Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Milk inflation
Milk prices are rising, as producers and marketers pass on higher costs to consumers. Amul and Mother Dairy raised milk prices by ₹2 each this week, the second such hike this year.
Why are milk prices going up?
- High operating cost: For dairy companies and cooperatives, the cost of operation and production of milk has increased.
- Fodder price hike: Prices of cattle feed, which includes maize, wheat and soybean, are up 20% over the year.
- High procurement cost: Given the rise in input costs, its member unions from where it procures milk have increased farmers’ price in the range of 8-9% year-on-year.
- Cost sharing: In an already inflationary environment, dairies are compelled to pass on price increases to consumers as procurement prices go up.
Has demand for milk picked up as well?
- A better rate of vaccination, resumption of offices, schools and even opening up of channels such as hotels and restaurants have led to higher out-of-home consumption of foods and beverages in the last two to three quarters.
- This has led to greater demand for milk and other dairy beverages.
- Analysts cited higher skimmed milk prices in the international markets that they said make exports of the commodity out of India more attractive.
- A combination of these factors is pushing up milk procurement prices, and leading to higher retail prices.
But isn’t wholesale inflation cooling down nowadays?
- Yes; India’s wholesale price-based inflation eased to 13.93% in July.
- In fact, WPI inflation in milk eased in July to 5.45% compared to 6.35% in June, though it remained high compared to February.
- However, companies also pass on hikes with a lag to lessen the impact on demand. Amul says the increase is less than 4% — below the food inflation rate of 8-9%.
When will milk prices cool down?
- Milk procurement is also dependent on the flush season that runs between September to February.
- This is the peak lactating period for cattle due to better availability of green fodder and water.
- As a result, the period in general sees higher milk production and availability.
- The onset of the flush season could offer some relief to dairy companies in the second half of the current fiscal year.
What does this mean for consumers?
- For households, an increase in milk prices obviously means shelling out more money; this in a country that is among largest consumers of milk.
- In fact, by July, dairy companies had raised milk selling prices by 5-8% in a six-month window.
- Consumer demand typically sees an impact in the first few days after price hikes are initiated. However, recovery happens gradually.
- Consequently, higher milk procurement prices could also hurt companies that make bakery products or food items that use milk or milk solids.
Also read
Concept of Inflation/Deflation/WPI/CPI/IIP
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Great Indian Bustard
Mains level: Not Much
The critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) has adopted an altogether new behaviour of giving clutch of two eggs at a time after getting additional protein diet during the monsoon season.
Great Indian Bustards
- GIBs are the largest among the four bustard species found in India, the other three being MacQueen’s bustard, lesser florican, and the Bengal florican.
- GIBs’ historic range included much of the Indian sub-continent but it has now shrunken to just 10 percent of it. Among the heaviest birds with flight, GIBs prefer grasslands as their habitats.
- GIBs are considered the flagship bird species of grassland.
Protection accorded
- Birdlife International: uplisted from Endangered to Critically Endangered (2011)
- Protection under CITES: Appendix I
- IUCN status: Critically Endangered
- Protection under Wildlife (Protection) Act: Schedule I
Threats
- Overhead power transmission
- Poor vision: Due to their poor frontal vision, can’t detect powerlines in time and their weight makes in-flight quick maneuvers difficult.
- Windmills: Coincidentally, Kutch and Thar desert are the places that have witnessed the creation of huge renewable energy infrastructure.
- Noise pollution: Noise affects the mating and courtship practices of the GIB.
- Changes in the landscape: by way of farmers cultivating their land, which otherwise used to remain fallow due to frequent droughts in Kutch.
- Cultivation changes: Cultivation of cotton and wheat instead of pulses and fodder are also cited as reasons for falling GIB numbers.
On the brink of extinction
- The GIB population in India had fallen to just 150.
- Pakistan is also believed to host a few GIBs and yet openly supports their hunting.
Supreme Court’s intervention
- The Supreme Court has ordered that all overhead power transmission lines in core and potential GIB habitats in Rajasthan and Gujarat should be undergrounded.
- The SC also formed a three-member committee to help power companies comply with the order.
Conservation measures
- In 2015, the Central government launched the GIB species recovery program.
- Under the program, the WII and Rajasthan Forest departments have jointly set up conservation breeding centers where GIB eggs are harvested from the wild.
- They have been incubated artificially and hatchlings raised in a controlled environment.
Try this PYQ
Q.Consider the following pairs:
Protected Area: Well-known for
- Bhiterkanika, Odisha — Salt Water Crocodile
- Desert National Park, Rajasthan — Great Indian Bustard
- Eravikulam, Kerala — Hoolock Gibbon
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? (CSP 2014)
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Universal basic income.
Mains level: Social security ,Inclusive growth.
Context
- One of the biggest economic fallout of the pandemic has been the deteriorating labour market conditions.
- Given the ebb and flow of the pandemic, the growth recovery is likely to be fragmented and will weigh on the number and types of jobs available.
What is quality and sustainable livelihood?
- “A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets and activities required for a means of living. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future, while not undermining the natural resource base.’’
Sustainable livelihoods objectives
- improved access to high-quality education, information, technologies and training and better nutrition and health;
- a more supportive and cohesive social environment;
- more secure access to, and better management of, natural resources;
Definition of labour welfare
- Labour welfare relates to taking care of the well-being of workers by employers, trade unions, governmental and non-governmental institutions and agencies.
- Welfare includes anything that is done for the comfort and improvement of employees and is provided over and above the wages.
Why labour law is needed
- Labour law aims to correct the imbalance of power between the worker and the employer; to prevent the employer from dismissing the worker without good cause; to set up and preserve the processes by which workers are recognized as ‘equal’ partners in negotiations about their working conditions etc.
Constitutional mandate
- Article 41 – The state shall within the limits of its economic capacity and development make effective provision for securing the right to work, to education and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of underserved want.
- Article 42 – The state shall make provision for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief.
Challenges in labour welfare in India
- Technical glitches: Under the Constitution of India, Labour is a subject in the concurrent list where both the Central and State Governments are competent to enact legislations. As a result, a large number of labour laws have been enacted catering to different aspects of labour e.g. occupational health, safety, employment etc.
- Loopholes: Because of the predominantly heavy handed labour regulations (also called as Inspector Raj) with exploitable gaps, the MNCs and domestic organizations have resorted to alternate ways i.e. employing contract labour at less than half the payroll of a permanent employee.
- Gaps in labour laws: One of the main reasons for labour reforms is the concept of contract labour. Trade Unions suggest that this concept itself should be removed. There is stringent hiring and firing process defined in Industry Disputes Act. It makes it mandatory for the organization to seek Government permission before removing an employee.
Global best practices
- Universal basic income pilot project: For two years Finland’s government gave 2,000 unemployed citizens €560 a month with no strings attached. It was the first nationwide basic income experiment. The concept is slowly becoming difficult for people to ignore.
How will dynamic policies and labour codes respond?
- Labour productivity: It is likely to improve with both employees and employers developing a sense of being partners in wealth creation.
- Labour reform: A transparent environment in terms of workers’ compensation, clear definition of employee rights and employer duties.
- Compliance un-burdening: Simplified labour codes making compliance easier are likely to attract investments.
- Formalization of the economy: With more workers in the organized sector, leakage in terms of direct as well as indirect taxes may be plugged.
Conclusion
- The guiding principle for India’s labour policy reformers should not merely be ring fencing jobs but safeguarding workers through social assistance, re-employment support (such as that which is provided in several Western nations) and skill building, and supporting employers in employee training and development.
Mains question
Q. Why there is need to make labour policies more dynamic? Do you think universal basic income approach will be the best way forward for achieving quality livelihood?
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: IOC
Mains level: Olympics and India
The Supreme Court has ordered status quo on the implementation of a Delhi High Court order to hand over the affairs of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to a Committee of Administrators (CoA).
Why in news?
- The FIFA had recently gone ahead and suspended the AIFF, citing “third party interference”, leaving an air of uncertainty on the prospect of India hosting the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in October.
- The governance of the AIFF had similarly been transferred to a CoA by the Supreme Court.
Delhi HC case
- The high court had passed the order on a petition seeking a direction for redrafting of the IOA constitution in accordance with the National Sports Code, 2021.
Controversy with IOC
- According to IOC rules, if any national body is governed by a non-elected body, it is seen as interference by a third party.
- The moment the CoA takes charge, there is 99 per cent chance that India and our sportspersons will get suspended from all international events and Olympic Games.
Olympics and India
- India first participated in the Olympics in 1900 in Paris.
- The country was represented by Norman Pritchard, an Anglo Indian who was holidaying in Paris during that time.
- The seeds for creation of an organisation for coordinating the Olympic movement in India was related to India’s participation in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics.
- Back then, Sir Dorabji Tata suggested the need for a Sports body at National level for promoting Olympic Sport in united India.
- After the 1920 Games, the Committee sending the team to these Games met, and, on the advice of Sir Dorabji Tata, invited Dr. A.G. Noehren (Physical Education Director of YMCA India) to also join them.
Establishment of Indian Olympic Association (IOA)
- Subsequently, in 1923-24, a provisional All India Olympic Committee was set-up, which organised the All India Olympic Games in February 1924.
- Eight athletes from these Games were selected to represent India at the 1924 Paris Summer Olympics, accompanied by manager Harry Crowe Buck.
- This gave impetus to the development and institutionalization of sports in India, and, in 1927, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was formed, with Sir Dorabji Tata as its founding President and Dr. A.G. Noehren as Secretary.
- The same year as it was formed, 1927, the Indian Olympic Association was officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee.
Also read
Better time for Sports in India: PM
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Global Gender Gap Report 2022.
Mains level: Women issues,Affirmative actions.
Context
- Gender parity is not recovering, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2022. It will take another 132 years to close the global gender gap.
- As crises are compounding, women’s workforce outcomes are suffering and the risk of global gender parity backsliding further intensifies.
Why in news?
- India has one of the world’s lowest female labour force participation rates (LFPR).
- This means the productive potential of half of the population goes unutilized.
What is women’s empowerment all about?
- Women’s empowerment can be defined to promoting women’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and others.
Why it is needed?
- Human resource: Empowerment of women is a necessity for the very development of a society, since it enhances both the quality and the quantity of human resources available for development.
- Sustainable development: Women’s empowerment and achieving gender equality is essential for our society to ensure the sustainable development of the country.
Constraints in women empowerment
- Illiteracy: Illiteracy has been found as major constraints for the attainment of women Empowerment in the nation. It is the rate of literacy which governs the reservation, takeover and competition among women for their right in country. Female child are less privileged for attaining schools.
- Discriminatory nature of male towards female: In India, since the olden days, the men have been in control of politics, social, economical as well as cultural and traditional spheres of life.
- Religious and cultural beliefs: This is another important constraint of women’s empowerment in India which tightens up the female population. It is because of unknowing believes and following superstitions.
- Less participation of women in political field: In particular, women them self involves less in the political filed. Their participation is very insignificant in political issues and right as compared to male population.
What happens if we don’t act?
- Economical losses: Evidence shows that economic disempowerment of women can result in losses of 10% of GDP in industrialized economies and over 30% in South Asia and in the Middle East and North Africa.
- Work opportunities: India’s GDP could grow by nearly ₹3 trillion if women were brought into the labour market and given access to formal, ‘decent’ work opportunities.
Case study
Mahila Sanatkar a craftswomen cooperative located in Hyderabad.
Economic and social effects: It is noticeable some social results such as skill building, self-confidence enhancement, the mobility acquired by the women.
What is needed to improve women’s welfare?
- Community sensitization: Persistent effort must be directed toward community sensitization to root out patriarchal social norms.
- Directional efforts: In addition to enforcing existing regulations like minimum wages, there must be supportive ancillary policies including childcare; secure transport; lighting; safety at work; and quotas in hiring, corporate boards, and politics to foster more women in leadership.
- Universal social mobilization: Identification and inclusion of the poor remains a challenge. There is need to develop community resource persons for participatory identification of poor.
- Training, Capacity Building & Skill Upgradation: There is lack of appropriate training plans, quality training and availability of expert training institutions.
- Universal Financial Inclusion: Lack of uniform financial management systems at all tiers of SHGs has impacted the growth in bank accounts, improvement in financial literacy, and absorption capacity of community members.
- Multiple & Diversified Livelihoods: There is lack of progressive leadership for inclusiveness of small-sized enterprises at the federal level. Market/ forward linkages, is largely missing.
Conclusion
- If we improve women’s labour force participation, not only do we harness the massive productive potential of half of the population, but their earnings will yield enormous dividends for the future of the country and economy.
Mains question
Q. What do you consider as true women empowerment? Assess the constraints for the same and give directional efforts needed to overcome it.
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