1. Reviewing remission: On the need for norms to release convicts READ MORE
2. Puttaswamy, five years on READ MORE
3. Centre’s freebie is social welfare for states READ MORE
4. Twitter Versus Government: Remedy of Challenge Against Blocking Orders is Illusory READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. India-China dispute casts gloom over space project READ MORE
2. DRDO, Indian Navy test fire indigenous Vertical Launch Short Range surface-to-air missile READ MORE
3. India’s sex ratio at birth normalises slightly READ MORE
4. Explained | Reinvigorating the Chabahar port READ MORE
5. amends Supreme Court Judges Rules READ MORE
6. Supreme Court strikes down criminal provision of ‘benami’ law READ MORE
7. Lockdowns pull down poaching rates in Africa but rhinos still threatened READ MORE
8. James Webb Space Telescope captures stunning new images of Jupiter READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. North East India records lowest rainfall in 122 years READ MORE  

 GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Reviewing remission: On the need for norms to release convicts READ MORE
2. Puttaswamy, five years on READ MORE
3. Centre’s freebie is social welfare for states READ MORE
4. Twitter Versus Government: Remedy of Challenge Against Blocking Orders is Illusory READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. India at 75 looking at 100: Equitable access should be the goal READ MORE
2. INDIA’S BIG LEAP OF FAITH IN HEALTHCARE READ MORE
3. POCSO enforcement must for kids’ safety READ MORE   

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Russia-China Relations: Emerging Alliance or Eternal Rivals? READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Are freebies a way to mask state inaction? READ MORE
2. Agriculture in the amrit kaal READ MORE
3. A powerful move READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Half of Swiss Glaciers Shrunk in Less Than a Century READ MORE

SCIENCE

1. The case of the missing scientific Indian READ MORE

SECURITY

1. The implications of the 5G roll-out for law enforcement READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Dolo, docs & pharma: Only a statutory medical ethics code can free prescriptions from the influence of freebies READ MORE
2. A jewelled canopy of human solidarity READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘India’s steel frame is getting rusted for lack of competition and disincentives for mediocrity’. In the light of the statement, discuss whether the appointments of non-IAS officers’ to joint and additional secretaries will overhaul this issue.
2. The reach of the Jan Dhan scheme can be extended by improving financial literacy and adopting secure digital technologies. Comment.
3. In light of the current geopolitical scenario wherein the China-USA rivalry is playing out in the Asia-Pacific, the ASEAN holds great significance for India. Analyse the statement.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• I am made and remade continually. Different people draw different words from me.
• 5G may also make it easier for criminals to perpetrate cyber bullying. Criminal groups may be able to easily coordinate DDoS onslaughts because of the real-time communication capabilities between multiple criminal groups.
• The 5G roll-out will be a game-changer for law enforcement agencies. It will enable the police fight crime effectively. At the same time, criminal use of 5G is inevitable.
• India has failed to propagate scientific literacy not only among the public, but also among scientists themselves.
• The Russia-Ukraine war is one symptom of a changing international system, with a public nonchalance toward nuclear weapons. That disregard is in contrast to 40 years ago.
• India has braved all kinds of challenges and leveraged better availability of cutting-edge technology, medicines and therapies to augment this indicator by over 100 per cent since independence.
• POCSO, Prevention of Child Labour Act, Right to Education Act, Prevention of Child Marriage Act are all pivotal to ensure children’s rights are realized.
• Ensuring social justice is the primary job of a government, and welfare schemes indisputably prop up weaker sections. Reminding state governments of their debt levels and the need to cap expenditure is vital.
• Big tech companies running large social media platforms prefer engaging with governments, particularly in developing countries, behind closed doors.

50 WORD TALK

• The conspiracies-fuelled opposition to revision of electoral rolls in Kashmir is absurd. All Indian civilians living in Kashmir should have the right to vote there just as Kashmiris can in other parts of India. J&K no longer has special status and it’s high time political parties make peace with this.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby, including mountains, rivers, etc.) applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 316]

THE CONTEXT: Recently the Prime Minister questioned the practice of politicians making mindless promises of ever profligate schemes in pursuit of votes, and termed it a dangerous trend.Besides the quick political gains that they seek, this also pre-empts any discussion on the existing development paradigm. This article analyses what should be the threshold of precariousness at which poll promises such as free food, job guarantees, or cash doles should kick in as a measure to provide social security.

GROWTH AND WELFARE

• The dichotomy between growth and welfare has criticisms against free trade capitalism, that it leads to monopoly capitalism and an economy dominated by the power of trusts, combines, cartels, multinationals and transnational corporations. This in turn gives rise to a variety of social, economic and political contradictions in society. In the absence of any positive interference by the state in the political economy, the exploitation of the working class by an aristocracy of monopoly capitalism without caring for any social responsibility, unemployment on a large scale, inhuman working conditions in factories, competitive low wages, Long working hours, poverty, illiteracy and poor health are bound to result.
• Also, growth under free trade capitalist economy is the enemy of socioeconomic equality. As was pointed out by Green and Tawney, by denying redistribution of national wealth through the state, the market fosters inequality and injustice. It was argued that the old mechanism of the market because they were powered by self-interest, cannot be sensitive to the welfare needs precisely because they cannot be translated into prices and also those in need lack the resources to pay the price set by the market.

POPULISM: Populism can be defined as a political identity which encapsulates the following important elements:

• Populism legitimates itself in terms of “popular sovereignty” by referring  to  a   part of  the population  that  supposedly represent  the  people  as  a
• Presents heterogeneous and incompatible demands “as one” demanded by the people
• Dividing the people within the population and outside on friend and enemy relations, over the demarcation of radical antagonism.
• Uniting the friends “extricated from the population” under a single leadership so that it remains undivided.
• Populism can range from persuasive politics to a dangerous agenda that creates internal and external conflict, negates climate change and rejects human rights. We carve out four root causes of populism. The dominant cause in a period or area determines the socio-economic structure of voters. Populism can have a left-wing or right-wing agenda, and it accelerates with regional problems, inequality, spatial disequilibria and migration. Populist parties often become part of democratically elected governments by forming coalitions with mainstream parties, in which they play the more active part and make further inroads until they dominate. If they finally take the lead, they clinch it by changing the rules, dismantling the division of power between government, parliament and the courts. They invent a foreign enemy or a dangerous force to cement their power.

ROOT CAUSES FOR POPULISM

ECONOMIC CAUSES

• Economic causes can be low growth, rising unemployment and inequality. The rising income inequality among individuals, but also increasingly across regions, is a driving force of today’s populism. Income and population are increasing in urban centres and modern industrial districts, while in the periphery there is low growth and low investment from international firms since they need skilled labour and supplier networks.

CULTURAL CAUSES

• Cultural causes for populist voting can be connected with changes in value systems that are described in the literature as gradual changes in Western society’s values, from conservative to liberal. The latter values range from equality of gender and acceptance of different partnerships and lifestyles to ideas about healthy nourishment, mandatory seatbelts in cars and stricter speed limits. Opposition to political correctness and gender consciousness has increased gradually and has now found a political outlet.

THE SPEED OF CHANGE

• Lifetime jobs have become the exception, and young people seldom pursue the same occupation as their elders. What one does at the start of a career cannot become a job for decades – even if the job is formally the same, its content, activities and tasks to be performed will change. Kids do not work in the same firms and jobs as their parents and are flexible in changing the location of their work. Their personal, religious and political priorities are less homogenous and can be different from those of their parents. This widens choices, increases the fit between abilities and demand and thus leads to lower levels of skill mismatch, but it also involves uncertainty and can result in intermittent periods of joblessness and retraining.

POPULISM AND THE RISE OF THE FAR RIGHT AROUND THE WORLD:

Although populism always shares these two essential claims, it can take on widely varying forms across contexts. This report identifies three types of populism, distinguished by how populist leaders frame the conflict between the ‘true people’ and outsiders:

• Cultural populism claims that the true people are the native members of the nation-state, and outsiders can include immigrants, criminals, ethnic and religious minorities, and cosmopolitan elites. Cultural populism tends to emphasise religious traditionalism, law and order, sovereignty, and painting migrants as enemies.
• Socio-economic populism claims that the true people are honest, hard-working members of the working class and outsiders can include big business, capital owners and actors perceived as propping up an international capitalist system.
• Anti-establishment populism paints the true people as hard-working victims of a state run by special interests and outsiders as political elites. Although all forms of populism rail against political elites, anti-establishment populism distinguishes itself by focusing on establishment elites as the primary enemy of the people and does not sow as many intra-society divisions.
• Watershed political events in recent years—the election of President Donald Trump in the United States (US), the Brexit vote, the electoral success of Italy’s Five Star Movement, Brazil’s sudden lurch to the right with the election of President Jair Bolsonaro, the doubling of support for populist parties across Europe—have brought the word “populism” out of the annals of academic journals and into the headlines. Yet, it is a slippery concept that is too often used pejoratively to describe politics that those in the mainstream do not like.
• The British people defied expectations by voting to leave the European Union. The hotly contested referendum was marked by the rise of populism based on the desire to regain control of immigration and reclaim national sovereignty from international institutions. The UK’s Euroscepticism also parallels the anti-immigration and anti-trade sentiment surging in the United States, both of which are driven by “individuals who feel like they have been on the losing end of globalization.”

POPULIST SCHEMES

Schemes like offering free food or cooked food at very low prices, smartphones or laptops, bicycles or sewing machines; although help in providing for the needy but also put an extra burden on the public exchequer.

Populist schemes- an immediate relief

• These measures are important and act immediate. It helps the poor and needy by making resources accessible and affordable to them.
• Competitive populism can also be a very effective way to identify the long-felt community needs. Since these are area-specific, political parties and candidates will focus on local problems, thereby making elections more issue-oriented and participatory, and our democracy more vibrant and responsive.
• They will remain the critical components of the social safety net and poverty alleviation programmes of any government.

Populist measures- not a long-term sustainable solution

• In an extremely diverse and heterogeneous society like ours, satisfying individual desires with scarce public resources is impossible. Specific forms of individual assistance will end up satisfying few, and even that only partially, while leaving the large majority dissatisfied.
• Subsidy encourages inefficiency by relying more on the subsidy money offered by the governments and do not address the real issues like increasing the incomes of the poor.
• These schemes put an extra burden on the state’s purse and generally lead to a fiscal deficit, thereby affecting the growth prospects of the state.
• These schemes act as a tool of diversion from real issues and suppress the real issues in the name of freebies.

POLL-BOUND POPULIST MEASURES:

• The public discourse has become devoid of the nuances that once used to fascinate and grip the ideological narrative. The public of today, particularly the young and the restless, have lost patience and their desire is for instant politics, like instant noodles. As such the political behaviour of the voter has undergone a change. Gone are the days when over cups of tea and charcha, election manifestos would be discussed. Gone are the days when loyalty to a party would be based on ideology, policies and performance. In the time of WhatsApp and social media, nobody wants to read those boring manifestos with big ideas anymore. Their demand is for instant benefits, for freebies. They want snappy videos of castigation, of politicians of other parties being presented in poor demeaning light. Political parties are using a variety of devices to prove themselves more trustworthy and credible than the others. Apart from devising acronyms, participating in TV debates and organising massive rallies, there is a monumental drive towards using election manifestos to ride on the wave of populism.
• Political promises often fail to weigh the realities of implementation. In 2018, the Maharashtra government announced a 16% reservation for the Maratha community in jobs and education. The previous Congress-NCP government had also approved a proposal for the same reservation quota (16%) for the same community (the Marathas) in Maharashtra, but the Bombay high court had stayed the order. Losing sight of this larger picture and misemploying legal instruments for short-term political gains puts the promise at risk and is also unconstructive in gaining the trust of the people.
• In 2014 “Dynastic politics” became a depraved term. So high was the rhetoric that a narrative was set which was emotional in its political tone and exciting in the rhetoric, thereby giving the Prime Minister his first thumping win in 2014. A narrative has been repeatedly put to use in multiple assembly elections since then. In 2019, it became only larger, encompassing the expression of the ‘general will’.
• Delhi Chief Minister ‘free electricity and employment’ and takes upon corruption to counter political opposition and presents a ‘Delhi Model’ which also helped his party for a sweeping win in the state of Punjab.
• Freebies are also often used as poll promise tool to conceal the poor performance of the incumbent government on the socio-economic parameters and provide an opportunity to alter the voter’s mindset from real issues to short-term gains.

POPULISM AND SUBSIDY CULTURE: Riding on the wave of populism the so-called ‘subsidy-culture’ is also touted to promote idleness in the masses. Let us understand the concept of subsidy:

• As more than a fifth of the population is below the official poverty line, subsidies in India are given for a variety of reasons and in a variety of sectors. Advantages of the subsidies in India include making items of daily need more affordable such as food and fuel, creating an employable pool of educated Indians who can potentially contribute to the GDP growth ( subsidised education), to provide a leg-up to certain sectors (PLI Schemes), or even to boost industrialisation in under-developed areas through tax exemptions.
• Economic gains from subsidies provided by welfare states have also remained contentious in the literature due to their inherent paradoxical consequences in promoting competition, economic growth and equitable distribution in developing economies. State largesse on farm subsidies has increasingly become a populist tool for political gains. The politics involved with subsidies have immense emotional appeal than fulfilling the objective of social and economic justice.The culture, built up over the decades, has turned subsidies into entitlements rather than time-bound measures designed to address a specific circumstance such as a natural disaster or chronic exclusion. Today, subsidies cannot be reduced for fear of unleashing a political backlash by an opposition that is perpetually on the lookout for tripping the government on populist issues.
• However, proponents of subsidies argue that they are essentially negative taxes. Such negative taxes would mean that instead of being raised from the people, they are given back to certain target groups among the population of the country. Various subsidy regimes are meant to ensure distributive justice as they are directed at various sections of society to assist them economically. In India, the main beneficiaries have been farmers, needy people and those using various forms of public services.

There is no precise, cut-and-dried answer to the question of whether subsidy is good or bad; it depends on what subsidy one is talking about. Subsidies on public transport, medical equipment, healthcare infrastructure, on loans given to secondary agri initiatives, subsidies on incentives to shift towards renewable energies and reducing pollution etc all can help the country achieve the desired socio-economic targets.

UNDESIRABLE OUTCOMES OF POPULISM

SOCIAL POLARIZATION

• The populists exploit loopholes and issues in order to polarise society. They try to divide people along religious, racial or linguistic lines to win elections through majoritarian tactics.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC ISSUES

• The societies affected by populism suffer from socio-economic issues due to joblessness or rising inequalities and unmet expectations.

LOW ECONOMIC GROWTH

• Populist Nationalism is divisive and affects the economic growth of the country. In India, populism is used for loan waivers, poverty alleviation schemes, etc. which lead to a fiscal burden.

CORRUPTION AND ABUSE

• It often results in a decline in rational debate about political issues. There is a high risk of corruption and abuse of power.

AGAINST DEMOCRACY

• Populist movements often turn against representative democracy. Populists reject pluralism. This threatens democracy and unity in diversity.

POPULISM AND JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE:

There is a general trend among recent populist movements to implement measures that interfere with the independence and proper functioning of the judiciary. These movements frame the courts in opposition to the popular will.

Constitutional theory and political science suggest that courts in populist regimes may try to shore up their legitimacy through appeals to the popular will. If so, the populist agenda may impact the courts even without a populist government takeover, including the adoption of instrumental approaches to legal interpretation and judicial review that seek to accommodate the populist agenda.

In many countries, even with constitutionalism, the populist government tries to interfere in judicial dispensation by various methods. However, courts in India till now have been very capable of influencing public opinion on discrete substantive issues, but curative steps must be taken in the face of rising populism so that some of the impediments in its autonomy can be annihilated. A just and rule-based judiciary is a must so that ethos of constitutionalism can be a guiding light for all.

THE ANALYSIS OF THE ISSUE

Over the decades, the Indian political class have ignored the core strengths of the country while spending huge amounts on populism. Inclusive opportunities to access quality education, dedicated research to make world-class products, nationalism to erase social divides, an adequate number of people with moral and physical courage to correct the wrong, a common link language to boost domestic trade and cultural exchange still elude the country. Poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, poor quality of education, bad loans, flight of young talent, the disappearance of water bodies and fertile agricultural land are some of the offshoots of populism. Populism always aggravates poverty and unemployment. As governments provide free electricity, cooking gas, ration, household items and subsidized meals to people, it adversely affects the entrepreneurship cycle, and repayment ethics and piles up idle energy. Politicians should choose difficult paths to become popular. They can protect fertile agricultural lands and water resources and develop a transparent domestic market; they can ensure quality health, housing and education to the masses at an affordable cost so that people can earn surplus income and save money in banks.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• It is time to revise macroeconomic, taxation, industrial and commercial policies to accommodate left-outs. Social media should also be regulated and held accountable for damaging a pluralistic, fact-based and hate-free political debate, in the same way as traditional media.
• Political parties (established and emerging) should seek to propose inclusive visions and programs that deliver benefits for all citizens, not only for a part of the voters. Participatory and deliberative platforms and initiatives (citizens’ assemblies, forums) should be embedded into the decision-making processes to balance the oligarchic tendencies of electoral democracy.
• It is important to acknowledge that globalisation, technological progress and tax reductions elevate the quality of life of society as a whole, but in the short term, they deliver a direct blow to certain pockets of the population, especially in rigid labour markets, subsidies and social protection schemes for them are imperative to keep their faith alive in the democracy and can help them grow to be able to contribute towards economic growth as well as a pluralistic society.

THE CONCLUSION:

There is no doubt that division in the face of an organized populist threat is problematic. Only rational policy initiatives can solve the problems of our times.Human resource is worst hit by populism. After 75 years of Independence, India has not made the backward castes feel they are one among the equals. If the weaker sections get compulsory quality education, they could easily compete with the forward castes. Also, the aim should not be to blindly eliminate populism but to channel it towards achieving socially and economically desirable objectives. Ultimately, the state is spending money, and it is only appropriate that this expenditure generate the maximum benefit and social welfare.

Mains Practice Questions:

1. What is populism? How is it affecting the growth and welfare in Indian society? Elaborate.
2. In what conditions does populism become ‘dangerous populism’ that could ruin the financial stability of the state and when does it function as enabling and empowering welfarism?
3. Is it high time to bury populism for the nation’s good? Critically Analyse.

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. THE CONTROVERSY AROUND THE DELHI EXCISE POLICY

THE CONTEXT: The New Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, launched November in 2021, which sought to ensure optimum revenue for the State government, confront the sale of spurious or bootlegged liquor and transform consumer experience, ran into protests and widespread allegations of “procedural lapses”. This has forced the government to scrap it with effect from August 1, 2022.
THE EXPLANATION:
• On July 22, Delhi Lieutenant Governor recommended a CBI probe into the new policy, which culminated in raids on the premises of the Delhi Government’s Deputy Chief Minister, who holds the excise portfolio. His role is under the scanner for allegedly providing “undue financial favours” to private liquor licensees, a charge denied by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership.

What were some of the changes mooted in the new policy?
• The new policy marked the exit of the State government from liquor retail in the city. It sought to provide more choice to alcohol consumers by offering more variety of brands — both popular and niche ones — through opening more liquor vendors. It sought to provide a “better environment”, especially for female citizens, while shopping for liquor through dedicated alcohol vends.
• In addition to reducing the number of dry days in Delhi from over 20 to just three, it also sought to reduce the age of alcohol consumption in Delhi from 25 to 18 — but did not proceed with the step as it would have required a legislative amendment. The new policy also sought to ensure equitable distribution of alcohol vends in the city by ensuring two liquor shops in each municipal ward to bridge the gap between “overserved” and “underserved” areas.
• Under the new policy, the number of liquor vends in Delhi would have increased from around 630 to 850 — all privately owned and operated. One person could hold more than one liquor retail licence and the “heavily regulated” excise regime under the previous policy was simplified for ease of doing business in the overall trade. Another change in the policy was making wholesale licensees (L1) independent of manufacturers; the revamped policy allowed independent entities to set up wholesale stores and get franchisee from various manufacturers. The revamped policy was implemented on November 17, 2021 and remained in force till July 31, 2022.

How much revenue does Delhi earn from excise?
• According to official figures, a little over ₹4,000 crore was generated in excise revenue in 2019-20. Between November 2021 and July 2022, it earned approximately ₹5,400 crore, but the controversy led to a fall in sales and revenue. With both retail and wholesale licensees abandoning their licences or choosing not to renew them, the Delhi government admitted it had been suffering a loss of over ₹193 crore on a monthly basis.

2. ‘KERALA SAVARI’, INDIA’S FIRST ONLINE TAXI SERVICE

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Kerala has soft launched ‘Kerala Savari’, the country’s first online taxi service owned by a State government, to ensure fair and decent service to passengers along with fair remuneration to auto-taxi workers.
THE EXPLANATION:
• Operated by the Motor Workers Welfare Board under the aegis of the Labour Department, the Kerala Savari ensures safe travel for the public at ‘government approved fares’ without any ‘surge pricing’. The ‘Kerala Savari’ app would be made available to the public on online platforms shortly as it is under the scrutiny of Google now.

Why has the State government decided to launch this initiative?
• The alleged unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights by private app-based cab aggregators have come as a major concern for governments. Recently, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) had issued notices to cab aggregators Ola and Uber for unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights. Passengers often complain about the deficiency in services including charging exorbitant fares during peak hours, unprofessional behaviour from the part of drivers, lack of proper response from customer support, and undue levy of cancellation charges despite the cab driver refusing to accept the ride booked by the passenger etc.
• It is against this backdrop that the Kerala government has decided to come up with an app-based platform to offer auto-taxi service for the public. As private companies are purely focusing on profit making, the government-controlled online taxi service is a service-oriented scheme — a win-win situation for both passengers and taxi-auto drivers and owners.

What are the main attractions of ‘Kerala Savari’?
• Private cab aggregators used to make a killing with surge pricing during peak hours or in the event of rains. The passengers were often forced to pay through their nose during these critical times. But there will be no fluctuation in fares on Kerala Savari irrespective of day or night or rain.
• When private app-based taxi companies increase the charges for services up to two to three times during emergencies, neither passengers nor workers benefit from it. But Kerala Savari only charges an 8% service charge in addition to the rate set by the government, whereas the private cab aggregators charge up to 20 to 30% service charge. The taxi owner will get the approved fare on ‘Kerala Savari,’ while cab owners working for private online companies would often get a fare which is below the government-approved rate.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

3. ADB, INDIA SIGN $96.3 MILLION LOAN TO IMPROVE WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION SERVICES IN HIMACHAL PRADESH

THE CONTEXT: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $96.3-million loan agreement to provide safe drinking water and improve water supply and sanitation services in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
THE EXPLANATION:
• According to the sources, the agreement stated that the project is aligned with the objectives of the Government of India’s Jal Jeevan Mission which aims to provide piped water to all rural households by 2024 and it will upgrade water supply infrastructure and strengthen institutional capacity to ensure safe, sustainable, and inclusive rural water supply and sanitation services.
• “ADB’s involvement in the project will provide water management best practices, strengthen institutional capacity, and guide tariff reform,” .“These interventions will address the government’s aim of providing uninterrupted pressurised water supply to households, inclusive sanitation services, strengthening operation and maintenance for sustainable service delivery, and building capacity of relevant staff.”
• More than 90% of the state’s rural population have access to drinking water, but the water supply infrastructure needs revamping, to result in efficient and improved service quality. The ADB project will connect 75,800 households to the service, providing uninterrupted water supply to about 3,70,000 residents across 10 districts. To improve water supply and sanitation services, the project aims to construct 48 groundwater wells, 80 surface water intake facilities, 109 water treatment plants, 117 pumping stations, and 3,000 km of water distribution pipelines. A pilot fecal sludge management and sanitation programme will also be implemented in Sirmaur District, benefiting 250,000 residents.
• The project will strengthen the capacity of the Jal Shakti Vibhag of the Government of Himachal Pradesh and gram panchayat (local government) village water and sanitation committees. It will support the state governments water tariff policy reforms and introduce an asset management system at the state-level and district asset management plans. Key project stakeholders and community-based organisations will be trained on water management, including livelihood skills training for women self-help groups.

VALUE ADDITION:
About ADB:
• It is a regional development bank.
• established on 19 December 1966.
• headquartered — Manila, Philippines.
• official United Nations Observer.

Who can be its members?
• The bank admits the members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP, formerly the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East or ECAFE) and non-regional developed countries.
• ADB now has 68 members, 49 from within Asia.

Voting rights:
It is modeled closely on the World Bank, and has a similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members’ capital subscriptions.
As of 31 December 2019, ADB’s five largest shareholders are Japan and the United States (each with 15.6% of total shares), the People’s Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%).

Roles and functions:
• Dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.
• This is carried out through investments – in the form of loans, grants and information sharing – in infrastructure, health care services, financial and public administration systems, helping nations prepare for the impact of climate change or better manage their natural resources, as well as other areas.

THE HEALTH ISSUES

4. ‘TOMATO FLU’ DETECTED AMONG CHILDREN IN INDIA, SAYS LANCET

THE CONTEXT: A new infection dubbed tomato flu, or tomato fever, has been detected in India mostly among children younger than five, according to a report in the Lancet Respiratory Journal. The “non-life-threatening” virus was first identified in Kollam district of Kerala.
THE EXPLANATION:
• According to the report, as of July 26, more than 82 children younger than five had been reported with the infection by government hospitals in Kerala. It further said that this endemic viral illness triggered an alert in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
• Also, additionally, 26 children (aged one to nine) were reported with the infection in Odisha. “To date, apart from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha, no other region in India has been affected by the virus.
• However, precautionary measures are being taken by the Kerala Health Department to monitor the spread of the viral infection and prevent its spread in other parts of India”.

What is Tomato Flu?
About:
• Tomato fever is a rare contagious disease of viral nature in humans whose origins are not yet known.
• However, medical experts have opined that it might be an aftereffect of dengue or chikungunya.
• It gets its name from the tomato-shaped red rashes that it causes on the body of infected individuals.
• The flu is said to affect children below five years of age.

Symptoms:
Major symptoms include:
• Rashes
• Diarrhoea
• Dehydration

In certain cases, discolouration of hands and knees has also been observed.
Treatment:
• This flu is a self-limiting one and so far, there is no specific drug for its cure.
• Symptoms vanish over time on their own with medicinal support.
• Utensils, clothes and other items used by the infected persons must be sanitised to prevent the flu from spreading.
• Fluid intake should be increased to counter dehydration.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

5. A BREATH OF FRESH AIR FOR BIKERS

THE CONTEXT: An anti-pollution helmet developed by a Delhi based startup can help 2-wheeler riders breathe clean air. The helmet developed by Shellios Technolabs has a Bluetooth-enabled app that lets the rider know when the helmet requires cleaning.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The startup received seed funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and was incubated at Science and Technology Entrepreneur Park (JSSATE-STEP) Noida.
• They had signed commercialization deals with leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for the helmet. The product, at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) level 9 has been granted utility patent and is now being sold in all parts of the country priced at Rs. 4500/-. The end-users of the product include individual riders all over India and for the next version, Shellios ties up with top tier-2-wheeler OEM for the commercialization of the anti-pollution helmet.
• The helmet titled PUROS is integrated with air purifying accessories which include the patented innovations of the startup — a Brushless DC (BLDC) blower fan, High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter membrane, electronic circuit, and micro USB charging port integrated into the helmet. The purifying system set at the back of the helmet picks up all particulate matter coming from outside and cleans the air before it reaches the biker.
• Following all mandatory standards stipulated by the government, the 1.5 Kg helmet ensures exposure reduction by more than 80% as measured using a controlled environment.

Various initiatives to curb Delhi Air pollution

• SC appointed committee: one-man committee of Justice Madan B Lokur has been appointed to monitor stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh amid rising pollution in Delhi and its surrounding areas.
• Graded response action plan: In pursuant with Supreme Court’s order in the M. C. Mehta vs. Union of India (2016) regarding air quality in National Capital Region of Delhi, the Graded Response Action Plan was notified by MoEFCC in 2017. GRAP is a set of stratified actions that are taken once the pollution level reaches a certain specified limit. It works only as an emergency measure
• Government has opened the peripheral expressway around the capital to diverts non-Delhi destined traffic away.
• Construction & demolition (C&D) waste management rules: Govt. has notified construction & demolition waste management rules.
• As per the rules, all generators of C&D waste must segregate it into four categories– concrete, soil, steel and wood, plastics, bricks and mortar – and then either deposit it at collection centres setup by the local authority or hand it over to processing facilities.
• Over the years, the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) has developed a system to calculate the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s pollution.
• CPCB monitoring: Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has deployed 50 teams for inspection in Delhi-NCR region. Inspection teams will visit the construction site and will levy fines in case of any violation of anti-pollution guidelines.
• Anti-Smog guns: Anti-smog gun is a device designed to reduce air pollution by spraying water into the atmosphere so that all the dust and polluted particles get clear from the environment. The gun is attached to a water tank built on a movable vehicle which can be taken to various parts of the city.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

6. AUGUST 23: INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE SLAVE TRADE AND ITS ABOLITION

THE CONTEXT: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition is observed every year on 23 August with the aim of remembering the millions of victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Named by UNESCO, this day was first celebrated on 23 August 1998.
THE EXPLANATION:
• August 23 was proclaimed by UNESCO as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. This on this day, in 1791, Santo Domingo witnessed an uprising setting in motion a chain of events the opened ways for the abolition of trans-Atlantic slave trade.
• With this commemoration, UNESCO aims to highlight the need of spreading awareness regarding history of the slave trade in order for people to acknowledge the impact of slavery on modern world.

Background
• This date was chosen by adopting the resolution 29 C/40 by the 29th session of General Conference of UNESCO.
• A Circular from Director-General dates July 29, 1998 invited Ministers of Culture to promote this day.

Significance of the day
August 23 is significant because, during the night of August 22-August 23 in 1791, an uprising started on the island of Saint Domingue (now Haiti). The uprising had set forth events leading to abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

How this day is celebrated?
UNESCO Member States celebrate this day by organizing events and inviting participation from young people, artists, educators and intellectuals.

Slave Trade
Slave Trade was the result of affair between imperialism and racism. During those times, racist ideology was a basis for unjust political, social and economic practices which ultimately helped imperial powers in building their economies. Practice of racism and prejudices continue to haunt modern world. Even today, people of colour face discrimination because of stigmatising attitudes and perceptions.

THE DATA POINT

1. Neurology of compassion and empathy READ MORE
2. Destiny or your effort READ MORE

1. Resolve to usher in a new dawn of justice for all READ MORE
2. In the 75th year of Independence, let us not forget the deep liberal roots of modern Indian society READ MORE
3. Jan Dhan, a financial inclusion game-changer READ MORE

1. Climate crisis driving world to drought READ MORE  
2. Factoring in the risk: Development of mountain areas over the years has upset the ecological balance READ MORE

1. SC To List Plea Seeking Review of PMLA Judgement READ MORE
2. A Centre-State skew further widened: The share of the States in divisible pool is shrinking despite their carrying a higher burden of expenditure READ MORE
3. Resolve to usher in a new dawn of justice for all READ MORE
4. In the 75th year of Independence, let us not forget the deep liberal roots of modern Indian society READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Lancet warns about ‘Tomato Flu’ in India among children READ MORE
2. India, Iran sign MoU for smooth movement of seafarers between both countries  READ MORE
3. Explained: What are ‘forever chemicals’ that are contaminating rainwater globally? READ MORE
4. Pacific Bluefin Tuna stock to rebound sooner than expected due to global conservation efforts READ MORE
5. Loan defaulters and those facing probe need NOC to invest abroad READ MORE
6. India, Australia to deepen bilateral relations in education, skilling, research READ MORE
7. AIFF suspension| SC dissolves CoA, Indian football body election put off by a week READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Climate crisis driving world to drought READ MORE  

 GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. SC To List Plea Seeking Review of PMLA Judgement READ MORE
2. A Centre-State skew further widened: The share of the States in divisible pool is shrinking despite their carrying a higher burden of expenditure READ MORE
3. Resolve to usher in a new dawn of justice for all READ MORE
4. In the 75th year of Independence, let us not forget the deep liberal roots of modern Indian society READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Not centres of learning yet: The Anganwadi scheme, designed to support children under six, is yet to fulfil its potential READ MORE  

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. UNSC meeting | India asks countries to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and international agreements READ MORE
2. Executions in Myanmar: The window of opportunity is narrow, but India must help bring stability READ MORE
3. India must reassess its maritime strategy READ MORE
4. China & RCEP READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Why the debate around revdi culture is crucial for India READ MORE
2. Jan Dhan, a financial inclusion game-changer READ MORE
3. Skilled people are needed for sustainable growth READ MORE
4. Electricity Bill 2022 is a remedy worse than the disease afflicting India’s power sector READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Factoring in the risk: Development of mountain areas over the years has upset the ecological balance READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Neurology of compassion and empathy READ MORE
2. Destiny or your effort READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘India’s steel frame is getting rusted for lack of competition and disincentives for mediocrity’. In the light of the statement, discuss whether the appointments of non-IAS officers’ to joint and additional secretaries will overhaul this issue.
2. The reach of the Jan Dhan scheme can be extended by improving financial literacy and adopting secure digital technologies. Comment.
3. In light of the current geopolitical scenario wherein the China-USA rivalry is playing out in the Asia-Pacific, the ASEAN holds great significance for India. Analyse the statement.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but conscience of the whole of humanity.
• India’s first modern political leaders did not throw up their hands in despair. Instead of hate, they offered hope, looking to contemporary Western politics for solutions.
• Collaborating with like-minded ASEAN countries; urging Tatmadaw to start a genuine reconciliation process; and preparing the political/administrative resources in Northeast India to provide humanitarian aid to affected people across the border.
• The Constitution grants the Union government more revenue-raising powers while the States are tasked to undertake most of the development and welfare-related responsibilities.
• ‘Strategic play’ must guide India in the coming years — reducing the power gap with China, building the capacity to deter Beijing’s aggressive actions on its land and maritime frontiers, and rebalancing the Indo-Pacific.
• Empathy and compassion are the need of the hour, and the human race perched atop the apex of the evolutionary pyramid, can surely use its power of discretion to inculcate and imbibe these virtues.
• Temperance, compassion, empathy, tolerance are the benchmarks of evolution of the human brain. The brain is capable of not just intellectual evolution but more importantly of emotional evolution.
• An understanding that all duality and diversity is merely a manifestation of a fundamental non-duality. A non-duality that’s forever in a state of blissful awareness.
• The reach of the Jan Dhan scheme can be further extended by improving financial literacy and adopting secure digital technologies.
• Quality, and not quantity, ought to be central to the massive roadway expansion that is under way.
• A liberal, secular and egalitarian democracy, of a nation rooted in a civilisational ethos that celebrates human dignity, confident of its future and proud of its past.
• In light of the current geopolitical scenario wherein the China-USA rivalry is playing out in the Asia-Pacific, the ASEAN holds great significance for India.

50 WORD TALK

• Significant increase in non-IAS officers’ appointments to joint and additional secretaries is good. India’s steel frame is getting rusted for lack of competition and disincentives for mediocrity. IAS needs a drastic overhaul — from recruitment process to performance-based, not assured or time-bound, promotions. Induction of non-IAS officers must also be merit-based.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 315]

THE CONTEXT: The Government of India has launched ‘Mission Shakti’ – an integrated women empowerment programme as an umbrella scheme for the safety, security and empowerment of women for implementation during the 15^th Finance Commission period 202l-22 to 2025-26. Ministry of Women and Child Development has also issued detailed guidelines for the ‘Mission Shakti’ scheme. This article explains the scheme in detail.

AN OVERVIEW OF MISSION SHAKTI

DESCRIPTION OF MISSION SHAKTI

• Mission Shakti is a scheme in mission mode aimed at strengthening interventions for women’s safety, security and empowerment.
• It seeks to realise women-led development by addressing issues affecting women on a life-cycle continuum basis.
• It focuses on proposing strategies for improving convergence across Ministries/Departments and at different levels of governance.
• It also seeks to promote greater participation and support of Panchayats and other local level governance bodies.

• Mission Shakti has two sub-schemes -‘ Sambal’and ‘Samarthya’.

SAMBAL SUBSCHEME

• In the Sambal sub-scheme, which is for the safety and security of women, the existing scheme of One Stop Centre (OSC), Women Helpline (WHL), and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) have been included with modifications.
• A new component of the Nari Adalat – women collective has been added.

SAMARTHYA SUB SCHEME

• In the Samarthya sub-scheme, which is for the empowerment of women, existing schemes of Ujjwala, Swadhar Greh and Working Women Hostel have been included with modifications.
•  In addition, the existing schemes of the National Creche Scheme and PMMVY under the umbrella of ICDS have now been included in Samarthya.
• A new component of Gap Funding for Economic Empowerment has also been added to the Samarthya Scheme.
• The existing sub-schemes of Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK) and Mahila Police Volunteers (MPV) have been discontinued

THE RATIONALE FOR THE MISSION SHAKTI

The Central Government has enacted several legislations and implemented various schemes for safety, security and improving the status of women including their economic empowerment. However, despite various affirmative steps, various parameters indicate that a lot still needs to be done to improve the status of women in society. There were issues in the implementation of the schemes, and the full potential of schemes remained largely underutilized. The problems in implementation include various organs working in silos with inadequate linkage, lack of adequately trained staff, appropriate monitoring and convergence mechanisms, etc. Thus, the need of the hour is to have a concerted effort in a mission mode to ensure gender equality and women’s empowerment – giving rise to Mission Shakti. Mission Shakti aims at strengthening interventions that not only improve women’s safety and empowerment but also tackle pervasive gender biases and discriminations. it seeks to make women economically empowered, exercising free choice over their minds and bodies in an atmosphere free from violence and threat.

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE MISSION SHAKTI

• Provide an immediate and comprehensive continuum of care, support and assistance to women affected by violence and for those in distress;
• To put in place quality mechanisms for rescue, protection and rehabilitation of women in need of assistance and victims of crime and violence;
• To improve accessibility to various government services available for women at various levels;
• Making people aware of government schemes as well as legal provisions to fight social evils like dowry, domestic violence, Sexual Harassment at Workplace etc.
• Capacity building and training of functionaries under various schemes/ Legislations;
• Collaboration with Ministries/ Departments/ States/ UTs for convergence of policies, programmes/ schemes and to create an enabling environment for public-private partnership for safety and empowerment of women across sectors.
• Create awareness among the masses for inducing positive behavioural change toward women and girls.

SAMBAL– FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY OF WOMEN

WHAT IS SAMBAL?

• Mission Shakti has two components and SAMBAL is one of the components of Mission Shakti.

COMPONENTS UNDER SAMBAL

• The following are the components under SAMBAL:

Ø  One Stop Centre (OSC)

Ø  Women Helpline (WHL)

Ø  Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)

Ø  Nari Adalat(Read Ahead)

• While the first three are existing schemes, the last one is a new scheme.

OBJECTIVES OF SAMBAL

• The objectives of the sub-scheme are:

Ø  to improve accessibility and integrate all efforts and various government initiatives towards the safety and protection of women,

Ø  to secure their rights and entitlements on a comprehensive continuum of care

Ø  to support women affected by violence and in distress etc.

THE NARI ADALAT-A NEW SCHEME UNDER SAMBAL SUBSCHEME

AN ALTERNATE GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISM

• Provides women with an alternate Grievance Redressal Mechanism for resolving cases of petty nature (harassment, subversion, curtailment of rights or entitlements) faced by women at the Gram Panchayat level will be implemented in a phased manner.
• Nari Adalats or women collectives will be formed of committed and socially respected women chosen for that purpose.

AWARENESS GENERATION

• This platform will also be utilized for engaging with the public for awareness generation and getting feedback for improvement in the schemes and for effective public delivery of services

CONVERGENCE

• Nari Adalats will be provided logistic support through Gram Panchayats in convergence with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Rural Development, and Common Service Centres (CSCs) run by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

PHASED IMPLEMENTATION

• In the first year, an awareness drive regarding legal, and constitutional rights and entitlements under various schemes/ programs will be undertaken.
• In the second year:

o   committed and socially respected women will be identified and extensively trained in all women-related laws and schemes.

o   a formal setup of women collectives will be made that will address the socio, economic, and cultural issues faced by the women of that area and will provide alternative resolutions to disputes by mediation.

SAMARTHYA – FOR EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

WHAT IS SAMARTHYA?

• Mission Shakti has two components and SAMARTHYA is one of the components of Mission Shakti.

COMPONENTS UNDER SAMARTHYA

• The components of the ‘Samarthya’ sub-scheme are:

Ø  Ujjwala and Swadhar Greh( merged to form Shakti Sadan Scheme)

Ø  Working Women Hostel has been included with modifications

Ø  National Creche Scheme for children of working mothers

Ø  Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) under the umbrella of ICDS

Ø  Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW): Hub for Empowerment of Women aims to facilitate inter-sectoral convergence of schemes and programs meant for women both at the central, state and district level

•  A Gap Funding support for Economic Empowerment of women will also be provided on a need basis, subject to the conditions.

OBJECTIVES OF SAMARTHYA

• The objectives of this sub-scheme are:

Ø  Through reinforcement, improve access to various government services available to women at various levels.

Ø  Convergence for women’s development and empowerment

Ø  The scheme aims to empower women through social, cultural, political, and economic development.

SHAKTI SADAN

The Ministry of Women and Child Development was implementing the schemes of Swadhar Greh for Women in difficult circumstances and Ujjawala for the Prevention of Trafficking. Both the schemes were aimed at creating a safe and enabling environment for the women in distress including trafficked women and thereby giving them the strength to overcome their difficult circumstances and make a fresh start. For administrative purposes, Swadhar and Ujjawala Scheme have been merged, and these will be known as ‘Shakti Sadan’ – Integrated Relief and Rehabilitation Home. the Shakti Sadan will provide the following services to facilitate reintegration and repatriation of victims of trafficking and of commercial sexual exploitation: Setting up of Half-Way Home, Restoration to Families, Repatriation to country of origin etc.

GENDER BUDGETING (GB) UNDER SAMARTHYA SCHEME

Under the Samarthya component, Gender Budgeting has been included under the Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW).  The goal of Gender Budgeting is to enable government stakeholders at the central, state and district level to undertake gender budgeting through enhanced capacities, knowledge and skills. In order to achieve the objectives, implementing organisations/agencies will undertake the following activities:

• Develop training modules/packages, training material, teaching aids and manuals on gender budgeting.
• Organize workshops, seminars, training programmes, conferences etc to facilitate capacity building and training for various stakeholders
• Embed training on gender budgeting in the curriculum of administrative and government training institutes.
• Undertake seminars and consultations to ensure inter-state peer learning and sharing on gender budgeting initiatives and promote best practices.
• Conduct gender analysis of national and sub-national policies, legal frameworks, women-related legislation, government schemes and programs.
• Assess the adequacy of budget allocations to implement gender-responsive policies and programmes.
• To coordinate and monitor gender budgeting exercises of Gender Budgeting Cells and facilitate gender budgeting analysis.
• To conduct and promote gender-based impact assessments, the beneficiary needs assessments, beneficiary incidence analysis, and gender audit of schemes and legislations.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE MISSION SHAKTI

POSITIVE

• Mission Shakti is essentially an umbrella programme of the central government schemes related to women’s empowerment.
• The stated objective of this umbrella program is to bring convergence of existing women empowerment initiatives taken at the central level for better outcomes.
• Mission Shakti also provides for a few new components like Nari Adalat and also makes gender budgeting part and parcel of this program.

NEGATIVE

• However, the mission does not talk about any target or output to be achieved during its implementation period.
• Also, convergence does not mean adding up the existing programmes or tweaking their implementation strategies or adding some new components.
• Despite the idea of bottom-up planning and development, mission Shakti takes a top-down approach to women empowerment.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• Convergence of women empowerment programmes can lead to better targeting of intended segments and optimal resource allocation. Hence, Mission Shakti is the right step in that direction but its proper implementation will be the key.
• As problems of women are majorly social in nature, involvement of CSOs, SHGs, local bodies etc. in the implementation as active collaborators is necessary for a better outcome of the mission.
• Gender budgeting is a progressive step, but the progress of gender budgeting and gender analysis of schemes have been inadequate. Hence, constant handholding and nudging by the Ministry are needed.
• Convergence should not only be limited to the implementation stage but should extend to planning and formulation or else it will not be effective.
• A mid-term performance evaluation of the Mission needs to be undertaken by NITI Aayog so as to understand the challenges of implementation and thus improve the execution.

THE CONCLUSION: The Mission Shakti is inspired by the Constitutional commitment to Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy, India’s commitment to international treaties and conventions as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also seeks to reduce the care burden on women and increase female labour force participation by promoting skill development, capacity building, financial literacy, access to micro-credit etc. Although a step in the right direction,  for Mission Shakti to achieve its objectives,    a decentralized approach to women empowerment keeping the local bodies and alternative empowerment models like SHGs will be the key.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. What are the salient features of the Mission Shakti launched by the Union Government recently? Do you think that the Mission is a progressive step towards women’s empowerment? Argue.
2. “A  decentralized approach keeping the local bodies and alternative empowerment models like SHGs will be the key for women empowerment” Examine the statement in the context of Mission Shakti launched by the Union government recently.

THE GEOGRAPHY: CLIMATOLOGY

1. WHAT ARE CLOUDBURST INCIDENTS AND ARE THEY RISING ACROSS INDIA?

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Over 20 people have been killed in destruction caused by cloudbursts and flash floods in different parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand . The Isolated areas in these two states have reported heavy rainfall during this time, triggering landslides and flash floods that have disrupted rail and road traffic, and resulted in house and wall collapses.
THE EXPLANATION:
What are cloudbursts?
• A cloudburst is a localised but intense rainfall activity. Short spells of very heavy rainfall over a small geographical area can cause widespread destruction, especially in hilly regions where this phenomenon is the most common.
• Not all instances of very heavy rainfall, however, are cloudbursts. A cloudburst has a very specific definition: “Rainfall of 10 cm or more in an hour over a roughly 10 km x 10-km area is classified as a cloudburst event. By this definition, 5 cm of rainfall in a half- hour period over the same area would also be categorized as a cloudburst”.
• During a cloudburst event, a place receives about 10% of this annual rainfall within an hour. It is a worse situation than what Mumbai had experienced on July 26, 2005, which is one of the most extreme instances of rainfall in India in recent years. At that time, Mumbai had received 94 cm of rain over a 24-hour period, resulting in deaths of over 400 people and more than USD 1 billion in economic losses.

How common are cloudbursts?
• Cloudbursts are not uncommon events, particularly during the monsoon months. Most of these happen in the Himalayan states where the local topology, wind systems, and temperature gradients between the lower and upper atmosphere facilitate the occurrence of such events.
• However, not every event that is described as a cloudburst is actually, by definition, a cloudburst. That is because these events are highly localized. They take place in very small areas which are often devoid of rainfall measuring instruments. The consequences of these events, however, are not confined to the small areas.
• Because of the nature of terrain, the heavy rainfall events often trigger landslides and flash floods, causing extensive destruction downstream. This is the reason why every sudden downpour that leads to destruction of life and property in the hilly areas gets described as a “cloudburst”, irrespective of whether the amount of rainfall meets the defining criteria. At the same time, it is also possible that actual cloudburst events in remote locations aren’t recorded.
EFFECT OF CLOUDBURSTS:
1. Flash floods
2. Accompanying effect of Cloudbursts on terrain
• Landslides
• Mudflows
• Land caving
• Flash floods – houses and establishments getting swept away and cave-ins lead to the deaths.

How is cloudburst different from rainfall?
• Rain is condensed water falling from a cloud while cloudburst is a sudden heavy rainstorm. A report in the Down to Earth said a cloudburst is different from rain only in the amount of rainfall recorded. Rain over 100mm per hour is categorised as a cloudburst.
• Hence, we can say the cloudburst is a natural phenomenon, but occur quite unexpectedly, very abruptly, and rather drenching. In the Indian Subcontinent, it generally occurs when a monsoon cloud drifts northwards, from the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea across the plains than on to the Himalaya that sometimes brings 75 millimetres of rain per hour.

Are cloudburst incidents increasing?
• There is no long-term trend that suggests that cloudbursts, as defined by the IMD, are rising. However, is that incidents of extreme rainfall, as also other extreme weather events, are increasing — not just in India but across the world.
• While the overall amount of rainfall in India has not changed substantially, an increasing proportion of rainfall is happening in a short span of time. That means that the wet spells are very wet, and are interspersed with prolonged dry spells even in the rainy season.

THE GOVERNANCE

2. WHAT IS NAFIS — AND THE STORY OF HOW FINGERPRINTING BEGAN IN INDIA

THE CONTEXT: Recently the Union Home Minister inaugurated the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) during a two-day National Securities Strategies (NSS) Conference 2022 held in New Delhi.
THE EXPLANATION:
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, NAFIS, which was developed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), would help in the quick and easy disposal of cases with the help of a centralised fingerprint database.
What is NAFIS?
• Conceptualized and managed by the NCRB at the Central Fingerprint Bureau (CFPB) in New Delhi, the National Automated Fingerprints Identification System (NAFIS) project is a country-wide searchable database of crime- and criminal-related fingerprints. The web-based application functions as a central information repository by consolidating fingerprint data from all states and Union Territories. According to a 2020 report by the NCRB, it enables law enforcement agencies to upload, trace, and retrieve data from the database in real time on a 24×7 basis.
• NAFIS assigns a unique 10-digit National Fingerprint Number (NFN) to each person arrested for a crime. This unique ID will be used for the person’s lifetime, and different crimes registered under different FIRs will be linked to the same NFN. The 2020 report states that the ID’s first two digits will be that of the state code in which the person arrested for a crime is registered, followed by a sequence number.
• By automating the collection, storage, and matching of fingerprints, along with digitizing the records of fingerprint data, NAFIS will “provide the much-needed unique identifier for every arrested person in the CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems) database as both are connected at the backend,” former NCRB director Ram Phal Pawar had said in December 2020.

Is this the first time that such an automation project is being attempted?
Upon the recommendations of the National Police Commission in 1986, the Central Fingerprint Bureau first began to automate the fingerprint database by digitizing the existing manual records through India’s first Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFI) in 1992, called Fingerprint Analysis & Criminal Tracing System (FACTS 1.0).
The latest iteration, FACTS 5.0, which was upgraded in 2007, was considered to have “outlived its shelf life”, according to a 2018 report by the NCRB and thus needed to be replaced by NAFIS.

Since when has India relied on fingerprinting as a crime-fighting tool?
A system of fingerprinting identification first emerged in colonial India, where it was tested before it spread to Europe and beyond. At first, it was used by British colonial officials for administrative rather than criminal purposes. William Herschel, the chief administrator of the Hooghly district of Bengal, from the late-middle 1800s onwards, used fingerprinting to reduce fraud and forgeries, in order to ensure that the correct person was receiving government pensions, signing land transfer deeds, and mortgage bonds.

POINTS TO NOTE: Anthropometry, the measurement of physical features of the body, was used by officials in India, but was soon replaced with a system of fingerprints, which were seen to be more accurate as it was believed that no two people can have identical sets of patterns, wrote the historian Simon A Cole in his book ‘Suspect Identities: A History of Fingerprinting and Criminal Identification’.

How did the use of fingerprinting develop in crime fighting in India?
The uniqueness of every individual’s fingerprints was first proposed in Europe by the German anatomist Johann Mayer in 1788, and was confirmed through detailed studies by the Scottish doctor Henry Faulds around the same time that Herschel had begun to implement fingerprinting as a means of identification in Bengal.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

3. UPI PAYMENT CHARGES: WHY FINMIN HAD TO CLARIFY THERE’S NO MOVE TO LEVY FEE

THE CONTEXT: Recently,the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) came out with a discussion paper seeking stakeholder views on charges in payment systems, the Finance Ministry clarified that there is “no consideration” in the government to levy any charges for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services.
THE EXPLANATION:
What did the RBI discussion paper say?
• In a discussion paper released, the RBI had asked stakeholders if merchant discount rate (MDR), a fee paid by merchants to acquiring banks, should be brought back for UPI transactions. However, the RBI had said that at this stage, it is “reiterated that RBI has neither taken any view nor has any specific opinion on the issues raised in this discussion”.
• It covered all aspects relating to charges in payment systems such as Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) system, Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and various payment instruments such as debit cards, credit cards and Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), etc.

What is MDR?
• MDR, or merchant discount rate, on UPI transactions has been a long-standing demand of the payments industry. Most other modes of digital retail payments attract a charge on transactions. Currently, the government has mandated a “zero-charge framework” for UPI transactions, with effect from January 1, 2020.

What was the government’s argument?
• Terming UPI services as a “digital public good”, the Finance Ministry stepped in on to clarify that the concerns for the service providers for cost recovery have to be met through other means. “UPI is a digital public good with immense convenience for the public and productivity gains for the economy. According to the Government there is no consideration to levy any charges for UPI services.

What has the government done so far to promote UPI payments?
• In the Budget speech for 2022-23, Finance Minister had said: “The financial support for digital payment ecosystem announced in the previous Budget will continue in 2022-23. This will encourage further adoption of digital payments. There will also be a focus to promote use of payment platforms that are economical and user friendly”.
• The government allocated Rs 200 crore for reimbursement of charges towards RuPay debit card and UPI transactions. In 2021-22, it had budgeted Rs 1,500 crore towards this.

VALUE ADDITION:
What is UPI?
• Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is an instant real-time payment system, allowing users to transfer money on a real-time basis, across multiple bank accounts without revealing details of one’s bank account to the other party.
• UPI is currently the biggest among the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) operated systems including National Automated Clearing House (NACH), Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), Aadhaar enabled Payment System (AePS), Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), RuPay etc.
• The top UPI apps include PhonePe, Paytm, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and BHIM, the latter being the Government offering.

What is BHIM?
• Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) is India’s digital payment application (app) that works through UPI, a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application.
• Developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).Allows real time fund transfer. Launched in December, 2016.

The BHIM app has three levels of authentication:
• For one, the app binds with a device’s ID and mobile number.
• Second a user needs to sync whichever bank account (UPI or non-UPI enabled) in order to the conduct transaction.
• Third, when a user sets up the app they are asked to create a pin which is needed to log into the app. The UPI pin, which a user creates with their bank account is needed to go through with the transaction.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4. WHAT ARE ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’ THAT ARE CONTAMINATING RAINWATER GLOBALLY?

THE CONTEXT: A recent study published in Environment Science and Technology has found that rainwater from many places across the globe is contaminated with “per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” (PFAs), which are called “forever chemicals” because of their tendency to stick around in the atmosphere, rainwater and soil for long periods of time.
THE EXPLANATION:
What are PFAs?
• According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PFAs are man-made chemicals used to make nonstick cookware,water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics, cosmetics, firefighting forms and many other products that resist grease, water and oil. PFAs can migrate to the soil, water and air during their production and use.
• Since most PFAs do not break down, they remain in the environment for long periods of time. Some of these PFAs can build up in people and animals if they are repeatedly exposed to the chemicals.
What harm do PFAs cause?
• The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists a variety of health risks that are attributed to PFA exposure, including decreased fertility, developmental effects in children, interference with body hormones, increased cholesterol levels and increased risk of some cancers. Recent research has also revealed that long-term low-level exposure to certain PFAs can make it difficult for humans to build antibodies after being vaccinated against various diseases.

Do we need to be worried about PFAs in the rainwater in India?
• While the recently published research article did not include studies of samples collected in India, the nature of PFAs and the wide geographical breadth of samples and the nature of PFAs means that the results can be extrapolated to India, according to lead author Ian Cousins, who spoke to indianexpress.com over an email interaction regarding the same.

How can these chemicals be removed from rainwater?
• While there is no known method that can extract and remove PFAs from the atmosphere itself, there are many effective, albeit expensive, methods to remove them from rainwater that has been collected through various rainwater harvesting methods. One way to do this would be to use a filtration system with activated carbon. The activated carbon will need to be removed and replaced regularly. Also, the old contaminated material must be destroyed.

5. INDIA’S FIRST INDIGENOUSLY DEVELOPED HYDROGEN FUEL CELL BUS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Union Minister of Science and Technology launched India’s first truly indigenously developed Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus developed by KPIT-CSIR in Pune.
THE EXPLANATION:
• This bus has zero emissions compared to a diesel bus plying on long distance routes which usually emits 100 tonnes of CO2 annually.
• In terms of CO2 emissions, about 12-14 percent of CO2 emissions in India come from diesel-powered heavy vehicles. At the same time, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will prove to be excellent means to eliminate on-road emissions in the region.
WHAT IS HYDROGEN FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY?
• In HFC technology, a chemical reaction is made between hydrogen and oxygen to produce electrical energy. It does not use conventional fossil fuels such as petrol or gas. In its true sense, a fuel cell stack refers to batteries that generate electrical energy, which do not require much space to store.
• The biggest feature of this fuel cell technology is that it emits only water, thus cutting down on emissions of harmful greenhouse gases along with other air pollutants. Therefore, this technology is probably the most eco-friendly mode of transport.
• This technology also works at 65-75 degree Celsius temperature which can withstand the heat generated while driving.
• Japan is a leader in the use of fuel cell technology. In the context of controlling air pollution, it is necessary that India learns from Japan’s technology for the use of clean energy.

WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF A HYDROGEN FUEL CELL-POWERED VEHICLE?
• The primary advantage of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) is that they produce no tailpipe emissions. They only emit water vapour and warm air. Another advantage is that they are more efficient than internal combustion engine vehicles.
• Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles have another advantage when it comes to refuelling time, which makes them more practical than battery-powered electric vehicles for public transportation purposes. Even with the fastest charging technologies, it could take hours to charge a battery-powered electric bus. Meanwhile, hydrogen can be refilled in a fuel cell vehicle in a matter of minutes, nearly as fast as an internal combustion engine can be refilled with fossil fuels.
• While this disadvantage may not be a major issue for battery-powered personal vehicles, for buses and other public vehicles, it could mean that an important asset is out of use for a large part of the day because it needs to be charged.

Are hydrogen fuel cell vehicles environmentally friendly?
• One crucial point to note is that using a battery-powered electric vehicle doesn’t mean that the vehicles produce no emissions, but rather, that they produce no tailpipe emissions. Since a majority of the electricity in the country comes from fossil fuels, and the biggest source of hydrogen in the world currently is also fossil fuels, these vehicles do cause a large number of emissions with their usage.
• But just like we are moving towards renewable sources of electricity, we could also move towards renewable methods of generating hydrogen in the future. So even if these vehicles do contribute to emissions right now, the fuel that they need could be produced using renewable methods such as solar and wind energy.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

6. WHAT IS MANDALA IN ART?

THE CONTEXT: Recently, some residents of Liverpool in the UK are marvelling over a mandala art the size of one and a half football pitches in length created by artist James Brunt with materials such as leaves and rocks.
THE EXPLANATION:
What is Mandala Art?
• Literally meaning “circle” or “centre” in Sanskrit, a mandala art is defined by a geometric configuration that usually incorporates the circular shape in some form.
• Mandala patterns are a centuries-old motif that are used to depict the cosmos, and have been adapted by artists the world over, each of whom have added their own interpretation and painted it as their own.
• While it can also be created in the shape of a square, a mandala pattern is essentially interconnected.

The origin
• It is believed to be rooted in Buddhism, appearing in the first century BC in India.
• In Hinduism, the mandala imagery first appeared in Rig Veda (1500 – 500 BCE).
• Over the next couple centuries, Buddhist missionaries travelling along the Silk Road took it to other regions.
• By the sixth century, mandalas have been recorded in China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Tibet.

The meaning of the motif
• It is believed that by entering the mandala and moving towards its center, one is guided through the cosmic process of transforming the universe .
• It depicts transition from one of suffering to that of joy.
• A traditional Buddhist mandala, a circular painting drawn with coloured sand, aided in meditation, with the main objective of aiding its creator to discover their true self.
• In Hinduism, a mandala or yantra is in the shape of a square with a circle at its center.
• There are various elements incorporated within the mandala, each of which has its own meaning.
• For instance, the eight spokes of the wheel (the dharmachakra) represent the eightfold path of Buddhism, the lotus flower depicts balance, and the sun represents the universe.
• Facing up, triangles represent action and energy, and facing down, they represent creativity and knowledge.

Mandala in modern Indian art
• Deep-rooted in ancient philosophy, the mandala has attained varied forms in the hands of modern and contemporary Indian artists.
• While it continues to appear in thangka paintings, it has a central place in the practice of mainstream artists associated with the tantric and neo-tantric spiritual movements.
• Choosing to transition from the more figurative depictions of the previous generations of Indian artists, in the 1960s Sohan Qadri and Prafulla Mohanty gained widespread recognition for their works.
• Their work is imbibed in tantric symbolism, such as mandalas that are also used in the rituals of tantric initiation.

7. DAHI-HANDI’ – MAHARASHTRA’S OFFICIAL SPORT

THE CONTEXT: Recently, DahiHandi has now been given the status of a game in Maharashtra. It will be considered as a type of adventure sports.
THE EXPLANATION:
• Recently the Maharashtra Chief Minister announced that Govindas who join Dahi Handi will be given benefits of government schemes, 5 percent reservation in government jobs.
• Govindas will now also be given insurance protection. If there is an accident while playing Dahi Handi and any Govinda dies in such a situation, then an amount of Rs 10 lakh will be given to the family members of the concerned Govinda as help.
• In case of serious injury like if any Govinda loses both eyes or both legs or both hands or any two important parts of the body, then an amount of 7 and a half lakh rupees will be given to him as help from the state government.
• In such an accident, if any Govind loses an arm or a leg or any part of the body, then in such a situation, an amount of 5 lakh rupees will be given to him as help.

What is DahiHandi?
• DahiHandi is celebrated on the occasion of Janmashtami, the birth of lord Krishna. The DahiHandi (earthen pots filled with yogurt) is part of the Janmashtami festival where young participants called ‘Govindas’, dressed in colorful clothes, make a human pyramid to reach the pot hung mid-air, and break it.
• The tradition of DahiHandi, which started in Mumbai in 1907, is believed to have been going on for the last 104 years in Ghansoli village near Navi Mumbai. DahiHandi was first started here in 1907 on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami.
• DahiHandi festival held every year in Mayanagari is celebrated all over the world. Not only the country but people from abroad also come here to see the Dahi Handi festival. Some circles also give a reward of crores for breaking the handi.

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4. On the 9 Year Old Killed By His Teacher READ MORE READ MORE

1. India’s clean energy potential may be limited by extreme weather, says a new study READ MORE
2. Monsoon report card: Rainfall deficit in 8 states, excess in 8 others READ MORE

1. What next on data protection? There are two issues – the form that a new law will take, and the nature of protections it will offer READ MORE
2. Making bail impossible: In upholding the constitutionality of the PMLA, the court has resurrected the ghost of ADM Jabalpur READ MORE
3. The problem with India’s sporting bodies READ MORE
4. Rohingyas are entitled to basic human rights READ MORE
5. Free and fair elections: A far-fetched dream or a possible reality? READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

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2. Explained | What is India’s policy on the Rohingya?  READ MORE
3. Extreme waves of COVID-19 may have faster-than-expected growth rates READ MORE
4. Forever Chemicals No More? PFAS Are Destroyed With New Technique READ MORE
5. Explained: What are cloudburst incidents and are they rising across India? READ MORE
6. Bilkis Bano case: Ex-NHRC member Sujata Manohar terms decision to release 11 convicts as ‘dilution of rule of law’ READ MORE
7. UK, Gulf countries and Egypt among 7 new locations on IIT expansion list READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Lessons from German history READ MORE  
2. Monsoon report card: Rainfall deficit in 8 states, excess in 8 others READ MORE

 GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. What next on data protection? There are two issues – the form that a new law will take, and the nature of protections it will offer READ MORE
2. Making bail impossible: In upholding the constitutionality of the PMLA, the court has resurrected the ghost of ADM Jabalpur READ MORE
3. The problem with India’s sporting bodies READ MORE
4. Rohingyas are entitled to basic human rights READ MORE
5. Free and fair elections: A far-fetched dream or a possible reality? READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

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INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Turning on the India-US Axis READ MORE
2. National interest taking priority in foreign policy READ MORE
3. Resetting diplomatic compass READ MORE
4. Expand UNSC to check hegemony READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. ExplainSpeaking: How should public sector banks be privatised? READ MORE
2. Solar energy: For Amrit Kaal in agriculture READ MORE
3. Nowcasting the economy: Using new indicators can help policymaking READ MORE
4. Cost of freebies READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. India’s clean energy potential may be limited by extreme weather, says a new study READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Prepare now for the era of quantum computing READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

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4. On the 9 Year Old Killed By His Teacher READ MORE READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. By making solar energy the ‘third crop’, promoting this innovation on a mission mode, the government can double farmers’ income. Comment.
2. As a growing power, India can’t be oblivious to the looming challenge of western dominance of the Indian Ocean under the shadow of neo-colonialism. Comment on the statement in the light of recent developments in Indo-Pacific.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Prudence is the knowledge of things to be sought and those to be shunned.
• In upholding the constitutionality of the PMLA, the court has resurrected the ghost of ADM Jabalpur.
• By making solar energy the ‘third crop’, promoting this innovation on a mission mode, the government can double farmers’ income.
• The Supreme Court’s insistence of players as administrators would transform sporting bodies is belied.
• Quantum computing will solve complex scientific problems in a matter of seconds. However, if not regulated, it can be very dangerous. Our failings with AI hold key lessons.
• The widening trust deficit can have serious repercussions, especially in the fight against corruption.
• The German dossiers give a vivid account of how its apolitical military was turned into a political weapon before WW2, rest as they say is history.
• What is required is the expansion of the UNSC and revisions in the UN charter to make it a more credible organization.
• What the Union Government is doing with the Rohingyas clearly violates the international protocol in regard to the rights and freedom of the refugees.
• The effects of climate change could lead to more drastic monsoons, summers and winters, affecting the overall production from solar and wind farms.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Prudence is the knowledge of things to be sought and those to be shunned.
• Free and fair elections: A far-fetched dream or a possible reality?

50 WORD TALK

• India and other emerging powers that prefer a multi-polar world face challenges. Indian strategic autonomy seeks to make UN agencies work better and have partners around the world who would cooperate for more functional partnerships. India has moved centre stage on issues such as climate change and trade, becoming more amenable. India shows willingness to play by the rules of the international order.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 314]

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Government Accounting Standards advisory board (GASAB) has come up with a Natural Resource Accounting (NRA) for tracking and maintaining the natural resources of India. It would also suggest recommendations for end-to-end mapping of supply and use of resources which would help the states in mopping up due revenues from the resources. In the following article attempts to explain the concept of Natural Resource Accounting (NRA) and its utility in present times.

NATURAL RESOURCE ACCOUNTING: KEY TENETS

National Resource Accounting (NRA): Natural resource accounting is an accounting system that deals with stocks and stock changes of natural assets, comprising biota (produced or wild), subsoil assets (proved reserves), water and land with their aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The concept of National Resource Accounting (NRA) has emerged to capture the intimate interplay between the various components of the natural environment and the economic progress of a country. It is based on the concept ‘measurement of a resource leads to its better management.

• The need: Mankind in its quest for rapid economic development has manipulated nature to serve its economic interests and, in the process, harmed nature. This has resulted in environmental degradation, leading to climate change, extreme weather conditions and frequent natural disasters. The importance of judicious use of resources, their controlled usage and sustainability for future generations led to the idea of Sustainable Development (SD).
• Inherent in Sustainable Development: Accounting of Natural Resources is one of the most crucial elements of SD is that it provides an outline of resource bases, and pace of usage with an eye on their sustainability and embeds environmental aspects into the economic indices.
• Measuring the downside of growth: The idea is to quantify the adverse impact of economic development on the environment and adjust/reduce it from GDP to arrive at Green GDP, essentially signifying the impact of economic development on the environment and sustainable growth.
  • Quantifies the non-renewal damage to the environmental resources and assists in the determination of development in real terms.
• Aid to policy framing: A sound database of how a particular economy is utilizing the resources at hand is of significant help to policymakers to understand the potential impact of their decisions.
• Combating Climate Change: Asset and flow accounts have been recognized as a useful framework for monitoring, measuring and analyzing climate change.
• Interrelation between economy and environment: It helps to organise information on the status, use, and value of natural resources and environmental assets as well as expenditures on environmental protection and resource management. Natural resource accounting inter-alia refers to the interconnection and linkages in the economy and our environment or surrounding.

EVOLUTION OF NATURAL RESOURCE ACCOUNTING

• The need for NRA took its first step at the United Nations (UN) conference on Human Environment in 1970 when the relationship between economic development and environmental degradation was discussed for the first time.
• The Brundtland Commission, set up by the UN, articulated the idea of the close association between the environment and economic activities in 1987, which was followed up by environmental accounting and the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
• In line with these developments, the UN released the international standards for the compilation of national accounts in 1993 and revised it in 2009.
• Simultaneously, the UN also adopted the System of Economic and Environmental Accounting – Central Framework (SEEA – CF) in March 2012, which is the latest internationally accepted and adopted framework for resource accounting. The SEEA – CF prescribed a four-stage implementation process as mentioned below:

NATURAL RESOURCE ACCOUNTING IN INDIA

Working group on Environmental Auditing
(WGEA) (2010)

Formation of the Expert Group for framework related to Green National Accounts In India

To Assist the Government in developing the NRA
Identifying challenges in applying environmental accounting
Recommending strategies to overcoming challenges
Identifying best practices in NRA

Constitutional mandate under Article 150 to advice on forms of accounts

Section 23 of CAG’s DPC Act-Guidelines for general principles for Govt Accounting

Government Accounting Standards Advisory Board(GASAB)
• Mandated to formulate Government Accounting Standards and other pronouncements with a view to improve Governmental accounting and financial reporting
• To enhance the quality of decision- making and public accountability.

Comptroller and Auditor General of India (C&AG) constituted Government Accounting Standards Advisory Board (GASAB) with the support of the Government of India through a notification dated 12th August 2002. The decision to set up GASAB was taken in the backdrop of the new priorities emerging in Public Finance Management and to keep pace with international trends. The new priorities focus on good governance, fiscal prudence, efficiency & transparency in public spending.

The accounting systems, the world over, are being revisited with an emphasis on the transition from rule to principle-based standards and migration from cash to the accrual-based system of accounting. GASAB, as a nodal advisory body in India, is taking similar action to formulate and improve standards of government accounting and financial reporting and enhance accountability mechanisms. GASAB has suggested a well-laid-out implementation plan divided into three-term goals in consonance with the strategy envisaged by the SEEA – CF.

Out of seven resources listed by the SEEA framework, the Concept Paper has identified and suggested commencing with five major resources, namely Mineral & Non-Renewable Energy Resources, Water Resources, Forestry & Wildlife Resources and Land Resources, of which, Mineral & Non-Renewable Energy Resources has been considered mainly due to their finiteness and non-renewability and need for sustainability for future generations.

In way to progress further, the EnviStats (Environment Statistics) initiated in 2018 for the presentation of aggregate environment accounts for India with the asset accounts in physical terms of minerals, water, land and forest.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has taken up several initiatives under the project Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of the Ecosystem Services (CAVES) which aims to advance the theory and practice of ecosystem accounting in India

ASSESSMENT OF STATE-LEVEL IMPLEMENTATION

GOA

• Unable to compile major minerals physical flow account – mining ban
• Minor minerals stock position not ascertainable
• Break up of extraction not maintained

RAJASTHAN

• Variation between the revenue involvement and actual market value (roughly 10 times) clearly brought out
• Extensive coverage of minerals along with sub-minerals

MEGHALAYA

• Mapping of physical flows vis-à-vis revenue involved – a short collection of receipts ` 40 crores in one-year Sustainability of minerals in years brought out.
• Illegal extraction was detected, 4,284 MT of coal and more than 1 lakh tones of limestone illegally extracted.
• Recommendations made to State Government based on the study:

o   Mines Department to reconcile figures with Land Customs Station to plug leakages.

o   More close coordination is needed between the Mines & Geology Department and E&F Department to exchange data on the extraction of minerals from their respective jurisdiction.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• NRA has deep inter-linkage to sustainable development; and 10 of the 17 goals (Sustainable Development Goals or commonly known as the SDGs, 2030) are directly or indirectly related to the management of natural resources and their accounting. The government of India is a signatory to the UN General Assembly resolution on the adoption of SDGs titled, “transforming our world; the 2030 agenda for sustainable development”. Thus, it becomes an obligation for GOI to develop fine standards of resource accounting.
• NRA intends to capture the intimate interplay between various components of the natural environment and the economy. Also, it can connect to other datasets to provide invaluable information on the larger picture connecting the environment with the economy. Thus, even from an economic point of view, NRA is important for India.
• Further, NRA helps to quantify the adverse impact on the environment due to economic development and aid sustainable growth. This makes NRA more relevant in present times.

THE CONCLUSION:  For a world that is riding on unprecedented development, it is imperative that we keep our historic relation of ours with nature in harmony. Accounting for natural resources will definitely aid both economical and ethical perspectives of life on earth. For example, accounting for forest wealth has a number of useful policy benefits, including the provision of a framework for analyzing and presenting detailed and diverse data in a manner which supports economically informed policy choices.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

• What do you understand by Natural Resource Accounting (NRA)? Enumerate the basic tenets of NRA.
• Discuss the evolution and need of Natural Resource Accounting (NRA) in the Indian context.

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