01/02/23 IAS Special Daily Current and Mains Answer Writing Practice
सामान्य अध्ययन - 1
विषय: दुनिया के इतिहास में 18वीं सदी की घटनाएं शामिल होंगी जैसे औद्योगिक क्रांति, विश्व युद्ध, राष्ट्रीय सीमाओं का पुनर्निर्धारण, उपनिवेशीकरण, उपनिवेशवाद की समाप्ति, साम्यवाद, पूंजीवाद, समाजवाद आदि जैसे राजनीतिक दर्शन- उनके रूप और समाज पर प्रभाव।
1. संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका और सोवियत संघ और उनके संबंधित सहयोगियों के बीच द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध के बाद विकसित हुई खुली लेकिन प्रतिबंधित प्रतिद्वंद्विता, राजनीतिक, आर्थिक और प्रचार मोर्चों पर छेड़ी गई थी और इसमें केवल हथियारों का सीमित सहारा था। विश्लेषण कीजिए। (250 शब्द)
प्रश्न की मुख्य मांग:
शीत युद्ध के अलग-अलग अखाड़े (कोरिया, वियतनाम आदि) थे। इन विभिन्न क्षेत्रों के अलावा, विभिन्न क्षेत्रों (जैसे: अंतरिक्ष की दौड़, खेल) का उल्लेख करें जिसमें शीत युद्ध चला।
विश्लेषण करें - जब विश्लेषण करने के लिए कहा जाए, तो आपको विषय को घटक भागों में अलग करके व्यवस्थित रूप से जांचना चाहिए और उन्हें सारांश में प्रस्तुत करना चाहिए।
उत्तर की संरचना:
परिचय:
संक्षेप में लिखकर अपना उत्तर प्रारंभ करें कि शीत युद्ध का प्राथमिक कारण क्या था।
शरीर:
पहले उन विभिन्न क्षेत्रों के बारे में लिखें जिनमें शीत युद्ध समाप्त हो गया - कूटनीति, जासूसी, अंतरिक्ष की दौड़ और प्रचार आदि।
इसके बाद, शीत युद्ध के शस्त्रीकृत पहलुओं के बारे में लिखें - हथियारों की दौड़, वे विभिन्न स्थान जहाँ दो महाशक्तियों ने तकनीकी रूप से एक-दूसरे से युद्ध किया (कोरिया, वियतनाम आदि)।
उपरोक्त के प्रभाव के बारे में लिखिए।
निष्कर्ष:
सारांशित करके समाप्त करें।
विषय: भारतीय समाज की प्रमुख विशेषताएं, भारत की विविधता।
2. भारतीय समाज में असमानता के क्या कारण हैं? एक समतामूलक समाज सुनिश्चित करने के लिए आवश्यक विभिन्न चरणों की गणना कीजिए। (250 शब्द)
प्रश्न की मुख्य मांग:
असमानता के कारणों और इसे संबोधित करने के लिए आवश्यक उपायों के बारे में लिखना।
उत्तर की संरचना:
परिचय:
असमानता को परिभाषित करते हुए प्रारंभ करें और भारतीय समाज में असमानताओं को दर्शाने के लिए आँकड़ों का हवाला दें।
शरीर:
पहले, भारत में असमानता के विभिन्न कारणों के बारे में लिखें - ऐतिहासिक कारण, गरीबी, अनौपचारिक रोजगार, सामाजिक सुरक्षा की कमी, क्षेत्रीय असंतुलन आदि। भारत में असमानता के प्रभाव के बारे में लिखें।
इसके बाद, उन कदमों के बारे में लिखें जो इसे संबोधित करने और अधिक न्यायसंगत समाज की ओर बढ़ने के लिए आवश्यक हैं।
निष्कर्ष:
आगे की राह के साथ समाप्त करें।
सामान्य अध्ययन – 2
विषय: वैधानिक, नियामक और विभिन्न अर्ध-न्यायिक निकाय।
3. लोक अदालतों की स्थापना सभी को न्याय सुलभ और वहनीय बनाने के लिए की गई थी। लोक अदालतों के घोषित उद्देश्यों को प्राप्त करने में उनके प्रदर्शन का विश्लेषण करें। (250 शब्द)
प्रश्न की मुख्य मांग:
वंचितों के लिए न्याय तक पहुंच सुनिश्चित करने के लिए न्यायपालिका की भारतीय व्यवस्था में लोक अदालत के बारे में लिखना है।
विश्लेषण करें - जब विश्लेषण करने के लिए कहा जाए, तो आपको विषय को घटक भागों में अलग करके व्यवस्थित रूप से जांचना चाहिए और उन्हें सारांश में प्रस्तुत करना चाहिए।
उत्तर की संरचना:
परिचय:
लोक अदालतों और उनके उद्देश्यों के बारे में लिखकर शुरुआत करें।
शरीर:
पहले लोक अदालतों की संवैधानिक स्थिति के बारे में लिखिए। भारत में लोक अदालतों के इतिहास और विकास की संक्षेप में चर्चा कीजिए। वंचितों के लिए न्याय तक पहुंच के संबंध में संविधान में दिए गए प्रावधानों पर चर्चा करें।
अगला, सिस्टम के गुण और दोष प्रस्तुत करें, प्राप्त सफलताओं का वजन करें। लोक अदालतों के प्रदर्शन में आने वाली चुनौतियों और कमियों के बारे में बताएं।
निष्कर्ष:
कमियों को दूर करने के लिए आगे का रास्ता लिखकर निष्कर्ष निकालें।
विषय: गरीबी और भुखमरी से संबंधित मुद्दे।
4. भूख और कुपोषण का विभिन्न सामाजिक-आर्थिक संकेतकों पर नकारात्मक और अनुपातहीन प्रभाव पड़ता है। कारणों की जांच करें और इस मुद्दे को हल करने के लिए दीर्घकालिक समाधान सुझाएं। (250 शब्द)
प्रश्न की मुख्य मांग:
भूख और कुपोषण के कारणों और प्रभावों और इससे निपटने के तरीकों के बारे में लिखना है।
उत्तर की संरचना:
परिचय:
भारत में भूख और कुपोषण के संबंध में एक आँकड़ा देकर प्रारंभ करें।
शरीर:
भारत में भूख और कुपोषण के प्रभाव का वर्णन करें - भारत में बाल मृत्यु दर, स्टंटिंग और वेस्टिंग की स्थिति, जनसांख्यिकीय लाभांश की हानि, अत्यधिक गरीबी आदि।
आगे कारणों के बारे में लिखें - कम उम्र में शादी आदि जैसे सामाजिक कारक हैं, जो बच्चों के अल्पपोषण, स्टंटिंग और वेस्टिंग में योगदान करते हैं।
इसके बाद देश में भूख और कुपोषण पर काबू पाने के लिए आवश्यक उपायों के बारे में लिखें।
निष्कर्ष:
आगे का रास्ता लिखकर निष्कर्ष निकालें।
सामान्य अध्ययन - 3
विषय: अवसंरचना: ऊर्जा, बंदरगाह, सड़कें, हवाई अड्डे, रेलवे आदि।
5. ऊर्जा सुरक्षित भारत की राह में आने वाली विभिन्न बाधाओं का परीक्षण कीजिए। सरकार अपनी शुद्ध शून्य प्रतिबद्धताओं का सम्मान करते हुए ऊर्जा सुरक्षा कैसे सुनिश्चित कर सकती है? (250 शब्द)
उत्तर की संरचना:
परिचय:
देश में ऊर्जा सुरक्षा के संबंध में संदर्भ देते हुए प्रारंभ करें।
शरीर:
सबसे पहले, भारत की ऊर्जा सुरक्षा के लिए विभिन्न बाधाओं के बारे में लिखें - कोयले की कमी, कच्चे तेल की अस्थिरता, बढ़ती मांग, जलवायु प्रतिबद्धताओं और संसाधनों के विविधीकरण की कमी।
अगला, ऊर्जा सुरक्षा को संतुलित करते हुए स्वच्छ ऊर्जा प्रतिबद्धताओं के बीच संतुलन बनाने के तरीकों के बारे में लिखें।
निष्कर्ष:
आगे की राह के साथ समाप्त करें।
सामान्य अध्ययन – 4
विषय: आचार संहिता, आचार संहिता, नागरिक चार्टर, कार्य संस्कृति, सेवा वितरण की गुणवत्ता।
6. संगठन के प्रबंधन के सभी स्तरों में नैतिक निर्णय लेने को एकीकृत करना एक नैतिक कार्य संस्कृति सुनिश्चित करने का एक तरीका है। विस्तार में बताना। (150 शब्द)
प्रश्न की मुख्य मांग:
किसी संगठन की कार्य संस्कृति के प्रति नैतिक निर्णय लेने के महत्व के बारे में लिखना।
निर्देशक शब्द:
विस्तृत करें - एक विस्तृत विवरण दें कि यह कैसे और क्यों हुआ, या संदर्भ क्या है। जहां भी उपयुक्त हो, आपको प्रमुख शब्दों को परिभाषित करना चाहिए और संबंधित तथ्यों के साथ उनकी पुष्टि करनी चाहिए।
उत्तर की संरचना:
परिचय:
नैतिक निर्णय लेने को परिभाषित करके प्रारंभ करें।
शरीर:
नैतिक निर्णय लेने के महत्व और संगठनों में नैतिक निर्णय लेने को एकीकृत करने से जुड़े विभिन्न लाभों पर प्रकाश डालें। उदाहरणों के साथ पुष्टि कीजिए।
निष्कर्ष:
संगठन में नैतिक निर्णय लेने को विकसित करने के तरीकों का उल्लेख करते हुए निष्कर्ष निकालें।
विषय: सिविल सेवा के लिए योग्यता और मूलभूत मूल्य, सत्यनिष्ठा, निष्पक्षता और गैर-दलीयता, निष्पक्षता, सार्वजनिक सेवा के प्रति समर्पण, कमजोर वर्गों के प्रति सहानुभूति, सहिष्णुता और करुणा।
7. मूल मूल्य लोक सेवकों के निर्णय का मार्गदर्शन करते हैं कि दैनिक कार्यों में अपने कार्यों को प्रभावी ढंग से और सहानुभूतिपूर्वक कैसे करें। चर्चा कीजिए। (150 शब्द)
निर्देशक शब्द:
चर्चा करें - यह एक व्यापक निर्देश है - आपको संबंधित मुद्दों के विवरण के माध्यम से उनमें से प्रत्येक की जांच करके कागज पर बहस करनी चाहिए। आपको तर्क के पक्ष और विपक्ष दोनों के लिए कारण बताना होगा।
उत्तर की संरचना:
परिचय:
कोर वैल्यू सिस्टम को परिभाषित करके प्रारंभ करें।
शरीर:
सिविल सेवकों के निर्णय में मुख्य मूल्यों की भूमिका के बारे में लिखें- निष्पक्षता, वैधता, अखंडता, सहानुभूति और पारदर्शिता। उदाहरणों के साथ विस्तार से बताएं कि यह सिविल सेवकों के निर्णय को कैसे निर्देशित करता है और यह सुनिश्चित करता है कि सही निर्णय लिए जाएं।
निष्कर्ष:
सारांशित करके समाप्त करें।
GS Paper 1
Tasks for India’s millet revolution
News– The article explains some facts and statistics about millets in India. It also explains the issues with millets cultivation in India and steps needed to boost the production of millets.
What are some facts and statistics about millets in the context of India?
Millets have special nutritive properties. They are high in protein, dietary fiber, micronutrients, and antioxidants. They have special agronomic characteristics like drought-resistant and suitable for semi-arid regions.
Two groups of millets are grown in India. Major millets include sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet. Minor millets include foxtail, little millet, kodo, proso, and barnyard millet.
In 2019-20, the total production of nutri-cereals was 47.7 million tonnes. The bulk of this was maize, a non-millet crop used mainly as feed.
The production of sorghum, pearl millet, and finger millet along with other millets put together was 18.9 million tonnes.
Currently, millets are procured in only a few States. Stocks in the central pool are small. In May 2022, central stocks had 33 million tonnes of rice but only four lakh tonnes of nutri cereals.
What are issues with millets cultivation in India?
There has been a decline in the area under millet cultivation. Over the last decade, the production of sorghum has fallen, the production of pearl millet and finger millet has stagnated or declined.
The low productivity of millets is another challenge. The productivity of jowar and bajra has increased, but only marginally. The yield of bajra was 1,079 kg per ha in 2010-11 and 1,237 kg per ha in 2017-18.
What are the lessons from the experience of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in promoting the production and consumption of millets in the Kolli hills, Tamil Nadu?
Yield enhancement was attempted by using improved seeds, new agronomic practices, and new technology.
Customised post-harvest machinery was introduced.
Another major initiative was training. Ready-to-cook products were branded.
Net returns from value-added products were five to 10 times higher than from grain.
Yields have risen as a result of improved seeds, agronomic practices and intercropping. There have been significant improvements in incomes from millet farming.
What is the way forward to increase millet cultivation in India?
Increasing the production of millets requires multiple interventions including scientific inputs, institutional mechanisms, and financial support.
There is a need to pay attention to the economics of millet cultivation.
Small farmers in hilly regions and dryland plains are going to cultivate millets only if it gives them good returns. Adequate public support can make millet cultivation profitable.
A problem of science at the Padma awards
News– The article explains the issues raised by recent conferring of Padma awards under science and engineering category to plant breeders. It also tells about general perception oif science.
What is the general perception of science?
Science is distinguished in practice by following the scientific method and the rituals of academic publishing. It is an activity that only a highly and specifically trained group of people is allowed to practise.
Its findings are presumed to be implicitly superior to knowledge that isn’t uncovered and organised by the same rules.
Why the recent Padma awards to plant breeders under the category of science raises doubts?
Successful plant breeders defy the above-mentioned perceptions of science. So, perhaps they should be rewarded under a category called ‘agriculture and seeds.
Cheruvayal K. Raman was awarded the Padma Shri for having conserved more than 50 rice varieties on a modest farm in Wayanad. He wasn’t formally trained as a botanist or scientist.
He has not published scientific papers.
Over the years, agricultural scientists have understood the scientific basis of the work of those like Mr. Raman. However, such a basis alone doesn’t make something science.
Mr. Dudekula was also awarded with Padma Shri in the ‘science and engineering’ category. He has been credited with popularizing the dietary benefits of millets.
But his prescriptions also include scientifically dubious elements such as homoeopathy; consuming millets to “prevent” or cure various cancers, diabetes; and avoiding the consumption of milk, eggs, and non-vegetarian food.
Mr. Dudekula doesn’t appear to have published any scientific papers demonstrating the efficacy of these claims.
What is the way forward?
We shouldn’t celebrate alternative systems that compromise trust in scientifically tested medicine in the midst of a pandemic and several epidemics.
Increasing access to and consumption of millets could help India reduce its frightening prevalence of anemia. But, claims of therapeutic effects against cancer is a big leap and certainly requires scrutiny.
Before conferring any Padma award in the ‘science and engineering’ category, the Indian government must ensure that a claim has been scientifically validated. It should encourage the systematic validation of all such claims before they are lauded.
GS Paper 2
‘General Assembly divided over UN reforms’
News– The article explains the reason behind the slow pace of UNSC reforms. It also explains the issues with UNSC working.
What are the reasons behind the slow pace of UNSC reforms?
The disunited state of the UN General Assembly is responsible for it. Reform of the UN Security Council was a member-driven process.
The members of the UNGA had to first come together to pass a resolution demanding the reform of the Security Council. Still, no resolution has been passed by UNGA
The General Assembly has always been very much divided. Among the 193 countries, there are five negotiating groups and they are neutralising each other.
Permanent members are not enthusiastic about reform of the UN system. But, they had all agreed that it was necessary for introducing changes in the Security Council.
What are the issues with UNSC?
The system of veto in the Security Council is 77 years old. It has become a tool to block the work of the global body and not to encourage it.
The Indian establishment views the UN as a “frozen 1945-invented mechanism”. Some powers have been singularly focused on their own advantage. They are not concerned about the well-being of the international community.
Why does India deserve to be a member of UNSC?
India had played a vital role in the past years in improving the response mechanism of the United Nations.
India has contributed in stabilising the world which had been shaken by pandemic and war in recent years.
The French Connection – France’s pension reform is a story that resonates around the ageing rich world
News: The French government now tries to push through highly unpopular pension reforms.
Why does the government want to push pension reforms?
The French government’s pension system is one of the most generous in the world. But it has long been known to be unsustainable. The entire system cost Paris just under 14% of its GDP in 2021. This led to French public debt reaching record-high levels of 115% of GDP last year.
A report last year by the Pensions Advisory Council – a French state body – predicted the system will run into a deficit in the not-too-distant future. For example, by 2027 the pension deficit will be almost $12 billion.
The Ukraine war has put extra strain on European economies that are now battling high inflation and energy crunches.
What are the reforms the French government proposes?
The government is seeking an increase in the minimum retirement age for most people from 62 to 64. It is also supporting businesses through tax cuts by ensuring pension reforms.
Note: The burgeoning public debt and demographic decline are also witnessed in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. All plan to lift the minimum retirement age to 67 over the coming years – the UK will lift it to 68.
This will ensure a more robust geopolitical role for France, both in Europe and across the world.
GS Paper 3
Known unknowns of the fertiliser subsidy
Syllabus: GS 3 – Indian Economy
Relevance: concerns associated with subsidy on fertilisers
News: The government last year came up with measures to bring down the fertiliser subsidy bill. The article provides an analysis of those measures.
What were the measures proposed by the government?
First, it asked the fertiliser companies to buy up to 20 per cent of their LNG needs directly or via the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX).
Second, the government decided to review the domestic gas pricing formula, and caps rates.
What are the problems associated with the fertilizer subsidies?
Fertilizer along with food take up a huge amount of budget.
Fertilizer subsidy goes to manufacturers, mainly urea makers, to compensate them for selling fertilizer below market rates. These fertilizer makers are the biggest consumers of imported LNG.
The cost of buying LNG is further growing due to the increasing global gas rates and stagnant domestic production. Due to which, the Finance Ministry had allotted Rs 1.05 trillion for 2022-23 to compensate fertilizer makers.
However, the amount allotted for the subsidy is expected to increase further due to the Ukraine conflict, high international prices of raw materials and finished fertilizers, currency depreciation, etc.
Moreover, a large amount of fertilizer subsidy goes to the foreign gas suppliers because 80 percent of the cost of urea is natural gas.
Therefore, it is expected that the cost of subsidy will go up for FY24. Hence, due to these difficulties, the government came with those two proposals.
How would the first proposal for asking the fertilizer companies to buy up to 20 percent of their LNG needs will lower the subsidy costs?
It will allow fertilizer companies to buy in a most cost-effective way and find an exchange most suited for their purpose. This has huge potential to save on gas subsidies.
However, the government needs to change the regulations for companies to gain from this proposal.
At present, fertilizer units source LNG using a pooling mechanism managed by Gail India. But the way the pool works is that efficient fertilizer plants end up subsidizing inefficient ones.
Even if an efficient fertilizer maker gets gas from IGX under the new 20 percent sourcing rules, it would still need to pay the difference between the IGX rate and the average pool price.
This would reduce the incentive for efficient fertilizer units to seek gas outside the pool.
Therefore, the 20 percent procurement volumes should have been kept out of the pooling price mechanism.
Moreover, the government’s second proposal to cap on domestic gas prices could help in reducing the pooled gas prices.
How would the second proposal of the government on capping the prices help in reducing the prices of gas?
The Parikh Committee recommended capping domestic gas rates, and changing the fixed prices for domestic gas from global gas benchmarks to crude oil rates.
This is because industrial customers have switched to crude-linked alternatives due to lower crude prices than gas prices.
Therefore, the adoption of recommendations could lower domestic gas prices and, thus, the pooled gas prices for fertilizer companies.
What are the challenges with India?
India has adopted these domestic policies but these domestic polices may have limited impact due to the global cause of leading to higher prices of natural gas.
The LNG production is limited and the demand is soaring all over the world which is ultimately increasing the price. Hence, the government might to have bear the burden of subsidy for a longer period.
Education challenges of employment
News: The article discusses how education is associated with employment and labour participation rate in India.
What are highlights of the data?
India suffers from a poorly educated workforce that is confined to poor quality jobs. Most employment is informal and in the unorganized sector.
For example, 48 percent of the workforce had not cleared their 10th exams, 28 percent had cleared between the 6th and 9th standards and 20 percent had cleared only the 5th standard.
Only 12 percent of the workforce was a graduate or postgraduate whereas this ratio in the US is about 44 per cent for persons of 25 years or more.
During September-December 2022, the overall unemployment rate in India was 7.5 percent but the unemployment rate for graduates was at 17.2 percent.
And in the same period, nearly 40 percent of the workforce had only high school degrees, i.e., between the 10th and 12th standards.
This shows the dismal picture of India’s labour force because labour participation rate decreases with less education.
How does the Labour Participation Rate (LPR) change with education?
The labor participation rate and the unemployment rate increase with education and vice versa.
For example, for those with an education between 10th and 12th standards, the LPR rose to 40 percent with the unemployment rising to 10.9 percent compared to those who are less educated.
Moreover, in the US, the unemployment rate drops as the education levels rise. However, it is the opposite in India.
Furthermore, the LPR among graduates is rising in India which is a positive indication for lowering unemployment rate.
What are other problems with the employment in India?
Even though the LPR has improved for graduates, the jobs for them are not growing enough to make a difference to the composition of the workforce. They have still not reclaimed their pre-Covid share in the workforce.
Moreover, other problem with the Indian workforce is that many graduates leave India for better job opportunities abroad.
India has been unsuccessful in offering adequate jobs and enough good quality jobs to its graduates.
Hedging and entrenched attitudes from India and Pakistan are a reminder that technical agreements are only a partial solution
News– The article explains India current stand on the updation of Indus Water Treaty. It explains the important legal provisions of IWT related to negotiation of disputes. It also talks about the attitude of India towards water diplomacy
What is India’s current stand on the Indus Water Treaty?
New Delhi has expressed its intention to update the Treaty to incorporate the lessons learnt over the last 62 years. It has given a 90-day notice to Islamabad.
It has claimed that the adamant position of Pakistan had made the communication channels over shared waters defunct.
India has adopted the moderate approach of not terminating but modifying the IWT.
It has attributed the breach of treaty to Pakistan’s unilateral decision to approach the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Pakistan has bypassed the mandate of Indus Commissioners. It has violated the dispute settlement mechanisms provided by Articles 8 and 9 of the Treaty.
Conversations on renegotiating and upgrading the IWT began a few years ago. In 2021, a parliamentary standing committee report suggested renegotiating the Treaty.
What are some important legal provisions of the Indus Water Treaty?
Under Article 60 of the Vienna Convention on the Laws of the Treaties, a party can criticize an agreement and give notice of its intention to terminate it if the other party violates its fundamental provisions.
Article 8 of Indus Water Treaty specifies the roles and responsibilities of the Permanent Indus Commission.
Article 9 is relevant for addressing any dispute that might emerge between the two countries.
It provides for the appointment of a neutral expert in case there is a lack of consensus among the Commissioners.
If the neutral expert believes that the difference should be treated as a dispute, it can be referred to the Court of Arbitration. However, the Commission has to report the facts to the two governments.
The report must state the points of concord in the Commission, the views of each Commissioner on these issues and also mention the issues of disagreement.
Only after receiving such a report can either of the governments address the issue bilaterally or through the Court of Arbitration.
What has been the attitude of India and Pakistan in case of water diplomacy?
Pakistan has shown an inclination for third-party mediation. India has seen Pakistan’s objection to the hydel projects as a tactic to delay them.
Both countries have opted for diplomatic hedging. This attitude has framed the water diplomacy between the two countries as well.
Pakistan has contested the Ratle project on the Chenab River on grounds of design and violations of the IWT. It asked the World Bank to establish a Court of Arbitration to look into the project. India objected to this process by claiming that it was a unilateral move.
What is the way forward for water diplomacy by India and Pakistan?
We cannot look only at legal aspects. The practice of diplomacy and the use of law for explaining and justifying government actions are equally important.
The reasoning put forward by India and Pakistan requires scrutiny. Ecological and economic concerns are also important to understand the diplomatic fault lines.
Technically-negotiated agreements are only partial solutions and can put incremental strains on transboundary rivers and their ecosystems for years.
The two countries should use bilateral dispute settlement mechanisms to discuss the sustainable uses of water resources.
Article 7 talks about future cooperation. There is a need to discuss the transboundary governance issues in holistic terms. It could be the starting point for any potential diplomatic negotiations.
21st century India needs a real-time fiscal data portal
News: Former chief economic adviser in his book mentions accounting tricks that made it difficult to gauge the precise extent of the fiscal deficit. Hence, the government should make efforts for a more transparent and accessible budget for India’s citizens and investors.
Why does India need a real-time fiscal data portal?
At the moment, fiscal data in India is fragmented, incomplete, and often comes with lags. This makes it difficult to analyse government finances across the country comprehensively.
If local body grants provided by the Union government to states are shown as entries in the budgets of both the Union and states, it will overstate government spending.
Most states do not maintain reliable and up-to-date data on off-balance sheet spending and contingent liabilities (including liabilities on account of state level public enterprises).
Different states tend to have different budgetary classifications, making inter-state comparisons difficult.
What are the committee recommendations that demand a real-time fiscal data portal?
-A 2018 committee on fiscal statistics appointed by the National Statistical Commission (NSC) argued for a complete overhaul of India’s fiscal database.
The committee found that a) local government accounts were simply unavailable for most states, b) India’s fiscal data lacks compilation, classification into suitable categories and eventual publication on a website or in printed form.
The report mentions that as many parts of the financial system have been digitized, it is possible to build a comprehensive real-time fiscal data warehouse.
-Over the years, a number of Finance Commission reports have advocated the setting up of an apex fiscal council to aggregate fiscal data. Such a council can help clean up public finance statistics and provide a more accurate view of the flow of public funds across the country.
What are the advantages of a real-time fiscal data portal?
The portal will a) inform about the funds flowing across the three tiers of government—Centre, state and local governments, b) be an invaluable resource to understand the Indian economy, c) allow India’s citizens to monitor fund flows minutely, d) improve the quality of reporting, thereby driving up the efficiency of public spending, e) allow government vendors and related businesses to plan their purchases and inventories better, f) help government to estimate borrowing needs of different levels of government accurately.
Hence, the government should create a federal fiscal organization to bring more consistent reporting standards and a real-time fiscal data portal that can bring about economy-wide efficiency gains, and pre-empt fiscal crises in the future.
Prelims Oriented Articles
Process to set up Sixteenth Finance Commission set to kick off soon
The government will soon kick off the process to set up the Sixteenth Finance Commission.
When was the last Finance Commission constituted?
The Fifteenth Finance Commission was set up in 2017 with a mandate to make recommendations for the five-year period from 2020-21.
While the Constitution requires a Finance Commission(FC) to be set up every five years, the 15th FC’s mandate was extended by a year till 2025-26. This means the report covered a period of six years instead of five.
Note: The last time an FC was granted a six-year time frame was for the 9th Finance Commission, formed in June 1987.
What will be the key challenges before the 16th Finance Commission?
Overlap with GST Council: The key challenge for the 16th FC would be the co-existence of another permanent constitutional body, the GST Council.
– This is because the GST Council’s decisions on tax rate changes could alter the revenue calculations made by the Commission for sharing fiscal resources.
Implementation of its recommendations: Centre usually takes the Finance Commission’s recommendations on States’ share of tax devolution and the trajectory for fiscal targets into account and ignores most other suggestions.
– For instance, the 15th FC has suggested creating a Fiscal Council where the Centre and States collectively work out India’s macro-fiscal management challenges, but the government has signalled there is no need for it.
– Moreover, the centre had accepted to set up a non-lapsable fund for internal security and defence ‘in principle’. But its implementation still has to be worked out.
Plan in place to eradicate invasive plant species from Kerala’s wildlife habitat
The Nodal Centre for Biological Invasions (NCBI) at the Kerala Forest Research Institute(KFRI) has come out with a management plan to eradicate Senna spectabilis.
What is Senna spectabilis?
Senna spectabilis is an invasive plant. It was introduced in India as an ornamental species and for use as firewood in South and Central America.
What is the plan prepared to eradicate Senna spectabilis?
The plan envisages landscape-level management of the tree. The two key factors considered in developing the plan were the fast nature of the spread of the tree in natural forests and the restoration of natural forests based on landscape.
The plan stipulates that there should not be an attempt to kill the trees before a detailed reforestation programme.
The invasive species has to be removed using a threefold approach for large trees, large saplings, and small saplings:
Firstly, the large trees need to be debarked from breast height downwards (1.3 m above ground level), including the collar part of the tree.
Secondly, once the trees start to dry up, their soil seed bank will become active and a large number of plantlets will sprout. The larger saplings can be uprooted using specially designed weed pullers.
The third is the removal of small plantlets which need to be removed mechanically.
Scientists spot 1st gamma-ray eclipses from strange ‘spider’ star systems
Astronomers have detected the first gamma-ray eclipses from a “spider” star system.
What are Spider Systems?
Spider systems develop because one star in a binary evolves more faster than its partner. When the more massive star goes supernova, it leaves behind a pulsar.
This stellar remnant emits beams of multiwavelength light, including gamma rays, that sweep in and out of human view, creating pulses so regular they rival the precision of atomic clocks.
Types: Spider systems are divided into two categories:
Black widow system: It contains a pulsar and a stellar companion with less than 5% of the sun’s mass.
Redback system: It partners a pulsar with a larger stellar companion that has between 10% and 50% of the mass of the sun.
What is a Binary Star?
A binary system is one in which two stars orbit around a common centre of mass, that is they are gravitationally bound to each other.
What are Pulsars?
A pulsar is a special kind of neutron star, which is the ultra-dense leftover core of a massive star.
Pulsars emit beams of radiation that sweep out in circles as the pulsar spins. When those beams flash over Earth, one can see them as regular, repeating pulses of radio emission.
Soliga ecarinata: New genus of wasp named after Soliga community in Karnataka
The scientific community has named a new genus of wasp after the Soliga community.
What is Soliga ecarinata?
Soliga ecarinata is a new wasp that belongs to the subfamily Metopiinae of the Darwin wasps family Ichneumonidae.
Scientists have named this wasp species after the Soliga community.
This is the second genus of this subfamily reported from India and the first from South India.
Who are Soligas?
Soligas are the indigenous community situated in the Biligiri Rangan Hills (B.R. Hills) in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka.
Soligas were dependent on hunting and shifting agriculture traditionally.
They are considered the first settlers of India. Their home, Biligiri Rangan Hills (B.R. Hills) was among the first areas to be declared a wildlife sanctuary in India in 1974.
In 2011, when the region was declared a tiger reserve, the Soligas were the first community to win resident rights in a tiger reserve.
Where is Biligiri Rangan Hills(B.R.Hills)?
Biligiri Rangan Hills (B.R.Hills) is a hill range situated in south-eastern Karnataka, at its border with Tamil Nadu (Erode District).
It falls under the confluence of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats.
The unique geographical positioning and diversity of habitats make BR Hills one of the richest areas for biodiversity in India.
Kelp forests losing unique traits due to climate change, says study
A recent study has revealed that Kelp forests are declining because of climate change.
What are Kelp Forests?
Kelp forests are large brown algae seaweeds. They grow in “underwater forests” in shallow oceans and nutrient-rich waters.
Generally speaking, kelps live farther from the tropics than coral reefs. However, a few species have been known to occur exclusively in tropical deep waters.
They are considered as keystone species. Kelp forests provide stabilizing shelter for sea otters, and nutrient-rich food for their prey, such as fish and sea urchins.
They help reduce coastal erosion and act as a breakwater during large storms.
They are an important source of potash and iodine. Many kelps produce algin, a complex carbohydrate useful in industries such as tire manufacturing, and the ice cream industry.
What are the key findings of the study on Kelp Forests?
Ecklonia radiata, a dominant kelp species in the Southern Hemisphere, is vulnerable to climate change, especially in regions near the equator.
Rising temperatures are causing declines in the species along the eastern Australian coastline and it is expected to decline further in the future globally.
In situ protection may not be possible, but its unique genetic diversity can be preserved through ex-situ preservation in culture banks for use in future restoration, hybridization, or adaptation strategies.
I&B Ministry issues advisory on private TV channels’ ‘public service broadcasting’ obligation
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) has issued fresh advisories with respect to the Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels in India,2022. Through the advisory, the Ministry has clarified certain points of the guidelines.
