Good Governance Index 2021

For Prelims: Good Governance Day, Good Governance Index.

For Mains: Significance of Good Governance, Initiatives for Good Governance in India.

Why in News

On the occasion of the Good Governance Day (25^th December), the government released the Good Governance Index 2021.

• The index was prepared by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
• Earlier this year, India was ranked 49^th in the Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI).

Key Points

• About:
  • GGI is a comprehensive and implementable framework to assess the State of Governance across the States and UTs which enables ranking of States/Districts.
  • The objective of GGI is to create a tool that can be used uniformly across the States to assess the impact of various interventions taken up by the Central and State Governments including UTs.
  • Based on the GGI Framework, the Index provides a comparative picture among the States while developing a competitive spirit for improvement.
  • The GGI 2021 says that 20 States have improved their composite GGI scores over the GGI 2019 index scores.
  • The GGI is envisaged as a biannual exercise.
• Basis of the Ranking:
  • It is based on ten sectors and 58 indicators. The sectors are
    • Agriculture and Allied Sectors
    • Commerce & Industries
    • Human Resource Development
    • Public Health
    • Public Infrastructure & Utilities
    • Economic Governance
    • Social Welfare & Development
    • Judicial & Public Security
    • Environment
    • Citizen-Centric Governance
• Ranking of the States: The Index categorises States and UTs into four categories, i.e.,
  • Other States – Group A:
    • Gujarat has topped the composite ranking in the Good Governance Index 2021 covering 10 sectors, followed by Maharashtra and Goa.
  • Other States – Group B:
    • Madhya Pradesh tops the list followed by Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
  • North-East and Hill States:
    • Himachal Pradesh topped the list followed by Mizoram and Uttarakhand.
  • Union Territories:
    • Delhi tops the composite rank registering a 14% increase over the GGI 2019 indicators.
• Other Initiatives for Good Governance:
  • National e-Governance Plan
  • Right to Information Act, 2005
  • Digital India
  • MyGov

Source: PIB

Factors Determining Institutional Delivery in India

For Prelims: Related Initiatives such as Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), LaQshya Programme, Poshan Abhiyaan, National Family Health Survey-4.

For Mains: Socio-economic factors determining the institutional delivery, Step Taken to Increase Institutional Deliveries.

Why in News

Recently, a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Global Health Action analysed the factors that act as a barrier in low coverage of institutional deliveries.

• According to the study, poverty, education, and exposure to a community health worker are more important than age at marriage in determining whether a mother will be able to have a safe birth in a medical facility.
• The research comes at a time when the government has proposed to raise the age of marriage for women to 21 years in order to reduce maternal deaths.

Institutional Delivery

• It means giving birth to a child in a medical institution under the overall supervision of trained and competent health personnel.
• It also signifies an availability of amenities to handle the situation and save the life of the mother and child.

Key Points

• About:
  • Study: It is a first-of-its-kind study on utilisation of institutional delivery in the country.
    • The study is unique in its exploration of socio-demographic factors as well as barriers in low coverage of institutional deliveries, which is a key intervention in averting the risk of maternal mortality due to childbirth-related complications.
  • Data: The study analyses data on State-level maternal mortality ratio (2016 to 2018), as well as the National Family Health Survey- (NFHS) 4 (2015-2016).
  • Focus of Study: It focuses on nine Low-Performing States (LPS) with high burden of maternal mortality — Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
    • These States constitute about half of the country’s population and contribute 62% of maternal deaths, 71% of infant deaths, 72% of under-five (years) deaths, and 61% of births in the country.
    • They also account for 12% of global maternal deaths.
    • India has a maternal mortality rate of 113 per 100,000, and the rate remains “alarmingly high” in these nine States at 161 deaths per 100,000.
• Findings of the Study (Socio-demographic factors):  
  • Poverty is responsible for more than twice as much as age at marriage in determining whether a woman will seek institutional delivery.
    • In Assam, women from the richest wealth index were almost 14 times more likely to deliver in a health institution than those from the poorest wealth index.
    • Similarly, the odds of delivering in a health facility among the richest women were about five to six-fold higher in states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand than the poorest women.
  • Education is 1.5 times more important than age at marriage.
  • Among other factors, interaction with a community health worker and awareness campaigns had a greater impact than age at marriage.
    • The influence of educational attainment appeared to be strongest in Assam and Chhattisgarh, where women with a higher level of education were about five times more likely to deliver in a health facility than women who had no education.
  • However, distance to the health facility and age at marriage had almost similar influences on institutional deliveries.
    • As far as barriers in accessing institutional deliveries were concerned, about 17% of women expressed distance or lack of transportation, and 16% cited costs, to be some of the challenges.
  • Other reasons were facility closures (10%), poor service or trust issues (6%).
• Institutional Deliveries in India:
  • National Scenario: Over the past two decades, India has made progress in increasing the number of institutional deliveries.
    • Institutional births have increased substantially with over four-fifths of the women delivering in institutions in 19 States and UTs (NFHS-5).
      • Institutional delivery is over 90% in 14 out of the total 22 States and UTs.
    • According to the NFHS-4, institutional deliveries increased from 39% in 2005-06 to 79% in 2015-16.
      • Further, the institutional births in public institutions increased from 18% to 52% in the same time period.
  • Step Taken to Increase Institutional Deliveries:
    • Janani Suraksha Yojana: Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a 100% centrally sponsored scheme which is being implemented with the objective of reducing maternal and infant mortality by promoting institutional delivery among pregnant women.
    • Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA): It has been launched to focus on conducting special AnteNatal Check-ups (ANC) checkup on 9th of every month with the help of Medical officers to detect and treat cases of anaemia.
    • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): It is a maternity benefit programme being implemented in all districts of the country with effect from 1^st January, 2017.
    • LaQshya Programme: LaQshya (Labor room Quality Improvement Initiative) intended to improve the quality of care in the labor room and maternity operation theatres in public health facilities.
    • Poshan Abhiyaan: The goal of Poshan Abhiyaan is to achieve improvement in the nutritional status of Children (0-6 years) and Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time-bound manner.

Way Forward

• The state-specific interventions should not only aim to increase the number of public health facilities but also to improve associated quality of care.
  • The inadequate clinical training and insufficient skilled human resources affected the quality of available maternity services resulting in low coverage of institutional deliveries.
• The government should ensure adequate availability of medical staff, emergency medical services such as ambulances, vaccinations, maternity care,etc. to the urban as well as rural areas.

Source: TH

Anti-Dumping Duty

For Prelims: Anti Dumping Duty, Countervailing Duty, Directorate General of Trade Remedies, World Trade Organisation.

For Mains: WTO's Provisions Related to Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD), Significance of ADD in International Trade Competition.

Why in News

As per Directorate General of Trade Remedies’ (DGTR) recommendations, India has imposed Anti-Dumping Duties on five Chinese products, including certain aluminium goods and some chemicals, for five years.

• The DGTR has concluded that these products have been exported at a price below normal value in Indian markets, which has resulted in dumping, causing injury to domestic markets.
• India's exports to China during the April-September 2021 period were worth USD 12.26 billion while imports aggregated at USD 42.33 billion, leaving a Trade Deficit of USD 30.07 billion.

Directorate General of Trade Remedies

• It is the apex national authority under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for administering all trade remedial measures including anti-dumping, countervailing duties and safeguard measures.
• It provides trade defence support to the domestic industry and exporters in dealing with increasing instances of trade remedy investigations instituted against them by other countries.

Key Points

• Dumping:
  • Dumping is said to occur when the goods are exported by a country to another country at a price lower than the price it normally charges in its own home market.
  • This is an unfair trade practice which can have a distortive effect on international trade.
• Objective of Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD):
  • Imposition of Anti-dumping duty is a measure to rectify the situation arising out of the dumping of goods and its trade distortive effect.
    • In the long-term, anti-dumping duties can reduce the international competition of domestic companies producing similar goods.
  • It is a protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value.
  • The use of anti-dumping measures as an instrument of fair competition is permitted by the World Trade Organisation.
• Different from Countervailing Duties:
  • ADD is a customs duty on imports providing a protection against the dumping of goods at prices substantially lower than the normal value whereas Countervailing duty is a customs duty on goods that have received government subsidies in the originating or exporting country.
• WTO's Provisions Related to Anti-Dumping Duty:
  • Validity: An anti-dumping duty is valid for a period of five years from the date of imposition unless revoked earlier.
  • Sunset Review: It can be extended for a further period of five years through a sunset or expiry review investigation.
    • A Sunset review/ expiry review is an evaluation of the need for the continued existence of a program or an agency. It allows for an assessment of the effectiveness and performance of the program or agency.
    • Such a review can be initiated suo moto or on the basis of a duly substantiated request received from or on behalf of the domestic industry.

Source: TH

Tariff Guidelines for the PPP Projects in Major Ports

For Prelims: Major Ports in India, Major Ports vs Minor Ports.

For Mains: Major Port Authority Act, 2021, Deregulation of tariffs, PPP Projects at Major Ports.

Why in News

The Ministry for Ports, Shipping & Waterways has announced the new Tariff Guidelines, 2021 for the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects in Major Ports.

• The new guidelines have been released in consonance of Major Port Authority Act, 2021.

Key Points

• New Guidelines:
  • Existing Scenario: The PPP concessionaires at Major Ports were constrained to operate under the stipulations of guidelines (by Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP)).
    • On the other hand, private operators/PPP concessionaires at non-major ports were free to charge tariffs as per market conditions.
    • Concessionaire can be a person or company that has the right to sell a product or to run a business in PPP projects.
    • TAMP stands abolished according to the Major Port Authority Act, 2021.
  • Transition to Market-linked Tariffs: Currently, major port's PPP concessionaires handle around 50% of the total traffic handled by all the major ports in India.
    • The new guidelines allow the concessionaires at major ports to set tariffs as per market dynamics.
• Significance of these Guidelines:
  • The biggest benefit of transition to market linked tariff is that a level playing field will be provided to the PPP concessionaires at Major Ports to compete with private ports.
  • This is a major reform initiative as the Government moves towards deregulation of tariffs for PPP Projects at Major Ports.
  • The guidelines will usher in a new era of market economy and make Major Ports more competitive.
• Major Port Authority Act, 2021:
  • In February 2021, Parliament passed the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020, which seeks to provide greater autonomy and flexibility to major ports in the country and professionalise their governance.
  • Objectives:
    • Decentralization: It has granted port authority the power to fix tariffs, which will serve as a reference tariff for purposes of bidding for PPP projects.
    • 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.
      • In the Landlord Port Model, ports own the land and basic infrastructure, with operations and management being leased out to private players.

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Projects

• Public-private partnerships involve collaboration between a government agency and a private-sector company that can be used to finance, build, and operate projects, such as public transportation networks, parks, and convention centers.
  • Financing a project through a public-private partnership can allow a project to be completed sooner or make it a possibility in the first place.
• Different Models of PPP: Commonly adopted model of PPPs include Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Build-Own-Operate (BOO), Build-Operate-Lease-Transfer (BOLT), Design-Build-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT), Lease-Develop-Operate (LDO), Operate-Maintain-Transfer (OMT), etc.
  • These models are different on level of investment, ownership control, risk sharing, technical collaboration, duration, financing etc.

Major Ports in India

• Legal Provisions: Major Ports are under the Union list of the Indian Constitution and are administered under the Indian Ports Act 1908 and the Major Port Trust Act, 1963.
• Number of Major Ports: There are 12 major ports and 200 non-major ports (minor ports) in the country.
  • Major ports includes Deendayal (erstwhile Kandla), Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar (earlier Ennore), V O Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia).
• Major Ports vs Minor Ports: Ports in India are classified as Major and Minor Ports according to the jurisdiction of the Central and State government as defined under the Indian Ports Act, 1908.
  • The Major Ports are owned and managed by the Central Government.
  • The Minor ports are owned and managed by the State Governments.
• Administration of Major Ports: Each major port is governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Government of India.
  • The Trusts operate on the basis of policy directives and orders from the Government of India.
• PPP Projects in Ports: PPPs in the ports sector in India have been witnessed in the operations and management of ports, and construction of deep water ports, container terminals, shipping yards and bulk ports.

Source: PIB

Soya Meal as an Essential Commodity

For Prelims: Essential Commodity, Essential Commodities Act

For Mains: Issues Related to Essential Commodities Act 1955

Why in News

Recently, the government has notified, under the Essential Commodities Act 1955, to declare 'soya meal' as an essential commodity up to 30^th June, 2022.

• This step is expected to stop any unfair practises (like hoarding, black marketing etc) in the market having the potential to hike the prices of soya meal.
• This will also enhance the availability of the commodity for consumers like poultry farms and cattle feed manufacturers.

Key Points

• About Soybean Meal:
  • Soybean meal is the most important protein source used to feed farm animals. It is also used for human consumption in some countries.
  • It represents nearly two-thirds of the total world output of protein feedstuffs, including all other major oil meals and fish meals.
  • Soybean meal is the by-product of the extraction of soybean oil.
• About Essential Commodities Act 1955:
  • Background: The ECA Act 1955, was legislated at a time when the country was facing a scarcity of foodstuffs due to persistent low levels of foodgrains production.
    • The country was dependent on imports and assistance (such as wheat import form the US under PL-480) to feed the population.
    • To prevent hoarding and black marketing of foodstuffs, the Essential Commodities Act was enacted in 1955.
  • Essential Commodity: There is no specific definition of essential commodities in the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
    • Section 2(A) states that an “essential commodity” means a commodity specified in the Schedule of the Act.
  • Legal Jurisdiction: The Act gives powers to the central government to add or remove a commodity in the Schedule.
    • The Centre, if it is satisfied that it is necessary to do so in public interest, can notify an item as essential, in consultation with state governments.
  • Objective: The ECA 1955 is used to curb inflation by allowing the Centre to enable control by state governments of trade in a wide variety of commodities.
  • Implementing Agency: The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, implements the Act.
  • Impact: By declaring a commodity as essential, the government can control the production, supply, and distribution of that commodity, and impose a stock limit.
• Issues Related to Essential Commodities Act 1955:
  • The Economic Survey 2019-20 highlighted that government intervention under the ECA 1955 often distorted agricultural trade while being totally ineffective in curbing inflation.
    • Such intervention does enable opportunities for rent-seeking and harassment. Rent-seeking is a term used by economists to describe unproductive income, including from corruption.
  • Traders tend to buy far less than their usual capacity and farmers often suffer huge losses during surplus harvests of perishables.
  • This led to farmers being unable to get better prices due to lack of investment in cold storage, warehouses, processing and export.
  • Owing to these issues, the Parliament passed the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020. However, due to farmers’ protest the Government had to repeal this law.

Way Forward

• The ECA 1955 was brought when India was not self-sufficient in food grains production. However, now India has become surplus in most agri-commodities, and the amendments in the ECA 1955 is an important step by the government to achieve its target of doubling farmers’ income and also for ease of doing business.

Source: PIB

Certification Course on Home Energy Audit

For Prelims: Meaning of ‘Home Energy Audit’, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Energy Efficiency and Conservation and Related Initiatives.

For Mains: Significance of Home Energy Audit in reducing carbon footprint and improving energy efficiency.

Why in News

Recently, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has launched a Certification Course on Home Energy Audit (HEA) during National Energy Conservation Week: 8^th–14^th December 2021.

• Earlier the BEE had felicitated various industrial units, institutions and establishments with 31^st National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) on the occasion of National Energy Conservation Day (14^th December) to showcase India’s achievements in energy efficiency and conservation.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency

• The BEE is a statutory body established through the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 under the Union Ministry of Power.
• It assists in developing policies and strategies with the primary objective of reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy.
• BEE coordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies, and other organisations to identify and utilise the existing resources and infrastructure, in performing its functions.

Key Points

• About HEA:
  
  • HEA enables appropriate accounting, quantification, verification, monitoring, and analysis of energy use of various energy-consuming equipment and appliances.
  • It also enables the submission of a technical report with feasible solutions and recommendations for improving energy efficiency, with a cost-benefit analysis and action plan to reduce energy consumption.
  • The certification program (Course) will create awareness on the importance and benefits of energy audit and energy efficiency and conservation among students from engineering/diploma colleges.
• Objectives:
  
  • Creation of a pool of professionals to perform home energy audits based on the needs of the consumer.
  • Domestic consumers to get Home Energy Audit carried out through their respective SDA (State Designated Agency) Certified Home Energy Auditor.
  • Dissemination of information and raising awareness among engineering/diploma/ITI students, energy professionals, and industry partners about the importance and benefits of energy auditing, energy efficiency, and conservation.
• Significance:
  
  • It will ultimately lead to a reduction in energy bills and the carbon footprint of the consumer.
    
    • A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions.
  • It will increase employability of youth in the domain of energy efficiency, climate change mitigation, and sustainability.
• India’s Status at Energy Conservation:
  
  • At the COP-26 summit in Glasgow, India announced its plans to increase non-fossil fuel power generation capacity to 500 GW by 2030. India is running what will become the world’s largest clean energy programme, with an aim of having 175 GW of clean energy capacity by 2022.
  • India’s non-fossil fuel-based capacity has met the 40% target under its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) at COP 21.
  • Installed power capacity from non-fossil fuels will go up to 66% by 2030. Also, India has already reached an emission reduction of 28%.

Other Initiatives Related to Energy Conservation

• Perform Achieve and Trade Scheme:
• National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
• Standards and Labeling.
• Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC).
• Demand Side Management.
• ECO Niwas Samhita 2018.
• Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) to Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI).
• UJALA scheme.
• International Solar Alliance.
• The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

Source: PIB

Winter Air pollution in North India

For Prelims: PM 2.5, CAAQMS, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

For Mains: The problem of winter pollution in north India and way forward, Initiatives to Control Air Pollution

Why in News

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has analyzed air quality trends with special focus on cities outside Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

• The latest analysis by the has found that when pollution spikes during winter, entire northern India experiences smog episodes.

Note

• Particulate Matter:
  • Particulate Matter (PM), also called particle pollution, is a term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air.
  • It includes:
    • PM 2.5: It refers to fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres in diameter.
    • PM10: inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 10 micrometres and smaller.
  • Sources of PM: Some are emitted directly from a source, such as construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks or fires.
• Centre for Science and Environment (CSE):
  • CSE is a public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi.
  • It researches into, lobbies for and communicates the urgency of development that is both sustainable and equitable.

Key Points

• About:
  • This analysis aims to understand the synchronised pattern of pollution during winter when atmospheric changes entrap pollution across the region.
  • This analysis has covered 137 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across 56 cities in the six states.
    • CAAQMS facilitates in measuring a real time monitoring of Air Pollution, including particulate matter, all round the year.
  • The northern region has been divided into five sub-regions which include:
    • Punjab and Chandigarh
    • NCR (includes Delhi and 26 other cities/towns that fall within NCR)
    • Haryana (excluding cities already included in NCR)
    • Uttar Pradesh (excluding cities in NCR)
    • Rajasthan (excluding cities in NCR).
  • This is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM 2.5 concentration for the period 1st January 2019 to 30th November, 2021.
• Methodology and Data:
  • A huge volume of data points have been cleaned and data gaps have been addressed based on the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) method.
  • Meteorological data for the analysis is sourced from the Palam weather station of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
  • Fire count data is from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Fire Information for Resource Management System, specifically the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).
  • Estimates of contribution of farm stubble fire smoke to Delhi’s air quality is sourced from the Union Ministry of Earth Science’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
• Important Findings:
  • Pollution levels in smaller towns: Most smaller towns have considerably lower annual average PM2.5 levels, but during early winter when the smog engulfs the entire region and farm stubble fires spike it further, smaller towns report levels comparable to Delhi.
  • Early winter smog is synchronised across the region, but lasts longer in Delhi-NCR: Normally, the smog episodes of November synchronise across the northern region.
    • But they linger longer only in Delhi, NCR and Uttar Pradesh during the rest of the winter.
    • Atmospheric changes during winter that lead to inversion, calm conditions, change in wind direction, and seasonal drop in ambient temperature entraps pollution across north India.
    • This is further tripped into a severe category by smoke from farm fires and Diwali firecrackers during November.
  • Number of days with air quality in ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories: Delhi and NCR cities lead the chart for the most ‘severe’ days in 2021.
  • Cities vulnerable to the pollution build-up: While the whole of north India is vulnerable to the pollution build-up, the overall annual average of Delhi and NCR is among the highest in the region.
  • Industrial towns remain vulnerable throughout the year: The heavy and prolonged monsoon this year brought down PM 2.5 levels substantially across the region.
    • Even though the monsoon reduced overall pollution in the region, the levels in industrial cities were comparatively higher than other cities during monsoon.
  • Problem of farm fires: Farm fires are one of the biggest episodic events during winter.
    • Two levels of analysis have been carried out: The daily trend in fire count and the trend in average Fire Radiative Power (FRP) reported by NASA satellites.
      • FRP is the rate of emitted radiative energy by the fire at the time of observation that is reported in MW (megawatts).
      • FRP is considered a better measure of emissions from biomass burning as intensity of FRP indicates the quantum of biomass burned.
    • This year, Punjab has noted the maximum number of fires after Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Delhi.
  • Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels: There is a significant increase in the amount of NO₂ in air during November compared to October and September.
    • NO₂ comes entirely from combustion sources and significantly, from vehicles.
  • Diwali continues to be a mega pollution event: Despite the restrictions on bursting firecrackers, Diwali night still got extremely toxic.

Initiatives to Control Air Pollution

• The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region (NCR) and Adjoining Areas.
• Bharat Stage (BS) VI norms.
• Dashboard for Monitoring Air Quality.
• National Clean Air Programme.
• National Air Quality Index (AQI).
• Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).

Way Forward

• The analysis has put a spotlight on the cities of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and NCR to understand the synchronised pattern of pollution during winter when atmospheric changes entrap pollution across the region.
  • It shows even smaller cities with lower annual average levels, record pollution levels that are as bad or even worse than Delhi.
  • This demands action at scale and speed across all key sectors of pollution in the larger region.
• The stark evidence from the northern region underscores the urgent need for harmonised action in all states to ensure access to clean fuels and technology in industry and power plants, massive scaling up of public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure and enhanced municipal services for complete segregation of waste and recycling.

Source: DTE

Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya

For Prelims: About Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya, his role in freedom struggle and his contributions

For Mains: Role of Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya in freedom struggle movements.

Why in News

Recently, the Prime Minister has paid tributes to Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya on his Jayanti.

Key Points

• Birth: 25^th December 1861, in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in Uttar Pradesh.
• Brief Profile:
  • He was a great educationist, pioneer, an eloquent rhetorician, and a national leader.
  • He took part in numerous activities like the freedom struggle movements, promotion of industries, the economic and social development of the country, education, religion, social service, development of Hindi language and many other issues of national importance throughout his life.
  • He was given the title of ‘Mahamana’ by Mahatma Gandhi and the second President of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan gave him the status of a ‘Karmayogi’.
• Role in Freedom Struggle:
  • In the freedom struggle, he was midway between the Liberals and the Nationalists, the Moderates and the Extremists, as the followers of Gokhale and Tilak were respectively called.
  • In 1930, when Mahatma Gandhi launched the Salt Satyagraha and the Civil Disobedience Movement, he participated in it and courted arrest.
• Role in Congress:
  • He was elected as the President of the Congress committee (four times) in 1909, 1918, 1932 and 1933.
    • Sengupta was elected Congress chief in 1933 after president-elect Madan Mohan Malviya was arrested.
• Contributions:
  • Remembered for his role in ending the Indian indenture system, especially in the Caribbean.
    • Indentured labour was a system of bonded labour that was instituted following the abolition of slavery in 1833.
    • Indentured labour were recruited to work on sugar, cotton and tea plantations, and rail construction projects in British colonies in West Indies, Africa and SouthEast Asia.
  • Apprehensive of the possibility of the British completely damming the flow of Ganga at Bhimgoda in Haridwar, he set up the Ganga Mahasabha in 1905.
  • He was a social reformer and a successful legislator, serving as a member of the Imperial Legislative Council for 11 years (1909–20).
  • Popularized the term ‘Satyamev Jayate’. However, the phrase originally belongs to the Mundaka Upanishad. The term now is the national motto of India.
  • Devnagri was introduced in the British-Indian courts because of Malviya’s efforts with the British government.
  • Worked immensely for Hindu-Muslim unity. He is known to have given famous speeches on communal harmony.
    • He was expelled from the Brahmin community for expressing his views on caste discrimination and Brahmanical patriarchy.
  • He helped establish the Hindu Mahasabha (“Great Society of Hindus”) in 1915.
  • He founded the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1916.
• Journalist:
  • As a journalist, he started a Hindi weekly, Abhyudaya in 1907 and made it a daily in 1915 and also Hindi monthly, Maryada in 1910.
  • He started an English daily- Leader in 1909.
  • Malaviya was the editor of Hindi weekly, the Hindustan and Indian Union.
  • He was also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hindustan Times for many years.
• Death: He died on 12^th November, 1946, at the age of 84.
• Awards and Honours:
  • In 2014, he was posthumously conferred with Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award.
  • In 2016, the Indian Railways started the Varanasi-New Delhi Mahamana Express in the leader’s honour.

Source: PIB

Kisan Diwas

Why in News

The 'Kisan Diwas' or National Farmers Day is observed across the country on 23rd December to celebrate the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the former Prime Minister of India.

• It is celebrated to promote awareness among the citizens to understand the importance of the contributions of the farmers to the society and overall economic and social development of a country.
• Government also aims to encourage the farmers across the country by organising various activities like debates and seminars on agriculture.

Key Points

• He was born in 1902 at Noorpur in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh and was the Prime Minister of India from 28^th July 1979 to 14^th January 1980. 
• Being a proponent of rural and agricultural development he made continuous efforts for keeping agriculture at the centre of planning for India.
• He was given the nickname ‘Champion of India’s Peasants’ for his work towards upliftment of farmers and development of agriculture throughout the country.
• He took a leading part in formulation and finalisation of the Debt Redemption Bill 1939, in order to give relief to the peasantry from moneylenders.
• He was instrumental in bringing about the Land Holding Act, 1960 which was aimed at lowering the ceiling on land holdings to make it uniform throughout the State.
• He left Congress in 1967 and formed his independent party known as the Bharatiya Lok Dal.
• He served twice as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He became Prime Minister of India in 1979.
• He was the author of several books and pamphlets, including ‘Abolition of Zamindari’, ‘Co-operative Farming X-rayed’, ‘India’s Poverty and its Solution’, ‘Peasant Proprietorship or Land to the Workers’ and ‘Prevention of Division of Holdings Below a Certain Minimum’.

Importance of Agriculture in India

• Almost half of India’s rural households have insignificant stakes in agriculture.
• According to the 2019 Situation Assessment Survey (SAS), there are 93.1 million agricultural households in rural India.
• An agricultural household is defined as one which produced field or horticultural crops, livestock, or other specified agricultural products worth more than Rs 4,000 and had a member self-employed in agriculture in the 365 days preceding the survey.

Source: HT