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  • [Yojana Archive] Kashmir: Poetry and Mysticism

    yojana

    Context

    In the evolution and development of literary, criticism, metaphysics and poetics in Sanskrit, Kashmir holds an important place as being the birthplace or residence of several prominent literary critics, theoreticians, philosophers and commentators.

    Contributions of Kashmir in the field of literature

    (1) Sages

    • The list includes names such as Panini, Chandracharya, Bharata, Kshemendra, Abhinavagupta, Vasugupta, Somananda, Somadeva, Bilhana, Kalhana, Patanjali, Anandavardhana and many others.
    • Panini’s Astadhyayi is the basis of Sanskrit grammar, while Bharata’s Natyashastra is the foundational text for theorising on dramaturgy.

    (2) Poetry

    • The poetic theories of auchitya, guna, rill and dhvani are the contributions of Kashmir to Indian poetics.
    • From Buddhism to Shaivism to Sufism, Kashmir’s literary and cultural landscape has enriched the corpus of mysticism and literature in India.

    (3) Philosophers

    • The great philosopher Abhinavagupta lived in Kashmir in the 11th century and his name has become inseparable from the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism.
    • This system of philosophy teaches the concepts of abhas-vad (intuition) and pratyabhijna (recognition).
    • Abhinavagupta also added the ninth rasa, “shanta rasa” to the typology of eight rasas enumerated by Bharata in Natyashastra.
    • His other compositions include Tantraloka, Abhinavabharati, commentary on the Bhagavad Gita titled Gitartha Samgraha and Parmarthasara.

    (4) Persian poetry

    • There was a robust spiritual environment wherein saint-poets such as Lal Ded flourished and composed vaakhs (four-line stanzas).
    • In contemporary Kashmiri poetry, Bimla Raina has preserved the tradition of the singing of Lal-Ded’s vaakhs.

    (5) Secular literature  

    • Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani was a master in the rishi or reshut parampara of Kashmir wherein his mystical thought blended the values of Kashmir Shaivism and Sufism.
    • He composed four-to six-line poems known as shrukh in Kashmiri and is also credited with translating the Holy Quran into Kashmiri.
    • The tradition of great women saints and mentors is preserved in the verses and dargahs in Kashmir.

    (6) Music

    • The first all-women Sufi band was formed in 2015 in the region and they call themselves “Yemberzal” and are dedicated to preserve the Sufiana mausiqi, the tradition of Sufi music and Kashmiri classical music.

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  • International Solar Alliance approves funding mechanism

    To bolster investments in solar power projects, the International Solar Alliance (ISA), in its General Assembly approved the ‘Solar Facility’, a payment guarantee mechanism.

    What is Solar Facility?

    • It is expected to stimulate investments into solar projects through two financial components:
    1. Solar Payment Guarantee Fund and
    2. Solar Insurance Fund
    • The thrust of the facility is to attract private capital to flow into “underserved markets” in Africa.
    • The ISA would aim to crowdsource investments from various donors across the globe and proposed projects in Africa would be able to purchase payment guarantees or partial insurance premium from these funds.

    Why such move?

    • ISA’s mission is to unlock US $1 trillion (₹80 lakh crore) of investments in solar power by 2030 while reducing cost of the technology and its financing.

    What is International Solar Alliance (ISA)?

    • The ISA is an alliance of more than 121 countries, most of them being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
    • It is headquartered in Gurugram, India.
    • The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
    • The alliance is a treaty-based inter-governmental organization.
    • The initiative was launched by PM Modi at the India Africa Summit and a meeting of member countries ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015.

    Objectives of the ISA

    • To mobilize investments of more than USD 1000 billion by 2030
    • To take coordinated action for better harmonization, aggregation of demand, risk and resources, for promoting solar finance, solar technologies, innovation, R&D, capacity building etc.
    • Reduce the cost of finance to increase investments in solar energy in member countries
    • Scale up applications of solar technologies in member countries
    • Facilitate collaborative research and development (R&D) activities in solar energy technologies among member countries
    • Promote a common cyber platform for networking, cooperation and exchange of ideas among member countries

    What does ISA formation signify?

    • Climate action commitment: It symbolizes about the sincerity of the developing nations towards their concern about climate change and to switch to a low-carbon growth path.
    • Clean energy: India’s pledge to the Paris summit offered to bring 40% of its electricity generation capacity from non-fossil sources (renewable, large hydro, and nuclear) by 2030.
    • Global electrification: India has pledged to let solar energy reach to the most unconnected villages and communities and also towards creating a clean planet.
    • Global cooperation: It is based on world cooperation irrespective of global boundaries.
    • India’s Soft power: For India, possible additional benefits from the alliance can be a strengthening of ties with the major African countries and increasing goodwill for India among them.

    Key initiatives

    [A] Global Solar Atlas

    • ISA alliance has partnered with World Bank to launch Global Solar Atlas at an ISA event at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.
    • Global Solar Atlas is a free online tool that displays annual average solar power potential at any location in the world and thus identify potential sites for solar power generation.

    [B] OSOWOG Initiative

    • Under the ISA project, India envisaged having an interconnected power transmission grid across nations for the supply of clean energy.
    • The vision behind the OSOWOG mantra is ‘The Sun Never Sets’ and is a constant at some geographical location, globally, at any given point of time.
    • With India at the fulcrum, the solar spectrum can easily be divided into two broad zones viz. far East which would include countries like Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Lao, Cambodia etc. and far West which would cover the Middle East and the Africa Region.

    Implementation

    • The OSOWOG would have three phases.
    1. Phase I: Middle East, South Asia and South-East Asia would be interconnected
    2. Phase II: Solar and other renewable energy resources rich regions would be interconnected
    3. Phase III: Global interconnection of the power transmission grid to achieve the One Sun One World One Grid vision

    Benefits of the project

    • Attracting investment: An interconnected grid would help all the participating entities in attracting investments in renewable energy sources as well as utilizing skills, technology and finances.
    • Poverty alleviation: Resulting economic benefits would positively impact poverty alleviation and support in mitigating water, sanitation, food and other socio-economic challenges.
    • Reduced project cost: The proposed integration would lead to reduced project costs, higher efficiencies and increased asset utilization for all the participating entities.

    Various challenges

    • Lack of Funding: Providing the money for promoting solar electricity among the members is a challenge. The Alliance has very little money of its own.
    • Expensive implementation: The cost of power has two components. The variable cost is the payment made for the numbers of units of electricity purchased. In addition, the buyer is required to pay a certain amount towards the fixed cost of solar supply.
    • Battery-based Storage: Solar electricity is available only during the day when the sun shines. Thus, the storage of electricity is a difficult task.
    • Cross-border transmission: Solar electricity has to overcome the roadblocks of transmission.  Cross-border transmission of electricity requires the establishment of transmission lines from the producer to the consumer country.
    • Peak hour load:  The demand for electricity, however, is more during the morning and evening which are called “peak hours”. But it can be produced when the sun is shining.
    • Climate change: Sudden overcast and rainfall in many parts of the tropics has been a major issues these days. Such weather hampers solar energy production
    • Desired global consensus: It is hindered with the issues of intricate geopolitics, unfavourable economics, unwarranted globalisation and undue centralization that act against the concept.
    • Highly ambitious: In a nation like India, it took us this long to connect all the regions of the country through a national grid and we are talking about ‘one world, one grid’.

    Way forward

    • ISA should focus on its core goals such as- aggregating demand, tariff, technical collaborations, and financial assistance for achieving its target.
    • It further needs to ensure that solar benefits are clear and tangible to users beyond its cost ambitions.
    • ISA should demonstrate business models that are viable for users, suppliers and financiers.
    • Further, the alliance should support member countries in implementing policies to expedite these business models.
    • Geo-politically, this is being touted as a clever strategy however financially and technology-wise, this has to make sense.

     

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  • What are Foreign Currency Non-Resident (FCNR) deposits?

    The RBI’s 2013 FCNR scheme to buffer the rupee against steep declines and rebuild foreign exchange reserves is unlikely to prove fruitful in the current crisis as economic fundamentals are different.

    What are FCNR deposits?

    • Back in 2013, the RBI had offered to swap the U.S. dollars banks had raised via foreign currency non-resident (FCNR) deposits or foreign currency funding for rupees at concessional rates.
    • A FCNR is a bank account for NRIs to maintain a Fixed Deposit account in India.
    • This account allows one as an NRI to save money earned in the currency form of the country you’ve originally earned the money from.
    • FCNR deposits can hold currencies like US Dollars, Pounds Sterling, Euro, Japanese Yen, Australian Dollars and Canadian Dollars.
    • Interest on such deposits is exempt for income tax.

    How do they operate?

    • These deposit accounts are a term deposit account, not savings.
    • Once can withdraw your money before the date of maturity, and there will be no charges, but the interest will not be paid until after a year is complete.

    Benefits offered

    • FCNRs are just like what FDs are for resident Indians, except in foreign currency.
    • They work as great investment options for NRIs to invest in the country for a start, before looking for other avenues in investments on the stock market.
    • Because the money is being held in those currencies, the risk of exchange rate fluctuations is eliminated.

    Why in news?

    • Forex reserves have tumbled about $110 billion from a peak of $642 billion in September last year.
    • A significant reason behind this is RBI’s currency market intervention.

     

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  • The illusion of being faster than light: how a star problem was solved

    light

    Scientists have spotted something that appeared to be moving 7 times faster than the Speed of Light in a supernova like event.

    What is the news?

    • In 2017, astrophysicists observed an unusual feat among the stars.
    • The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave (LIGO) observatories recorded a signal which indicated that two massive and dense stellar bodies had merged to form a third body, likely a black hole.
    • An unusual jet of matter was observed that gave an illusion of travelling faster than light.

    Can matter move faster than Light?

    • From the data, it appeared the jets of matter were moving seven times faster than light.
    • The researchers explain the reason behind the discrepancy is due to something called superluminal motion.
    • Since the jet of matter reaches Earth at the speed of light, the light it emits at later points has a relatively shorter distance, making it appear faster than it actually is.
    • After more calculations, astronomers found the real speed to be at least 99.7 percent of the speed of light (3 × 10^8 m / s).

    Crossing the speed of light: An illusion

    • The data of same incident has been recorded by the Global Astrometric Interferometer for Astrophysics (GAIA) spacecraft and Hubble (James Web) Space Telescope
    • Using it, scientists confirmed that the above picture is correct.

    How to assess it?

    • Scientists have also measured more accurately a factor called the Lorenz factor which scales with the actual speed of the particles in the jet.
    • Unlike earlier estimates which placed this factor at about 4, the present paper estimates this factor to be over 40.
    • This is because they measure the speed of the relativistic jet to be close to 9997c, where “c” is the speed of light.

    How are they observed?

    • Source is clearly as massive neutron stars merging to give a black hole and throwing off relativistic jets of particles in the process.

    Merging neutron stars: Faking to cross speed of light

    • Neutron stars are stellar corpses, left behind after a star has undergone a supernova explosion and reached the end of its lifetime.
    • They are extremely dense, containing more mass than the sun in a sphere that is a few tens of kilometre wide.
    • The observation of particles moving at seven times the speed of light is an illusion.
    • This happens in cases where a source moves (towards us) with a velocity that is very close to light’s velocity.
    • This has been seen in many active galactic nuclei — galaxy centres that harbour black holes — and binary star systems within our galaxy, where one of the stars is a black hole.
    • Mostly, black holes are responsible for producing such fast-moving material.

    How is this illusion created?

    • Normally, if one were making these measurements from earth-based telescopes, it would require data from radio telescopes spaced apart by intercontinental distances.
    • This technique is called Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and was used in the earlier papers.

    Significance of this study

    • The significance of the paper is that now, we have learnt that neutron star mergers can result in material moving with speeds as high as 0.9997c.
    • Earlier results using Very Long Baseline Interferometry had pegged this value at about 0.938c.
    • And with the new results this lower limit has been improved.
    • Even earlier, with VLBI, it was understood that it was a neutron-star merger that produced such ultra-relativistic material.

     

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  • Japan seeks GI tag for Nihonshu, an alcoholic beverage

    nihonshu

    The Embassy of Japan, New Delhi, has filed an application seeking Geographical Indication (GI) tag for nihonshu/Japanese sake, an alcoholic beverage.

    Why in news?

    • It is learnt that this is the first time a product from Japan has filed for a tag at the Geographical Indication Registry in Chennai.

    What is Nihonshu?

    • Nihonshu is regarded as a special and valuable beverage made from fermenting rice.
    • People traditionally drink nihonshu on special occasions, such as festivals, weddings or funerals, but it is also consumed on a daily basis.
    • Thus, it is an integral part of the lifestyle and culture in Japan.
    • The sake market (almost all are nihonshu) is the second largest brewed liquor (such as beer) market in Japan.

    How is it made?

    • For making nihonshu three main raw materials – rice, koji-kin (a type of fungal spore) and water – are required.
    • Its production follows an alcoholic fermentation method called parallel multiple fermentation and involves raw material treatment, koji making, starter culture making, mash making, pressing, heat sterilisation and bottling.
    • The rice and koji used should originate in Japan.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which of the following has/have been accorded ‘Geographical Indication’ status?

    1. Banaras Brocades and Sarees
    2. Rajasthani Daal-Bati-Churma
    3. Tirupathi Laddu

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Post your answers here.

     

    Back2Basics:  Geographical Indication

    • A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
    • Nodal Agency: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry
    • India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 w.e.f. September 2003.
    • GIs have been defined under Article 22 (1) of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
    • GI is granted for a term of 10 years in India. As of today, more than 300 GI tags has been allocated so far in India (*Wikipedia).
    • The tag stands valid for 10 years.

     

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  • Now Daily Answer Writing Enhancement (AWE) Program comes with 24*7 doubt clearing | Enrollments are open for Nov-Dec batch, timetable inside

    Now Daily Answer Writing Enhancement (AWE) Program comes with 24*7 doubt clearing | Enrollments are open for Nov-Dec batch, timetable inside

    Click here for the timetable

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    FREE 1-1 answer writing discussion

    Table of Content

    The competition in the UPSC examination is fierce. Guys, after UPSC Prelims 2023, you will have very limited time on your hand BUT you have to cross the higher bar.

    Thousands of aspirants are very much familiar with the butterflies in their stomachs at this point. Knowing the unpredictability of this journey, many believe that only hard work can make them luckier. But shockingly, even after working with all their might, 90% of them remain very much clueless about their “strategy” being right or wrong. 

    And this is high time to make sure that the foundation for your Answer writing skills is vital. Our AWE (Answer Writing Enhancement Program) is back again with new features (details below) to sharpen your Answer writing skills.

    Given the available time till Mains and UPSC 2023-24 aspirants, Daily AWE Program is back for a new batch. We have got you covered with all the conceptual clarity on important topics. CD’s Exam Prep program has curated an exclusive series to help you strengthen the basics for UPSC Mains answer writing. 

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    Weekly 20 Questions + Doubt Clearing Session (Newly Added)

    • Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you. A sample 2-week schedule is available below.
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    • On Day 1 we post the questions with the mentor’s comments and on the next day, we provide the model answers for the previous day.
    • A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.
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  • 18th October 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    18th October 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 1140]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 1140]

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  • 18th October 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1          Effects of globalization on Indian society.

    GS-2          Issues relating to poverty and hunger.

    GS-3         Food processing and related industries in India- scope’ and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.

    GS-4        Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections.

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Globalisation has been the main culprit in aggravating the challenges faced by India’s poor. Comment. (15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 Explaining the concept of multi-dimensional poverty, state the measures which have been taken to address this problem in India. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 Explain the significance of backward and forward linkages in the Food Processing Industry. Also, discuss the challenges in establishing robust linkages in India. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 Explain the meaning of self-efficacy, along with its key determinants. Also, discuss the significance of high self-efficacy for a civil servant. (10 Marks)

     

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    8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

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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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