shockwave that pandemic sent through the economy has been reshaping the global job market. Gig economy would have to accommodate the new entrants. This article underlines the changes in the gig economy after the pandemic. Four areas that need attention are also discussed here.

    What constitutes gig economy?

    • The word “gig” includes in its current parlance all freelancers, disconnected from the workplace.
    • Example: drivers of Uber, delivery boys of Zomato, plumbers and electricians of Urban Clap.
    • The gig economy is not confined to low-skilled jobs. Skilled professionals are also part of it.

    How pandemic is reshaping the gig economy

    • Aviation, hospitality, automobile entertainment and retail are some of the hardest hit sectors.
    • The classic gig anchors- Uber and AirBnB, have laid off thousands of people.
    • In contrast to this, highly skilled professionals —laid off by employers — are joining the gig bandwagon.
    • Surely, job demand will far outstrip supply, at least in the short-term.

    What does the future hold?

    • A Deloitte report from April notes that Indian organisations are considering to expand the share of gig workers.
    • Declining full-time jobs will lead to increased assignment-based hiring.
    • For instance, a graphic designer working from home could be in demand with a media house or Netflix may hire AI designer paid by an hour to personalize streaming.
    • But, what is missing in picture? The national database is missing.

    4 focus areas of gig economy

    1. National database: A missing link

    • National database of job seekers and job creators can connect firms with qualified candidates.
    • A prospective employee would need access to a job database, sorted by skill, geography, duration and emoluments.
    • Companies should be able to dip into the data pool of talent, experience, location, qualification and expectation.
    • Currently, both data sets are fragmented and stored in silos.
    • The government could play the role of a facilitator, in partnership with the private sector.

    2. Regulatory protection to gig workforce

    • The gig economy increases employee vulnerability.
    • This segment of the economy so far has been outside the ambit of regulatory labour policies.
    • Social protection like wage protection, health benefits and safety assurance should be made available to gig workers.
    • The Karnataka government has considered introducing a new labour legislation focused on the gig economy.

    3. Prepare college students for freelancing

    • Apart from regular campus placements, the placement cells need to reorient and focus on preparing students for freelancing opportunities.
    • For the educated youth, this could be the first step towards entrepreneurship.

    4. Gender equality

    • Gender is another crucial dimension of the digital labour markets.
    • The low enrolment of girls for higher education in science, technology, engineering and math would constrict their opportunity in the gig world.
    • Going ahead, this would need greater policy attention to ensure gender parity.

    Consider the question “What is the gig economy? Suggest the policy measures to make it more resilient in the present economic context disrupted by the pandemic.”

    Conclusion

    The government and the private sector would need to collaborate along with academia to build adequate safeguards in the unfolding eco-system.

  • Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

    Indian officials attended the virtual 32nd special Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG) plenary meeting, under the aegis of the FATF.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. What is FATF? Discuss its role in combating global financial crimes and terror financing.

    What is the FATF?

    • FATF is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering.
    • The FATF Secretariat is housed at the OECD headquarters in Paris.
    • It holds three Plenary meetings in the course of each of its 12-month rotating presidencies.
    • As of 2019, FATF consisted of 37 member jurisdictions.
    • India became an Observer at FATF in 2006. Since then, it had been working towards full-fledged membership. On June 25, 2010, India was taken in as the 34th country member of FATF.

    EAG of FATF

    • The EAG is a regional body comprising nine countries: India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.
    • It is an associate member of the FATF.

    What is the role of FATF?

    • The rise of the global economy and international trade has given rise to financial crimes such as money laundering.
    • The FATF makes recommendations for combating financial crime, reviews members’ policies and procedures, and seeks to increase acceptance of anti-money laundering regulations across the globe.
    • Because money launderers and others alter their techniques to avoid apprehension, the FATF updates its recommendations every few years.

    What is the Black List and the Grey List?

    • Black List: The blacklist, now called the “Call for action” was the common shorthand description for the FATF list of “Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories” (NCCTs).
    • Grey List: Countries that are considered safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put in the FATF grey list. This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the blacklist.

    Consequences of being in the FATF grey list:

    • Economic sanctions from IMF, World Bank, ADB
    • Problem in getting loans from IMF, World Bank, ADB and other countries
    • Reduction in international trade
    • International boycott

    Pakistan and FATF

    • Pakistan, which continues to remain on the “grey list” of FATF, had earlier been given the deadline till the June to ensure compliance with the 27-point action plan against terror funding networks.
    • It has been under the FATF’s scanner since June 2018, when it was put on the Grey List for terror financing and money laundering risks.
    • FATF and its partners such as the Asia Pacific Group (APG) are reviewing Pakistan’s processes, systems, and weaknesses on the basis of a standard matrix for anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) regime.

  • Species in news: Horseshoe Crab

    Horseshoe crabs face an uncertain future in Odisha, their largest habitat in India, even as the world gets ready to celebrate the first-ever ‘International Horseshoe Crab Day’ on June 20, 2020.

    Try this question from CSP 2012:

    Q. Which one of the following groups of animals belongs to the category of endangered species?

    (a) Great Indian Bustard, Musk Deer, Red Panda and Asiatic Wild Ass

    (b) Kashmir Stag, Cheetal, Blue Bull and Great Indian Bustard

    (c) Snow Leopard, Swamp Deer, Rhesus Monkey and Saras (Crane)

    (d) Lion-tailed Macaque, Blue Bull, Hanuman Langur and Cheetal

    Horseshoe Crabs

    IUCN status: (Data insufficient for the Indian variant)

    • Horseshoe crabs are marine and brackish water arthropods. They are not true crabs, which are crustaceans.
    • The crabs are represented by four extant species in the world. Out of the four, two species are distributed along the northeast coast of India.
    • Only T gigas species of the horseshoe crab is found along Balasore coast of Odisha.
    • The crab was included on September 9, 2009, in the Schedule IV of the Wild (Life) Protection Act, 1972, under which, the catching and killing of a horseshoe crab is an offence.

    Their significance

    • The horseshoe crab is one of the oldest marine living fossils whose origin date back to 445 million years before the dinosaurs existed.
    • One of their ecological functions is to lay millions of eggs on beaches to feed shorebirds, fish and other wildlife.

    Threats

    • Poachers kill them for their meat that is popularly believed to have aphrodisiac qualities.
    • The blood of horseshoe crabs, which is blue in colour, is used for detection of bacterial endotoxins in medical applications.

  • We must aspire for nurturing economy

    The sight of thousands of migrant workers walking thousands of kms back home after lockdown has been the watershed moment for the collective conscience of our country. This made us think about the present economic model and policies we have been adopting. So, the answer to the problems created by the present model lies in building “nurturing economy”. What is nurturing economy? Read to know…

    Broadly, we can summarise the impact of pandemic as-

    • Unemployment is shooting up.
    • Supply chains of food and essentials have been disrupted.
    • Dark clouds of economic recession are on the horizon.

    Invisible cost of pandemic

    • The visible cost of the pandemic in terms of the lives lost are being counted by the day.
    • But the invisible cost of hunger and impoverishment of the most vulnerable sections is yet to be effectively addressed.
    • Vulnerable section- our workers, the poor and the migrants, particularly women, are at receiving end of these invisible cost.

    Health of economy before pandemic

    • The pandemic came at one of the worst possible times.
    • India’s economy has been in deep trouble since 2016.
    • In 2019-20, even before the pandemic happened, our GDP growth had dropped to 4.2 per cent, lowest growth seen in the last 11 years.
    • Even the oil prices dropped at their historic low.
    • Non-food bank credit is a good indicator of overall economic robustness.
    • By December 2019, the growth of non-food bank credit had dropped to below 7 per cent. ( lowest in the last 50 years.)

    What happened to economy after the pandemic?

    • After the pandemic arrived, matters, of course, got worse.
    • In March, $16 billion of foreign capital exited the country, which is an all-time record for India.
    • India’s unemployment rate shot up to a record high of 23.8 per cent in April.
    • In the same month, Indian exports dropped by 60 per cent.
    • This was one of the biggest drops seen in any emerging market economy in the world.
    • There is a genuine risk that this year our growth will drop to an all-time low, beating the record plunge of 1979-80.

    So, the pandemic has forced us to think about the building a nurturing economy, one in which Gandhiji’s Talisman is followed in word and spirit, one in which John Rawls ideas are implemented.

    So, What building a nurturing economy involves?

    • Our economic and political policies must not be ends in themselves.
    • Instead, these policies should involve instruments for building a society that is secular, inclusive and nurturing.
    • It should be a society where people of all religions, caste, race and gender feel wanted and at home.
    • Environment sustainability and focus on green economy is also part of nurturing economy.
    • We should strive to create a society that respects knowledge, science and technology, and culture.

    Threefold crisis emerging out of our exploitative behaviours

    • The outcome of our exploitative behaviour is a threefold crisis which describes India’s current predicament.
    • 1) Rising poverty and unemployment despite abundance.
    • 2) Rising intolerance and violence.
    • 3) Environmental catastrophe.

    Consider the question “Pandemic and the predicament of migrant labours has highlighted the lack of inclusive growth in our economy. And we must look for the solution to such shortcomings in our approach. In light of this, suggest the changes that our economy must embrace to ensure inclusive growth.”

    Conclusion

    Our ambition should not be to make India the richest nation in the world. India should be an example of an equitable society, where people are not abandoned without income and work, where no one feels the insecurity of being a minority, and of being discriminated against.

  • India gets re-elected as Non-permanent Member of UNSC

    India gets re-elected as Non-permanent Members of UNSC with 184 out of the 192 valid votes polled in its favour.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. United Nations is in need of structural reforms suiting to the needs of present times. Discuss.

    What are ‘non-permanent seats’ at the UNSC?

    • The UNSC is composed of 15 members: five permanent members — China, France, Russian Federation, the US, and the UK — and 10 non-permanent members who are elected by the General Assembly.
    • The non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms — so every year, the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members out of the total 10.
    • Even if a country is a “clean slate” candidate and has been endorsed by its group, it still needs to secure the votes of two-thirds of the members present and voting at the General Assembly session — which is a minimum of 129 votes, if all 193 member states participate.

    Sharing of seats

    • These 10 seats are distributed among the regions of the world: five seats for African and Asian countries; one for Eastern European countries; two for Latin American and Caribbean countries; and two for Western European and Other Countries.
    • Of the five seats for Africa and Asia, three are for Africa and two for Asia.
    • Also, there is an informal understanding between the two groups to reserve one seat for an Arab country.
    • The Africa and Asia Pacific group takes turns every two years to put up an Arab candidate.
    • Elections for terms beginning in even-numbered years select two African members, and one each within Eastern Europe, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
    • Terms beginning in odd-numbered years consist of two West European and Other members, and one each from the Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

    Current members as on today

    • The current non-permanent members of the Security Council are Belgium, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia, and South Africa, all of whose terms end this year; and Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, and Vietnam, whose terms end in 2021.
    • India begins its term at the beginning of 2021 and will hold the position until the end of 2022.

    Has India been in the UNSC earlier?

    • India’s term on the 15-member Council will be it’s eighth.
    • India has earlier been a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92 and 2011-12.
    • For the 2011-12 terms, India won 187 of 190 votes after Kazakhstan stood down from its candidacy.
    • Unlike Africa, which has formalized a system of rotation of its three seats, the Asia Pacific grouping has often seen contests for seats. In 2018, there was a contest between the Maldives and Indonesia.
    • On the occasions when there is a contest, the elections for non-permanent seats can go on for several rounds.
    • Back in 1975, there was a contest between India and Pakistan, which went into eight rounds, with Pakistan finally winning the seat. And in 1996, India lost a contest to Japan.

    Significance

    • Terming India’s winning of a non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council one of its best performances” ever, the Union government said.
    • The strong support by almost the entire U.N. membership demonstrates the goodwill that India enjoys in the U.N. and the confidence that the international community has reposed in India.
    • India’s EAM gave India’s overall objective during its forthcoming UNSC tenure as an acronym ‘NORMS’ — New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System.
    • NORMS includes the push for expanding the UNSC permanent membership.

    Back2Basics: United Nations Security Council

    • The UNSC is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security.
    • Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions.
    • It is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.
    • The Security Council consists of fifteen members. Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, and the United States—serve as the body’s five permanent members.
    • These permanent members can veto any substantive Security Council resolution, including those on the admission of new member states or candidates for Secretary-General.
    • The Security Council also has 10 non-permanent members, elected on a regional basis to serve two-year terms. The body’s presidency rotates monthly among its members.

  • What is Civil Services Board?

    Punjab government notifying Civil Services Board providing for a fixed tenure of IAS officers has left its leaders in the state upset.

    Practice questions for mains:

    Q. Discuss how fixed tenure for Civil Servants helps provide better administration.

    What is the Civil Services Board (CSB)?

    • Civil Services Board is responsible for the entry-level recruitment and subsequent job promotions below the rank of Joint Secretary.
    • As per a state government notification dated June 2, CSB will be headed by Chief Secretary, with Personnel Secretary, and either Financial Commissioner (Revenue) or Home Secretary (who so ever is senior in the pecking order) as its members.
    • The board provides for the state to follow the Centre’s guidelines on giving a fixed tenure of at least two years for cadre officers.
    • They cannot be transferred before that and if anyone recommends their transfer then the board will examine and affect it.
    • The final authority is the Chief Minister.

    Why had the previous government in the state declined to follow the Centre’s guidelines?

    • The previous government had refused to follow the guidelines on the argument that appointment and transfer of IAS officers are a prerogative of the state.
    • If their term is fixed, it had argued, it will not only create functional and administrative problems but also overstep the authority and jurisdiction of the state government.

    Why are the leaders upset?

    • The political leadership of the ruling party in the state has usually always had a say in postings and transfers of district officials in the state.
    • The opposition has been known to lend supremacy to its leadership over bureaucrats in the state.
    • But ever since the ruling government has taken over, the grouse of its leaders has been that they do not get due respect in their own regime.
    • This has led to several confrontations in the past.
    • With the fixed tenure rule and Chief Secretary’s board having all power to examine a recommendation for a transfer, the leaders feel their influence has been reduced to nought and all power handed to the CS.

    How do they see the board to be lending officer’s supremacy over them?

    • If any officer is to be transferred before completing his minimum tenure, the board will record the reasons for the transfer.
    • It will seek views from the concerned officer and then give a judgement on whether the tenure of the officer is to be ended mid-way.
    • The final authority will be the CM.

    What is the government’s argument in its favour?

    • It says if the officials have a fixed tenure they will be able to provide better administration.
    • They will also feel safe and try to stick to the rules instead of pleasing political bosses.
    • It says every official requires 3-6 months to get into the groove at his new place of posting.
    • If he stays there for two years, it would mean better delivery and stable tenure to people.

    What do the officials say?

    • They feel the rules will not be followed in letter and spirit unless a few officers go to the courts and ensure that the guidelines are followed.
    • They say that neighbouring Haryana had the board in place but the guidelines were not followed.

  • Rule of Law Index and India

    The Supreme Court has asked the government to treat a writ petition for setting up expert panels to boost India’s prospects in the Rule of Law Index.

    Note the various factors/sub-indices on which the index is measured. There can be a direct question on these in line with:

    Q. Which one of the following is not a sub-index of the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’? CSP 2019

    (a) Maintenance of law and order

    (b) Paying taxes

    (c) Registering property

    (d) Dealing with construction permits

    Why in news again?

    • The cause of action for the petition accrued when the World Justice Project ranked India in the 69th position in its Rule of Law Index.
    • India has never been ranked even among top 50 in the Index, but successive governments did nothing to improve the international ranking of India, said the petition.
    • Poor rule of law has a devastating effect on the right to life, liberty, economic justice, fraternity, individual dignity and national integration.

    What is the Rule of Law Index?

    • The Rule of Law Index is a quantitative assessment tool by the World Justice Project (WJP) designed to offer a detailed and comprehensive picture of the extent to which countries adhere to the rule of law in practice.
    • It measures countries’ rule of law performance across eight factors:

    (1) Constraints on Government Powers, (2) Absence of Corruption, (3) Open Government, (4) Fundamental Rights, (5) Order and Security, (6) Regulatory Enforcement, (7) Civil Justice, and (8) Criminal Justice

    WJP definition of Rule of Law

    The World Justice Project defines the rule of law system as one in which the following four universal principles are upheld:

    • The government and its officials and agents are accountable under the law.
    • The laws are clear, publicized, stable and fair, and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property.
    • The process by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced is accessible, efficient, and fair.
    • Justice is delivered by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.