Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Essential Commodities Act
Mains level: Paper 2- Importance of parliamentary procedure in the passage of laws
A key lesson from the farmers’ opposition to the farm laws is that following the parliamentary procedure in the passage of legislation always pays dividend more so if the changes introduced by the legislation bring substantial changes.
Vested interests resulting in opposition to legislation
- There are strong indications that the new legislation is desirable and will bring in much-needed market reforms in the overregulated farm sector.
- There is no contrary evidence that the new proposals will adversely affect farmers in the long run.
- There is no justification for a minimum support price regardless of demand and supply.
- Legislation that benefits the nation but hurts vested interests will always meet with vehement opposition.
How liberalisation helps: Lessons from non-agricultural sector
- The benefits of liberalising the non-agricultural sector of the economy in 1991 established that market forces cannot be ignored.
- For the first 30 years, under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, several control orders were passed.
- Orders under ECA were passed on products such as cement and steel, and these were intended to ensure their availability at fair prices.
- The result was just the opposite: Severe shortages, a huge black market and massive corruption.
- Equally disastrous were laws relating to monopolies and industrial development.
Importance of parliamentary procedures
- At the heart of a constitutional democracy based on the Westminster model is the importance of Parliament, which is the fountainhead of all laws.
- But, Parliament includes the Opposition as well and even though a bill may be certain to become the law, it is necessary that the established procedure is followed.
- In the face of opposition to the farm laws, it is necessary that the benefits of a new law are demonstrated through debate and discussion.
- There must be empirical or other evidence that shows the deleterious economic consequences of continuing with the status quo.
- As the farm bills marked a radical departure from the existing system of selling agricultural produce, the least that could have been done was to refer them to a Select Committee.
- It is a matter of concern that fewer and fewer bills are being referred to Select Committees or even deliberated upon.
- While 71 per cent of the bills were referred to a Select Committee in the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-14), only 25 per cent were so referred in the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19).
Way forward
- A new law can always come into force at a later date and can even be made applicable piecemeal.
- It is also possible to notify it to apply to select states or districts.
- If laws are likely to meet with opposition by vested interests, the best way to demonstrate their beneficial effects is to implement the laws in select states or districts for a year.
- It is worthwhile considering the implementation of a controversial law on a trial basis.
Consider the question “Describe the important role played by the Select Committee in the passage of the bill. Why the decline in the number of bills referred to the Select Committees is the matter of concern?”
Conclusion
The biggest lesson for the goverment is that following constitutional conventions always pays dividends — it benefits the nation and preserves the dignity of Parliament.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Labour codes
Mains level: Paper 2- Challenges of contractual labour despite the provision of fixed-term employment
The recent incident of violence at the iPhone manufacturing factory brought into focus the issue of contract labour. The article explains the reasons for its persistence despite the provision of fixed-term employment.
Difference between a contract worker and fixed-term worker
- Contract workers, who are hired via an intermediary (contractor) and are not on the payrolls of the company on whose shop floors they work.
- Fixed-term employees can be directly hired by employers without mediation by a middleman.
- They are ensured of the same work hours, wages, allowances, and statutory benefits that permanent workers in the establishment are entitled to.
- Employers are not required to provide retrenchment benefits to fixed-term employees.
- With an aim to discourage the use of contract workers the government introduced the option of fixed-term employment in the Code on Industrial Relations (2020).
Issues with the provision of fixed-term employment
- Fixed-term employment in India is indeed quite open-ended.
- The Code does not specify a minimum or maximum tenure for hiring fixed-term employees.
- Nor does it specify the number of times the contract can be renewed.
- The absence of such safeguards can lead to an erosion of permanent jobs.
- Workers may find themselves moving from one fixed-term contract to another, without any assurance of being absorbed as permanent workers by their employer.
So, why firms still hire contract workers?
- The cost of hiring contract workers continues to remain lower than the cost of hiring fixed-term employees. who are required to be paid pro-rata wages and social security including gratuity.
- In addition, the monitoring, legal compliance, and litigation costs are shifted onto the contractor in case of contract workers, thereby reducing the transaction costs of recruitment to firms.
- To encourage a shift away from contract workers to fixed-term employees, the government should have completely prohibited the use of contract labor in core activities
- Instead of completely prohibiting contract workers in core activities the Labour Code on Occupational Safety and Health has allowed it under certain conditions.
- Such a provision encourages the use of contract workers, undermining the initiative of introducing fixed-term employment.
Using PLI and Atmanirbhar Bharat to boost formal job creation
- The production linked incentive scheme (PLI) offers government subsidies for a limited period which is five years for mobile handsets.
- The objective of the PLI scheme is to create “good jobs”.
- It may have been more useful to link these incentives for which a financial outlay of Rs 1.45 lakh crore has been approved over five years for 10 sectors explicitly to job creation.
- Significantly, under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana, the government is offering provident fund subsidies to employers for hiring new formal workers.
- Both these programs could jointly be leveraged to give a big boost to formal job creation in the manufacturing sector.
Consider the question “Examine the reasons for the persistence of contractual labour despite the option of fixed-term employment. Also suggest the ways to increase the employment opportunities that are secure.”
Conclusion
The government should focus on the creation of employment opportunities that are secure through policies and laws.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not Much
Mains level: Debate over Jallikattu
The Tamil Nadu government has permitted Jallikattu to be held across the state during the upcoming Pongal season.
51A (g) of the Constitution of India mandates every citizen to protect forests, lakes, rivers, wild animals etc. Apart from that, the Constitution also reminds us to show compassion towards birds and animals.
What is Jallikattu?
- It is a bull-taming sport and a disputed traditional event in which a bull such is released into a crowd of people.
- Multiple human participants attempt to grab the large hump on the bull’s back with both arms and hang on to it while the bull attempts to escape.
- Participants hold the hump for as long as possible, attempting to bring the bull to a stop. In some cases, participants must ride long enough to remove flags on the bull’s horns.
- It is typically practised in the state of Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal (harvest) celebrations in January.
A historic sport
- Jallikattu has been known to be practised during the Tamil classical period (400-100 BCE).
- It was common among the Ayar people who lived in the ‘Mullai (pastoral)’ division of the ancient Tamil country.
- Later, it became a platform for the display of bravery, and prize money was introduced for participation encouragement.
- A seal from the Indus Valley Civilization depicting the practise is preserved in the National Museum, New Delhi.
Why it is disputed?
- As there were incidents of injury and death associated with the sport, both to the participants and to the animals forced into it, animal rights organizations have called for a ban to the sport.
- This has resulted in the court banning it several times over the past years.
- However, with protest from the people against the ban, a new ordinance was made in 2017 to continue the sport.
Various concerns
- The event has caused several human deaths and injuries and there are several instances of fatalities to the bulls.
- Animal welfare concerns are related to the handling of the bulls before they are released and also during the competitor’s attempts to subdue the bull.
- Practices, before the bull is released, include prodding the bull with sharp sticks or scythes, extreme bending of the tail which can fracture the vertebrae, and biting of the bull’s tail.
- There are also reports of the bulls being forced to drink alcohol to disorient them, or chilli peppers being rubbed in their eyes to aggravate the bull.
- During attempts to subdue the bull, they are stabbed by various implements such as knives or sticks, punched, jumped on and dragged to the ground.
Why activists seek a ban over it?
- Animal rights activists argue that Jallikattu exploits the bull’s natural nervousness as prey animals by deliberately placing them in a terrifying situation.
- They are forced to run away from the competitors whom they perceive as predators and the practice effectively involves catching a terrified animal.
- Along with human injuries and fatalities, bulls themselves sometimes sustain injuries or die, which people may interpret as a bad omen for the village.
- An investigation by the Animal Welfare Board of India concluded that “Jallikattu is inherently cruel to animals”.
Arguments in favour of the sport
- According to its protagonists, it is not a leisure sport available but a way to promote and preserve the native livestock.
- Some believe that the sport also symbolizes a cordial man-animal relationship.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: GCM, Cancun COP
Mains level: 1.5 C debate
The planet will breach the threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels between 2027 and 2042 according to new research.
Ever wondered why is there so much of hue to halt the temperature rise at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and why not 2°C? Read this newscard to get aware….
What does that mean?
- The world will heat up more than it can take much earlier than anticipated.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had estimated that breach to occur between now and 2052.
- But researchers have now claimed to have introduced a more precise way to project the Earth’s temperature based on historical climate data.
The fuss over 1.5°C threshold
- For decades, researchers argued the global temperature rise must be kept below 2C by the end of this century to avoid the worst impacts.
- The idea of two degrees as the safe threshold for warming evolved over a number of years from the first recorded mention by economist William Nordhaus in 1975.
- By the mid-1990s, European ministers were signing up to the two-degree limit, and by 2010 Cancun COP it was official UN policy.
- However, small island states and low-lying countries were very unhappy with this perspective, because they believed it meant their territories would be inundated with sea-level rise.
- They commissioned research which showed that preventing temperatures from rising beyond 1.5C would give them a fighting chance.
Why 1.5°C is preferred over 2°C?
- Global warming is already impacting people and ecosystems. The risks at 1.5°C and 2°C are progressively higher.
- There will be worse heatwaves, drought and flooding at 2°C compared to 1.5°C. It is characterized as “substantial differences in extremes”.
- Sea levels are expected to rise 10cm higher this century under 2°C of warming than 1.5°C.
- The collapse of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica could lead to rises of several metres.
- The quantity and quality of staple crops suffer under 2°C warming compared to 1.5C, as do livestock. That is bad for the availability of food in many parts of the world.
New model shows the breach in threshold
- The study according to which prediction model deployed reduced uncertainties by half compared to the approach used by the IPCC.
- The IPCC uses the General Circulation Models (GCM) to express wide ranges in overall temperature projections.
- This makes it difficult to circle outcomes in different climate mitigation scenarios.
What is the General Circulation Model (GCM)?
- GCM represents physical processes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and land surface.
- It is the most advanced tool currently available for simulating the response of the global climate system to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations.
- GCMs depict the climate using a three-dimensional grid over the globe, typically having a horizontal resolution of between 250 and 600 km.
- Many physical processes, such as those related to clouds, also occur at smaller scales and cannot be properly modelled.
Why GCM is tricky?
- Climate models are mathematical simulations of different factors that interact to affect Earth’s climate, such as the atmosphere, ocean, ice, land surface and the sun.
- The data is tricky, and predictions can more often than not be inaccurate.
- For example, an IPCC model would predict a temperature increase of a massive range — between 1.9oC and 4.5oC — if carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is doubled.
Back2Basics: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- The IPCC is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations that is dedicated to providing the world with an objective, scientific information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of the risk of human-induced climate change.
- It was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
- Its membership is open to all members of the WMO and UN.
- The IPCC produces reports that contribute to the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the main international treaty on climate change.
- The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report was a critical scientific input into the UNFCCC’s Paris Agreement in 2015.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: National Farmers’ Day
Mains level: Not Much
National Farmers’ Day, or Kisan Diwas, is celebrated across the country on December 23 to honour India’s farmers.
Do you think that the extraordinary haste with which the farm bills were pushed through both the Houses has created the present crisis?
National Farmers’ Day
- It marks the birth anniversary of the nation’s fifth PM Choudhary Charan Singh.
- In 2001, the government decided to recognise Choudhary Charan Singh’s contribution to the agriculture sector and welfare of farmers by celebrating his birth anniversary as Kisan Diwas.
- Since then, December 23 has been observed as National Farmers’ Day.
- Generally, awareness campaigns and drives are organised across the country to educate people on the role of farmers and their contribution to the economy.
Who was CCS and what was his connection with farmers?
- Chaudhary Charan Singh, who briefly served as PM between 1979 and 1980, is widely regarded as one of the country’s most famous peasant leaders.
- He was known for his pioneering work to promote the welfare of farmers and the agricultural sector.
- Charan Singh was no stranger to the struggles faced by the Indian farmer. He was born into a middle-class peasant family in Uttar Pradesh on December 23, 1902.
- Greatly influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, he took an active part in the fight for independence.
- After that, his political career largely focused on socialism in rural India.
Major legislations
- He was behind several major farmer-forward Bills, including the Land Utilization Bill of 1939 and the Debt Redemption Bill in 1939.
- While serving as agriculture minister in 1952, he led UP in its efforts to abolish the Zamindari system.
- In fact, he went on to draft the UP Zamindari and Land Reforms Bill himself.
- On 23 December 1978, he founded the Kisan Trust — a non-political, non-profit making body — with the aim of educating India’s rural masses against injustice, and fostering solidarity among them.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not Much
Mains level: Welfare schemes for various vulnerable sections of population
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved changes to the post-matric scholarship scheme for students from the Scheduled Castes (SCs), including a new funding pattern of 60-40 for the Centre and States.
Note:
Equality enshrined in the Constitution is not mathematical equality and does not mean all citizens will be treated alike without any distinction.
To this effect, the Constitution underlines two distinct aspects which together form the essence of equality law:
1) Non-discrimination among equals, and
2) Affirmative action to equalize the unequal
About the Scholarship
- It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and implemented through State Government and UT administration.
- Under the scheme, the government provides financial assistance to students from SCs for higher education at post-matriculation and post-senior-secondary stages, which means Class XI onwards.
- It can be availed by those, whose household incomes are less than Rs 2.5 lakh annually.
What are the new changes?
- States would carry out verification of the students’ eligibility and caste status and collect their Aadhaar and bank account details.
- Transfer of financial assistance to the students under the scheme shall be on DBT [direct benefit transfer] mode, and preferably using the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System.
- Starting from 2021-22, the Central share [60%] in the scheme would be released on DBT mode directly into the bank accounts of the students as per a fixed time schedule.
Why such changes now?
- The changes were aimed at enabling four crore students to access higher education over the next five years.
- Switching from the existing “committed liability” formula, the new funding pattern would increase the Centre’s involvement in the scheme.
Benefits of the scheme
- The changes approved by the Cabinet were aimed at enrolling the poorest students, ensuring timely payments, and maintaining accountability.
- An estimated 1.36 crore students who would otherwise drop out after Class 10 would be brought into the higher education system under the scheme in five years.
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