Migration in Bengal Delta

Recently an international study titled Deltas, Vulnerability and Climate Change: Migration and Adaptation (DECMA) was published.

• The study found that the economic reasons are the precipitating factor for migration in the Indian Bengal Delta and most migrants are in the age group of 20-30 years.
• The study, held between 2014 and 2018 focusing on three deltas Ganga Brahmaputra Meghna Delta (India and Bangladesh) Volta (Ghana) and Mahanadi (India) looks into the aspect of climate change, adaptation, and migration in these deltas.

Findings of The Report

• Reasons for Migration in Delta
  • The study which covers the district of South and North 24 Parganas reveals that 64% of people migrate because of economic reasons, unsustainable agriculture, lack of economic opportunities and debt.
  • 28 % of the migration from the region is for social reasons and about 7% for environmental reasons like cyclones and flooding.
• Gender Disparity in Migration
  • The study finds a huge gender disparity in the migration out of Indian Bengal Delta, with men outnumbering women by almost five times.
  • It shows that of the people migrating 83% are men and only 17 % are women.
  • While most of the men migrate due to economic reasons, women do so, driven by mostly social factors.
• Destination of Migration
  • In terms of the destination of migrations, the study finds that 51% of migration from the Indian Bengal Delta is to other areas of the State particularly to the city of Kolkata, 10% to Maharashtra, 9% to Tamil Nadu, 7% Kerala and 6% to Gujarat.
• Type of Migration in Delta
  • 57% of migration is seasonal, where people move once or twice a year.
  • 19% is circular where those migrating move thrice a year irrespective of reasons.
  • 24% of migration is permanent where people intend to stay for at least six months in the place they are migrating to.

What is Migration?

• Migration is the movement of people from one place to another. It can be over a short or long distance, be short-term or permanent, voluntary or forced, intranational or international.

Causes of Migration

• Economic factors
  • Push factors
    • Unemployment or lack of employment opportunities
    • Rural poverty
    • Unsustainable livelihood
  • Pull factors
    • Job opportunities
    • Better income and prospects for wealth creation
    • Industrial innovation and technical know-how for a new industry
    • The pursuit of specialized education
• Sociopolitical factors
  • Push factors
    • Political instability
    • Safety and security concerns (ethnic, religious, racial or cultural persecution)
    • Conflicts or threat of a conflict
    • Inadequate or limited urban services and infrastructure (including healthcare, education, utilities, transport and water
  • Pull factors
    • Family reunification
    • Independence and freedom
    • Integration and social cohesion
    • Food security
    • Affordable and accessible urban services (including healthcare, education, utilities, and transport)
• Ecological factors
  • Push factors
    • Climate change (including extreme weather events)
    • Crop failure and scarcity of food
  • Pull factors
    • The abundance of natural resources and minerals (e.g. water, oil)
    • Favorable climate

Types of migration

• Migration can be classified in several ways. It is usually categorized:
  • By political boundaries
    • Internal migration – Migration occurring within a country from crossing political boundaries, either within a state or between states, whether urban to rural, urban to urban, rural to rural, or rural to urban.
    • International migration – Migration occurring across country boundaries. Such migrants are known as immigrants (coming into a foreign country) and emigrants (leaving their own country)
  • By movement pattern
    • Step migration: Migration initiating from a small settlement and moving to a larger one in the urban hierarchy over the years.Such as movement from a farm to a village, then to a town and subsequently to a suburb (if applicable) and finally into a city.
    • Circular migration: Cyclical migration experiences between an origin and a destination with at least one migration and return.
      • Seasonal migration is a very common form of circular migration, driven by seasonal peaks in labor demand, mostly in agriculture.
      • Return migration refers to a one-time emigration and returns after an extended stay outside the host territory.
      • Chain migration: Migration of families at different stages of the life cycle from one location to the next, who subsequently bring people from their home location to this new place.
  • By decision-making approach
    • Voluntary migration: Based on a person’s free will, initiative and desire to live in a better place and to improve their financial status, among other factors.
    • Involuntary migration: Based on a person’s being forced out of their home due to certain unfavorable environmental and political situations.

Benefits of Migration

• The areas of destinations benefit due to the reduction in the cost of production, availability of the human resource, rising productivity, size of consumer and capital market.
• At the same time, areas of origin also benefit through the flow of remittances, information, and innovations influencing the households and people left behind.

Issues Related to Migration

• Low-quality jobs: Migrants mostly dominate the low-paying, hazardous and informal market jobs in key sectors in urban destinations, such as construction, hotel, textile, manufacturing, transportation, services, domestic work etc.
• Access to employment: Certain states have introduced domicile requirements with regard to employment. This puts migrants at a disadvantage.
• Housing and sanitation: One of the key issues with regard to housing is poor supply, for both ownership and rental. Short-term migrants do not have access to short-duration accommodation. So migrants live in overcrowded colonies in unhygienic conditions.
• Exploitation and intimidation: Usually migrants are exploited at the behest of the majoritarian native population, they are the target of social profiling, stereotyping, abuse and are made to work under exploitative conditions with no social security cover. e.g. Gujarat migrant crisis.

New Hydro Policy

The government, under New Hydroelectricity Policy, has approved ‘renewable energy status’ for large hydel projects.

Earlier, only smaller projects of less than 25 Megawatt (MW) in capacity were categorised as renewable energy. Large hydro projects were treated as a separate source of energy.

Renewable Energy Sector

• India’s renewable energy sector had an installed capacity of 75,055.92 MW as of February 2019, according to data with the Central Electricity Authority.
  • This made up about 21.4% of the overall energy mix, with the rest coming from thermal, nuclear and large hydro sources.
  • However, with the inclusion of large hydro in renewable energy, the energy mix will change drastically.
  • Renewable energy capacity would now be 1,20,455.14 MW or 34.4% of the overall energy mix.
• This policy will also drastically change the renewable energy mix as well.
  • Before February 2019, the wind energy contributed nearly 50% of all renewable energy capacity, it will now make up only 29.3%.
  • Similarly, solar energy’s share will fall from 34.68% to 21.61%.
  • The hydro sector, however, will see its share grow from just over 6% to over 41%.

Impact

• Hydroelectric energy provides grid stability which a renewable source like wind and solar do not. The key reasoning seems to be providing grid stability and a better energy mix.
• There has been a huge imbalance in the thermal-hydro mix for the last few years because of a sharp growth in thermal and complete stagnation in hydro.
• This reclassification will immediately help India achieve its target of 175 GW by 2022.
• Another benefit from the policy could be the positive impact on the stock prices of State-run hydroelectric companies such as Sutlej Jal Vikas Nigam (SJVN)
• This will help large hydel projects avail cheaper credit and increase demand from distribution companies for cleaner energy.
  • State distribution companies will be obliged to purchase a certain percentage of hydropower—similar to renewable purchase obligations. This will create a market for hydropower, making the sector competitive.
• These projects will not only get the budgetary support for infrastructure, but will also be able to access “green finance”.

Important Facts For Prelims (18th March 2019)

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

• Recent trials of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) have shown that it is just as useful in younger and healthier patients as it has been for old and sick patients.
• The procedure, TAVR, has been reserved mostly for patients so old and sick who might not survive open-heart surgery.
• TAVR and an open heart surgery both can be done to replace failing Aortic Valves. TAVR is also known as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI).
• In an open heart surgery, the chest is surgically separated (open) for the procedure. While, the TAVR or TAVI procedures can be done through very small openings that leave all the chest bones in place.
• With TAVR, recovery time is less for patient and and also has lower risks of disabling strokes and death, compared to open-heart surgery.

India’s First Lokpal

• Former Supreme Court judge and current member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Pinaki Chandra Ghose, is likely to be India’s first anti-corruption ombudsman or Lokpal.
• His name was cleared and recommended by the high-level selection committee chaired by the Prime Minister.
  • Other members of the selection committee are Chief Justice of India, Lok Sabha Speaker, and an eminent jurist.
  • Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, who is part of the committee, did not attend the meeting after he was invited as “special invitee.”
  • He had leader refused to attend earlier meetings too, protesting against his being invited as a “special invitee.”
• The government was prompted to make the selection after the Supreme Court set the February-end deadline.
• Justice Ghose, 67, who is a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) since June 2017, retired from the Supreme Court on May 27, 2017.

CAPEX

• According to a recent study by Reserve Bank of India, the projects sanctioned in the first half of 2018-19 show recovery in the capital expenditure (CapEx) cycle.

What Are Capital Expenditures (CapEx)?

• Capital expenditures, commonly known as CapEx, are funds used by a company to acquire, upgrade, and maintain physical assets such as property, buildings, an industrial plant, technology or equipment.
• Capital expenditures might include:
  • Plant and equipment purchases,
  • Building expansion and improvements,
  • Hardware purchases, such as computers,
  • Vehicles to transport goods.

India’s First Missile Tracking Ship

• Initial sea trials of India’s First Missile Tracking Ship (VC 11184) has been successful.
• India’s first Missile Tracking Ship (a kind of ocean surveillance ship) has been built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL).
• The ship is being built for the National Technical Research Organisation, the technical intelligence agency working directly under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s Office and the National Security Adviser.
• India will now be among the few countries to operate a ship such as this. It will be inducted in the Indian Navy once sea trials are completed.
• Other Countries that have a missile tracking ship are Russia, US, China, and France.
• It will be named after its induction into the Indian Navy. For now, it is simply called as VC 11184.
• A tracking ship also called a missile range instrumentation ship or range ship is a ship equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets.

INS Khanderi

• Indian Navy will induct the second Scorpene submarine Khanderi by early May 2019.
• It is a part of six Scorpene submarines manufactured by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).
• The other submarines in Scorpene Class are INS Kalvari joined service in December 2017.
• Karanj which is in advanced stage of trials and could be ready for induction by year end.
• The remaining submarines(Vela, Vagir, and Vagsheer) in the series are in advanced stages of manufacturing and trials.
• Indian Navy has two Nuclear-powered submarines Arihant class(India) & Chakra class(Russia); 14 Diesel-electric submarines 4 German HDW(Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft) class, 9 Sindhughosh class(Kilo Class)(Indo-Russian), & 1 Kalvari class(Indo-French).

Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)

• India’s first real estate investment trust (REIT) is now available for investment.
• Embassy Office Parks, a Bangalore-based real estate developer has launched initial public offering (IPO) for first REIT.