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GS Paper: GS3

  • What is a Solar Storm?

    Studies have found that a powerful solar storm can cause a disruption of the internet, damage submarine cables, and communication satellites.

    What is a Solar Storm?

    • A solar storm or a Coronal Mass Ejection as astronomers call it is an ejection of highly magnetized particles from the sun.
    • These particles can travel several million km per hour and can take about 13 hours to five days to reach Earth.
    • Earth’s atmosphere protects us, humans, from these particles.
    • But the particles can interact with our Earth’s magnetic field, induce strong electric currents on the surface and affect man-made structures.

    History of solar storms

    • The first recorded solar storm occurred in 1859 and it reached Earth in about 17 hours.
    • It affected the telegraph network and many operators experienced electric shocks.
    • A solar storm that occurred in 1921 impacted New York telegraph and railroad systems and another small-scale storm collapsed the power grid in Quebec, Canada in 1989.
    • A 2013 report noted that if a solar storm similar to the 1859 one hit the US today, about 20-40 million people could be without power for 1-2 years, and the total economic cost will be $0.6-2.6 trillion.

    Why is it a cause of concern?

    • The Sun goes through an 11-year cycle – cycles of high and low activity.
    • It also has a longer 100-year cycle.
    • During the last three decades, when the internet infrastructure was booming, it was a low period.
    • And very soon, either in this cycle or the next cycle, we are going towards the peaks of the 100-year cycle.
    • So it is highly likely that we might see one powerful solar storm during our lifetime.

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  • First Dugong Conservation Reserve to be built in India

    India’s first Dugong conservation reserve will be built in Tamil Nadu for the conservation of Dugong, a marine mammal.

    Try answering this PYQ:

    With reference to ‘dugong’, a mammal found in India, which of the following statements is/are correct?

    1. It is a herbivorous marine animal.
    2. It is found along the entire coast of India.
    3. It is given legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1974.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 3 only

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”t05z00rd4i” question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

    Dugong Conservation Reserve

    • The reserve will spread over an area of 500 km in Palk Bay on the southeast coast of Tamil Nadu.
    • Palk Bay is a semi-enclosed shallow water body with a water depth maximum of 13 meters.
    • Located between India and Sri Lanka along the Tamil Nadu coast, the dugong is a flagship species in the region.

    Dugong: The sea cow

    • Dugong or the sea cow is the State animal of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
    • This endangered marine species survive on seagrass and other aquatic vegetation found in the area.
    • It is the only herbivorous mammal that is strictly marine and is the only extant species in the family Dugongidae.
    • Dugongs are usually about three-meter long and weigh about 400 kg.
    • Dugongs have an expanded head and trunk-like upper lip.
    • Elephants are considered to be their closest relatives. However, unlike dolphins and other cetaceans, sea cows have two nostrils and no dorsal fin.

    Their habitat

    • Distributed in shallow tropical waters in the Indo-Pacific region, in India, they are found in the Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
    • Dugongs are long-living animals, that have a low reproductive rate, long generation time, and high investment in each offspring.
    • The female dugongs do not bear their first calf until they are at least 10 and up to 17 years old.
    • A dugong population is unlikely to increase more than 5% per year. They take a long time to recover due to the slow breeding rate.

    Causes of extinction

    • Having being declared vulnerable, the marine animal calls for conserving efforts.
    • Studies have suggested the reasons for the extinction of the animal such as slow breeding rate, fishing, and the loss of habitat.
    • They are also known to suffer due to accidental entanglement and drowning in gill-nets.

    Conservation in India

    • The conservation reserve can promote growth and save vulnerable species from the verge of extinction.
    • Dugongs are protected in India under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Act 1972 which bans the killing and purchasing of dugong meat.
    • IUCN status: Vulnerable

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  • [pib] Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) scheme for Specified Agriculture Products

    The Centre has revised “Transport and Marketing Assistance” (TMA) scheme for Specified Agriculture Products’.

    What is the TMA Scheme?

    • The TMA Scheme was introduced in 2019 to provide assistance for the international component of freight, to mitigate the disadvantage of higher freight costs faced by the Indian exporters of agriculture products.
    • All exporters, duly registered with relevant Export Promotion Council as per Foreign Trade Policy, of eligible agriculture products, shall be covered under this scheme.
    • The assistance, at notified rates, will be available for the export of eligible agriculture products to the permissible countries, as specified from time to time.
    • Assistance would be provided in cash through a direct bank transfer as part reimbursement of freight paid.

    Following major changes have been made in the revised scheme:

    • Dairy products, which were not covered under the earlier scheme, will be eligible for assistance under the revised scheme.
    • Rates of assistance have been increased, by 50% for exports by sea and by 100% for exports by air.

    List of ineligible products

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  • The national security discourse is changing

    Context

    From a rising China to the pressures of climate change; from the challenges of counter-terrorism to the COVID-19 pandemic (the four Cs), the old order is collapsing much faster than the ability of nations to create the foundations of a new one.

    The reduced difference between the domestic and foreign policy of the  U.S.

    • The idea that foreign and domestic policies are tightly intertwined is not a novel one.
    • All serious grand strategic thinking in democracies looks for sustenance in popular public support.
    • A process that was started by former U.S. President Donald Trump has been taken forward by the Biden Administration.
    • Asserting that “foreign policy is domestic policy and domestic policy is foreign policy,” the new administration has suggested that their task is to re-imagine American national security for the unprecedented combination of crises they face at home and abroad.
    • These crises include the pandemic, the economic crisis, the climate crisis, technological disruption, threats to democracy, racial injustice, and inequality in all forms”.
    • There is a growing bipartisan acknowledgment in the U.S. today that the requirements of American national security today are different from what they were during the Cold War.
    • Today’s strategic environment requires a different response for national security: one that shores up domestic industrial base helps in maintaining pre-eminence in critical technologies, makes supply chains for critical goods more resilient, protects critical infrastructure from cyberattacks and responds with a sense of urgency to climate change.

    Indian situation: Dependence on the external supply chain is the national security challenge

    • In India too, there is greater recognition of the challenges emanating on national security from domestic vulnerabilities.
    • Dependence on Chinese manufacturing: One of the most significant consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic has been to reveal how deeply India has been dependent on Chinese manufacturing for critical supplies.
    • At a time when Indian armed forces were facing the People’s Liberation Army, this exposed India to a new realization that dependence on overseas supply chains is a national security challenge of the highest order.
    • Dimensions of national security: The Indian Army chief has argued that “national security comprises not only warfare and defence but also financial security, health security, food security, energy security, and environmental security apart from information security”.

    Way forward for India

    • Shore up domestic capacities: India has since moved towards increasing domestic capacities in critical areas and also started looking at free trade agreements through a new lens.
    • Whole-of-government approach: Army Chief had suggested that instead of viewing national security “primarily from the perspective of an armed conflict, there is a need to take a whole-of-government approach towards security”.
    • Investment in armed forces: The Army chief has pointed out that investment in the armed forces contributes to the national economy.
    • Therefore, indigenization of defence procurement provides an impetus to indigenous industries, aid to civil authorities, or Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).
    • Demand for hi-tech military products by the armed forces helps entire industries.
    • Transportation and logistics capacities of the armed forces are acting as force enablers for the Government in times of emergencies.

    Consider the question “The idea that foreign and domestic policies are tightly intertwined is not a novel one. In light of this, examine the challenges facing India’s national security that are linked with its domestic vulnerability. Suggest the ways forward.”

    Conclusion

    As nations across the world reconceptualise their strategic priorities, policymakers will need to think more creatively about the roles of various instruments of statecraft. National security thinking is undergoing a shift. India cannot be left behind.

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  • Tasks accomplished by the Chandrayaan-2

    The failure of Chandrayaan-2, India’s second mission to the Moon, to make a soft landing on the lunar surface had led to much disappointment.  But that did not mean the entire mission had been wasted.

    Chandrayaan-2: A quick recap

    • Chandrayaan-2 consisted of an Orbiter, Lander and Rover, all equipped with scientific instruments to study the moon.
    • The Orbiter would watch the moon from a 100-km orbit, while the Lander and Rover modules were to be separated to make a soft landing on the moon’s surface.
    • ISRO had named the Lander module as Vikram, after Vikram Sarabhai, the pioneer of India’s space programme, and the Rover module as Pragyaan, meaning wisdom.

    Utility of the Orbit

    • The Orbiter part of the mission has been functioning normally. It is carrying eight instruments.
    • Each of these instruments has produced a handsome amount of data that sheds new light on the moon and offers insights that could be used in further exploration.

    Some of the most significant results so far:

    (a) Water

    • The presence of water on the Moon had already been confirmed by Chandrayaan-1, India’s first mission to the Moon that flew in 2008.
    • Using far more sensitive instruments, the Imaging Infra-Red Spectrometer (IIRS) onboard Chandrayaan-2 has been able to distinguish between hydroxyl and water molecules and found unique signatures of both.
    • This is the most precise information about the presence of H2O molecules on the Moon to date.
    • Previously, water was known to be present mainly in the polar regions of the Moon.
    • Chandrayaan-2 has now found signatures of water at all latitudes, although its abundance varies from place to place.

    (b) Minor elements

    • The Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer (CLASS) measures the Moon’s X-ray spectrum to examine the presence of major elements such as magnesium, aluminum, silicon, calcium, titanium, iron, etc.
    • This instrument has detected the minor elements chromium and manganese for the first time through remote sensing, thanks to a better detector.
    • The finding can lay the path for understanding magmatic evolution on the Moon and deeper insights into the nebular conditions as well as planetary differentiation.
    • CLASS has mapped nearly 95% of the lunar surface in X-rays for the first time.
    • Sodium, also a minor element on the Moon surface, was detected without any ambiguity for the first time.

    (c) Study of Sun

    • One of the payloads, called Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM), besides studying the Moon through the radiation coming in from the Sun, has collected information about solar flares.
    • XSM has observed a large number of microflares outside the active region for the first time.
    • This has great implications on the understanding of the mechanism behind the heating of the solar corona, which has been an open problem for many decades.

    Utility of this Data

    • While the Orbiter payloads build upon existing knowledge of the Moon in terms of its surface, sub-surface and exosphere, it also paves the path for future Moon missions.
    • Four aspects — mineralogical and volatile mapping of the lunar surface, surface and subsurface properties and processes involved, quantifying water in its various forms across the Moon surface, and maps of elements present on the moon — will be key for future scope of work.
    • A key outcome from Chandrayaan-2 has been the exploration of the permanently shadowed regions as well as craters and boulders underneath the regolith, the loose deposit comprising the top surface extending up to 3-4m in depth.
    • This is expected to help scientists to zero in on future landing and drilling sites, including for human missions.

    Who is going to use it?

    • Some key future Moon missions that hope to make use of such data include the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)-ISRO collaboration Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission scheduled for launch in 2023/2024.
    • Its aim is to obtain knowledge of lunar water resources and to explore the suitability of the lunar polar region for setting up a lunar base.
    • NASA’s Artemis missions plan to enable human landing on the Moon beginning 2024 and target sustainable lunar exploration by 2028.
    • The Chinese Lunar Exploration Programme too plans to establish a prototype of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) at the lunar south pole and build a platform supporting large-scale scientific exploration.

    What was missed because of the crash-landing?

    • The most obvious miss has been the opportunity to demonstrate the technology to make a soft landing in outer space.
    • The lander Vikram and rover Pragyaan were carrying instruments to carry out observations on the surface.
    • These were supposed to pick up additional information about the terrain, and composition, and mineralogy.
    • While the instruments onboard the Orbiter is making “global” observations, those on the lander and rover would have provided much more local information.
    • The two diverse sets of data could have helped prepare a more composite picture of the Moon.

    Future with the Chandrayaan-3

    • ISRO scientists maintain that the accident was caused by a relatively small error that has been identified and corrected.
    • But, to demonstrate this technology all over again, ISRO would have to send a fresh mission, Chandrayaan-3, planned for next year.
    • It is expected to have only a lander and rover, and no Orbiter.

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  • [pib] Account Aggregator Network (AAN): A financial data-sharing system

    The Account Aggregator system in banking has been started off with eight of India’s largest banks. In this newscard, we shall learn it in a FAQ manner.

    What is an Account Aggregator?

    • An Account Aggregator (AA) is a type of RBI regulated entity (with an NBFC-AA license) that helps an individual securely and digitally access and share information from one financial institution they have an account with to any other regulated financial institution in the AA network.
    • Data cannot be shared without the consent of the individual.
    • There will be many Account Aggregators an individual can choose between.
    • Account Aggregator replaces the long terms and conditions form of ‘blank cheque’ acceptance with a granular, step by step permission and control for each use of your data.

    How would it improve an average person’s financial life?

    • India’s financial system involves many hassles for consumers today.
    • This includes sharing of physical signed and scanned copies of bank statements, stamp documents, or having to share your personal username and password to give your financial history to a third party.
    • The AAN would replace all these with a simple, mobile-based, simple, and safe digital data access & sharing process.
    • This will create opportunities for new kinds of services — eg new types of loans.
    • The individual’s bank just needs to join the Account Aggregator network.

    How is AAN different to Aadhaar eKYC data sharing?

    • Aadhaar eKYC and CKYC only allow sharing of four ‘identity’ data fields for KYC purposes (eg name, address, gender, etc).
    • Similarly, credit bureau data only shows loan history and/or a credit score.
    • The AAN allows sharing of transaction data or bank statements from savings/deposit/current accounts.

    What kind of data can be shared?

    • Today, banking transaction data is available to be shared (for example, bank statements from a current or savings account) across the banks that have gone live on the network.
    • Gradually the AA framework will make all financial data available for sharing, including tax data, pensions data, securities data (mutual funds and brokerage), and insurance data will be available to consumers.
    • It will also expand beyond the financial sector to allow healthcare and telecom data to be accessible to the individual via AA.

    Can AAs view or ‘aggregate’ personal data? Is the data sharing secure?

    • Account Aggregators cannot see the data; they merely take it from one financial institution to another based on an individual’s direction and consent.
    • Contrary to the name, they cannot ‘aggregate’ your data.
    • AAs are not like technology companies which aggregate your data and create detailed profiles of you.
    • The data AAs share is encrypted by the sender and can be decrypted only by the recipient.
    • The end to end encryption and use of technology like the ‘digital signature’ makes the process much more secure than sharing paper documents.

    Can a consumer decide they don’t want to share data?

    Yes. Registering with an AA is fully voluntary for consumers.

    • If the bank the consumer is using has joined the network, a person can choose to register on an AA, choose which accounts they want to link, and share their data.
    • A customer can reject a consent to share request at any time.
    • If a consumer has accepted to share data in a recurring manner over a period (eg during a loan period), it can also be revoked at any time later as well by the consumer.

    Duration of the data shared

    • The exact time period for which the recipient institution will have access will be shown to the consumer at the time of consent for data sharing.

    How can a customer get registered with an AA?

    • One can register with an AA through their app or website.
    • AA will provide a handle (like username) which can be used during the consent process.
    • Today, four apps are available for download (Finvu, OneMoney, CAMS Finserv, and NADL) with operational licenses to be AAs.
    • Three more have received in principle approval from RBI (PhonePe, Yodlee, and Perfios) and may be launching apps soon.
    • A customer can register with any AA to access data from any bank on the network.

    Does a customer need to pay the AA for using this facility?

    • This will depend on the AA. Some may charge a small user fee.
    • Some AAs may be free because they are charging a service fee to financial institutions.

    What new services can a customer access if their bank has joined the AA network of data sharing?

    The two key services that will be improved for an individual is access to loans and access to money management.

    • If a customer wants to get a small business or personal loan today, there are many documents that need to be shared with the lender.
    • This is a cumbersome and manual process today, which affects the time taken to procure the loan and access to a loan.
    • Similarly, money management is difficult today because data is stored in many different locations and cannot be brought together easily for analysis.
    • Through Account Aggregator, a company can access tamper-proof secure data quickly and cheaply, and fast track the loan evaluation process so that a customer can get a loan.
    • Also, a customer may be able to access a loan without physical collateral, by sharing trusted information on a future invoice or cash flow directly from a government system like GST or GeM.

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  • PLI Scheme for Textiles

    The Union Government has approved Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Textiles.  This move is a part of the overall announcement of PLI Schemes for 13 sectors made earlier during the Union Budget 2021-22.

    What is PLI Scheme?

    • As the name suggests, the scheme provides incentives to companies for enhancing their domestic manufacturing apart from focusing on reducing import bills and improving the cost competitiveness of local goods.
    • PLI scheme offers incentives on incremental sales for products manufactured in India.
    • The scheme for respective sectors has to be implemented by the concerned ministries and departments.

    Criteria laid for the scheme

    • Eligibility criteria for businesses under the PLI scheme vary based on the sector approved under the scheme.
    • For instance, the eligibility for telecom units is subject to the achievement of a minimum threshold of cumulative incremental investment and incremental sales of manufactured goods.
    • The minimum investment threshold for MSME is Rs 10 crore and Rs 100 crores for others.
    • Under food processing, SMEs and others must hold over 50 per cent of the stock of their subsidiaries, if any.
    • On the other hand, for businesses under pharmaceuticals, the project has to be a greenfield project while the net worth of the company should not be less than 30 per cent of the total committed investment.

    What are the incentives involved?

    • An incentive of 4-6 per cent was offered last year on mobile and electronic components manufacturers such as resistors, transistors, diodes, etc.
    • Similarly, 10 percent incentives were offered for six years (FY22-27) of the scheme for the food processing industry.
    • For white goods too, the incentive of 4-6 per cent on incremental sales of goods manufactured in India for a period of five years was offered to companies engaged in the manufacturing of air conditioners and LED lights.

    What is in the box for Textiles?

    • The PLI scheme for textiles aims to promote the production of high value Man-Made Fibre (MMF) fabrics, garments and technical textiles.
    • Any person or company willing to invest a minimum of Rs 300 crore in plant, machinery, equipment and civil works (excluding land and administrative building cost) to produce products of MMF fabrics, garments and products of technical textiles will be eligible.
    • Investors willing to spend a minimum of Rs 100 crore under the same conditions shall be eligible.

    Benefits offered

    • PLI scheme for Textiles will promote production of high value MMF Fabric, Garments and Technical Textiles in country.
    • The incentive structure has been so formulated that the industry will be encouraged to invest in fresh capacities in these segments.
    • This will give a major push to the growing high-value MMF segment which will complement the efforts of the cotton and other natural fiber-based textiles industry.
    • This will help to generate new opportunities for employment and trade, resultantly helping India regain its historical dominant status in global textiles trade.

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    Back2Basics: India’s textile sector

    • The textile industry in India traditionally, after agriculture, is the only industry that has generated huge employment for both skilled and unskilled labour.
    • The domestic textiles and apparel industry contributes 5% to India’s GDP, 7% of industry output in value terms, and 12% of the country’s export earnings.
    • The textile industry continues to be the second-largest employment generating sector in India. It offers direct employment to over 35 million in the country.
    • India is first in global jute production and shares 63% of the global textile and garment market. India is second in global textile manufacturing and also second in silk and cotton production.
    • 100% FDI is allowed via automatic route in textile sector.

  • How India’s food systems must respond to the climate crisis

    Context

    This month, the UN Secretary-General will convene the Food Systems Summit. There is a proposal to have an International Panel on Food and Nutritional Security (IPFN) — an “IPCC for food,” similar to the panel on climate change.

    Issues with India’s agriculture?

    • What is a food system? According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), food systems encompass the entire range of actors involved in the production, aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal of food products.
    • Effects of Green Revolution: The Green Revolution succeeded in making India food sufficient, however, it also led to water-logging, soil erosion, groundwater depletion and the unsustainability of agriculture.
    • Deficit mindset: Current policies are still based on the “deficit” mindset of the 1960s.
    • Biased policies: The procurement, subsidies and water policies are biased towards rice and wheat.
    • Three crops (rice, wheat and sugarcane) corner 75 to 80 per cent of irrigated water.
    • Lack of diversification: Diversification of cropping patterns towards millets, pulses, oilseeds, horticulture is needed for more equal distribution of water, sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture.

    Issues with various elements of India’s food system

    1) Changes needed in India’s agriculture

    • The narrative of Indian agriculture has to be changed towards more diversified high-value production, better remunerative prices and farm incomes.
    • Inclusive: It must be inclusive in terms of women and small farmers.
    • Similarly, women’s empowerment is important particularly for raising incomes and nutrition.
    • Women’s cooperatives and groups like Kudumbashree in Kerala would be helpful.
    • Small farmers require special support, public goods and links to input and output markets.
    • Better remunerative prices: Farmer producer organisations help get better prices for inputs and outputs for small-holders.
    • The ITC’s E-Choupal is an example of technology benefiting small farmers.
    • Innovation: One of the successful examples of a value chain that helped small-holders, women and consumers is Amul (Anand Milk Union Ltd) created by Verghese Kurien.
    • Such innovations are needed in other activities of food systems.

    2) Hunger and malnutrition in India

    • The NFHS-5 shows that under-nutrition has not declined in many states even in 2019-20. Similarly, obesity is also rising.
    • A food systems approach should focus more on the issues of undernutrition and obesity.
    • Safe and healthy diversified diets are needed for sustainable food systems.
    • The EAT-Lancet diet, which recommends a healthy and sustainable diet, is not affordable for the majority of the population in India.
    • Animal-sourced foods are still needed for countries like India. For instance, per capita consumption of meat is still below 10 kg in India as compared to 60 to 70 kg in the US and Europe.

    3) Ensuring sustainability of food system

    • Estimates show that the food sector emits around 30 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases.
    • Sustainability has to be achieved in production, value chains and consumption.
    • How to achieve sustainability? Climate-resilient cropping patterns have to be promoted.
    • Instead of giving input subsidies, cash transfers can be given to farmers for sustainable agriculture.

    4) Health and social protection

    • Food systems also need health infrastructure.
    • The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the weak health infrastructure in countries like India.
    • Inclusive food systems need strong social protection programmes.
    • India has long experience in these programmes. Strengthening India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, public distribution system (PDS), nutrition programmes like ICDS, mid-day meal programmes, can improve income, livelihoods and nutrition for the poor and vulnerable groups.

    5) Role of non-agriculture

    • Some economists like T N Srinivasan argued that the solution for problems in agriculture was in non-agriculture.
    • Reduce pressure on agriculture: Therefore, labour-intensive manufacturing and services can reduce pressure on agriculture.
    • Income from agriculture is not sufficient for smallholders and informal workers.
    • Strengthening rural MSMEs and food processing is part of the solution.

    Conclusion

    India should also aim for a food systems transformation, which can be inclusive and sustainable, ensure growing farm incomes and nutrition security.

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  • Green hydrogen, a new ally for a zero carbon future

    Context

    The forthcoming 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow from November 1-12, 2021 is to re-examine the coordinated action plans to mitigate greenhouse gases and climate adaptation measures.

    How Green hydrogen as a fuel can be a game changer?

    • Hydrogen is the most abundant element on the planet, but rarely in its pure form which is how we need it.
    • High energy density: It has an energy density almost three times that of diesel.
    • ‘Green hydrogen’, the emerging novel concept, is a zero-carbon fuel made by electrolysis using renewable power from wind and solar to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
    • Best solution to remain under 1.5° C: The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts the additional power demand to be to the tune of 25%-30% by the year 2040.
    • Thus, power generation by ‘net-zero’ emission will be the best solution to achieve the target of expert guidelines on global warming to remain under 1.5° C.
    • Untapped potential: Presently, less than 0.1% or say ~75 million tons/year of hydrogen capable of generating ~284GW of power, is produced.

    Challenges: Production and storage cost

    • The challenge is to compress or liquefy the LH2 (liquid hydrogen); it needs to be kept at a stable minus 253° C.
    • This leads to its ‘prior to use exorbitant cost’.
    • The ‘production cost’ of ‘Green hydrogen’ has been considered to be a prime obstacle.
    • The production cost of this ‘green source of energy’ is expected to be around $1.5 per kilogram (for nations having perpetual sunshine and vast unused land), by the year 2030; by adopting various conservative measures.

    Experiments in India

      • The Indian Railways have announced the country’s first experiment of a hydrogen-fuel cell technology-based train by retrofitting an existing diesel engine; this will run under Northern Railway on the 89 km stretch between Sonepat and Jind.
    • The project will not only ensure diesel savings to the tune of several lakhs annually but will also prevent the emission of 0.72 kilo tons of particulate matter and 11.12-kilo tons of carbon per annum.

    Way forward for India

    • India is the world’s fourth-largest energy-consuming country (behind China, the United States and the European Union), according to the IEA’s forecast, and will overtake the European Union to become the world’s third energy consumer by the year 2030.
    • It is high time to catch up with the rest of the world by going in for clean energy, decarbonising the economy and adopting ‘Green hydrogen’ as an environment-friendly and safe fuel for the next generations.

    Conclusion

    In order to achieve the goal of an alternative source of energy, adopting a multi-faceted practical approach to utilise ‘Green hydrogen’ offers a ray of hope.

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  • Issues related to MSP

    The Centre has increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for various crops ahead of the upcoming rabi season harvest.

    Answer this PYQ from CSP 2018

    Q.Consider the following:

    1. Areca nut
    2. Barley
    3. Coffee
    4. Finger millet
    5. Groundnut
    6. Sesamum
    7. Turmeric

    The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has announced the Minimum Support Price for which of the above?

    (a) 1, 2, 3 and 7 only

    (b) 2, 4, 5 and 6 only

    (c) 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”s9utkt7b32″ question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

    What is the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system?

    • MSP is a form of market intervention by the Govt. of India to insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices.
    • MSP is price fixed by GoI to protect the producer – farmers – against excessive falls in price during bumper production years.

    Who announces it?

    • MSP is announced at the beginning of the sowing season for certain crops on recommendations by Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices(CACP) and announced by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the PM of India.

    Why MSP?

    • The major objectives are to support the farmers from distress sales and to procure food grains for public distribution.
    • They are a guaranteed price for their produce from the Government.
    • In case the market price for the commodity falls below the announced MSP due to bumper production and glut in the market, government agencies purchase the entire quantity offered by the farmers at the announced MSP.

    Historical perspective

    • Till the mid-1970s, Government announced two types of administered prices:
    1. Minimum Support Prices (MSP)
    2. Procurement Prices
    • The MSPs served as the floor prices and were fixed by the Govt. in the nature of a long-term guarantee for investment decisions of producers, with the assurance that prices of their commodities would not be allowed to fall below the level fixed by the Government, even in the case of a bumper crop.
    • Procurement prices were the prices of Kharif and rabi cereals at which the grain was to be domestically procured by public agencies (like the FCI) for release through PDS.
    • It was announced soon after harvest began.
    • Normally procurement price was lower than the open market price and higher than the MSP.

    Crops Covered

    1. Government announces minimum support prices (MSPs) for 22 mandated crops and fair and remunerative prices (FRP) for sugarcane.
    2. The mandated crops are 14 crops of the kharif season, 6 rabi crops and two other commercial crops.
    3. The list of crops is as follows:
    • Cereals (7) – paddy, wheat, barley, jowar, bajra, maize and ragi
    • Pulses (5) – gram, arhar/tur, moong, urad and lentil
    • Oilseeds (8) – groundnut, rapeseed/mustard, toria, soyabean, sunflower seed, sesamum, safflower seed, and nigerseed
    • Raw cotton
    • Raw jute
    • Copra
    • De-husked coconut
    • Sugarcane (Fair and remunerative price)
    • Virginia flu cured (VFC) tobacco

    Exception for Sugar

    • The pricing of sugarcane is governed by the statutory provisions of the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966 issued under the Essential Commodities Act (ECA), 1955.
    • Prior to the 2009-10 sugar season, the Central Government was fixing the Statutory Minimum Price (SMP) of sugarcane, and farmers were entitled to share profits of a sugar mill on a 50:50 basis.
    • As this sharing of profits remained virtually unimplemented, the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966 was amended in October 2009 and the concept of SMP was replaced by the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane.

    Back2Basics: Rabi and Kharif Crops

    Rabi Crops Kharif Crops
    ·         Rabi crops are sown at the end of monsoon or the beginning of winter. They are also known as winter crops. ·         Kharif crops are sown at the beginning of the rainy season and are also known as monsoon crops.
    ·         Flowering requires a long day length. ·         Flowering requires a short day length.
    ·         These crops need a warm climate for seed germination and cold climate for growth. ·         These crops require a lot of water and hot weather to grow. They depend on rainfall.
    ·         Unseasonal rainfall can damage Rabi crops. ·         Kharif crops depend on rainfall patterns.
    ·         The harvesting months are March and April. ·         These crops are harvested in September and October
    ·         Examples: Mustard, wheat, cumin, coriander etc. ·         Examples: Rice, bajra, groundnut.

    Zaid Crops

    • The wide range of crops that grow in the short season between Kharif and Rabi crop seasons are known as Zaid crops. These are the months of March till July.
    • Examples: Pumpkin, cucumber, bitter gourd etc.

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