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  • Goods and Services Tax (GST)

    States ask Centre to curb its ‘Cess’ habit

    26 November 2022 | Prelims Only | Economics
    Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

    cess

    Several States, including some governed by the Centre urged to rein in its reliance on raising revenues through cesses and surcharges which reduce their share in the divisible pool of taxes.

    What are Cesses and Surcharges?

    The Union government has the authority to collect money through a variety of levies referred to as a tax, fee, cess, and surcharge.

    (A) Cess

    • Cess is charged on the tax amount and is levied for a specific purpose.
    • In India, cess is applicable to all the taxpayers, and it is calculated over, and above the base tax liability of the taxpayer, cess taxes initially go to the consolidated fund of India (CFI) that has to be used for the purpose for which it was collected.
    • Education Cess, Swachh Bharat Cess

    (B) Surcharge

    • The surcharge is levied on the tax payable and not on the total income.
    • It directly goes to the CFI, and after that it can be used for any purpose, just like the normal tax.
    • Surcharge applies to the taxpayer whose income is more than Rs 50 lakh.
    • In simple terms, surcharge is a tax on tax that is not collected for any particular cause, and the union government may use the proceeds of surcharges for any purpose it sees as important.
    • The objective behind the surcharge is to put a high tax burden on people with high incomes.

    Difference between the two

    • The rate of cess under income tax is fixed at 4%, whereas the rate of surcharges varies from 10%, 15%, 25% & 37% based on the taxpayers’ total income.
    • Cess is calculated on total tax and surcharge amount; surcharge is calculated on total tax amount only.
    • In a nutshell, while both are taxes, cess is collected from every taxpayer to meet a certain purpose, and the surcharge is an additional tax collected from the taxpayers who have higher slab income.

    Key difference over which states dispute

    • Major difference is that each can be shared with the state government, the surcharge can be kept with CFI, and it can be utilised for other taxes.
    • However, cess should be utilised for a particular reason. This restricts the states expenditure.
    • Tamil Nadu noted that the share of cesses and surcharges had grown from 10.4% of gross tax revenue in 2011-12 to 26.7% in 2021-22.
    • This has deprived the States of their legitimate share of revenue collected by the Union Government.

     

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  • MGNREGA Scheme

    Government forms panel to look into MGNREGA’s efficacy

    26 November 2022 | Schemes | Governance
    Mains Paper 2: Government Scheme/Policies

    mgnrega

    The Central government has constituted a panel to review the implementation and assess efficacy as a poverty alleviation tool of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.

    About the review committee

    • The committee is headed by former Rural Development secretary Amarjeet Sinha.
    • It had its first meeting on November 21, 2022, and has been given three months to submit its suggestions.
    • It is tasked to study the various factors behind demand for MGNREGA work, expenditure trends and inter-State variations, and the composition of work.
    • It will suggest what changes in focus and governance structures are required to make MGNREGA more effective.

    What is MGNREGA?

    • The MGNREGA stands for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005.
    • This is labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘Right to Work’.
    • The act was first proposed in 1991 by V. Narasimha Rao.

    What is so unique about it?

    • MGNREGA is unique in not only ensuring at least 100 days of employment to the willing unskilled workers, but also in ensuring an enforceable commitment on the implementing machinery i.e., the State Governments, and providing a bargaining power to the labourers.
    • The failure of provision for employment within 15 days of the receipt of job application from a prospective household will result in the payment of unemployment allowance to the job seekers.
    • Any Indian citizen above the age of 18 years who resides in rural India can apply for the NREGA scheme. The applicant should have volunteered to do unskilled work.
    • Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant’s residence, and minimum wages are to be paid.
    • Thus, employment under MGNREGA is a legal entitlement.

    Why is MGNREGS under fire these days?

    • Not enough work: Bihar despite its levels of poverty, does not generate enough work to make a concrete difference, and on the other end of spectrum we have Kerala which is economically better but has been utilising it for asset creation.
    • No asset creation: There is a lack of tangible asset creation. The committee will study if the composition of work taken up presently under the scheme should be changed.

    Issues in implementation

    • Insufficient budgetary allocations: Increase in the nominal budget but actual budget (after adjusting inflation) decreased over the years.
    • Approved Labour Budget Constraints: The Centre through the arbitrary “Approved Labour Budget” has reduced the number of days of work and put a cap on funds through the National Electronic Fund Management System
    • Not so attractive wages rate: Currently, MGNREGA wage rates of 17 states are less than the corresponding state minimum wages.
    • Delay in wage payments: Under the MGNREGA, a worker is entitled to get his or her due wages within a fortnight of completion of work, failing which the worker is entitled to the compensation.
    • No-work situations are rising: None of the states was able to provide full 100 days employment as mentioned in the scheme.
    • Data manipulations by authorities: A recent study has found that data manipulation in the MGNREGA is leading to gross violations in its implementation.
    • Non-purposive spending and corruptions: Many works sanctioned under MGNREGA often seem to be non-purposive. Quite often, they are politically motivated hotspots to create rampant corruption.
    • Centralization weakening local governance: A real-time MIS-based implementation and a centralised payment system has further left the representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions with literally no role in implementation.

    Conclusion

    • Large scale social security programmes like MGNREA are subjected to undergo several stumbling blocks in the times of ongoing pandemic.
    • Government and NGOs must study the impact of MGNREGA in rural areas so as to ensure that this massive anti-poverty scheme is not getting diluted from its actual path.
    • We must view MGNREGA as an opportunity and explicitly include it in a broad-based strategy to tackle any socie-economic crisis.

     

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q. Among the following who are eligible to benefit from the “Mahatma Gandhi national rural employment guarantee act”?

    (a) Adult members of only the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe households.

    (b) Adult members of below poverty line (BPL) households.

    (c) Adult members of households of all backward communities.

    (d) Adult members of any household.

     

    Post your answers here.

     

     

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  • Tax Reforms

    Rationalization in long-term Capital Gains Tax structure on the anvil

    26 November 2022 | Prelims Only | Economics
    Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

    The Finance Ministry is looking at rationalizing long-term capital gains tax structure by bringing parity between similar asset classes and revising the base year for computing indexation benefits.

    What is Capital Gains Tax?

    • Capital gains tax is levied on the profits made on investments (Base Year: 2001).
    • It covers real estate, gold, stocks, mutual funds, and various other financial and non-financial assets.
    • Under the Income Tax Act, gains from sale of capital assets — both movable and immovable — are subject to ‘capital gains tax’.

    Types of CGT

    (A) STCG (Short-term capital asset)

    • An asset held for a period of 36 months or less is a short-term capital asset.
    • The criteria is 24 months for immovable properties such as land, building and house property from FY 2017-18.
    • For instance, if you sell house property after holding it for a period of 24 months, any income arising will be treated as a long-term capital gain, provided that property is sold after 31st March 2017.
    • The reduced period of the aforementioned 24 months is not applicable to movable property such as jewellery, debt-oriented mutual funds etc.

    Some assets are considered short-term capital assets when these are held for 12 months or less. This rule is applicable if the date of transfer is after 10th July 2014 (irrespective of what the date of purchase is). These assets are:

    1. Equity or preference shares in a company listed on a recognized stock exchange in India
    2. Securities (like debentures, bonds, govt securities etc.) listed on a recognized stock exchange in India
    3. Units of UTI, whether quoted or not
    4. Units of equity oriented mutual fund, whether quoted or not
    5. Zero coupon bonds, whether quoted or not

    (B)  LTCG (Long-term capital asset )

    • An asset held for more than 36 months is a long-term capital asset.
    • They will be classified as a long-term capital asset if held for more than 36 months as earlier.
    • Capital assets such as land, building and house property shall be considered as long-term capital asset if the owner holds it for a period of 24 months or more (from FY 2017-18).

    Whereas, below-listed assets if held for a period of more than 12 months, shall be considered as long-term capital asset.

    1. Equity or preference shares in a company listed on a recognized stock exchange in India
    2. Securities (like debentures, bonds, govt securities etc.) listed on a recognized stock exchange in India
    3. Units of UTI, whether quoted or not
    4. Units of equity oriented mutual fund, whether quoted or not
    5. Zero coupon bonds, whether quoted or not

    Why is it so complicated?

    Capital gains tax is complicated for a few primary reasons.

    • First, the rate changes from asset to asset. LTCG tax on stocks and equity mutual funds is 10% but on debt mutual funds is 20% with indexation.
    • Second, holding period changes from asset to asset. The holding period for LTCG tax is two years in real estate, one year for stocks, and three years for debt mutual funds and gold.
    • Third, exemptions available against it come with their own complex conditions. For instance, buying a house after selling one can get you an exemption, but the new house must be bought in two years or built in three years of the sale.

    Stipulated reforms by Finance Ministry

    • Currently, shares held for more than one year attract a 10% tax on long-term capital gains.
    • Gains arising from sale of immovable property and unlisted shares held for more than 2 years and debt instruments and jewellery held for over 3 years attract 20% long-term capital gains tax.
    • Also, a change in base year for computing inflation-adjusted capital gains is being contemplated.
    • The index year for capital gains tax calculation is revised periodically to make it more relevant. The last revision took place in 2017 when the base year was updated to 2001.
    • Since the prices of assets increase over time, the indexation is used to arrive at the inflation-adjusted purchasing price of assets to compute long-term capital gains for the purpose of taxation.

     

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  • Nuclear Energy

    Russia offers advanced nuclear fuel for Kudankulam Reactor

    26 November 2022 | Prelims Only | Science and Technology
    Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    The Russian state-owned nuclear energy corporation Rosatom has offered a more advanced fuel option to India’s largest nuclear power station at Kudankulam, which will allow its reactors to run for an extended 2-year cycle without stopping to load fresh fuel.

    What is the news?

    • Rosatom’s nuclear fuel division, TVEL Fuel Company, is the current supplier of TVS – 2 M fuel for the two VVER 1,000 MWe reactors generating power in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP).
    • This fuel has an 18-month fuel cycle, meaning that the reactor has to be stopped for fresh fuel loading every one-and-a-half years.
    • TVEL has now offered the more modern Advanced Technology Fuel (ATF), whose fuel cycle is a whopping 24 months.

    Benefits of the move

    • This fuel will ensure more efficiency and additional power generation due to the prolonged operation of the reactor.
    • It will result in sizable savings of the foreign exchange need to buy fresh fuel assemblies from Russia.

    What is the Nuclear Fuel Cycle?

    • The nuclear fuel cycle consists of front-end steps that prepare uranium for use in nuclear reactors and back-end steps to safely manage, prepare, and dispose of used—or spent—but still highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel.
    • Uranium is the most widely used fuel by nuclear power plants for nuclear fission.
    • Nuclear power plants use a certain type of uranium—U-235—as fuel because its atoms are easily split apart.
    • Although uranium is about 100 times more common than silver, U-235 is relatively rare at just over 0.7% of natural uranium.

    Steps involved in fuel enrichment

    • Uranium concentrate is separated from uranium ore at uranium mills or from a slurry at in-situ leaching facilities.
    • It is then processed in conversion and enrichment facilities, which increases the level of U-235 to 3%–5% for commercial nuclear reactors, and made into reactor fuel pellets and fuel rods in reactor fuel fabrication plants.
    • Nuclear fuel is loaded into reactors and used until the fuel assemblies become highly radioactive and must be removed for temporary storage and eventual disposal.
    • Chemical processing of spent fuel material to recover any remaining product that could undergo fission again in a new fuel assembly is technically feasible.

    Back2Basics: Uranium Enrichment

    • It is a process that is necessary to create an effective nuclear fuel out of mined uranium.
    • It involves increasing the percentage of uranium-235 which undergoes fission with thermal neutrons.
    • Nuclear fuel is mined from naturally occurring uranium ore deposits and then isolated through chemical reactions and separation processes.
    • These chemical processes used to separate the uranium from the ore are not to be confused with the physical and chemical processes used to enrich the uranium.

    Why is enrichment carried out?

    • Uranium found in nature consists largely of two isotopes, U-235 and U-238.
    • Natural uranium contains 0.7% of the U-235 isotope.
    • The remaining 99.3% is mostly the U-238 isotope which does not contribute directly to the fission process (though it does so indirectly by the formation of fissile isotopes of plutonium).
    • The production of energy in nuclear reactors is from the ‘fission’ or splitting of the U-235 atoms since it is the main fissile isotope of uranium.
    • Naturally occurring uranium does not have a high enough concentration of Uranium-235 at only about 0.72% with the remainder being Uranium-238.

     

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  • RTI – CIC, RTI Backlog, etc.

    Supreme Court launches online RTI Portal

    26 November 2022 | Prelims Only | Polity
    Mains Paper 2: Executive & Judiciary

    The Supreme Court has launched an online portal that will help citizens file and access applications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act in matters related to the court

    What is the online RTI portal?

    • The online RTI portal has been initiated to make it convenient for people to access information about the Supreme Court.
    • So far, RTI applications at the Supreme Court had to be filed only via post.
    • Various public interest litigation (PILs) had been filed before the Supreme Court seeking an online RTI portal for the Court.
    • The online portal is likely to streamline responses of the Supreme Court under the Right to Information Act.

    How does the online portal work?

    • The online portal can be accessed at a dedicated url.
    • Essentially, the process of filing an RTI in the Supreme Court is the same as how one normally files the application.
    • This web portal can be used only by Indian citizens to file RTI applications, first appeals and to make payment for fees, and copying charges, under the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act).
    • An applicant must first register themselves in the web portal.

    Fees prescribed

    • The applicant can pay the prescribed fee through internet banking, credit/debit card of Master/Visa or UPI.
    • The fee per RTI application is ₹10.
    • Any applicant who is Below Poverty Line (BPL) is exempted to pay the application fee under the RTI Rules, 2012.

    Expected time for response

    • By law, RTIs must be replied to within 30 days.
    • In fact, in life and death cases, RTIs must be responded to within 48 hours.

    Back2Basics: Right to Information

    • RTI is an act of the parliament which sets out the rules and procedures regarding citizens’ right to information.
    • It replaced the former Freedom of Information Act, 2002.
    • Under the provisions of RTI Act, any citizen of India may request information from a “public authority” (a body of Government or “instrumentality of State”) which is required to reply expeditiously or within 30.
    • In case of the matter involving a petitioner’s life and liberty, the information has to be provided within 48 hours.
    • The Act also requires every public authority to computerize their records for wide dissemination and to proactively publish certain categories of information so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally.

     

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

    Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill, 2022. Why is it needed?

    25 November 2022 | | Governance
    Mains Paper 2: Laws, Institutions & Bodies Constituted For The Vulnerable Sections

    cruelty

    A draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill, 2022, prepared by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, has been opened for public comment.

    Why in news?

    • Recently, instances of animal cruelty in India witnessed a surge.
    • The same has ushered the debate around animal rights and the extent of legal protection that the current laws provide them.

    Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill, 2022

    • The Centre has proposed to overhaul The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, introducing 61 amendments in the law.
    • It includes stringent penalties of three years’ imprisonment for committing “gruesome cruelty” including “bestiality” with animals.

    Main changes proposed in the law

    • Cruelty as a cognizable offence: Several offences have been made cognizable, which means offenders can be arrested without an arrest warrant.
    • Recognizing gruesome cruelty: The proposed law describes “gruesome cruelty” as any act involving animals which leads to “extreme pain and suffering” and is “likely to leave the animal in life-long disability”. It includes mutilation or killing of animals by the use of strychnine injection in the heart or any other cruel manner.
    • Stringent penalties: Essentially, the law is proposed to be made tighter, with more stringent punishments. The draft proposes fines from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 “or the cost of the animal. For killing an animal, the draft Bill proposes a maximum punishment of five years in jail.

    What are the existing penal provisions?

    • An offence such as this — fairly common in India — would currently attract charges under Section 428 (mischief by killing or maiming animal) IPC and Section 11 (treating animals cruelly) of The PCA Act, 1960.
    • It prescribes some rubbish penal provisions.

    Need for such law

    • Barbarism: In September, a doctor in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur allegedly tied a dog to his car and dragged it across the city.
    • Non-deterrence: Present provisions are incapable of acting as any deterrent for potential offenders.
    • Ridicules penalties: First-time offenders under the PCA Act are punished with a fine of Rs 10-50. If it is found that this is not the offender’s first such crime in the past three years, the maximum punishment would be a fine between Rs 25 and Rs 100, a jail term of three months, or both.

    Key propositions for such law

    • Along with animal welfare organisations and several political leaders have in the past called for the law to be amended.
    • In 2014, the Supreme Court, in ‘Animal Welfare Board of India vs A Nagaraja & Others’, had said that “Parliament is expected to make proper amendment of the PCA Act to provide an effective deterrent.

    Government response

    • In April 2021, the Centre had proposed changes where the penalty can go up to Rs 75,000 per animal or three times the cost of the animal as determined by the jurisdictional veterinarian.
    • It proposed imprisonment of three years which may extend to five years or both.
    • The government has finally moved in this direction with proposed amendments.

    Legal remedies in India

    • The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 recognises that animals can suffer physically and mentally, and is applicable to ‘all living creatures’.
    • The Constitution also enshrines the principle of ahimsa and mandates to all citizens of India to ‘have compassion for living creatures’.
    • The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) is the central body responsible for animal welfare in the country.
    • The National Institute for Animal Welfare created in 1999, has the broad mandate to improve animal welfare through research, education and public outreach.
    • According to Section 50(4) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, a Wildlife Offence Report (WLOR) can be filed.

    Apart from increasing penalties, what else is proposed?

    (1) Freedoms to animals

    • “It shall be the duty of every person having charge of an animal to ensure that the animal in his care or under his charge has freedom from:
    1. Thirst, hunger and malnutrition;
    2. Discomfort due to environment;
    3. Pain, injury and diseases;
    4. Fear and distress, and the
    5. Freedom to express normal behaviour for the species

    (2) Protection to community animals

    • The draft defines “community animal” as “any animal born in a community for which no ownership has been claimed by any individual or an organization, excluding wild animals as defined under the wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (53 of 1972).”
    • The proposed law also says that in case of a community animal, the local government such as municipality or panchayats shall be responsible for taking care of the community animals in a manner developed by the State Government or by the Board.

    Latent issues with the law

    • Simply increasing the quantum of punishment may not be enough to stop cruelty against animals.
    • Some already marginalised communities like ‘madaris’ (who perform with animals) and ‘saperas’ (snake charmers) may be disproportionately affected.
    • Others have argued that focusing on the individual act of ‘cruelty’, such as farmers putting up electric fences around their fields, is an incomplete approach.

    Conclusion

    • Steps are needed to mitigate the larger issues of vanishing animal habitats and climate change exacerbating man-animal conflict.

     

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

    Idea of Urban Agriculture and Use of Technology

    25 November 2022 | op-ed snap | Economics
    Mains Paper 3: Agriculture and related issues

    Urban Agriculture

    Context

    • As per the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization, urban and peri-urban agriculture have a significant role in global food and nutritional security, and so it is seeking to encourage such activities through the Urban Food Agenda.

    What is Urban Agriculture?

    • Urban agriculture refers to agricultural practices in urban and peri-urban areas. Peri-urban areas are those transitioning from rural land uses (such as for agriculture or livestock production) to urban ones (such as the built environment, manufacturing, services, and utilities), and are located between the outer limits of urban and regional centres and the rural environment.
    • Cultivating food and non-food product: Urban agricultural practices are geared towards cultivating or growing a wide range of food and non-food products, and include activities such as rearing livestock, aquaculture, beekeeping, and commercial-scale floriculture.

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    Urban Agriculture

    Urban Agriculture and Technology

    • Farming using software: In France, for instance, certain software gives farmers access to cross-referenced information on their smartphones about the weather, spraying dates, seeds, fertilization plans, and regulatory compliance.
    • Use of mobile applications: In India and the US, mobile applications can help connect urban growers and local consumers. Technology also helps food growers in precision farming, which involves mapping and monitoring geological and plant data for a field so that inputs can be adapted to suit ultra-localized needs. Local communities can be helpful in the gathering of such data.
    • Aeroponics: Aero Farms in Newark, US, builds and operates vertical indoor farms to enable local production at scale and increase the availability of safe and nutritious food. The company uses aeroponics to grow leafy greens without sun or soil in a fully controlled environment. The technology enables year-round production with less water consumption and high yields per square metre.
    • Container system: In Paris, a start-up called Agricool grows strawberries in containers across the city. The company retrofits old, unused containers to accommodate LED lights and aeroponics system to grow strawberries year-round. These ‘cooltainers’ are powered by clean energy and use about 90 percent less water than traditional farming activities. This can also create job opportunities for city residents in the agricultural sector.

    Urban Agriculture in Indian Cities: Exploring the Potential

    • Small area large population: India’s total urban area has been estimated at around 222,688 sq. km, or about 6.77 percent of the country’s geographical area. This small area is home to around 35 percent of India’s population, around 500 million Indians.
    • less area to convert into green spaces: If Indian cities were to allocate 10 percent of their geographic space for greens (gardens, playgrounds, public parks and the like), as suggested in the Urban & Regional Development Plans Formulation & Implementation guidelines, this would mean 22,268 sq. km of the total urban area is available to convert into public green spaces.
    • Space constraint hinders the urban agriculture: Even if half of this area (111,34 sq. km) were used for urban agriculture instead of parks, gardens, playgrounds, and horticulture, this is a mere 5 percent of all urban area and 0.56 percent of all land under agriculture in the country. This showcases the space constraints that urban agriculture must tackle.

    Urban Agriculture

    Urban constraints and use of technology

    • Raised bed farming: Raised bed farming is the agricultural technique of building freestanding crop beds above the existing soil level. In certain instances, raised beds are covered with plastic mulch to create a closed planting bed. The method helps reduce soil compaction and allows better control of the soil. The planted area also gets protected in case of excess rainfall. This method affords far greater productivity than regular farming.
    • Container gardening: Container gardening refers to the practice of growing plants in containers instead of planting them on the ground. Containers could include polyethene plastic bags, clay pots, plastic pots, metallic pots, milk jugs, ice cream containers, bushel baskets, barrels, and planter box bottles. Most vegetables grown in backyard gardens can be grown in containers.
    • Aquaponics: A closed-loop aquaponics system is an organic strategy that draws on the strengths of the basic ecological foundations of the nitrogen and carbon cycles. Nutrient-rich fish water is used to fertilise and water plants. This system requires only a few inputs primarily energy and some of the basic plant nutrients.
    • The vertical farming: The vertical farming model essentially aims at increasing the amount of agricultural land by stacking many racks of crops vertically, thereby having many levels on the same space of land.
    • Rooftop Plant Production: Under rooftop plant production (RPP) systems, food crops can be grown using raised beds, row farming, or a hydroponic greenhouse. Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in a nutrient solution with or without a soilless substrate to provide physical support. RPP systems maximize the cultivation area with artificial lighting. RPP can be used to grow crops that require higher light intensities and more vertical space.

    Conclusion

    • Urban agriculture faces several constraints, but each of these can be overcome by adopting a range of technologies, establishing urban agriculture initiatives in peri-urban areas, launching community initiatives in common spaces, and altering planning parameters and city regulations to include urban agriculture as a ULB activity.

    Mains Question

    Q. What is the urban agriculture? What are constraints in urban agricultural practice and how to overcome those constraints? 

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  • Climate Change Negotiations – UNFCCC, COP, Other Conventions and Protocols

    India’s Possible Role in facilitating Loss and Damage Fund

    25 November 2022 | op-ed snap | Environment
    Mains Paper 1: Important Geophysical Phenomena

    Loss

    Context

    • All 197 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed to enable financing for loss and damage to those that need it the most.

    What is Loss and damage (L&D) fund?

    • Adverse impact of climate change: Loss and damage (L&D) refer to the adverse impacts that vulnerable communities and countries face as a result of a changing climate.
    • Making the rich countries pay: Rich countries had resisted L&D payments for years. Under pressure, they could no longer duck their responsibility.

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    Loss

    What has been agreed by all parties under COP 27?

    • Formation of Transition committee: The COP27 decision includes the development of a Transition Committee dedicated to L&D, with equal representation from rich and poor countries.
    • Operationalizing the funding arrangement: The committee has been tasked with configuring institutional arrangements, identifying and expanding sources of funding, and coordinating with existing funding arrangements — by COP28 in the UAE next year.

    Loss

    What role India can play in facilitating the Loss & Damage?

    • Develop a Global Vulnerability Index: Last year, CEEW developed a Climate Vulnerability Index for India. It found that over 80 per cent of Indians are highly vulnerable to extreme climatic disasters. Such data in the public domain helps map critical vulnerabilities and plan strategies to build resilience by climate-proofing communities, economies and infrastructure.
    • South-led research consortium: India would do well to convene experts and encourage the development of a South-led research consortium dedicated to scientific exploration of “event attribution” science. This would enrich climate science, draw attention to the more vulnerable regions, build research capacity in developing countries, and strengthen the L&D framework.
    • Champion the Early Warning Systems Initiative: The Executive Action Plan for the Early Warnings for All Initiative, unveiled at COP27. It aims to ensure every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems within five years. It has called for targeted investments of $ 3.1 billion during 2023-27, which could avoid annual losses of $3-16 billion against natural hazards in developing countries.
    • Leverage the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI): India founded the CDRI “to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development”. CDRI is currently undertaking a Fiscal Risk Assessment study to support the development of a comprehensive disaster-risk financing strategy in more than 35 countries and multilateral entities.

    Other strategies for Loss & Damage funds

    • Pressurizing the developing countries: Pressure must also be put on large emerging economies, with rising emissions, to contribute to L&D financing. Limiting L&D compensation depends on increasing adaptation spending.
    • Global Resilience Reserve Fund: The global resilience reserve fund is capitalized by IMF Special Drawing Rights, to create an insurance cushion against severe physical and macroeconomic shocks that climate risks would impose.
    • Enhanced and accelerated emissions mitigation: While countries around the globe released its long-term low-carbon emissions development strategy last week, it must use scientific methods to quantify its long-term targets, to give direction to industry and investors.

    Loss

    Conclusion

    • Loss & Damage financing is just a band-aid. Global emissions must reduce by 50 per cent by 2030 but there is no opprobrium for failing to present credible plans to do so. India drew attention to sustainable lifestyles via its Lifestyle for Environment mission. World must change its attitude towards climate change because it is already too late.

    Mains Question

    Q. What is Loss and damage fund agreed Under COP 27? What role India can play for global south for facilitating the L&D fund?

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  • Mother and Child Health – Immunization Program, BPBB, PMJSY, PMMSY, etc.

    Measles outbreak: Need to accelerate Children Immunization program

    25 November 2022 | op-ed snap | Governance
    Mains Paper 2: Health & Education

    Measles

    Context

    • A measles outbreak in Mumbai has raised concerns amongst the country’s public health authorities. The city has reported more than 200 cases in the past two months and at least 13 children have lost their lives.

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    Measles: A memory shot

    • Measles is a highly contagious viral disease.
    • Measles is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family and it is normally passed through direct contact and through the air.
    • The virus infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body.
    • Measles is a human disease and is not known to occur in animals.

    outbreak

    All you need to know about Measles

    • Signs and symptoms include:
    • The first sign of measles is usually a high fever, runny nose, a cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks can develop in the initial stage.
    • The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, ear infections, or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
    • Who is at risk?
    • Unvaccinated young children are at highest risk of measles and its complications, including death.
    • Unvaccinated pregnant women are also at risk.
    • Any non-immune person (who has not been vaccinated or was vaccinated but did not develop immunity) can become infected.
    • Transmission:
    • Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases.
    • It is spread by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions.
    • Treatment:
    • No specific antiviral treatment exists for measles virus.
    • Severe complications from measles can be reduced through supportive care that ensures good nutrition, adequate fluid intake and treatment of dehydration with WHO-recommended oral rehydration solution.
    • All children diagnosed with measles should receive two doses of vitamin A supplements.
    • Prevention:
    • Routine measles vaccination for children, combined with mass immunization campaigns in countries with high case and death rates, are key public health strategies to reduce global measles deaths.
    • The measles vaccine is often incorporated with rubella and/or mumps vaccines.

    Reasons sought behind the sudden outbreak of Measles in India

    • A backslide in the universal immunisation programme during the pandemic:
    • By all accounts, the outbreak seems to have been precipitated by a backslide in the universal immunisation programme during the pandemic.
    • According to the state government data, only 41 per cent of the eligible children have been inoculated against measles in Mumbai.
    • Vaccine hesitancy:
    • Parents, reportedly, are showing a disinclination to continue the inoculation regime for their children after they developed fever on being administered the first jab.
    • Overworked public health professionals, including ASHA workers, have also had to combat vaccine hesitancy.

    outbreak

    Government efforts and the status of Immunization programs

    • Mission Indradhanush: In recent years, the Centre’s Mission Indradhanush project has improved vaccine coverage and reduced delays between shots.
    • Low coverage in last two years: WHO and UNICEF studies have shown that immunisation programmes especially those focusing on DPT (diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus) and measles have taken a hit in low- and mid-income countries, including India, in the past two years.
    • Missed shots during Pandemic restrictions: Early in the pandemic, the National Health Mission’s information system reported that at least 100,000 children missed their shots because of the restrictions on movement.
    • India speeding up the immunization after the pandemic: Anecdotal reports do indicate that India’s universal inoculation programme picked up during the latter part of the pandemic. But measles is a highly contagious disease. Experts had cautioned that even a 5 per cent fall in the vaccination rate can disrupt herd immunity and precipitate an outbreak. The surge of the disease in Mumbai indicates that their fears are coming true.

    Countries with lower per capita incomes are more at risk

    • Measles is still common in many developing countries particularly in parts of Africa and Asia. The overwhelming majority (more than 95%) of measles deaths occur in countries with low per capita incomes and weak health infrastructures.
    • Measles outbreaks can be particularly deadly in countries experiencing or recovering from a natural disaster or conflict. Damage to health infrastructure and health services interrupts routine immunization, and overcrowding in residential camps greatly increases the risk of infection.
    • Measles outbreaks can result in epidemics that cause many deaths, especially among young, malnourished children. In countries where measles has been largely eliminated, cases imported from other countries remain an important source of infection.

    outbreak

    Conclusion

    • Studies have shown that child vaccination had suffered during the pandemic as attention shifted towards adult vaccination. Now that the pandemic has waned, governments must carefully evaluate at the grassroots how many children fell out of the vaccine net during this period and take countermeasures.

    Mains question

    Q. Measles is a highly contagious disease with a high mortality rate in unvaccinated children. Discuss the reasons behind the recent outbreak of measles in India.

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  • Foreign Policy Watch: India-Iran

    India, Iran discuss development of Chabahar Port

    25 November 2022 | | International Relations
    Mains Paper 2: India & Its Neighborhood – Relations

    Chabahar

    India and Iran held Foreign Office level consultations to continue cooperation for development of the Shahid Beheshti terminal of the Chabahar Port.

    Chabahar Port

    • In 2016, India signed a deal with Iran entailing $8 billion investment in Chabahar port and industries in Chabahar Special Economic Zone.
    • The port is being developed as a transit route to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
    • India has already built a 240-km road connecting Afghanistan with Iran.
    • All this were expected to bring cargo to Bandar Abbas port and Chabahar port, and free Kabul from its dependence on Pakistan to reach the outer world.
    • Completion of this project would give India access to Afghanistan and beyond to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Europe via 7,200-km-long multi-modal North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

    Why is Chabahar back in the news?

    • The visit is a chance to strengthen ties and the maritime relationship between the two countries.
    • Due to pandemic, there were less number of visits from India to Iran and vice-versa and the pace of the project is also allegedly slower.
    • This visit will also highlight the importance of Chabahar as a gateway for Indian trade with Europe, Russia and CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] countries.
    • India is keen in developing the Shahid Beheshti port as a “a transit hub” and link it to the International North South Trade Corridor (INSTC), that also connects to Russia and Europe.

    What is India’s strategic vision for Chabahar?

    • When the first agreement for Chabahar was signed by then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, the plan had a three-fold objective:
    1. To build India’s first offshore port and to project Indian infrastructure prowess in the Gulf
    2. To circumvent trade through Pakistan, given the tense ties with India’s neighbour and build a long term, sustainable sea trade route and
    3. To find an alternative land route to Afghanistan, which India had rebuilt ties with after the defeat of the Taliban in 2001
    • Subsequently, PM Manmohan Singh’s government constructed the Zaranj -Delaram Highway in Afghanistan’s South.
    • It would help connect the trade route from the border of Iran to the main trade routes to Herat and Kabul, handing it over to the Karzai government in 2009.
    • In 2016, PM Modi travelled to Tehran and signed the agreement to develop Chabahar port, as well as the trilateral agreement for trade through Chabahar with Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani.

    Commencement of operations

    • Since the India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ) authority took over the operations of the port in 2018, it has handled 215 vessels, 16,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) and four million tons of bulk and general cargo.

    Why is it gaining importance?

    • In the last few years, a fourth strategic objective for the Chabahar route has appeared, with China’s Belt and Road Initiative making inroads in the region.
    • The government hopes to provide Central Asia with an alternate route to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through Iran for future trade.

    Why is the Chabahar dream taking so long to realise?

    • India’s quest for Chabahar has hit geopolitical road-block after road-block; the biggest issue has been over Iran’s relationship with western countries, especially the United States.
    • In years when western sanctions against Iran increased, the Chabahar project has been put on the back-burner.
    • However, the nuclear talks resulted in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015 came into being, the Chabahar port has been easier to work on.
    • In 2018, the Trump administration put paid to India’s plans by walking out of the JCPOA and slapping new sanctions on dealing with Iran.
    • This led to the Modi government “zeroing out” all its oil imports from Iran, earlier a major supplier to India, causing a strain in ties.
    • India also snapped ties with Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, which put an end to the humanitarian aid of wheat and pulses that was being sent to Kabul via Chabahar.
    • When India restarted wheat aid this year, it negotiated with Pakistan to use the land route to Afghanistan instead.

     

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