Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Ranking of States on Support to Startup Ecosystems
Mains level: Not Much
The Results of the second edition of Ranking of States on Support to Startup Ecosystems were recently released by Minister of Commerce & Industry.
About the Ranking
- The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has conducted the second edition of the States Startup Ranking Exercise.
- The key objective is to foster competitiveness and propel States and Union Territories to work proactively towards uplifting the startup ecosystem.
- It has been implemented as a capacity development exercise to encourage mutual learning among all states and to provide support in policy formulation and implementation.
7 focus areas
- Institutional Leaders
- Regulatory Change Champions
- Procurement Leaders
- Incubation Hubs
- Seeding Innovation Leaders
- Scaling Innovations Leaders
- Awareness and Outreach Champions
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Streets for People
Mains level: Not Much
The Union Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the initiative ‘Streets for People’ for making cities more pedestrian-friendly.
Streets for People
- The Challenge builds on the advisory issued by MoHUA for the holistic planning for pedestrian-friendly market spaces, earlier this year.
- It will support cities across the country to develop a unified vision of streets for people in consultation with stakeholders and citizens.
- Adopting a participatory approach, cities will be guided to launch their own design competitions to gather innovative ideas from professionals for quick, innovative, and low-cost tactical solutions.
- It aims to inspire cities to create walking-friendly and vibrant streets through quick, innovative, and low-cost measures.
- All cities participating in the challenge shall be encouraged to use the ‘test-learn-scale’ approach to initiate both, flagship and neighbourhood walking interventions.
- The interventions can include inter alia creating pedestrian-friendly streets in high footfall areas, re-imagining under-flyover spaces, re-vitalizing dead neighbourhood spaces, and creating walking links through parks and institutional areas.
Various stakeholders
- Fit India Mission, under Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, along with the India program of the Institute for Transport Development and Policy (ITDP) has partnered with the Smart Cities Mission to support the challenge.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: GST compensation cess
Mains level: Paper 3- GST compensation
The economic disruption due to pandemic has made the issue of GST compensation bone of contention between the Centre and the States. This article argues that it is the GST Council and not the Centre which is responsible to find ways to raise the revenue in such a situation.
GST revenue loss and role of the Centre
- Due to global pandemic, one significant area of loss of revenue to both the Centre and the states is GST.
- The states have the comfort of assured 14 per cent growth through the compensation mechanism.
- The Centre has no such guarantee.
- The Compensation Act mandates compensating the states for revenue loss on GST implementation from the Compensation Fund.
Role of GST Council
- The course of action to be adopted in the event of the amount in the Fund falling short of requirements was discussed at length in the GST Council.
- The late Arun Jaitley, then chairman, had, in the 8th meeting, assured that “in case Compensation Fund fell short of the compensation payable, the GST Council shall decide the mode of raising additional resources including borrowing from the market which could be repaid by collection of cess in the sixth year or further subsequent years”; the Council had agreed to this suggestion.
- Quite clearly, it is the Council and not the Government of India that shall decide the mode of raising additional resources in the event of a shortfall and this is reflected in Section 10(1) of the Compensation Act.
Why it makes sense for the States to borrow
- It is argued that borrowings by the Centre or by the states make no difference in the context of fiscal discipline.
- The argument further adds that the Centre should borrow in view of its higher borrowing and debt-servicing capacity and its ability to borrow at lower rates.
- Article 292 (1) mandates that the Centre can borrow on the security of the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI).
- However, the idea of providing compensation to the states from the Consolidated Fund of India was not agreed to in the Council, it is difficult to agree with the suggestion that GoI borrows on the basis of the said CFI.
- Large borrowings by the Centre would push up the bond yield rates, pushing up bond yield of the states setting off a spiral leading to hike in the interest rates for businesses and individuals.
- The states’ borrowing would become costlier if the Centre were to borrow for this purpose.
- The borrowing capacity of the states, too, is not very inferior.
- The RBI study of state finances shows that the debt receipts of all the states as a percentage of GDP has hovered between 2.4 per cent and 3.6 per cent during the last four years.
- The states have on the average borrowed just about 1.25 per cent of the GSDP thus far.
- The states are consistently borrowing less than they can borrow (legally and financially).
- The cost of state borrowings for this purpose can be considerably lowered if arranged through a special window.
- The Centre has already breached the budgeted borrowing limits for the current year.
- Thus it makes sense for the states to borrow.
Borrowing options for the States
- There are two ways in which the States can borrow.
- 1) Borrowing the entire shortfall in the revenue.
- 2) Borrowing only the shortfall attributable to GST implementation with the remaining shortfall to be made good from the Cess Fund post the transition period.
- Certain conditionalities have been relaxed for option-1.
- However, borrowing the entire shortfall, as envisaged in option-1, will hurt both the markets and the private sector, pushing up the interest rate.
- The single window under option-1 being arranged by the Centre and the entire debt being serviced from future cess receipts will ensure that the cost remains close to the G-sec rate.
- Moreover, there will be no variation in the interest rate as between the states.
Conclusion
The states should come forward and work with the Centre in the true spirit of cooperative federalism that the Council has come to be known for these past few years.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Blockchain
Mains level: Paper 2- Idea of using blockchain technology for remote voting
The article analyses the pros and cons of the adoption of blockchain technology for remote voting.
Background
- The Election Commission of India has been exploring the idea of further digitising the electoral infrastructure of the country.
- In furtherance of this, it explored the possibility of using blockchain technology for the purpose of enabling remote elections.
What will be the benefits
- ‘Remote voting’ would appear to benefit internal migrants and seasonal workers, who account for roughly 51 million of the populace (Census 2011).
- The envisioned solution might also be useful for some remotely-stationed members of the Indian armed forces.
Key issues
- Electors would still have to physically reach a designated venue in order to cast their vote,
- Digitisation and interconnectivity introduce additional points of failure external to the processes which exist in the present day.
- Blockchain solutions rely heavily on the proper implementation of cryptographic protocols.
- If security is breached, it could unmask the identity and voting preferences of electors, or worse yet, allow an individual to cast a vote as someone else.
- The provisioning of a dedicated line may make the infrastructure less prone to outages, it may also make it increasingly prone to targeted Denial-of-Service attack.
- Digitised systems may also stand to exclude and disenfranchise certain individuals due to flaws in interdependent platforms, flaws in system design, as well as general failures caused by external factors.
Way forward
- Political engagement could perhaps be improved by introducing and improving upon other methods, such as postal ballots or proxy voting.
- Another proposed solution to this issue includes the creation of a ‘One Nation, One Voter ID’ system.
Consider the question “What are the opportunities and challenges in the adoption of blockchain technology. Suggest the other alternatives to enable the ballot portability.”
Conclusion
Adoption of technology should be weighed against the risk it carries in the electoral process. While the adoption of blockchain technology offers many opportunities, the concerns it raises must be addressed before its adoption.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Global Biodiversity Outlook, CBD
Mains level: Biodiversity and its governance
The Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO) 5 report was leaked before its official release. Let’s look at the highlights of the report.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Consider the following pairs:
Terms sometimes seen in the news- Their origin
- Annex-I Countries- Cartagena Protocol
- Certified Emissions- Nagoya Protocol Reductions
- Clean Development- Kyoto Protocol Mechanism
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
About GBO report
- The GBO is the flagship publication of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
- It is a periodic report that summarizes the latest data on the status and trends of biodiversity and draws conclusions relevant to the further implementation of the Convention.
- It summarizes progress made towards achieving the objectives of the Convention, such as the Aichi Targets and identifies key actions to achieve these.
Highlights of the Report
- GBO-5 is an overview of the state of nature. It is a final report card on the progress made by countries in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
- What the world needed was a shift from business-as-usual, the report said. This transformation needed to take place in all human activities that were interlinked with natural resources.
- This shift was crucial, the report added as natural resources would continue to decline and the world would not be able to meet the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals.
- The GBO-5 suggested some shifts that need to be implemented to achieve the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity. These include:
- Transition within land and forests: The report called the restoration of all forests that had been degraded. It also urged restoring local ecosystems.
- Sustainable agriculture: Farmers would have to reduce the use of chemicals and instead focus more on agroecological farming practices, the report said.
- Sustainable food systems: The report urged people to eat healthier, plant-based food and less meat. It also called for a focus on the problem of food wastage within the supply chain and household.
- Climate action: The report called for nature-based solutions to reduce climate change
- One health: Agricultural and urban ecosystems, as well as wildlife, should be managed in an integrated manner, it said.
Failure to meet the targets
None of the 20 ‘Aichi Biodiversity Targets’ agreed on by national governments through the CBD has been met, according to the report. The world was supposed to meet these targets by 2020. Whatever little progress has been made, has to do with the following:
- Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 (Creating awareness about the value of biodiversity)
- Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 (17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, to be effectively and equitably managed)
- Aichi Biodiversity Target 16 (Access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization)
- Aichi Biodiversity Target 17 (Creation, adoption and implementation of an effective, participatory and updated national biodiversity strategy and action plan)
- Aichi Biodiversity Target 19 (Improvement and dissemination of knowledge, the science base and technologies relating to biodiversity).
Back2Basics: Convention on Biological Diversity
- The CBD, known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty.
- The Convention has three main goals including the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.
- It has two supplementary agreements:
- Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety- An international treaty governing the movements of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology from one country to another
- Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS)
- All UN member states—with the exception of the United States—have ratified the treaty.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Breach of Priviliges in Legislation
Mains level: Not Much
A motion for breach of privilege was moved in the Maharashtra Assembly against a news channel’s editor-in-chief. A similar motion was moved in the Maharashtra Legislative Council against an actor.
Try this PYQ:
Q.With reference to the Parliament of India, which of the following Parliamentary Committees scrutinizes and reports to the House whether the powers to make regulations, rules, sub-rules, by-laws etc. conferred by the constitution of delegated by the Parliament are being properly exercised by the Executive within the scope of such delegation?
(a) Committee on Government Assurances
(b) Committee on Subordinate Legislation
(c) Rules Committee
(d) Business Advisory Committee
Provisions to protect the privileges of the legislature
- The powers, privileges and immunities of either House of the Indian Parliament and of its Members and committees are laid down in Article 105 of the Constitution.
- Article 194 deals with the powers, privileges and immunities of the State Legislatures, their Members and their committees.
- Parliamentary privilege refers to the right and immunity enjoyed by legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made in the course of their legislative duties.
What constitutes a breach of this privilege?
- While the Constitution has accorded special privileges and powers to parliamentarians and legislators to maintain the dignity and authority of the Houses, these powers and privileges are not codified.
- Thus, there are no clear, notified rules to decide what constitutes a breach of privilege, and the punishment it attracts.
- Any act that obstructs or impedes either House of the state legislature in performing its functions, or which obstructs or impedes any Member or Officer of such House in the discharge of his duty, or has a tendency, directly or indirectly, to produce such results is treated as a breach of privilege.
- It is a breach of privilege and contempt to print or publish libel reflecting on the character or proceedings of the House or its Committees or on any member of the House for or relating to his character or conduct as a legislator.
Procedure followed in cases of an alleged breach
- The Legislative Assembly Speaker or Legislative Council Chairman constitutes a Privileges Committee consisting of 15 members in the Assembly and 11 members in the Council.
- The members to the committee which has quasi-judicial powers are nominated based on the party strength in the Houses.
- The Speaker or Chairman first decides on the motions.
- If the privilege and contempt are found prima facie, then the Speaker or Chairman will forward it to the Privileges Committee by following the due procedure.
- At present, there is no Privileges Committee in either House of the state legislature.
- The Committee will seek an explanation from all the concerned, will conduct an inquiry and will make a recommendation based on the findings to the state legislature for its consideration.
What is the punishment for this?
- If the Committee finds the offender guilty of breach of privilege and contempt, it can recommend the punishment.
- The punishment can include communicating the displeasure of the state legislature to the offender, summoning the offender before the House and giving a warning, and even sending the offender to jail.
- In the case of the media, press facilities of the state legislature may be withdrawn, and a public apology may be sought.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: FCRA
Mains level: Money laundering and terror financing
The Union Home Ministry has granted FCRA registration to the famous Gurdwara Harmandir Sahib, or the Golden Temple, in Amritsar, enabling it to receive foreign donations.
Foreign Contribution Regulation Act
- The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 is an act to regulate the acceptance and utilization of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality by certain individuals or associations or companies
- It prohibits acceptance and utilization of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality for any activities detrimental to the national interest and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto
- The central government has the power to prohibit any persons or organizations from accepting foreign contribution or hospitality if it is determined that such acceptance would likely “affect prejudicially”
(i) the sovereignty and integrity of India,
(ii) public interest,
(iii) freedom or fairness of election to any legislature,
(iv) friendly relations with any foreign State, or
(v) harmony between religious, racial, social, linguistic or regional groups, castes or communities
Premise for the FCRA
- Government of India enacted the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) in the year 1976 with an objective of regulating the acceptance and utilization of foreign contribution.
- Any association, non-government organisation (NGO) or registered society requires FCRA registration to receive foreign donations for specified purposes.
- The act was majorly modified in 2010 with several amendments because many NGOs were found using illegal use of foreign funding.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SAROD-Ports
Mains level: Not Much
Union Ministry of Shipping has e-launched ‘SAROD-Ports’ (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes – Ports).
Try this MCQ:
Q.The term SAROD is sometimes seen in the news with context to governance is related to:
(a) Disputes Redressal
(b) Employment
(c) Sustainable Development
(d) None of the above
SAROD Ports
SAROD-Ports are established under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 with the following objectives:
- Affordable and timely resolution of disputes in a fair manner
- Enrichment of Dispute Resolution Mechanism with the panel of technical experts as arbitrators.
- They consist of members from the Indian Ports Association (IPA) and Indian Private Ports and Terminals Association (IPTTA).
- They will advise and assist in settlement of disputes through arbitrations in the maritime sector, including ports and shipping sector in Major Port Trusts, Non-major Ports, including private ports, jetties, terminals and harbours.
- It will also cover disputes between granting authority and Licensee/Concessionaire /Contractor.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Schemes covered under the initiaitive
Mains level: Not Much
The Department of Posts has launched a scheme called Five Star Villages, to ensure universal coverage of flagship postal schemes in rural areas of the country.
The Five Star Villages Scheme sounds typically among the most commons types say, Swachh Bharat, Financial Inclusion and Literacy or Infrastructure amenities. Here is the caution for preventing a blunder.
Five Star Villages Scheme
- The scheme seeks to bridge the gaps in public awareness and reach of postal products and services, especially in interior villages.
- The initiatives covered under the scheme include:
- Savings Bank accounts, Recurrent Deposit Accounts, NSC / KVP certificates,
- Sukanya Samridhi Accounts/ PPF Accounts,
- Funded Post Office Savings Account linked India Post Payments Bank Accounts,
- Postal Life Insurance Policy/Rural Postal Life Insurance Policy and
- Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana Account / Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Account.
- If a village attains universal coverage for four schemes from the above list, then that village gets four-star status; if a village completes three schemes, then that village gets three-star status and so on.
Its implementation
- The scheme will be implemented by a team of five Gramin Dak Sevaks who will be assigned a village for the marketing of all products, savings and insurance schemes of the Department of Posts.
- This team will be headed by the Branch Post Master of the concerned Branch Office. Mail overseer will keep personal watch on the progress of the team on daily basis.
- The teams will be led and monitored by concerned Divisional Head, Assistant Superintendents Posts and Inspector Posts.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Persons mentioned in the news, Nobel Prize
Mains level: Not Much
A Norwegian legislator has nominated US President Donald Trump for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts towards furthering peace in the Middle East.
Take a look at the Presidents and Vice-Presidents who have won the Nobel Peace Prize:
These trivial facts are too unlikely to be asked in the CS prelims, but may hold importance for CAPF and other exams.
(1) Theodore Roosevelt (1906)
- Roosevelt, the 26th occupant of the White House (1901-09), was not only the first American president but also the world’s first statesman to win the honour, five years after the Peace Prize was instituted in 1901.
- He was given the prize for negotiating peace between imperial Russia and Japan after the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05.
- He was also praised for his efforts in resolving a dispute between the US and Mexico through arbitration, and for extending the use of arbitration as a means for settling international disputes.
- At home, Roosevelt launched radical social and economic reform policies and earned a reputation as a “trust buster” for breaking up monopolies.
(2) Woodrow Wilson (1919)
- Wilson (1913-21) was given the award for his efforts in ending World War I, and for being the key architect of the League of Nations– born out of his famous ‘Fourteen Points’.
- Although the League faltered in a few years, it served as a blueprint for the United Nations after World War II.
- At home, Wilson saw the reduction of import duties, started America’s central bank and a national business oversight body, and strengthened anti-monopoly and labour laws.
- In his second term, the US passed its 19th constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote.
(3) Jimmy Carter (2002)
- The 39th President was awarded the Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development”.
- During his presidency (1977-81), Carter earned praise for his role in bringing about a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.
- His later years were more fraught, including foreign policy failures such as the conflict with Iran and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, culminating in him losing re-election to the conservative Ronald Reagan in 1980.
- Post his presidency, Carter pursued peace and mediation efforts independently and co-founded the Carter Center, a non-profit that chiefly works to advance human rights.
(4) Barack Obama (2009)
- The country’s 44th President (2009-2017) was given the Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”.
- Cited among Obama’s achievements were his promotion of nuclear non-proliferation, and bringing a “new climate” in international relations.
- Obama donated the full prize money – 10 million Swedish kronor (around $1.4 million) – to charity.
(5) Al Gore (1993-2001)
- Apart from the four Presidents, one Vice President– Al Gore (1993-2001) – has been given the Nobel Peace Prize.
- He shared the honour in 2007 with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for their joint efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3-Rethinking the defence doctrine
Indian Army’s prevailing doctrine
- The Army’s prevailing doctrine is designed to deter and defend against major conventional invasions.
- This determines how the Army is organised, what equipment it operates, and where it is deployed.
- The Army expects to win wars by launching its own punitive offensives after an enemy attack, to either destroy enemy forces or seize enemy land.
- The Army expected that any Chinese bid to capture Indian territory would come as a major conventional invasion.
Miscalculation about Chinese intentions
- Chinese army crossed the LAC in several places nearly simultaneously, and in larger numbers than usual.
- Still, the Indian Army probably expected the stand-off would repeat the pattern of years past: China would make its point with a temporary transgression and retreat after talks.
- But China has no interest in launching a major conventional invasion, but this is not just a typical probe either.
- China’s quick land grab looks increasingly permanent, like an attempt to change the border without triggering war.
How to address such security threat
- Addressing this type of security threat requires preventing, not reversing, such fait accompli land grabs.
- This requires a fundamental shift in the Army’s doctrinal thinking.
- This fundamental shift involves strategies revolving around punishing the adversary, to strategies that prevent its adventurism in the first place.
Way forward
- Surveillance: Doctrinal change involves a greater investment in persistent wide-area surveillance to detect and track adversary moves, devolved command authority to respond to enemy aggression.
- Rehearsed procedures: It would also involve rehearsed procedures for an immediate local response without higher commanders’ approval.
- Detection: The military must be able to detect adversary action and react quickly, even pre-emptively, to stop attempted aggression from becoming a fait accompli.
- Delegation of power: In peacetime, local commanders must have the authority and to take anticipatory action.
- The late-August incident at Chushul demonstrates how this can and should work.
Conclusion
The challenge for India is to learn the right lessons and be alert to similar tactics in other regions, like the Indian Ocean. It must not rely on doctrines forged in wars half a century ago.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Defining a farmer
The article analyses the issues of multiple definitions of a farmer. The issues of ownership as a criterion for being a farmer and its impact on tenant farmers in discussed.
Is land ownership right criterion
- Traditionally, land ownership is a mandatory criterion for availing benefits under various agricultural schemes in India.
- Laws governing land leasing operate at different levels across India.
- The Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act, 2016 was introduced to formalise land leasing.
- However, except a few States, a majority of State governments have not extended the scope of the Act to farmers.
- According to the 2015-16 agricultural census, about 2.65 million operational holdings are either partially or wholly leased.
How this impact tenants
- The impact of agrarian distress is felt disproportionately by tenant farmers.
- The tenant farmer incurs the costs and faces the risks, while the owner receives the rent, subsidies and other support.
- The lessees do not benefit from loan waivers, moratorium and institutional credit, and are forced to be at the mercy of moneylenders.
- The distress is reflected in the fact that tenant farmers account for a majority of farmer suicides reported in the NCRB data.
Multiple definitions of farmers
- There are multiple definitions for a ‘farmer’ in official data published by the Government of India.
- The population census defines ‘cultivators’ as a person engaged in cultivation of land either ‘owned’ or held in kind or share.
- The 59th round of the Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) of farmers also stresses on ‘possession of land’ either owned or leased or otherwise possessed for defining ‘farmers’.
- Delinking of land as the defining criterion for a ‘farmer’ was done in the 70th round of SAS carried out by the NSSO.
- The 70th Round of NSSO refined the definition of a farmer as one who earns a major part of the income from farming.
Conclusion
Access to land as a policy instrument in bringing about equitable growth of rural economies needs no further emphasis. However, until the time ‘land to the tiller’ remains just wishful thinking, adopting a broader definition of a ‘farmer’ is a short-term solution to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Bt cotton
After almost 20 years of adoption of Bt cotton in India, its time to review the claimed benefits of the Bt.
Hybrid cotton seeds and issues
- Until the 20th century the indigenous ‘desi’ variety, Gossypium arboreum was used.
- From the 1990s, hybrid varieties of G. hirsutum were promoted.
- These hybrids cannot resist a variety of local pests and require more fertilizers and pesticides.
- Cotton suffers from plenty of infestation from moth pests such as the Pink Bollworm (PBW) and sap-sucking (Hemipteran) pests such as aphids and mealy bugs.
- With increasing pressure to buy hybrid seeds, the indigenous varieties have lost out over the years.
Resistant pests and introduction of Bt cotton
- The increasing use of synthetic man-made pesticides to control pests and the rising acreage under the American long-duration cotton led to the emergence of resistant pests.
- Resistant Pink and even American Bollworm (ABW), a minor pest in the past, began increasing, leading to a growing use of a variety of pesticides.
- Rising debts and reducing yields, coupled with increasing insect resistance, worsened the plight of cotton farmers.
- It was in this setting that Bt cotton was introduced in India in 2002.
What is Bt cotton
- The plant containing the pesticide gene from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), has been grown in India for about twenty years.
- This pesticide, now produced in each Bt plant cell, ought to protect the plant from bollworm, thereby increasing yields and reducing insecticide spraying on the cotton plant.
Review of the utility of Bt cotton
- Review was published in the scientific journal Nature Plants, analysing the entire picture of the use of Bt cotton in India.
- Earlier studies had attributed to Bt the tripling of cotton yield between 2002-2014 in India.
- However, one detail that raises concerns over such a conclusion was that yield differences between farmers who were the early adopters of Bt cotton and those who were not suffered from selection bias.
- Controlling for such bias showed (in 2012) that the contribution of Bt cotton to yield increase was only about 4% each year.
- Since yields vary annually by over 10%, the benefits claimed were dubious.
- There are discrepancies between yield and the deployment of Bt cotton.
- For instance, the Bt acreage was only 3.4% of the total cotton area in 2003, not sufficient to credit it for the 61% increase in yield in 2003-2004.
- The rise in cotton yields can be explained by improvements in irrigation, for instance in Gujarat, and a dramatic growth across the country in the use of fertilizers.
- The PBW developed a resistance by 2009 in India. In a few years, the situation was dreadful.
- A technology that works in the lab may fail in fields since real-world success hinges on multiple factors.
Way forward
- The cost of ignoring ‘desi’ varieties for decades has been high for India.
- Research suggests that with pure-line cotton varieties, high density planting, and short season plants, cotton yields in India can be good and stand a better chance at withstanding the vagaries of climate change.
- But government backing for resources, infrastructure and seeds is essential.
Conclusion
It is time to pay attention to science and acknowledge that Bt cotton has failed in India, and not enter into further misadventures with other Bt crops such as brinjal or herbicide resistance.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Indra Sawhney Judgment
Mains level: Quota debate
The Supreme Court has referred to a Constitution Bench the question of whether states can exceed the 50% limit on quotas that were set by a nine-judge Bench in the landmark Indra Sawhney vs Union of India (1992) case.
Practice question for mains:
Q.The quota policy for OBCs needs an urgent revisit. Comment.
Marathas and their ‘backwardness’
- The Marathas are a politically dominant community who make up 32% of Maharashtra’s population.
- They have historically been identified as a ‘warrior’ caste with large landholdings. Eleven of the state’s 19 chief ministers so far have been Marathas.
- While the division of land and agrarian problems over the years have led to a decline of prosperity among middle- and lower-middle-class Marathas, the community still plays an important role in the rural economy.
- The discontent in the community was a spillover into protests and unrest until the quota was announced.
- The second phase of the protest saw a spate of suicides. The backward Marathwada region was the worst affected by the protests.
What was the case?
- A Bench of the SC heard a batch of petitions challenging reservations for Marathas in education and jobs in Maharashtra.
- The petitions appealed a 2019 Bombay High Court decision that upheld the constitutional validity of the Maratha quota under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018.
- The Bench also heard a petition challenging admission to postgraduate medical and dental courses under the quota in the state.
Earlier Bombay HC ruling
- The Bombay HC ruled last year that the 16% quota granted by the state was not “justifiable”, and reduced it to 12% in education and 13% in government jobs, as recommended by the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC).
- The Bench ruled that the limit of the reservation should not exceed 50%.
- However, in exceptional circumstances and extraordinary situations, this limit can be crossed subject to availability of quantifiable and contemporaneous data reflecting backwardness, the inadequacy of representation and without affecting the efficiency in administration.
- The court relied heavily on the findings of the 11-member MSBCC, which submitted in November 2018 that the Maratha community is socially, economically and educationally backwards.
Existing reservation
- Following the 2001 State Reservation Act, the total reservation in Maharashtra was 52%: SCs (13%), STs (7%), OBCs (19%), Special Backward Class (2%), Vimukta Jati (3%), Nomadic Tribe B (2.5%), Nomadic Tribe C (3.5%) and Nomadic Tribe D (2%).
- The quotas for Nomadic Tribes and Special Backward Classes have been carved out of the total OBC quota.
- With the addition of 12-13% Maratha quota, the total reservation in the state went up to 64-65%.
- The 10% quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) announced by the Centre last year is also effective in the state.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: AMU, Sir Saiyad Ahmad Khan
Mains level: Not Much
In its centenary year, Aligarh Muslim University is planning to bury a time capsule, containing its history and achievements for posterity.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Consider the following:
- Calcutta Unitarian Committee
- Tabernacle of New Dispensation
- Indian Reforms Association
Keshab Chandra Sen is associated with the establishment of which of the above?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Aligarh Muslim University
- AMU is a public central university in Aligarh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875.
- Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College became Aligarh Muslim University in 1920, following the Aligarh Muslim University Act.
- It has three off-campus centres in Malappuram (Kerala), AMU Murshidabad centre (West Bengal), and Kishanganj Centre (Bihar).
Its establishment
- The university was established as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, starting functioning on 24 May 1875.
- The movement associated with Syed Ahmad Khan and the college came to be known as the Aligarh Movement, which pushed to realize the need for establishing a modern education system for the Indian Muslim populace.
- He considered competence in English and Western sciences necessary skills for maintaining Muslims’ political influence.
- Khan’s vision for the college was based on his visit to Oxford University and Cambridge University, and he wanted to establish an education system similar to the British model.
About Syed Ahmad Khan
- He was an Islamic pragmatist, reformer, and philosopher of nineteenth-century British India.
- Born into a family with strong debts to the Mughal court, Ahmed studied the Quran and Sciences within the court.
- He was awarded an honorary LLD from the University of Edinburgh in 1889.
- In 1838, Syed Ahmed entered the service of East India Company and went on to become a judge at a Small Causes Court in 1867, retiring from 1876.
- During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he remained loyal to the British Raj and was noted for his actions in saving European lives.
- In 1878, he was nominated to the Viceroy’s Legislative Council.
- He supported the efforts of Indian political leaders Surendranath Banerjee and Dadabhai Naoroji to obtain representation for Indians in the government and civil services.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ARISE-ANIC initiaitive
Mains level: Reviving MSME Sector of India thr
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, has launched Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-Atal New India Challenges, to spur applied research and innovation in Indian MSMEs and startups.
The name ARISE typically sounds some social sector or HRD related initiative. This is where one has to be cautious.
ARISE ANIC Initiative
- The program is a national initiative to promote research & innovation and increase the competitiveness of Indian startups and MSMEs.
- Its objective is to proactively collaborate with esteemed Ministries and the associated industries to catalyse research, innovation and facilitate innovative solutions to sectoral problems.
- It also aims to provide a steady stream of innovative products & solutions where the Central Government Ministries / Departments will become the potential first buyers.
- It is in line with the PM’s mandate of “Make in India”, “Startup India”, and “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” to fast track the growth of the Indian MSME sector.
Its implementation
- The programme will be driven by ISRO, four ministries—Ministry of Defence; Ministry of Food Processing Industries; Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
- It will support deserving applied research-based innovations by providing funding support of up to Rs 50 lakh for speedy development of the proposed technology solution and/or product.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: EASE Banking Reforms Index
Mains level: Banking sector reforms
Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs has felicitated best performing banks on EASE Banking Reforms Index.
Note the various themes under which the index works.
EASE Banking Reforms Index
- EASE stands for ‘Enhanced Access and Service Excellence’. The index is prepared by the Indian Banking Association (IBA) and Boston Consulting Group.
- It is commissioned by the Finance Ministry.
- It is a framework that was adopted last year to strengthen public sector banks and rank them on metrics such as responsible banking, financial inclusion, credit offtake and digitization.
Various themes and performance by the states
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PMMSY, E Gopala
Mains level: Fisheries sector of India
PM will digitally launch the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) today.
PM Matsya Sampada Yojana
- The PMMSY aims to bring about the Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India.
- It has an estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crores for its implementation during a period of 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in all States/UTs, as a part of AatmaNirbhar Bharat Package.
- PMMSY aims at enhancing fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-25, increasing fisheries export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore by 2024-25.
- Thus it aims doubling of incomes of fishers and fish farmers, reducing post-harvest losses from 20-25% to about 10% and generation of gainful employment opportunities in the sector.
Aims and objectives of PMMSY
- Harnessing of fisheries potential in a sustainable, responsible, inclusive and equitable manner
- Enhancing of fish production and productivity through expansion, intensification, diversification and productive utilization of land and water
- Modernizing and strengthening of the value chain – post-harvest management and quality improvement
- Doubling fishers and fish farmers incomes and generation of employment
- Enhancing contribution to Agriculture GVA and exports
- Social, physical and economic security for fishers and fish farmers
- Robust fisheries management and regulatory framework
Implementation strategy
The PMMSY will be implemented as an umbrella scheme with two separate components namely:
(a) Central Sector Scheme and
(b) Centrally Sponsored Scheme
- Majority of the activities under the Scheme would be implemented with the active participation of States/UTs.
- A well-structured implementation framework would be established for the effective planning and implementation of PMMSY.
- For optimal outcomes, ‘Cluster or area-based approach’ would be followed with requisite forward and backward linkages and end to end solutions.
Other inaugurations: e-Gopala App
- e-Gopala App is a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers.
- At present no digital platform is available in the country for farmers managing livestock including buying and selling of disease-free germplasm in all forms (semen, embryos, etc); availability of quality breeding services and guiding farmers for animal nutrition etc.
- There is no mechanism to send alerts (on the due date for vaccination, pregnancy diagnosis, calving etc) and inform farmers about various government schemes and campaigns in the area.
- The e-Gopala App will provide solutions to farmers on all these aspects.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Monitory policy and fiscal policy
Mains level: Paper 3- Monetary and fiscal response.
The article analyses the relation between the response of fiscal authority and monetary authority to get the maximum payoff in the normal circumstance. But the pandemic would require different approach.
Coordination between monetary and fiscal authority in India
- Coordination between monetary and fiscal authorities has been a thorny issue globally in recent years.
- If there is perfect coordination between the monetary and fiscal policy then there should be statistically significant negative correlation between the two.
- In the Indian context, for the 30-year period till FY2020, relation between the change in the consolidated fiscal deficit and the change in the growth rate of broad money reveals no coordination, substantiating the dominance of fiscal over monetary policy.
- Non-coordination between the two in India is also constrained by several policy targets and fewer instruments.
Optimal combination of monetary and fiscal strategy
- Both the government and the RBI have two options between them — either a contraction or an expansion.
- Thus, we effectively have four policy options, and each of the options will have a particular benefit.
- Our endeavour is to find out which policy option can result in a Nash Equilibrium.
- A Nash equilibrium occurs when neither the government nor the RBI can increase its benefit by unilaterally changing its action.
- The payoff scenarios are hypothesised as benefits accruing to the government and the RBI separately when they are deciding on either of the policy options: Contraction or expansion.
- The government favour an expansionary policy and gets maximum payoffs from a fiscal expansion, either with monetary expansion or contraction.
- The monetary authority ideally wants to contract the economy to fight inflation and gets maximum payoffs from a monetary contraction.
So, what is optimal combination of fiscal and monetary strategy
- If the RBI opts for monetary expansion, the government also opts for expansion as the payoff is higher.
- But this will compel the RBI to then opt for contraction, since that gives it a higher payoff.
- Knowing this, the government’s best strategy will be then an expansion — so the outcome will always be a fiscal expansion with a simultaneous monetary contraction.
- This is the only Nash equilibrium for this game.
Responding to the pandemic
- The current pandemic is resulting in behavioural changes of individuals in terms of risk-taking.
- In the Indian context too, there are behavioural changes in terms of risk-taking.
- Many of the current companies were also born during the financial crisis, like Uber (2009), Microsoft (1975), Disney (1923), General Motors (1908) and General Electric (1890).
- Echoing such “procedural rationality” in the current unprecedented circumstances, we thus believe fiscal expansion and monetary expansion is the desirable outcome.
Conclusion
The RBI has been largely successful in communicating to the market about its intentions and we now expect the government to manage expectations with coordinated communication and leave matters of financing the fiscal deficit, through measures like monetisation, to the RBI.
B2BASICS
NASH EQUILBRIUM
Simply put, it is a situation where no player can increase his payoff by deviating alone (from the situation). That is,it is a situation where both players are involved in mutual best replies.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NAM
Mains level: Paper 2- Finding alternative to non-alignment in India's foreign policy
The article analyses role of non-alignment in India’s foreign policy and India’s struggle to find the alternative to the non-alignment.
Background
- Non-alignment was a policy fashioned during the Cold War, to retain the autonomy of policy between two politico-military blocs.
- The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) provided a platform for newly independent developing nations to join together to protect this autonomy.
- NAM campaigned for de-colonisation, universal nuclear disarmament and against apartheid.
- After the end of the Cold War, the NAM countries were able to diversify their network of relationships across the erstwhile east-west divide.
Non-alignment and India’s foreign policy in the present context
- For a few years now, non-alignment has not been projected by our policymakers as a tenet of India’s foreign policy.
- India has not yet found a universally accepted alternative to the non-alignment yet.
- “Strategic autonomy” as an alternative soon acquired a connotation similar to non-alignment, with an anti-U.S. tint.
- Multi-alignment has not found universal favour, since it may convey the impression of opportunism, whereas we seek strategic convergences.
- Seeking issue-based partnerships or coalitions is a description that has not stuck.
- “Advancing prosperity and influence” was a description External Affairs minister settled for, to describe the aspirations that our network of international partnerships seeks to further.
Role of geography and politics
- Two major imperatives flow from India’s geography-1) economic and security interests in the Indo-Pacific space. 2) the strategic importance of the continental landmass to its north and west.
- The Indo-Pacific has inspired the Act East policy of bilateral and multilateral engagements in Southeast Asia and East Asia and the Pacific.
- Shared India-U.S. interests in dealing with the challenge from China in the maritime domain have been a strategic underpinning of the bilateral partnership since the early 2000s.
Issues in India’s engagement with the U.S.
- In the immediate-term, Indian and U.S. perspectives are less convergent in India’s continental neighbourhood.
- Connectivity and cooperation with Afghanistan and Central Asia need engagement with Iran and Russia, as well as with the Russia-China dynamics in the region.
- Russia extends to the Eurasian landmass bordering India’s near and extended neighbourhood.
- A close Russia-China partnership should move India to broad-base relations with Russia.
- A strong stake in relations with India could reinforce Russia’s reluctance to be a junior partner of China.
- As the U.S. confronts the challenge to its dominance from China, classical balance of power considerations would dictate accommodation with Russia.
- U.S. should see ties with India as a joint venture not an alliance in which they could pursue shared objectives to mutual benefit and accept that differences of perspectives will have to be addressed.
- This template could have wider applicability for bilateral relations in today’s world order, which former could be described as militarily unipolar, economically multipolar and politically confused.
- The U.S. could acknowledge that India’s development of trade routes through Iran which could provide it route to Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan and Russia, respectively.
Consider the question “India has not been able to find an alternative to NAM which has been described as the basic tenet of India’s foreign policy. Discuss.”
Conclusion
India should find the alternative to the non-alignment which accommodate its interest in relations with the U.S. at the same time allow it “strategic autonomy”.
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