Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Caste Census, Census of India
Mains level: Alternatives to Caste Census
These days, many states are urging the Centre to include a caste-wise census in the Census of India to have substantial data for reservations of certain dominant caste groups.
Background
Caste census of Backward Classes difficult: Centre
Reaction by the Centre
- In this backdrop, the Union government’s assertion in the Supreme Court that a census of the backward castes is “administratively difficult and cumbersome” may evoke varying responses.
- There are two components to the Government’s stand:
- Jeopardizing the Census: It asserts that it is a policy decision not to have caste as part of the regular census and that, administratively, the enumeration would be rendered so complex that it may jeopardise the decennial census itself.
- Adding more vagueness: It cites the difficulties and complexities inherent in getting an accurate count of castes, given the mind-boggling numbers of castes and sub-castes, with phonetic variations and similarities.
This is the reason that the data from the 2011 SECC were not acted upon because of “several infirmities” that rendered them unusable.
Why is caste census not feasible?
- Hurdle to casteless society: The idea of a national caste census is abhorrent when the stated policy is to strive for a casteless society.
- Political polarization: Political parties with their base in particular social groups may find a caste enumeration useful, if their favoured groups are established as dominant in specific geographies.
- Electoral impact: Politicians may find the outcome inconvenient, if the precise count turns out to be lower and has a negative bearing on perceptions about their electoral importance.
Limitations of SECC, 2011
- Completeness and Accuracy: Even in the Censuses up to 1931, when caste details were collected, they were wanting in completeness and accuracy.
- Lakhs of Caste: Further, the data contained 46 lakh different caste names, and if subcastes were considered, the ultimate number may be exponentially high.
Need for such census
- Quantifiable data: It may also be a legal imperative, considering that courts want ‘quantifiable data’ to support the existing levels of reservation.
- Basis for Affirmative actions: It will be useful to establish statistical justification for preserving caste-based affirmative action programmes.
These points do merit consideration, and even those clamouring for a caste census cannot easily brush them aside.
Way forward
- A caste census need not necessarily mean caste in the census.
- It may be an independent exercise, but one that needs adequate thought and preparation, if its ultimate goal is not for political or electoral purposes, but for equity in distribution of opportunities.
- A preliminary socio-anthropological study can be done at the State and district levels to establish all sects and sub-castes present in the population.
- These can be tabulated under caste names that have wider recognition based on synonymity and equivalence among the appellations that people use to denote themselves.
- Thereafter, it may be possible to do a field enumeration that can mark any group under castes found in the available OBC/BC lists.
Conclusion
- A caste census may not sit well with the goal of a casteless society, but it may serve, in the interim, as a useful, even if not entirely flawless, means of addressing inequities in society.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various Naga tribes
Mains level: Naga Peace Process
Tamil Nadu Governor has resigned as interlocutor for the Naga peace talks.
What is the Naga Peace Process?
(A) Issue
- It refers to ongoing talks between the Indian government and Naga insurgent groups, in particular the NSCN(IM), since 1997 with the aim to sign a Naga Peace Accord.
- The Naga insurgency, rooted in Naga nationalism, is one of the oldest insurgencies in the country.
- The Naga-inhabited areas of the Northeast never considered themselves part of British India, and on August 14, 1947, the Naga National Council (NNC) declared independence for Nagaland.
- It formed an underground Government (NFG) and an Army in 1952, in response to which the Centre sent in the Army and enacted the Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act, or AFSPA.
(B) Shillong Agreement
- After years of talks, the Shillong Accord was signed in 1976 with underground groups of Nagaland.
- But it was rejected by many top NNC leaders on the ground that it did not address the issue of Naga sovereignty and forced Nagas to accept the Indian Constitution.
- Since then the Naga groups have split into various factions.
(C) The Peace Accord
- There have been nearly 100 rounds of talks.
- In August 2015, the group signed a framework agreement with the Indian government for the Naga Peace Accord.
How did things go wrong?
- Sources say even the various competencies of the accord had been agreed upon, although a few bones of contention remained.
- The groups were insistent on a Naga constitution and were pushing for a Greater Nagalim stretching beyond the boundaries of the present Nagaland state.
- The state panel rejected the demand for a separate flag and constitution outright, and warned that “any misadventure to disintegrate this great nation shall not be tolerated”.
Amid all this, what are the real issues?
- The enthusiasm with which the framework agreement was announced led to unreasonable expectations of an imminent Accord.
- There is no way the government would accept a separate constitution for Nagaland. This was never under discussion.
- There was, indeed, an opinion that the flag could be given.
- But that went off the table after August 5, 2019 when the Kashmiri flag was taken away.
Best way forward
- It is important to understand that there cannot be an accord without the militant factions.
- Some demands that need ironing out include one for a bicameral Assembly with at least 40 nominated members representing different tribes; absorption of cadres as local armed forces or in the Indian paramilitary.
- There is a need for setting up of autonomous councils in Naga-dominated areas of neighbouring states; and the use of the Naga flag for at least customary events.
Must read:
[Burning Issue] Naga Peace Talks
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Battle of Chamkaur
Mains level: NA
The new Punjab CM represents the Assembly constituency of Chamkaur Sahib, which is of significance in Sikh history.
For such history-related topics, one must not forget to note the contemporaries of a particular period.
The Battle of Chamkaur
- The coalition forces of Mughals and hill rajas led by Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind, had laid siege to Anandpur Sahib in the hope of capturing Guru Gobind Singh in May 1704.
- After seven months of fighting and heavy losses, the coalition forces offered a safe passage to the Guru and his followers.
- The heads of the coalition pledged they would not harm the Guru, his family, or his soldiers.
- The peace treaty was sent in the name of Emperor Aurangzeb himself.
- But when Gobind Singh and his followers stepped out of the Anandpur Sahib fort on the night of December 20, they were attacked.
- Historically, this was where that Guru Gobind Singh lost two of his elder sons in a battle with the coalition forces of Mughals and the hill rajas.
What happened at Chamkaur Sahib?
- The Guru, accompanied by panj piaras (the five Sikhs he had initially baptised), his elder sons and around 40 soldiers, regrouped in a fortress-like two-storey house, with high compound walls made of mud.
- They were surrounded by an army commandeered by Wazir Khan and Sher Mohammed Khan, the younger brother of Malerkotla’s chieftain.
- The Guru sent out soldiers in small squads for hand-to-hand combat. Two such attacks were led by his sons, both of whom died fighting.
- Three of the panj piaras — Mohkam Singh, Himmat Singh and Sahib Singh — too died fighting.
How did the battle conclude?
- When very few soldiers were left, they decided the Guru should leave so that he could carry on his mission.
- It was at the Chamkaur fort that panj piaras issued an edict (hukumnama) ordering the Guru to leave.
- This was the first edict issued by panj piaras after the formation of the Khalsa on April 13, 1699.
- Before leaving, the Guru gave his attire and distinguishing kalgi to Sangat Singh, a Mazhabi Sikh who resembled him.
- Three other soldiers too left the fort, and went in separate directions. The following day, the enemy forced their way inside to find only two soldiers who fought till their last breath.
- Five days later, Guru Gobind Singh’s two younger sons, aged nine and seven, were bricked alive for refusing to convert.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Chang'e 5 Mission
Mains level: NA
The Europlanet Society has released details from the samples brought back by China’s Chang’e-5 Lunar Mission in December 2020.
Chang’e-5 Lunar Mission
- The Chang’e-5 lunar mission delivered to Earth nearly 2 kg of rocky fragments and dust from the Moon.
- It had landed on an area of the Moon (the ‘far side’) not sampled by the American or Soviet missions nearly 50 years ago.
- It thus retrieved fragments of the youngest lunar rocks ever brought back for analysis in laboratories on Earth.
- The rocks are also different from those returned decades ago.
Key findings
- 90% of the materials collected by Chang’e-5 likely derive from the landing site and its immediate surroundings, which are of a type termed ‘mare basalts’.
- These volcanic rocks are visible to us as the darker grey areas that spilled over much of the nearside of the Moon as ancient eruptions of lava.
- Yet 10% percent of the fragments have distinctly different, ‘exotic’ chemical compositions.
What are the exotic compositions?
- The distinct 10% fragments may preserve records of other parts of the lunar surface as well as hints of the types of space rocks that have impacted the Moon’s surface.
- Researchers have looked at the potential sources of beads of rapidly cooled glassy material.
- They have traced these glassy droplets to extinct volcanic vents known as ‘Rima Mairan’ and ‘Rima Sharp’.
- These fragments could give insights into past episodes of energetic, fountain-like volcanic activity on the Moon.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Polynya
Mains level: Glaciers retreat at the Poles
Temperatures in the Arctic, for example, have been rising much faster than the rest of the planet. Experts, for the longest time, have attributed the crisis to how clouds interact with sea ice, essentially frozen seawater.
Role of Polynya
- Decades of research have pointed that the losses in Arctic Sea ice cover allow for the formation of more clouds near the ocean’s surface.
- New research by NASA has now shown that more heat and moisture is released through a large hole in sea ice called a polynya, which fuels the formation of more clouds.
- This traps heat in the atmosphere and hinders the refreezing of new sea ice.
What is Polynya?
- A polynya is an area of open water surrounded by sea ice.
- It is now used as a geographical term for an area of unfrozen seawater within otherwise contiguous pack ice or fast ice.
- It refers to a natural ice hole and was adopted in the 19th century by polar explorers to describe navigable portions of the sea.
- There are two main types of polynyas:
- Coastal polynyas, which can be found year-round near the Antarctic and Arctic coasts and are mainly created by strong winds pushing the ice away from the coast, and
- Mid-sea or open-ocean polynyas, which may be found more sporadically in the middle of an ice pack in certain locations, especially around Antarctica.
What is the new research about?
- The research stated that low clouds over the polynya emitted more energy or heat than clouds in adjacent areas covered by sea ice.
- The polynya did refreeze, but only after the increased cloud cover and heat under the clouds persisted for about a week.
- The extra clouds and increased cloud radiative effect to the surface remained for some time after the polynya froze.
- The sea ice acts like a cap or a barrier between the relatively warm ocean surface and the cold and dry atmosphere above, so more heat and moisture from the ocean into the atmosphere.
- This warming slows down the growth of the sea ice.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PM-SAUBHAGYA Scheme
Mains level: Rural and Urban Electrification
The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – SAUBHAGYA Scheme has successfully completed four years of its implementation.
Progress till date
- 82 crore households have been electrified since the launch of SAUBHAGYA till 31st March, 2021.
About SAUBHAGYA Scheme
- The Saubhagya is a scheme to ensure electrification of all willing households in the country in rural as well as urban areas.
- It was launched in September 2017.
- The Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) is the nodal agency for the operationalization of the scheme throughout the country.
Objective
- To provide energy access to all by last mile connectivity and electricity connections to all remaining un-electrified households in rural as well as urban areas
- To achieve universal household electrification in the country
Beneficiaries of the project
- The beneficiaries for free electricity connections would be identified using Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data.
- However, un-electrified households not covered under the SECC data would also be provided electricity connections under the scheme on payment of Rs. 500 which shall be recovered by DISCOMs in 10 installments through electricity bill.
- The solar power packs of 200 to 300 Wp with battery bank for un-electrified households located in remote and inaccessible areas, comprises Five LED lights, One DC fan, One DC power plug.
- It also includes Repair and Maintenance (R&M) for 5 years.
Implementation process
- For the easy and accelerated implementation of the Scheme, modern technology shall be used for household surveys by using Mobile App.
- Beneficiaries shall be identified and their application for electricity connection along with applicant photograph and identity proof shall be registered on spot.
- The Gram Panchayat/Public institutions in the rural areas may be authorised to collect application forms along with complete documentation, distribute bills and collect revenue in consultation with the Panchayat Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies.
Expected outcomes of the scheme
The expected outcome of the Scheme is as follows:
- Environmental upgradation by substitution of Kerosene for lighting purposes
- Improvement education services
- Better health services
- Enhanced connectivity through radio, television, mobiles, etc.
- Increased economic activities and jobs
- Improved quality of life especially for women
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Integrated disease surveillance project
Mains level: Paper 2- Disease surveillance
Context
A well-functioning system can reduce the impact of diseases and outbreaks.
Importance of disease surveillance system
- Successful tackling of cholera in 1854 in London by use of the health statistics and death registration data from the General Registrar Office (GRO) started the beginning of a new era in epidemiology.
- Importance of data: The application of principles of epidemiology is possible through systematic collection and timely analysis, and dissemination of data on the diseases.
- This is to initiate action to either prevent or stop further spread, a process termed as disease surveillance.
- Subsequently, the high-income countries invested in disease surveillance systems but low- and middle-income countries used limited resources for medical care.
- Then, in the second half of the Twentieth century, as part of the global efforts for smallpox eradication and then to tackle many emerging and re-emerging diseases, many countries recognised the importance and started to invest in and strengthen the diseases surveillance system.
- These efforts received a further boost with the emergence of Avian flu in 1997 and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002-04.
Surveillance in India
- The Government of India launched the National Surveillance Programme for Communicable Diseases in 1997.
- However, this initiative remained rudimentary.
- In wake of the SARS outbreak, in 2004, India launched the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP).
- The focus under the IDSP was to increase government funding for disease surveillance, strengthen laboratory capacity, train the health workforce and have at least one trained epidemiologist in every district of India.
Issues with surveillance: Interstate variation
- Variation among states: The disease surveillance system and health data recording and reporting systems are key tools in epidemiology.
- In the fourth round of serosurvey, Kerala and Maharashtra States could identify one in every six and 12 infections, respectively; while in States such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, only one in every 100 COVID-19 infections could be detected.
- This points towards a weak disease surveillance system.
- In a well-functioning disease surveillance system, an increase in cases of any illness would be identified very quickly.
- While Kerala is picking the maximum COVID-19 cases; it could pick the first case of the Nipah virus in early September 2021.
- On the contrary, cases of dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and scrub typhus received attention only when more than three dozen deaths were reported and health facilities in multiple districts of Uttar Pradesh, began to be overwhelmed.
Way forward
- A review of the IDSP in 2015, conducted jointly by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Government of India and World Health Organization India had made a few concrete recommendations to strengthen disease surveillance systems.
- These included increasing financial resource allocation, ensuring an adequate number of trained human resources, strengthening laboratories, and zoonosis, influenza and vaccine-preventable diseases surveillance.
- Increase allocation: The government resources allocated to preventive and promotive health services and disease surveillance need to be increased by the Union and State governments.
- Trained workforce: The workforce in the primary healthcare system in both rural and urban areas needs to be retrained in disease surveillance and public health actions.
- The vacancies of surveillance staff at all levels need to be urgently filled in.
- Capacity increase: The laboratory capacity for COVID-19 needs to be planned and repurposed to increase the ability to conduct testing for other public health challenges and infections.
- The interconnectedness of human and animal health: The emerging outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, be it the Nipah virus in Kerala or avian flu in other States as well as scrub typhus in Uttar Pradesh, are a reminder of the interconnectedness of human and animal health.
- The ‘One Health’ approach has to be promoted beyond policy discourses and made functional on the ground.
- Strengthening registration system: There has to be a dedicated focus on strengthening the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems and medical certification of cause of death (MCCD).
- Coordination: It is also time to ensure coordinated actions between the State government and municipal corporation to develop joint action plans and assume responsibility for public health and disease surveillance.
- The allocation made by the 15th Finance Commission to corporations for health should be used to activate this process.
Consider the question “Examine the measure for disease surveillance in India? How it can help reduce the impact of the diseases?”
Conclusion
We cannot prevent every single outbreak but with a well-functioning disease surveillance system and with the application of principles of epidemiology, we can reduce their impact.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: COP 26, Paris Agreement
Mains level: India's committment for Paris Agreement
A recent report by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) reveals that India has warmed up 0.7° C during 1901-2018.
What was the report?
Title: Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region (by MoES)
(a) Climate severity
- The 2010-2019 decade was the hottest with a mean temperature of 0.36° C higher than average.
- Heatwaves continued to increase with no signs of diminishing greenhouse gas emissions despite lower activity since the novel coronavirus pandemic.
- India may experience a 4.4° C rise by the end of this century.
- Within 2050, rainfall is expected to rise by 6% and temperature by 1.6° C.
- India’s Deccan plateau has seen eight out of 17 severe droughts since 1876 in the 21st century (2000-2003; 2015-2018).
(b) Land degradation
- To make things worse, India lost about 235 square kilometres to coastal erosion due to climate change-induced sea-level rise, land erosion and natural disasters such as tropical cyclones between 1990-2016.
(c) Rising Internal Displacement
- According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, India’s Internally Displaced Populations (IDPs) are rising due to damaging climate events.
- Uttarakhand residents began deserting their homes after the Kedarnath floods in 2013 due to heavy precipitation that increases every year.
- Recent figures are more alarming with 3.9 million displaced in 2020 alone, mostly due to Cyclone Amphan.
India’s commitment to Climate Mitigation
- India held the top 10 position for the second year in a row in 2020’s Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).
- The country received credit under all of the CCPI’s performance fields except renewable energy where India performed medium.
- India vowed to work with COP21 by signing the Paris Agreement to limit global warming and submitted the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
- It set a goal of reducing emissions intensity of GDP by 33%-35% and increasing green energy resources (non-fossil-oil based) to 40% of installed electric power capacity by 2030.
- India cofounded with France at COP21, in 2015, the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
Core concern
(a) Good policies, weak practices
- The question is, are these global alliances and world-leading policies being practised or are merely big promises with little implementation?
- Despite leading ISA, India performed the least in renewable energy according to the CCPI’s performance of India.
(b) Low compliance
- India is not fully compliant with the Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goal of the NDCs and there are still risks of falling short of the 2° C goal.
- According to India’s carbon emission trajectory, the country is en route to achieve barely half of the pledged carbon sink by 2030.
- To achieve the Paris Agreement’s NDC target, India needs to produce 25 million-30 million hectares of forest cover by 2030 — a third of current Indian forestation and trees.
- Going by the facts, it seems India has overpromised on policies and goals as it becomes difficult to deliver on the same.
Why COP26 matters
- The Glasgow COP26 offers India a great opportunity to reflect on the years since the Paris Agreement and update NDCs to successfully meet the set targets.
- India is expected to be the most populated country by 2027, overtaking China, contributing significantly to the global climate through its consumption pattern.
- India is in a rather unique position to have a significant influence on global climate impact in the new decade.
Conclusion
- India believes that climate actions must be nationally determined.
- However, the Paris Agreement for developing countries should be at the core of decision-making.
- India has the ability to improve its global positioning by leading a favourable climate goal aspiration for the world to follow.
- The country has the opportunity to not only save itself from further climate disasters but also be a leader in the path to climate change prevention.
Back2Basics: COP26, Glasgow
- The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference.
- It is scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow, Scotland between 31 October and 12 November 2021, under the presidency of the United Kingdom.
- This conference is the first time that Parties are expected to commit to enhanced ambition since COP21.
- Parties are required to carry out every five years, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, a process colloquially known as the ‘ratchet mechanism’.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Socio-economic Caste Census, 2021
Mains level: Subcategorization within OBCs in states
The government has made it clear in the Supreme Court that a caste census of the Backward Classes is “administratively difficult and cumbersome”.
About Socio-Economic and Caste Census
- The SECC 2011 was conducted for the 2011 Census of India.
- Then government approved the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 to be carried out after discussion in both houses of Parliament in 2010.
- The SECC 2011 was conducted in all states and union territories of India and the first findings were revealed in July 2015.
- SECC 2011 is also the first paperless census in India conducted on hand-held electronic devices by the government in 640 districts.
- SECC 2011 was the first caste-based census since 1931 Census of India and it was launched on 29 June 2011 from the Sankhola village of Hazemara block in West Tripura district.
Issues with SECC
Ans. Data NOT available
- The SECC data is stored in the Office of the Registrar General and had not been made official.
- It cannot be used as a source of information for population data in any official document.
What did the Centre say?
- The Centre reasoned that even when the census of castes were taken in the pre-Independence period, the data suffered in respect of “completeness and accuracy”.
- It said the caste data enumerated in the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) of 2011 is “unusable” for official purposes as they are “replete with technical flaws”.
- The infirmities of the SECC 2011 data makes it unusable for any official purposes and cannot be mentioned as a source of information for population data in any official document.
- Besides, the Centre said, it was too late now to enumerate caste into the Census 2021.
Why not OBCs?
- Unlike the constitutional mandate for collection of census data on SCs and STs, there is no obligation to provide the census figures of OBCs.
- The census data on SCs and STs are used for delimitation of electoral constituencies as well as for reservation of seats, as mandated under the Constitution.
Reason: Official discouragement of Caste
- The center was replying to a writ petition filed by the State of Maharashtra to gather Backward Classes’ caste data in the State while conducting Census 2021.
- The Centre clarified that exclusion of information regarding any other caste — other than SCs and STs — from the purview of the census is a “conscious policy decision”.
- The government said caste-wise enumeration in the Census was given up as a matter of policy from 1951.
- It said there was a policy of “official discouragement of caste”.
What is the plea about?
- To Maharashtra’s plea to reveal the SECC 2011 “raw caste data” of Other Backward Classes (OBC), the Centre said the 2011 Census was not an “OBC survey”.
- It was, on the other hand, a comprehensive exercise to enumerate the caste status of all households in the country in order to use their socio-economic data to identify poor households.
Why is the Centre reluctant?
- The Centre explained that a population census was not the “ideal instrument” for the collection of details on caste.
- There is a “grave danger” that the “basic integrity” of census data would be compromised.
- Even the fundamental population count may get “distorted”.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: UNGA
Mains level: Mandate of the UN General Assembly
Every year since the 10th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1995, Brazil has been the first to address the delegation, followed by the United States.
About UNGA
- The UNGA is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN.
- Its powers, composition, functions, and procedures are set out in Chapter IV of the United Nations Charter.
- It also establishes numerous subsidiary organs to advance or assist in its broad mandate.
- The UNGA is the only UN organ wherein all member states have equal representation.
Why does Brazil always get to speak first?
- Brazil has been the first speaker at the UNGA annual general debate for over six decades now.
- While some assume that the order is determined alphabetically, this is not the case.
- This tradition dates back to the early years of the United Nations, following its formation soon after the end of World War II.
- In those days, most countries were reluctant to be the first to address the chamber.
- Brazil, at the time, was the only country that volunteered to speak first.
So, why does the US go next?
- In the list of speakers, the United States always goes second after Brazil as it is the host nation.
- US President Joe Biden addressed the chamber on Tuesday, detailing his vision for a new era of diplomacy in his first-ever UNGA speech.
How is the order of the remaining speakers determined?
- After the US and Brazil, the order of speakers depends on a number of factors.
- Generally the order is determined by the rank of the representative — heads of state, heads of government, crown princes, and foreign ministers would be amongst the initial speakers, followed by deputies and ambassadors.
- Other criteria like geographic balance also play a role in determining the order.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: FASTER system
Mains level: Resolving judicial pendency
The Supreme Court has given its nod for e-transfer of orders to jails through the FASTER system for quick prisoner release.
What is the FASTER system?
- FASTER is an acronym form Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records.
- The system is meant to ensure that undertrials are not made to wait for days on end behind bars to be released because the certified hard copies of their bail orders took time to reach the prison.
- It is conceived for delivery of orders to concerned prisons, District Courts, High Courts, as the case may be, for instantaneous delivery of orders passed by apex court through a secure communication channel.
- The process to develop the FASTER system began with the CJI’s observations in court on July 16 this year.
Benefits offered
- With FASTER, crucial decisions, including orders on bail and stay of arrest, can be communicated electronically to prison authorities and investigating agencies through a secure channel.
- The system would also prevent unnecessary arrests and custody of people even after the court had already granted them its protection.
- It may even communicate a stay on an execution ordered by the final court on time.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS)
Mains level: Export promotion schemes in India
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has imposed a cap on the total entitlement under the Services Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) at Rs 5 crore per exporter for shipments done in 2019-20 (FY20). The move is expected to benefit small businesses in the services sector.
About SEIS
- Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) aims to promote export of services from India by providing duty scrip credit for eligible exports.
- Under the scheme, service providers, located in India, would be rewarded under the SEIS scheme, for all eligible export of services from India.
- SEIS was earlier termed as Served from India Scheme (SFIS).
Eligibility
- Service Providers of notified services, located in India are eligible for the Service Exports from India Scheme.
- To be eligible, a service provider (Company / LLP / Partnership Firm) should have a minimum net free foreign exchange earnings of USD 15000 in the preceding financial year to be eligible for duty credit scrips.
- For proprietorships or individual service providers, minimum net foreign exchange earnings of USD10,000 in the preceding financial year is required to be eligible for the scheme.
- Also, in order to claim reward under the SEIS scheme, the service provider shall have to have an active Import Export Code (IE Code) at the time of rendering such services for which rewards are claimed.
Back2Basics: Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS)
- MEIS was launched with an objective to enhance the export of notified goods manufactured in a country.
- This scheme came into effect on 1 April 2015 through the Foreign Trade Policy and was in existence till 2020.
- It intended to incentivize exports of goods manufactured in India or produced in India.
- The incentives were for goods widely exported from India, industries producing or manufacturing such goods with a view to making Indian exports competitive.
- The MEIS covered almost 5000 goods notified for the purpose of the scheme.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: International Hydropower Association (IHA), Teesta River
Mains level: NA
NHPC’s 510 MW Teesta-V Power Station located in the Himalayan State of Sikkim has been conferred with the prestigious Blue Planet Prize by International Hydropower Association (IHA).
Teesta-V Power Station
- The power station has been built, owned and being operated by NHPC.
- The award has been conferred for its sustainability assessment undertaken by Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP) of IHA.
About IHA
- IHA is a London based non-profit membership association operating in 120 countries.
- The IHA membership includes leading hydropower owners and operators, developers, designers, suppliers and consultants.
- The IHA Blue Planet Prize is awarded to hydropower projects that demonstrate excellence in sustainable development.
- The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP) is the leading international tool for measuring the sustainability of hydropower projects.
- It offers a way to benchmark the performance of a hydropower project against a comprehensive range of environmental, social, technical and governance criteria.
Back2Basics: Teesta River
- Teesta River is a 414 km long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Bangladesh and enters the Bay of Bengal.
- It drains an area of 12,540 sq km.
- In India, it flows through North Sikkim, East Sikkim, Pakyong District, Kalimpong district, Darjeeling District, Jalpaiguri District, Cooch Behar districts and the cities of Rangpo, Jalpaiguri and Mekhliganj.
- It joins River Brahmaputra at Fulchhari in Bangladesh. 315 km portion of the river lies in India and rest in Bangladesh.
- Teesta is the largest river of Sikkim and the second largest river of West Bengal after Ganges.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Weightage of Services in WPI and CPI
Mains level: Paper 3- Issues with inflation data
Context
Inflation for the last four months has been worryingly high. This is happening at a time when demand has been down, unemployment has been high, many have lost incomes and poverty has aggravated.
Issues with the recent inflation data
- The shock of lockdowns not only made data collection difficult but the consumption basket for calculating CPI should have been changed.
- Issue with the base: In April and May 2020, data on production and prices could not be collected due to the strict lockdown.
- As such, the official inflation figures for these months in 2021 do not reflect the true picture.
- For calculating inflation, a single number is arrived at by assigning weights to different commodities and services.
- Issue due to different consumption baskets: For WPI, the weights in production are used; for CPI, the consumption basket is used.
- The consumption basket is vastly different for the poor, the middle classes, and the rich.
- Hence, the CPI is different for each of these classes and a composite index requires averaging the baskets.
- So, in a sense, it represents none of the categories.
- Changed consumption pattern: During lockdown and unlock in 2020, people largely consumed essentials.
- RBI data show that consumer confidence fell drastically from 105 in January 2020 to 55.5 by January 2021.
- While the consumption pattern of the well-off sections may have changed little, the poor and middle classes, especially those who lost jobs and incomes, would have had to cut back on their consumption.
- Thus, the weights in the CPI would have changed and inflation required recalculation, but this has not been done.
- Under-representation of services: Inflation data under-represents services in the consumption basket.
- In production, services are about 55% of the GDP but have no representation in WPI and about 40% in CPI.
- Increased health and education cost not captured: Health costs and education costs shot up during the pandemic, but this is not captured in inflation figures.
- Many services were not used. Eating out and travel, for instance, should have been factored out.
Impact of the inflation
- If the income does not increase in proportion to inflation, for the middle classes, both consumption of less essential items and savings get reduced.
- But the poor, who hardly save, have to curtail essential consumption.
- Decline in demand: In India, 94% work in the unorganised sector and mostly earn low incomes and have little savings.
- By definition, they cannot bargain for higher incomes as prices rise, further, due to lockdowns, the wages of many declined, both in the unorganised and organised sectors.
- Consequently, demand has declined not only for non-essentials but even for essentials.
- Impact on employment generation: In a vicious cycle, this is slowing down economic recovery and employment generation.
- Further, this impacts the government’s revenues and tends to increase the budgetary deficit.
- This puts pressure on the government to cut back budgetary expenditures, especially on the social sector.
- That aggravates poverty and reduces demand further.
Factors leading to inflation
- Tax on fuels: Increase in tax on fuel push up the prices of all goods and services.
- This is an indirect tax, it is regressive and impacts the poor disproportionately more.
- It also makes the RBI’s task of controlling inflation difficult.
- Supply bottlenecks: The lockdowns disrupted supplies and that added to shortages and price rise.
- Prices of medicines and medical equipment rose dramatically.
- Prices of items of day-to-day consumption also rose.
- International factors: Most major economies have recovered and demand for inputs has increased while supplies have remained disrupted (like chips for automobiles).
Consider the question “What are the issues with measurement of inflation data in India? How inflation in times of low demand and reduced incomes leads to a vicious cycle?”
Conclusion
The current official inflation rate does not correctly measure price rise since the lockdown administered a shock to the economy. The method of calculating it needed modification.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Collegium system, NJAC
Mains level: Transparency issues is Judicial Appointments
In recent weeks, the Supreme Court of India’s collegium has been busy. New judges have been appointed to the Court on its advice and long overdue vacancies have been filled up.
Read this before proceeding:
Collegium recommends nine judges for Supreme Court
What is the matter of concern?
Ans. Transparency in appointments
- These recommendations are seen as reflective of a new and proactive collegium.
- What ought to concern us, though, is that long-standing apprehensions about the collegium’s operation remain unaddressed: specifically, its opacity and a lack of independent scrutiny of its decisions.
- These misgivings are usually seen in the context of a battle between the executive and the judiciary.
- Less evident is the effect that the failings have on the status of the High Courts.
- Today, even without express constitutional sanction, the collegium effectively exercises a power of supervision over each of the High Courts.
No specified reasons for Exclusion
- For nearly two years, despite vacancies on the Bench, the collegium made no recommendations for appointments to the Supreme Court.
- The conjecture in the press was that this logjam owed to a reluctance amongst some of its members to elevate Justice Akil Kureshi to the Court.
- Indeed, it was only after a change in its composition that the panel recommended on August 17 a list of names for elevation. This list did not contain Justice Kureshi’s name.
- The perfunctory nature of the collegium’s resolutions means that we do not know the reasons for his exclusion.
- We also do not know why five Chief Justices, including Justice Kureshi, and several other puisne judges are now being transferred to different courts.
The public has right to know
- This is not to suggest that these decisions are unfounded. It is possible that each of the choices made is predicated on administrative needs.
- But whatever the rationale, surely the public has a right to know.
What is needed?
Ans. Striking a balance in Separation of Power
- Separation of powers is a bedrock principle of Indian constitutionalism. Inherent in that idea is the guarantee of an autonomous judiciary.
- To that end, the process of appointing and transferring judges assumes salience.
- But the question of how to strike a balance between the sovereign function of making appointments and the need to ensure an independent judiciary has long plagued the republic.
As suggested by Dr. Ambedkar
- The Constitution’s framers wrestled over the question for many days. Ultimately, they adopted what Dr. B.R. Ambedkar described as a “middle course”.
- That path stipulates the following: Judges to the Supreme Court are to be appointed by the President of India in consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and such other judges that he deems fit.
- Judges to the High Courts are to be appointed by the President in consultation with the CJI, the Governor of the State and the Chief Justice of that court.
- In the case of transfers, the President may move a judge from one High Court to another, after consulting the CJI.
Where does primacy rest?
Ans. In a transparent Collegium system
- In this design, there is no mention of a “collegium”.
- But since 1993, when the Supreme Court rendered a ruling in the Second Judges Case, the word consultation has been interpreted to mean “concurrence”.
- What is more, that concurrence, the Court held there, ought to be secured not from the CJI alone, but from a body of judges that the judgment described as a “collegium”.
- Thus, the Court wound up creating a whole new process for making appointments and transfers and carved out a system where notional primacy came to rest in the top echelons of the judiciary.
This procedure has since been clarified. But there is, in fact, no actual guidance on how judges are to be selected.
The NJAC and after
- In 2015, Parliament sought to undo the procedures put in place by the Court through the 99th Constitutional Amendment.
- The National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), that the law created, comprised members from the judiciary, the executive, and the lay-public.
- But the Court scrapped the efforts to replace the collegium and it held in the Fourth Judges Case that judicial primacy in making appointments and transfers was an essential feature of the Constitution.
- In other words, the Court held that a body that found no mention in the actual text of the Constitution had assumed a position so sacrosanct that it could not be touched even by a constitutional amendment.
Assessing the NJAC
Ans. The NJAC was far from perfect
- There were legitimate fears that the commission might have resulted in the appointment of malleable judges.
- Therefore, it is plausible to argue that until a proper alternative is framed, the collegium represents the best solution.
- This is that allowing senior judges of the Supreme Court primacy in matters of appointments and transfers is the only practical way to guarantee the independence of the judiciary.
Promises are yet unfulfilled over transparency
- When the Court struck down the NJAC, it also promised to reform the existing system. Six years down the line those promises have been all but forgotten.
- The considerations that must go into the procedure for selecting judges is left unexplained.
- The words “merit” and “diversity” are thrown around without any corresponding debates on what they, in fact, mean.
- Somehow, amidst all of this, we have arrived at a consensus that enveloping a veil over the process of selection is essential to judicial autonomy, and that there is no legitimate reason why the public ought to know how judges are chosen and transferred.
Way forward
- It is clear that we have come a long way from a time when Chief Justices of High Courts declined invitations to the Supreme Court, because they valued the work that they were already entrusted with.
- Restoring High Courts to that position of prestige must be seen as essential to the process of building trust in our Constitution.
- Achieving this will no doubt require more than just a tweak in the process of appointments.
Conclusion
- It is clear is that the present system and the mysteries underlining the decision-making only further dilute the High Courts’ prominence.
- At some point we must take seriously the task of reforming the existing scheme because the status quo is ultimately corrosive of the very institutions that it seeks to protect.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SAARC
Mains level: Success and failures of SAARC
A meeting of foreign ministers from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, which was set to be held in New York has been cancelled.
About SAARC
- The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia.
- Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
- The SAARC comprises 3% of the world’s area, 21% of the world’s population and 4.21% (US$3.67 trillion) of the global economy, as of 2019.
- The SAARC was founded in Dhaka on 8 December 1985. Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
- The organization promotes development of economic and regional integration. It launched the South Asian Free Trade Area in 2006.
- The SAARC maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the United Nations as an observer and has developed links with multilateral entities, including the European Union.
Formation of SAARC
- After the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the security situation in South Asia rapidly deteriorated. In response, the foreign ministers of the initial seven members met in Colombo in 1981.
- At the meeting, Bangladesh proposed forming a regional association that would meet to discuss matters such as security and trade.
- While most of the countries present were in favour of the proposal, India and Pakistan were sceptical.
- Eventually, both countries relented and in 1983 in Dhaka, joined the other five nations in signing the Declaration.
What has SAARC done so far
- Despite its lofty ambitions, SAARC has not become a regional association in the mould of the European Union or the African Union.
- Its member states are plagued by internal divisions, most notably the conflict between India and Pakistan.
- This in turn has hampered its ability to form comprehensive trade agreements or to meaningfully collaborate on areas such as security, energy and infrastructure.
- The 18th and last SAARC summit was held in 2014 with Pakistan scheduled to host the 19th summit in 2016.
- Many nations pulled out of the summit, citing fears of regional insecurity caused by Pakistan and a lack of a conducive environment for the talks.
Limited success to count
- Despite these setbacks, SAARC has achieved a modicum of success.
- It has provided a platform for representatives from member countries to meet and discuss important issues, something that may have been challenging through bilateral discussions.
- India and Pakistan for example would struggle to publicly justify a meeting when tensions between the two are particularly high, but representatives from both countries could come together under the banner of SAARC.
- The bloc has also made some headway in signing agreements related to climate change, food security and combatting the Covid-19 crisis.
- It has the potential to do far more but that is contingent upon cooperation on key issues between member states.
Why was the recent meet cancelled?
Ans. Pakistan’s insistence to include the Taliban
- The member states are unable to agree upon the participation of Afghanistan, with Pakistan and India in particular at loggerheads over the issue.
- After Pakistan objected to the participation of any official from the previous Ghani administration, SAARC members reportedly agreed to keep an “empty chair” as a symbolic representation of Afghanistan.
- However, Islamabad later insisted that the Taliban be allowed to send its representative to the summit, a notion that all of the other member states rejected.
- After no consensus could be formed, Nepal, the ‘host’ of the summit, officially cancelled the meeting.
Why did countries object?
Ans. Taliban is not a legitimate govt
- The Taliban has not been recognised as the official government of Afghanistan by any SAARC countries barring Pakistan.
- Several top Taliban leaders are blacklisted by the US and/or designated as international terrorists.
- Senior leaders who are not blacklisted are known for supporting terrorist activities or affiliating with terrorist organisations.
- Allowing Taliban to represent Afghanistan in SAARC would legitimise the group and serve as a formal recognition of their right to govern.
- Apart from Pakistan, which has close ties to the Taliban, particularly its violent subgroup, the Haqqani Network, none of the other SAARC members recognise the Taliban.
Why nations should not recognize the Taliban?
- PM Modi has referred to the Taliban as a non-inclusive government, warning other nations to think before accepting the regime in Afghanistan.
- SAARC members are deeply aware of the threat of spillover terrorism from Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, with Bangladesh in particular, concerned with the effect it may have on extremism.
- Developments in Afghanistan could lead to uncontrolled flow of drugs, illegal weapons and human trafficking.
Conclusion
- With Pakistan headfast in its support for the Taliban and the rest of SAARC weary to acknowledge the group, any future summit is unlikely until the issue has been resolved.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Important facts mentioned
Mains level: Wastewater treatment in India
Sewage treatment plants (STPs) in India are able to treat a little more than a third of the sewage generated per day, according to the latest report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
What is Wastewater?
Wastewater is used water from any combination of domestic, industrial, commercial or agricultural activities, surface runoff/ stormwater, and any sewer inflow or sewer infiltration.
In everyday usage, wastewater is commonly a synonym for:
- Sewage also called domestic wastewater or municipal wastewater which is wastewater that is produced by a community of people.
- Industrial wastewater, water-borne waste generated from a variety of industrial processes, such as manufacturing operations, mineral extraction, power generation, or water and wastewater treatment.
- Cooling water, released with potential thermal pollution after use to condense steam or reduce machinery temperatures by conduction or evaporation
- Leachate, precipitation containing pollutants dissolved while percolating through ores, raw materials, products, or solid waste
- Return flow, carrying suspended soil, pesticide residues, or dissolved minerals and nutrients from irrigated cropland
- Surface runoff, the flow of water occurring on the ground surface when excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other sources, can no longer sufficiently rapidly infiltrate in the soil.
- Urban runoff, including water used for outdoor cleaning activity and landscape irrigation in densely populated areas created by urbanization
- Agricultural wastewater, generated from confined animal operations
Wastewater in India
- India generated 72,368 MLD (million litres per day) whereas the installed capacity of STPs was 31,841 MLD (43.9 per cent), according to the report.
Treatment facilities available
- Of this installed capacity, developed and operationalized capacity was 26,869 MLD (84 per cent).
- Of the total operationalised capacity, 20,235 MLD (75 per cent) was the actual utilised capacity.
- In other words, out of total 72,368 MLD sewage generated every day, only 20,235 MLD is treated.
Skewed distribution
- Five states and Union Territories (UT) — Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Karnataka — account for 60 per cent of the total installed treatment capacity of the country.
- These, along with five other states and UTs — Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan — alone constitute 86 per cent of the total installed capacity.
- Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland have not installed sewage treatment plants.
- There are states like Bihar which do have a small installed capacity of STPs. But on the operational front, they score a zero.
- Chandigarh ranks first in terms of total sewage generated to what is actually treated. It generates 188 MLD of sewage and has an operational capacity to treat 271 MLD.
Major issue: Reuse of sewage
- The reuse of treated sewage is an issue which hasn’t assumed much importance in the policy planning of many state governments.
- Treated sewage water can be reused for horticulture, irrigation, washing activities (road, vehicles and trains), fire-fighting, industrial cooling, toilet flushing and gardening.
- The proportion of the reuse of treated sewage is maximum in Haryana (80 per cent) followed by Puducherry (55 per cent), Delhi (50 per cent), Chandigarh (35 per cent), Tamil Nadu (25 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (20 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (5 per cent).
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) 2021
Mains level: Air pollution
The World Health Organisation (WHO) in its first-ever update since 2005 has tightened global air pollution standards.
Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) 2021
- WHO announces limits for six pollutant categories —particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and 10, ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sulphur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO).
Air quality standards in India
- India aligns with the WHO guidelines only in the case of ozone and carbon monoxide, as these have not changed. But both NO2 and SO2 guidelines are tighter than the current Indian standard.
- The move doesn’t immediately impact India as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) don’t meet the WHO’s existing standards.
- The government has a dedicated National Clean Air Programme that aims for a 20% to 30% reduction in particulate matter concentrations by 2024 in 122 cities, keeping 2017 as the base year.
Significance of WHO’s AQG
Ans. It sets the stage for eventual shifts in policy
- WHO move sets the stage for eventual shifts in policy in the government towards evolving newer stricter standards.
- This will soon become part of policy discussions — much like climate targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions keep getting stricter over time.
- Once cities and States are set targets for meeting pollution emission standards, it could lead to overall changes in national standards.
Challenges for India
- The current challenge in India is to meet its national ambient air quality standards in all the regions.
- The hard lockdown phases during the pandemic have demonstrated the dramatic reduction that is possible when local pollution and regional influences can be minimised.
- This has shown that if local action is strengthened and scaled up at speed across the region, significant reduction to meet a much tighter target is possible.
- The influence of geo-climatic attributes is quite pronounced in all regions of India, which further aggravates the local build-up of pollution.
- This is further worsened due to the rapid proliferation of pollution sources and weak air quality management systems.
- India may require a more nuanced regional approach to maximise benefits and sustain air quality gains.
Conclusion
- Air pollution is a threat to health in all countries, but it hits people in low- and middle-income countries the hardest.
- WHO’s new Air Quality Guidelines are an evidence-based and practical tool for improving the quality of the air on which all life depends.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Fortification of food
Mains level: Isuses with fortified food
Days after the Prime Minister’s announcement of a rice fortification plan, the Centre has issued “uniform” parameters for fortified rice kernels (FRK) for grade ‘A’ and common rice.
Plan for fortified rice
- The fortified rice is to be distributed under various government schemes, including the public distribution system (PDS) and midday meals in schools, by 2024.
- The specifications for such rice have been issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
- Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution for the first time issued uniform specifications for Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK).
What are the norms announced?
- Common Rice have in case of procurement of Fortified Rice Stocks, of which 1% of FRK (w/w) should be blended with normal rice stock.
- These specifications as per standard practice have been issued in respect of Paddy, Rice and other coarse grains namely Jowar, Bajra, Maize, Ragi.
What is Fortification?
- FSSAI defines fortification as “deliberately increasing the content of essential micronutrients in a food so as to improve the nutritional quality of food and to provide public health benefit with minimal risk to health”.
What is Fortified Rice?
- Rice can be fortified by adding a micronutrient powder to the rice that adheres to the grains or spraying the surface of ordinary rice grains with a vitamin and mineral mix to form a protective coating.
- Rice can also be extruded and shaped into partially precooked grain-like structures resembling rice grains, which can then be blended with natural polished rice.
- Rice kernels can be fortified with several micronutrients, such as iron, folic acid, and other B-complex vitamins, vitamin A and zinc.
- These fortified kernels are then mixed with normal rice in a 1:100 ratio, and distributed for consumption.
Note: Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology. It differs from conventional fortification in that Biofortification aims to increase nutrient levels in crops during plant growth rather than through manual means during the processing of the crops.
What is the plan announced by the PM?
- Malnutrition and lack of essential nutrients in poor women and poor children pose major obstacles in their development.
- In view of this, it has been decided that the government will fortify the rice given to the poor under its various schemes.
- Be it the rice available at ration shops or the rice provided to children in their mid-day meals, the rice available through every scheme will be fortified by the year 2024.
Why such a move?
- The announcement is significant as the country has high levels of malnutrition among women and children.
- According to the Food Ministry, every second woman in the country is anemic and every third child is stunted.
- India ranks 94 out of 107 countries and is in the ‘serious hunger’ category on the Global Hunger Index (GHI).
- Fortification of rice is a cost-effective and complementary strategy to increase vitamin and mineral content in diets.
- According to the Food Ministry, seven countries have mandated rice fortification – the USA, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and the Solomon Islands.
Advantages offered
- Health: Fortified staple foods will contain natural or near-natural levels of micro-nutrients, which may not necessarily be the case with supplements.
- Taste: It provides nutrition without any change in the characteristics of food or the course of our meals.
- Nutrition: If consumed on a regular and frequent basis, fortified foods will maintain body stores of nutrients more efficiently and more effectively than will intermittently supplement.
- Economy: The overall costs of fortification are extremely low; the price increase is approximately 1 to 2 percent of the total food value.
- Society: It upholds everyone’s right to have access to safe and nutritious food, consistent with the right to adequate food and the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger
Issues with fortified food
- Against nature: Fortification and enrichment upset nature’s packaging. Our body does not absorb individual nutrients added to processed foods as efficiently compared to nutrients naturally occurring.
- Bioavailability: Supplements added to foods are less bioavailable. Bioavailability refers to the proportion of a nutrient your body is able to absorb and use.
- Immunity issues: They lack immune-boosting substances.
- Over-nutrition: Fortified foods and supplements can pose specific risks for people who are taking prescription medications, including decreased absorption of other micro-nutrients, treatment failure, and increased mortality risk.
Adhering to FSSAI standard
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) sets standards for food items in the country.
- According to FSSAI norms, 1 kg fortified rice will contain iron (28 mg-42.5 mg), folic acid (75-125 microgram), and Vitamin B-12 (0.75-1.25 microgram).
- In addition, rice may also be fortified with micronutrients, singly or in combination, with zinc(10 mg-15 mg), Vitamin A (500-750 microgram RE), Vitamin B1 (1 mg-1.5 mg), Vitamin B2 (1.25 mg-1.75 mg), Vitamin B3 (12.5 mg-20 mg) and Vitamin B6 (1.5 mg-2.5 mg) per kg.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Generalised System of Preference
Mains level: Paper 3- Agri-exports
Context
The Indian government has been encouraging agricultural exports to meet an ambitious target of $60bn by 2022.
India’s agri-exports
- The Ministry of Food Processing Industries shows that the contribution of agricultural and processed food products in India’s total exports is 11%.
- Primary processed agricultural commodities form the majority share.
- India’s export earnings will increase by focusing more on value-added processed food products rather than primary processed agricultural commodities (Siraj Hussain, 2021).
- From 2015-16 to 2019-20, the value of agricultural and processed food increased significantly from $17.8bn to $20.65bn.
- The Indian agricultural economy is shifting from primary to secondary agriculture where the focus is more on developing various processed foods.
Changes in India’s agricultural export basket
- Traditionally, Basmati rice is one of the top export commodities.
- However, now there is an unusual spike in the export of non-basmati rice.
- In 2020-21, India exported 13.09 million tonnes of non-basmati rice ($4.8bn), up from an average 6.9 million tonnes ($2.7bn) in the previous five years.
- Indian buffalo meat is seeing a strong demand in international markets due to its lean character and near organic nature.
- The export potential of buffalo meat is tremendous, especially in countries like Vietnam, Hong Kong and Indonesia.
Challenges in Increasing agri-export
- Lack of comparative advantage: The export of processed food products has not been growing fast enough because India lacks comparative advantage in many items.
- Domestic prices of processed food products are much higher compared to the world reference prices.
- Non-tariff measures: The exporters of processed food confront difficulties and non-tariff measures imposed by other countries on Indian exports (Siraj Hussain, 2021).
- Some of these include mandatory pre-shipment examination by the Export Inspection Agency being lengthy and costly.
- Compulsory spice board certification being needed even for ready-to-eat products.
- Lack of strategic planning of exports by most State governments.
- Lack of a predictable and consistent agricultural policy discouraging investments by the private sector.
- Prohibition of import of meat- and dairy based-products in most of the developed countries.
- Withdrawal of the Generalised System of Preference by the U.S. for import of processed food from India.
Consider the question “What are the challenges facing export of processed foods from India? Suggest the way forward.”
Way forward
- The main objective of the Agriculture Export Policy is to diversify and expand the export basket so that the export of higher value items, including perishables and processed food, be increased
- Support to industry: The policy needs to nurture food processing companies, ensuring low cost of production and global food quality standards, and creating a supportive environment to promote export of processed food.
- Focus on reputed brands: Reputed Indian brands should be encouraged to export processed foods globally as they can comply with the global standard of codex.
- Indian companies should focus on cost competitiveness, global food quality standards, technology, and tap the global processed food export market.
Conclusion
India has competitive advantages in various agricultural commodities which can be passed onto processed foods. It has the potential to become a global leader in the food processing sector.
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