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  • Need for overhaul of India’s economic performance measurement framework

    Context

    It is then apparent that GDP growth matters to the average Indian only if it can generate good quality jobs and incomes for them.

    Background

    • Nobel laureate Simon Kuznets, who conceived of GDP as a measure of economic performance, never intended it to be the single-minded economic pursuit for a nation that it has now become, and warned repeatedly that it is not a measure of societal well-being.
    • Irrefutably, GDP is an elegant and simple metric that is a good indicator of economic progress which can be compared across nations.
    • But a compulsive chase for GDP growth at all costs can be counter-productive, since it is not a holistic but a misleading measure.
    • The excessive obsession over GDP growth by policymakers and politicians can be unhealthy and dangerous in a democracy.
    • If growth in GDP does not translate into equivalent economic prosperity for the average person, then in a one person-one vote democracy, exuberance over high GDP growth can backfire and trigger a backlash among the general public.
    • Global phenomenon: Sri Lanka’s mass uprising and people’s revolution can partly be explained through this prism of the structural break between headline GDP growth and economic prosperity for the people.
    • The U.S. today produces fewer new jobs for every percentage point of GDP growth than it did in the 1990s.
    • China produces one-third the number of new jobs today than it did in the 1990s for every percentage of its GDP growth.

    Employment intensity of economic growth

    • Data of ‘employment in public and organised private sectors’ published by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shows that in the decade between 1980 and 1990, every one percentage point of GDP growth (nominal) generated roughly two lakh new jobs in the formal sector.
    • In the subsequent decade from 1990 to 2000, every one percentage point of GDP growth yielded roughly one lakh new formal sector jobs, half of the previous decade.
    • In the next decade between 2000 and 2010, one percentage point of GDP growth generated only 52,000 new jobs.
    • The RBI stopped publishing this data from 2011-12.
    • In essence, one percentage of GDP growth today yields less than one-fourth the number of good quality jobs that it did in the 1980s.
    • It is amply clear that the correlation between formal sector jobs and GDP growth has weakened considerably.

    Implications of decline in GDP growth’s contribution to job creation

    • Irrelevant as a political measure: GDP growth may be an important economic measure, but it is becoming increasingly irrelevant as a political measure, since it impacts only a select few and not the vast majority.
    • Indicates changed nature of economic development: This divorce of GDP growth and jobs is both a reflection of the changed nature of contemporary economic development with emphasis on capital-driven efficiency at the cost of labour and GDP being an inadequate measure.
    • Political backlash: The perils of the obsession over GDP growth will be felt by politicians who have to answer voters on lack of jobs and incomes despite robust headline growth.
    • Voter disenchantment over the economy not working for them is already rife in many democracies across the world that have catalysed agitations and social disharmony.
    • Electoral outcomes in favour of extreme positions in mature democracies such as the U.S., the U.K., France and Germany in the last decade may partly be a reflection of voters’ sense of deception over economic gains.

    Way forward

    • It is time for India’s political leaders to not be drawn into argument over GDP growth every quarter and instead clamour for an overhaul of India’s economic performance measurement framework to reflect what truly matters to the common person.

    Conclusion

    GDP growth has turned into a misleading and dangerous indicator that portrays false economic promises, betrays people’s aspirations and hides deeper social problems.

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  • IMF flags Recession risk

    Surging inflation and sharp slowdowns in the United States and China prompted the IMF to cut its outlook for the global economy this year and next, while warning that the situation could get much worse.

    By one common definition, the major global economies are on the cusp of a recession.

    What is Recession?

    • A recession is a significant decline in economic activity that lasts for months or even years.
    • Experts declare a recession when a nation’s economy experiences negative GDP, rising levels of unemployment, falling retail sales, and contracting measures of income and manufacturing for an extended period of time.
    • Recessions are considered an unavoidable part of the business cycle—or the regular cadence of expansion and contraction that occurs in a nation’s economy.

    What causes Recessions?

    These phenomena are some of the main drivers of a recession:

    • A sudden economic shock: An economic shock is a surprise problem that creates serious financial damage. The coronavirus outbreak, which shut down economies worldwide, is a more recent example of a sudden economic shock.
    • Excessive debt: When individuals or businesses take on too much debt, the cost of servicing the debt can grow to the point where they can’t pay their bills. Growing debt defaults and bankruptcies then capsize the economy.
    • Asset bubbles: When investing decisions are driven by emotion, bad economic outcomes aren’t far behind. Investors can become too optimistic during a strong economy.
    • Too much inflation: Inflation is the steady, upward trend in prices over time. Inflation isn’t a bad thing per se, but excessive inflation is a dangerous phenomenon. Central banks control inflation by raising interest rates, and higher interest rates depress economic activity.
    • Too much deflation: While runaway inflation can create a recession, deflation can be even worse. Deflation is when prices decline over time, which causes wages to contract, which further depresses prices. When a deflationary feedback loop gets out of hand, people and business stop spending, which undermines the economy.
    • Technological change: New inventions increase productivity and help the economy over the long term, but there can be short-term periods of adjustment to technological breakthroughs. In the 19th century, there were waves of labour-saving technological improvements.

    What’s the difference between Recession and Depression?

    • Recessions and depressions have similar causes, but the overall impact of a depression is much, much worse.
    • There are greater job losses, higher unemployment and steeper declines in GDP.
    • Most of all, a depression lasts longer—years, not months—and it takes more time for the economy to recover.
    • Economists do not have a set definition or fixed measurements to show what counts as a depression. Suffice to say, all the impacts of a depression are deeper and last longer.
    • In the past century, the US has faced just one depression: The Great Depression.

    The Great Depression

    • The Great Depression started in 1929 and lasted through 1933, although the economy didn’t really recover until World War II, nearly a decade later.
    • During the Great Depression, unemployment rose to 25% and the GDP fell by 30%.
    • It was the most unprecedented economic collapse in modern US history.
    • By way of comparison, the Great Recession was the worst recession since the Great Depression.
    • During the Great Recession, unemployment peaked around 10% and the recession officially lasted from December 2007 to June 2009, about a year and a half.
    • Some economists fear that the coronavirus recession could morph into a depression, depending how long it lasts.

    How long do recessions last?

    • Gulf War Recession (July 1990 to March 1991): At the start of the 1990s, the U.S. went through a short, eight-month recession, partly caused by spiking oil prices during the First Gulf War.
    • The Great Recession (2008-2009): As mentioned, the Great Recession was caused in part by a bubble in the real estate market.
    • Covid-19 Recession: The most recent recession began in February 2020 and lasted only two months, making it the shortest US recession in history.

    Can we predict a recession?

    Given that economic forecasting is uncertain, predicting future recessions is far from easy. However, the following warning signs can give you more time to figure out how to prepare for a recession before it happens:

    • An inverted yield curve: The yield curve is a graph that plots the market value—or the yield—of a range. When long-term yields are lower than short-term yields, it shows that investors are worried about a recession. This phenomenon is known as a yield curve inversion, and it has predicted past recessions.
    • Declines in consumer confidence: Consumer spending is the main driver of the US economy. If surveys show a sustained drop in consumer confidence, it could be a sign of impending trouble for the economy.
    • Drop in the Leading Economic Index (LEI): Published monthly by the Conference Board, the LEI strives to predict future economic trends. It looks at factors like applications for unemployment insurance, new orders for manufacturing and stock market performance.
    • Sudden stock market declines: A large, sudden decline in stock markets could be a sign of a recession coming on, since investors sell off parts and sometimes all of their holdings in anticipation of an economic slowdown.
    • Rising unemployment: It goes without saying that if people are losing their jobs, it’s a bad sign for the economy.

    How does a recession affect individuals?

    • We may lose your job during a recession, as unemployment levels rise. It becomes much harder to find a job replacement since more people are out of work.
    • People who keep their jobs may see cuts to pay and benefits, and struggle to negotiate future pay raises.
    • Investments in stocks, bonds, real estate and other assets can lose money in a recession, reducing your savings and upsetting your plans for retirement.
    • Business owners make fewer sales during a recession, and may even be forced into bankruptcy.
    • With more people unable to pay their bills during a recession, lenders tighten standards for mortgages, car loans, and other types of financing.

     

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  • China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

    India has severely criticized the reported move by both China and Pakistan for third-party participation in some projects on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

    China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

    • The CPEC, one of the most ambitious components of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was announced to great fanfare in 2015.
    • CPEC is a collection of infrastructure projects that are under construction throughout Pakistan beginning in 2013.
    • Originally valued at $47 billion, the value of CPEC projects is worth $62 billion as of 2020.
    • It is intended to rapidly upgrade Pakistan’s required infrastructure and strengthen its economy by the construction of modern transportation networks, numerous energy projects, and SEZs.
    • On 13 November 2016, CPEC became partly operational when Chinese cargo was transported overland to Gwadar Port for onward maritime shipment to Africa and West Asia.

    Why CPEC?

    • CPEC has consistently been held up as a “gamechanger” for Pakistan’s economy.
    • But the road to completion has proved long and winding. Reports indicate that the pace of CPEC projects has been slowing down in Pakistan in recent years.
    • At the same time, China is the only country that is heavily investing in Pakistan.

    Why in news?

    • The lack of progress has led to numerous reports about CPEC being at a near standstill in the country.
    • Gwadar, despite being the epicenter of multibillion-dollar projects, lacks basic necessities like reliable access to water and electricity, let alone other facilities.
    • The baloch freedom movement is another impediment to the stalled project.
    • There have been sporadic attacks in Gwadar and elsewhere in the province and the country to discourage Chinese investments in the province.
    • China is also seeking to deploy its Army in the CPEC projects, to which Pakistan has contested.

    India’s reservation

    • The GoI, which shares tense relations with Pakistan, objects to the CPEC project as upgrade works to the Karakoram Highway are taking place in Gilgit-Baltistan.
    • This is the territory illicitly occupied by Pakistan in 1947-48.
    • During the visit of Indian PM Modi to China in 2015, the Indian FM, Sushma Swaraj reportedly told the Chinese.
    • India did not object to the Chinese construction of the Karakoram Highway which was built between 1959 and 1979.

     

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  • India adds five more Ramsar Sites

    India has added five more Ramsar sites, or wetlands of international importance, bringing the number of such sites in the country to 54.

    Newly added Ramsar Sites

    1. Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest and Pichavaram Mangrove in Tamil Nadu,
    2. Sakhya Sagar in Madhya Pradesh
    3. Pala Wetlands in Mizoram

    What are Wetlands?

    • A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded by water, either permanently or seasonally, where oxygen-free processes prevail.
    • The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other landforms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique hydric soil.

    Significance of Wetlands

    • Wetlands provide a wide range of important resources and ecosystem services such as food, water, fibre, groundwater recharge, water purification, flood moderation, erosion control, and climate regulation.
    • They are, in fact, are a major source of water and our main supply of freshwater comes from an array of wetlands that help soak rainfall and recharge groundwater.
    • They provide many societal benefits: food and habitat for fish and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species; water quality improvement; flood storage; shoreline erosion control; economically beneficial natural products for human use; and opportunities for recreation, education, and research, etc.

     India and Ramsar Wetlands

    • India’s Ramsar wetlands are spread over 11,000 sq.km — around 10% of the total wetland area in the country — across 18 States.
    • No other South Asian country has as many sites, though this has much to do with India’s geographical breadth and tropical diversity.
    • The UK (175) and Mexico (142) — smaller countries than India — have the most Ramsar sites, whereas Bolivia spans the largest area with 1,48,000 sq.km under the Convention protection.
    • The National Wetland Inventory and Assessment compiled by the ISRO estimates India’s wetlands to span around 1,52,600 square kilometres.

    What makes Ramsar designation significant?

    • Being designated a Ramsar site does not necessarily invite extra international funds.
    • Acquiring this label helps with a locale’s tourism potential and its international visibility.

    Criteria for Ramsar site designation

    To be Ramsar site a place must meet at least one of the criteria as defined by the Ramsar Convention of 1961, such:

    1. Supporting vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities or,
    2. If it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds or,
    3. Is an important source of food for fishes,
    4. Spawning ground,
    5. Nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks are dependent upon.
    6. Static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres
    7. Does not include river channels, paddy fields, human-made water bodies/ tanks specifically constructed for drinking water purposes

    Back2Basics: Ramsar Convention

    • The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (better known as the Ramsar Convention) is an international agreement promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
    • It is the only global treaty to focus on a single ecosystem.
    • The convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.
    • Traditionally viewed as a wasteland or breeding ground of disease, wetlands actually provide fresh water and food and serve as nature’s shock absorber.
    • Wetlands, critical for biodiversity, are disappearing rapidly, with recent estimates showing that 64% or more of the world’s wetlands have vanished since 1900.
    • Major changes in land use for agriculture and grazing, water diversion for dams and canals, and infrastructure development are considered to be some of the main causes of loss and degradation of wetlands.

     

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  • Generation of Unique Disability IDs ramped up

    The generation of unique disability IDs (UDIDs) had increased from an average of 5,000 a day to an average of 7,000 to 9,000 daily during the 90-day Azadi Se Antodaya Tak campaign.

    Why such a move?

    • According to the 2011 Census, there were 2.68 crore people with disabilities.

    What is Unique Disability IDs (UDIDs)?

    • “Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities” project is being implemented with a view of creating a National Database for PwDs, and to issue a Unique Disability Identity Card to each person with disabilities.
    • It functions under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
    • The project aims only to encourage transparency, efficiency and ease of delivering the government benefits to the person with disabilities, and ensure uniformity.
    • The project will also help in stream-lining the tracking of physical and financial progress of beneficiary at all levels of hierarchy of implementation – from village level, block level, District level , State level and National level.

    Types of disabilities covered

    As per the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights & Full Participation) Act, 1995 – A person with a disability can be defined as one with one or more of disabilities falling under any of the below-mentioned categories :

    • Blindness
    • Leprosy-cured
    • Cerebral Palsy: It means a group of non-progressive conditions of a person characterized by abnormal motor control posture resulting from brain insult or injuries occurring in the pre-natal, peri-natal or infant period of development.
    • Low vision: It means a person with impairment of visual functioning even after treatment of standard refractive correction but who uses or is potentially capable of using vision for the planning or execution of a task with appropriate assistive device;
    • Locomotor disability: It means disability of the bones, joints or muscles leading to substantial restriction of the movement of the limbs or nay form of cerebral palsy;
    • Mental retardation: It means a conditions of arrested or incomplete development of mind of a person which is specially characterized by sub normality of intelligence;
    • Mental illness: It means any mental disorder other than Mental retardation
    • Hearing Impairment: It means loss of sixty decibels or more in the better ear in the conversational range of frequencies

     

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  • Reforms needed in the next stage of GST

    Context

    India has completed five years under the GST regime.

    How GST has performed so far

    • Before the GST, there were multiplicity of the Centre and state levies that masked the actual incidence of tax on products, the debilitating effects of the entry tax and the uncertainty of tax rates.
    • Today, in contrast, we have a single tax across the country combined with a stability in rates and a common technology platform in the form of a GSTN.
    • Record number of registrants: The ease of payments has improved over time with the technical glitches having been slowly sorted out, leading to a record number of GST registrants – increasing from 1.08 crore in April 2018 to 1.36 crore in 2022.
    •  The revenue gains have been significant.
    • If we factor in the three-percentage point decline in the incidence of GST duty from 14.8 to 11.8 per cent as suggested by the RBI, the actual proportion in 2021-2022 would have been 7.4 per cent of the GDP (according to a recent article by Arvind Subramanian and Josh Felman).

    What were the changes made to ensure the stricter compliance

    • The above improvement can be traced to stricter compliance flowing from three factors.
    • 1] Input credit only after supplier uploads invoice: Denial of input credit to the buyer without the supplier uploading the invoice.
    • 2] The introduction of e-invoicing.
    • 3] Third the introduction of e-waybills for transporters for value exceeding Rs 50,000 per consignment.
    • Greater coordination between CBIC and CBDT: Another factor is greater coordination between the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBIC) and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in compliance verification.

    Changes needed

    • 1] Provisions for unregistered GST suppliers: The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector has been affected by the GST reforms because the large units have been reluctant to buy from them in the absence of input duty credit.
    • An important measure here would be to amend the law to provide that all units buying from unregistered GST suppliers would have to pay duty on a reverse charge basis.
    • 2] Rate rationalisation: While the revenue gains have come through better compliance, the next surge in GST revenues will have to come from an increase in the average incidence of GST duties.
    • This will require a combination of measures — phasing out of exemptions, raising of the merit rate from the present level of 5 per cent and merging the 12 per cent rate with the standard rate, whether to 16 per cent or 18 per cent.
    • 3] Inclusion of fuels and real estate: Including natural gas/ATF under GST should be considered.
    • Further reforms in the factor markets — land, real estate and energy — would require their inclusion in the GST.
    • This is essential because while the economic reforms of the 1990s restructured the product market, the factor market reforms were incomplete.
    • 4] Creation of federal institution: We need to create another institution in the form of a GST state secretariat that can bring together senior officers from the Centre and states in an institutional forum registered under the Society Act.
    • This forum could also provide a common point of contact for trade and industry to redress the grievances on non-policy matters.

    Conclusion

    As GST enters its sixth year journey, the changes suggested above will fine tune it to propel India towards $5 trillion economy.

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    Back2Basics: GST Input Tax Credit

    • Input Tax Credit means claiming the credit of the GST paid on purchase of Goods and Services which are used for the furtherance of business.
    • The Mechanism of Input Tax Credit is the backbone of GST and is one of the most important reasons for the introduction of GST.

  • Only 4 States adopt Model Tenancy Law

    More than a year since the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry circulated the Model Tenancy Act (MTA), only four States had revised their tenancy laws to be in line with the MTA.

    What is the Model Tenancy Act?

    • MTA is aimed at opening up of the vacant housing stock for rental housing purposes and helping bridge the trust deficit that exists between tenants and landlords by clearly delineating their obligations.
    • The housing and urban affairs ministry had floated the draft model tenancy law in July 2019.

    Major provisions of MTA

    (1) Rent Court and Rent Tribunal:

    • To ensure speedy redressal of disputes, the Act calls for establishing a separate Rent Court and Rent Tribunal in every state/UTs to hear appeals for matters connected to rental housing.
    • Only the rent court and no civil court will have the jurisdiction to hear and decide the applications relating to disputes between landowner and tenant and matters connected with it.
    • It calls for the disposal of complaints and appeals by the Rent Court and Rent Tribunals within 60 days.

    (2) Tenancy Agreements:

    • It also seeks to establish an independent authority in every state and Union Territory for the registration of tenancy agreements.
    • Under the Act, unless otherwise agreed in the tenancy agreement, the landlord will be responsible for activities like structural repairs except those necessitated by damage caused by the tenant etc.
    • On his part, a tenant will be responsible for drain cleaning, switches and socket repairs, kitchen fixtures repairs, replacement of glass panels in windows, doors and maintenance of gardens and open spaces, among others.

    For residential and commercial properties

    • The Act will apply to premises let out for residential, commercial or educational use, but not for industrial use. It also won’t cover hotels, lodging houses, inns, etc.
    • This model law will be applied prospectively and will not affect existing tenancies.
    • It seeks to cover both urban as well as rural areas.
    • The Act says that a security deposit equal to a maximum of two month’s rent in the case of residential premises and a maximum of six month’s rent in the case of non-residential premises would have to be paid by the tenants.

    How will states implement it?

    • As per the MoU signed under PMAY-U, the states and union territories would legislate or amend the existing rental laws on the lines of the MTA.

    Why was a need felt to bring this on?

    (1) For a rental economy

    • Without a well-rounded rental policy and the proper implementation of the rental contracts, there was no sound mechanism to resolve tenant-landlord conflicts.
    • Property owners find it challenging to evict tenants if they misuse the property.
    • To steer clear of such complications, such property owners often chose to keep these homes vacant instead of renting them out.

    (2) Unattractive rental yield

    • In India, the rental yield for residential property is quite low, even in bigger cities. It is in the range of 1.5% to 3% of the capital values.
    • This has disincentivized people from investing in second or third homes which could be rented out.
    • Often, they also prefer to leave their properties vacant in case they return to India.
    • NRIs avoid leasing their residential properties for fear of squatters and dealing with the legalities of eviction.

    How will MTA help?

    (1) Unlocking homes

    • It will unlock vacant houses for rental purposes
    • It will enable the creation of adequate rental housing stock for all the income groups thereby addressing the issue of homelessness.

    (2) Helping migrants

    • Rental housing is a preferred option for students and migrants.
    • It will balance the rights of both landlords and tenants.

    (3) Effective negotiations

    • There is no monetary ceiling under MTA, which enables parties to negotiate and execute the agreement on mutually agreed terms.
    • It will give confidence to landlords to let out their vacant premises, the housing ministry said.
    • The Act also tries to address how a renter can legitimately increase the rent.

    (4) Control over encroachments

    • It has proposed limiting the advance security deposits to two months’ rent and has also suggested heavy penalties for tenants who decide to overstay.
    • Those who do may have to shell out double the rent for two months and even four months.

    (5) Rights of tenants

    • The landowner cannot cut power and water supplies in case of a dispute and would have to provide a 24-hour notice to tenants to carry out repair work.
    • Should the landlords wish to increase the rent, they will need to provide a three-months notice to the tenants.
    • These measures would go a long way in protecting the rights of a tenant as it regulates the rent hikes that tenants have had to face.

    Challenges ahead

    While the proposals of the Act have been widely welcomed, their implementation may not be very simple.

    (1) Not binding nature

    • The Act is not binding on the states as land and urban development remain state subjects.
    • Like in the case of RERA, the fear is that states may choose not to follow guidelines, diluting the essence of the Model Act.

    (2) Issues over paltry rents

    • Also, the Model Act is prospectively applicable and will not affect the existing tenancies.
    • The repeal of rent control Acts can be governed by political exigencies.
    • This may be a complicated process in cities like Mumbai, where tenants have occupied residential properties in prime areas for absurdly low rents.

     

     

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  • Who was Raja Ravi Varma?

    Ahead of the 175th birth anniversary fete of the legendary artist Raja Ravi Varma, erstwhile royal family of Kilimanoor has urged the Union government to posthumously confer the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, on him.

    Raja Ravi Varma

    • Raja Ravi Varma was born in April 1848 in Kilimanoor, Kerala, to a family which was very close to the royals of Travancore.
    • Often referred to as the father of modern Indian art, he is widely known for his realistic portrayal of Indian gods and goddesses.
    • While he majorly painted for the royalty, he is also credited for taking art to the masses with his prints and oleographs.
    • At a young age, he would draw animals and everyday scenes on the walls in indigenous colours made from natural materials such as leaves, flowers and soil.
    • His uncle, Raja Raja Varma, noticed this and encouraged his talent.
    • Patronised by Ayilyam Thirunal, the then ruler of Travancore, he learnt watercolour painting from the royal painter Ramaswamy Naidu, and later trained in oil painting from Dutch artist Theodore Jensen.

    How he become an artist of the royals?

    • Varma became a much sought-after artist for the aristocrats and was commissioned several portraits in late 19th century.
    • Arguably, at one point, he became so popular that the Kilimanoor Palace in Kerala opened a post office due to the sheer number of painting requests that would come in for him.
    • He travelled across India extensively, for work and inspiration.

    Fame as a notable painter

    • Following a portrait of Maharaja Sayajirao of Baroda, he has commissioned 14 Puranic paintings for the Durbar Hall of the new Lakshmi Vilas Palace at Baroda.
    • Depicting Indian culture, Varma borrowed from episodes of Mahabharata and Ramayana for the same.
    • He also received patronage from numerous other rulers, including the Maharaja of Mysore and Maharaja of Udaipur.
    • As his popularity soared, the artist won an award for an exhibition of his paintings at Vienna in 1873.
    • He was also awarded three gold medals at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

    Nature of his artforms

    • Much of his celebrated art also borrows heavily from Indian mythology.
    • In fact, he is often credited with defining the images of Indian gods and goddesses through his relatable and more realistic portrayals often painted with humans as models.
    • The depictions include Lakshmi as the goddess of wealth, Saraswati as the goddess of knowledge and wisdom, and Lord Vishnu with his consorts, Maya and Lakshmi.

    How he took Indian art to the masses?

    • Raja Ravi Varma aspired to take his art to the masses and the intent led him to open a Lithographic Press in Bombay in 1894.
    • The idea, reportedly, came from Sir T Madhava Rao, former Dewan of Travancore and later Baroda, in a letter where he pointed out to Varma that since it was impossible for him to meet the large demand for his work, it would be ideal for him to send some of his select works to Europe and have them produced as oleographs.
    • Varma, instead, chose to establish a printing press of his own.
    • The first picture printed at Varma’s press was reportedly The Birth of Shakuntala, followed by numerous mythological figures and saints such as Adi Shankaracharya.

    Major works

    • It is believed that he had made around 7,000 paintings before his death at the age of 58.
    • But only one painting is now left in ‘Chithrashala,’ the artist’s studio at Kilimanoor Palace — an unfinished portrait of ‘Parsi lady’ which was his last work.
    • Some of his popular works include ‘Lady in the Moonlight’, ‘Nair Lady Adorning Her Hair’, ‘Malabar Lady with Violin’, ‘Lady with Swarbat’, and ‘Maharashtrian Lady with Fruits’.

    Try this PYQ:

     

    There are only two known examples of cave paintings of the Gupta period in ancient India. One of these is paintings of Ajanta caves. Where is the other surviving example of Gupta paintings?

    (a) Bagh caves

    (b) Ellora caves

    (c) Lomas Rishi cave

    (d) Nasik caves

     

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    Back2Basics: Bharat Ratna

    • Bharat Ratna – ‘Jewel of India’ is the highest civilian award of the country.
    • It is conferred for exceptional Service to the nation in various fields such as Science arts, literature and recognition of public service of the highest order.
    • The award can be granted posthumously and since its establishment, seven awards were granted posthumously.
    • The award was established by formal President of India Rajendra Prasad on 2nd January 1954.
    • The concept of awarding this award posthumously was not there in the original statute declared in January 1954.
    • Provision to award posthumously was finally added in January 1966 statute of this prestigious award.
    • The medallion is cast in Bronze.
    • The medallion is designed like the leaf of a pipal tree with a sunburst in the centre and Bharat Ratna is engraved underneath it.

     

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  • Tribal Revolts President Murmu invoked in her inaugural speech

    Addressing the nation after being sworn in, President Murmu invoked four tribal revolutions that she said had strengthened tribal contribution to the freedom struggle.

    [1] Santhal revolution

    • On June 30, 1855, over 10,000 Santhals were mobilised by their leaders — Kanho Murmu, Chand Murmu, Bhairab Murmu and Sidho Murmu – to revolt against the East India Company over oppression by revenue officials, zamindars, and corrupt moneylenders.
    • The landmark event in tribal history, referred to as Santhal Hul, took place in Bhognadih village in present-day Jharkhand.
    • Soon after their open rebellion, Santhals took to arms to resist imposition of East India Company laws.
    • The seeds of the protracted rebellion, however, were sown in 1832 where the East India Company created Damin-i-koh region in the forested belt of Rajmahal hills, and invited the Santhals to settle there.
    • Over the years, Santhals found themselves at the receiving end of exploitative practices aided by the British.
    • After the rebellion broke out in 1855, both sides continued clashing till the uprising was crushed in 1856.
    • The British defeated the Santhals using modern firearms and war elephants in decisive action in which both Sidho and Kanho died.

    [2] Paika rebellion

    • In several recent descriptions, the 1817 Paika Rebellion in Odisha’s Khurda is referred to as the “original” first war of Indian Independence.
    • That year, the Paikas – a class of military retainers traditionally recruited by the kings of Odisha – revolted against the British colonial rulers mainly over being dispossessed of their land holdings.
    • In the run-up to the revolt, the British had dethroned and exiled the Khurda king in 1803, and then started introducing new revenue settlements.
    • For Paikas, who were into rendering martial services in return for hereditary rent-free land (nish-kar jagirs) and titles, this disruption meant losing both their estates and social standing.
    • The trigger for the revolt came as some 400 Kondhs descended from the Ghumusar area to rise against the British.
    • Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Mohapatra Bharamarbar Rai, the highest-ranking military general of the banished Khurda king, led an army of Paikas to join the uprising of the Kondhs.
    • The Paikas set fire to government buildings in Banapur, killed policemen and looted the treasury and the British salt agent’s ship docked on the Chilika.
    • They then proceeded to Khurda and killed several British officials.
    • Over the next few months, the Paikas fought bloody battles at several places, but the colonial army gradually crushed the revolt.
    • Bakshi Jagabandhu escaped to the jungles, and stayed out of reach of the British until 1825, when he finally surrendered under negotiated terms.

    [3] Kol revolt

    • The Kols, tribal people from the Chhota Nagpur area, rose in revolt against the British in 1831.
    • The trigger here too was the gradual takeover of tribal land and property by non-tribal settlers who were aided by new land laws.
    • The simmering discontent over the economic exploitation of the original inhabitants led to an uprising led by Buddhu Bhagat, Joa Bhagat and Madara Mahato among others.
    • The Kols were joined by other tribes like the Hos, Mundas and Oraons.
    • The tribals fought with traditional weapons taking the battle to colonial forces who finally overpowered them with modern weaponry.
    • The uprising, which spread to areas like Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Palamau, and Manbhum and continued for almost two years before being snuffed out, mainly targeted colonial officials and private money-lenders.

    [4] Bhil uprising

    • After the British intruded into the Bhil territory in Maharashtra’s Khandesh region, the tribals pushed back fearing exploitation under the new regime in 1818.
    • The revolt was led by their leader, Sewaram and was brutally crushed using the British military might.
    • This uprising again erupted in 1825 as the Bhils sought to take advantage of reverses being suffered by the British in the first Anglo-Burmese war.

    Also read:

    Important Rebellions and Peasant Movements

     

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  • IIT-Bombay to help treat Mumbai’s Sewage with new tech

    To prevent sludge and sewage from stormwater drains from flowing into the sea, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned in-situ treatment of sewage from the drains with the help of N-Treat Technology developed by IIT-B.

    What is N-Treat technology?

    • N-Treat is a seven-stage process for waste treatment that uses screens, gates, silt traps, curtains of coconut fibres for filtration, and disinfection using sodium hypochlorite.
    • According to the detailed project report for N-Treat, it is a natural and environment-friendly way of sewage treatment.
    • It’s setup takes place within the nullahs channels that is through the in-situ or on-site method of treatment, and does not require additional space.

    What does the process involve?

    (1) Screening

    • The first stage involves screening to prevent the entry of floating objects such as plastic cups, paper dishes, polythene bags, sanitary napkins, or wood.
    • IIT-B has proposed to install three coarse screens, the first with 60 mm spacing for removal of large floating matter, the second with 40 mm spacing, and the third with 20 mm spacing.

    (2) Slit trap

    • The second stage has proposed construction of a silt trap, which creates an inclination and ‘parking spot’ on the bed of the nullah for sedimentation.

    (3) Bio zones

    • The next three stages are installation of ‘bio zones’ in the form of coconut fibre curtains that will act as filters and promote growth of biofilm to help in decomposition of organic matter.
    • A floating wetland with aquatic vegetation planted on floating mats has been proposed.

    (4) Florafts

    • Aside from a floating bed on the surface, IIT-B has proposed suspending floating rafts vertically, called florafts.
    • Their hanging roots would provide a large surface area for passive filtration as well as development of microbial consortium.
    • In the floating wetlands, plants acquire nutrition directly from the water column for their growth and development, thus reducing the organic as well as inorganic pollutants.
    • The final stage for sewage treatment will include disinfection using sodium hypochlorite, to kill the bacteria in the water.

    How will it be used by BMC?

    • A senior civic official said: “BMC approached IIT-B to submit a Detailed Project Report for the project.
    • The N-Treat method suggested to the civic body is cost-effective, as it does not require manual pumping, and saves electricity, and does not require extensive manpower for maintenance.”
    • The floating matter will be removed daily, silt deposits from the silt traps will be removed once in four months, and plants will be trimmed as required.
    • The floating matter collected every day will be disposed of at the nearest municipal waste collection point daily.

     

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