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  • Census in India

    censusContext

    • As there is no official reassurance that India will not skip its decadal Census, we can declare that we have a case of the missing census.
    • The census is a very important source of statistics on various indicators.
    • The ability to hold a census peacefully, and not coercively, has been the hallmark of a civilized state and state of affairs.

    What is a census?

    • Census is nothing but a process of collecting, compiling, analyzing, evaluating, publishing and disseminating statistical data regarding the population.
    • It covers demographic, social and economic data and is provided as of a particular date.

    What is the purpose of the census?

    • To collect the information for planning and formulation policies for Central and the State Governments.
    • The census tells us who we are and where we are going as a nation.
    • It helps the government decide how to distribute funds and assistance to states and localities.
    • The census data is widely used by National and International Agencies, scholars, business people, industrialists, and many more.

    censusWhy is the census important?

    • Provides most credible source of information: information on Demography (Population characteristics), Economic Activity, Literacy and Education, Housing & Household Amenities, Urbanisation, Fertility and Mortality, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Language, Religion, Migration, Disability and many other socio-cultural and demographic data.
    • The delimitation/reservation of Constituencies: Parliamentary/Assembly/Panchayats and other Local Bodies are also done on the basis of the demographic data thrown up by the Census.
    • Administration: Census is the basis for reviewing the country’s progress in the past decade, monitoring the ongoing Schemes of the Government.
    • Planning the future: It provides pathways for planning and resolving problems, and fixing deficiencies. Government goes through analysis over the census data and formulates policies for the future accordingly.
    • Detailed accounts: The best of sample surveys find it impossible to beat a census as It carries the promise of counting each and every Indian. A census is when the state connects to every individual and it will find it hard to hide or duck from the data.
    • Welfare schemes: Identifying the actual beneficiaries, Census is the key to creating identity and affirming it over time .Census data enable neat, inter-temporal comparability.

    Censuses in India so far

    • Census operations started in India long back during the period of the Maurya dynasty.
    • It was systematized during the years 1865 to 1872, though it has been conducted uninterruptedly from the year 1881 being a trustworthy resource of information.
    • India has held its decadal censuses regularly from 1881 to 2011, despite diseases, world wars, Partition and other instances of turmoil only COVID-19 as an exception.
    • Census 2011 is the 15th National Census of the Country.
    • The Census established that the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is coming down at a very rapid pace and is well on its way to stabilization.
    • The 2011 Census also dispelled the notion of divorce rate differentials between city and rural India. The urban divorce rate (0.89%) is almost equal to the rural rate (0.82%).

    censusWhy census 2021 has been postponed indefinitely?

    • The Ministry of Home Affairs told the Lok Sabha in August, 2021 that the massive, decennial exercise came to a grinding halt due to the advent of Coid-19 pandemic.

    What was the original timeline of the Census and how is it being delayed?

    • Gazette notification: The Centre’s intent to conduct Census 2021 was notified in the Gazette of India on March 28, 2019. The exercise was to have been conducted in two phases, with the housing Census from April to September 2020 and population enumeration from February 9, 2021.but it did not take place due to the spread of COVID-19.
    • Alternative timeline post-covid-19: In March 2021, the Home Ministry gave a Parliamentary panel a tentative alternative timeline. The fieldwork for the first phase, which would provide data on housing conditions, household amenities and assets possessed by households, is expected during 2021-22, while the fieldwork to count the population and provide data on demography, religion, Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SC/ST), language, literacy and education, economic activity, migration and fertility would be done in 2023-24, it said.
    • Said Provisional data: The Ministry added that provisional data would be released in 2023-24 before the next general elections. Usually, more detailed tables providing village-level data on specific indicators will continue to be released for several years after the key information.

    censusImpact of delay in census 2021

    • Public distribution system:
    • The National Food Security Act, 2013, says that 75% of the rural population and 50% of the rural population are entitled to receive subsidised food grains from the government under the targeted public distribution system (PDS).
    • Under the 2011 Census, India’s population was about 121 crore, hence PDS covered approximately 80 crore people.
    • If we apply projected population of 137crore ,current delay in Census data would continue to deprive more than 10 crore people of subsidised food entitlements, with the biggest gaps in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with 2.8 crore and 1.8 crore projected exclusions respectively.
    • welfare schemes:
    • Although the Government’s intent to use SECC data but failed at budgetary allocation for the projected expansion.
    • Census data may not be used to calculate the beneficiaries of most schemes, but it is critical to policy planning, budgeting and administration.
    • A number of schemes need to use the disaggregated age and fertility indicators to assess effectiveness as demographics change over time.
    • Huge lag in Migration data:
    • From the COVID19 lockdowns it is realized that the Numbers, causes and patterns of migration, which could not be answered using outdated 2011 Census data.
    • The D-tables on migration from the 2011 Census were only released in 2019, so it’s outdated by the time it came out.
    • Apart from the One Nation, One Ration card scheme which now allows for portability of food subsidy entitlements, the migration data is actually not used too much in broader economic policy and planning.

    Why there is a demand for caste census in India?

    • India’s population has since increased three-fold to 1.21 billion in 2011.
    • Experts believe the economic status of the dominant OBC castes have improved in the past 80 years and certain castes have not benefited as much.
    • So, the new caste census is required to measure the economic and social well-being of all castes.

    Other related information Key findings of 2011 census

    • Population:
    • India’s population grew by 17.7 per cent during 2001-11, against 21.5 per cent in the previous decade.
    • India’s total population stands at 1.21 billion, which is 17.7 per cent more than the last decade, and growth of females was higher than that of males.
    • The growth rate of females was 18.3 per cent which is higher than males — 17.1 per cent.
    • Among the major states, highest decadal growth in population has been recorded in Bihar (25.4 per cent) while 14 states and Union Territories have recorded population growth above 20 per cent.
    • Rural and urban population:
    • Urban proportion has gone up from 17.3 per cent in 1951 to 31.2 per cent in 2011.
    • Highest proportion of urban population is in NCT Delhi (97.5 per cent).
    • Top five states in share of urban population are Goa (62.2 per cent), Mizoram (52.1 per cent), Tamil Nadu (48.4 per cent), Kerala (47.7 per cent) and Maharashtra (45.2 per cent).
    • Literacy:
    • Literacy rate in India in 2011 has increased by 8 per cent to 73 per cent in comparison to 64.8 per cent in 2001.
    • Male literacy rate stands at 80.9 per cent, which is 5.6 per cent more than the previous census whereas the female literacy rate stands at 64.6 per cent, increase of 10.9 per cent than 2001.
    • The highest increase took place in Dadra and Nagar Haveli by 18.6 points (from 57.6 per cent to 76.2 per cent), while in Bihar by 14.8 points (from 47.0 per cent to 61.8 per cent), Tripura by 14.0 points (from 73.2 per cent to 87.2 per cent)
    • Density:
    • The density of population in the country has also increased from 325 in 2001 to 382 in 2011 in per sq km.
    • Among the major states, Bihar occupies the first position with a density of 1106, surpassing West Bengal which occupied the first position during 2001.
    • Delhi (11,320) turns out to be the most densely inhabited followed by Chandigarh (9,258), among all states and UT’s, both in 2001 and 2011 Census.
    • The minimum population density works out in Arunachal Pradesh (17) for both 2001 and 2011 Census.
    • Sex ratio:
    • The sex ratio of population in the country in 2011 stands at 940 female against 1000 males, which is 10 per cent more than the last census when the number female per thousand male stood at 933.
    • The number of females per 1000 males in Haryana in 2011 stands at 879 followed by Jammu and Kashmir (889 female) and Punjab (895 females).
    • The other two worst-performing states in terms of skewed sex ration are Uttar Pradesh (912 females) and Bihar (918 females).
    • Five top performing states in terms of sex ratio were Kerala (1,084 females), Tamil Nadu (996), Andhra Pradesh (993), Chhattisgarh (991),Odisha (979).
    • Child population:
    • Child population in the age of 0 to 6 years has seen an increase of 0.4 per cent.
    • There has been a decline of 8 per cent in the sex ratio of 0-6 age group. In 2011, the child sex ratio (0-6) stands at 919 female against 1000 male in comparison to 927 females in 2001.
    • Male child (0-6) population has increased whereas female child population has decreased during 2001-11.
    • The worst performing states in regard to sex ration in the age group of 0 to 6 years are Haryana (834 females), Punjab (846), Jammu and Kashmir (862), Rajasthan (888) and Gujarat (890).
    • The best performing states are Chhattisgarh (969), Kerala (964), Assam (962), West Bengal (956) Jharkhand (948) and Karnataka (948).
    • SC/ST data:
    • According to the Census, Scheduled Castes are notified in 31 states and UTs and Scheduled Tribes in 30 states. There are altogether 1,241 individual ethnic groups notified as SC’s .The number of individual ethnic groups, notified as ST’s is 705.
    • There have been some changes in the list of SC’s/ST’s in states and UT’s during the last decade.
    • The SC population in India now stands at 201.4 million, which is 20 per cent more than the last census. The ST population stands at 104.3 million in 2011 – 23.7 per cent more than 2001.
    • Religious demographics:
    • The religious data on India Census 2011 was released by the Government of India on 25 August 2015.
    • Hindus are 79.8% (966.3 million), while Muslims are 14.23% (172.2 million) in India.
    • For the first time, a “No religion” category was added in the 2011 census. 2.87 million Were classified as people belonging to “No Religion” in India in the 2011 census. – 0.24% of India’s population of 1.21 billion.
    • Median marriage age:
    • The median age increased for men – from 22.6 (2001) to 23.5 (2011) and for women – from 18.2 (2001) to 19.2 (2011).

    Conclusion

    • The census is vital and precious as it is a repository of complete data about the country which is gathered openly, voluntarily, and with the use of public money, making it a social good.
    • The new Census is likely to capture the extent of the observed movement in migration trends towards smaller two-tier towns apart from the large metropolitan centre.
    • It could help answer questions of what kind of healthcare and social services are most needed and where.
    • The Census is about many things. But, fundamentally, it is a way in which the state, by knocking at all doors, displays its desire to connect with the people who ultimately comprise the nation.

     

    Mains Question

    Q. Apart from being used to demarcate constituencies, updated decadal census data is vital to administration. How will the indefinite postponement of census impact the policy formation for the future? Critically Analyse.

     Do follow this link 

    Census 2011 | The basics and summary of important findings

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  • Left wing extremism

    mao

    The Maoist movement is on the ebb on the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha boundary, with its cadre and militia strength heavily depleted.

    Who are the Maoists?

    • Maoism is a form of communism developed by Mao Zedong.
    • It is a doctrine to capture State power through a combination of armed insurgency, mass mobilization and strategic alliances.
    • The Maoists also use propaganda and disinformation against State institutions as other components of their insurgency doctrine.

    Maoists and Maoism in India

    • The Communist Party of India (Maoist) is a Marxist–Leninist–Maoist banned communist political party and militant organization in India.
    • It aims to overthrow the “semi-colonial and semi-feudal Indian state” through people’s war.

    Confused between Maoists and Naxalities?

    • Usually, people confuse themselves over Maoists and Naxalities and cannot exactly trace the difference between the two terminologies.
    • Media seems to be confused with the terms and uses Maoists and Naxalities quite inter-changeably.
    • This creates confusion in the readers’ minds over the actual meaning of individual terms.

    The actual difference between the terms is as follows:

    • The difference between Maoists struggle and the Naxalite movement is that both trace their origin to the Naxalbari uprising of 1967.
    • But while the Naxalite movement thrives on the original spirit of Naxalbari; the Maoist struggle is an outcome of the 1967 uprising.
    • Maoists work with an agenda and use weapons to achieve their aims.
    • Naxalism focuses on mass organisations while the Maoism relies mainly on arms.

    History and evolution

    • Russian Revolution: Naxalism in India, like any other leftist movement around the globe draws its ideological basis from the Russian revolution.
    • Overthrowing Tsarist Regime: Lenin successfully fought against the Czarist Rule through a combination of peasant movement and an armed struggle.
    • Marxian ideology of class struggle: The prime intent was to bestow power in the hands of the exploited and marginalized and enforce societal control over governance and nation building.
    • Neo-Marxism: After the success of the Lenin-led revolution in Russia, the intellectual class in many countries got inspired. Prominent amongst them were Fidel Castro and Mao Zedong.

    Root cause of origin in India

    • Corporate exploitation: Since Eastern India is rich in natural resources including forests, minerals and mines, tribal face exploitation and harassment from government and corporate bodies targeting to extract those resources.
    • Tribal alienation: Tribal communities have been systematically alienated from their traditional rights over natural resources after independence.
    • Livelihood losses: Tribal livelihood is at stake due to depletion of natural resource base.
    • Forceful displacement: Forceful displacement from their homeland destroys their traditional governance system.
    • Absence of governance: In such exploited areas, the absence of governance becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy since the delivery systems are extinguished through killings and intimidation.
    • Foreign provocations: Many of LWE outfits are supported by external forces inimical to India and the Maoists consider such alliances as strategic assets.

    Other factors:

    1. Oppression and HR violations by Security Forces e.g. AFSPA
    2. Violation of Constitutional Protections under PESA and FRA
    3. Prevalence of Acute Poverty

    Impact of LWE

    • Romanticism without a cause: Some sections of the society, especially the younger generation, have romantic illusions about the Maoists, arising out of an incomplete understanding of their ideology of Class –Struggle.
    • Extreme violence: Their doctrine glorifies violence as the primary means to overwhelm the existing socio-economic and political structures.
    • Destruction of governance mechanism: LWEs aims at creating a vacuum at the grassroots level of the existing governance structures by killing lower-level government officials, police personnel of the local police stations and the people’s representatives of the PRIs.
    • Radicalization of youths: After creating a political and governance vacuum, they coerce the local population to join the movement.
    • Urban-Maoism: Many extremists have facilitated mass-mobilization in semi-urban and urban areas through ostensibly democratic means often led by well-educated intellectuals.

    Outcomes of perpetrating LWE

    The Leftist organizations skilfully use state structures and legal processes to further the Maoist agenda and weaken the enforcement regime through:

    1. Recruitment of ‘professional revolutionaries’
    2. Raising funds for the insurgency
    3. Creating urban shelters for underground cadres
    4. Providing legal assistance to arrested cadres and
    5. Mass- mobilization by agitating over issues of relevance/ convenience

    Govt initiatives for LWE-affected areas

    • Aspirational Districts: The MHA has been tasked with the monitoring of the Aspirational districts programme in 35 LWE affected districts.
    • HRD measures: Building of schools under the Eklavya model.
    • Road Connectivity Project for LWE affected areas (RRP-II): This aims for improving road connectivity in LWE affected States. Under this, 9279 km of roads and 392 bridges are sanctioned.
    • Naxal Surrender Policy: It aims to wean away misguided youth and hardcore naxalites who have strayed into the fold of the naxal movement and cannot find a way back.
    • National Policy Action Plan: To address Left Wing Extremism approved in 2015, has development as one of the most important component.

    SAMADHAN doctrine: It encompasses the entire strategy of government from short-term policy to long-term policy formulated at different levels. SAMADHAN stands for-

    • S- Smart Leadership
    • A- Aggressive Strategy
    • M- Motivation and Training
    • A- Actionable Intelligence
    • D- Dashboard Based KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and KRAs (Key Result Areas)
    • H- Harnessing Technology
    • A- Action plan for each Theatre
    • N- No access to Financing

    Way forward

    • Indian counterinsurgency has to work with a dual objective of defeating the insurgents militarily and fully quell the insurgent impulses.
    • This will need institutional overhauls.
    • States must do more to synergize their efforts by launching coordinated operations, thereby denying Maoists any space for manoeuvrability.
    • On parallel grounds, it is also important to segregate the population from the insurgents both operationally and ideologically.
    • The conflict over the distribution of resources can be mended with economic development.

     

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  • Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Conflict

    conflict

    Nearly 100 people have been killed and scores injured in violent border clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan over the last week.

    What is the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Conflict?

    • The clashes are replaying old pre- and post-Soviet era legacies.
    • The borders of the two republics were demarcated under Joseph Stalin’s leadership.
    • Historically, the Kyrgyz and Tajik populations enjoyed common rights over natural resources.
    • The issue of the delimitation of the border is a relic of the Soviet era.
    • While regular talks have tried to resolve the issue, one of the crucial points of disagreement remains over the map which should be used for demarcation purposes.
    • Almost half of its close to a 1000 km border is disputed.

    Genesis of the dispute

    • The creation of the Soviet Union saw the large-scale redistribution of livestock to collective and state farms, which upset the existing status quo.
    • Unfortunately, there was only so much land to go around.
    • The Tajik territory of Batken saw their livestock increase, and with scarce grazing land, agreements were signed between the two populations over the utilisation of Kyrgyz territory by the Tajiks’ livestock.

    What is happening now at the border?

    • The last few weeks have seen constant shelling, violent confrontations by local communities, and active engagement by security forces on either side.
    • The Batken region of Kyrgyzstan is seeing families being moved out and getting relocated.
    • According to Kyrgyzstan, close to 1,50,000 people out of the 5,50,000 odd population of the Batken region have either fled the area or have been relocated by the state.
    • The situation in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, is no different. The highly militarised borders also add to tensions.

    Significance of Batken

    • The Batken region, bordering Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the south of the country, is one of the seven regions of Kyrgyzstan with its natural underground and water resources, natural beauty, smooth transit routes and a population of around 500,000.
    • Located 750 kilometers (466.02 miles) from Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, and in the southwest of the country, the Batken region is located on the edge of the famous Fergana Valley in Central Asia.
    • Fergana Valley includes Fergana, Namangan, Andijan in Uzbekistan, Hocand in Tajikistan, Osh, Jalalabad and Batken in Kyrgyzstan.
    • The Batken region borders the Republic of Uzbekistan in the northeast and the Republic of Tajikistan in the southwest and north.
    • Covering 8.5% of Kyrgyzstan’s land, the region has agricultural, underground, water and energy resources, as well as oil and natural gas resources, albeit small.

    What led to the current flare-up?

    • The ideological basis of the current set of clashes is reinforced by developmental issues, thus providing a fertile ground for the entire geopolitical space to become a hotbed of multiple minor conflicts and clashes.
    • The groups from either side planted trees in disputed areas and engaged in a physical confrontation using agricultural equipment as weapons.

    Why are the clashes occurring now?

    • The collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent dissolution of the then-existing water and land agreements saw the creation of multiple smaller independent farms.
    • This has led to a marked increase in water consumption patterns among the farmers.
    • Both countries share multiple water channels with undulating trajectories and flow, which upset equitable access to water on both sides.
    • As a result, small-scale conflicts occur practically every year during the crucial irrigation period.

    What is the road ahead?

    • The path to resolution of the conflict will require groups to agree upon a common map.
    • Russia often brokers between the two.
    • The international community will have to make efforts to solve the dispute by involving elders in the communities, as historically, elders have been used to resolve conflicts.
    • The informal small-scale governance mechanisms would also have to be further strengthened through a concerted effort by the respective countries to stabilize the geopolitical dynamics.

     

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  • Draft Telecom Bill 2022

    telecom

    In a bid to do away with British-era laws governing the telecom sector, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued the draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022.

    Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022

    • The proposed Bill aims to bring in sweeping changes to how the telecom sector is governed, primarily by giving the Centre more powers in several areas to do so.
    • The draft Bill consolidates three separate acts that govern the telecommunications sector:
    1. Indian Telegraph Act 1885
    2. Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933, and
    3. The Telegraph Wires, (Unlawful Protection) Act 1950

    Why has the government issued a draft Telecommunication Bill?

    • Through the bill, the Centre aims to consolidate and amend the existing laws governing the provision, development, expansion and operation of telecom services, networks and infrastructure.

    Key amendments introduced

    • Inclusion of messengers: One of the key changes is inclusion of new-age over-the-top communication services like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram in the definition of telecommunication services.
    • Licensing of telecom services: As per the draft law, providers of telecom services will be covered under the licensing regime, and will be subjected to similar rules as other telecom operators.
    • Covering OTT services: This issue has been under contention for several years now with telecom service providers seeking a level-playing field with OTT apps over communication services such as voice calls, messages, etc. Operators had to incur high costs of licences and spectrum, while OTT players rode on their infrastructure to offer free services.

    Other focus areas

    • The Centre is also looking to amend the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act (TRAI Act) to dilute the sectoral watchdog’s function of being a recommendatory body.
    • The current TRAI Act mandates the telecom department to seek the regulator’s views before issuing a new licence to a service provider.
    • The proposed Bill does away with this provision.
    • It has also removed the provision that empowered TRAI to request the government to furnish information or documents necessary to make this recommendation.
    • Additionally, the new Bill also proposes to remove the provision where if the DoT cannot accept TRAI’s recommendations or needs modification, it had to refer back the recommendation for reconsideration by TRAI.

    Addressing the concerns of telecom industry

    (1) Insolvency of Telecoms

    • The DoT has also proposed that if a telecom entity in possession of spectrum goes through bankruptcy or insolvency, the assigned spectrum will revert to the control of the Centre.
    • So far, in insolvency proceedings, there has been a lack of clarity on whether the spectrum owned by a defaulting operator belongs to the Centre, or whether banks can take control of it.

    (2) Granting relief

    • The draft Bill also accords the Centre powers to defer, convert into equity, write off or grant relief to any licensee under extraordinary circumstances, including financial stress, consumer interest, and maintaining competition, among other things.

    (3) Replacing USOF

    • It also proposes to replace the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) with the Telecommunication Development Fund (TDF).
    • USOF is the pool of funds generated by the 5 per cent Universal Service Levy that is charged upon all telecom fund operators on their Adjusted Gross Revenue.
    • The USOF has largely been used to aid rural connectivity.
    • However, with the TDF, the objective is also to boost connectivity in underserved urban areas, R&D, skill development, etc.

    Back2Basics: Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)

    • The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) was formed by an Act of Parliament, was established in April 2002 under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act 2003.
    • It aims to provide financial support for the provision of telecom services in commercially unviable rural and remote areas of the country.
    • It is an attached office of the Department of Telecom, and is headed by the administrator, who is appointed by the central government.

     

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  • New Account Settlement System for Stock Trading

    Beginning October 1, the new account settlement system for the stock broking industry will kick in under the new guidelines issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

    What is Settlement of Accounts?

    • The SEBI mandates stockbrokers to settle i.e., transfer the available credit balance from trading account to bank account, at least once in a quarter (90 days) or 30 days.
    • The process of transferring the unutilised funds back into the bank account is called ‘Running Account Settlement’ or ‘Quarterly Settlement of Funds’.
    • The funds are transferred back to the primary bank account of the customer that is linked to the trading account.
    • As per the latest guidelines, the settlement will now be done on the first Friday of the quarter or the month depending upon the option selected by the customer.

    What are SEBI’s new settlement guidelines?

    • On July 27, SEBI issued new guidelines on running accounts of client funds and securities lying with the broker.
    • As per the new guidelines, with effect from October 1, 2022, the settlement of running account of clients’ funds will be done by the trading members after considering the end of the day (EOD) obligation of funds.
    • In cases where the client has opted for a monthly settlement process, then the running account shall be settled on the first Friday of every month.

    How will it impact investors and traders?

    • Changes in settlement brought in by SEBI over the last few years have had the aim of protecting the investor and preventing the misuse as money lying in trading accounts of investors for long periods.
    • SEBI’s move will give certainty to investors and trading members.
    • It will help brokers develop a system just like banks, which credit interest in the accounts of their customers at the end of the quarter.
    • Another advantage would be that if a customer has more than one demat account with different brokers, having one settlement date for the entire industry will make it easier for her to keep track of her funds.

    Back2Basics: Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

    • The SEBI is the regulatory body for securities and commodity market in India under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance Government of India.
    • It was established on 12 April 1988 and given Statutory Powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992.

    Jurisdiction of SEBI

    • SEBI has to be responsive to the needs of three groups, which constitute the market:
    1. Issuers of securities
    2. Investors
    3. Market intermediaries

    SEBI has three powers rolled into one body: quasi-legislative, quasi-judicial and quasi-executive.

    • It drafts regulations in its legislative capacity, it conducts investigation and enforcement action in its executive function and it passes rulings and orders in its judicial capacity.
    • Though this makes it very powerful, there is an appeal process to create accountability.
    • There is a Securities Appellate Tribunal which is a three-member tribunal and is currently headed by Justice Tarun Agarwala, former Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court.
    • A second appeal lies directly to the Supreme Court.

     

    Also read:

    SEBI introduces T+1 Settlement System

     

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  • NASA’s DART mission prepares for an asteroid Dimorphos collision

    dart

    In the first-of-its kind NASA’s DART Mission is about to hit a small, harmless asteroid millions of miles away.

    What is DART Mission?

    • The main aim of the mission is to test the newly developed technology that would allow a spacecraft to crash into an asteroid and change its course.
    • It is a suicide mission and the spacecraft will be completely destroyed.
    • The target of the spacecraft is a small moonlet called Dimorphos (Greek for “two forms”).
    • It is about 160-metre in diameter and the spacecraft is expected to collide when it is 11 million kilometres away from Earth.
    • Dimorphos orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos (Greek for “twin”) which has a diameter of 780 metres.

    Why Dimorphos?

    • Didymos is a perfect system for the test mission because it is an eclipsing binary which means it has a moonlet that regularly orbits the asteroid.
    • It is observable when it passes in front of the main asteroid.
    • Earth-based telescopes can study this variation in brightness to understand how long it takes Dimorphos to orbit Didymos.

    Collision course

    • At the time of impact, Didymos and Dimorphos will be relatively close to Earth – within 6.8 million miles (11 million kilometers).
    • The spacecraft will accelerate at about 24,140 kilometers per hour when it collides with Dimorphos.
    • It aims to crash into Dimorphos to change the asteroid’s motion in space.
    • This collision will be recorded by LICIACube, or Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids, a companion cube satellite provided by the Italian Space Agency.
    • Three minutes after impact, the CubeSat will fly by Dimorphos to capture images and video.

    Why such mission?

    • Dimorphos was chosen for this mission because its size is relative to asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth.
    • The spacecraft is about 100 times smaller than Dimorphos, so it won’t obliterate the asteroid.
    • The fast impact will only change Dimorphos’ speed as it orbits Didymos by 1%, which doesn’t sound like a lot — but it will change the moon’s orbital period.

     

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  • Dvorak Technique of Weather Forecasting

    Recently, the American meteorologist Vernon Dvorak passed away at the age of 100 who pioneered the widely used Dvorak Technique.

    Who was Vernon Dvorak?

    • Dvorak was an American meteorologist best credited for developing the Dvorak (read as Do-rak) technique in the early 1970s.
    • The technique helps forecast the tropical storm.
    • His technique has saved the lives of millions of people across the world and will continue to do so.

    What is the Dvorak technique?

    • The Dvorak technique was first developed in 1969 and tested for observing storms in the northwest Pacific Ocean.
    • Forecasters used the available satellite images obtained from polar orbiting satellites to examine the features of the developing tropical storms (hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons).
    • During day time, images in the visible spectrum were used while at night, the ocean would be observed using infrared images.
    • It was a cloud pattern recognition technique based on a concept model of the development and decay of the tropical cyclone.

    Why is technique still widely in use?

    • Unlike land, ocean observations in the 1970s were sparse.
    • Today, there continues to be an improved network of land-based meteorological observations, either in the form of taking manual observations, installing automatic weather stations or automatic rain gauges.
    • On the other hand, ocean observations still remain limited.
    • There are many vast regions across the four oceans that have not been fully examined with meteorological instruments.
    • Ocean observations are mostly taken by deploying buoys or dedicated ships, but the number of observations from the seas is still not sufficient across the world.
    • That is why meteorologists have had to depend more on satellite-based imageries, and combine it with the available ocean-data at the time of forecasting the intensity and wind speed of the tropical cyclones.

     

     

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  • 22nd September 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1       Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.

    GS-2       Constitution of India—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

    GS-3       Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

    GS-4        Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Children were amongst the biggest victims of Covid-19. Highlight the impacts of the pandemic on children’s education and their physical and mental well-being. (15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 Highlighting the Supreme Court’s view on death penalty in India, analyse whether it should stay or go. (15 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 What is stubble burning? Highlighting some of the steps taken by the government to prevent stubble burning, suggest a way forward. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 Sometimes, values guiding public administrators are found to be competing with each other depending on their relative importance in the larger public interest. Discuss with examples. (10 Marks)

     

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  • Fly ash generation and Disposal

    fly ashContext

    • India depends heavily on coal for power generation. This creates the problem of fly-ash generation and its proper disposal, usage.
    • The National Green Tribunal (NGT) noted September 19, 2022 that there was an urgent need to augment the utilisation and disposal of fly ash in Chhattisgarh.

    What is fly ash?

    • Fly ash is a by-product of coal combustion. It contains Aluminium Silicate, SiO2, CaO, oxides of iron, magnesium and toxic metals like lead, arsenic, cobalt, and copper.
    • It can travel to far places. India is growing to double its power generation in the next decade and with coal being the biggest source of fuel for power generation, the problem of fly ash is going to increase too.

    fly ash Environmental Problems with fly ash

    • A large quantity of fly ash dumped into poorly designed and maintained ash ponds. About a billion tonnes of this toxic ash lie dumped in these ponds, polluting land, air, and water.
    • All the heavy metals found in fly ash—nickel, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, lead, etc—are toxic in nature. They leech into the surrounding soil and can enter food-chains.
    • Fly ash gets easily ingested through respiration, which causes many diseases such as asthma, neurological disorders.
    • Suspended fly ash in the air acts as a global warming agent and heats the earth’s surface.
    • Fly ash settles on leaves and crops and reduces crop productivity.
    • It pollutes the groundwater.
    • There is a reduction in recharging of groundwater due to fly ash filled mine voids.
    • Reduces visibility by creating dense fog in the winter season.

    fly ashIssues with fly ash management

    • The government mandates that all coal power plants (CPPs) reach 100% utilization of fly ash.
    • Along with it, CPPs should give a certain amount of fly ash free of cost for MSMEs to manufacture bricks, tiles and rest of the fly ash should be sold to other industries.
    • CPPs will have to maintain fly ash ponds to reduce its suspension in air.
    • But all these steps for utilization areas are problematic as they do little to mitigate these risks.
    • The pricing of fly ash is increasingly becoming a contentious issue that is hampering its gainful utilization.
    • The current approaches to evaluating risks with fly ash disposal are very limited, and they may underestimate the true risks
    • In spite of initiatives taken by the government, several nongovernmental and research and development organizations for fly ash utilization, the level of fly ash utilization in the country is quite low at only 38% which is less than the global standards.
    • Hence, rather than being utilized, fly ash is being stored despite warnings from regulators.
    • Deposition in storage places has negative influences on water and soil because of their mineral composition as well as morphology and filtration properties.
    • Ash-handling units are the biggest consumers of water in CPPs. The government advocates the designed ash-to-water ratios as approximately 1:5 for fly ash, but the observed ratios have been around 1:20.
    • Certain states have discouraged the use of blended cement and fly ash bricks in public works.

    fly ashThe above issues can be addressed by

    • Greater regulatory oversight and price control,
    • Revision of cement blending standards,
    • Research in improving fly ash quality,
    • Reducing the cost of transportation,
    • Provisions for overcoming information asymmetries,
    • Incentivising use in brick kilns for producing fly ash bricks,
    • Overall sensitization of key decision-makers on the matter.
    • Instead of dumping it on ash ponds, can be used for construction due to its reuse as pozzolan, and replacement of portland cement by hydraulic cement
    • Due to its grain size distribution, enhanced strength permeability, it can be used to construct embankments at road construction, concrete dams like GHATGHAR DAM
    • Strong penalties for those production units who do not use proper filtration devices
    • Moving to renewable energy production away from coal-based thermal production.

    Conclusion

    • Utilization of Fly Ash is not only possible but also essential. In this context “Fly Ash Mission of Government of India” is a slow but steady start, the pace of which needs to be ramped up. An honest effort is required by the concerned stakeholders to improve the perceptions of fly ash-based cement or concrete; increase its use, particularly for government works; and impart scientific knowledge about fly ash, its uses, and possible impacts.

    Mains question

    Q. What is fly ash? Discuss the environmental challenges it poses. Suggest how to address the situation.

     

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  • Domestic violence needs to stop for true women empowerment

    domestic violenceContext

    • Due to prevalence of patriarchy women have been discriminated not only in India but in most parts of the world. According to The United Nations, one out of every three women experience domestic violence. The same UN report suggests that the most dangerous place for women is their home. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for the development and well-being of families, communities and nations.

    How UN women defines Violence against women and girls

    • Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women and girls, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.

    Why Women are the victim?

    • Domestic violence is one of the most common forms of violence experienced by women globally.
    • Women are usually the victim of domestic violence that derives from unequal power relationships between men and women.

    domestic violenceWhy there is recent spike in violence against women?

    • According to UN, Violence against women and girls is one of the world’s most prevalent human rights violations, taking place every day, many times over, in every corner of the world.
    • Conditions created by the pandemic – including lockdowns, reduced mobility, heightened isolation, stress and economic uncertainty have led to an alarming spike in domestic violence and have further exposed women and girls to other forms of violence, from child marriage to sexual harassment online.

    What is Domestic violence?

    • Domestic violence is any pattern of behavior that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. It encompasses all physical, sexual, emotional, economic and psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person.
    • Domestic violence can include the following.
      • Psychological violence: Psychological violence involves causing fear, threatening physical harm or forcing isolation from friends, family, school or work.
      • Economic violence: Making or attempting to make a person financially dependent by maintaining total control over financial resources.
    • Emotional violence: Undermining a person’s sense of self-worth through constant criticism; belittling one’s abilities; verbal abuse.
    • Physical violence: Use of Physical force or hurting or trying to hurt a partner .it also includes denying medical care.
    • Sexual violence: Forcing a partner to take part in a sex act when the partner does not consent

    What is the current Status in India?

    • Nearly one-third of women in India have experienced physical or sexual violence
    • The most common type of spousal violence is physical violence (28%), followed by emotional violence and sexual violence
    • While domestic violence against women has declined from 31.2% to 29.3% in the country, 30% women between the age of 18 and 49 have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 years, while 6% have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime,.
    • Only 14% of women who have experienced physical or sexual violence by anyone have brought the issue up.
    • 32% of married women (18-49 years) have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional spousal violence.

    Recent findings from National Family health Survey Report-5

    • Status: Domestic violence against women is highest in Karnataka at 48%, followed by Bihar, Telangana, Manipur and Tamil Nadu. Lakshawdeep has the least domestic violence at 2.1%.
    • Rural–urban difference: Physical violence is more common among women in rural areas (32%) as compared to their urban areas (24%).
    • Impact of schooling and education: 40% women with no schooling are subject to physical violence compared to 18% who completed their schooling.
    • Impact of employment and wealth: The experience of physical violence ranges between 39% among women in the lowest wealth quintile and 17% in the highest wealth quintile.

     Why women left behind as compared to men in India?

    • Patriarchal structure: Patriarchal structures and ideologies and the mindset lead to women subordination and gender inequalities
    • Low sex ratio: Sex ratios for women in India Is not good comparatively. It was even bad at the time of independence.
    • Life expectancy: Women’s life expectancy, health, nutritional levels are significantly lower than that of men.
    • Education: low investment on girl education, Girl children are kept out of schools, or made drop out of school at early age, girl is considered as burden on family in many societies.
    • Employment: even if they are educated they are not allowed to work by their families Discrimination at the workplaces, lower wages for the work of equal value.
    • Decision making: The have little say in the families, socio economic, legal and political rules and policy formulations. Very limited or no decision making power.
    • Political participation: The participation of women in political and social decision making power is abysmally low. Their number in parliament has never exceeded more than 10%.

    What can be done for empowering women?

    • Recognition: Recognition of women as productive, vital agents of family and environment should be a precondition for addressing their social needs. We need to change the way they are perceived.
    • Treatment: They must not be only treated only as objects of welfare but needed to be treated as those who are contributing to the economy.
    • Health: To provide quality and affordable healthcare and must be easily accessible.
    • Education: Education of women is the most important component for women’s empowerment.
    • Safe and secure environment: providing safety and security is the precondition for empowerment and social justice.
    • Economic Independence: Helping women to stand on their legs, become independent and also to earn for their family is necessary to empowering women and to raise their hand in decision making process of family, society and nation

    domestic violenceWoman as the foundation stone of every family, society and nation

    • India has an ancient woman worship tradition.
    • In India we see woman as a mother goddess. There are no of evidences to support this idea
    • For instance the Sanskrit text “Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata”which means where women are honored, there gods resides.
    • Which means there is a overall development if the women of the family is happy.

    domestic violenceConclusion

    • Domestic violence against women is major obstacle on progress on achieving development targets. Without addressing it, anybody have little chance of meeting millennium development. Recognition of women as productive, vital agents of family and environment should be a precondition for addressing their social needs. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for the development and well-being of families, communities and nations.

    Mains Question

    Q. Empowering women on every front is the pre-condition for the overall development of the nation. Discuss.

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