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  • Billi is down with Chikungunya. Let’s know all about Vector Borne Diseases – Dengue, Malaria, Zika, Yellow Fever

    Today’s post is going to be mostly factual. You will find important tidbits around vector-borne diseases and some essay/ GS paper worthy stuff.

    A country aspiring with 8% GDP growth is buffeted with a troika of vector-borne diseases – Dengue, Chikungunya and Malaria. That’s sad. But for the UPSC aspirants – it gives an opportunity to revisit all the vector-borne diseases (for Prelims) + alarming facts about India’s health care indicators.

    Interesting Facts

    Vector-borne diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases, causing more than 1 million deaths annually.

    Vectors = Living organisms that can transmit infectious diseases between humans or from animals to humans

    Mosquitoes are the best-known disease vector. But there are more – In case UPSC asks you about other vectors – ticks, flies, sandflies, fleas, triatomine bugs and some freshwater aquatic snails are also in the game!

    Since mosquitoes are the flavor of this season, let’s study all vector-borne diseases caused by mosquitoes:

    #1. Aedes – 

    Chikungunya – 

    • – Symptoms include the fever and joint pain
    • – There is no vaccine and no specific treatment as of 2016. Recommendations include rest, fluids, and medications to help with fever and joint pain
    • – The disease was first identified in 1952 in Tanzania. The term is from the Kimakonde language and means “to become contorted”. It has nothing to do with chicken!
    • While you are at it – there is a term called NTD (Neglected Tropical Disease) and Chikungunya comes under it. Why so? Contrast the NTDs with other big3s – HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria who get the bulk funding and hence are more widely read in media and journals

    source

    Dengue fever – 

    Dengue and Chikungunya are viral diseases with very similar symptoms. Both has patient symptoms such as high fever, headache, eye pain, joint pain, rashes and lethargy. Both viral infections are spread by Aedes mosquito. And it is also possible for a patient to have Dengue and Chikungunya at the same time. Wow, that should scare you! So we will keep the dengue infographic really short – 

    source
    • – Make a note of what a patient suffers from on account of dengue – low levels of blood platelets and leakage of blood plasma. Question for you – What’s the use of platelets and blood plasma?
    • – Make a note of the herbal remedies which can be helpful here. UPSC might ask you about a few medicinal plants!

    If you want to read more on Dengue –

    Why does Dengue Wreck Havoc in Delhi’s Backyard?

    Rift Valley fever – 

    Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an acute, fever-causing viral disease most commonly observed in domesticated animals (such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels), with the ability to infect and cause illness in humans. This is also in recent news – it has infected 90 people in Niger’s western region of Tahoua since early August, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)

    Yellow fever – 

    In severe cases yellow fever causes a high fever, bleeding into the skin and the death of cells in the liver and kidneys. Liver damage results in severe jaundice – yellowing of the skin; hence the name “yellow fever”.

    Zika – 

    CD has already written an amazing backgrounder on this. Read this one –

    https://www.civilsdaily.com/story/zika-virus-outbreak-who-declares-public-health-emergency/

    #2. Anopheles – 

    Malaria – Once an infected mosquito bites a human and transmits the parasites, those parasites multiply in the host’s liver before infecting and destroying red blood cells. 

    Despite many decades of intense research and development effort, there is no commercially available malaria vaccine at the present time. There is one vaccine close to being licensed for use in Europe and you may credit Bill and Melinda Gates foundation for that once it comes out.

    If left untreated, malaria can be fatal. The aim of treatment is to eliminate the Plasmodium parasite from the patient’s bloodstream.

    How does malaria cause death? 

    – One serious condition is called cerebral malaria, caused when malaria parasites stick in the blood vessels in the brain leading to deep coma, seizures, and death. This affects really young kids the most, usually when they are still babies and is a very serious illness.

    – Malaria infection causes the destruction of red blood cells in the body and also interferes with the body’s ability to make new red blood cells. So the body becomes starved of oxygen which can lead to death.

    – Malaria infection can also damage the lungs, and cause massive breathing difficulties. This is called respiratory distress, and one is the worst signs for malaria patients.

    Now that we are up and running with some factual information, here are some stats/ report bytes which you can use in your essays/ mains

    If you want a nice line for an essay on health care, remember this one – 

    India’s poorer states have health indicators that are worse than many nations in sub-Saharan Africa while the country’s healthcare spending is the lowest among BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) nations, as are its health indicators.

    Usually, when you express your concern over a country’s health initiatives, you think on these lines –

    • – What’s the % of GDP kept for funding on health initiatives? Then you compare it with other countries and try to evaluate how seriously your country takes this issue.

    As per the 12th Five Year Plan document, total public funding for core health is envisaged to increase to 1.87 percent of GDP by the end of the plan.

    China spends 3% while the figure for the U.K. is eight percent Even the world’s poorest countries, like Burundi in Africa, for instance, invest around nine percent in public health.

    • – What’s the state of health care initiatives in our country? How many doctors/ labs etc.

    The country remains nearly 500,000 doctors short of reaching the World Health Organization norm of one doctor per 1,000 citizens.

    With more than 740,000 active doctors at the end of 2014 — a claimed doctor-patient population ratio of 1:1,674, worse than Vietnam, Algeria, and Pakistan — the shortage of doctors was one of the health-management failures cited by the report of a parliamentary committee on health and family welfare, which presented its findings to both houses of Parliament on March 8, 2016.

    So, these are all the alarming health statistics going around which you can easily use in your GS Mains answers. If you have other similar stats/ quotes/ reports – do write them down here.

  • 13 Oct 2016 | Target Mains: GS Questions & DNA Framework

    GS1 (Geography)

    Recent reports suggest that deforestation has weakened monsoon rains in the Ganga basin and in North east India. Explain how deforestation affects the monsoon rains. Also discuss the likely consequences of the deforestation and measures needed to prevent deforestation in this region.

    Demand – What are the likely effects of deforestation on rains. How does rain pattern vary due to it? Discuss other effects of cutting down of trees and what can be done to reverse it.

    Approach –

    – Introduction and effects of deforestation on rains (3 marks)

    – Economic and social effects of deforestation (4 marks)

    – Steps to bring down the level of deforestation in Ganga basin (3 marks)

    GS2 (Issues relating to education sector)

    If the goal of a university is not myopically defined to train students only in a particular subject, but is to prepare students for unforeseen and unimagined things that life has to offer, then politics is very important, as a part and parcel of college. Critically comment in the light of recently released TSR Subramanian committee report.

    Demand – Discuss the debate about college politics and analyse if it deflects students from their original goal of study. Take a context of TSR Subramanian committee report in this regard.

    Approach –

    – What was the TSR Subramanian committee about? (2 marks)

    – Give brief points about its recommendations. (3 marks)

    – Discuss the positive and negatives of the recommendation to stay away from politics. (3 marks)

    – Conclusion (2 marks)

    GS3 (Indian economy)

    What do you understand by the term “Bad Bank”? How will the Bad bank deal with the problem of NPA in India? What are the major issues/challenges in implementing the idea of bad banks?

    Demand – Define bad bank, purposes for which it is demanded. How will it solve problem of rising NPAs? Is India ready for such an idea?

    Approach –

    – Define bad bank (2 marks)

    – Objectives of bad bank (2 marks)

    – How will they address problems of NPAs? (3 marks)

    – Challenges and difficulties in Indian context (3 marks)

    GS4 (Ethics in governance)

    Do ethical considerations come into play in climate change negotiations? What strategies would you use to converge the ethical positions of different nations.

    Demand – Discuss the ethical issues in climate change negotiations, and measures to resolve them.

    Approach –

    – Why are countries not able to come to an agreement in regards to climate change? (5 marks)

    – Strategies to address divergence. (5 marks)

  • 13 Oct 2016 | GS4 | Do ethical considerations come into play in climate change negotiations? What strategies would you use to converge the ethical positions of different nations.

    GS4 (Ethics in governance)

    Do ethical considerations come into play in climate change negotiations? What strategies would you use to converge the ethical positions of different nations.

    Best answer

    Srishty Srivastava wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 5/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    Ethical considerations become very important in climate change due to the inherent trade off between growth and sustainable development. Compromising on growth and deviating from “Business As Usual” scenario requires tremendous political will. In times of realism, only ethical considerations can fuel political will to work in that direction. Climate justice includes:
    1. Historical Responsibility – the developed nations (global North) need to be accountable for its past actions.
    2. Climate change agreement must not be used as an excuse to maintain their hegemony and prevent the developing countries from growing.
    3. Sustainability which is both inter-generational (Stewardship) as well as intra-generational (Equity).
    4. Consideration for the low lying countries and island countries who will be worst affected in case of global warming.
    5. Decentralisation of power and participation of communities
    Convergence of Ethical positions is difficult as we don’t have world government. So, the consciousness of working for its own people usually triumphs over working for the world at large. However, steps like –
    1. Better North-South cooperation by dialogue, diplomatic pressuring in international forums
    2. Concrete and robust technology transfer mechanism as in Kyoto protocol
    3. Legally binding mechanism and dispute resolution process
    4. Awareness and sense of urgency in the citizens
    will ensure a more pro-active and climate friendly stance from nations which will go a long way in guarding the tenets of climate justice.

  • 13 Oct 2016 | GS3 | What do you understand by the term “Bad Bank”? How will the Bad bank deal with the problem of NPA in India? What are the major issues/challenges in implementing the idea of bad banks?

    GS3 (Indian economy)

    What do you understand by the term “Bad Bank”? How will the Bad bank deal with the problem of NPA in India? What are the major issues/challenges in implementing the idea of bad banks?

    Best answer

    Udyan Ilu wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    A bad bank is a corporate structure to isolate illiquid and high risk assets held by a bank or a financial organisation, or perhaps a group of banks or financial organisations.A bank may accumulate a large portfolio of debts or other financial instruments which unexpectedly increase in risk, making it difficult for the bank to raise capital, for example through sales of bonds. In these circumstances, the bank may wish to segregate its “good” assets from its “bad” assets through the creation of a bad bank. The goal of the segregation is to allow investors to assess the bank’s financial health with greater certainty. After transferring NPAs of banks, perhaps only PSBs, to the bad bank. The bad bank will manage these NPAs in suitable ways — some may be liquidated, others may be restructured, etc. Getting NPAs off the books will help the PSB management focus on new business instead of having to expend their energies on trying to effect recoveries. A bad bank will be better focussed on the task of recovery. If it’s a private entity, it can also bring in superior expertise. It would appear that the bad bank concept has many things going for it.
    Challenges for Bad Bank in India-
    1.First who will have the majority stake in the bad bank? Will it be the government or private investors? Let us suppose it’s the former. Given the size of NPAs at PSBs, the capital required by a bad bank for acquiring NPAs will be substantial. If the government is to be the majority owner, how does it find the required funds? Second, a government-owned bad bank will be subject to the same constraints in managing bad loans as PSBs. Third, managing the sheer size and diversity of bad loans acquired from multiple PSBs will be a tall order. Last, a government entity may not be able to pay specialists what it takes.Here only a government-owned bad bank appears to be transferring the problem from one part of the government to another.
    2. Now consider the second possibility, namely, that private investors have a majority stake in the bad bank. These could be long-term investors such as sovereign wealth funds and pension funds. In this case, the price at which PSB loans are sold to the bad bank could become a major issue. If the price is too high, the bad bank will not viable. If it’s too low, PSBs will be accused of selling their loans too cheaply to private investors — we will have the makings of an ‘NPA scam’.
    3.There are other issues with transferring NPAs to a bad bank. a big chunk of NPAs at PSBs pertains to projects that are viable. These projects have not gone through to completion for reasons that are mostly extraneous to the project, such as problems in land acquisition or environmental clearance. With restructuring and additional funding, they can be completed and would create significant capacities.Selling these loans to a bad bank, on the other hand, would be a time-consuming process. It would impede fresh flow of funds into these projects. Their debt would rise as the interest piles up. Bad banks were typically intended for situations where projects were not viable. They were not meant for a situation such as ours where projects are viable.

  • 13 Oct 2016 | GS2 | If the goal of a university is not myopically defined to train students only in a particular subject, but is to prepare students for unforeseen and unimagined things that life has to offer, then politics is very important, as a part and parcel of college. Critically comment in the light of recently released TSR Subramanian committee report.

    GS2 (Issues relating to education sector)

    If the goal of a university is not myopically defined to train students only in a particular subject, but is to prepare students for unforeseen and unimagined things that life has to offer, then politics is very important, as a part and parcel of college. Critically comment in the light of recently released TSR Subramanian committee report.

    Best answer

    Aman Chauhan wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4.5/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    Crisis in our education sector hasn’t been a thing of surprise and to realise true potential of education in our society by advising on New education policy TSR Subramaniam committee was appointed which gave some novel recommendations –
    1. Increase spending on education to 6% of GDP (also reiterated by economic survey )
    2. Teacher entrance tests to be made a norm in view of poor quality teachers
    3. Establish Indian education services on line of administrative services
    4. On demand board exam to be introduced
    5. Mid day meal scheme in secondary schools (to ensure health and nutrition )
    6. Restrict political activities on campus
    7. Restrict stay of students overtime to curb disruptive activities
    8. Desirability of non -recognition of student groups based on caste and religion

    While welcoming some much needed suggestions , political restriction advice raises few questions ,because politics can help in –
    A- increasing awareness among students
    B-enforcing accountability among administrators
    C-gives leaders to our society like P.Chidambaram , Arun Jaitley ,etc
    Yet it does have negatives like
    A-increase politicisation brings bad name to universities like JNU case
    B-hampers quality time of students which can be focussed on learning
    C-in a long run may make students disrespectful and arrogant
    There is need to reconsider recommendation on politics in universities because, we should prepare these students to face any crisis in future and political involvement can help in their character building .
    Way forward –
    1.check for suspicious elements in campus by ramping up vigil
    2.promoting newspaper circulation in libraries along with academic books
    3.encourage healthy opinion building among students about various crisis from climate change to refuge deluge
    4.inculcate leadership quality lesson by frequent projects emulating real life situations
    5.constant interaction with students to address their grievances and minimise friction
    Need of the hour is not just preparing a workforce but leaders to guide our nation to prosperous future amid various challenges in the society and a certain amount of political involvement can be of immense help.

  • 13 Oct 2016 | GS1 | Recent reports suggest that deforestation has weakened monsoon rains in the Ganga basin and in North east India. Explain how deforestation affects the monsoon rains. Also discuss the likely consequences of the deforestation and measures needed to prevent deforestation in this region.

    GS1 (Geography)

    Recent reports suggest that deforestation has weakened monsoon rains in the Ganga basin and in North east India. Explain how deforestation affects the monsoon rains. Also discuss the likely consequences of the deforestation and measures needed to prevent deforestation in this region.

    Best answer

    Masala Dosa wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4.5/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    Deforestation affects the monsoonal winds and temporal and spatial distributions by:
    1. Lesser transpiration from stomata of trees.
    2. The microclimate surrounding a tree is has high humidity which means less density and thus vertical movement of air parcel, formatin of clouds.
    3. Cutting of trees means, vast barren land which results in lesset condensational nuclei.

    Apart from these, the undisturbed air and rising temperatures due to deforestation also affect monsoonal rains. Deforestation also affects in following manner:
    1. Loss of sustainable source of timber if deforestation is done without simultaneous plantation.
    2. Loss in fertility of soil due to increased leaching,water and wind erosion. Loss of water retaining capacity.
    3. Amplification of effects of floods and droughts – it has been documented that forests lessen the intensity of such disasters.
    4. Rise in GHG, global temperatures and ascetic loss.
    5. Many livelihoods are dependent on such forests like thosr of tribals.
    6. Destruction of habitats of several animal species. Like Rhino,Squirrels,etc.
    7. It forces animals like tiger,etc out of their habitat -> danger for humans.

    Measures needed to prevent deforestation:
    1. Integrating conservation efforts with people – Joint Forest Management, FRA 2006 implementation, etc.
    2. Checking illegal mining, poaching activities and smuggling of.timber.
    3. Promoting sustainable land use amongst tribals and.preventing sytems like Jhum.
    4. Operatiobalisatiob of CAMPA fund.
    5. Using remote sensing technologies for timely monitoring.
    6. Encouraging eco tourism in non core regions of protected areas to generate awareness amongst the people and meaningful livelihoods -> reduction in dependency on forests.

    Further schemes like Ujjawala, implementation of PESA and inter sectoral coordination among forest officials and people at large should be encouraged.

  • 13 Oct 2016 | Prelims Daily: CA Questions with Tikdams & Tidbits

    Dear students,

    When you submit your answer, if possible, give some reasoning & more info. along with the ABACAA format. Elaborate on what you know. This helps the whole community to know more and learn more!

    Q.1) Consider following statement about Amur Falcons.

    1. Amur falcons flies non-stop from Mongolia to northeast India covering 5600 km.

    2. This migrating bird species is protected under the Environment Protection Act, 1986

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?  

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither 1 nor 2

     

    Q.2) Consider following statements about ‘Global Hunger index’.

    1. Global Hunger index calculated each year by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

    2. It designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger globally and by country and region.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?  

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither 1 nor 2

     

    Q.3) Which of the following state which is considered as Amur Falcon capital of the world?

    a) Manipur

    b) Nagaland

    c) West Bengal

    d) Assam

     

    Q.4) Consider following statements about ‘World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction’

    1. It is a series of UN conferences focusing on disaster and climate risk management in the context of sustainable development.

    2. The Third UN World conference adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?  

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither 1 nor 2

     

    Q.5) Recently, Margarita island was in the news, located in

    a) Indian Ocean

    b) Venezuela

    c) South Africa

    d) South China sea

    IMPORTANT STUFF: 

    1. These questions are mostly derived from our daily newscards. Reading daily news from Civilsdaily’s App (click here) or website + solving these questions will help you reinforce the basics.

    2. For a comprehensive preparation of IAS Prelims 2017 – consider joining one of the three Prelims Modules by CD – prelims.civilsdaily.com

    3. Solutions will be uploaded at 8 p.m. Click here for solutions.

    4. For attempting previous Prelims Daily Questions – Click here

    5. How to apply Tikdams? Read this, this and this

  • Against terroism

    As a citizen,am anger about the activities which terror doing to us, the surgical strike is most important and its shows India’s health,but apart from these attacks on both sides,the government of Pakistan needs a bilateral and smooth talk with the Indian government. I don’t know why they (pak) are not spoke out these issues what is happening in the border and insurgency. Apart from every foregoing measure India and Pakistan needs a bilateral meeting

    As a national security advisor, if there are any insurgency and disturbance over Indian borders and any attacks on the jawans and the vicinities I surely want a surgical strike against militants. the one reason is the jawans are my brothers and they are our citizen as an NSA I want to attack back

  • Flagship Students – Get ready for the Science Test on 21st

    Flagship students,

    – Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life

    – Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

    – Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights

    Above is the syllabus of the science and technology for UPSC mains. If you see previous years UPSC prelim papers, you will see questions on these lines. Science and technology questions can be divided into two categories –

    • Current affairs related questions – this involves latest developments, such as satellites launched by ISRO, or the latest advancements like LiFi in this years paper. These questions come in the current affairs test.
    • Basic knowledge questions – for these NCERT’s are the best source. The specific NCERT’s are listed below –
      • Science NCERT’s – Class VI and VII, VIII,  IX and X
      • Chemistry NCERT XI Class – Unit 14 (Environmental Chemistry)
      • Chemistry NCERT XII Class – Unit 16 (Chemistry in Everyday Life) – No need to memorise the detailed chemical formulas
      • Biology NCERT XI Class – Unit 4 (Plant Physiology – Chapters 11-15), 5 (Human Physiology – Chapters 16-22)
      • Biology NCERT XII Class – Unit 8 (Biology in Human Welfare – Chapters 8, 9 and 10), 9 (Biotechnology – Chapters 11 and 12), 10 (Ecology – Chapters 13, 14, 15 and 16)

    Read these thoroughly. Questions from these books can also come as environment questions.

    A few sample questions with explanation from the upcoming test

    Q.12) The mode of nutrition in which organisms take in nutrients in solution form from dead and decaying matter is called:

    a) autotrophic nutrition

    b) heterotrophic nutrition

    c) saprotrophic nutrition

    d) Parasitism

    Ans- c

    Explanation: The mode of nutrition in which organisms take in nutrients in solution form from dead and decaying matter is called saprotrophic nutrition. Plants which use saprotrophic mode of nutrition are called saprotrophs.

    Source : NCERT 7th : Science, Chapter 1, Page 6

    Tikdam – Try deciphering meaning of words. Autotrophs, auto means making themselves. Eliminated. Heterotrophs depend on plants but not the dead ones. Eliminated. Parasites need a living host in order to survive. You get the answer now.

    Q.70) The water pollution in a water body is measured by dissolved amount of:

    a) Ozone

    b) Chlorine

    c) Hydrogen

    d) Oxygen

    Ans- d

    Explanation: Amount  of oxygen required by bacteria to breakdown organic matter i.e. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) level decides water pollution level of a water body. Clean water would have BOD value of less than 5 ppm whereas highly polluted water could have a BOD value of 17 ppm or more.

    Source : NCERT 11th : Chemistry, Unit 14, Page 407, UPSC Previous year question

    This TS will be available for all our Flagship Students – Click here to secure a spot

  • Poverty: Definitions, Measurement and Controversies | Part 1

    Index

    • Why in news
    • Concept of poverty
    • concept of poverty line
    • Criticism of poverty line
    • Recall Period

    Why in news

    1. The government may soon come out with a new definition of poverty, with the Niti Aayog likely to set up a panel of experts to formulate a new poverty line. The new line, which will be different from the existing Tendulkar line and Rangarajan line, will also be based on the latest consumption expenditure survey.

    2. Reasons: To set a target for poverty reduction while preparing its first 15-year vision document and 7-year strategy paper, which have replaced the 5-year plan Also, to measure the impact of the government’s anti-poverty schemes and other welfare initiatives.

    Concept of poverty

    Poverty refers to a situation when people are deprived of basic necessities of life. It is often characterized by inadequacy of food, shelter and clothes. In other words, poverty refers to a state of privation where there is a lack of essential needs for subsistence. It can be further subdivided into absolute poverty and relative poverty.

    • Absolute poverty includes the lack of biological necessities, such as food, water, clothing, housing, and sanitation, whereas, relative poverty (or extreme poverty) refers to a poverty line, and is a definition of the amount of income a person needs to satisfy basic needs.
    • In basic terms, absolute poverty is a having a lack of basic resources, and relative poverty is more to do with income inequality.
    • Absolute poverty refers to a set condition, which is the same in every country, and does not change over a period of time. Relative poverty, on the other hand, refers to conditions which are subjective to the society in which the person lives, and therefore, does vary between countries, and can change over time e.g. more urban cities will have greater education, energy, and transportation costs, so the poverty line will be higher in this country, compared to poorer countries.

    Concept of poverty line

    1. What is a poverty line – The poverty line defines a threshold income. Households earning below this threshold are considered poor. Different countries have different methods of defining the threshold income depending on local socio-economic needs.

    2. Who brings out the poverty estimates in India – The erstwhile Planning Commission used to release the poverty measures.

    3. How is it measured – Poverty is measured based on consumer expenditure surveys of the National Sample Survey Organisation. A poor household is defined as one with an expenditure level below a specific poverty line.

    4. What’s the Indian poverty line –

    • Earlier, India used to define the poverty line based on a method defined by a task force in 1979. It was based on expenditure for buying food worth 2,400 calories in rural areas, and 2,100 calories in urban areas.
    • In 2011, the Suresh Tendulkar Committee defined the poverty line on the basis of monthly spending on food, education, health, electricity and transport. According to this estimate, a person who spends Rs. 27.2 in rural areas and Rs. 33.3 in urban areas a day are defined as living below the poverty line. For a family of five that spends less than Rs. 4,080 and Rs. 5,000 in rural and urban areas respectively is considered below the poverty line.
    • This has been criticised for fixing the poverty line too low. According to a committee headed by former Reserve Bank governor C Rangarajan, there were 363 million people, or 29.5% of India’s 1.2 billion people, who lived in poverty in 2011-12. The Rangarajan panel considered people living on less than Rs. 32 a day in rural areas and Rs. 47 a day in urban areas as poor.

    5. Why has there been so much criticism about the poverty line in India – According to critics, the government has deliberately kept the poverty line low. A low poverty line has enabled the government to show that millions have moved out of poverty. This, critics say, is factually incorrect as the definition of poverty line is disputed. They also say that the data lacks statistical rigour and has been released to gain political mileage.

    Criticism of poverty line concept

    1. Even though based on calorie approach, the poverty line is not a true indicator of malnourishment because of interpersonal variations in good habits.

    2. The notion of absolute poverty is inadequate because relative poverty is also an equally important.

    3. The poverty line, quantified as a number is reductionist. It does not capture important aspects of poverty — ill health, low educational attainments, geographical isolation, ineffective access to law, powerlessness in civil society, caste and/or gender based disadvantages, etc.

    4. The poverty line provides the conceptual rationalization for looking at the poor as a “category” to be taken care of through targeted ameliorative programmes, ignoring structural inequalities and other factors which generate, sustain, and reproduce poverty.

    5. Poverty line derived from personal consumption patterns and levels do not take into account items of social consumption such as basic education and health, drinking water supply, sanitation, environmental standards, etc. in terms of normative requirements or effective access.

    6. The head-count ratio based on the poverty line does not capture the severity of poverty in terms of the poverty deficit (total shortfall from the poverty line) or additionally the distribution of consumption expenditure among the poor. It is insensitive to mobility within the below poverty line group. It is also invariant to upward and downward mobility across the poverty line so long as such mobility takes place in equal measure.

    7. In a country of India’s continental size and diversity, poverty line based on aggregation at all-India level ignores State-specific variations in consumption patterns and/or prices.

    Recall period – Uniform Reference Period (URP) vs Mixed Reference Period (MRP)

    It is important to understand that a poverty line is essentially a monetary value. The idea is to collect data on people’s consumption expenditure, and to ascertain how many people surveyed fall below that poverty line. In India, there were two main ways of collecting data: Uniform Reference Period (URP) and Mixed Reference Period (MRP). Until 1993-94, consumption information collected by the NSSO was based on the Uniform Reference Period (URP), which measured consumption across a 30-day recall period. That is, survey respondents were asked about their consumption in the previous 30 days. From 1999-2000 onwards, the NSSO switched to a method known as the Mixed Reference Period (MRP). The MRP measures consumption of five low-frequency items (clothing, footwear, durables, education and institutional health expenditure) over the previous year, and all other items over the previous 30 days. That is to say, for the five items, survey respondents are asked about consumption in the previous one year. For the remaining items, they are asked about consumption in the previous 30 days.

    In the next series we write about how poverty is measured starting from Dadabhai Naoroji till present. Read it here.

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