Doubling Farmers Income

Why in News

Recently, the Central Government admitted that no actual assessment of farm income has been carried out since 2013.

• The Government of India in its Annual Budget 2016-17 set a policy target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • Agriculture sustains livelihood for more than half of India's total population. Doubling farmers’ income in such a short period is an overwhelming task for decision makers, scientists and policy makers because of its continued role in employment, income and most importantly in national food security.
  • Doubling farmers’ income is possible through increasing total output and better price realization in the market, reduction in production costs,diversification of product, efficient post-harvest management, value addition, etc.
• Data Related to Indian Farmers:

• Related Steps Taken by Government:
  
  • Institutional Reforms:
    
    • Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Soil health card, and Prampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana: Aiming to raise output and reduce cost.
    • Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana: To provide insurance against crop and income loss and to encourage investment in farming.
    • Interlinking of rivers - To raise output and farm incomes.
    • Operation Greens: To address price volatility of perishable commodities like Tomato, Onion and Potato (TOP).
    • PM Kisan Sampada Yojana: To promote food processing in a holistic manner.
  • Technological Reforms:
    
    • Initiating E-NAM: The National Agriculture Market (eNAM) is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
    • Technology mission on cotton: It aims to increase the income of the cotton growers by reducing the cost of cultivation as well as by increasing the yield per hectare through proper transfer of technology to the growers.
    • Technology Mission on Oilseeds, Pulses and Maize (TMOPM): Few schemes implemented under TMOPM are: Oilseeds Production Programme (OPP), National Pulses Development Project (NPDP), etc.
    • Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH): It is a scheme for the holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root & tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.
    • Sugar Technology Mission: Aimed at reducing the cost of production of sugar and improving sugar quality through steps for improvements in productivity, energy conservation and improvements in capital output ratio.
    • National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture: It aims at promoting sustainable agriculture through a series of adaptation measures focusing on ten key dimensions encompassing Indian agriculture namely; ‘Improved crop seeds, livestock and fish cultures’, ‘Water Use Efficiency’, ‘Pest Management’, ‘Improved Farm Practices’, ‘Nutrient Management’, ‘Agricultural insurance’, ‘Credit support’, ‘Markets’, ‘Access to Information’ and ‘Livelihood diversification’.
    • In addition, schemes relating to tree plantation (Har Medh Par Ped), Bee Keeping, Dairy and Fisheries are also implemented.
• Need and Challenges: To achieve the target of doubling farmers' income by 2022, the Economic Survey 2021 has highlighted few basic challenges which needs to be addressed:
  
  • Extension of Irrigation Facilities:
    
    • The coverage of irrigation facilities needs to be extended while ensuring an effective water conservation mechanism.
  • Improve Agricultural Credit:
    
    • An inclusive approach to provision for agricultural credit has to be undertaken to address the issue of skewness in its regional distribution, it said.
  • Land Reform:
    
    • As the proportion of small and marginal holdings is significantly large, land reform measures like freeing up land markets can help farmers improve their Income.
  • Boost to Allied Sectors:
    
    • Allied sectors, such as animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries, need to be given a boost to provide an assured secondary source of employment and income, especially for small and marginal farmers.
  • Farm Mechanisation:
    
    • There is also a need to address the issue of lower farm mechanisation in India which is only about 40% as compared to about 60% in China and around 75 % in Brazil.
  • Improving Food Processing Sector:
    
    • More focussed attention" is required to be given to the sector due to its significant role in reducing post-harvest losses and creation of an additional market for farm outputs.
      
      • The food processing sector is growing at an average annual growth rate of more than 5% over the last six years ending 2017-18.
  • Exploring Global Markets:
    
    • There is a need to give increased focus on exploring global markets for agricultural commodities to give an additional source of market for the surplus of agricultural produce India currently has.
  • Reallocation of Labour:
    
    • There is also a need to reallocate labour resources to other sectors.
    • Though the structural transformations involved a falling share of the agriculture sector and rising share of services sector jobs, more needs to be done to create manufacturing jobs to absorb the large pool of workers.
  • Other Issues:
    
    • Issues such as investment in agriculture, insurance coverage, water conservation, improved yields through better farming practices, access to market, availability of institutional credit, increasing the linkages between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors need urgent attention.

Way Forward

• The low level of farmers' income and year to year fluctuations in it are a major source of agrarian distress.
• To secure the future of agriculture and to improve the livelihood of half of India's population, adequate attention needs to be given to improve the welfare of farmers and raise agricultural income.
• It is essential to mobilize States and UTs to own and achieve the goal of doubling farmers' income with active focus on capacity building (technology adoption and awareness) of farmers that will be the catalyst to boost farmers income.
• The National Sample Survey Office’s last survey on agricultural households was conducted in 2013. There has been no further assessment of the farmers income. Therefore there is an urgent need to track the progress of farmers.

Source: TH

Falling Numbers of SC & ST Students in IITs

Why in News

Recently, data collected from a series of Right to Information (RTI) applications pertaining to five older Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), has indicated that the acceptance rate is skewed against students from the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities.

• SC and ST applicants are half as likely to get selected for a Ph.D. programme at IITs as aspirants from the General Category (GC) are.

Key Points

• Data from the RTI Applications:
  
  • Acceptance Rate:
    
    • It refers to the number of students selected for every 100 students who applied.
      
      • It stood at 4% for students from General Category (GC).
      • It falls to 2.7% for OBC students and further down to just 2.16% for SCs and 2.2% for STs.
    • This finding comes against the backdrop of the Education Ministry’s data submitted to Parliament in 2020 showing the failure of the IITs to fill Ph.D. seats as per reservation.
      
      • The government’s reservation policy mandates allocation of 15% seats for students from the SCs, 7.5% from STs and 27% from OBCs.
  • Significance:
    
    • The IITs have often cited the lack of applicants from the marginalised communities for the situation. However, the RTI data reveals quite the opposite.
    • The percentage of GC students among those admitted was always higher than their percentage among those applied. However, the converse was true for SC, ST and OBC candidates.
• Education Ministry's Data:
  
  • Of the total admissions made by all IITs from 2015 to 2019, only 9.1% went to SC and 2.1% to ST.
  • Only 23.2% seats went to applicants from the OBCs. Remaining 65.6%, or roughly two-thirds of all the seats, went to General Category applicants.

• Reasons for Falling Rate:
  
  • Given by IITs:
    
    • Eligibility Issue:
      
      • Some institutions could not even fill all the seats in the general category since they did not get enough eligible candidates.
    • Economic Causes:
      
      • Students of the required calibre tend to take up industry jobs rather than join for a PhD which has extra uncertainties and lower income levels during PhD and in some areas even post PhD.
      • It is possible that the family background and economic level may have an impact on such candidates applying for a PhD.
  • Argument of 'Merit':
    
    • There has been long-standing opposition among IIT administrators and faculty to reservations, which they see as a form of unjust government intervention in their meritocratic institutions.
    • The recent report of an Education Ministry-constituted committee recommended the abolition of reservation in faculty recruitment.
      
      • The committee based its recommendations primarily on arguments claiming the need for IITs to maintain their academic excellence and the lack of candidates from the reserved categories who fulfil the qualification criteria.
  • A More Systematic Problem:
    
    • The problem is also of practice and access to quality school education, leading to poor base.
• Advantages of following the Reservation Policy:
  
  • An Example to Other Institutions:
    
    • The IITs are and should continue to be institutions of national importance. But they also have social functions.
    • They should set an example to other institutions by creating opportunities for and encourage the underprivileged communities to excel in research and innovation.
  • Bridging Inequalities:
    
    • Affirmative action and caste-based reservation can help bridge inequalities in society, enable the underprivileged to have access to quality education, promote diversity, and, more importantly, remove obstacles to equality and correct the past wrongs.

Way Forward

• Policy intervention has to begin sooner, in the early school years, to attempt to equalise opportunities in education.
• In addition, negative attitudes, perceptions and stereotypes about the ability of students belonging to the SC/ST groups are a major hurdle. Policy should recognise how such perceptions hold back individuals and groups, and seriously attempt to think of ways to alter these.
• Diversity issues can also be addressed through outreach campaigns.

Source:TH

Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020

Why in News

Recently, the Parliament has passed the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020. The Bill seeks to provide greater autonomy in decision-making to 12 major ports in the country and professionalise their governance by setting up boards.

• It also seeks to replace the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963.
• India has 12 major ports - Deendayal (erstwhile Kandla), Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar (earlier Ennore), V O Chidambarnar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia).

Key Points

• Salient Features:
  
  • Board of Major Port Authority:
    
    • About: The Bill provides for the creation of a Board of Major Port Authority for each major port. These Boards will replace the existing Port Trusts.
      
      • Under the 1963 Act, all major ports are managed by the respective Board of Port Trusts that have members appointed by the central government.
    • Composition:
      
      • Provision has been made for inclusion of representatives of State Government in which the Major Port is situated, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Defence and Customs, Department of Revenue as Members in the Board.
      • It will also include a Government Nominee Member and a Member representing the employees of the Major Port Authority.
    • Powers:
      
      • The Bill allows the Board to use its property, assets and funds as deemed fit for the development of the major port.
      • It will also have the powers to fix reference tariffs for various port services.
        
        • Further, PPP (Public Private Partnership) operators will be free to fix tariff- based on market conditions.
      • Provisions of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & development of infrastructure by the Port Authority have been introduced.
  • Adjudicatory Board:
    
    • An Adjudicatory Board will be created to carry out the residual function of the erstwhile TAMP (Tariff Authority for Major Ports), to look into disputes between ports and PPP concessionaires.
      
      • TAMP has been a multi-member statutory body with a mandate to fix tariffs levied by major port trusts under the control of the Centre and private terminals, therein.
  • Penalties:
    
    • Any person contravening any provision of the Bill or any rules or regulations will be punished with a fine of up to one lakh rupees.
• Aims:
  
  • Decentralization: Decentralizing decision making and to infuse professionalism in governance of major ports.
  • Trade and Commerce: To promote the expansion of port infrastructure and facilitate trade and commerce.
  • Decision Making: It imparts faster and transparent decision making benefiting the stakeholders and better project execution capability.
  • Reorienting Models: Reorienting the governance model in central ports to landlord port model in line with the successful global practice.
• Significance:
  
  • Level-Playing Field:
    
    • This Bill is going to create a level-playing field not just between major and private ports but also between major port terminals and PPP terminals.
    • Within major ports, PPP terminal players, too, have had to take tariff approvals from the TAMP. The Bill, however, eliminates taking approval from the body.
    • Due to this, investment in PPP is expected to go up at major ports in the coming years.
  • In Line with Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan:
    
    • The move will certainly pave the way for driving the country's vision towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat and making India a global manufacturing hub.
    • In terms of volume, 70% of cargo movement is through ports while 90% in value terms.
• Criticism:
  
  • It has been alleged that the Bill is aimed at privatising the ports and diluting the powers of the states on land use.

Way Forward

• Though the new Bill addresses big hurdles that major ports have been facing, service quality and marketing are lacking at these ports as compared to private ones.
• Creation of a mechanism is not enough. Under the proposed landlord port model, the board that is created must use the autonomy granted to it. The board has to operate with freedom and take decisions to improve service quality, efficiency, land usage, asset-monetisation, tariff setting and dispute resolution, among other issues.

Source: PIB

Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021

Why in News

The Lok Sabha has passed the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to check misuse by “fly-by-night operators” who take advantage of the law to get favourable awards by fraud.

• The Bill intends to replace the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) ordinance issued in November, 2020.

Key Points

• Features of the Bill:
  
  • Qualifications of Arbitrators:
    
    • It does away with the qualifications of the arbitrators under 8^th Schedule of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 which specified that the arbitrator must be:
      
      • An advocate under the Advocates Act, 1961 with 10 years of experience, or
      • An officer of the Indian Legal Service.
    • The qualifications for accreditation of arbitrators is proposed to be prescribed by regulations to be framed by an arbitration council to be set up.
  • Unconditional Stay on Awards:
    
    • If the Award is being given on the basis of a fraudulent agreement or corruption, then the court can grant an unconditional stay as long as an appeal under Section 34 of the arbitration law is pending.
• Benefits:
  
  • Would bring about parity among all the stakeholders in the arbitration process.
    
    • All the stakeholders get an opportunity to seek unconditional stay on enforcement of arbitral awards where the agreement or contract is “induced by fraud or corruption”.
  • Checking misuse of the provisions under Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 would save the taxpayers money by holding those accountable who siphoned off of them unlawfully.
• Drawbacks:
  
  • India already lags behind when it comes to the enforcement of international contracts and agreements. The Bill can further hamper the spirit of Make in India campaign and deteriorate rankings in Ease of Doing Business Index.
  • India aims to become a hub of domestic and international arbitration. Through the implementation of these legislative changes, resolution of commercial disputes could take longer duration now onwards.

Arbitration Council of India

• Constitutional Background: The Constitution of India, Article 51, India is obliged to endeavour to:
  
  • Foster respect for international law and treaty obligations in the dealings of organised peoples with one country.
  • Encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration. ACI is a step in realisation of this constitutional obligation.
• Objective: The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2019 seeks to establish an independent body called the Arbitration Council of India (ACI) for the promotion of arbitration, mediation, conciliation and other alternative dispute redressal mechanisms.
  
  • Arbitration: It is a process in which disputes resolve between the parties by appointing an independent third party who is an impartial and neutral person called arbitrator. Arbitrators hear both the parties before arriving at a solution to their dispute.
  • Conciliation: It is a process in which disputes resolve between the parties by appointing a conciliator who helps (amicable) the disputed parties to arrive at a negotiated settlement. Settling the dispute without litigation, it is an informal process. He does so by lowering tensions, improving communication, interpreting issues, providing technical help.
• Composition of the ACI:
  
  • The ACI will consist of a Chairperson who is either:
    
    • A Judge of the Supreme Court; or
    • A Judge of a High Court; or
    • Chief Justice of a High Court; or
    • An eminent person with expert knowledge in conduct of arbitration.
  • Other members will include an eminent arbitration practitioner, an academician with experience in arbitration, and government appointees.
• Appointment of Arbitrators: Under the Act, the Supreme Court and High Courts may designate arbitral institutions, which parties can approach for the appointment of arbitrators.
  
  • For international commercial arbitration, appointments will be made by the institution designated by the Supreme Court.
  • For domestic arbitration, appointments will be made by the institution designated by the concerned High Court.
  • In case there are no arbitral institutions available, the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court may maintain a panel of arbitrators to perform the functions of the arbitral institutions.
  • An application for appointment of an arbitrator is required to be disposed of within 30 days.

Source:IE

Dickinsonia: Earliest Known Living Animal

Why in News

Recently, researchers have discovered three fossils of the earliest known living animal, the 550-million-year-old ‘Dickinsonia’ on the roof of the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters.

• The fossils were found in the roof of the Auditorium Cave at Bhimbetka Rock Shelters.

Note:

• It was believed that sponges were the oldest living organism however there is currently no evidence that sponge-like animals conquered the oceans before 540 million years ago, when the first unambiguous fossils of sponges and most other groups of animals start to appear in the geological record.
• The earliest evidence for animals on Earth is now the 558 million-years-old Dickinsonia and other Ediacaran animals.

Key Points

• About Dickinsonia:
  • Discovery:
    
    • In September 2018, an international team of researchers claimed to have discovered the world’s oldest fossil of Dickinsonia, which first appeared around 571 million to 541 million years ago.
    • Current fossil evidence dates back around 100 million years from Dickinsonia.
  • Period and Area:
    
    • It is an extinct genus of basal animal that lived during the late Ediacaran period in what is now Australia, Russia and Ukraine.
      
      • Basal animals are animals which have radial symmetry in their body plans. They have very simple bodies and tend to be diploblastic (derived from only two embryonic cell layers).
  • Appearance:
    
    • Thought to represent the earliest flowering of complex multicellular life on our planet, these creatures arose in a world devoid of predators, and had no need for hard protective carapaces or skeletons.
      
      • Their soft, squishy bodies resembled tubes, fronds or even thin, quilted pillows, they bore scant similarity to the anatomy of animals today.
  • Classification:
    
    • Its affinities are presently unknown, its mode of growth is consistent with a stem-group bilaterian affinity, though some have suggested that it belongs to the fungi or even an “extinct kingdom”.
    • The discovery of cholesterol molecules in fossils of Dickinsonia lends support to the idea that Dickinsonia was an animal.
• Significance:
  
  • It is further proof of the similar paleoenvironments and confirms assembly of Gondwanaland by the 550 Ma (mega annum).
    
    • A paleoenvironment is simply an environment that has been preserved in the rock record at some time in the past.
    • Mega-annum, usually abbreviated as Ma, is a unit of time equal to one million years.
      • It is commonly used in scientific disciplines such as geology, paleontology, and celestial mechanics to signify very long time periods in the past.
  • This finding could help scientists better understand the interaction of geology and biology that triggered the evolution of complex life on Earth.
• Bhimbetka Caves:
  
  • History and Period Span:
    
    • The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site in central India that spans the prehistoric Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, as well as the historic period.
    • It exhibits the earliest traces of human life in India and evidence of Stone Age starting at the site in Acheulian times.
    • It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of seven hills and over 750 rock shelters distributed over 10 km.
  • Discovery:
    
    • The Bhimbetka rock shelters were found by V S Wakankar in1957.
  • Location:
    
    • It is located in Raisen District between Hoshangabad and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.
      
      • It is about 40 kilometres south-east of Bhopal in the foothills of the Vindhya Mountains.
  • Paintings:
    
    • Some of the Bhimbetka rock shelters feature prehistoric cave paintings and the earliest are about 10,000 years old (c. 8,000 BCE), corresponding to the Indian Mesolithic.
    • Most of these are done in red and white on the cave walls.
    • A multitude of themes were covered in this form of rock art and it depicted scenes like singing, dancing, hunting and other common activities of the people staying there.
      
      • The oldest of the cave paintings in Bhimbetka is believed to be about 12,000 years ago.

Source:TH

Thar Desert

Why in News

The Pakistan Army is holding a month-long exercise code-named ‘Jidar-ul-Hadeed’ in the Thar Desert. The aim is to prepare for conflict in extreme desert environments.

• A multinational naval exercise hosted by Pakistan, Aman-2021, has also begun in the Arabian Sea. 45 countries, including the USA, Russia, China and Turkey, will be participating in the exercise.

Key Points

• Name:
  
  • The name, Thar is derived from thul, the general term for the region’s sand ridges.
• Location:
  
  • It is located partly in Rajasthan state, northwestern India, and partly in Punjab and Sindh provinces, eastern Pakistan.
• About the Area:
  
  • The Thar Desert is an arid region that covers over 2,00,000 sq km. It forms a natural boundary along the border between India and Pakistan.
  • The surface consists of aeolian (wind-deposited) sand that has accumulated over the past 1.8 million years.
  • The desert presents an undulating surface, with high and low sand dunes separated by sandy plains and low barren hills, or bhakars, which rise abruptly from the surrounding plains.
    
    • The dunes are in continual motion and take on varying shapes and sizes.
    • Barchan, also spelled Barkhan, crescent-shaped sand dune produced by the action of wind predominately from one direction. One of the commonest types of dunes, it occurs in sandy deserts all over the world.
• Surrounding Areas:
  
  • It is bordered by the irrigated Indus River plain to the west, the Punjab Plain to the north and northeast, the Aravalli Range to the southeast, and the Rann of Kachchh to the south.
• Climate:
  
  • The subtropical desert climate there results from persistent high pressure and subsidence at that latitude.
    
    • The prevailing southwest monsoon winds that bring rain to much of the subcontinent in summer tend to bypass the Thar to the east.
• Saline Lakes:
  
  • Several playas (saline lake beds), locally known as dhands, are scattered throughout the region.
• Flora and Fauna:
  
  • The region produces herbaceous plants like cactus, neem, khejri, acacia nilotica among others. All these plants can accommodate themselves to high or low temperatures and difficult climatic conditions.
  • The desert also houses the residents of the wild like the leopard, the Asiatic wild cat (Felis silvestris ornata), the chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), the chinkara (Gazella bennettii), the Bengal desert fox (Vulpes bengalensis), the Blackbuck (antelope) and several species of reptiles.

Source:TH