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  • Language sensitivity and provisions in Constitution

    Context

    Language sensitivity has been a feature of selfhood in the case of every Indian language.

     Sensitivity to language

    • From ancient times, a sensitivity to language difference has almost been the core of Dravidic self-hood.
    • A similar sensitivity existed among the speakers of Prakrits in ancient times.
    • It was in one of the Prakrits that Mahavir had presented his teachings in the sixth century BCE.
    • Eighteen centuries later, Acharya Hemachandra, a major Jain scholar, poet, mathematician and philosopher, produced his Desinamamala, a treatise on the importance of Prakrit words used in Gujarat of his times as against those from Sanskrit.
    • Mahatma Gandhi, who defined the idea of selfhood for India in Hind Swaraj (1909), chose to write this iconic book in Gujarati.

    Constitutional provision

    • The official language used for communication between the States shall be the language that has been in use at the time of adoption of the Constitution.
    • The move from English to Hindi can take place only if, ‘two or more states agree’ for the shift.
    • Article 344 (4) provides for a ‘Committee consisting of thirty members’, ‘twenty’ from the Parliament and ‘ten’ from State assemblies, for safeguarding language-related provisions.

    The distribution between two ministries

    • The functions and the scope of the committee, as laid down by the Constitution, are further clarified by the practice of distribution of language as a subject between two Ministries, the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry and the Home Ministry.
    • The scope of the HRD Ministry extends to education and the promotion of cultural expression.
    • The Home Ministry’s scope extends to safeguarding relations of the States with the ‘union’, protecting the linguistic rights of language minorities and the promotion of Hindi.
    • The last of these, the Constitution states, has to be ‘without interference with other languages.

    Data on language decline

    • In 2011, Hindi speakers accounted for 43.63% of the total population, with a total of 52.83 crore speakers.
    • In 1971, the number was 20.27 crore, accounting for 36.99% of the total population.
    • Between 2001 and 2011, the growth in proportion of the population was 2.6%.
    • The next most spoken language, Bangla, had negative growth.
    • It was spoken by 8.30% of Indians in 1991, 8.11% in 2001 and by 8.03% in 2011.
    • Telugu, which slid from 7.87% in 1991, to 7.19% in 2001 and 6.70% in 2011, has a similar story to tell.
    • Tamil recorded 6.32% of the total population in 1991, 5.91% in 2001 and 5.70% in 2011.
    • The only major language to show decadal growth (though small) was Gujarati.
    • And the only small yet scheduled language to show good growth was Sanskrit.

    Reasons for Hindi’s growth

    • The 52.83 crore speakers of Hindi (as recorded in 2011) included not just the speaker of ‘Hindi’ but also those of more than 50 other languages.
    • Bhojpuri and most languages of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand have also been pushed into the Hindi package.
    • Had the Census not included these other languages under Hindi, the strength of Hindi speakers would have gone down to about 39 crore, — just a little under 32% of the total population in 2011 — and would have looked not too different from those of other scheduled languages.
    • The data for English speakers is far more truthful. Census 2011 reports a total of 3,88,793 Indians as English speakers (2,59,678 men and 1,29,115 women).

    Hindi in comparison to other languages in the Eighth schedule

    • Among the languages included in the Eighth Schedule, Hindi falls within the younger lot of languages.
    • On the other hand, Tamil, Kannada, Kashmiri, Marathi, Oriya, Sindhi, Nepali and Assamiya have a much longer/older history.
    •  As a language of knowledge too, Tamil, Kannada, Bangla and Marathi (with their abundance of encyclopaedias and historical literature), quite easily outshine Hindi.

    Conclusion

    A language evolves slowly and cannot be forced to grow by issuing ordinances.

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  • Nepal’s dwindling Forex Reserves

    In an unusual development, the Nepali PM sacked the head of its central bank accusing him of leaking sensitive information and for failing to perform his duties.

    What is the news?

    • Nepal’s forex reserves have plummeted by 18.5% to $9.58 billion in March from $11.75 billion in July 2021.
    • The current forex reserves are not enough to pay the government’s import bills beyond the next seven months or so.
    • Nepal’s central bank recently announced a ban on the import of vehicles and other luxury items, citing liquidity crunch and declining foreign exchange reserves.
    • It is rumoured that the Nepali economy will go into a crisis like Sri Lanka.

    Why have Nepal’s forex reserves fallen?

    • Nepal’s forex reserves situation appears healthy as of now as the country, unlike Sri Lanka, is not burdened by external debt.
    • There are, however, concerns that the lower middle-income economy is being battered repeatedly by external factors and that may precipitate a crisis sometime soon.
    • Nepal which is blessed with one of the finest tourism sectors in South Asia, because of the Himalayan mountain range, suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic as global tourist flow fell.
    • This is followed by the global energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
    • This has put extraordinary inflationary pressure on the economy.

    How bad is the situation?

    • Nepal’s economy is highly dependent on imports as the country buys a range of merchandise goods apart from fuel.
    • The prevailing weak economic indicators mean that Nepal is spending from its forex reserves faster than it can save.
    • Economists contend that Nepal will soon have double-digit inflation. All economic indicators are declining.
    • The real shortfall in forex reserves is because of the decline in foreign remittances which suffered during the pandemic when the Nepalese workforce abroad suffered job losses.

    Can the energy scene in Nepal escalate economic woes?

    • Nepal’s history shows that any uncertainty regarding fuel can trigger serious internal problems as was visible during the 2015-16 blockade when disruption of fuel supply from India.
    • Nepal’s primary supplier of energy is Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
    • Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) pays IOC in two installments every month, on the 8th and the 23rd.
    • The NOC has been in crisis for months as high global prices depleted the company’s savings, prompting it to approach the government for a lifeline.
    • The Government of Nepal has agreed to provide NOC the necessary amount to continue supplies from IOC.
    • NOC’s financial status makes it unattractive for banks and as a result the public sector company does not enjoy confidence in the market.

    Paradoxical situation

    • The government is in a paradoxical situation: It has to control imports of products from which it earns the highest amount of tax revenue.
    • Luxury items are the country’s major source of revenue.
    • If revenue shrinks, an economic crisis could be imminent.

    Impact on elections

    • Nepal will hold local level polls next month which will be followed by general elections towards the end of the year.
    • The election process requires considerable financial allocation and Nepal has received support in the past for elections from international donors like the USAID.
    • These donors help in carrying out pre-election staff training and logistics that are part of any democratic process.
    • But there are uncertainties considering the bleak financial situation.
    • It will require at least 10 billion Nepali rupees for the election process and that will mean diversion of a large amount of resources for the democratic process.

    Quick recap: Sri Lankan Crisis

    • Like Nepal, Sri Lanka is a country with a small economy. The Sri Lankan economy is around 1.5 times bigger than Nepal’s.
    • Sri Lanka’s economic crisis was in the making since it suffered a terrorist attack in 2019 which hit its tourism industry, a major contributor to the GDP.
    • Then came the pandemic, which further wiped out tourism incomes. Then there were debt burdens in dollars.
    • The political leadership failed to act to address the looming crisis.
    • The Rajapaksha dynasty made some wrong moves—it cut taxes and started printing money, hugely devaluing the currency.
    • In what looked like a well-intentioned move towards organic farming, the county banned imports of chemical fertilisers. Paddy production failed. The country ran out of money to pay its bills.

    Is Nepal really going the way of Sri Lanka?

    • In Nepal, the situation is not as bleak.
    • Nepal’s current forex reserves are enough to pay for imports of goods and services for about seven and a half months.
    • Tourism, one of the major foreign currency earners, was hit hard by the pandemic, but its gradual revival has given a glimmer of hope.
    • Since Nepal’s currency is pegged to the Indian rupee, a massive devaluation shock is unlikely. Tourism is also rebounding, giving a fillip to foreign currency reserves.

    Back2Basics: Foreign Exchange Reserves

    • Foreign exchange reserves are important assets held by the central bank in foreign currencies as reserves.
    • They are commonly used to support the exchange rate and set monetary policy.
    • In India’s case, foreign reserves include Gold, Dollars, and the IMF’s quota for Special Drawing Rights.
    • Most of the reserves are usually held in US dollars, given the currency’s importance in the international financial and trading system.
    • Some central banks keep reserves in Euros, British pounds, Japanese yen, or Chinese yuan, in addition to their US dollar reserves.

     

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  • Hits and misses: India’s Solar Power Energy Targets

    India is likely to miss its 2022 target of installing 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity a/c to a report. This is because of rooftop solar lagging behind, the authors say.

    India’s Solar Policy

    • Since 2011, India’s solar sector has grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 59% from 0.5GW in 2011 to 55GW in 2021.
    • The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), also known as the National Solar Mission (NSM), was commenced in January 2010.
    • It marked the first time the government focussed on promoting and developing solar power in India.
    • Under the scheme, the total installed capacity target was set as 20GW by 2022.
    • In 2015, the target was revised to 100GW and in August 2021, the government set a solar target of 300GW by 2030.

    Solar energy: India among the peers

    • India currently ranks fifth after China, U.S., Japan and Germany in terms of installed solar power capacity.
    • As of December 2021, the cumulative solar installed capacity of India is 55GW, which is roughly half the renewable energy (RE) capacity (excluding large hydro power) and 14% of the overall power generation capacity of India.
    • Within the 55GW, grid-connected utility-scale projects contribute 77% and the rest comes from grid-connected rooftop and off-grid projects.

    What does the new report say?

    • As of April, only about 50% of the 100GW target, consisting of 60GW of utility-scale and 40GW of rooftop solar capacity, has been met.
    • Nearly 19 GW of solar capacity is expected to be added in 2022 — 15.8GW from utility-scale and 3.5GW from rooftop solar.
    • Even accounting for this capacity would mean about 27% of India’s 100GW solar target would remain unmet.
    • A 25GW shortfall in the 40GW rooftop solar target, is expected compared to 1.8GW in the utility-scale solar target by December 2022.
    • Thus, it is in rooftop solar that the challenges of India’s solar-adoption policy stick out.

    What is Solar Rooftop?

    • A solar photovoltaic (PV) system mounted on a rooftop of a building is a mini-power requirement or feed into the grid.
    • The size of the installation varies significantly depending on the availability of space, amount of electricity consumed by the property and the ability or willingness of the owner to invest the capital required.
    • In December 2015, the government launched the first phase of the grid-connected rooftop solar programme to incentivise its use in residential, institutional and social areas.
    • The second phase, approved in February 2019, had a target of 40GW of cumulative rooftop solar capacity by 2022, with incentives in the form of central financial assistance (CFA).
    • As of November 2021, of the phase 2 target of 4GW set for the residential sector, only 1.1GW had been installed.

    Reasons for rooftop solar adoption not meeting targets

    • In its early years, India’s rooftop solar market struggled to grow, held back by lack of consumer awareness, inconsistent policy frameworks of the Centre/ State governments and financing.
    • Factors impeding rooftop-solar installation include:
    1. Pandemic-induced supply chain disruption to policy restrictions
    2. Regulatory roadblocks
    3. Limits to net-metering (or paying users who give back surplus electricity to the grid)
    4. Taxes on imported cells and modules
    5. Unsigned power supply agreements (PSAs) and banking restrictions
    6. Financing issues plus delays in or rejection of open access approval grants and
    7. The unpredictability of future open access charges

    Other issues: India’s storage capacity

    • About 34 GW / 136 GWh of battery storage is expected to be installed by 2030, according to the Central Electricity Authority of India.
    • This capacity would be used for RE integration, demand-side and peak load management services.

    Present state of progress

    • Recently, there has been a sharp rise in rooftop solar installations due to falling technology costs, increasing grid tariffs, rising consumer awareness and the growing need for cutting energy costs.
    • These factors are expected to persist giving a much-needed boost to this segment.
    • Going ahead, rooftop solar adoption is expected to proportionally increase as land and grid-connectivity for utility solar projects are expected to be hard to come by.

    Significance of solar power to India’s commitment

    • Solar power is a major prong of India’s commitment to address global warming according to the terms of the Paris Agreement, as well as achieving net zero, or no net carbon emissions, by 2070.
    • PM at the COP Glasgow, in November 2021, said India would be reaching a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030 and meet half its energy requirements via renewable energy by 2030.
    • To boost the renewable energy installation drive in the long term, the Centre in 2020 set a target of 450GW of RE capacity to be achieved by 2030, within which the target for solar was 300GW.
    • Given the challenge of integrating variable renewable energy into the grid, most of the RE capacity installed in the latter half of this decade is likely to be based on wind solar hybrid (WSH).

    Way forward

    • Supportive policies and innovative technological approaches are needed for the sector to achieve its potential.
    • Indian policymakers need to plan for rooftop solar plus storage, rather than rooftop solar alone with the grid as storage (net / gross metering).
    • The declining cost of storage solutions, along with that of rooftop solar solutions, is likely to change the future of the Indian power sector.
    • Several countries such as Australia, the United States, Germany, among others have already endorsed solar power with battery storage.
    • Energy storage, therefore, represents a huge economic opportunity for India.
    • The creation of a conducive battery manufacturing ecosystem on a fast track could cement India’s opportunity for radical economic and industrial transformation in a critical and fast-growing global market.

    Also read:

    [Sansad TV] Global Solar Grid

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  • Time Banking as a Crucial Tool to Empower Women

    This newscard is an excerpt of an article originally published in the Down To Earth.

    Defining Work

    • ‘Work’ was defined by Spanish economist Lourdes Beneria in 1999 as a paid economic activity linked to the market.
    • Both paid and unpaid work, however, are constituents of our economic life.
    • This leads to an ecosystem where unpaid and care work, performed for long hours, becomes invisible.

    Narrative of Unpaid Work

    • Women perform 75 per cent of the world’s unpaid care work, and unfortunately it is not accounted for in a nation’s gross domestic product.
    • The largest source of women’s unpaid labour is domestic work.
    • These include household chores like grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning as well as caregiving to the children, elderly and infirm.
    • In the absence of this, survival is perceived as a challenge for both individuals and society as every economy is dependent on unpaid labour and care services.

    Time Poverty and unpaid work

    • This share of labour has a cost not only in terms of the unrecognised monetary value but also time poverty.
    • Time poverty is defined as “not having enough time” to pursue interests beyond unpaid domestic / care work.
    • Time poverty has a direct bearing on the ability of women to contribute to or participate in the labour market and / or public or political life.
    • Time poverty is also responsible for insufficient political participation of women globally.

    Issues with unpaid work

    • Unpaid labour is not considered ‘real work’ and is often devalued by the men and society, who directly benefit from it.
    • The situation leads to emotional strain and combined with the time poverty, the costs often outweigh the benefits.
    • Often, women do not find enough time or motivation to participate in activities outside the household.
    • Female labour force participation rate is on a declining trend in major economies.

    The conception of Time Banking

    • Time banking comes forward as a social innovation for increased empowerment of women.
    • Traditionally, household chores are expected to be performed by women. Women in general are more time poor than men.
    • Empowerment of women is limited by time poverty. In this context the concept of time banking was introduced. 
    • Time banking can be viewed as an opportunity cost of an unpaid activity in terms of the time sacrificed.

    How does time bank function?

    • In time banks, one hour equals one time credit, regardless of the service being performed or the level of each person’s skill or gender.
    • The time banks are time-sharing cooperative among women, with people helping each other meet their day-to-day needs and address challenges in their community.
    • For each hour of a service exchanged, the service provider receives one, time credit and the beneficiary pays one, time credit.
    • The time bank networks tap into unused resources of people in the community to fill unmet needs of each other.

    Significance of time banking for women

    • Time-banking can benefit women, their families and their communities by alleviating time poverty through the system of exchange services through time credits.
    • The system has the potential to improve the livelihoods of women and their families, thereby increasing overall economic activities.
    • There were time banks operating in more than 30 countries in the Americas, Africa and Europe as well as in Russia and China.
    • Most case studies showed that time banks have functioned most as community-building tools, economic drivers or within elder care.
    • They can also be utilised to prioritise women’s political participation.
    • This has a direct impact on women empowerment and entails benefits to individual women, their families and communities.

    Time bank networks can be utilised for increasing political participation of women in the following ways:

    1. Directly: Through utilisation of time credits for campaigning for office
    2. Indirectly: By educating themselves or others on local issues or understanding their rights, accessing government programs and mobilising others.

    Way forward

    • Across the world, there are examples in our everyday life of intra- and inter-family examples of informal time-sharing.
    • However, for tangible results on a community or economy scale, the concept needs scaling up and formalisation.
    • Time banking, if made a formal arrangement, has the potential of community building, civic inclusiveness and increasing economic activity.
    • Above all, it has the potential to act as the catalyst to women empowerment by formally recognising the economic value of unpaid labour and tapping the same across communities.

     

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  • Looming Power Crisis in India

    Temperatures have shot up across many parts of the country with the early onset of summer, leading to a rise in the demand for power. Instances of power outages have been reported in several states.

    Why is there a concern around power supply?

    • The demand for power has soared.
    • Several states, including Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, and Maharashtra, are facing power outages.
    • The coal stock with power generation companies (gencos) is not adequate to meet the rising demand.

    How bad is the coal shortage?

    • Normally, a power plant must maintain 26 days of coal stock.
    • However, at present, several power plants are reporting critical levels of coal stock.
    • Data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shows that 97 power plants out of the 173 that the CEA tracks have critical levels of coal inventory.
    • Of the 173, there are 155 non-pithead plants or power plants that are not near coal mines.
    • These have an average of 28% of the stock compared to the normal scenario.
    • The 18 plants that are near coal mines have an average stock of 81% of the normal requirement.

    Note: Non-pithead plants are power plants where the coal mine is more than 1,500 kilometres away.

    Is coal shortage the only reason for a power crisis?

    • The lack of railway rakes to transport coal is also a major problem.
    • The state power distribution companies (discoms) have also not been able to clear their dues to power generation companies.
    • The covid-19 pandemic has now weakened the finances of many states, raising doubts about the ability of state-owned discoms to clear their dues.

    What has led to the coal shortage?

    • Several factors have led to the shortage, including the stagnation of production by Coal India Ltd (CIL) after the bumper production in FY15 and FY16.
    • There seems to be a tussle between the Centre and coal-rich states, which delay environment and land acquisition clearances.
    • High dues of discoms towards gencos and the eventual delay in gencos paying CIL has complicated the scenario.

    How has the Centre responded?

    • CIL has made efforts to raise supply to the power sector by reducing its dispatch to other industries.
    • The power ministry said that to avoid long-distance transport, a ‘tolling’ facility would be allowed.
    • In this system, state gencos can allow other thermal power plants near a coal mine to utilize their coal linkages to generate and transmit power back.
    • This is an easier alternative compared to transportation.
    • Further, the states need to ensure that imported coal-based plants operate at reasonable tariffs.

    Try answering this PYQ:

    Consider the following statements:

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

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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  • Nod to extend Gram Swaraj Scheme

    The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a proposal to continue the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), a scheme for improving the governance capabilities of Panchayati Raj institutions, till 2025-26.

    What is RGSA?

    • The RGSA, a centrally sponsored scheme, was first approved by the Union Cabinet in 2018 for implementation from 2018-19 to 2021-22.
    • It is a unique scheme proposed to develop and strengthen the Panchayati Raj System across India in rural areas.
    • The objective of the campaign is to promote social harmony, spread awareness about pro-poor initiatives of the government, and reach out to poor households to enroll them as also to obtain their feedback on various welfare programs.
    • The main central components of the scheme included incentivization of panchayats and mission mode project on e-Panchayat including other activities at central level.

    Scope of the scheme

    • RGSA is extend to all States and Union Territories (UTs) of the country. It includes institutions of rural local government in non-Part IX areas.
    • Part IX provides for a 3 tier Panchayat system, which would be constituted in every state at the village level, intermediate level and district level.
    • This provision brought uniformity in the Panchayati Raj structure in India.

    Areas where Part IX is not applicable:

    As per Article 243M of the Constitution, provisions of Part IX of the Constitution are not applicable to:

    • Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas referred to in Article 244.
    • The States of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
    • The hill areas in the State of Manipur for which District Councils exist. (In these areas, district councils and various types of village-level bodies are in existence)
    • Panchayats at the district level to the hill areas of the District of Darjeeling in the State of West Bengal.
    • Provision of the Article 243D with respect to reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes is not applicable to the State of Arunachal Pradesh.

    Purpose of extension

    The scheme would work towards:

    • Poverty-free and enhanced livelihood in villages
    • Healthy villages, child-friendly villages
    • Water-sufficient villages
    • Clean and green villages
    • Self-sufficient infrastructure in villages
    • Socially-secure villages with good governance and engendered development

     

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  • Why are vaccines administered into the upper arm?

    Almost everyone vaccinated for Covid-19 over the last 16 months will remember that he or she received a quick prick in the upper arm.

    Why vaccines are generally administered into muscle?

    • This is because most vaccines, including those for Covid-19, are most effective when administered through the intramuscular route into the upper arm muscle, known as the deltoid.
    • There are several reasons, but the most important one is that the muscles have a rich blood supply network.
    • This means whenever a vaccine carrying an antigen is injected into it, the muscle releases the antigen, which gets dispersed by the muscular vasculature, or the arrangement of blood vessels in the muscle.
    • The antigen then gets picked up by a type of immune cells called dendritic cells, which function by showing antigens on their surface to other cells of the immune system.
    • The dendritic cells carry the antigen through the lymphatic fluid to the lymph node.

    Role of T Cells

    • T Cells also called T lymphocyte, type of leukocyte (white blood cell) that is an essential part of the immune system.
    • T cells are one of two primary types of lymphocytes—B cells being the second type—that determine the specificity of the immune response to antigens (foreign substances) in the body.
    • Through the course of research over the years, it is understood that the lymph nodes have T cells and B cells — the body’s primary protector cells.
    • Once this antigen gets flagged and is given to the T cells and B cells that is how we start developing an immune response against a particular virus.
    • It could be any of the new viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, or the previous viruses which we have been running vaccination programs for.

    Other options for vaccination

    • Conversely, if the vaccine is administered into the subcutaneous fat tissue [between the skin and the muscle], which has a poor blood supply, absorption of the antigen vaccine is poor and therefore one may have failed immune response.
    • Similarly, the additives which could be toxic, could cause a local reaction.
    • The same thing could happen when the vaccine is administered intradermally (just below the outermost skin layer, the epidermis).
    • Hence, the route chosen now for most vaccines is intramuscular.
    • Also, compared to the skin or subcutaneous tissue, the muscles have fewer pain receptors, and so an intramuscular injection does not hurt as much as a subcutaneous or an intradermal injection.

    But why the upper arm muscle in particular?

    • In some vaccines, such as that for rabies, the immunogenicity — the ability of any cell or tissue to provoke an immune response — increases when it is administered in the arm.
    • If administered in subcutaneous fat tissues located at the thigh or hips, these vaccines show a lower immunogenicity and thus there is a chance of vaccine failure.

    Why not administer the vaccine directly into the vein?

    • This is to ensure the ‘depot effect’, or release of medication slowly over time to enable longer effectiveness.
    • When given intravenously, the vaccine is quickly absorbed into the circulation.
    • The intramuscular method takes some time to absorb the vaccine.
    • Wherever a vaccination programme is carried out, it is carried out for the masses.
    • To deposit the vaccine, the easiest route would be the oral route (like the polio vaccine).
    • However, for other vaccines that need to be administered intravenously or intramuscularly (enabling wider field-based administration), the intramuscular route is chosen from a public health perspective over the intravenous route.

    Which vaccines are administered through other routes?

    • One of the oldest vaccines that for smallpox, was given by scarification of the skin.
    • However, with time, doctors realised there are better ways to vaccinate beneficiaries.
    • These included the intradermal route, the subcutaneous route, the intramuscular route, oral, and nasal routes.
    • There are only two exceptions that continue to be administered through the intradermal route.
    • These are the vaccines for BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin) and for tuberculosis because these two vaccines continue to work empirically well when administered through the intradermal route.

     

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  • Festivals in news: Madhavpur Mela

    The Madhavpur Mela was recently inaugurated by the President of India.

    In the entire country, there is no other fair which the President and host of Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of a number of states visit.

    What is the Madhavpur Mela?

    • The Mela is a religio-cultural fair taking place every year in Madhavpur, a village on the Porbandar coast, also known as Madhavpur Ghed.
    • The village has temples of Madhavraiji, or Lord Krishna, and his consort Rukmini, believed to have been built in the 15th century.
    • It is also known for its sandy sea beach, the turquoise waters of the Arabian Sea, a sea turtle hatchery and the Osho Ashram
    • The fair begins on Ram Navami, Lord Rama’s birth anniversary falling on the ninth day of the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendar, and culminates on Tryodashi, the 13th day of the month.

    Mythology behind the fair

    • The fair celebrates the marriage of Lord Krishna with Rukmini around 4,000 years ago, as per Hindu mythology.
    • The fair begins on Ram Navami, Lord Rama’s birth anniversary falling on the ninth day of the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendar, and culminates on Tryodashi, the 13th day of the month.
    • According to mythology, Lord Krishna had established his kingdom in Dwarka near Porbandar.
    • Rukmini, daughter of King Bhimak of the present-day Arunachal Pradesh, wanted to marry Krishna, while her brother wanted to marry her off to Shishupal, Krishna’s cousin.
    • Therefore, Krishna abducted Rukmini, brought her to Gujarat and tied the knot with her at Madhavpur village.
    • Today, to mark the wedding, marriage rituals go on for five days.
    • They culminate with the idols of Lord Krishna and Rukmini being taken out in a procession through Madhavpur for ‘samaiya’, a ritual to welcome the bridegroom back home with his bride.

    Significance of the fair

    • The President observed that fairs and festivals have bonded the people of India for ages and that Madhavpur Mela also integrates Gujarat to the Northeast of India.
    • This fair reflects that, despite our languages, dialects and lifestyles being different, Indians, since time immemorial, have been one culturally.

    Do you know?

    There is one such festival called ‘Pushkaram’ which is celebrated by the people of Tamil Nadu. Devotees from Tamil Nadu perform rituals at the banks of Brahmaputra River.

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  • Prelims 2022: How to Reduce Errors and Increase Efficiency || Learn from 120+ scorer in Prelims || Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)|| Register for Free Webinar

    Prelims 2022: How to Reduce Errors and Increase Efficiency || Learn from 120+ scorer in Prelims || Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)|| Register for Free Webinar

    Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

    With Less than 60 days remaining for UPSC 2022 Prelims, your preparation must revolve around revision and attempting tests. At this stage, aspirants become more stressed and anxious than when they first started their preparation. Having a foolproof strategy for the last few days can work wonders — especially for those falling on the borderline, scoring between 80-90 marks in the mock test series. Now is the time to focus on improving your performance and boosting your scores.  

    While many of you, would have felt easier following a timetable for an entire year, you might not be sure how to revise every topic in the syllabus along with test series and current affairs of 1.5 years in last few days. 

    Open to all, Free Live Webinar by IPoS Officer Vikas Palwe (CSE 2020)

    Vikas Palwe has a special command over UPSC Prelims. In all his 5 attempts, He scored 120+ marks consistently. Now, with prelims coming up in few days, he would be happy to share his mantras and techniques to scoring high in prelims with future aspirants.

    Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

    If you are attempting this year’s prelims then do not miss this opportunity. Attend the webinar to gain topper’s insights on prelims and clear your personal queries with him.

    Webinar Details

    This Ask me Anything session is free for all aspirants to attend but is perfect for anyone looking for a refreshing break from their grueling studies. Only limited slots are available, so register ASAP.

    Date: 15th April, 2022 (Friday)

    Time: 5 to 6:30 PM

    Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

    What will you Learn in This Free Live Webinar by Vikas Palwe(IPoS CSE 2020)?

    1. What changes should you make in your prelims preparation if you don’t score well?

    2. What are the current revision materials, both online and offline?

    3. How should I take notes right now from a Prelims perspective?

    4. What are the study techniques you must employ in the final 50 days of the Prelims, and which should you avoid?

    5. How do you revise a subject in a week?

    6. What are the CSAT topics with the highest weightage that will earn you the most points?

    7. What are the techniques for recalling information while reading a difficult question in an exam hall? (With an actual demonstration)

    Learn from the experts before it is too late!!

    Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

  • [Prelims Spotlight] Budget and Eco Survey

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    Dear Aspirants,

    This Spotlight is a part of our Mission Nikaalo Prelims-2022

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    Prelims Spotlight: Budget and Economic Survey

    14th Apr 2022

    The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs has presented the Economic Survey 2021-22 in Parliament.

    [1] State of the Economy

    • Economic growth: Indian economy estimated to grow by 9.2 percent in real terms in 2021-22 (as per first advanced estimates) subsequent to a contraction of 7.3 percent in 2020-21. 
    • GDP growth: GDP projected to grow by 8- 8.5 percent in real terms in 2022-23.  
    • Agriculture and allied sectors: In line with the longer term trend, the area sown in the Kharif cycle of 2021-22 was again higher than in the previous year. In contrast to the steady performance of the primary sector, the industrial sector went through a big swing by first contracting by 7 per cent in 2020-21 and then expanding by 11.8 per cent in this financial year.

    [2] Fiscal Developments

    • Revenue receipts: These have gone up by 67.2 percent (YoY) as against an expected growth of 9.6 percent in the 2021-22 Budget Estimates.
    • Gross Tax Revenue: It registered a growth of over 50 percent during April to November, 2021 in YoY terms. 
    • Borrowings: With the enhanced borrowings on account of COVID-19, the Central Government debt has gone up from 49.1 percent of GDP in 2019-20 to 59.3 percent of GDP in 2020-21.

    [3] External Sectors

    • India’s merchandise exports and imports rebounded strongly and surpassed pre-COVID levels during the current financial year.
    • Net capital flows: These were higher at US$ 65.6 billion in the first half of 2021-22, on account of continued inflow of foreign investment, revival in net external commercial borrowings, higher banking capital and additional special drawing rights (SDR) allocation.
    • India’s external debt: It rose to US $ 593.1 billion at end-September 2021, from US $ 556.8 billion a year earlier, reflecting additional SDR allocation by IMF, coupled with higher commercial borrowings.
    • Foreign Exchange Reserves: It touched US $ 633.6 billion in Dec 2021 making India the fourth largest forex reserves holder in the world after China, Japan and Switzerland.

    [4] Monetary Management and Financial Intermediation

    • Repo was maintained: The liquidity in the system remained in surplus. Repo rate was maintained at 4 per cent in 2021-22.
    • GSAP: RBI undertook various measures such as G-Sec Acquisition Programme and Special Long-Term Repo Operations to provide further liquidity.
    • NPAs declined: The Gross Non-Performing Advances ratio of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) declined from 11.2 per cent at the end of 2017-18 to 6.9 per cent at the end of September, 2021.

    [5] Prices and Inflation

    • Control over food inflation: The decline in retail inflation was led by easing of food inflation. Proactive measures were taken to contain the price rise in pulses and edible oils.
    • Supply constraints eased: Effective supply-side management kept prices of most essential commodities under control during the year.
    • Fuel price reduction: Reduction in central excise and subsequent cuts in Value Added Tax by most States helped ease petrol and diesel prices.

    [6] Sustainable Development and Climate Change

    • Sustainable development: India’s overall score on the NITI Aayog SDG India Index and Dashboard improved to 66 in 2020-21 from 60 in 2019-20 and 57 in 2018-19.
    • Rise in forest cover: India has the tenth largest forest area in the world. In 2020, India ranked third globally in increasing its forest area during 2010 to 2020. In 2020, the forests covered 24% of India’s total geographical, accounting for 2% of the world’s total forest area.
    • Plastic waste management (PWM): In August 2021, the PWM Amendment Rules, 2021, was notified which is aimed at phasing out single use plastic by 2022.
    • Extended Producer Responsibility for plastic: Draft rules for plastic packaging was notified.
    • Pledge on Net-Zero Emissions: The PM participated at COP-26 in Glasgow. He announced ambitious targets to achieve net-zero by 2070.

     

    [7] Agriculture and Food Management

      • Minimum Support Price (MSP) policy: It is being used to promote crop diversification.
      • Allied sector growth: Allied sectors including animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries are steadily emerging to be high growth sectors and major drivers of overall growth in agriculture sector.
      • Food security:  Government has further extended the coverage of food security network through schemes like PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).
      • Income Support: Timely release of PM-KISAN Funds.

    [8] Industry and Infrastructure:

    • Index of Industrial Production (IIP): It grew at 17.4 percent (YoY) during April-November 2021 as compared to -15.3 percent in April-November 2020.
    • Extent of road construction per day: This has increased substantially in 2020-21 to 36.5 Kms per day from 28 Kms per day in 2019-20 – a rise of 30.4 percent.
    • Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme: It gave a major boost to infrastructure-both physical as well as digital.
    • In contrast to the steady performance of the primary sector, the industrial sector went through a big swing by first contracting by 7 per cent in 2020-21 and then expanding by 11.8 per cent in this financial year.

    [9] Services Sector

    • Growth despite pandemic: Overall service Sector GVA is expected to grow by 8.2 percent in 2021-22.
    • Opening up of space sector to private players: Major government reform.
    • India becomes start-up hub: India has become 3rd largest start-up ecosystem in the world after US and China.
    • Unicorns in India: 44 Indian start-ups have achieved unicorn status in 2021 taking overall tally of unicorns to 83, most of which are in services sector.

    [10] Social Infrastructure and Employment

    • Universal vaccination: 157.94 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered (as on 16th January 2022).
    • Employment recovery: As per the quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PFLS) data up to March 2021, employment in urban sector affected by pandemic has recovered almost to the pre-pandemic level.
    • Expenditure on social services (health, education and others): This expenditure by Centre and States as a proportion of GDP increased from 6.2 % in 2014-15 to 8.6% in 2021-22.
    • National Family Health Survey-5:
    1. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) came down to 2 in 2019-21 from 2.2 in 2015-16
    2. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), under-five mortality rate and institutional births have improved in 2019-21 over year 2015-16
    3. Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): Under this, 83 districts have become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ districts.
    4. Continuance of MGNREGS: Increased allotment of funds to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) to provide buffer for unorganized labour in rural areas during the pandemic.

    [11] Investment: Gross Fixed Capital Formation

    • Statistically it measures the value of acquisitions of new or existing fixed assets by the business sector, governments and “pure” households (excluding their unincorporated enterprises) less disposals of fixed assets. GFCF is a component of the expenditure on gross domestic product (GDP), and thus shows something about how much of the new value added in the economy is invested rather than consumed. GFCF is called “gross” because the measure does not make any adjustments to deduct the consumption of fixed capital (depreciation of fixed assets) from the investment figures.
    • Investment, as measured by Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) is expected to see strong growth of 15 per cent in 2021-22 and achieve full recovery of pre-pandemic level. Government’s policy thrust on quickening virtuous cycles of growth via capex and infrastructure spending has increased capital formation in the economy, lifting the investment to GDP ratio to about 29.6 per cent in 2021-22, the highest in seven years.
      BARBELL STRATEGY, SAFETY NETS & AGILE RESPONSE:
    • “Barbell Strategy”: It combined a bouquet of safety-nets to cushion the impact on vulnerable sections of society/business, with a flexible policy response based on a Bayesian updating of information. This is a common strategy used in financial markets to deal with extreme uncertainty.
    • The Agile approach is a well-established intellectual framework that is increasingly used in fields like project management and technology development. In an uncertain environment, the Agile framework responds by assessing outcomes in short iterations and constantly adjusting incrementally.
    • The Waterfall approach entails a detailed, initial assessment of the problem followed by a rigid up-front plan for implementation. This methodology works on the premise that all requirements can be understood at the beginning and therefore pre-commits to a certain path of action. This is the thinking reflected in five-year economic plans, and rigid urban master-plans.

     

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