Multidimensional Poverty Index by UNDP and OPHI

The 2018 global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released  by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) projected that about 1.3 billion people live in multidimensional poverty globally.

Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)

• The Multidimensional Poverty Index was launched by the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI) in 2010.
• MPI is based on the idea that poverty is not unidimensional (not just depends on income and one individual may lack several basic needs like education, health etc.), rather it is multidimensional.
• The index shows the proportion of poor people and the average number of deprivations each poor person experiences at the same time.
• MPI is significant as it recognizes poverty from different dimensions compared to the conventional methodology that measures poverty only from the income or monetary terms.
• MPI uses three dimensions and ten indicators which are:
  • Education: Years of schooling and child enrollment (1/6 weightage each, total 2/6);
  • Health: Child mortality and nutrition (1/6 weightage each, total 2/6);
  • Standard of living: Electricity, flooring, drinking water, sanitation, cooking fuel and assets (1/18 weightage each, total 2/6)
• A person is multidimensionally poor if she/he is deprived in one third or more (means 33% or more) of the weighted indicators (out of the ten indicators). Those who are deprived in one half or more of the weighted indicators are considered living in extreme multidimensional poverty.
• Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, UNDP has closely aligned the MPI with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as MPI is one of the preeminent tools to understand the many forms of poverty experienced by those left behind.
• The 2018 global MPI sharpens the picture of poverty worldwide, but it is about more than SDG-1 (End poverty in all its forms everywhere). The MPI assesses the intersecting impact of policy choices across multiple SDGs, and it gives evidence to support integrated responses to complex development challenges.
• A key advantage of the MPI is that it not only provides a headline number for each country, but it can also be broken down by indicator to show what deprivations create poverty in that country.
• However, it must be recognized  that the MPI alone still does not give the full and precise picture of poverty deprivations. There are other complementary instruments, such as Human Development Index and related indices, that shed light on different parts of the picture.

Key Findings

• 1.34 billion people live in multidimensional poverty in the 105 developing countries which means they are deprived in at least one-third of
  overlapping deprivations in health, education, and living standards, lacking such things as clean water, sanitation, adequate nutrition, or primary
  education. They are found in every region and every country, showing that acute poverty remains a global phenomenon.
• Multidimensional poverty is found in all developing regions of the world, but it is particularly acute in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. These two regions account together for more than 80% of all multidimensionally poor people in the world.
• East Asia, despite having the largest population, has a much smaller share of the world’s multidimensionally poor people.
• Least developed countries (LDCs) are the poorest. Nearly 60% of the population in the LDCs are multidimensionally poor with an average of more than 50% of weighted deprivations experienced by the poor.
• About 46% of those who are multidimensionally poor – live in severe poverty, that is, they are deprived in at least half of the  weighted indicators in health, education, and living standards.
• Multidimensional poverty is much more intense in rural areas as compared to the urban areas. The starkest differences between rural and urban poverty are in countries of Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Half of all multidimensionally poor people are children under 18 years of age. Among these children, around 40% live in severe poverty. And in terms of conflict, one-third of the MPI poor children live in ‘alert’ level fragile states, and child poverty levels are the highest in the weakest of the fragile states.
• The MPI includes indicators of children’s achievements such as school attendance and nutrition. It includes indicators that affect children’s life chances, such as adequate sanitation, safe water, housing, and clean cooking fuel. And it reflects household features that shape children’s lives, such as whether a child has died and whether anyone has six years of schooling.
• Given that demographically the world has more children than, probably, it ever has had, the high prevalence of child poverty is a clarion call for action.

In Context of India

• India is the first country for which progress over time has been estimated. It is the only country at present with strictly harmonized data on changes in MPI over time .
• The pressing question for India as for all the developing regions  – is whether rates of progress similar to those India demonstrated 2005/6–2015/16 will be realized in the ensuing years.
• India has made momentous progress in reducing multidimensional poverty. The incidence of multidimensional poverty was almost halved between 2005/6 and 2015/16, climbing down to 27.5% from 55% within ten years. However, the country still has the largest number of people living in  multidimensional poverty in the world (364 million people).
• Of all the poor people in India, just over one in four has not yet celebrated their tenth birthday. However, multidimensional poverty among children under 10 has fallen the fastest. When considering the durable and lifetime consequences of childhood deprivation, particularly in nutrition and schooling, this is a tremendously good sign for India’s future.
• Traditionally disadvantaged subgroups such as rural dwellers, lower castes and tribes, Muslims, and young children are still the poorest in 2015/16. For example, half of the people belonging to any of the Scheduled Tribes communities are MPI poor, whereas only 15% of the higher castes are MPI poor. Every third Muslim is multidimensionally poor, compared to every sixth Christian.
• Among states, Jharkhand had the greatest improvement, with Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Nagaland only slightly behind. However, Bihar is still the poorest state in 2015/16, with more than half of its population in poverty.
• In 2015/16, the four poorest states – Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh – were still home to  about 200 million MPI poor people – over half of all the MPI poor people in India.
• This positive trend of pro-poor poverty reduction is seen also across religions and caste groups. In both cases, the poorest groups (Muslims and Scheduled Tribes) reduced poverty the most over the ten years from 2005/6 to 2015/16. Yet these two groups still have the highest rates of poverty. For instance, while 80% of those who identified themselves as being in a Scheduled Tribe had been poor in 2005/6, in 2015/16, 50% of people belonging Scheduled Tribes are still poor.
• But the landscape of the poorest has improved dramatically and, if current trends continue, is set to change. The poorest groups – across states, castes, religions, and ages – had the biggest reductions in MPI 2005/6 to 2015/16, showing that they have been “catching up,” though they still experience much higher rates of poverty.

Conclusion

• After a decade of impressive progress India’s 2015/16 MPI, India can be seen as a global representative of the developing regions in countering acute multidimensional poverty.
• Achieving such a step-change in the landscape of multidimensional poverty requires far more than mere measurement.
• It requires apt policy analysis. It requires steady and consistent attention by those working in governments, civil society organizations, international agencies, and social movements. And it requires innovative leadership by persons in the private sector, by philanthropists, and, most of all, by poor people and their communities. 

Government Launches Registry of Sexual Offenders

Union Home Ministry has launched the National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO).

• It is a central database of “sexual offenders” in the country.
• India became the ninth country in the world to have a National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO).

Background

• The proposal to set up a registry was suggested after the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case in New Delhi.
• According to NCRB, there was a 12% rise in rapes in 2016, as compared to 2015. 
• According to government figures released in December 2017, a child is sexually abused every 15 minutes. More than 36 thousand cases were registered in different sections of the POCSO Act in 2016.

National Database on Sexual Offenders

• National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO) will be maintained by the National Crime Record Bureau(NCRB). 
• The database will include offenders convicted under charges of rape, gang rape, POCSO and eve teasing.
• At present, the database contains 4.4 lakh entries. The State Police will regularly update the database from 2005 onwards.
• The database includes the name, address, photograph and fingerprint details for each offender.
• The national sex offenders database shall contain records related to offenders across India who have been
  • arrested & charge sheeted for a sexual offense
  • convicted for the sexual offense
  • The above categories are further subdivided into the juvenile offender’s list and the adult offender’s list, and there is a provision to subdivide the list into various other subcategories such as Pedophile etc. based on flags to be set by District nodal officer.
• The Information on “Arrested and Charge sheeted” Offenders will be available only to Law Enforcement Agencies, whereas the Data for “Convicted” Offenders will be made accessible to the public.
• In the United States, the sex offender registry is available to the public, whereas, in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and Trinidad & Tobago, the registry is available only to law enforcement agencies.
• The non-sexual offenses committed by the sexual offender will also be integrated into this database so that investigating agencies can have a holistic view of the offender for better profiling.
• Data Retention Policy
  • The data for the sexual offenders shall be retained for a period specified in the Tier Definition.
    • Tier-1 indicates that the person poses a low danger to the community and is not likely to engage in criminal sexual conduct for instances cases related to elopement, consensual sex (with major) etc.
    • Tier-2 indicates that the person poses a moderate danger to the community and may continue to engage in criminal sexual conduct. This would contain cases of rape by known persons, family, incest etc.
    • Tier-3 indicates that the person poses a serious danger to the community and will continue to engage in criminal sexual conduct. Crimes habitual offenders, violent criminals and cases related to gang rape, custodial rape, rape and murder, brutalization with rape etc.
  • Tier-wise data retention is as follows
    • Tier-I - 15 Years - On repeat offense, 25 Years.
    • Tier-II - 25 Years - On repeat offense, for Life.
    • Tier-III - for Life.
• Provision for Removal
  • There is a provision of removal of the offender from the database after acquittal from the courts or after the expiry of the time period, the actual removal shall be done by the District/State nodal officers.
  • There is a provision to retain the record in case the nodal officer is of the opinion that the offender continues to be a threat to the society, even though he is acquitted.

Why it is necessary?

• NDSO is a part of efforts to strengthen the security of women and children.
• NDSO will be helpful to the law enforcement agencies especially in the investigation where offenders commit the crime after migrating into a state.
• The registry can help in better monitoring of an offender after he is out of the prison and it may also act as a deterrence for repeat offenders.
• It can also help in prosecution and fast-tracking of cases.

Concerns

• Privacy Concerns
  • The data will be available online, thus there are concerns regarding the safety of data and the privacy of data especially regarding juvenile offenders.
  • Also, there should be no misuse of data for harassment of individuals after they have completed their sentence.

  • The State must ensure that there is no overreach and misuse of the list. The absence of laws to protect privacy and on data protection in India raises concerns.

• Non-reporting of crime 
  • As per the NCRB data for 2016, in more than 94% of reported cases of rape against women and children, the perpetrator is known to the victim. Such a registry offers little protection from such offenders.
  • The fear of the offender being included in the registry may exacerbate the problem of underreporting by making people apprehensive about reporting sexual violence involving family members and acquaintances. Children are even more vulnerable due to pressure from family and society.
• Prevents rehabilitation of an offender

  • There is a possibility that the registry will tarnish a person’s life forever even if the person is reformed after serving the legal sentence.

  • Offenders in the list may become homeless or be compelled to live in areas far from home where they may face less scrutiny.
  • The stigma and ostracisation that such offenders will face may also extend to their families. Studies in the US have shown that a combination of social ostracisation, lack of psychiatric support and the inability to find a job or housing, can even increase chances of recidivism (the tendency of a convicted criminal to re-offend.). Thus, defeating the very purpose of the registry.

  • Studies by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union show that sex offender registries in the United States have done more harm than good. Instead of crime prevention, they lead to harassment, ostracism, and violence against former offenders, especially children, and impede their rehabilitation.

  • At a time when crowd vigilante related incidents are on the rise, even a rumor of someone being on the registry might be dangerous for their life. In the United States, there have been several instances of vigilante violence, including killings, of sex offenders listed in public registries.
• Concerns regarding categorization
  • Those deemed “low danger” will include everyone arrested, charged, and convicted of “technical rape”, a term used by law enforcement to describe consensual sexual activity involving a girl under 18. This means a boy who has consensual sex can be recorded in the database if someone, including the parents of the girl, files criminal charges.
• Delays in investigation and Prosecution
  • The criminal justice system is over-burdened, under-staffed and under-resourced. Diverting resources to the sex offender registry implies less allocation for other measures to increase public safety, including chances of reform. 
  • It is also necessary for sensitization of law enforcement agencies regarding the investigation in such cases, as it should not lead to innocent persons being targeted.
  • The lengthy time duration for which cases in high courts and Supreme Court lie pending is a cause of concern. Courts take years to reach a conclusion and pass a judgment till then the name of the accused remain in the registry.

Way Forward

• The government should also focus on supporting sexual violence survivors to ensure they can report crimes and receive justice without being stigmatized and threatened, and ensuring a system that provides them protection, legal aid, and adequate medical care. India also required to focus on tackling barriers to reporting, sensitization of law enforcement officials, judicial officials, and medical professionals on the proper handling of sexual violence cases.
• It is also necessary to address the issue of rehabilitation and reintegration of offender in society. India can learn from Japan, which runs successful rehabilitation programmes for offenders alongside a sex offender registry that has resulted in lower rates of sexual crimes against children. In India, this sort of rehabilitation will require a coordination between the police and civil society.

Cyclone Daye

A monsoon low in the Bay of Bengal has organized into Cyclonic Storm Daye and will bring another surge of rainfall to parts of eastern and northern India.

• Daye has become the first named storm in the Bay of Bengal so far this year. It has been named by Myanmar.

Cyclone

• Cyclone is the formation of very low-pressure system with very high-speed winds revolving around it. Factors like wind speed, wind direction, temperature and humidity contribute to the development of cyclones.
• Before cloud formation, water takes up heat from the atmosphere to change into vapour. When water vapour changes back to liquid form as raindrops, this heat is released to the atmosphere.
• The heat released to the atmosphere warms the air around. The air tends to rise and causes a drop in pressure. More air rushes to the centre of the storm. This cycle is repeated.
• Since Hurricanes derive their energy from heated seawater which can be prevented by presence of upper-level-winds that disrupt the storm circulation forcing it to lose its strength.

Naming of Cyclones

• Hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones are all the same, just different names for tropical storms in different parts of the world - Hurricane in the Atlantic, Typhoon in the Pacific and Cyclone in the Indian Ocean.
• For the Indian ocean region, the host nations constitute of Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand and the name governing body is Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC), New Delhi.
• Each nation prepares a list of ten names which they think is suitable to be assigned to a cyclone. Out of these, the governing body, i.e, RSMC, selects eight names from each country and accordingly prepares eight lists which consist of the names approved by the governing body.
• Since 2004, the cyclones have been named according to the list approved by RSMC.
• The practice of naming storms(tropical cyclones) is to help in the quick identification of storms in warning messages as names are easier to remember and facilitate disaster risk awareness, preparedness, management and reduction.

Important Facts for Prelims (21st September 2018)

Tirumala Rathotsavam

• Gaiety and religious splendour marked Rathotsavam at Tirumala, on the penultimate day of the nine-day annual Srivari Brahmotsavams.
• Brahmotsavam, the Hindu festival is an auspicious festival celebrated every year at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
• The celebration of the  Brahmostsava is performed over nine-day period. On the very first day of the festival “Anurarpana” ritual is performed along with the celebration of Shri Vishvaksena. The “Anurarpana” ritual signifies fertility, abundance and prosperity.
• During all nine days of the festival various religious activities like homas and daily processions where various idols present in the temple are taken out on different chariots (vahanas).
• The main reason for celebrating this festival is to pray to God for providing a life which is filled with high values and morals.

Asiatic Lions

• Bodies of at least 11 Asiatic lions have been found in the Gir Forest National Park of Gujarat.

Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica)

• Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than African lions.
• Males have only moderate mane growth at the top of the head, so that their ears are always visible.
• The most striking morphological character, which is always seen in Asiatic lions, and rarely in African lions, is a longitudinal fold of skin running along its belly.
• Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972:  SCHEDULE 1
• CITES: Appendix I
• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• Asiatic lions were once distributed upto the state of West Bengal in east and Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, in central India.
• At present Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the only abode of the Asiatic lion.
• The last surviving population of the Asiatic lions is a compact tract of dry deciduous forest and open grassy scrublands in southwestern part of Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
• They are vulnerable to disease, encroachment, forest fire, natural calamities, grazing, collection of fuelwood, Non-timber forest produce (NTFP), poaching, tourism, religious pilgrimage and accidental lion deaths due to human causes.
• Three major roads and a railway track pass through the Gir Protected Area (PA). Also, there are three big temples inside the PA that attract large number of pilgrims, particularly during certain times of the year.

Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary

• In a first, Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary recorded 98,532 birds this year. This the highest number of birds which has visited Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary over the past several years.
• The sanctuary is also known as the Kulik Bird Sanctuary, named after the river Kulik. It is located in Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
• The sanctuary is an artificial forest spread over 1.3 square kilometres,which was created in 1970 as a part of the Social Forestry Project of the West Bengal government.
• As large numbers of open billed storks and other migratory birds began to flock to the area during the mating season,it was officially designated as the Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary in 1985.
• The migratory species includes open-bill storks, egrets, night herons and cormorants. The resident birds are kites, flycatchers, owls, kingfishers, woodpeckers, drongoes, etc.

India's First Biotechnology University

• Gujarat will set up India’s first Biotechnology University which will boost research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the sector.
• The Gujarat Biotechnology University, to be made a world class research-focused academic institution, will train and prepare biotech scientists in product-focused research to create and deliver a strong pipeline of innovative products for the country.

Baijnath Temple, Himachal Pradesh

• It was built by Katyuri kings in 1204 A.D.
• Temple is located in the district of Kangra at the left bank of the River Gomati.
• The temple follows the Nagara Style of Architecture.
• Main Sanctum Sanctorum is dedicated to Lord Baijnath, represented in the form of Linga.
• There are 17 subsidiary shrines dedicated to Ganesh, Kartikeya, Nandi etc.
• In the temple premise there is a mysterious stone, Bheem Shila, weighing 100 kg. Just nine people can lift the stone with their index finger bent chanting the Lord’s name.
• Government of India has selected Baijnath to be one of the four temples to be connected by the ‘Siva Heritage Circuit’ in Uttarakhand.
• The Archaeological Survey of India has declared it as ‘Monument of National Importance.’
• The Katyuri kings were a medieval ruling clan of present-day Uttarakhand, India. They ruled over the region now known as Kumaon from 800 to 1100 AD. They called their state Kurmanchal, the land of Kurma, the second Avatar of Vishnu, from which the present name is derived. Their capital was Kartripura.

Nagara or North Indian Style of Temple Architecture

• In North India it is common for an entire temple to be built on a stone platform with steps leading up to it.
• Nagara temples consist of towers, known as shikhara. The sanctum sanctorum or garbhagriha is always located directly under the tallest tower.
• Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, Khajuraho Temple Complex is the epitome of Nagara Style of Temple Architecture.