Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Issues with paddy cultivation
Mains level: Paper 3- Pathway to switch from paddy to maize cultivation
Context
As per the latest Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) of agricultural households conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO), an average Indian farmer earned Rs 10,218 per month in 2018-19 (July-June).
SAS analysis: Variation across the states and cause of concern for Punjab
- Across states, the highest income was received by a farming household in Meghalaya (Rs 29,348) followed by Punjab (Rs 26,701), Haryana (Rs 22,841), Arunachal Pradesh (19,225) and Jammu and Kashmir (Rs 18,918).
- While the lowest income levels were in West Bengal (Rs 6,762), Odisha (Rs 5,112) and Jharkhand (Rs 4,895).
- But this is not a fair comparison as holding sizes vary widely across states.
- After normalising these incomes of agri-households by their holding sizes, as in the SAS, Punjab’s ranking on per hectare income falls from 2nd to 11th and Haryana goes down from 3rd to 15th (see figure).
- The states that would do well on this score are Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.
- In these states, people earn their income from cultivating fruits and vegetables, spices, and livestock.
- These are high value in nature, not linked to MSPs, and market and demand-driven.
- As per the SAS, the average operated area per holding for Punjab is 1.44 ha (we have used that in the figure), but the Census gives a much higher value of 3.62 ha of average operational holding.
- If we normalise incomes of agri-households using Census values of average holding sizes, Punjab’s rank would go further down to 21st (household monthly income Rs 7,376) out of 28 states.
How can farmers in Punjab and Haryana augment their incomes with more sustainable agriculture?
1) Swith from paddy to maize
- Punjab’s former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had approached the Centre with an idea to create a fund of around Rs 25,000 crore to help farmers switch from paddy to maize.
- The Centre should give this idea a serious thought with the following modifications:
- One, the fund should be under a five-year plan to shift at least a million hectares of paddy area (out of a total of 3.1 million hectares of paddy area in Punjab) to maize.
- Two, the corpus should have equal contributions from the Centre and state.
- Three, since Punjab wants that farmers be given MSP for maize, an agency, the Maize Corporation of Punjab (MCP), should be created to buy maize from farmers at MSP.
- Four, this agency should enter into contracts with ethanol companies, and much of this maize can be used to produce ethanol as the poultry and starch industries will not be able to absorb this surplus in maize once a million hectares of paddy area shifts to maize.
- Fifth, maize productivity must be as competitive as that of paddy in Punjab and the best seeds should be used for that purpose.
- This is to ensure that ethanol from maize is produced in a globally competitive manner.
- The GoI’s policy for 20 per cent blending of ethanol in petrol should come in handy for this purpose.
2) Diversification
- Other parts of the diversification strategy have to be along the lines of increasing the area under fruits and vegetables, and a more focused policy to build efficient value chains in not just fruits and vegetables but also livestock and fisheries.
- They are more nutritious and the SAS data shows that their profitability is much higher in these enterprises than in crop cultivation, especially cereals.
- The sector needs to be backed by proper processing, grading and packaging infrastructure to tap its full potential.
Benefits of switching to maize from paddy
- Punjab will arrest its depleting water table as maize needs less than one-fifth the water that paddy does for irrigation.
- Also, Punjab will save much on the power subsidy to agriculture, which was budgeted at Rs 8,275 crore in the FY2020-21 budget, as paddy irrigation consumes much of the power subsidy.
- This saving subsidy resulting from the switch from paddy to maize can be used to fund a part of the state’s contribution to the Maize Corporation of Punjab.
- This could result in a win-win situation for all — farmers, the Government of Punjab and the country — as there will be lesser methane emissions and less stubble burning.
- Moreover, ethanol will also reduce GHG emissions in vehicular pollution.
Consider the question “Switching from paddy cultivation to maize can help the Punjab farmers deal with the several issues. In light of this, explain the issues with paddy cultivation and suggest the way forward.”
Conclusion
Their income on a per hectare basis needs to increase more sustainably, protecting the state’s land, water and air from further degradation, and producing more nutritious food. Punjab can then shine again on the nutritional security front with sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: National Medical Commission
Mains level: Paper 2- More LGBTQIA+ affirmative curriculum
Context
The National Medical Commission (NMC), the body responsible for regulating medical education in India, released an advisory regarding the LGBTQIA+ community and the necessary changes in the competencies of its competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum.
Exclusion of LGBTQIA+ community in medication
- Medical education in India has focussed only on the binary of male and female, heterosexuality and cis-gendered lives, while excluding homosexuality and gender non-binary and transgender issues.
- This results in the exclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Even with the release of the competency-based medical curriculum in August 2019, the curriculum continues to include a queerphobic syllabus.
About the NMC notification
- The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 mandates governments to take measures for the “review of medical curriculum and research for doctors to address their [transgender] specific health issues,” but no action has been taken since then.
- In June 2021, in response to a case filed by a queer couple, the Madras High Court laid down a set of guidelines and directed the NMC to ban queerphobic practices such as conversion therapy which aims to forcibly change the sexual orientation of a person.
- In its notification, the NMC has advised medical colleges to teach gender in a way that is not derogatory to the queer community.
- The authors of medical textbooks have also been asked to amend the books to remove any harmful contents regarding virginity and the queer community.
Issues with the NMC notification
- While the NMC advisory title mentions necessary changes in the competencies of its CBME curriculum, there are no specifications on what these changes are.
- At the same time, the CBME curriculum itself mentions queerphobic things that are to be taught to students.
- Certain acts are called as sexual offences even though the Supreme Court has read down Section 377.
- Also, the competencies which will make a future Indian doctor respectful and empathetic in treating a queer patient are missing.
Way forward
- The NMC must start by recognising the flaws in its own CBME curriculum and explicitly state the changes required.
- Specific guidelines on how to make healthcare queer-affirmative are needed.
- The directive also needs to specify changes across several subjects and not just forensic medicine and psychiatry.
- For this, there needs to be a participatory stakeholder consultation towards the development of a queer-affirmative curriculum.
- Finally, there needs to be clarity on what the NMC plans to do for tackling queerphobia in the current set of health professionals.
Consider the question “The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 mandates governments to take measures for the review of the medical curriculum. In light of this, discuss the changes needed in the medical curriculum regarding the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Conclusion
Without these changes, equitable access to healthcare for queer persons will remain a faraway dream.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: G7
Mains level: Digital Trade Principles
The Group of Seven wealthy nations agreed on a joint set of principles to govern cross-border data use and digital trade.
What are the Digital Trade Principles?
- Open digital markets: Digital and telecommunications markets should be competitive, transparent, fair, and accessible to international trade and investment.
- Cross-border data flows: To harness the opportunities of the digital economy and support the trade of goods and services, data should be able to flow freely across borders with trust.
- Safeguards for workers, consumers, and businesses: Labour protections must be in place for workers who are directly engaged in or support digital trade, providing decent conditions of work.
- Digital trading systems: To cut red tape and enable more businesses to trade, governments and industries should drive forward the digitization of trade-related documents.
- Fair and inclusive global governance: Common rules for digital trade should be agreed and upheld at the World Trade Organization.
About Group of Seven
- The G-7 or ‘Group of Seven’ includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
- It is an intergovernmental organization that was formed in 1975 by the top economies of the time as an informal forum to discuss pressing world issues.
- Initially, it was formed as an effort by the US and its allies to discuss economic issues.
- The G-7 forum now discusses several challenges such as oil prices and many pressing issues such as financial crises, terrorism, arms control, and drug trafficking.
- It does not have a formal constitution or a fixed headquarters. The decisions taken by leaders during annual summits are non-binding.
- Canada joined the group in 1976, and the European Union began attending in 1977.
Evolution of the G-7
- When it started in 1975—with six members, Canada joining a year later—it represented about 70% of the world economy.
- And it was a cosy club for tackling issues such as the response to oil shocks.
- Now it accounts for about 40% of global gdp.
- Since the global financial crisis of 2007-09 it has sometimes been overshadowed by the broader g20.
- The G-7 became the G-8 in 1997 when Russia was invited to join.
- In 2014, Russia was debarred after it took over Crimea.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ZBNF
Mains level: Promotion of Organic Farming
Women farmers in the hill State of Himachal Pradesh are gradually turning to non-chemical, low cost “natural farming”, under the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Yojana (PK3Y).
Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Yojana
- Launched in 2018, the State’s PK3Y is promoting the climate resilient Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF), also called ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming’.
- Over 1.5 lakh farmers have been trained in natural farming in the State so far, with substantial numbers of women participants.
About Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)?
- ZBNF is a set of farming methods, and also a grassroots peasant movement, which has spread to various states in India.
- Subhash Palekar perfected it during the 1990s at his farm in Amravati district in Maharashtra’s drought-prone Vidarbha region.
- According to the “zero budget” concept, farmers won’t have to spend any money on fertilisers and other agricultural inputs.
- Over 98% of the nutrients that crops require — carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water, solar energy — are already present in nature.
- The remaining 1.5-2% are taken from the soil, after microorganisms convert them from “non-
Four Wheels of ZBNF
The “four wheels” of ZBNF are ‘Jiwamrita’, ‘Bijamrita’, ‘Mulching’ and ‘Waaphasa’.
- Jiwamrita is a fermented mixture of cow dung and urine (of desi breeds), jaggery, pulses flour, water and soil from the farm bund.
- This isn’t a fertiliser, but just a source of some 500 crore micro-organisms that can convert all the necessary “non-available” nutrients into “available” form.
- Bijamrita is a mix of desi cow dung and urine, water, bund soil and lime that is used as a seed treatment solution prior to sowing.
- Mulching, or covering the plants with a layer of dried straw or fallen leaves, is meant to conserve soil moisture and keep the temperature around the roots at 25-32 degrees Celsius, which allows the microorganisms to do their job.
- Waaphasa, or providing water to maintain the required moisture-air balance, also achieves the same objective.
Astra’s of ZBNF against pest attacks
- ZBNF advocates the use of special ‘Agniastra’, ‘Bramhastra’ and ‘Neemastra’ concoctions.
- They are based on cow urine and dung, plus pulp from leaves of neem, white datura, papaya, guava and pomegranates — for controlling pest and disease attacks.
Is it organic farming?
- ZBNF uses farmyard manure or vermicompost.
However, not all farmers are convinced about ZBNF. Why?
- Cost of labour: The cost of labour for collection of dung and urine, apart from the other inputs used in preparation of Jiwamrita, Neemastra or Bramhastra is quit higher.
- Bovine cost: Keeping cows is also a cost that has to be accounted for. Farmers cannot afford to keep desi cows that yield very little milk.
- Vulnerability to pest attacks: ZBNF is scarcely practiced. The crop grown would be vulnerable to attacks by insects and pests have already become pest-immune.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Hybrid immunity
Mains level: Not Much
A study has shown that a combination of natural infection with a single dose of vaccine provides greater immunity than either natural infection without vaccination or full vaccination in individuals.
What is the new study?
- People without prior infection but fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine showed a decline in neutralising antibodies over a period of three to seven months.
- But the decline was much less in vaccinated people with prior infection.
- People with hybrid immunity had a higher and more durable neutralising antibody response.
- The hybrid immunity offers stronger protection than just infection or full vaccination alone.
What is Hybrid Immunity?
- It is natural immunity from an infection combined with the immunity provided by the vaccine.
- The immunological advantage from hybrid immunity arises mostly from memory B cells.
What are memory B cells?
- In immunology, a memory B cell (MBC) is a type of B lymphocyte that forms part of the adaptive immune system.
- B lymphocytes are the cells of the immune system that make antibodies to invade pathogens like viruses.
- They form memory cells that remember the same pathogen for faster antibody production in future infections.
How do they assist hybrid immunity?
- While the bulk of antibodies after infection or vaccination decline after a short while, the memory B cells get triggered on subsequent infection or vaccination.
- The memory B cells triggered by infection and those triggered by vaccination have different responses to viruses.
- Infection and vaccination expose the spike protein to the immune system in vastly different ways.
- After full vaccination, antibodies produced by natural infection continued to grow in potency and their breadth against variants for a year after infection.
- Unlike after vaccination, the memory B cells formed after natural infection are more likely to make antibodies that block immune-evading variants.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Banni Buffalo, IVF
Mains level: Not Much
With the birth of first IVF calf of a Buffalo breed namely Banni in the country, India’s Ovum Pick-Up (OPU) – IVF work has reached to next level.
Banni Buffalo
- Banni buffaloes are also known as “Kutchi” or “Kundi”.
- The breeding tract includes the Banni area of Kutchchh district of Gujarat.
- The breed is maintained mostly by Maldharis under locally adapted typical extensive production system in its breeding tract.
What makes them unique?
- Banni buffaloes are trained to graze on Banni grassland during night and brought to the villages in the morning for milking.
- This traditional system of buffalo rearing has been adapted to avoid the heat stress and high temperature of the day.
- It has unique qualities of adaptation such as the ability to survive water scarcity conditions, to cover long distances during periods of drought and disease resistance.
Indigenous buffalo breeds in India
| S. No. |
Breed |
Breeding state |
| 1 |
Banni |
Gujarat |
| 2 |
Bargur |
Tamil Nadu |
| 3 |
Bhadawari |
Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh |
| 4 |
Chhattisgarhi |
Chhattisgarh |
| 5 |
Chilika |
Odisha |
| 6 |
Gojri |
Himachal Pradesh and Punjab |
| 7 |
Jaffarabadi |
Gujarat |
| 8 |
Kalahandi |
Odisha |
| 9 |
Luit (Swamp) |
Assam |
| 10 |
Marathwadi |
Maharashtra |
| 11 |
Mehsana |
Gujarat |
| 12 |
Murrah |
Haryana and Delhi |
| 13 |
Nagpuri |
Maharashtra |
| 14 |
Nili Ravi |
Punjab |
| 15 |
Pandharpuri |
Maharashtra |
| 16 |
Surti |
Gujarat |
| 17 |
Toda |
Tamil Nadu |
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Back2Basics: In-vitro fertilization (IVF)
- IVF is a type of assisted reproductive technology used for infertility treatment and gestational surrogacy.
- A fertilised egg may be implanted into a surrogate’s uterus, and the resulting child is genetically unrelated to the surrogate.
- Some countries have banned or otherwise regulate the availability of IVF treatment, giving rise to fertility tourism.
- Restrictions on the availability of IVF include costs and age, in order for a woman to carry a healthy pregnancy to term.
- IVF is generally not used until less invasive or expensive options have failed or been determined unlikely to work.
IVF process
- IVF is a process of fertilization where an egg is combined with sperm outside the body, in vitro (“in glass”).
- The process involves monitoring and stimulating a female ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) from the female ovaries and letting sperm fertilise them in a liquid in a laboratory.
- After the fertilised egg (zygote) undergoes embryo culture for 2–6 days, it is implanted in the same or another female uterus, with the intention of establishing a successful pregnancy.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ATUFS
Mains level: Textile sector of India
Union Minister of Textiles has reviewed the Amended Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) to ease of doing business, bolstering exports & fuelling employment.
What is ATUFS?
- The Ministry of Textiles had introduced Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) in 1999.
- It is a credit linked subsidy scheme intended for modernization and technology up-gradation of the Indian textile industry.
- It aims at promoting ease of doing business, generating employment and promoting exports. Since then, the scheme has been implemented in different versions.
- The ongoing ATUFS has been approved in 2016 and implemented through web based iTUFS platform.
- Capital Investment Subsidy is provided to benchmarked machinery installed by the industry after physical verification.
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