Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: POSHAN Abhiyan
Mains level: Paper 2- Analysing the contribution of POSHAN Abhiyan
POSHAN Abhiyan has completed 1000 days. The article analyses the challenges country face on the nutrition front which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 induced disruptions.
Severity and impact of malnutrition
- Malnourished children tend to fall short of their real potential — physically as well as mentally.
- That is because malnutrition leaves their bodies weaker and more susceptible to illnesses.
- In 2017, a staggering 68% of 1.04 million deaths of children under five years in India was attributable to malnutrition, reckoned a Lancet study in 2019.
- Without necessary nutrients, their brains do not develop to the fullest.
- Malnutrition places a burden heavy enough for India, to make it a top national priority.
- About half of all children under five years in the country were found to be stunted (too short) or wasted (too thin) for their height, estimated the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey, carried out by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with support of UNICEF three years ago.
POSHAN Abhiyan against the background Covid-19 disruption
- The Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition (POSHAN) Abhiyaan in 2018, led to a holistic approach to tackle malnutrition.
- Under it, the government strengthened the delivery of essential nutrition interventions.
- COVID-19 is pushing millions into poverty making them vulnerable to malnutrition and food insecurities.
- Pandemic-prompted lockdowns disrupted essential services — such as supplementary feeding under anganwadi centres, mid-day meals, immunisation, and micro-nutrient supplementation which can exacerbate malnutrition.
- Leaders from academia, civil society, development partners, community advocates and the private sector have come together as part of ‘commitment to action’.
- The ‘commitment to action’ includes commitments around sustained leadership, dedicated finances, multi-sectoral approach and increased uninterrupted coverage of a vulnerable population under programmes enhancing nutrition.
Financial commitments
- India already has some of the world’s biggest early childhood public intervention schemes such as the Integrated Child Development Scheme, the mid-day meal programme, and Public Distribution System.
- India needs to ensure coverage of every single child and mother.
- To ensure this, the country needs to retain its financial commitments for nutrition schemes.
- Economic insecurities often force girls into early marriage, early motherhood, discontinue their schooling, and reduce institutional deliveries, cut access to micronutrient supplements, and nutritious food.
- Accelerating efforts to address these will be needed to stop the regression into the deeper recesses of malnutrition.
Conclusion
It takes time for nutrition interventions to yield dividends, but once those accrue, they can bring transformative generational shifts. Filling in the nutrition gaps will guarantee a level-playing field for all children and strengthen the foundations for the making of a future super-power.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ICDS program
Mains level: Paper 2- Role of Anganwadi centres in ICDS
The article highlights the role of Anganwadi’s in the effective implementation and service delivery under the ICDS.
Gaps in the utilisation of services by ICDS
- The economic fallout of COVID-19 makes the necessity of quality public welfare services more pressing than ever.
- The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme is one such scheme.
- ICDS caters to the nutrition, health and pre-education needs of children till six years of age as well as the health and nutrition of women and adolescent girls.
- However, recent reports have shown gaps in the utilisation of services.
Recasting the Anganwadi centres
- Anganwadi centres (AWCs) could become agents of improved delivery of ICDS’s services.
- According to government data, the country has 13.77 lakh Anganwadi centres (AWCs).
- These centres have expanded their reach, but they need to play a much larger role in anchoring community development.
- Nearly a fourth of the operational AWCs lack drinking water facilities and 36 per cent do not have toilets.
- In 2015, the NITI Aayog recommended better sanitation and drinking water facilities, improved power supply and basic medicines for the AWCs.
- NITI Aayog also suggested that these centres be provided with the required number of workers, whose skills should be upgraded through regular training.
- It has acknowledged the need to improve anganwadi centres.
- The Central government’s Saksham Anganwadi Scheme aims to upgrade 2.5 lakh such centres across the country. It is up to the state governments to take up the baton
- Only a limited number of AWCs have facilities like creche, and good quality recreational and learning facilities for pre-school education.
- An approach that combines an effective supplementary nutrition programme with pedagogic processes that make learning interesting is the need of the hour.
Steps taken for effective implementation of ICDS
- Effective implementation of the ICDS programme rests heavily on the combined efforts of the anganwadi workers (AWWs), ASHAs and ANMs.
- The Centre’s POSHAN Abhiyaan has taken important steps towards building capacities of AWWs.
- Technology can also be used for augmenting the programme’s quality.
- AWWs have been provided with smartphones and their supervisors with tablets, under the government schemes.
- Apps on these devices track the distribution of take-home rations and supplementary nutrition services.
- The data generated should inform decisions to improve the programme.
- In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, anganwadi centres have been geotagged to improve service delivery.
- Gujarat has digitised the supply chain of take-home rations and real-time data is being used to minimise stockouts at the anganwadi centres.
Conclusion
Government must act on the three imperatives. First, while infrastructure development and capacity building of the anganwadi remains the key to improving the programme, the standards of all its services need to be upscaled. Second, states have much to learn from each other’s experiences. Third, anganwadi centres must cater to the needs of the community and the programme’s workers.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Federal structure
Mains level: Paper 2- Federalism in India and factors sustaining it
The article analyses the various factor that helped in sustaining the federal structure in India.
Flexible federalism
- The Indian Constitution was designed to be opportunistic about federalism.
- As BR Ambedkar had put it, “India’s Draft Constitution can be both unitary as well as federal according to the requirements of time and circumstances.”
- This flexible federalism is still the default common sense of Indian politics.
- The concerns about security, state-building, and economic development are always given preference over the idea of federalism.
4 factors sustaining federalism in India
1) Linguistic and cultural diversity in India
- The first was a genuine concern about whether a centralised state could accommodate India’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
- The States Reorganisation Act and the compromises on the issue of languages was a victory for federalism.
- It allowed India to use federalism to accommodate linguistic diversity.
- So long as regional linguistic identities are not threatened there is no natural source of resistance to centralisation.
2) Distribution of political power
- The rise of coalition governments, economic liberalisation, regional parties, seemed to provide a basis for political federalism.
- Political federalism is quite compatible with financial, and administrative centralisation.
- Fragmentation of power effectively meant was that each state could bargain for certain things, or very strong leaders could veto central proposals.
- However, it is striking that the period of fragmented power, strong chief ministers, didn’t act to strengthen the institutions of federalism.
3) Political and institutional culture
- The third thing that sustains federalism is the political and institutional culture.
- But the culture of political parties ruling at the Centre was committed to the most extreme interpretation of flexible federalism, including procedural impropriety to oust opponents.
- Because of the increasing presidentialisation of national politics, the attribution of policy successes or failures might change, diminishing the stature of chief ministers considerably.
- The other source of institutional culture might be the Supreme Court.
- There was mostly a bi-partisan consensus on honouring the technical recommendations of institutions like the Finance Commission.
4) Asymmetrical federalism
- The fourth thing that sustained federalism was “asymmetrical federalism” — special exemptions given to various states.
- But asymmetrical federalism has always been subject to three pressures.
- For Kashmir, asymmetrical federalism came to be seen as the source, not the resolution, of the security threat.
- Even in the North-east, local conflicts within the scheme of asymmetrical federalism and discourse of security allowed the Centre to step in.
- And increasingly, there will be pressure on the question: Which laws under asymmetrical federalism are compatible with Article 14 of the Indian Constitution?
GST and Decentralisation in states
- The most far-reaching change in the Indian Constitution on federalism was GST.
- It does increase centralisation in the system.
- But it is a product of the cooperation of the states, who still have a significant role in shaping it.
- The states did push back against the possibility of the Centre reneging on its commitment on payments.
- Most states are reluctant to honour more decentralisation within, to rural and urban bodies.
- The Centre disproportionately controls resources in India; but very few states have shown a zeal to increase their own financial headroom by utilising whatever powers they might have on taxation.
Consider the question “How federalism in India is different from the U.S.? What are the factors responsible for its sustenance in India?”
Conclusion
The flexible federalism will be bent in all kinds of ways. But it is important to remember that this mess is not a product of Centre versus states. It has been co-produced by a political culture in both Centre and the states.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various COPs, UNFCCC
Mains level: Progress of global climate action
China’s announcement of achieving net-zero by 2060 is a stepping stone in the fight against climate change. But it means nothing until countries share the goals they intend to follow.
Why are we reading this news?
We often get to hear that UPSC suddenly switches to basics after maneuvering over current affairs. This news is a perfect example which strikes the balance between basics and current affairs.
Climate change: A disaster in making
- Anthropogenic climate change can be traced back to the industrial revolution.
- The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) greenhouse gas has increased to 415 parts per million (ppm) from 280 ppm since then.
- A global momentum, therefore, was required to get all countries on board.
Realization of climate action: Birth of UNFCCC
- The idea led to the formation of the United Nations Framework for Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC, also known as ‘The Convention’) in 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
- The convention divided the countries on the basis of their differing commitments: Annex I and II consisted of industrialized and developed countries and Non-Annex I comprised developing countries.
Wait! You need not remember everything* in this newscard. But, have walk through the timeline; it will concretize your idea about the global climate action and the possible way forward.
A timeline
The Conference of Parties (CoP) is the supreme decision-making body at the convention and comprises states that are party to it.
COP 1:
- At CoP1 in Berlin 1995, the Convention highlighted the shortcomings of UNFCCC — the voluntary nature of the agreement.
- It stressed how no substantive action was taken to address the cause against climate change, which in turn put forward the need for “legally binding” actions.
COP 2:
The proposal of legally binding targets was further emphasised upon in COP2 in Geneva in 1996.
COP 3:
- In COP3 in Kyoto in 1997, the legally binding targets were approved of by different countries. They came to be known as the Kyoto Protocol.
- It is considered to be one of the most important steps despite its late acceptance for it paved the way for further negotiations through legally binding targets for Annex I countries and establishment of carbon markets.
- The mechanisms proposed by Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions included Joint Implementation, Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) and Emissions Trading.
COP 4 and COP 5:
In COP4 in 1998 and COP5 in 1999, the rulebook for implementing the Kyoto Protocol was on the process with the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action in COP4, along with continued negotiation efforts in COP5.
COP 7:
- In COP7 in Marrakesh in 2001, the guidelines for flexible mechanisms of joint implementation, CDM markets, emissions trading was agreed upon. It came to be known as the Marrakesh Accord.
- It was particularly important because mitigation efforts had already started and special attention was given to developing countries.
- It asked them to build their capacities and ensuring technology transfer through least developed countries (LDC) Fund, special climate change fund (SCCF) and adaptation fund.
COP 8:
The COP8 in 2002, which was held in “New Delhi”, emphasised on adaptation measures and stressed that poverty alleviation and development were the utmost priority of developing countries.
COP 10:
- The future course of action was discussed in COP10 in Montreal in 2005 after Russia ratified the Protocol in 2004 at COP10 in Argentina.
- A two-track approach was formed, which included the constructive implementation of UNFCCC as well as formation an ad-hoc committee for the Kyoto Protocol.
COP 15:
- Copenhagen COP 2009 was set by the ad-hoc working group on Kyoto protocol formed during Montreal COP 2005.
- The group agreed to have a deal in 2009 regarding a legally binding climate regime from 2012-2020.
- The discussions lost track when developed countries started advocating for burden-sharing with developing countries.
COP 16:
- The disappointment of Copenhagen was turned into an opportunity in Cancun 2010, where the Copenhagen Accord was accepted.
- It looked forward to a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol and established the Cancun Adaptation Framework.
- For the first time, a temperature target of 2 degrees Celsius was included. The Green climate fund was formed and developed countries agreed to contribute.
COP 17:
- Following Cancun, Durban COP 2011 took place wherein the seed of the Paris Agreement was sown.
- The seed started sprouting in Doha COP 2012, where countries decided to avoid the gap between Kyoto and next legal climate regime.
- So, the second regime of Kyoto was decided from 2012-2020. The third pillar of loss and damage was incorporated for the first time.
COP 20:
In COP in Lima in 2014, countries submitted their own climate ambitions in the form of intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs).
COP 21: The Pathbreaker
- In 2015, the Paris agreement was finally adopted and the INDCs were annexed to it.
- It was agreed that the Paris agreement would start from 2021.
- 2015 was known as a year of multilateral agreements because, in addition to the Paris agreement, sustainable development goals and Sendai Framework was also adopted.
- 2015, therefore, came out to be a successful year.
Post Paris Agreement
- The retreat of developed countries: In all these post-2020 talks, developed countries tactfully avoided their pre-2020 commitments by not ratifying the Kyoto protocol.
- Post-Paris discussions for the finalization of the Rulebook began.
- Most were finalised in 2018, except the market mechanism and measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas which are due in COP26 in 2021.
Agenda for next COP in 2021
- The next COP will be in 2021 in Glasgow with two sets of agendas for discussion.
- The first will be to complete the rule-book of Paris Agreement implementation, whose two aspects regarding Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) architecture and MRV framework are yet to be completed.
- The second will be to ensure smooth implementation of the Paris Agreement from 1st January 2021.
- Countries are expected to revise their NDCs as the present course of activities is projected to cause an increase in temperature of 2.8-3 C rise.
The situation today: Nothing beyong big promises
- China’s recent announcement of achieving net-zero by 2060 comes across as the stepping stone of future climate change mitigation efforts.
- Political announcements, however, mean nothing until countries actually share the goals they intend to follow.
- On the contrary, India is the only country whose NDCs are in line with the 2 degrees Celsius target.
- Another substantial happening in the domain of climate change includes Joe Biden’s promise of joining the Paris Agreement; it would bring the US back to the GCF fund.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PM-WANI
Mains level: Internet connectivity, Digital divide
In a bid to improve wireless connectivity, the Union Cabinet approved setting up of the public WiFi was part of the Prime Minister WiFi Access Network Interface (PM- WANI).
Do you know?
According to TRAI, in most major economies, for 50%-70% of their total usage time, mobile users use WiFi technology to communicate. However, in India, this figure is less than 10%.
PM- WANI
- The WiFi will be provided through public data offices (PDOs) for which there will be no licence, registration or any other fees.
- The PDO, to be set up along the lines of public calling office, can be a mom-and-pop store in the area or the common services centre present in various small towns, gram panchayats, and villages in the country.
- The PDOs can either provide the internet on other own or lease it from other telecom and internet service providers.
The centre-stage: Public Data Offices (PDO)
- The idea of a PDO was first floated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in 2017.
- Like a PCO, the PDO allows users to connect to a public WiFi system for a limited session depending on the internet pack chosen by the user.
- These internet packages can either by charged on per minute or per hour basis by the PDOs.
Licensing of PDOs
- There will be no licence for PDOs. A simple registration system will be put in place for PDO aggregators as well as app providers, which will be approved within seven days of the application being submitted.
- In addition to the PDOs, there will also be PDO aggregators, which will look after the authorisation and accounting of PDOs.
A note for users
- A third layer will of app providers, available for download on the Play Store as well as the Apple Store, will enable users to register for using the public WiFi at a particular place.
- Users, however, will not be required to download different apps, as a single app will provide seamless connectivity to any PDO across the country.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various IVC sites
Mains level: IVC
A new study has found the presence of animal products, including cattle and buffalo meat, in ceramic vessels dating back about 4,600 years at seven Indus Valley Civilization sites in present-day Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The Karnataka Assembly has passed the controversial Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020, amid protests.
Beef politics has always gained traction in India being a cheap source of protein for masses versus religious sentiments of the fundamentalists.
How was the study conducted?
- The study is the first to look into the absorbed lipid residues in pottery from multiple sites, including Rakhigarhi, Farmana and Masudpur.
- Lipids are relatively less prone to degradation and have been discovered in pottery from archaeological contexts around the world.
Key findings
- The high proportions of cattle bones suggest a cultural preference for beef consumption across Indus populations, supplemented by the consumption of mutton/lamb.
- The study found little evidence of dairy products. However, there could be regional differences as a recent study of vessels in Gujarat had found evidence of dairy products.
- About 50-60% of domestic animal bones found at Indus Valley sites come from cattle/buffalo.
- It says that at Harappa, 90% of the cattle were kept alive until they were three or three-and-a-half years, suggesting that females were used for dairying production, whereas male animals were used for traction.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: BTCA
Mains level: Digital banking facilitation measures
The Union Ministry of Finance and UN-Based Better Than Cash Alliance (BTCA) organized a joint Peer learning exchange on fintech solutions for responsible digital payments at the last mile.
Make a note here that it is a BTCA is a global partnership with diverse funding, a UN office as its secretariat and Indian being its member.
Better Than Cash Alliance
- The BTCA is a global partnership of 75 governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in order to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth.
- The United Nations Capital Development Fund serves as the secretariat. It was created in September 2012.
- The Alliance is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Citi, MasterCard, Omidyar Network, USAID, and Visa Inc.
- By the time it launched, the program was already being rolled out in Peru, Kenya, Colombia, and the Philippines.
India and the BTCA
- India became a member of the alliance in 2015 to digitize payments to achieve financial inclusion and to share success stories from Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the world’s largest financial inclusion program.
- The alliance is working with several state governments towards the goal of building knowledge and programs where people, governments, and businesses can make and receive digital payments.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Pobitora WLS, Kaziranga NP
Mains level: Rhino protection measures
Too many cattle are robbing the one-horned rhinos of Assam’s Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, referred to as ‘Mini Kaziranga’ for similar features, of their nutritious food.
Try this PYQ:
Q. Consider the following statements:
- Asiatic lion is naturally found in India only.
- Double-humped camel is naturally found in India only.
- One-horned rhinoceros is naturally found in India only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
About Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
- Pobitora WLS is located on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra in Morigaon district in Assam.
- It was declared in 1987 and covers 38.85 km2 (15.00 sq mi), providing grassland and wetland habitat for the Indian rhinoceros.
- It provides a habitat and food resource for the Indian rhinoceros, hosting Assam’s second-largest population.
- Other mammals occurring in the sanctuary are golden jackal, wild boar and feral water buffalo.
- Barking deer, Indian leopard and rhesus macaque live foremost in the hilly parts. It is an Important Bird Area and home for more than 2000 migratory birds and various reptiles.
Why in news?
- Pobitora is running a successful Rhino breeding program within its sanctuary.
- It is running under the government as “Indian Rhino vision 2020”.
Back2Basics: Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve
- The KNTPR is a national park in the Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam.
- The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a World Heritage Site.
- Kaziranga is home to the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006 (now the highest tiger density is in Orang National Park, Assam).
- The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.
- It is also recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for the conservation of avifaunal species.
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