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  • Ancient Votive Stupas found near Nalanda

    stupa

    The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered two 1200-year-old miniature votive stupas during landscaping activities near Sarai Tila mound on the premises of ‘Nalanda Mahavihara’, a world heritage site in Nalanda district.

    What has ASI found?

    • The stupas, carved from stone, depict Buddha figures.
    • These two votive stupas (offered in fulfillment of a vow) were discovered by the ASI officials during landscaping near Sarai Tila mound within the premises of ‘Nalanda Mahavihara on January 4.
    • These, carved from stone depicting Buddha figures, must be around 1200 year old.

    What are Stupas?

    • The Sanskrit word stupa signifies “heap, mound, and pile” and is derived from the root ‘stup’ “to pile up.”
    • The ashes of Buddha collected were divided into eight parts and stupa was erected on them.
    • The legend of relic sharing has been imagined latter on, after the establishment of relic worship and stupa.
    • This belief was raised only when the Buddha was considered as a God, a Chakravartin.

    Types of Stupa

    • Buddha himself distinguished three kinds of stupa (Chaitya): (i) Sariraka, (ii) Paribhogika and (iii) Uddesika (according to Mahaparinibbanasutta).
    • Beside all these, there are also the sculpted, engraved painted stupas intended to procure merit for the donors.
    • Mostly stupa is containing a relic, that the stupa must have been considered from ancient times as a substitute of the Buddha.
    • In Buddhist history, the Buddha was considered to be a Chakravartin, a universal monarch.

    How votive stupas were erected?

    • As his ashes were no longer available, they were replaced by his written law –i.e. factitious body of the Buddha (Niramanakaya), the relic stupas contain the spiritual relics (Dharama Sarira) and the body of law (Dharamakaya) of these represented as Buddha.
    • These stupas erected over relics are called Sariraka Stupas.
    • Other stupas called Paribhogika were erected over objects used by the Buddha, such as his bowl, girdle, clothes etc.
    • Others called Uddesika(votive) were raised over places which were made famous by the presence of Buddha (Buddha’s presence). These are commemorative stupas.

     

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  • [Sansad TV] Perspective: The Voice of Global South

    [Sansad TV] Perspective: The Voice of Global South

    Context

    • The PM recently hosted a virtual event, “Voice of the Global South Summit”. 125 countries participated in the virtual summit.
    • Respond, Recognise, Respect & Reform to re-energise the world…That was the four-point mantra PM emphasised at the event.

    The first use of this Global South in a contemporary political sense was in 1969 by Carl Oglesby, writing in Catholic journal Commonwealth in a special issue on the Vietnam War.

    What is Global South?

    global south
    • ‘Global North’ refers loosely to countries like the US, Canada, Europe, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, while ‘Global South’ includes countries in Asia, Africa and South America.  
    • The term has been used multiple times, such as when EAM Jaishankar said of ongoing global conflicts, “polarisation may occur elsewhere, the people who suffer most are the Global South”.

    Features of Global South

    • Lower-income countries: The Global South is a term often used to identify lower-income countries on one side of the so-called global North–South divide, the other side being the countries of the Global North.
    • Beyond geographical south: As such the term does not inherently refer to a geographical south; for example, most of the Global South is actually within the Northern Hemisphere.
    • Third World radicalism: The term, as used by governmental and development organizations, was first introduced as a more open and value free alternative to “Third World” and similar potentially “valuing” terms like developing countries.
    • Newly industrialized: Countries of the Global South have been described as newly industrialized or in the process of industrializing and frequently have a history of colonialism by Northern, often European, states.
    • Major countries: The countries of Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and Mexico have the largest populations and economies among Southern states. The overwhelming majority of these are located near the tropics.

    Need for such classification

    • Economic term: The concepts of ‘East’ and ‘West’ is one example of this, with the Western countries generally signifying greater levels of economic development and prosperity among their people, and Eastern countries considered as being in the process of that transition.
    • Geopolitical alignment: Another similar categorisation is of First World, Second World and Third World countries, referring to countries associated with the Cold war-era alliances of the US, the USSR, and non-aligned countries, respectively.
    • Broader classification: The East/West binary was seen as often perpetuating stereotypical thinking about African and Asian countries. Categorising incredibly diverse countries into a monolith was felt to be too simplistic.
    • Shared history: Major commonality between the South countries is that most have a history of colonisation, largely at the hands of European powers. Now they are arguably more accurate in grouping countries together, measuring similarly in terms of wealth, indicators of education and healthcare, etc.
    • Common requirements:  The concept is being reiterated now because of the economic emergence of some of these South countries, such as India and China, in the last few decades. Many consider the world to now be multipolar rather than one where the US alone dominates international affairs.
    • Indian context to the Global South
    • Collective representation: As India assumed the presidency of the G20 group of countries for 2022 to 2023, EAM S Jaishankar said that India would be the “voice of the Global South that is otherwise under-represented in such forums”.
    • Reform in multilateral institutions: When leaders such as Jaishankar mention it, they are also pointing to the region’s historical exclusion from prominent international organisations – such as from the permanent membership of the UNSC, the UN and the IMF.

    How has this term materialized with Ukrainian War?

    Ans. South-South’ Cooperation

    • Interestingly, when Jaishankar criticised the expectation from India to take a stance on the Ukraine war and rebuke Russia, China’s heaped praises.
    • This is where the idea of ‘South-South’ cooperation comes in.

    What is South-South Cooperation?

    • Economically emergent countries: Why the concept is being reiterated now is partly because of the economic emergence of some of these South countries, such as India and China, in the last few decades.
    • Shift in geopolitical poles: Many consider the world to now be multipolar rather than one where the US alone dominates international affairs.
    • Challenging the US led global order: The progress achieved by many Asian countries is also seen as challenging the idea that the North is the ideal.

    Criticism of the classification

    • Vague classification: Some of the earlier terms’ criticisms apply here, too, such as the argument that the term is too broad.  There is also the question of whether the South simply aims to replace the North and the positions it occupies, again continuing a cycle in which a few countries accumulate crucial resources.
    • Triggered by crony-capitalism: Much controversy currently surrounds the question of whether elites of the global South and ‘rising powers’ genuinely have the intention to challenge the dominant structures of global capitalist development.
    • Beneficial only to India and China: In the rise of Asia, the continued neglect of Africa has been questioned as well.

    Significance of the Global South

    • Podium for India: India, with its enormous population and enormous economic capabilities, is working to unite the nations of the Global South into a powerful front so that an action-oriented approach can be adopted for the countries of the global south.
    • Untapped potential: There is enormous untapped potential in the growing economies of the Global South.  The countries will witness significant progress if they cooperate in areas like technical exchanges, ideas exchanges, exchanging best practices in manufacturing, and other areas.
    • Common concerns: India is committed  to utilise the G20 presidency to give resonance to the voice of the global south and to highlight the common concerns of energy security, energy justice, sustainable energy transition so that all developing countries can gain reliable and clean energy.

    Challenges for consolidation

    • Row over climate reparations: In the ongoing debate about North countries paying for funding green energy, having historically contributed to higher carbon emissions, many in the Global North have objected to China and India’s exclusion from this, given their increasing industrialization.
    • Russia-Ukraine War: This ongoing war severely affected the least developed countries (LDCs) aggravating the concerns related to food, energy and finance, thereby, threatening the development prospects of LDCs.
    • China’s unprecedented rise: This prompted them to get more allied towards China. China is increasingly making inroads in the Global South through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for developing infrastructure.
    • US domination: The world is now considered to be multipolar by many but still, it is the US alone who dominates international affairs. Even today, US is still dominating the Ukrainian War.
    • Dependence over North: Global North-South divergences have been historically characterised by major gaps in the access to resources required for crucial developmental outcomes. Industrialisation has been always skewed in the favour of global North.

    Way forward

    • Active engagement: Championing the Global South today would demand more active Indian engagement with the messy regional politics within the developing world.
    • Need for Policy vision: India must also come to terms with the fact that the Global South is not a coherent group and does not have a single shared agenda. There is much differentiation within the South today in terms of wealth and power, needs and capabilities.

    Conclusion

    • If the Global South and India worked together, they could make significant advancements in the fight against terrorism, maritime policy, and other fields.
    • In its development partnerships, India’s approach has always been consultative, outcome-oriented, demand-driven, people-centric and respectful of the sovereignty of partner countries.
    • The Indian side has made an effort to set its development programs in the Global South apart from those of China, which can result in debt traps and financially unsound undertakings.

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  • Indian women’s labor force participation is declining

    participation

    Context

    • According to the World Bank report released in June 2022, Indian women’s labour force participation proportion of the population over the age of 15 that is economically active has been steadily declining since 2005 and is at a low of 19 percent in 2021.

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    How the experts are analysing the falling participation of women?

    • Patriarchy in continuity: According to some experts there is continuities of patriarchal oppression and structural barriers to women’s economic participation in India.
    • Informal economy not accounted: Other group of experts says these claims fail to acknowledge that this measure does not capture women’s participation in the informal economy.
    • Preference for home-based work: In developing economies such as India, women are concentrated in the informal sector and demonstrate a preference for home-based work opportunities that allow them to balance their domestic duties with income-generating activities.
    • Social consideration: It is simplistic and instrumental link between women’s labour force participation and measures of societal development.
    • Reductionist approach: It is important to move beyond reductionist explanations and probe how women’s employment operates in specific contexts. This calls for a more comprehensive understanding of women’s decision-making and navigation around employment.

    participation

    Economy theory about women participation in labour force

    • Standard economic theory: Standard economic theory predicts that as household income increases, women withdraw from devalued labour because their income is no longer required to run the household.
    • Income employment: As household income rises and educational attainment improves, women re-enter the workforce.
    • Mismatch of skills: But for moderately educated women from upwardly mobile families, there is often a mismatch between available jobs and their skills and ambitions.
    • Aversion towards low-paid jobs: As their families are in the process of claiming middle-class status, young women are often averse to taking up low-paid jobs in the formal economy.
    • Class and social mobility: If they are unable to secure high-status white-collar jobs, they prefer home-based work such as tailoring or running tuitions for young children. Thus, women’s employment preferences are often intertwined with family-centred projects of class and social mobility.

    participation

    Study of ground reality about women employment

    • Facilitated study group: In a recent study, facilitated study group (FSG) interviewed 6,600 women of working age from low-income communities across 16 cities in India.
    • Small job and business: It found that women’s ability to work outside the home is defined by the views of their family members who prefer women working from home or engaging in a small business to allocate more time to household responsibilities. But 59 percent of women prefer jobs in the formal sector over entrepreneurship.
    • Less use of child care: Less than 1 percent of working mothers with children under 12 years old have used paid childcare services. 89 percent are unwilling to use paid childcare services.
    • Preference to family care: Affordability isn’t a key factor in not considering paid day-care. It’s because mothers do not trust day-care services as they do not provide ‘family-like’ care.
    • Balancing the familial expectations: These findings suggest that Indian women’s employment-related decisions are shaped by considerations of providing caregiving to their children and balancing their preferences with familial expectations.

    What should be the right approach about women participation?

    • Family responsibility and career: women, especially in low-income communities in India, have a composite view of their lives (jobs, enterprises, care work, upholding traditions, and community connections) and navigate through these with their household and extended family.
    • Comprehensive view of life: The non-compartmentalisation emerges from a culturally embedded and empirically grounded perspective that does not view culture as a limitation, but as a resource and enabler that provides a comprehensive valuation for all kinds of work that women do (informal and formal).
    • Understanding the cultural context: This translates into everyday negotiations that have less to do with upturning the current social structure and more with negotiating for increased autonomy within the cultural context.
    • Flexible working Hours: Policy solutions must derive from the negotiations women are interested in undertaking with their employers around home-based work or flexible working hours. It is important to perceive women’s employment goals as reflective of preferences defined not only by their gender but also by their social and cultural context.

    participation

    Conclusion

    • The breakdown of the family structure and caregiving systems in developed economies offers an important lesson. If Indian women want to participate in the formal labour force while retaining their family structure, this preference should be accommodated in institutional and interpersonal responses.

    Mains Question

    Q. In the context of world bank report analyse the declining participation of women in labour force. What should be the right approach to increase the participation of women in labour force?

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  • 16th Jan 2023 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    16th Jan 2023 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

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  • Day 1| Daily Answer Wars| CD WarZone

    Topics for Today’s question:

    GS-2       Mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of the vulnerable sections.

    Question:

    Q. Besides the welfare schemes, India needs deft management of inflation and unemployment to serve the poor and the underprivileged sections of society. Discuss. (15 Marks)

     

    HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WARS (DAW)?

    1. Daily 1 question either from General Studies 1, 2, 3 or 4 will be provided via live You Tube video session.
    2. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.
    3. The answer needs to be submitted by joining the telegram group given in the link below.

      https://t.me/cdwarzone

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

    1. For the philosophy of Daily Answer Wars and payment: 
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  • A Bumpy Ride for India’s Economy in 2023: A perspective

    Economy

    Context

    • India’s general elections, scheduled for 2024, will also bring in their wake high-pitched rhetoric and spin-doctoring to further muddy the waters. In short, buckle up because the next 12 months promise a flurry of conflicting signals and a rather bumpy ride. A perspective on Indian economy in 2023.

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    Turbulent global situation

    • Pandemic plus Ukraine war: One conflicting signal is already staring us in the face, the seemingly doomed future of globalization. Post-Brexit, the covid pandemic and Russia-Ukraine conflict, there are multiple signs indicating retrenchment of globalization.
    • Collapse of Supply chains: The collapse of global supply chains due to economic lockdowns has refocused attention towards near-shoring or on-shoring.
    • Trade barriers: In an associated move, nations have erected protective trade barriers; both the US and EU are using climate plans to renege on free-trade promises. The end result, reduced global trade.

    What are the prospects from international institute?

    • BlackRock Investment Institute’s 2023 Global Outlook: Various financial institutions across the globe are trying to wrap their heads around the phenomenon. According to BlackRock Investment Institute’s 2023 Global Outlook, “We see geopolitical cooperation and globalization evolving into a fragmented world with competing blocs.
    • Citi’s wealth outlook for 2023: Citi’s wealth outlook for 2023 intoned ominously, as a less globalized, more polarized world presents challenges for investors.

    Economy

    Effect of globalization and policy change by developed economies

    • Rising federal rates: As US employment numbers and demand data continue to stay elevated (despite, paradoxically, slowing growth), the Federal Reserve is likely to be unrelenting in its endeavor to bring the inflation rate back to 2%.
    • Rise in domestic interest rates: The Fed’s actions will undoubtedly strengthen the dollar further, forcing many central banks across the global economy to raise interest rates in tandem. Interestingly, central banks in emerging economies today face threats to their independence from an external agency and not from the political dispensation at home.
    • Increase in food and fuel cost: Beyond interest rates, inflation also travels easily across national boundaries, especially through food and fuel trade. The fractured supply chains and war in Europe have ensured that inflation’s harmful impact might sustain through 2023.
    • Omicron variant and travel restrictions: The other undesirable effect of globalization could be the persisting effect of the Omicron variant that has travelled seamlessly from one corner of the world to another. The Indian government has been forced to resume random screening of passengers arriving from different parts of the world to test for the numerous Omicron variants that have witnessed a resurgence in recent times.

    Economy

    Impact on Indian Economy

    • Over-priced equity markets: Indian equity markets have been soaring since early 2020, once the initial shock of the covid pandemic was negotiated. Cross-country comparisons across emerging markets by various valuation indices show the Indian market to be considerably over-priced currently, both relative to its own past performance as well as compared with the rest of the world.
    • High retail investors: Interestingly, the market held its own despite foreign portfolio investors (FPI) pulling out money over the past few months. Domestic investment institutions and retail investors are believed to have kept the market valuation up. But below this cheery visage lies a grim reality.
    • Worrisome credit records: Sectoral credit deployment data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shows credit growth in commercial banks in recent months has been driven by only two segments: non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) and consumer loans.
    • High retail borrowings: A large chunk of the NBFC borrowing was also for on-lending to retail borrowers, given tepid industrial credit demand. RBI data for commercial banks shows consumer loans in four categories advances against fixed deposits, advances against shares or bonds, loans against gold jwellery and other personal loans grew by almost 71% between April 2020 and November 2022.
    • Loans for equity investments: It is quite likely that a large proportion of these loans have found their way into stock markets; the Nifty-50 index gained close to 118% between April 2020 and November 2022, at a time when FPI investments during the same period witnessed a net inflow of only ₹1,464 crore.

    Conclusion

    • The year 2023 appears to be very bumpy for economy in general and credit growth and recovery in particular. SEBI and RBI need to protect the retail investors from Ponzi scheme and fake promises of guaranteed returns.

    Mains Question

    Q. How policy changes in developed economies affects the India’s decision making? Assess the effect of turbulent global situation on credit growth in India.

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  • Mental Health Problem and effective policy

    Mental Health

    Context

    • The fifth Global Mental Health Summit, co-sponsored by over half a dozen organisations engaged with mental health, was held in Chennai to discuss mental health in the context of human rights, ethics and justice. Highlighting the importance of mental health, it gave a call for action against the continued neglect by society at large and the governments at central and state levels, in particular.

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    Findings of national mental health survey

    • The National Mental Health Survey (NMHS): The latest National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) conducted by National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and WHO, was published in 2016.
    • Prevalence of mental disorder: According to the survey, the prevalence of mental disorders among adults in India is around 10.6%. The most common disorders were anxiety disorders (7.3%) and mood disorders (4.5%).
    • Higher among women than men: The survey also found that the prevalence of mental disorders was higher among women than men, and that the majority of people with mental disorders did not receive any treatment.
    • Prevalence of mental disorders is higher in urban areas: It also found that the prevalence of mental disorders was higher in urban areas than in rural areas, and that there was a higher prevalence of mental disorders among people with lower levels of education and income.
    • Gap in treatment coverage for people with mental disorder : The survey highlighted that there is a significant gap in treatment coverage for people with mental disorders, and that the majority of people with mental disorders do not receive any treatment.
    • Plan for mental health: The survey has provided an important information for Indian government and mental health professional to plan and implement mental health programs and policies in the country.

    Mental Health

    What constitutes good policy making on mental health?

    • Policy should be based on research and findings: Policies should be based on sound research and evidence from scientific studies. This helps to ensure that policies are effective in addressing mental health issues and are not based on assumptions or stereotypes.
    • Active engagement of stakeholders: Policy making should involve a wide range of stakeholders, including people with lived experience of mental health issues, mental health professionals, and representatives from relevant government departments and non-governmental organizations.
    • A comprehensive and integrated approach: Mental health policies should be comprehensive and address a wide range of issues, including prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery. They should also be integrated with other policies, such as those related to education, housing, and employment.
    • Ensure easy access to mental health care: policies should ensure that people have access to appropriate and affordable mental health care, including both medication and psychosocial therapies.
    • Public awareness and Sensitization : policies should ensure that people with mental health issues are treated with dignity and respect, and that their human rights are protected.

    Case study: How India tackled HIV/AIDS?

    • Active surveillance system: The need for crafting strategic interventions based on epidemiological evidence from an active surveillance system.
    • Modelling different options: The importance of modelling different options of addressing the wide array of interventions required in different geographies, among different target groups, to provide the data related to cost effectiveness as well as efficacy of the interventions required for scaling up.
    • Proactive advocacy of systemic issues among all influencers: The proactive advocacy of systemic issues among all influencers the media, judiciary, politicians, police and other intersectoral departments whose programmes and activities have had a direct bearing on the key populations being worked on.
    • Community engagement: The use of peer leaders and civil society that was allocated over 25 per cent of the budget. Though a central sector programme was fully funded by the central government, every intervention was formulated with active participation and dialogue among the states and constituencies of local leaders.

    Mental Health

    Strategy for better implementation of mental health policy

    • Clear goals and objectives: Having clear and measurable goals and objectives can help to ensure that policies are implemented effectively and that progress can be tracked.
    • Training and capacity building: Providing training and capacity building for mental health professionals, as well as for other relevant stakeholders such as community leaders, can help to ensure that policies are implemented effectively.
    • Community engagement: Involving communities in the planning and implementation of mental health policies can help to ensure that policies are responsive to the specific needs and priorities of local populations.
    • Monitoring and evaluation: Regularly monitoring and evaluating the implementation of policies can help to identify any barriers or challenges, and make adjustments as necessary.
    • Multi-sectoral approach: Adopting a multi-sectoral approach that involves collaboration between different sectors, such as health, education, social welfare, housing, and employment can help to ensure that policies are implemented in a coordinated and effective manner.
    • Policy flexibility: Policies should be flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances, and be responsive to feedback and suggestions from the community and stakeholders.

    latest research in mental health domain

    • The growing recognition of the importance of early intervention in mental health: Research has shown that early intervention can prevent mental health issues from becoming more severe, and can help individuals to recover more quickly.
    • The use of technology in mental health: There has been an increase in the use of technology, such as mobile apps, virtual reality, and teletherapy, to deliver mental health care. Studies have shown that these technologies can be effective in improving mental health outcomes.
    • The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health: The pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health, and research has been conducted to understand the extent of the impact and to develop strategies to mitigate it.
    • Advancements in brain imaging and genetics: Researchers are using brain imaging techniques and genetic studies to gain a better understanding of the underlying causes of mental disorders and to develop more effective treatments.
    • The use of personalized medicine in mental health: There is growing interest in the use of personalized medicine, which involves using genetic and other information to tailor treatment to the individual patient, to improve mental health outcomes.
    • The benefits of nature-based interventions for mental health: Studies have shown that spending time in nature can have a positive impact on mental health, including reducing symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.
    • The importance of social determinants of mental health: Research has highlighted the importance of social determinants such as poverty, education, and social support in mental health.
    • The importance of addressing mental health in the workplace: Studies have highlighted the impact of workplace stress and burnout on mental health and the importance of workplace interventions to promote mental well-being.

    Do you know Neuralink?

    • Neuralink is a gadget that will be surgically inserted into the brain using robotics. In this procedure, a chipset called the link is implanted in the skull.
    • Neuralink can be used to operate encephalopathy. It can also be used as a connection between the human brain and technology which means people with paralysis can easily operate their phones and computer directly with their brain.

    Mental Health

    Conclusion

    • Mental health problems and not related to age of persons. From children to old age all can suffer from this menace. Government of the must formulated, implement the effective, resulted oriented mental health policy as earliest as possible

    Mains Question

    Q. What factors need to be taken care while drafting sound mental health policy? Suggest a strategy for better implementation of metal health policy.

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  • Ganga Vilas: A boost to riverine tourism

    tourism

    Context

    • The travel-tourism-hospitality sector got a symbolic boost on Friday, with the Prime Minister launching the MV Ganga Vilas from Varanasi. The luxury 51-day cruise operated in partnership with private players by the Inland Waterways Authority will traverse several states, two countries and make stops at about 50 tourist and heritage sites along the Ganga and Brahmaputra River systems.

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    tourism

    All you need to know about MV Ganga Vilas

    • MV Ganga Vilas is the first indigenously made and the world’s longest river cruise
    • The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is the coordinator of this ship tourism project.
    • The cruise has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with all the modern amenities and avoids river pollution.
    • It has its own sewage treatment plant besides a water treatment plant that lifts water from the river for daily use.
    • The cruise has a gymnasium, a spa, restaurant, sunbath deck and other amenities on board to entertain the tourists and also to provide them a comfortable experience.

    tourism

    Journey of MV Ganga Vilas

    • From Varanasi to Dibrugarh: Set to sail from Varanasi, the cruise ship, MV Ganga Vilas, will cover 3,200 km over 51 days, crossing 27 river systems and several states before ending its journey at Dibrugarh.
    • It will cover World heritage sites: The voyage is packed with visits to 50 tourist spots, including World Heritage spots, national parks, river ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam.
    • Pilgrimage plus environmental tourism: It will make pit-stops to cover the famous Ganga Arti in Varanasi, the Buddhist site of Sarnath; and even Majuli, the largest river island in Assam.

    What are the concerns highlighted?

    • Silting and pollution of rives must be addressed on priority: Two of the greatest threats to India’s rivers silting and pollution must be addressed.
    • Employment generation must go hand-in-hand with ecological repair: Both the PM and Shipping & Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal have cited the jobs that riverine tourism could bring to states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Assam. But employment generation must go hand-in-hand with ecological repair.

    tourism

    Way ahead

    • Involve local communities: For the government to realise its goal to increase cruise passenger traffic from 4 lakh people to nearly 10 times that figure. But this growth, to be sustainable, must involve local communities.
    • Smaller vessels could be involved: While there is potential for larger, luxury liners, riverine tourism could also expand and cater to travellers from different economic strata. Also, smaller vessels may pose less of an ecological challenge.
    • Lesson to be learnt from Kerala: While the Centre’s push in the sector, with the PM as the face, is welcome, states and the private sector too must be brought on board. There is, for example, much that east Indian states can learn from how Kerala monetizes and maintains its backwaters.
    • Further expansion with worlds best practices: The Ganga cruise, though, should be just a beginning in tapping the unrealized potential of India’s numerous and diverse river systems for tourism. At the same time, the expansion must take into account the best practices from around India and the world, while ensuring local communities and the environment are not given short shrift.

    Conclusion

    • The hospitality sector is labor-intensive and can provide some of the formal jobs that a transitioning Indian economy so desperately needs. And given the growing global market for ecologically-conscious travel, India can if it is meticulous and enterprising in its planning protect its rivers and create jobs at the same time.

    Mains question

    Q. Recently government launched MV Ganga Vilas cruise. Discuss how it will change the face of tourism in India?

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  • Hospitality Industry in India: Adhering to the principle of Atithi Devo Bhava

    Hospitality

    “To other Country, I may go as a tourist. But to India I come as a pilgrim”-Martin Luther King 

    Context

    • As the world moves on, the service sector travel and tourism business included is emerging as a major growth engine for the Indian economy. People are once again flying in great numbers, airports are crowded, hotels are well booked, and travellers want to explore, connect and feel alive through the exhilarating emotion of travel. Despite several difficulties and challenging infrastructure in hospitality, the industry has fared extremely well.

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    Hospitality

    What is mean by Hospitality?

    • Hospitality refers to the friendly and generous treatment of guests or strangers.
    • It involves making guests feel welcome, comfortable, and attended to during their stay or visit.
    • The goal of hospitality is to create a positive experience for the guest and to ensure that they have everything they need to feel at home and enjoy their time.

    Hospitality Industry in India

    • Hospitality contributes to the economy: The hospitality industry in India is a growing industry which contributes significantly to the country’s economy.
    • India a choiced tourist destination: India is home to number of popular destinations for tourists, due to its diverse culture, ancient civilization, art and architecture, spiritual knowledge centre and the paradise of natural beauty.
    • Infrastructure upgraded with time: The hospitality industry in India has undergone significant growth in recent years, fueled by an increase in domestic and international tourism, as well as the development of new infrastructure, such as airports and roads.
    • Hospitality companies determined to offer diverse experience: Hospitality companies have consistently added supply across all segments budget, business and luxury hotels, homestays, villas and so forth by developing new circuits and offerings that tap into the diverse and myriad potential of Incredible India.

    Hospitality

    How Hospitality Industry contributes to the Economy?

    • Tourism a driving force: Tourism is seen as a major driving force for any economy. It has a multiplier effect on associated industries like hospitality.
    • Spillover earning: Not only improves economic condition but also enhances standard of living: The spillover of earnings from tourism into other industries not only improves economic conditions but also enhances the standards of living of the local population.
    • For instance, GDP and employment in Goa: This is most apparent at the popular beach destination of Goa. Contributing over 16 per cent to the GDP and 35 per cent to direct employment within the state as per the IBEF Report 2022, the domino effect of the sector on indirect job creation is unrivalled. Today, led by tourism, Goa leads the nation in per capita NSDP (Net State Domestic Product) as per the RBI.
    • Significant impact on high employability: As per trends, every hotel room generates five to seven jobs, both directly and indirectly, further leading to a significant impact on other high-employability sectors such as real estate and infrastructure.
    • Will generate more than 100 million jobs globally: In fact, according to the latest World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) report, the sector is expected to create nearly 126 million new jobs globally within the next decade with at least 20 per cent of these from the Indian subcontinent. However, government support will be instrumental in achieving this.
    • Will augment the Indian economy to reach $1 trillion by 2047: With Indian companies reporting positive earnings this fiscal, the sector is poised to potentially grow three times compared to the pre-pandemic levels to touch $250 billion by 2030 and further accelerate to reach $1 trillion by 2047.

    Way ahead

    • Upgrading the infrastructure to cater new consumer demands well: The travel and tourism industry is constantly evolving, catering to rapidly changing consumer demands. A capital-intensive industry, the hospitality sector needs to continually plough back to keep the ball rolling.
    • Attracting more investments: A good start will be the Centre according infrastructure status to the sector, which will boost the industry, incorporating required incentives including regulatory ease, cheaper loans, tax concessions and contributing to a cycle of attracting more investments.
    • Augmenting the infrastructure growth: In addition, industry status at the state and Union territories-level and augmenting the infrastructure growth will also have a much-needed positive impact. States like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have taken the lead, and more should follow suit.

    Hospitality

    India’s G20 presidency an opportunity for India

    • Challenge to provide world class experience to visiting dignitaries: As India takes on the G20 presidency and starts preparing for the summit in 2023, positioning the country as a safe, tourist-friendly destination hinges on how the government can work together with the industry and provide world-class experiences to visiting dignitaries.
    • Meeting mostly be hosted in hotels: Around 300 plus meetings are expected to take place during the summit, most of which will be hosted within the corridors of the finest hotels across the country.
    • Adhering to the principle of Aithi Devo Bhava: Hospitality companies are leaving no stone unturned to showcase India’s cultural essence, and the inherent warmth of Atithi Devo Bhava in our service philosophy.
    • India can set an impression: Using the summit to highlight the country’s unique and differentiated travel offerings, India can claim its position on the world tourism stage.

    Conclusion

    • India’s growth story remains immensely encouraging. On the back of strong consumer demand, travel and tourism offers promising growth and are at an important inflection point. Through collective action between industry stakeholders and government, we can undoubtedly shape an even more thriving future for the industry one that can have a positive impact on the economy and society at large.

    Mains question

    Q. Tourism and Hospitality is a growing industry in India. In light of this discuss how this industry contributes to the economy? Illustrate with an example.

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  • Reconstructing past Deep-Water Circulations of Indian Ocean

    indian ocean

    Studies have indicated that tectonically driven changes in the ocean gateways such as the closure of the Central American Seaway, a body of water that once separated North America from South America, since the late Miocene period, had a dramatic impact on the Indian Ocean circulation.

    What is Global overturning circulation (GOC)?

    • It is the equatorward transport of cold, deep waters and the poleward transport of warm, near-surface waters.
    • It controls ocean heat distribution and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, thus playing a critical role in global climate.

    Concept: Panama Closure Hypothesis

    • This news essentially talks about the Panama Closure Hypothesis.
    • Panama Hypothesis states that the gradual closure of the Panama Seaway, between 13 million years ago (13 Ma) and 2.6 Ma, led to decreased mixing of Atlantic and Pacific water Masses.
    • This led to the formation of North Atlantic Deep water circulation.
    • It strengthened the Atlantic thermohaline circulation, increased temperatures and evaporation in the North Atlantic, increased precipitation in Northern Hemisphere high latitudes.

    Impact of Panama closure

    • It is thought that tectonic changes might have led to the formation of two separate water bodies — northern component water in the North Atlantic and Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) in the Southern Ocean.
    • Consequently, it is also hypothesised that there would have been large-scale changes in the Deep Water Circulation (DWC) in the oceans across the world.

    Impact on Indian Ocean gyre

    • The Indian Ocean does not have any major deep-water formations of its own.
    • It acts only as a host for NCW and AABW.
    • Further, the northern parts of the Indian Ocean are located at one of the terminal ends of the GOC, far away from the deep-water formation regions and oceanic seaways.

    What has the new research found?

    • The scientists have generated an authigenic neodymium isotope record from the Arabian Sea and reconstructed the DWC record of the Indian Ocean for the period from 11.3 million years ago (Miocene era) to 1.98 million years ago (Pleistocene era).
    • The record shows a clear shift from the Pacific water-dominated deep circulation system before about nine million years ago, to the onset of a modern-like deep water circulation system in the Indian Ocean.
    • It comprises of Antarctic bottom water and northern component water during the Miocene-Pliocene transition (about six million years ago).
    • This suggests a widespread impact of the late Miocene Central American Seaway closure on the evolution of ocean deep water circulation and validates the so-called Panama Closure Hypothesis.

    Back2Basics: Indian Ocean Circulation

    indian ocean

    • The Indian Ocean circulation/gyre, located in the Indian Ocean, is one of the five major oceanic gyres, large systems of rotating ocean currents, which together form the backbone of the global conveyor belt.
    • The Indian Ocean gyre is composed of two major currents: the South Equatorial Current, and the West Australian Current.
    • Normally moving counter-clockwise, in the winter the Indian Ocean gyre reverses direction due to the seasonal winds of the South Asian Monsoon.

    How does it function?

    • In the summer, the land is warmer than the ocean, so surface winds blow from the ocean to the land.
    • However, during the winter, these temperatures reverse, making the winds blow from the land to the ocean.
    • Because most of the air pressure gradient is retained behind the Tibetan plateau, air pressure gradients over the Indian Ocean and the gyre are small.
    • This results in winds of moderate strength, due to the protection from the full-force winds blowing off the Mongolian high-pressure region.
    • Because of these moderate, dry winds, the Winter Monsoon season in the Indian Ocean region is the dry season for most of Southern Asia.
    • Due to this seasonal wind cycle, the currents of the Indian Ocean, which make up the Indian Ocean gyre, are directly affected, causing reversal.

     

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