From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NBFCs and their regulations
Mains level: Not Much
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has suggested a tougher regulatory framework for the non-banking finance companies’ (NBFC) sector to prevent the recurrence of any systemic risk to the country’s financial system.
Try this PYQ:
Which of the following can be said to be essentially the parts of Inclusive Governance?
Permitting the Non-Banking Financial Companies to do banking
Establishing effective District Planning Committees in all the districts
Increasing government spending on public health
Strengthening the Mid-day Meal Scheme
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 and 4 only
(c) 2, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
What are NBFCs?
Nonbank financial companies (NBFCs) are financial institutions that offer various banking services but do not have a banking license.
An NBFC in India is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities issued by a government or local authority, or other marketable securities.
A non-banking institution that is a company and has principal business of receiving deposits under any scheme or arrangement in one lump sum or in installments is also an NBFC.
What is the difference between banks & NBFCs?
NBFCs lend and make investments and hence their activities are akin to that of banks; however, there are a few differences as given below:
NBFC cannot accept demand deposits
NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself
The deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not available to depositors of NBFCs, unlike in the case of banks
What are the new RBI regulations?
The regulatory and supervisory framework of NBFCs will be based on a four-layered structure — the base layer (NBFC-BL), middle layer (NBFC-ML), the upper layer (NBFC-UL), and the top layer.
If the framework is visualized as a pyramid, at the bottom of the pyramid will be those where least regulatory intervention is warranted.
It can consist of NBFCs currently classified as non-systemically important NBFCs.
Moving up, the next layer may comprise NBFCs currently classified as systemically important NBFCs (NBFC-ND-SI), deposit-taking NBFCs (NBFC-D), HFCs, IFCs, IDFs, SPDs, and CICs.
The regulatory regime for this layer shall be stricter compared to the base layer.
The next layer may consist of NBFCs identified as ‘systemically significant’.
This layer will be populated by NBFCs having a large potential of systemic spill-over of risks and the ability to impact financial stability.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Indian innovation index
Mains level: Innovation ecosystem in India
NITI Aayog is set to release the second edition of the India Innovation Index 2020 tomorrow.
*Statewise rankings will be updated tomorrow.
Updated on 21st Jan, Thursday.
India Innovation Index (III)
The release of the second edition of the index—the first was launched in October 2019—demonstrates the Government’s continued commitment towards transforming the country into an innovation-driven economy.
The index attempts to create an extensive framework for the continual evaluation of the innovation environment of 29 states and seven UTs in India.
It intends to perform the following three functions-
Ranking of states and UTs based on their index scores
Recognizing opportunities and challenges, and
Assisting in tailoring governmental policies to foster innovation
The India Innovation Index 2019 is calculated as the average of the scores of its two dimensions – Enablers and Performance.
The states have been bifurcated into three categories: major states, north-east and hill states, and union territories/city-states/small states.
Significance
The study examines the innovation ecosystem of Indian states and union territories.
The aim is to create a holistic tool which can be used by policymakers across the country to identify the challenges to be addressed and strengths to build on when designing policies.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Anaemia
Mains level: Anaemia
Indian women and children are overwhelmingly anaemic, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2019-20 released this month, and the condition is the most prevalent in the Himalayan cold desert.
Anaemia is the condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or a quantity of haemoglobin. How widespread is it in India?
What is Anaemia?
The condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or a quantity of haemoglobin. It can make one feel tired, cold, dizzy, and irritable, and short of breath, among other symptoms.
A diet that does not contain enough iron, folic acid, or vitamin B12 is a common cause of anaemia.
Some other conditions that may lead to anaemia include pregnancy, heavy periods, blood disorders or cancer, inherited disorders, and infectious diseases.
How widespread is anaemia in our country?
In Phase I of the NHFS, result factsheets have been released for 22 states and UTs.
In a majority of these states and UTs, more than half the children and women were found to be anaemic.
In 15 of these 22 states and UTs, more than half the children are anaemic. Similarly, more than 50 percent of women are anaemic in 14 of these states and UTs.
The proportion of anaemic children and women is comparatively lower in Lakshadweep, Kerala, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland.
However, it is higher in Ladakh, Gujarat, J&K, and West Bengal, among others.
Anaemia among men was less than 30 percent in a majority of these states and UTs.
What was the methodology used?
NFHS used the capillary blood of the respondents for the estimation of anaemia. For children, haemoglobin of fewer than 11 grams per decilitre (g/dl) indicated anaemia.
For non-pregnant and pregnant women, it was less than 12 g/dl and 11g/dl respectively, and for men, it was less than 13 g/dl.
Among children, the prevalence was adjusted for altitude and among adults, it was adjusted for altitude and smoking status.
Why is anaemia so high in the country?
Iron-deficiency and vitamin B12-deficiency anaemia are the two common types of anaemia in India.
Among women, iron deficiency prevalence is higher than men due to menstrual iron losses and the high iron demands of a growing foetus during pregnancies.
Lack of millets in the diet due to overdependence on rice and wheat, insufficient consumption of green and leafy vegetables could be the reasons behind the high prevalence of anaemia in India.
What about the cold desert region of the western Himalaya?
In the union territory of Ladakh, a whopping 92.5 per cent children, 92.8 per cent women, and around 76 per cent men are anaemic in the given age groups, as per the survey.
The high prevalence in this region could be due to the short supply of fresh vegetables and fruits during the long winter each year.
Crops here are generally only grown in summer and during winter; residents fail to get a regular supply of green vegetables and fresh produce from outside, due to restricted connectivity in harsh weather.
However, there could be other factors as well and the causes of anaemia here are yet to be scientifically ascertained.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not Much
Mains level: Internet usage in India and the digital divide
The recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) survey helps us gain an idea about the spread of awareness regarding the internet among people.
This newscard provides a picture of gendered as well as regional differentiation of internet usage in India.
Statewise Internet Usage
(1) Gendered data
A very high differential is also seen among the female and male population who have ever used the internet. In every state, it is seen that the percentage of male users exceeds the number of females.
The states and Union territories with the highest percentage of internet users among men are Goa (82.9 %), Lakshadweep (80.3 %), and Mizoram (79.7 %).
Also, states like Sikkim (76.7 %), Goa (73.7 %) and Mizoram (67.6 %) have the highest percentage of female internet users. The lowest internet usage among men is seen in Meghalaya (42.1 %), Assam (42.3 %) and Bihar (43.6 %).
In some states like Bihar, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, there is almost double the number of male internet users than female ones. Among women, it is seen in Bihar (20.6 %), Andhra Pradesh (21 %) and Tripura (22.9 %).
(2) Urban-Rural divide
Except for West Bengal, there is no other state which shows a lower percentage of urban male internet users compared to rural ones.
States like Goa, Kerala and Lakshadweep don’t show a huge variation in internet accessibility in the urban and rural areas.
But in every other state, there is an approximate difference of 10-15 % between the two regions, with urban areas staying ahead.
Why it matters?
The internet today has a very huge range and a big impact on the lifestyle and empowerment of people.
Female empowerment and gender equality have been one of the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals that our country is trying to achieve.
Good and affordable internet availability to women will be a big step towards fulfilling this goal.
Significance of the data
Gender differentiation that is seen in the offline world also affects the variations that we have seen in the online world, which includes differences in education, employment and income.
Sexual harassment and trolling are other reasons why people prefer to keep their female relatives away from the internet.
Just like phone ownership was used as an indicator to understand the women empowerment situation in the country, this too can be an indicator for the same.
Conclusion
The results from the NFHS-5 survey are still partial, but they have shown a great variation in the access to the internet among the states, between men and women and also between the rural and urban regions of each state.
When we look at the differentials in the usage of the internet by women across the rural and urban regions, a huge gap is seen between the urban and rural women’s use of the internet.
The variations are very high, with the percentage of women users of the internet in rural areas being just half of that in urban areas. These disparities paint a sad picture.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NFHS
Mains level: Data on India's health
Current times require integrated and coordinated efforts from all health institutions, academia and other partners directly or indirectly associated with the health care services to make these services accessible, affordable and acceptable to all.
The data in NFHS-5 gives requisite input for strengthening existing programmes and evolving new strategies for policy intervention, therefore government and authorities should take steps to further improve the condition of women in India.
The first phase of the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) has been released.
Do you think that India is still the sick man of Asia?
What is the National Family Health Survey?
The NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India.
Three rounds of the survey have been conducted since the first survey in 1992-93.
The survey provides state and national information for India on fertility, infant and child mortality, the practice of family planning, maternal and child health, reproductive health, nutrition, etc.
The Ministry of Health has designated the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) Mumbai, as the nodal agency, responsible for providing coordination and technical guidance for the survey.
Part I of the Survey
The latest data pertains to 17 states — including Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal — and five UTs (including J&K) and, crucially, captures the state of health in these states before the Covid pandemic.
Phase 2 of the survey, which will cover other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, was delayed due to the pandemic and its results are expected to be made available in May 2021.
Highlights of the NHFS-5
The NFHS-5 contains detailed information on population, health, and nutrition for India and its States and Union Territories.
This is a globally important data source as it is comparable to Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) Programme of 90 other countries on several key indicators.
It can be used for cross country comparisons and development indices.
Good news
Several of the 22 states and UTs, for which findings have been released, showed an increase in childhood immunisation.
There has been a drop in neonatal mortality in 15 states, a decline in infant mortality rates in 18 states and an increase in the female population (per 1,000 males) in 17 states.
Fertility rate decline and increase in contraceptive use were registered in almost all the states surveyed showing trends of population stabilization.
Some bad news
There has been an increase in stunting and wasting among children in several states, a rise in obesity in women and children, and an increase in spousal violence.
In several other development indicators, the needle has hardly moved since the last NFHS-4.
(1) Hunger Alarm
The proportion of stunted children has risen in several of the 17 states and five UTs surveyed, putting India at risk of reversing previous gains in child nutrition made over previous decades.
Worryingly, that includes richer states like Kerala, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Himachal Pradesh.
The share of underweight and wasted children has also gone up in the majority of the states.
(2) Fertility Rate
The total fertility rate (TFR) is defined as the average number of children that would be born to a woman by the time she ends childbearing.
The TFR across most Indian states declined in the past half-a-decade, more so among urban women, according to the latest NFHS-5.
Sikkim recorded the lowest TFR, with one woman bearing 1.1 children on average; Bihar recorded the highest TFR of three children per woman.
In 19 of the 22 surveyed states, TFRs were found to be ‘below-replacement’ — a woman bore less than two children on average through her reproductive life.
India’s population is stabilizing, as the total fertility rate (TFR) has decreased across majority of the states.
(3) Under-5 and infant mortality rate (IMR)
The Under 5 and infant mortality rate (IMR) has come down but in parallel recorded an increase in underweight and severely wasted under 5 children among 22 states that were surveyed.
These states are Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Telangana, Tripura, West Bengal, Lakshadweep and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
For the first time: Gaps in internet use
In 2019, for the first time, the NFHS-5, which collects data on key indicators on population health, family planning and nutrition, sought details on two specific indicators: Percentage of women and men who have ever used the Internet.
On average, less than 3 out of 10 women in rural India and 4 out of 10 women in urban India ever used the Internet, according to the survey.
First, only an average of 42.6 per cent of women ever used the Internet as against an average of 62.16 per cent among the men.
Second, in urban India, average 56.81 per cent women ever used the Internet compared to an average of 73.76 per cent among the men.
Third, dismal 33.94 per cent women in rural India ever used the Internet as against 55.6 per cent among men.
In urban India, 10 states and three union territories reported more than 50 per cent women who had ever used the Internet: Goa (78.1%), Himachal Pradesh (78.9%), Kerala (64.9%), and Maharashtra (54.3%).
The five states reporting the lowest percentage of women, whoever used the Internet in urban India were Andhra Pradesh (33.9%), Bihar (38.4%), Tripura (36.6%), Telangana (43.9%) and Gujarat (48.9%).
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not Much
Mains level: Disability in India
December 3 is marked by the UN as International Day of Persons with Disabilities in a bid to promote a more inclusive and accessible world for the differently-abled and to raise awareness for their rights.
About 2.2% of India’s population lives with some kind of physical or mental disability, as per the National Statistics Office report on disability released last year.
How are the disabled identified?
Until the 2011 census, there were questions on seven kinds of disabilities in the questionnaire.
This list of disabilities was expanded to 21 when the Rights of People with Disabilities was introduced in 2016.
Accordingly, the 2019 report included questions to identify people with temporary loss of ability as well as neurological and blood disorders in addition.
The earlier definition included mental retardation and permanent inability to move, speak, hear and see.
Significantly, the revised definition recognizes deformities and injuries of acid attack victims as disabilities, entitling them to various relief measures.
Who are disabled and in what way?
Rural men had the highest prevalence of disability in India, according to the NSO report.
A higher proportion of men were disabled in India compared with women, and disability was more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas.
Inability to move without assistance was the most common disability. More men experienced locomotor disability than women.
These numbers were self-reported. In other words, the respondents were asked if they experienced any difficulty in performing tasks like moving, talking, etc.
Are these measures in line with those from other surveys?
The 2011 census estimated that the number of people with disabilities in India is close to 2.68 crore (or 2.2% of the population) — that is more than the entire population of Australia.
This number was based on the older definition of disability, yet the proportion of disabled people in the population is not different from the 2019 NSO report, which used the expanded definition of disability.
Other metrics for evaluating disability have provided different estimates.
A group of doctors from AIIMS found that alternate questionnaires like the Rapid Assessment of Disability have resulted in a prevalence ranging from 1.6%-43.3%.
How can the range be so wide?
The proportion of population facing disability becomes bigger as one move from a narrow definition to a broader one.
For instance, if one defines disability as the difficulty in accessing public services for all kinds of reasons, even social or economic, then the proportion goes up.
Why is it important to map disabled people?
Like other disadvantaged groups, the disabled in India are entitled to some benefits, ranging from reservation in educational institutes to concessions on railway tickets.
To claim these benefits, they have to furnish certificates as proof of disability.
At the macro level, data on the prevalence and type of disability is useful while making allocations for welfare schemes.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Sex Ratio
Mains level: Sex ratio in India
A 2018 report on “vital statistics of India based on the Civil Registration System” shows crucial data of sex ratios of major states in India.
Sex Ratio
Sex ratio at birth is the number of females born per thousand males.
Sex ratios are among the most basic of demographic parameters and provide an indication of both the relative survival of females and males and the future breeding potential of a population.
Try this PYQ
Q.Consider the following specific stages of demographic transition associated with economic development:
Low birth rate with a low death rate
High birth rate with a high death rate
High birth rate with a low death rate
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 3, 2 and 1 only
(c) 2, 3 and 1 only
(d) 3, 2 and 1 only
Statewise data
Arunachal Pradesh recorded 1,084 females born per thousand males, followed by Nagaland (965) Mizoram (964), Kerala (963) and Karnataka (957).
The worst was reported in Manipur (757), Lakshadweep (839) and Daman & Diu (877), Punjab (896) and Gujarat (896).
Delhi recorded a sex ratio of 929, Haryana 914 and Jammu and Kashmir 952.
The number of registered births increased to 2.33 crore in 2018 from 2.21 crore registered births the previous year.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Terminologies such as Slowdown, Recession, Depression
Mains level: Hurdles to India's economic growth
Latest RBI bulletin projects contraction for a second consecutive quarter, which means the economy, is in a ‘technical recession’.
Nowcasts by RBI
In its latest monthly bulletin, the Reserve Bank of India has dedicated a chapter on the “State of the economy”.
The idea is to provide a monthly snapshot of some of the key indicators of India’s economic health.
As part of the exercise, the RBI has started “nowcasting” or “the prediction of the present or the very near future of the state of the economy”.
And the very first “nowcast” predicts that India’s economy will contract by 8.6% in the second quarter (July, August, September) of the current financial year.
It implies India that has entered a “technical recession” in the first half of 2020-21— for the first time in its history.
What is a Recessionary Phase?
At its simplest, in any economy, a recessionary phase is the counterpart of an expansionary phase.
In simpler terms, when the overall output of goods and services — typically measured by the GDP — increases from one quarter (or month) to another, the economy is said to be in an expansionary phase.
And when the GDP contracts from one quarter to another, the economy is said to be in a recessionary phase.
Together, these two phases create what is called a “business cycle” in any economy. A full business cycle could last anywhere between one year and a decade.
Now try this PYQ:
Q.Consider the following actions by the Government:
Cutting the tax rates
Increasing government spending
Abolishing the subsidies
In the context of economic recession, which of the above actions can be considered a part of the “Fiscal stimulus” package?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
How is the Recession different?
When a recessionary phase sustains for long enough, it is called a recession. That is, when the GDP contracts for a long enough period, the economy is said to be in a recession.
There is, however, no universally accepted definition of a recession — as in, for how long should the GDP contract before an economy is said to be in a recession.
But most economists agree with the US definition that during a recession, a significant decline in economic activity spreads across the economy and can last from a few months to more than a year.
Then, what is a Technical Recession?
While the basic idea behind the term “recession” — significant contraction in economic activity — is clear, from the perspective of empirical data analysis, there are too many unanswered queries.
For instance, would quarterly GDP be enough to determine economic activity? Or should one look at unemployment or personal consumption as well?
It is entirely possible that GDP starts growing after a while but unemployment levels do not fall adequately.
To get around these empirical technicalities, commentators often consider a recession to be in progress when real GDP has declined for at least two consecutive quarters.
That is how real quarterly GDP has come to be accepted as a measure of economic activity and a “benchmark” for ascertaining a “technical recession”.
How long do recessions last?
Typically, recessions last for a few quarters. If they continue for years, they are referred to as “depressions”.
But depression is quite rare; the last one was during the 1930s in the US.
In the current scenario, the key determinant for any economy to come out of recession is to control the spread of Covid-19.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Core Sector Industries
Mains level: Core sector industries and their impacts
The Office of Economic Advisor within the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has released the Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) for September 2020.
Try this PYQ:
Q.In the ‘Index of Eight Core Industries’, which one of the following is given the highest weight?
(a) Coal production
(b) Electricity generation
(c) Fertilizer production
(d) Steel production
What is the Index of Core Industries?
As the title suggests, this is an index of the eight most fundamental industrial sectors of the Indian economy and it maps the volume of production in these industries.
It gives the details of these eight sectors — namely Coal, Natural Gas, Crude Oil, Refinery Products (such as Petrol and Diesel), Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity.
Since these eight industries are the essential “basic” and/or “intermediate” ingredient in the functioning of the broader economy, mapping their health provides a fundamental understanding of the state of the economy.
In other words, if these eight industries are not growing fast enough, the rest of the economy is unlikely to either.
ICI this year
This data is to focus on the trend of ICI growth over the past 6 months — that is, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns.
A crucial factor in this regard would be the next wave of Covid-19 infections.
If there is a surge in the winter months — as is being witnessed in most Europe and the US — then India’s recovery will be dented yet again.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ASER
Mains level: State of school education in India
The ASER Wave 1 Survey was recently released since the COVID-19 crisis interrupted this years’ trajectory.
Practice question for mains:
Q.Discuss the efficacy of the One-Nation- One-Board System and its limitations.
About ASER Survey
This is an annual survey (published by education non-profit Pratham ) that aims to provide reliable estimates of children’s enrolment and basic learning levels for each district and state in India.
ASER has been conducted every year since 2005 in all rural districts of India. It is the largest citizen-led survey in India.
It is also the only annual source of information on children’s learning outcomes available in India.
How is the survey conducted?
ASER tools and procedures are designed by ASER Centre, the research and assessment arm of Pratham.
The survey itself is coordinated by ASER Centre and facilitated by the Pratham network. It is conducted by close to 30,000 volunteers from partner organisations in each district.
All kinds of institutions partner with ASER: colleges, universities, NGOs, youth groups, women’s organisations, self-help groups and others.
The ASER model has been adapted for use in several countries around the world: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Pakistan, Mali and Senegal.
Assessment parameters
Unlike most other large-scale learning assessments, ASER is a household-based rather than school-based survey.
This design enables all children to be included – those who have never been to school or have dropped out, as well as those who are in government schools, private schools, religious schools or anywhere else.
In each rural district, 30 villages are sampled. In each village, 20 randomly selected households are surveyed.
Information on schooling status is collected for all children living in sampled households who are in the age group 3-16.
Children in the age group 5-16 are tested in basic reading and basic arithmetic. The same test is administered to all children.
The highest level of reading tested corresponds to what is expected in Std 2; in 2012 this test was administered in 16 regional languages.
In recent years, this has included household size, parental education, and some information on household assets.
Key Findings
1.Enrollments:
5.5% of rural children are not currently enrolled for the 2020school year, up from 4% in 2018.
This difference is the sharpest among the youngest children (6 to 10) where 5.3% of rural children had not yet enrolled in school in 2020, in comparison to just 1.8% in 2018.
Due to the disruptions caused by the pandemic, families are waiting for the physical opening of schools to enrol their youngest children, with about 10% of six-year-olds not in school.
Among 15-16 year-olds, however, enrollment levels are slightly higher than in 2018.
The proportion of boys enrolled in government schools has risen from 62.8% in 2018 to 66.4% in 2020, while for girls, that number has gone up from 70% to 73% in the corresponding period.
Patterns show a slight shift toward government schools, with private schools seeing a drop in enrolment in all age groups.
The Centre has now permitted States to start reopening schools if they can follow Covid-19 safety protocols but the majority of the country’s 25 crore students are still at home.
2.Availability of Smartphones:
Among enrolled children, 61.8% live in families that own at least one smartphone which was merely 36.5% in 2018.
About 11% of families bought a new phone after the lockdown, of which 80% were smartphones.
WhatsApp is by far the most popular mode of transmitting learning materialsto students, with 75% of students receiving input via this app.
3.Availability of Learning Material:
Overall more than 80% of children said they had textbooks for their current grade.
This proportion was higher among students enrolled in government schools (84.1%) than in private ones (72.2%).
In Bihar, less than 8% got such materials from their schools, along with 20% in West Bengal, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
More than 80% of rural children in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Gujarat received such input.
4.Learning Activities:
Most children (70.2%) did some form of a learning activity through material shared by tutors or family members themselves, with or without regular input.
11% had access to live online classes, and 21% had videos or recorded classes, with much higher levels in private schools.
About 60% studied from their textbooks and 20% watched classes broadcast on TV.
Suggestions
Fluid Situation: When schools reopen, it will be important to continue to monitor who goes back to school as well as to understand whether there is learning lossas compared to previous years.
Building on and Strengthening Family Support: Parents’ increasing levels of education can be integrated into planning for learning improvement, as advocated by National Education Policy, 2020. Reaching parents at the right level is essential to understand how they can help their children and older siblings also play an important role.
Hybrid Learning: As children do a variety of different activities at home, effective ways of hybrid learning need to be developed which combine traditional teaching-learning with newer ways of “reaching-learning”.
Assessment of Digital Modes and Content: In order to improve digital content and delivery for the future, an in-depth assessment of what works, how well it works, who it reaches, and who it excludes is needed.
Mediating the Digital Divide: Children from families who had low education and also did not have resources like smartphones had less access to learning opportunities. However, even among such households, there is evidence of effort with family members trying to help and schools trying to reach them. These children will need even more help than others when schools reopen.
Way Forward
Covid-19 has left the nation with deep economic distress and uncertainty over school-reopenings and thrown open new challenges in every sector.
The nationally representative sample highlighted the role played by the families where everyone in the family supported children regardless of their education levels.
This strength needs to be leveraged by reaching out to more students and reducing the distance between schools and homes.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Highlights of the report
Mains level: Household electricity supply in India
NITI Aayog, Ministry of Power, Rockefeller Foundation, and Smart Power India have together launched the ‘Electricity Access in India and Benchmarking Distribution Utilities’ report.
About the report
It is based on a primary survey conducted across 10 states––representing about 65% of the total rural population of India.
Aimed at capturing insights from the demand (electricity customers) as well as supply-side (electricity distribution utilities), the report seeks to:
Evaluate the status of electricity access in India across these states and distribution utilities along all dimensions that constitute meaningful access
Benchmark utilities’ capacity to provide electricity access and identify the drivers of sustainable access
Develop recommendations for enhancing sustainable electricity access
Key findings of the report:
As much as 92% of customers reported the overall availability of electricity infrastructure within 50 metres of their premises; however, not all have connections, the primary reason being the distance of households from the nearest pole.
Overall, 87% of customers have access to grid-based electricity. The remaining 13% either use non-grid sources or don’t use any electricity at all.
The hours of supply have improved significantly across the customer categories to nearly 17 hours per day.
Nearly 85% of customers reported to have a metered electricity connection.
Access to electricity is observed in 83% of household customers.
Considering the overall satisfaction level, a total of 66% of those surveyed were satisfied––74% of customers in urban areas and 60% in rural areas.
Recommendations made
The key recommendations provided in the report are in the areas of policy and regulation, process improvement, infrastructure and capacity-building of utilities. Other recommendations included:
prioritizing the release of new connections for non-household customers
transfer of subsidies or other benefits directly into a customer’s account
enhanced technology-driven customer service; ensuring 100% metering of customers
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Obesity
Mains level: Obesity in India
Adults in urban India consume much more fat than those in rural areas, found the latest survey by the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Nutrition.
Do you know?
Over-nutrition is also a form of malnutrition.
‘What India Eats’ Survey
Adults in India’s urban centres consumed 51.6 grammes fat per day per head on an average. The volume was 36 g in rural areas, according to the survey report What India Eats.
The report categorised fat into two groups:
Visible or added fat, comprising oils and fat in preparing food, in fried food and those derived from meat and poultry
Invisible fat, including fat/oils from rice, pulses, nuts and oilseeds
Urban-Rural data
84 per cent of the rural population secured their energy (E) per day requirement from total fats/oils, or visible / added fats.
On the other hand, less than 20 per cent of the urban population derived their E / day from this category.
In urban areas of the country, northern India had the highest intake of added fat with 45.9 g / day.
Southern India reported the lowest per capita consumption of added fat/oils with 22.9 g / day in this segment of the population.
In the urban region of north India, fat intake (67.3 g) was among the highest; and overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity were highest when compared to other regions.
DOMRPIB | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Effects Of Liberalization On The Economy, Changes In Industrial Policy and their effects on Industrial Growth
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Ranking of States on Support to Startup Ecosystems
Mains level: Not Much
The Results of the second edition of Ranking of States on Support to Startup Ecosystems were recently released by Minister of Commerce & Industry.
About the Ranking
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has conducted the second edition of the States Startup Ranking Exercise.
The key objective is to foster competitiveness and propel States and Union Territories to work proactively towards uplifting the startup ecosystem.
It has been implemented as a capacity development exercise to encourage mutual learning among all states and to provide support in policy formulation and implementation.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: EASE Banking Reforms Index
Mains level: Banking sector reforms
Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs has felicitated best performing banks on EASE Banking Reforms Index.
Note the various themes under which the index works.
EASE Banking Reforms Index
EASE stands for ‘Enhanced Access and Service Excellence’. The index is prepared by the Indian Banking Association (IBA) and Boston Consulting Group.
It is commissioned by the Finance Ministry.
It is a framework that was adopted last year to strengthen public sector banks and rank them on metrics such as responsible banking, financial inclusion, credit offtake and digitization.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: MPI and various other dimensions of poverty
Mains level: Not Much
NITI Aayog as the nodal agency has been assigned the responsibility of leveraging the monitoring mechanism of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to drive reforms.
Try this PYQ:
Q.In a given year in India, official poverty lines are higher in some states than in others because (CSP 2019):
(a) Poverty rates vary from State to State
(b) Price levels vary from State to State
(c) Gross State Product varies from State to State
(d) Quality of public distribution varies from State to State
GIRG Exercise
Global MPI is part of GoI’s decision to monitor the performance of the country in 29 select Global Indices.
The objective of the exercise is to fulfil the need to measure and monitor India’s performance on various important social and economic parameters.
It would enable the utilization of these Indices as tools for self-improvement; bring about reforms in policies, while improving last-mile implementation of government schemes.
As the Nodal agency for the MPI, NITI Aayog has constituted a Multidimensional Poverty Index Coordination Committee (MPICC).
About Global MPI
Global MPI is an international measure of multidimensional poverty covering 107 developing countries.
It was first developed in 2010 by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for UNDP’s Human Development Reports.
It is computed by scoring each surveyed household on 10 parameters based on -nutrition, child mortality, and years of schooling, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing and household assets.
It utilizes the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) which is conducted under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS).
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: State Reforms Action Plan Rankings 2019
Mains level: Ease of Doing Business
Andhra Pradesh has bagged the first rank among all the states in the country in the state business reforms action plan-2019 (BRAP-2019), representing ease of doing business for Atmanirbhar Bharat.
About the Ranking
It is the annual ease of doing business index of states and UTs of India based on the completion percentage scores of action items points of annual Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) under the Make in India initiative.
This ranking is based on the implementation of the business reform action plan.
Some of the key focus areas are access to information and technology, the setting up of a single-window system, construction permit enablers and land administration, according to DPIIT.
It based on the progress of states in completing annual reform action plan covering 8 key areas.
The top ten states under the State Reform Action Plan 2019 are:
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NCRB
Mains level: NCRB and its report
The cases of suicide and the number of accidental deaths registered an increase across the country last year compared to 2018, according to the annual National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.
Do you know?
NCRB also released data on hate crimes, fake news, and anti-national activities etc.
(1) Data on Suicides
Statewise data: The maximum cases of mass/family suicides were reported from Tamil Nadu (16), followed by Andhra Pradesh (14), Kerala (11) and Punjab (9) and Rajasthan (7).
Unemployed person: Suicides by unemployed persons amounting to 14% were in Kerala (1,963), followed by 10.8% in Maharashtra, 9.8% in Tamil Nadu, 9.2% in Karnataka and 6.1% in Odisha. Of the 97,613 male suicides, the maximum were daily wage earners (29,092), followed by self-employed persons (14,319) and the unemployed (11,599).
Farmer’s suicide: Majority of victims engaged in the farming sector were reported in Maharashtra (38.2% of 10,281), Karnataka (19.4%), AP (10.0%), MP (5.3%) and Chhattisgarh & Telangana (4.9% each),” said the report.
Rural-Urban: The suicide rate in cities (13.9%) was higher compared to the all-India average. Family problems (other than marriage related problems)’ (32.4%); ‘marriage related problems’ (5.5%); and ‘illness’ (17.1%) accounted for 55% of the total suicides.
Gender-specific cases: The overall male-female ratio was 70.2:29.8. Nearly 68.4% of males were married and the ratio was 62.5% for female victims. While 12.6% of the total victims were illiterate, 16.3% had studied up to primary level, 19.6% up to middle level and 23.3% up to Matriculation level. Only 3.7% were graduates and above.
Defence personnel: In the Central Armed Police Forces, a total of 36 personnel died by suicide, 38.9% were due to “family problems”.
(2) Data on Accidents
Accidental deaths in the country increased by 2.3%. Compared to 4,11,824 in 2018, the figure stood at 4,21,104 last year.
The rate (per lakh population) increased from 31.1 to 31.5. The maximum casualties of 30.9% were reported in the 30-45 years age group, followed by 26% in the 18-30 years’ age group.
The highest rate was reported from Puducherry (72.8), followed by Chhattisgarh (68.6), Maharashtra (57.4), Haryana (54.3), Goa (51.5) and Madhya Pradesh (51.4).
Maharashtra reported the highest deaths (70,329), amounting to nearly one-sixth of the total figure. UP, the most populous state, accounted for 9.6% cases, followed by MP (10.1%).
Maximum deaths (85.4%) were in road accidents. While 38% of the victims were two-wheeler riders, 14.6% involved trucks.
Dangerous/careless driving or overtaking contributed to 25.7% road accidents, claiming 42,557 lives and leaving more than 1 lakh people injured.
(3) Deaths due to disasters
A total of 8,145 deaths were due to the causes attributable to forces of nature, including 35.3% due to lightning, 15.6% by heat/sunstroke and 11.6% deaths in floods.
Maximum deaths (400) due to lightning was reported each from Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, followed by Jharkhand (334) and Uttar Pradesh (321).
Back2Basics: NCRB
The NCRB is an Indian government agency responsible for collecting and analyzing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL).
It is headquartered in New Delhi and is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
It was set-up in 1986 to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators.
It was set up based on the recommendation of the Task-force 1985 and National Police Commission 1977.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: IMR, MMR
Mains level: Marriage age issues
PM had announced a panel to fight malnutrition in young women and ensure they get married at the right age. Take a look at how the two are linked:
How prevalent is underage marriage?
Data show that the majority of women in India marry after the age of 21.
Chart 1 shows the mean age of women at marriage is 22.1 years, and more than 21 in all states. This does not mean that child marriages have disappeared.
The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) found that about 26.8% of women aged 20-24 (Chart 2) were married before adulthood (age 18).
Try this question for mains:
Q. Discuss how marriage age and women’s health are linked with each other?
How does the age of marriage correlate with health?
Preventing early marriage can reduce the maternal mortality ratio and infant mortality ratio.
At present, the maternal mortality ratio — the number of maternal deaths for every 100,000 children born — is 145.
India’s IMR shows that 30 of every 1,000 children born in a year die before the age of one.
Young mothers are more susceptible to anaemia. More than half the women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in India are anaemic.
What delayed marriage can alter?
Poverty, limited access to education and economic prospects, and security concerns are the known reasons for early marriage.
If the main causes of early marriage are not addressed, a law will not be enough to delay marriage among girls.
What do the data show?
Women in the poorest 20% of the population married much younger than their peers from the wealthiest 20% (Chart 5).
The average age at marriage of women with no schooling was 17.6, considerably lower than that for women educated beyond class 12 (Chart 6).
Almost 40% of girls aged 15-18 do not attend school, as per a report of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
Nearly 65% of these girls are engaged in non-remunerative work.
That is why many believe that merely tweaking the official age of marriage may discriminate against the poorer, less-educated and marginalised women.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not Much
Mains level: Financial education
The National Strategy for Financial Education (NSFE): 2020-2025 documents has been released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Try this question for mains:
Q.What is the role of Financial Education in ensuring financial inclusion in India?
What is the Strategy?
The NSFE for the period 2020-2025, the second one after the 2013-18 NSFE, has been prepared by the National Centre for Financial Education (NCFE) in consultation with all the Financial Sector Regulators (RBI, SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA.
Other stakeholders include (DFIs, SROs, IBA, and NPCI) under the aegis of the Technical Group on Financial Inclusion and Financial Literacy (TGFIFL) under the Chairmanship of Deputy Governor, RBI.
Key recommendations
The strategy recommends the adoption of a multi-stakeholder approach to achieve financial well-being of Indians.
The document has recommended a ‘5 C’ approach for dissemination of financial education in the country. These include an emphasis on:
development of relevant content in the curriculum in schools, colleges and training establishments,
developing capacity among the intermediaries involved in providing financial services,
leveraging on the positive effect of the community-led model for financial literacy through appropriate communication strategy, and
enhancing collaboration among various stakeholders
Other objectives
The strategic objective is also towards improving usage of digital financial services in a safe and secure manner; as well as bringing awareness about rights, duties and avenues for grievance redressal.
To achieve the vision of creating a financially aware and empowered India, certain strategic objectives have been laid down including:
Inculcating financial literacy concepts among various sections of the population through financial education to make it an important life skill
Encouraging active savings behaviour and developing credit discipline
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Swachh Survekshan 2020
Mains level: Success of SBM
Image Source: TH
Indore was declared the cleanest city in India for the fourth consecutive time in the Swachh Survekshan, 2020 — India’s annual survey on cleanliness.
Note the following things about Swachh Survekshan:
1) Nodal Ministry (It is Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs)
2) Authority carrying out the survey
3) Various parameters of the survey
Swachh Survekshan
It is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India.
It ranks India’s cities, towns and states based on sanitation, waste management and overall cleanliness.
It was launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which aimed to make India clean and free of open defecation by 2 October 2019.
The first survey was undertaken in 2016 and covered 73 cities; by 2019 the survey had grown to cover 4237 cities and was said to be the largest cleanliness survey in the world.
Survey methodology
The surveys are carried out by the Quality Council of India. The criteria and weightage for different components of sanitation-related aspects used for the survey were:
a) Municipal documentation (solid waste management including door-to-door collection, processing, and disposal, and open defecation free status. These carried 45 per cent of the total 2,000 marks.
b) Citizen feedback – 30 per cent (450 + 150 marks)
c) Independent observation – 25 per cent (500 marks)
Highlights of the 2020 Rankings
Surat in Gujarat and Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra bagged the second and third spot respectively among the cleanest cities with more than a million populations.
Maharashtra’s Karad, Saswad and Lonavala bagged the first three positions for cities having a population less than one lakh.
Among the cities with a population between one and 10 lakh, Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur was declared the cleanest, followed by Mysore in Karnataka.
In fact, Chhattisgarh has ranked the cleanest state in the category of states having more than 100 Urban Local Bodies (ULB). It was followed by Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
In 2019, Chhattisgarh was in the third position in the category. The survey found that Chhattisgarh is the first and only state where every city achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF)++ status.
