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  • Arihant SLBM launch: Enhancing India’s underwater capability

    SLBM

    Context

    • On October 14, India joined a select group of nations when it announced the successful launch of an SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile). The other six nations that have demonstrated similar underwater capability include the five permanent members of the UN Security Council Russia, the UK, France and China. In August 2016, North Korea claimed a successful launch of an SLBM.

    Features of K-15 SLBM

    • The code names K-15 or B-05, is an Indian submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) with a range of 750 kilometres (466 mi) that was designed for retaliatory nuclear strikes. It belongs to the K Missile family and forms a part of India’s nuclear triad.
    • The K-15 is a two-stage submarine-launched ballistic missile which uses a gas booster to eject out of its launch platform and rise up to the surface of water. A solid rocket motor is fired after the missile reaches a fixed altitude. The missile has a range of around 750 kilometres (466 mi).

    SLBM

    About INS Arihant

    • Launched in 2009 and Commissioned in 2016, INS Arihant is India’s first indigenous nuclear powered ballistic missile.
    • It is capable submarine built under the secretive Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project, which was initiated in the 1990s.
    • INS Arihant and its class of submarines are classified as ‘SSBN’, which is the hull classification symbol for nuclear powered ballistic missile carrying submarines.
    • While the Navy operates the vessel, the operations of the SLBMs from the SSBN are under the purview of India’s Strategic Forces Command, which is part of India’s Nuclear Command Authority.

    SLBM

    What is the Significance of SLBM for India?

    • Making India’s strategic profile strong: This achievement is significant in the context of India’s strategic profile. The navy, DRDO and other agencies who have enabled this success should be commended.
    • Enhancing Underwater deterrence: A credible underwater deterrent is perceived as being invulnerable to detection and hence nations with the capacity can deliver a retaliatory second strike this enhances their deterrence capabilities.
    • Showcasing the precision and high accuracy: While the press release is sparse in providing technical details or confirming the range of the SLBM, its assertion that the missile impacted the target area “with very high accuracy” is, nevertheless, instructive.
    • Familiarity and capability with SLMB : The crew of the INS Arihant and the entire HR (human resource) comprising the pyramid from the SFC (strategic forces command) going right up to the national command authority with the Prime Minister at the apex have acquired the necessary proficiency to launch an SLBM should the exigency arise.
    • Demonstration of competence: India can be justifiably proud of having acquired and demonstrated this level of competence, but this achievement needs to be located objectively. An SSBN (a nuclear-propelled submarine armed with a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile) is deemed to be the ultimate deterrent and this profile of macro-lethality and zero error credibility is predicated on the robustness of the “boat” and the efficacy of the missile.
    • Validates SSBN programme: The successful user training launch of the SLBM by INS Arihant is significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN programme, a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability. A robust, survivable and assured retaliatory capability is in keeping with India’s policy to have ‘Credible Minimum Deterrence that underpins its ‘No First Use’ commitment.

    SLBM

    What is the deterrence?

    • Deterrence, military strategy under which one power uses the threat of reprisal effectively to preclude an attack from an adversary power. With the advent of nuclear weapons, the term deterrence largely has been applied to the basic strategy of the nuclear powers and of the major alliance systems.

    How the SLBM will secure deterrence against the enemy?

    • Tackling to rising Chinese capability: It merits recall that China became nuclear weapon capable in 1964 and carried out its first SLBM test (the J-1 with a range of 1700 km) in 1982. Over the years, the PLA Navy had its own techno-strategic challenges with nuclear-propelled submarines and was able to test a 9,000 km missile only in 2018. It is understood that a fully armed Chinese SSBN that would be deemed to be operational to undertake a credible deterrence patrol is scheduled for mid-2025.
    • Nuclear deterrence is necessary: Acquiring the optimum degree of nuclear deterrence is imperative for India, given its distinctive spectrum of security and strategic challenges. India has made slow but steady progress in its missile programme, nuclear weapon capability, the nuclear submarine and more recently the building of an aircraft carrier

    Conclusion

    • India’s restraint in relation to announcements and claims about strategic capability burnishes deterrence in a quiet but effective manner. Walking softly, while wielding a big stick is desirable as a national trait.

    Mains Question

    Q. How the launch of K-15 SLBM will enhance the security dynamics of India? Discuss the India’s underwater capability to maintain deterrence and security at the same time?

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  • About 41.5 crore Indians out of multi-dimensional poverty since 2005-06

    poverty

    About 41.5 crore people exited poverty in India during the 15-year period between 2005-06 and 2019-21, out of which two-thirds exited in the first 10 years, and one-third in the next five years, according to the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

    What is global MPI?

    • The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is an international measure of acute poverty covering over 100 developing countries.
    • It complements traditional income-based poverty measures by capturing the severe deprivations that each person faces at the same time with respect to education, health and living standards.
    • The global MPI was developed by OPHI with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for inclusion in UNDP’s flagship Human Development Report in 2010.
    • It has been published in the HDR ever since.

    poverty

    Multidimensional poverty in India: Major improvements

    poverty

    • The report shows that the incidence of poverty fell from 55.1% in 2005-06 to 16.4% in 2019-21 in India.
    • Deprivations in all 10 MPI indicators saw significant reductions as a result of which the MPI value and incidence of poverty more than halved.
    • Improvement in MPI for India has significantly contributed to the decline in poverty in South Asia.
    • It is for the first time that it is not the region with the highest number of poor people, at 38.5 crore, compared with 57.9 crore in Sub-Saharan Africa.
    • Bihar, the poorest State in 2015-2016, saw the fastest reduction in MPI value in absolute terms.

    Long way towards alleviation

    • Despite the strides made, the report notes that the ongoing task of ending poverty remains daunting.
    • India has by far the largest number of poor people worldwide at 22.8 crore, followed by Nigeria at 9.6 crore.
    • Two-third of these people live in a household in which at least one person is deprived in nutrition.
    • There were also 9.7 crore poor children in India in 2019-2021 — more than the total number of poor people, children and adults combined, in any other country covered by the global MPI.

    Why multi-dimensional poverty does persist in India?

    Poverty is not just the absence of income, money and/or money-like resources required to meet needs.

    • Multiple disadvantages: A person who is poor can suffer multiple disadvantages at the same time – for example they may simultaneously have:
    1. Poor health or malnutrition
    2. Lack of clean water or electricity
    3. Poor quality of livelihood options
    4. Little/No schooling
    5. Disempowerment
    6. Threats of violence
    7. Climate change vulnerability etc.

    Other factors include:

    1. Limited financial resources
    2. Material deprivation
    3. Social isolation
    4. Exclusion and powerlessness
    5. Physical and psychological ill-being
    • Multiple dimensions: Focusing on one factor alone, such as income, is not enough to capture the true reality of poverty. National MPI ensures a holistic approach towards defining poverty at the national level.
    • More comprehensive: MP measures can be used to create a more comprehensive picture. They reveal who is poor and how they are poor – the range of different disadvantages they experience.
    • Better targeting: As well as providing a headline measure of poverty, multidimensional measures can be broken down to reveal the poverty level in different areas of a country and among different sub-groups of people.
    • Priority definition for target groups: It offers statistics that determine the national priorities by using a set of dimensions, indicators with respect to the urban and rural areas of India along with an indicator-wise deconstruction and breakdown.

    Various govt. interventions to for poverty alleviation

    (I) Food Security

    • National Food Security Act 2013 (also ‘Right to Food Act’): It aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two thirds of the country’s 1.2 billion people.

    (II) Employment and Skilling

    • National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) – Ministry of Rural Development started NRLM 2011 to evolve out the need to diversify the needs of the rural poor and provide them jobs with regular income on a monthly basis.
    • Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) – In 2005 Ministry of Rural Development initiated MGNEREGA to provide 100 days of assured employment every year to every rural household. One-third of the proposed jobs would be reserved for women.

    (III) Income Support

    • PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): The Ministry of Finance in 2014 initiated PMJDY that aimed at direct benefit transfer of subsidy, pension, insurance, etc., and attained the target of opening 1.5 crore bank accounts. The scheme particularly targets the unbanked poor.
    • PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN): PM KISAN is an initiative by the government of India in which all farmers will get up to ₹6,000 per year as minimum income support.

    Various challenges

    • Pauperization: Every year a huge number is added to the population pool of the country. To exemplify, this pandemic has led to severe pauperization of migrant workers.
    • Regional divide: Incidence of extreme poverty continues to be much higher in rural areas than in urban areas.
    • Jobless growth: Despite rapid growth and development, an unacceptably high proportion of our population continues to suffer from severe and multidimensional deprivation.
    • Inadequate resources: The resources allocated to anti-poverty programmes are inadequate and there is a tacit understanding that targets will be curtailed according to fund availability.
    • Implementation bottlenecks: Lack of proper implementation and right targeting has been legacy issues in India. There has been a lot of overlapping of schemes.

     

     

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  • Will electoral bonds reveal the source of funds, SC asks Centre

    The Supreme Court has asked the government whether the electoral bonds system reveals the source of money pumped in to fund political parties even as the Centre maintained that the scheme is “absolutely transparent”.

    What are Electoral Bonds?

    • Electoral bonds are banking instruments that can be purchased by any citizen or company to make donations to political parties, without the donor’s identity being disclosed.
    • It is like a promissory note that can be bought by any Indian citizen or company incorporated in India from select branches of State Bank of India.
    • The citizen or corporate can then donate the same to any eligible political party of his/her choice.
    • An individual or party will be allowed to purchase these bonds digitally or through cheque.

    About the scheme

    • A citizen of India or a body incorporated in India will be eligible to purchase the bond
    • Such bonds can be purchased for any value in multiples of ₹1,000, ₹10,000, ₹10 lakh, and ₹1 crore from any of the specified branches of the State Bank of India
    • The purchaser will be allowed to buy electoral bonds only on due fulfillment of all the extant KYC norms and by making payment from a bank account
    • The bonds will have a life of 15 days (15 days time has been prescribed for the bonds to ensure that they do not become a parallel currency).
    • Donors who contribute less than ₹20,000 to political parties through purchase of electoral bonds need not provide their identity details, such as Permanent Account Number (PAN).

    Objective of the scheme

    • Transparency in political funding: To ensure that the funds being collected by the political parties is accounted money or clean money.

    Who can redeem such bonds?

    • The Electoral Bonds shall be encashed by an eligible Political Party only through a Bank account with the Authorized Bank.
    • Only the Political Parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and which secured not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last General Election to the Lok Sabha or the State Legislative Assembly, shall be eligible to receive the Electoral Bonds.

    Restrictions that are done away

    • Earlier, no foreign company could donate to any political party under the Companies Act
    • A firm could donate a maximum of 7.5 per cent of its average three year net profit as political donations according to Section 182 of the Companies Act.
    • As per the same section of the Act, companies had to disclose details of their political donations in their annual statement of accounts.
    • The government moved an amendment in the Finance Bill to ensure that this proviso would not be applicable to companies in case of electoral bonds.
    • Thus, Indian, foreign and even shell companies can now donate to political parties without having to inform anyone of the contribution.

    Issues with the Scheme

    • Opaque funding: While the identity of the donor is captured, it is not revealed to the party or public. So transparency is not enhanced for the voter.
    • No IT break: Also income tax breaks may not be available for donations through electoral bonds. This pushes the donor to choose between remaining anonymous and saving on taxes.
    • No anonymity for donors: The privacy of the donor is compromised as the bank will know their identity.
    • Differential benefits: These bonds will help any party that is in power because the government can know who donated what money and to whom.
    • Unlimited donations: The electoral bonds scheme and amendments in the Finance Act of 2017 allows for “unlimited donations from individuals and foreign companies to political parties without any record of the sources of funding”.

    Way ahead

    • The worries over the electoral bond scheme, however, go beyond its patent unconstitutionality.
    • The concern about the possibility of misuse of funds is very pertinent.
    • The EC has been demanding that a law be passed to make political parties liable to get their accounts audited by an auditor from a panel suggested by the CAG or EC. This should get prominence.
    • Another feasible option is to establish a National Election Fund to which all donations could be directed.
    • This would take care of the imaginary fear of political reprisal of the donors.

     

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  • PM inaugurates ‘One Nation, One Fertilizer’ Scheme

    Prime Minister has inaugurated 600 Kisan Samridhi Kendras and ‘One Nation, One Fertilizer’ scheme and said that these steps were being taken to modernise agriculture.

    One Nation One Fertilizer (ONOF)

    • The single brand name for UREA, DAP, MOP and NPK etc. would be BHARAT UREA, BHARAT DAP, BHARAT MOP and BHARAT NPK etc. respectively for all Fertilizer Companies, State Trading Entities (STEs) and Fertilizer Marketing Entities (FMEs).
    • Also a logo indicating Fertilizer subsidy scheme namely Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna will be used on said Fertilizer bags.
    • Under the scheme, companies are allowed to display their name, brand, logo and other relevant product information only on one-third space of their bags.
    • On the remaining two-thirds space, the “Bharat” brand and Pradhanmantri Bharatiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana logo will have to be shown.

    What is the government’s argument for introducing this scheme?

    The government’s logic for introducing a single ‘Bharat’ brand for all subsidised Fertilizers being marketed by companies is as follows:

    (1) Subsidies normalization

    • The maximum retail price of urea is currently fixed by the government, which compensates companies for the higher cost of manufacturing or imports incurred by them.
    • The MRPs of non-urea Fertilizers are, on paper, decontrolled.
    • But companies cannot avail of subsidy if they sell at MRPs higher than that informally indicated by the government.
    • Simply put, there are some 26 Fertilizers (inclusive of urea), on which government bears subsidy and also effectively decides the MRPs;

    (2) Harmonizing markets

    • Apart from subsidising and deciding at what price companies can sell, the government also decides where they can sell.
    • This is done through the Fertilizer (Movement) Control Order, 1973.
    • Under this, the department of Fertilizers draws an agreed monthly supply plan on all subsidised Fertilizers in consultation with manufacturers and importers.
    • This supply plan is issued before the 25th of each month for the following month, with the department also regularly monitoring movement to ensure Fertilizer availability as per requirement, including remote areas.

    (3) Farmers welfare

    • The government is spending vast sums of money on Fertilizer subsidy (the bill is likely to cross Rs 200,000 crore in 2022-23).
    • By deciding where and at what price companies can sell, it would obviously want to take credit and send that message to farmers.

    What can be the drawbacks of the scheme?

    • It may disincentivize Fertilizer companies from undertaking marketing and brand promotion activities.
    • They will now be reduced to contract manufacturers and importers for the government. Any company’s strength ultimately is its brands and farmer trust built over decades.
    • Currently, in case of any bag or batch of Fertilizers not meeting the required standards, the blame is put on the company. But now, that may be passed on fully to the government.
    • Politically, the scheme might well boomerang rather than benefit the ruling party.

    Challenges in the fertilizer sector

    • Distortion in use due to price difference: In 2019-20, fertilizer use per hectare of cultivated area varied from 70 kg of NPK in Rajasthan to 250 kg in Telangana
    • Shift in the composition of fertilizer used:The high price differences among fertilizers (Nitrogen is much cheaper than Potassium and Phosphorus) have disturbed the relative prices of various fertilizers and resulted in a big shift in the composition of fertilizers used in the country in favor of urea and thus Nitrogen.
    • Increasing fertilizer subsidy: Fertilizer subsidy has doubled in a short period of three years. For 2021-22, the Union Budget has estimated fertilizer subsidy at ₹79,530 crores (from ₹66,468 crores in 2017-18).
    • Burden on exchequer: Taxpayers bear 78% of the cost of urea and farmers pay only 22%. This is expected to increase and is not sustainable.
    • Sensitive to Global impacts: The subsidy is likely to reach a much higher level due to the recent upsurge in the prices of energy,the international prices of urea and other fertilizers, and India’s dependence on imports.
    • Import dependence: The total demand for urea in the country is about 34-35 million tonnes whereas the domestic production is about 25 million tonnes.

    Other issues

    • Lesser expansion of Irrigation facilities and consequent low fertilizer consumption leads to low demand and therefore, restricts the growth of the industry.
    • Use of Obsolete Technology: Most of the fertilizer industry operates under PSUs that are using decade-old technology and thus making huge losses and also the competitive edge.

    Way forward

    • India should pay attention to improving fertilizer efficiency through need-based use rather than broadcasting fertilizer in the field.
    • The use of bio-fertilizers is necessary to maintain soil health as more and more use of chemical fertilizers kills all the microorganisms available in the soil, which are so essential for maintaining soil health.

     

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  • What are Green Crackers?

    cracker

    Many states have outlawed firecrackers and mandated the production, sale, and usage of only green firecrackers in light of Diwali’s impending arrival and the air pollution crisis.

    What are green crackers?

    • Green Crackers are fireworks that are healthy to the environment and can lessen the air pollution that conventional firecrackers produce.
    • The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) created these.
    • These green crackers, designed by the National Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), a CSIR lab, contain flower pots, pencils, fireworks, maroons, bombs, and chakkar.

    How are they made?

    • Green crackers, also known as eco-friendly crackers, are made from alternative raw materials to have a smaller negative impact on the environment and to pose fewer health hazards.
    • It has been stated that green crackers are environmentally friendly because they don’t contain aluminum, barium, potassium nitrate, or carbon.

    Are they totally pollution free?

    • Green crackers are 30% less polluting than regular ones.
    • Green crackers have less or no barium, and that the chemical barium nitrate is what causes the smoke and emissions.
    • In addition to lowering air pollution, green crackers are said to have a lower sound level than the ordinary crackers—between 110 and 125 decibels as opposed to roughly 160 decibels for conventional crackers.
    • Despite all of their benefits, these environmentally friendly firecrackers are more expensive than standard ones.

    Types of green crackers

    (1) SWAS – Safe Water Releaser

    • They will discharge water vapour into the atmosphere, which will dampen the discharged dust.
    • It won’t contain sulphur or potassium nitrate.
    • There will be a release of a diluent for gaseous emissions.
    • There will be a 30% reduction in the amount of particle dust emitted.

    (2) STAR – Safe Thermite Cracker

    • Does not contain sulphur and potassium nitrate
    • Discharge of less particulate matter
    • Lowered noise level

    (3) SAFAL – Safe Minimal Aluminum

    • Does not contain sulphur and potassium nitrate
    • Discharge of less particulate matter
    • Lowered noise level as compared to traditional ones

    Judicial observation over fire-crackers

    • It is made clear that there is no total ban on the use of firecrackers.
    • Only those firecrackers are banned (joined, chemical) which are found to be injurious to health and affect the health of the citizens particularly the senior citizens and the children.

    What are the traders’ concerns?

    • Traders have expressed concerns about the crackers’ shelf life due to the new green cracker composition.
    • Manufacturers also need to overcome the rigorous certification process run by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).

     

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  • Dr. Mahalanabis: the man behind ORS no more

    ors

    While Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) as a simple, effective remedy for dehydration is known around the world, the physician who pioneered the treatment, Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis, passed away.

    What is ORS?

    • Oral rehydration therapy is a type of fluid replacement used to prevent and treat dehydration, especially due to diarrhea.
    • It involves drinking water with modest amounts of sugar and salts, specifically sodium and potassium.
    • Oral rehydration therapy can also be given by a nasogastric tube.

    About Dr. Mahalanabis

    • Born on November 12, 1934 in West Bengal, Dr Mahalanabis studied in Kolkata and London.
    • He joined the Johns Hopkins University International Centre for Medical Research and Training in Kolkata in the 1960s, where he carried out research in oral rehydration therapy.
    • When the 1971 war broke out, millions of people from then East Pakistan took refuge in India.
    • Clean drinking water and sanitation were problems at these refugee camps, and cholera and diarrhoea broke out among people anyway exhausted and dehydrated.
    • Dr Mahalanabis and his team were working in one such camp at Bongaon.
    • Stocks of intravenous fluids were running out, on top of which there weren’t enough trained personnel to administer the IV treatment.

    How he discovered ORS?

    • From his research, Dr Mahalanabis knew that a solution of sugar and salt, which would increase water absorption by the body, could save lives from Cholera.
    • He and his team then prepared solutions of salt and glucose in water and began storing them in large drums, from where patients or their relatives could help themselves.
    • The oral solution then consisted of 22 gm glucose (as commercial monohydrate), 3.5 gm sodium chloride (as table salt) and 2.5 gm sodium bicarbonate (as baking soda) per liter of water.
    • This was the simplest formula, containing the minimum number of ingredients, previously found to be effective in severely ill patients with cholera.

    His legacy

    • While initially, the medical fraternity was septical, the WHO eventually adopted ORS as the standard method for treating cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases.
    • Today, the WHO recommends a combination of sodium chloride, anhydrous glucose, potassium chloride and Trisodium citrate dihydrate as the ORS formula.
    • In India, July 29 is observed as ORS Day.

     

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  • Reality Check on India’s Hunger Index Rank

    Hunger

    Context

    • For the second time in two years, the Ministry of Women and Child Development rejected the Global Hunger Index (GHI) that ranked India 107 among 121 countries. India was accorded a score of 29.1 out of 100 (with 0 representing no hunger), placing it behind Sri Lanka (66), Myanmar (71), Nepal (81) and Bangladesh (84). It referred to the index as “an erroneous measure of hunger”.

    All you need to know about Global Hunger Index

    • Annual report: The GHI is a peer reviewed annual report that endeavours to “comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels”. Authors of the report primarily refer to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 2(SDG 2) that endeavours to achieve ‘Zero Hunger’ by 2030.
    • Four Indicators: According to them, the report attempts to “raise awareness and understanding of the struggle against hunger”. The GHI score is computed using four broad indicators under nourishment (measure of the proportion of the population facing chronic deficiency of dietary energy intake), child stunting (low height for age), child wasting (low weight for height) and child mortality (death of a child under the age of five).

    Why these four Indicators are considered?

    • To acknowledge undernourishment: As per the authors, it provides a basis to measure inadequate access to food and is among the lead indicators for international hunger targets, including the UN SDG 2. Child stunting and mortality, offers perspective about the child’s vulnerability to nutritional deficiencies, access to food and quality of nutrition.
    • To address urgent requirement of nutrition: Since children (especially below five) are at a developmental age there is a greater and urgent requirement for nutrition with results particularly visible. This forms the basis of assessing nutritional requirement among children. Adults are at a sustainable age they are not growing but rather subsisting on nutrition for healthy survival. And lastly, on the same rationale, child mortality indicates the serious consequences of hunger.
    • Uses data provided by Government: It explains that while FAO uses a suite of indicators on food security, including two important indicators — prevalence of undernourishment and prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity. The GHI only uses the data obtained through food balance sheets based on data reported by member countries, including India.
    • Shows a picture of food supply chain: A food balance sheet provides a comprehensive picture of the pattern of a country’s food supply during a specified reference period. It lists down the source of the supply and its utilisation specific to each food category.
    • Takes into account three child specific indicators: On why the GHI uses three child specific indicators out of the four to calculate hunger for a country’s population, the website explains, By combining the proportion of undernourished in the population(1/3 of the GHI score) with the indicators relating to children under age five (2/3of the GHI score), the GHI ensures that both the food supply situation of the population as a whole and the effects of inadequate nutrition within a vulnerable subset of the population are captured.
    • International recognition: A Senior Policy Officer at the GHI said that, “All four indicators used in the calculation of the global hunger are recognised by the international community, including India, and used for measuring progress towards the UN SDGs.”

    Hunger

    What are the Objections of Government of India?

    • Very small sample size of the Index: As per the Ministry for Women and Child Development, the report lowers India’s rank based on the estimates of the Proportion of Undernourished (PoU) population. It elaborates that the U.S. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimate is based on the ‘Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)’ survey module conducted using the Gallup World Poll that bears a sample size of 3,000 respondents being asked eight questions. It stated that the data represented a miniscule proportion for account of India’s size.
    • Counter assertion by India’s dietary supply is increasing: It countered the assertions in the report pointing to India’s per capita dietary energy supply increasing year on year due to enhanced production of major agricultural commodities in the country over the years.
    • Index doesn’t reflect the actual ground reality: According to the Ministry, the report is not only disconnected from ground reality but also chooses to ignore the food security efforts of the Central government especially during the pandemic.
    • Efficient PMGKAY: The Union Cabinet through the Pradhan Mantri Garib KalyanAnn Yojana (PMGKAY) provisioned an additional 5 kg ration per person each month in addition to their normal quota of food grains.

    Hunger

    What are the Government efforts to address the hunger issue so far?

    • The Midday Meal Scheme: The Midday meal is a school meal programme in India designed to better the nutritional standing of school-age children nationwide.
    • The programme supplies free lunches on working days for children in primary and upper primary classes in government, government aided, local body, Education Guarantee Scheme, and alternate innovative education centres, Madrasa supported under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and National Child Labour Project schools run by the ministry of labour.
    • Serving 120 million children in over 1.27 million schools and Education Guarantee Scheme centres, the Midday Meal Scheme is the largest of its kind in the world.
    • PM-POSHAN: The name of the scheme has been changed to PM-POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) Scheme, in September 2021, by MoE (Ministry of Education), which is nodal ministry for the scheme.
    • The Central Government also announced that an additional 24 lakh students receiving pre-primary education at government & government-aided schools would also be included under the scheme by 2022.

    Hunger

    Conclusion

    • No country becomes great by dwarfing its people. India has certainly improved its poverty and hunger problems but there is still lot of ground yet to cover. Global hunger index may have exaggerated the India’s hunger issue but hunger problem in India is real if not substantial.

    Mains Question

    Q.Explain the methodology used by global hunger index report and India’s objection to it. What are the initiatives of government to reduce the hunger problem in India?

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  • Food Security, Success Story and Challenges Ahead

    Food Security

    Context

    • The Hunger Hotspots Outlook (2022-23) a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) forebodes escalating hunger, as over 205 million people across 45 countries will need emergency food assistance to survive. 16 October is celebrated as World Food Day.

    What is the current situation of Food security worldwide?

    • Adverse impact of COVID 19 pandemic: Globally, food and nutrition security continue to be undermined by the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic, climate change, spiralling food inflation, conflict, and inequality.
    • Challenge of Severe hunger continues: Today, around 828 million people worldwide do not have enough to eat, and over 50 million people are facing severe hunger.

    Food Security

    What are the challenges for ensuring food security?

    • The challenge of Climate change: Recent climate shocks have raised concerns about India’s wheat and rice production over the next year. Therefore, it is important to place a greater focus on climate adaptation and resilience building.
    • Rising population will need more resource: By 2030, India’s population is expected to rise to 1.5 billion. Agro food systems will need to provide for and sustainably support an increasing population.
    • The challenge of Soil degradation: Nutrition and agricultural production are not only impacted by climate change but also linked to environmental sustainability. Soil degradation by the excessive use of chemicals, non-judicious water use, and declining nutritional value of food products need urgent attention.

    How India managed its food security?

    • Constant efforts towards Self-sufficiency: India has had an inspiring journey towards better production and achieving self-sufficiency and is now one of the largest agricultural product exporters. During 2021-22,it recorded $49.6billion in total agriculture exports a 20%increase from 2020-21.
    • Efficient targeted public distribution system: One of India’s greatest contributions to equity in food is its National Food Security Act (NFSA)2013 which anchors the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), the PM POSHAN scheme (earlier known as the Midday Meals scheme), and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
    • Extensive food safety net: Today, India’s food safety nets collectively reach over a billion people. The WFP works with State and national governments to strengthen these systems to reach the people who need them most.
    • Large scale digitization of programmes: The Government continues to take various measures to improve these programmes with digitisation and measures such as rice fortification, better health, and sanitation.
    • Better buffer stock policy: Food safety nets and inclusion are linked with public procurement and buffer stock policy visible during the global food crisis (2008-12)and the COVID19 pandemic fallout, whereby vulnerable and marginalised families in India continued to be buffered by the TPDS which became a lifeline.
    • Successful implementation of PMGKAY: An International Monetary Fund paper titled ‘Pandemic, Poverty, and Inequality: Evidence from India’ asserted that‘ extreme poverty was maintained below 1% in 2020 due to the Pradhan Mantri Garib KalyanAnna Yojana (PMGKAY

    Food Security

    How India and World can manage food security?

    • Avoiding conventional input intensive agriculture: There is increased recognition to move away from conventional input intensive agriculture towards more inclusive, effective and sustainable agro food systems that would facilitate better production.
    • Promoting sustainable practices: Since 1948, the FAO has continued to play a catalytic role in India’s progress in the areas of crops, livestock, fisheries, food security, and management of natural resources through the promotion of sustainable practices.
    • Focus on millets: Millets have received renewed attention as crops that are good for nutrition, health, and the planet. As climate-smart crops, they are hardier than other cereals. Since they need fewer inputs, they are less extractive for the soil and can revive soil health.
    • India’s Efforts as an example: India has led the global conversation on reviving millet production for better lives, nutrition, and the environment, including at the UN General Assembly, where it appealed to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets. It is the world’s leading producer of millets, producing around 41% of total production in2020. The national government is also implementing a Sub-Mission on Nutrition-Cereals (Millets) as part of the National Food Security Mission.
    • G20 presidency an opportunity for India: India’s upcoming G20 presidency is an opportunity to bring food and nutrition security to the very centre of a resilient and equitable future.

    Food Security

    Conclusion

    • India can lead the global discourse on food and nutrition security by showcasing home grown solutions and best practices, and championing the principle of leaving no one behind working continuously to make its food system more equitable, empowering, and inclusive.

    Mains Question

    Q.Food security has become increasingly challenging due to unpredictable weather conditions. Illustrate. How India can contribute to the global food security issue.

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  • Making India’s Quantum Cyberspace resilient

    Quantum

    Context

    • The Army has collaborated with industry and academia to build secure communications and cryptography applications. This step builds on last year’s initiative to establish a quantum computing laboratory at the military engineering institute in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.

     What is mean by quantum computing?

    • Quantum computing is an area of study focused on the development of computer based technologies centered around the principles of quantum theory.
    • Quantum computing studies computation systems that make direct use of quantum-mechanical phenomena to perform operations on data.
    • Classical computers encode information in bits. Each bit can take the value of 1 or 0. These 1s and 0s act as on/off switches that ultimately drive computer functions.

    What is quantum Theory?

    • Quantum theory explains the nature and behavior of energy and matter on the quantum (atomic and subatomic) level. Quantum theory is the theoretical basis of modern physics.
    • The nature and behavior of matter and energy at that level is sometimes referred to as quantum physics and quantum mechanics.

    Quantum

    What is quantum computing laboratory that the Army has set up?

    • Two research centres: The Army has set up a quantum computing laboratory and a centre for artificial intelligence (AI) at a military engineering institute in Madhya Pradesh. The Army will get support from National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).
    • Purpose of the quantum lab: To spearhead research and training in this key developing field. It said the Indian Army is making steady and significant strides in the field of emerging technologies
    • To Train personnel on the cyber warfare: Training on cyber warfare is being imparted through a state of the art cyber range and cyber security labs.
    • The Focus areas: Key thrust areas are quantum key distribution, quantum communication and quantum computing, among others.

    What is the rationale behind this development?

    • To provide facility centre for extensive and dedicated research: The two centres will carry out extensive research in developing transformative technologies for use by the armed forces.
    • To transform the current system of cryptography: Research undertaken by the Army in the field of quantum technology will help it leapfrog into the next generation of communication and transform the current system of cryptography to post-quantum cryptography.
    • Developing quantum resistant systems: With traditional encryption models at risk and increasing military applications of quantum technology, the deployment of quantum-resistant systems has become the need of the hour.
    • Vulnerable existing digital infrastructure: There is a need of upgrading current encryption standards that can be broken by quantum cryptography. Current protocols like the RSA will quickly become outdated. This means that quantum cyber attacks can potentially breach any hardened target, opening a significant vulnerability for existing digital infrastructure. Hack proofing these systems will require considerable investments.
    • To be in a League of nations in this sector: For example US: National Quantum Initiative Act has already allocated $1.2 billion for research in defence related quantum technology. China now hosts two of the world’s fastest quantum computers.

    Quantum

    India’s developments in this sector so far?

    • National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications: In 2019, the Centre declared quantum technology a “mission of national importance”. The Union Budget 2020-21 had proposed to spend Rs 8,000 crore on the newly launched National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications.
    • Successfully demonstrated a Quantum key Distribution (QKD) link: In February 2022, a joint team of the Defence Research and Development Organization and IIT Delhi successfully demonstrated a QKD link between two cities in UP  Prayagraj and Vindhyachal  located 100 kilometres apart.

    What are the challenges facing India?

    • Current capabilities are not sufficient: Currently, India has very few capabilities in developing advanced systems capable of withstanding quantum cyber attacks.
    • The china challenge: China’s quantum advances expand the spectre of quantum cyber attacks against India’s digital infrastructure, which already faces a barrage of attacks from Chinese state-sponsored hackers.
    • Dependence on Foreign hardware: India is heavily dependent on foreign hardware, particularly Chinese hardware, is an additional vulnerability.

    Quantum

    How India can make its cyberspace resilient?

    • Procuring quantum resistant mechanism from US: India must consider procuring the United States National Security Agency’s (NSA) Suite B Cryptography Quantum-Resistant Suite as its official encryption mechanism. The NSA is developing new algorithms for their cypher suite that are resistant to quantum cyber attacks. This can then facilitate India’s official transition to quantum-resistant algorithms.
    • Enhancing cryptographic standards: The Indian Defence establishment can consider emulating the cryptographic standards set by the US’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) which has developed a series of encryption tools to handle quantum computer attacks. It has developed a series of four algorithms to frame a post-quantum cryptographic standard.
    • Diplomatic partnerships in this sector: Diplomatic partnerships with other techno-democracies countries with top technology sectors, advanced economies, and a commitment to liberal democracy can help India pool resources and mitigate emerging quantum cyber threats.
    • Active participation in global avenues: Active participation in the Open Quantum Safe project a global initiative started in 2016 for prototyping and integrating quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms.
    • Providing funds and encouragement: India must start its national initiatives to develop quantum-resistant systems. For this, the government can fund and encourage existing open-source projects related to post-quantum cryptography.
    • Start implementing the capabilities: The country should start implementing and developing capabilities in quantum-resistant communications, specifically for critical strategic sectors. QKDs over long distances, especially connecting military outposts for sensitive communications, can be prioritised to ensure secure communications whilst protecting key intelligence from potential quantum cyber attacks.
    • Establishing nationwide network: Establish a nationwide communication network integrated with quantum cryptographic systems, thereby protecting cyberspace from any cross-border quantum cyber offensive.

    Conclusion

    • The world is moving towards an era in which the applications of quantum physics in strategic domains will soon become a reality, increasing cyber security risks. India is getting there slowly but steadily. India needs a holistic approach to tackle these challenges. At the heart of this approach should be the focus on post-quantum cyber security.

    Mains Question

    Q.The world is moving towards an era in which applications of quantum physics in strategic domains will soon become a reality, increasing cyber security threats. In this context, what steps can India take to make its cyberspace resilient and quantum-resistant? Discuss.

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  • What are Digital Banking Units (DBUs)?

    dbu

    PM has dedicated 75 digital banking units to the nation, taking forward an announcement that was made in the 2022-23 Union Budget.

    What are DBUs?

    • A digital banking unit is a specialized fixed point business unit or hub, housing a certain minimum digital infrastructure for delivering digital banking products and services.
    • It aims at servicing existing financial products and services digitally in self-service mode at any time.
    • The RBI has announced the guidelines for DBUs, following the report of a working group of the Indian Banks Association (IBA).

    Who can set up these DBUs?

    • Commercial banks (other than regional rural banks, payment banks and local area banks) with past digital banking experience are permitted to open DBUs in tier 1 to tier 6 centres.
    • They are permitted, unless otherwise specifically restricted, without having the need to take permission from the RBI in each case.

    What services will be provided by these units?

    • As per the RBI, each DBU must offer certain minimum digital banking products and services.
    • Such products should be on both liabilities and assets side of the balance sheet of the digital banking segment.
    • Digitally value-added services to conventional products would also qualify as such.
    • The services include saving bank accounts under various schemes, current accounts, fixed deposit and recurring deposit accounts, digital kits for customers, mobile banking etc.
    • It also includes- Internet banking, debit cards, credit cards, and mass transit system cards, digital kits for merchants, UPI QR codes, BHIM Aadhaar and point of sale (PoS).

    What about lending services?

    • Other services include making applications for and onboarding customers for identified retail, MSME or schematic loans.
    • This may also include end-to-end digital processing of such loans, starting from online application to disbursal and identified government-sponsored schemes that are covered under the national portal.

    How will these DBUs compete with fintechs?

    • Currently, fintechs operating as neobanks offer digital banking services but they do so in partnership with non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
    • Some of the neobanks offering services in India are Jupiter, Fi Money, Niyo, Razorpay X.
    • Compared to conventional banks with online and mobile banking facilities, neobanks or digital banks excel at product innovation and offer far better digital solutions.
    • However, given the arrangement they, some in the industry have pegged these digital banks as “glorified digital distribution companies”.

     

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