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  • Foreign Policy Watch: India-ASEAN

    India-ASEAN FTA

    IOCR | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

    The Commerce and Industry Minister has called for a renegotiation of the India-ASEAN free trade agreement (FTA).

    Why such move?

    • The MCI aims to prevent its misuse by ‘third parties’ and remove trade restrictions as well as non-tariff barriers that he said had hurt Indian exports disproportionately since the pact was operationalized in 2010.
    • The focus needed to be on new rules to eliminate misuse ‘by third parties outside ASEAN’, the minister said, hinting at China.
    • India had to deal with several restrictive barriers on exports in the ASEAN region, particularly in the agriculture and auto sectors.

    About ASEAN

    • Members:
    • Officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN is an economic union comprising 10 member states in Southeast Asia.
    • It promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration between its members and other countries in Asia.

    India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement

    • The initial framework agreement for ASEAN–India Free Trade Area (AIFTA) was signed on 8 October 2003 in Bali, Indonesia.
    • The FTA came into effect on 1 January 2010.
    • The FTA had emerged from a mutual interest of both parties to expand their economic ties in the Asia-Pacific region.

    Background of the AIFTA

    • India’s Look East policy was reciprocated by similar interests of many ASEAN countries to expand their interactions westward.
    • After India became a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992, India saw its trade with ASEAN increase relative to its trade with the rest of the world.
    • Between 1993 and 2003, ASEAN-India bilateral trade grew at an annual rate of 11.2%, from US$2.9 billion in 1993 to US$12.1 billion in 2003.
    • Total Indian FDI into ASEAN from 2000 to 2008 was US$1.3 billion.

    Acknowledging this trend and recognising the economic potential of closer linkages, both sides recognised the opportunities to pave the way for the establishment of an ASEAN–India Free Trade Area (FTA).

    Structure of the AIFTA

    • The signing of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement paves the way for the creation of one of the world’s largest FTAs – a market of almost 1.8 billion people with a combined GDP of US$2.8 trillion.
    • It sees tariff liberalisation of over 90 percent of products traded between the two dynamic regions, including the so-called “special products”.
    • The products include palm oil (crude and refined), coffee, black tea and pepper.

    Criticism

    While there are many benefits to the ASEAN-India FTA, there is concern in India that the agreement will have several negative impacts on the economy.

    • Opening-up its market: This FTA will allow them to increase the market access of their products.
    • No specific gains: It is criticised, however, that India will not experience as great an increase in market access to ASEAN countries as ASEAN will in India.
    • Export driven ASEAN: The economies of the ASEAN countries are largely export-driven. Considering India’s expansive domestic market, the ASEAN countries will look eagerly towards India as a home for its exports.
    • Huge trade deficit: Since the early 2000s, India has had an increasing trade deficit with ASEAN. It is feared that a gradual liberalisation of tariffs and a rise in imported goods into India will threaten several sectors of the economy.
    • Inaccessible Markets: As a dominant exporter of light manufacturing products, ASEAN has competitive tariff rates that make it difficult for India to gain access to the industry market in ASEAN countries.
    • Cheaper imports: The state of Kerala is an important exporter in the national export of plantation products. It fears that cheap imports of oil palm, rubber, coffee, and fish would lower domestic production, adversely affecting farmers and ultimately its economy.

     

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  • RBI Notifications

    RBI suspends G-Sec Acquisition Programme (GSAP)

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to halt its bond-buying under the G-Sec Acquisition Programme (GSAP).

    Why such move?

    • The GSAP had succeeded in ensuring adequate liquidity and stabilising financial markets.
    • Coupled with other liquidity measures, it facilitated congenial and orderly financing conditions and a conducive environment for the recovery.

    What is GSAP?

    • The G-Sec Acquisition Programme (G-SAP) is basically an unconditional and a structured Open Market Operation (OMO), of a much larger scale and size.
    • G-SAP is an OMO with a ‘distinct character’.
    • The word ‘unconditional’ here connotes that RBI has committed upfront that it will buy G-Secs irrespective of the market sentiment.

    What are Government Securities?

    • These are debt instruments issued by the government to borrow money.
    • The two key categories are:
    1. Treasury bills (T-Bills) – short-term instruments which mature in 91 days, 182 days, or 364 days, and
    2. Dated securities – long-term instruments, which mature anywhere between 5 years and 40 years

    Note: T-Bills are issued only by the central government, and the interest on them is determined by market forces.

    Why G-Secs?

    • Like bank fixed deposits, g-secs are not tax-free.
    • They are generally considered the safest form of investment because they are backed by the government. So, the risk of default is almost nil.
    • However, they are not completely risk-free, since they are subject to fluctuations in interest rates.
    • Bank fixed deposits, on the other hand, are guaranteed only to the extent of Rs 5 lakh by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).

    Other decisions

    • The RBI, however, remained ready to undertake G-SAP as and when warranted by liquidity conditions.
    • It would also continue to flexibly conduct other liquidity management operations including Operation Twist (OT) and regular open market operations (OMOs).

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    1. The Reserve Bank of India manages and services the Government of India Securities but not any State Government Securities.
    2. Treasury bills are issued by the Government of India and there are no treasury bills issued by the State Governments.
    3. Treasury bills offer are issued at a discount from the par value.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 3 Only

    (c) 2 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Post your answers here:

     

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    Back2Basics: Open Market Operations (OMO)

    • OMOs is one of the quantitative monetary policy tools which is employed by the central bank of a country to control the money supply in the economy.
    • It is a part of the Market Stabilization Scheme (MSS) by the RBI.
    • OMOs are conducted by the RBI by way of sale or purchase of government securities (g-secs) to adjust money supply conditions.
    • The central bank sells g-secs to remove liquidity from the system and buys back g-secs to infuse liquidity into the system.

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  • Animal Husbandry, Dairy & Fisheries Sector – Pashudhan Sanjivani, E- Pashudhan Haat, etc

    What is Palk Bay Scheme?

    Schemes | Agriculture | Mains Paper 3: Economics Of Animal-Rearing

    The Union Government is considering increasing the unit cost of deep-sea fishing vessels under the Palk Bay scheme to make it more attractive to fisherfolk.

    Palk Bay Scheme

    • The Palk Bay Scheme is the official scheme for diversification of trawl fishing boats from Palk Strait into deep sea fishing boats.
    • It is aimed at encouraging fishermen to take up deep-sea fishing and put an end to disputes arising between the India and Sri Lanka.
    • The project helps fishermen in the Palk Straits, who are not exposed to deep-sea fishing, to venture deep into the Indian Ocean, Arabian sea and other deep-sea areas to look for fish like tuna that are in high demand.

    Why need such a scheme?

    • Bottom trawling, an ecologically destructive practice, involves trawlers dragging weighted nets along the sea-floor, causing great depletion of aquatic resources.

    Key components of the scheme

    • The project aims to replace all trawler boats and introduce over 2,000 deep sea fishing boats in a course of five years.
    • The scheme, under the aegis of Blue Revolution scheme – is funded by the Centre – 50 per cent and state government – 20 per cent for a boat costing Rs 80 lakh.
    • Of the balance 30 per cent, 10 per cent is contributed by the beneficiary (fisherman), and the remaining 20 per cent is funded by banks.

    Must read:

    [Burning Issue] India- Sri Lanka Fishermen Issues

     

     

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  • Indian Air Force Updates

    Challenges facing Indian Air Force

    | Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Various Security Forces, Agencies & Their Mandates

    Context

    A host of challenges greets India’s new Air Chief.

    Challenges

    • The challenges include the rewiring of India’s military into new theatre commands, the reservations expressed by the IAF about its “support” role and the visible depletion in operational air assets due to obsolescence and lack of new platforms.
    • The decline in platforms is stark and from a strength of 42 combat squadrons in 2002, the IAF now operates barely 30.
    • This shortfall in numbers would remain through this decade.
    • Even as there are plans to create new theatre commands and allocate existing air assets to the new formations, the depletion in numbers merits urgent review.

    Steps taken

    • The purchase of 83 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will be a fillip even as the sturdy MIGs are finally phased out.
    • In the next decade, the IAF hopes to induct the indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) — a new platform that would be built in India with a foreign entity, the “original equipment manufacturer” (OEM), and thereby move up to 35 squadrons.
    • Issues: The AMCA is “under design” and India’s track record in the design and manufacture of indigenous fighter aircraft is cost- and time-intensive.
    • As regards the MRFA, the request for information for 114 jets has just been issued.
    • The Rafale experience and the long delays associated with it would suggest that speedy selection of an OEM will be elusive.

    Way forward

    • Air power is becoming technologically more refined with unmanned platforms, cyber-space linkages and AI advances.
    • The inherent trans-border nature of this military capability needs astute professional and political husbanding.
    • Acquiring credible aerospace power with a meaningful degree of indigenisation will need a greater degree of national resolve, professional integrity and resource allocation than is the case now.
    • China has demonstrated the degree of suasion and intimidation that airpower can bring to bear in relation to Taiwan.

    Conclusion

    A reality check about the quantity and quality of India’s air power and the roles it can undertake should precede its disaggregation to theatre commands in the run-up to India@75.

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  • Agricultural Sector and Marketing Reforms – eNAM, Model APMC Act, Eco Survey Reco, etc.

    Seeding a data revolution in Indian Agriculture

    op-ed snap | Agriculture | Mains Paper 3: Inclusive Growth & Issues

    In June this year, two significant documents relating to the Indian agriculture sector were released.

    What are the reports about?

    • The first is a consultation paper on the India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA) and the second on Indian Agriculture: Ripe for Disruption from a private organisation, Bain and Company.
    • Through their work, these reports have depicted the agriculture reforms announced by the union government as a game-changer in the agriculture sector.

    Challenges highlighted

    The major challenges of the agriculture sector are:

    1. Food Sufficiency but Nutrition Deficiency
    2. High import of edible oil and oilseeds
    3. Yield plateaus
    4. Degrading soil, Water stress
    5. Inadequate market infra/linkages
    6. Unpredictable, volatile prices
    7. Post-harvest losses, wastages
    8. Lack of crop planning due to information asymmetry

    Key takeaway: Way for doubling farmers income

    • These reports in short argues that benefiting from the huge investments into the agri-ecosystem, doubling farmers’ income targets can be achieved in near future.
    • The Indian agriculture sector in future will encompass farm to fork and pave the way for a single national market with a national platform with better connection between producer and consumers.

    The forecast

    • The Bain report is a data-based prediction on agri-business scenarios, anchored to the agricultural set-up at present and predicting its future trajectories in another 20 years.
    • It includes targeting the production of alternative proteins, and food cell-based food/ingredients and initiating ocean farming, etc.
    • The report has a ‘today forward– future back approach’ and predicts a drastic investment opportunity development by 2025.
    • The agriculture sector (currently worth $370 billion), is estimated to receive an additional $35 billion investment.

    The two enabling conditions for such investment opportunities are:

    1. Changes in the regulatory framework, especially recent changes in the Farm Acts and
    2. Digital disruption

    The IDEA of integration

    • Digital disruption: The blueprint of “digital agriculture” is similar to the digital disruption mentioned in the Bain report.
    • Integration: Eventually, the farmer and the improvement of farmers’ livelihood is the aim of the IDEA concept and it is proposed to happen through tight integration of agri-tech innovation and the agriculture industry.
    • Enabling conditions: To be precise, the IDEA concept profounds the creation of second enabling conditions (which is described in the Bain report).
    • Openness of data: The IDEA principles explicitly talk about openness of data, which means open to businesses and farmers, indicating the kind of integration it aims at.
    • Value-added innovative services: by agri-tech industries and start-ups are an integral part of the IDEA architecture.
    • Data architecture: The services listed in the document (to be available on the platform) are equally important data for farmers and businesses.

    A thread of digital disruption

    • The IT industry has opposition to IDEA mainly due to the ethics of creating a Unique Farmer ID based on one’s Aadhaar number and also the potential for data misuse.
    • Beyond the news coverage about the prospects of achieving the goal of Doubling Farmers Income on which the present government has almost lost its hope.

    Issues with these reports

    • The Bain report has not been widely discussed — at least in the public domain.
    • The assumptions used by authors especially for its ‘future back approach’, need more or less focusing on widespread food production in controlled environments.
    • The emission, energy, and other resource footprints and sustainability issues around these techniques are not adequately studied.

    Yet these reports are important

    • The report has convincingly demonstrated the business opportunity available in supply chains between farm to APMC mandi and mandi to the customer.
    • This can be realised with the support of digital disruption and the latest agriculture reforms.
    • Both these reports heavily rely on digital disruption to improve farmers’ livelihoods, without discussing how much farmers will be prepared to benefit from the emerging business.

    An unconvincing ‘how’

    • Digital divide: The fact is that a majority of small and marginal farmers are not technology-savvy.
    • No capacity building: That most of them are under-educated for capacity building is ignored amidst these ambitious developments.
    • Unrealistic assumptions: The Bain report relies on the general assumption that more investments into the agriculture sector will benefit farmers; ‘but how’ has not been convincingly answered.
    • Overemphasis on technology: Similarly, how the technology fix will help resolve all the issues of Indian agriculture listed at the beginning of the report is unclear in the IDEA concept.
    • Reluctance by farmers: These reports ignore the protest of farmers against the reforms without considering it as a barrier or risk factor resulting in a repealing of these new farm laws.

    Way ahead: Focus on the farmer

    • A data revolution is inevitable in the agriculture sector, given its socio-political complexities.
    • However, we cannot just count on technology fixes and agri-business investments for improving farmers’ livelihoods.
    • There need to be immense efforts to improve the capacities of the farmers in India – at least until the educated young farmers replace the existing under-educated small and medium farmers.
    • This capacity building can be done through a mixed approach through FPOs and other farmers’ associations where technical support is available for farmers.

    Conclusion

    • Considering the size of the agriculture sector of the country this is not going to be an easy task but would need a separate program across the country with considerable investment.

     

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  • Coal and Mining Sector

    Coal Crisis in India

    | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc.

    More than half of the country’s 135 coal-fired power plants are running on fumes – as coal stocks run critically low.  They have fuel stocks of less than four days, government data shows.

    Coal shortage in India

    • In a country where 70% of the electricity is generated using coal, this is a major cause for concern as it threatens to derail India’s post-pandemic economic recovery.
    • Utilities are scrambling to secure coal supplies as inventories hit critical lows after a surge in power demand from industries and sluggish imports due to record global prices push power plants to the brink.

    How did the crisis escalate?

    • As India’s economy picked up after a deadly second wave of Covid-19, demand for power rose sharply.
    • Power consumption in the last two months alone jumped by almost 17%, compared to the same period in 2019.
    • At the same time global coal prices increased by 40% and India’s imports fell to a two-year low.
    • India is the world’s second largest importer of coal despite also being home to the fourth largest coal reserves in the world.
    • Power plants that usually rely on imports are now heavily dependent on Indian coal, adding further pressure to already stretched domestic supplies.

    What is the likely impact?

    • Experts say importing more coal to make up for domestic shortages is not an option at present.
    • India has seen shortages in the past, but what’s unprecedented this time is coal is really expensive now.
    • Businesses at the end of the day pass on these costs to consumers, so there is an inflationary impact – both direct and indirect that could potentially come from this.
    • If the crisis continues, a surge in the cost of electricity will be felt by consumers.
    • Retail inflation is already high as everything from oil to food has become more expensive.

    Other reasons for this crisis

    • In recent years, India’s production has lagged as the country tried to reduce its dependence on coal to meet climate targets.
    • Prices of power-generation fuels are surging globally as electricity demand rebounds with industrial growth, tightening supplies of coal and liquefied natural gas.
    • India is competing against buyers such as China, the world’s largest coal consumer, which is under pressure to ramp up imports amid a severe power crunch.
    • Rising oil, gas, coal and power prices are feeding inflationary pressures worldwide and slowing the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Challenges posed

    • The desire to cut its reliance on heavily polluting coal burning power plants has been a major challenge for the government in recent years.
    • The question of how India can achieve a balance between meeting demand for electricity from its almost 1.4bn people has to be answered.

    What can the government do?

    • Experts advocate a mix of coal and clean sources of energy as a possible long-term solution.
    • It’s not completely possible to transition and it’s never a good strategy to transition 100% to renewables without a backup.
    • Long term investment in multiple power sources aside a crisis like the current one can be averted with better planning.
    • There is need for closer coordination between Coal India Limited – the largest supplier of coal in the country and other stakeholders.
    • For now, the government is working with state-run enterprises to ramp up production and mining to reduce the gap between supply and demand.

    Way forward

    • This is a global phenomenon, one not specifically restricted to India.
    • It is unclear how long the current situation will last.
    • With the monsoon on its way out and winter approaching, the demand for power usually falls.
    • So, the mismatch between demand and supply may iron out to some extent.

    Try answering this PYQ:

    Consider the following statements:

    1. Coal sector was nationalized by the Government of India under Indira Gandhi.
    2. Now, coal blocks are allocated on lottery basis.
    3. Till recently, India imported coal to meet the shortages of domestic supply, but now India is self- sufficient in coal production.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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  • Historical and Archaeological Findings in News

    Genetic proof for domestication of sheep in Indian subcontinent

    | History | Mains Paper 1: Arts & Culture

    Researchers at the Central University of Kerala (CUK) have found that domestication of sheep had taken place in the Indian subcontinent, especially in the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) regions in the 6th or 7th millennium BC.

    Animal domestication in IVC

    A number of domesticated animal species have been found in excavations at the Harappan cities.

    • The Indian humped cattle (Bos indicus) were most frequently encountered, though whether along with a humpless variety, such as that shown on the seals, is not clearly established.
    • The buffalo (B. bubalis) is less common and may have been wild.
    • Sheep and goats occur, as does the Indian pig (Sus cristatus).
    • The camel is present, as well as the ass (Equus asinus).
    • Bones of domestic fowl are not uncommon; these fowl were domesticated from the indigenous jungle fowl.
    • Finally, the cat and the dog were both evidently domesticated.
    • Present, but not necessarily as a domesticated species, is the elephant.
    • The horse is possibly present but extremely rare and apparently only present in the last stages of the Harappan Period.

    Key findings of the study

    • The study has found genetic evidence that sheep had been domesticated in the region in contrast to the general belief that they were domesticated then in West Asia alone.
    • India ranks second in terms of sheep population, represented by as many as 44 well-described breeds in addition to several nondescript species.
    • It highlights that genetic diversity and phylogeography of Indian sheep breeds remained poorly understood, particularly the south Indian breed.

    How was the classification held?

    • Researchers retrieved the mitochondrial DNA sequences of another 11 breeds for analysis, which further strengthened their study.
    • The researchers analysed these sequences along with published data of domestic and wild sheep from different countries, including India.
    • The haplotype diversity observed was relatively high in Indian sheep, which were classified into the three known major mitochondrial DNA lineages namely A, B, and C.

    Diversity among Indian Sheeps

    • It was found that lineage A was predominant among Indian sheep, whereas lineages B and C were observed at low frequencies.
    • Particularly lineage C was restricted to the breeds of northern and eastern India.
    • The study examined the south Indian breeds, provided strong genetic evidence that the Indian subcontinent was one of the domestication centres of the lineage A sheep.
    • When DNA sequences were compared with other breeds across the world, it was found that the Indian sheep haplotypes were unique and highly diverse.
    • The high genetic diversity and statistical analysis suggest that sheep was domesticated in the country.
    • The wild Sheep, O. vignei blanfordi in Mehrgarh [Pakistan], may be a potential progenitor of domestic sheep lineage.

    Breeds studied

    • Among the south Indian breeds, except for Mandya, all others, notably Bellary, Coimbatore, Hassan, Katchaikatty Black, Nilgri, Ramnad White, and Vembur, were fully encompassed with lineage A.
    • However, Kenguri Kilakarsal, Madras Red, Mecheri, and Tiruchy Black breeds, had very low occurrences of lineage B mitochondria.
    • In contrast, a majority of individuals of Mandya and Sonadi breeds carried a relatively high frequency of lineage B.
    • In terms of the conservation of sheep genetic resources, these two breeds are important with respect to maternal lineages.

    Try answering this PYQ:

    With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are correct?

    1. Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them.
    2. Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron.
    3. Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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  • Foreign Policy Watch: India-Russia

    NATO fires Russian Diplomats

    IOCR | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Communalism, Secularism, Regionalism,Important International Institutions

    NATO has withdrew the accreditation of eight Russian officials to the military alliance in response to a rise in malign activities by Moscow.

    NATO

    • NATO is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of April 4, 1949.
    • It sought to create a counterweight to Soviet armies stationed in Central and Eastern Europe after World War II.
    • Its original members were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
    • NATO has spread a web of partners, namely Egypt, Israel, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and Finland.

    Why was it founded?

    Ans. Communist sweep in Europe post-WWII and rise of Soviet dominance

    • After World War II in 1945, Western Europe was economically exhausted and militarily weak, and newly powerful communist parties had arisen in France and Italy.
    • By contrast, the Soviet Union had emerged from the war with its armies dominating all the states of central and Eastern Europe.
    • By 1948 communists under Moscow’s sponsorship had consolidated their control of the governments of those countries and suppressed all non-communist political activity.
    • What became known as the Iron Curtain, a term popularized by Winston Churchill, had descended over central and Eastern Europe.

    Ideology of NATO

    • The NATO ensures that the security of its European member countries is inseparably linked to that of its North American member countries.
    • It commits the Allies to democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law, as well as to peaceful resolution of disputes.
    • It also provides a unique forum for dialogue and cooperation across the Atlantic.

    The Article 5

    • The heart of NATO is expressed in Article 5, in which the signatory members agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.

    Why in news now?

    • The relationship between NATO and Russia is at its lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
    • The NATO (rather US) sees their aggressive actions, not least against Ukraine, but also the significant military buildup and violations of important arms control agreements.
    • NATO suspended practical cooperation with Russia in 2014 after it annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

     

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  • Animal Husbandry, Dairy & Fisheries Sector – Pashudhan Sanjivani, E- Pashudhan Haat, etc

    [pib] River Ranching Programme

    PIB | Agriculture | Mains Paper 3: Economics Of Animal-Rearing

    The Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, is set to launch the River Ranching Programme in Uttar Pradesh under the Namami Gange Programme.

    What is River Ranching?

    • River Ranching is a form of aquaculture in which a population of a fish species (such as salmon) is held in captivity for the first stage of their lives.
    • They are then released, and later harvested as adults when they return from the sea to their freshwater birthplace to spawn.

    Objective

    The key objectives of the program are:

    • To sustain and conserve the biodiversity in the river.
    • Facilitate regular stocking of fingerlings of cultivable carps to enhance productivity
    • Increase fish production
    • Enhance income and livelihood opportunities to communities’ dependent on these resources

    Why need such a program?

    • River ranching helps in achieving sustainable fisheries, reducing habitat degradation, conserving biodiversity, maximising social-economic benefits and would also remove factors causing pollution.
    • In this activity, different species of fish are released in the river, which destroy factors that increase the level of nitrogen.
    • These fishes will also aid in maintaining the cleanliness of the river as they feed on organic remnants.

    Where is the scheme being launched?

    • In Uttar Pradesh, about 15 lakh fish fingerlings of native carp species shall be simultaneously released into the river in 12 districts by the department.
    • These districts include Bulandshahr/Hapur, Hardoi, Bijnor, Amroha, Fatehpur, Kanpur, Badayun, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Varanasi and Ghazipur.
    • Four other states namely Uttarakhand, Orissa, Tripura and Chhattisgarh will also witness the launching of nationwide River Ranching program.

     

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  • Animal Husbandry, Dairy & Fisheries Sector – Pashudhan Sanjivani, E- Pashudhan Haat, etc

    [pib] National Digital Livestock Mission

    PIB | Agriculture | Mains Paper 3: Economics Of Animal-Rearing

    The Union Minister of State Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying unveiled the National Digital Livestock Mission Blueprint.

    National Digital Livestock Mission

    • The NDLM would be a digital platform developed by Dept. of Dairy and Animal Husbandry on the foundation of the existing Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health (INAPH).
    • It aims to create a farmer-centric, technology-enabled ecosystem where the farmers are able to realize better income through livestock activities with the right information.
    • The bedrock of NDLM will be the unique identification of all livestock, which will be the foundation for all the state and national level programmes including domestic and international trade.
    • The farmers will be able to effortlessly access the markets, irrespective of their location or holdings through this digital platform as a wide-range of stake-holders will be connected in this ecosystem.
    • This system will also include robust animal breeding systems, nutrition, disease surveillance, disease control programmes and a traceability mechanism for animals and animal products.

    Why need such mission?

    • The livestock sector has a unique combination of being the backbone of rural livelihood.
    • The growth would have been a lot better if there were concerted efforts to harmonise programmes across the country in order to create an ecosystem that is conducive for growth of the sector.
    • This has been the main idea behind the deployment of NDLM, keeping the welfare of the farmer at the core.

    Back2Basics: National Livestock Mission

    • National Livestock Mission is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
    • The mission, which commenced from 2014-15, has the objective of sustainable development of the livestock sector.
    • NABARD is the subsidy channelising agency for following schemes, under Entrepreneurship Development & Employment Generation (EDEG) component of National Livestock Mission.
    1. Poultry Venture Capital Fund (PVCF)
    2. Integrated Development of Small Ruminants and Rabbit (IDSRR)
    3. Pig Development (PD)
    4. Salvaging and Rearing of Male Buffalo Calves (SRMBC)
    5. Effective Animal Waste Management
    6. Construction of Storage Facility for Feed and Fodder

     

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