NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
General Studies – 1
Topic: Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
Reference: Down to Earth
Why the question:
The article brings to us closer insights on the vulnerability of women in obtaining equitable access to food across the World.
Key Demand of the question:
Analyse the vulnerability of women in obtaining equitable access to food across the World.
Directive:
Critically analyze – When asked to analyse, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a fair judgment.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start with what you understand by equitable access to food in general.
Body:
The answer body must have the following aspects covered:
First explain what does an equitable food system in the times of climate crisis and a pandemic look like?
Explain that Gender equality and food systems are interlaced. But today’s food systems — heavily afflicted by power imbalances and inequality — do not work for most women.
Discuss the causative factors that have led to such an imbalance.
Give evidence of inequitable access to Women, reasons behind inequitable access.
Suggest what needs to be done.
Conclusion:
Conclude that food, clothing, and shelter are basic rights that every individual requires for their survival. Recognizing this, prudent efforts should be made for ensuring equitable access of food to women as it would uphold their dignity and also help in achieving sustainable development goals 2 (Zero Hunger) and 5 (Gender Equality) of the United Nations.
Introduction
A recent ‘Action Track’ report of the United Nations has highlighted the vulnerability of women in obtaining equitable access to food. It calls for altering the unequal power structures for more inclusive decision-making in the society that would ensure better accessibility of food by women.
Apart from this UN report, various other reports and findings have highlighted the skewness of power structures in society that make women more vulnerable in comparison to their male counterparts. In this article, we will throw some light on such data, find the reasons behind such scenarios and provide a roadmap for improving the situation of women.
Body
Evidence of inequitable access to Women
- Women farmers are disproportionately more affected by climate change and land degradation, according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. They face high levels of obesity and are more susceptible to chronic disease.
- Rural women were among the worst affected among the food insecure population of 821 million (as of 2017), according to an Oxfam report published in 2019.
Reasons behind inequitable access
- Patriarchal Mindsethas made them subject to multiple kinds of discrimination. They have very little land rights, face difficulties in obtaining ownership, do not have access to credit, and are engaged in unpaid work.
- This lack of agency reflects in their dietary patterns: They eat least, last, and least well. Women farmers who control resources generally have better-quality diets.
- Migrationis another factor that places a greater burden on women. The male spouse merely performs the economic activity in the new place, but females have to take care of domestic as well as a traditional livelihood (agriculture) in the village.
- Epidemicsalso place a higher burden on women. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been gender-neutral.
- More women have been at the receiving end of increased poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition, and disease prevalence as per a 2020 UN report.
Way Forward
- Robust Social Protection Systems like Dimitri Clubs and German dual training systemsshould be formulated in every country for women. They should help in upholding their livelihoods, build assets and create wealth for them.
- Dimitri Clubsin the rural regions of sub-Saharan Africa have been drivers of women’s leadership for over a decade.
- These groups comprise women and men who shed light on the gender inequalities in households and communities.
- They fight malnutrition by challenging dietary taboos, mobilize to meet environmental challenges, and establish a credit cooperative to avoid debt.
- German dual training systemis an institutional infrastructure that creates a path to jobs and better livelihoods.
- It integrates school-based learning with work-based practice.
- It provides theoretical training for aspiring farmers as well as short-term courses on specific skills.
- The systems should adopt policies that eliminate barriers to access to fundamental services, ensuring, for example, the right to food, shelter, and health.
- The UN stressed that inequitable systems and structures that enable and exacerbate inequalities in food systems, should be dismantled.
- Further, governments, businesses, and organizations should be held accountable for ensuring equitable livelihoods.
Conclusion
Food, clothing, and shelter are basic rights that every individual requires for their survival. Recognizing this, prudent efforts should be made for ensuring equitable access of food to women as it would uphold their dignity and also help in achieving sustainable development goals 2 (Zero Hunger) and 5 (Gender Equality) of the United Nations.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
Recently, the Minister of Defence introduced the Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021, in the Lok Sabha to provide for the maintenance of essential defence services so as “to secure the security of nation and the life and property of the public at large” and prevent staff of the government-owned ordnance factories from going on strike.
Key Demand of the question:
Debate if the Right to Protest should be recognized as the basic fundamental rights under Indian Constitution.
Directive:
Debate – Weigh up to what extent something is true. Persuade the reader of your argument by citing relevant research but also remember to point out any flaws and counter- arguments as well. Conclude by stating clearly how far you agree with the original proposition.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start with what you understand by Right to Protest.
Body:
Discuss the constitutional position of Right to strike first – In India, right to protest is a fundamental right under Article 19 of the Constitution of India. But right to strike is not a fundamental right but a legal right and with this right statutory restriction is attached in the industrial dispute Act, 1947.
Then, explain the position of Right to strike under international conventions.
Present your arguments for and against making this right a fundamental one.
Conclusion:
Conclude that there is no fundamental right to strike under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. Strikes cannot be justified on any equitable ground. Strike as a weapon is mostly misused which results in chaos.
Introduction
The right to protest, to publicly question and force the government to answer, is a fundamental political right of the people that flows directly from a democratic reading of Article 19. The protests last year against Citizenship Amendment in 2020 and recent farm protests and the recent Essential Defence Services Bill show that any policy, law or regulation needs the ‘consent of the governed’.
Body
Background:
- Recently, the Minister of Defence introduced the Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021, in the Lok Sabha to provide for the maintenance of essential defence services.
- The bill aims to “to secure the security of nation and the life and property of the public at large” and prevent staff of the government-owned ordnance factories from going on strike.
- The Bill seeks to empower the government to declare services mentioned in it as “essential defence services” and prohibit strikes and lockouts in any industrial establishment or unit engaged in such services.
- The Minister, however, assured the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) employees that their service conditions will not be affected.
Right to Protest as a fundamental right
- The Right to protest peacefully is enshrined in the Indian Constitution—Article 19(1)(a) guarantees the freedom of speech and expression.
- Article 19(1)(b) assures citizens the right to assemble peacefully and without arms.
- Article 19(2) imposes reasonable restrictions on the right to assemble peaceably and without arms.
- Reasonable Restrictions: If the security of the State is in danger; If the friendly relations we share with a neighbouring country are threatened; In case of violation of public order; If there is contempt of court; If India’s sovereignty and integrity are threatened.
- In Ramlila Maidan Incident v. Home Secretary, Union of India & Bears, the SC held that, ‘Citizens have a fundamental right to assembly and peaceful protest that cannot be removed from arbitrary executive or legislative action.’
Significance of right to protest in a democracy
- The right to free speech and expression transforms into the right to freely express opinion on the conduct of the government.
- The right to association becomes the right to associate for political purposes — for instance, to collectively challenge government decisions and to even aim, peacefully and legally, to displace the government, to not merely check abuse of power but to wrest power.
- This is the basis of our multiparty system where Opposition parties are valuable adversaries, not enemies, and compete healthily for political power.
- Finally, the right to peaceably assemble allows political parties and citizenship bodies such as university-based student groups to question and object to acts of the government by demonstrations, agitations and public meetings, to launch sustained protest movements.
- This cluster of inter-related political rights (expression, association, assembly, petition and protest) is meant to ensure that even when the government works in our interests, we don’t sit back and allow it to conduct business as usual.
Conclusion
The background of the Indian constitution is formed by the anti-colonial struggle, in which the seeds of the political sphere and the democratic constitution were sown. The government must welcome reasonable demands and constructive criticism of people, and in any case, the right to non-submission should not be suppressed, as protests are the way in which society as the guardian of government activities can point to the work of government or policies they do not like or can demand those rules necessary for them.
Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
The article explains the recent horizontal reservation policy of the Bihar government and its advantages.
Key Demand of the question:
Explain if the Bihar government’s horizontal reservation for women be extended to other states as well.
Directive:
Justify – When you are asked to justify, you have to pass a sound judgement about the truth of the given statement in the question or the topic based on evidences. You have to appraise the worth of the statement in question using suitable case studies or/ and examples.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start with what you understand by horizontal reservation policy.
Body:
The Bihar government recently announced 33% horizontal reservation for women in State engineering and medical colleges.
Horizontal reservation: This refers to the equal opportunity provided to other categories of beneficiaries, such as women, veterans, the transgender community, and individuals with disabilities, cutting through the vertical categories.
Present arguments as to why horizontal reservation of women has to be adopted.
Conclusion:
Conclude suitably.
Introduction
Reservation is a form of positive discrimination, created to promote equality among marginalised sections, so as to protect them from social and historical injustice. The Bihar government recently announced 33% horizontal reservation for women in State engineering and medical colleges.
Body
Vertical reservation:
- The reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) is referred to as the vertical reservation.
Horizontal reservation:
- This refers to the equal opportunity provided to other categories of beneficiaries, such as women, veterans, the transgender community, and individuals with disabilities, cutting through the vertical categories.
- The horizontal reservations do not add to the regular reservation limit. Instead, it will be distributed across all the vertical categories, including the non-reserved category.
- For Instance, if an engineering college in Bihar has 100 reserved seats for STs, 33 of those seats (33% horizontal reservation) will have to be filled with ST women. So, the overall vertical reservation limit will be the same.
- Article 15(3) of the Constitution allows governments to make special provisions for women and children.
Why horizontal reservation of women has to be adopted?
- This initiative should be welcomed and adopted across sectors, departments, and States for various benefits. Such as,
- India’s female labour force participation (FLFP) rateis consistently declining and is worryingly low. World Bank data shows that the FLFP came down to 21% in 2019 from 31.79% in 2005.
- As per the Bihar Economic Survey 2019-20, the State’s FLFP rate was abysmalcompared to the all-India average. Only 6.4% and 3.9% of women were employed in the urban and rural areas of Bihar compared to the all-India figures of 20.4% and 24.6% respectively.
- Evidence points out thatincreasing women’s participation in the workforce to the level of men boosts the economy. In light of this, it is important for other governments to make more and more jobs available for women.
Other such role model initiatives by the Bihar government:
- In 2006, Bihar became the first State to reserve 50% seats for women in Panchayati Raj institutions. This was later imitated by several other states such as Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh.
- In 2006, a scheme called the Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojanawas launched for Class 9 and 10 girl students. This was India’s first scaled-up conditional cash transfer programme for the secondary education of girls. The enrolment of girl students went up after this scheme.
- The Bihar government shouldalso extend the engineering and medical quota for women to all institutions of higher education, including private colleges and universities.
Other issues to be addressed
- The FLFP rate does not take into account unpaid work as well as the role played by social barriers like caste in blocking employment opportunities for women.
- State welfare schemes should go a long way in challenging the patriarchal control of women and systemic gender discrimination.
- The Bihar government needs to work towards reducing the female and male school dropout rate and ensure quality education at the primary and secondary levels.
- A major reason for the low FLFP rate is the lack of employment opportunities for women after matriculation and graduation.
- The State should thus ensure that women do not fall out of the labour market as they become more educationally qualified.
- In this regard, in line with the 35% reservation, the pending vacancies in the health sector, police force, teaching and other government departments can be filled.
- The government should also do away with hiring workers on contract and make all the current contractual workers permanent.
- It should also extend the engineering and medical quota for women to all institutions of higher education, including private colleges and universities.
- Further, the quota allotted to them can be increased to 40-45%, if not 50%, and the category can be renamed as ‘women and transgender persons’.
- Taking lead from Bihar, other State governments and the Union government should consider introducing horizontal quota for women (and in addition, for transgender persons.
Conclusion
Reservation is fair, as it provides appropriate positive discrimination for the benefit of the downtrodden and economically backward Sections of the society.
Topic: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.
4. Examine the causes which lead to the death of democracy in a country. (250 words)
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
The article examines the causes which lead to the death of democracy in a country.
Key Demand of the question:
Examine in detail the causes which lead to the death of democracy in a country and suggest what should be the way forward.
Directive:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must look into the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start with some fact such as – In its Democracy Report 2021, Sweden’s V-Dem Institute noted that India “has almost lost its status as a democracy”. It ranked India below Sierra Leone, Guatemala and Hungary.
Body:
The answer body must have the following aspects covered:
Firstly discuss the meaning and challenges the democracy in India faces.
Then discuss the causes for death of Democracy; government failure, Weak institutions, social emergencies, societal inequalities, unavailability of basic amenities, vulnerability of the weaker sections of the society etc.
Suggest what should be the solutions to address these concerns.
Conclusion:
Conclude with way forward.
Introduction
The global surveys are reporting dipping confidence in democracy and marked jumps in citizens’ frustrations with government corruption and incompetence. Most worrying are the survey findings for India, which is fast developing a reputation as the world’s largest failing democracy. In its Democracy Report 2020, Sweden’s V-Dem Institute noted that India “has almost lost its status as a democracy”. It ranked India below Sierra Leone, Guatemala and Hungary.
Body
Democracy and its meaning
- Democracy is much more than pressing a button or marking a box on a ballot paper. It goes beyond the mathematical certitude of election results and majority rule.
- It’s not reducible to lawful rule through independent courts or attending local public meetings and watching breaking news stories scrawled across a screen.
- Democracy is a whole way of life.
- Democracy is saying no to every form of human and non-human indignity.
- It is respect for women, tenderness with children, and access to jobs that bring satisfaction and sufficient reward to live comfortably.
Causes that lead to death of democracy in a country
- Domestic violence, rotten health care, widespread feelings of social unhappiness, and daily shortages of food and housing destroy people’s dignity. Indignity is a form of generalised social violence.
- India famished children cry themselves to sleep as child wasting and stunting are highest.
- Crimes against women are increasing as per recent NCRB report (7.3% rise in 2019 from 2018 levels), where women feel unsafe and migrants are forced to flee, citizens feel unworthy of having rights.
- The brute fact is social indignity undermines citizens’ capacity to take an active interest in public affairs, and to check and humble and wallop the powerful.
- The most complacent in a democracy as the middle and upper classes. Complacency and cynical indifference breed voluntary servitude.
- Finally, in the absence of redistributive public welfare policies that guarantee sufficient food, shelter, security, education, and health care to the downtrodden, democracy morphs into a mere façade.
- Elections still happen and there’s abundant talk of “the people”.
Way forward
- There is a need for independent media with journalistic ethics being upheld.
- Elections and campaigning must be held in civilised manner, with model code of conduct having a legal basis.
- Basic necessities at 75th year of Independence must reach every citizen and government must ensure that all types of deprivations must be removed.
- Laws such as preventive detention, sedition must be outlawed or amended so that its misuse is reduced.
- Freedom of speech must be restored and there must be viable discussions on new laws made in the Parliament.
- People’s welfare must become the centre of discussion by those in power.
Conclusion
When democratically elected governments cease to be held accountable by a society weakened by poor health, low morale, and joblessness, demagogues are prone to blindness and ineptitude. India will be celebrating its 75th Independence this year and must upheld democratic values now more than ever.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
The article brings to us the concerns around the fossil fuel and the policy dilemma associated with it.
Key Demand of the question:
Explain the policy challenges faced by India with respect to crude oil import and utilisation.
Directive:
Explain – Clarify the topic by giving a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the particular context. You must be defining key terms where ever appropriate, and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by explaining what the policy dilemma is before India with respect to fossil fuels.
Body:
First discuss the issues prevalent with respect to crude oil management.
Explain that the spread and speed of the destruction caused by climate change presents the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas a policy dilemma, if not a moral one.
Dilemma is how to redefine the supply-side priorities in the face of the imperatives of Atma Nirbharta (self Sufficiency) when about 85% fossil fuels are still imported.
Thus, there is a need to look into various measures that can be taken by the ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in order to bridge the demand supply gap.
Conclusion:
Suggest way forward.
Introduction
The spread and speed of the destruction caused by climate change presents the dilemma of how to redefine the supply-side priorities in the face of the imperatives of Aatmanirbharta (self Sufficiency) when about 85% fossil fuels are still imported.
Body
Issues Related to Crude Oil Management
- Balancing Environment with Extraction:Indian oil and gas industry leaders are faced with the twin challenge of responding to the changing environment, while sticking to the commitment of reduction of fossil fuel consumption.
- Import Dependent:The Indian economy is dependent on fossil fuels and there is no discernible end in sight to this dependence.
- India imports approximately 85% of its crude oil requirements and is exposed to the volatility of the international oil market.
- Moreover, a major chunk comes from the Middle East, predominantly Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran,which faces deep political and social fault lines and there is no knowing when our supply lines might get ruptured.
- Issues with Exploration:There have been few substantive commercial discoveries in recent years, in large part because the bulk of the reserves are in complex geological structures and harsh terrain (Himalayan foothills or deep waters offshore).
- They are difficult to find but even when found, the costs incurred are often so high that except in market conditions of high prices, the discovery is not commercially viable.
- Structural Challenges:In 2021 structural changes are brought by the Covid-19 pandemic. Some are
- Refining operation and inventory management: Dual shock from both demand and supply
- Uncertain consumer behaviour- new normal- Micro marketing maybe a choice
- Pressure on margin shareholders’ different expectation: price sensitivity and societal pressure.
- Limited crude price stability: Geo politics, cut in E&P investment, US sanctions etc.
- Talent and people health management: Mental health of people, keeping them energised
Way Forward
- Rationalise Domestic Exploration:India should scale up the harnessing of its indigenous petroleum resources by intensifying exploration, but resources indulged in it should be properly managed.
- As the exploration has its own challenges, after rationalisation the resources earmarked for exploration can be deployed more productively elsewhere.
- Improving the Productivity and Efficiency:Companies such as ONGC should allocate increasing resources to improving the productivity of its producing fields. The average oil recovery rate in India is around 28%. That is, for every 100 molecules discovered, only 28 are monetised.
- The global average is around 45% for fields of comparable geology.
- The recovery rate may be better today but if there is still a wide gap, the application of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)technology offers a relatively low-risk avenue for increasing domestic production.
- Need for a Contingency Plan:India currently has strategic reserves equivalent to 12 days of imports. The government has approved plans to increase this buffer to 25 days.
- By comparison, China, the EU, South Korea and Japan hold between 70-100 days of reserves.
- This should be done by constructing a cavern in Jamnagar, the entrepot that receives approximately 60% of our crude oil imports and is well connected through tanks and pipelines to the hinterland refineries.
- Restructure and Reorganise Public Sector Petroleum Companies:The upstream assets should be consolidated under ONGC (the upstream assets of BPCL, IOC, HPCL, and GAIL should pass onto ONGC) and GAIL should be changed into a public utility gas pipeline company.
- This restructuring will help cut back the “avoidable” costsof intra-public sector competition, reduce the inefficiencies of “sub scale” operations and provide a focused platform for balancing the shorter-term need to provide secure and affordable hydrocarbons with the medium and longer-term imperative of developing clean energy.
- Search for Alternatives:These companies should be encouraged to look beyond hydrocarbons to build a “Green energy” enterprise. Looking for other alternatives such as methanol-based economy and biomass.
Conclusion
Thus, all stakeholders should not work through the siloed prism of oil and natural gas. They should broaden the aperture and become the progenitor of the energy transition. The dilemma referred to in the opening sentence will be easier to resolve if priorities are developed within the framework of clean energy.
Topic: e-technology in the aid of farmers.
Reference: Live Mint
Why the question:
The article explains that Millions of farmers in India, who often rely on luck or favorable weather for a decent harvest, could be benefitted with access to better technologies which are affordable.
Key Demand of the question:
Discuss how technology can enable smart farming in India.
Directive:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start with some key facts highlighting the conditions of Indian farmers.
Body:
Millions of farmers in India, who often rely on luck or favorable weather for a decent harvest, could be benefitted with access to better technologies which are affordable.
Innovative financial arrangements and micro-loans might be required to increase the adoption of technology in agriculture, which is currently absent.
Discuss how technology can enable smart farming in India. Give examples.
Conclusion:
Conclude with way forward.
Introduction
The use of digital technology is set to play a transformational role in modernizing and organizing agricultural activities in a bid to double the farmers income (DFI) by 2022. The DFI committee headed by Ashok Dalwai addresses agriculture as a value led enterprise and suggests empowering farmers with “improved market linkages” and enabling “self-sustainable models” as the basis for continued productivity-production and income growth for farmers.
In this context, e-technology becomes even more important to aid the above target.
Body
Need for technology enabled farming in India
- Removing information asymmetry: Better price discovery mechanism through e-NAM and providing better information dissemination will help farmers get right value for their produce.
- Accurate weather prediction: Artificial intelligence-based weather prediction will help in knowing precise timings of monsoon and climate conditions. This in turn will help
- Better Infrastructure and logistics
- Scientific and Precision farming: Effective Input Management achieving Resource-Use-Efficiency (RUE) and Total Factor Productivity (TFP).
- Market Intelligence and linkage: It is expected to provide demand led decision making support system – forecasting system for agricultural produce demand and supply, and crop area estimation to aid price stabilization and risk management.
- With market information, farmers are better informed about markets to sell produce, informed decisions to sell produce at the right price and right time.
- Inter-state trading has been recorded in 20 commodities since e-NAM adoption in Indian states thereby increasing market linkage and access.
- Empowering Farmers through Agricultural Extension, Knowledge Diffusion and Skill Development.
Technology enabling smart farming in India
- E-NAM: It is an online trading platform for agricultural commodities in India. The market facilitates farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in commodities.
- It is a single window service combining commodity arrival, quality and prices and e-payment.
- It also bridges the information asymmetry and reduces transaction cost.
- National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA) : Weather related advisory service to farmers under Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) is being implemented.
- Artificial Intelligence: Going forward Artificial intelligence and Deep learning can help with better weather forecast simulation models. India has already two super computers Pratyush and Mihir deployed in this area.
- Precision Farming:
- Kisan Suvidha mobile application about critical parameters like weather, market prices, plant protection, input dealers, farm machinery, soil health.
- Currently, soil sensors like Plantix are used to identify pest attack through image processing.
- NITI Aayog’s strategy paper on AI noted that Trithi Robotics uses drone technology to allow farmers to monitor crops in real time and provide precise analysis of their soil.
- Soil Health Card will provide information to farmers on soil nutrients status of their soil and recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.
- The government has also set up 713 Krishi Vigyan Kendras and 684 agricultural technology management agencies at district level for dissemination of technologies among farm community.
- Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme was launched with the objective of providing financial and water security to farmers.
- They have the potential to substantially improve productivity of Indian farmers.
- Solar agri pumps are an economic and environmentally-friendly alternative to nearly 26 million agri pumps installed in India, of which 10 million are diesel-fired.
- mKisan/SMS Portal: Officers, Scientists and Experts from all over the country are using this Portal for disseminating information on various agricultural activities, giving topical & seasonal advisories and providing services through SMSs to farmers in their local languages.
- SMSs classified into three categories, viz. information, services and advisories. The content may include information about the Schemes, Advisories from Experts, Market Prices, Weather Reports, Soil Test Reports etc.
- The farmers registered for receiving SMS messages have been grouped based on the State, District, Block and the Crops/Activities selected by respective farmers.
- The SMS Portal provides a platform for integration of service delivery under different sectors viz. Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.
- Knowledge based information is being provided to farmers through a number of web and mobile based applications including the Farmers’ Portal, mKisan Portal and Kisan Call Centres (KCC).
- These Portals are facilitating knowledge-based information and advisories to farmers through an integrated web portal and mobile based platforms respectively.
- Kisan Call Centres have been functioning since 21 January, 2004 and working in 14 different locations covering almost all the states.
Conclusion
To combat the agrarian distress that is being experienced in the current times, increasing farm income and raising productivity become significant especially when a sizeable (48-49%) population is dependent on it. Governments must push towards the sources of growth in agriculture and effectively target the agri-incomes, thereby achieving the targeted goal.
