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.
Answer the following questions in 150 words:
General Studies – 1
1. Has religion increased the social cohesiveness in Indian society? Argue (150 Words)
Reference: India Today
Introduction
Social cohesion is defined as the willingness of members of a society to cooperate with each other in order to survive and prosper. It involves building shared values and communities of interpretation, reducing disparities in wealth and income, and generally enabling people to have a sense that they are engaged in a common enterprise, facing shared challenges, and that they are members of the same community.
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Religion as a source of social cohesion
- Religion gives people the opportunity to share common values, create a sense of unity and foster a sense of community.
- Religious rituals, traditions, customs are not meaningless, but they contribute to social cohesion.
- Religious diversity is not always a source of conflict or societal dysfunction, but it enriches our life by discovering unity within diverse religious communities.
- Religious institutions serve a greater purpose for the betterment of humanity.
- Many faith communities encourage altruistic values such as compassion, kindness, and mercy for the greater good of humanity.
- Common goals and adherence to altruistic values help them collaborate with one another in constructing a healthy social environment.
- Moral philosophy emphasized by religious institutions establishes a sense of responsibility that transcends beyond personal to social responsibility.
Religion as source of conflict
- Religion, for many, is a source of conflict on various levels; social, economic, and political.
- Throughout world history, humanity has suffered greatly in the name of nationality and religion.
- There is a negative connotation with religion, because crusades, jihad, holy wars, or violence are part of religious history.
- Religious extremists can contribute to conflict escalation. They see radical measures as necessary to fulfilling God’s wishes.
- Many religions also have significant strains of evangelism, which can be conflictual. Believers are called upon to spread the word of God and increase the numbers of the flock.
- For example, the effort to impose Christianity on subject peoples was an important part of the conflict surrounding European colonization.
- Religious nationalists tend to view their religious traditions as so closely tied to their nation or their land that any threat to one of these is a threat to one’s existence.
- Therefore, religious nationalists respond to threats to the religion by seeking a political entity in which their faith is privileged at the expense of others.
Conclusion
Therefore, in part, the solution is to promote a heightened awareness of the positive peace building and reconciliatory role religion has played in many conflict situations. More generally, fighting ignorance can go a long way. Interfaith dialogue would be beneficial at all levels of religious hierarchies and across all segments of religious communities. Where silence and misunderstanding are all too common, learning about other religions would be a powerful step forward. Being educated about other religions does not mean conversion but may facilitate understanding and respect for other faiths. Communicating in a spirit of humility and engaging in self-criticism would also be helpful.
General Studies – 2
2. Examine the significance of ‘Neutrality Doctrine’ in case of Constitutional Bodies. (150 Words)
Introduction
The Doctrine of Political Neutrality is a bedrock of a constitutional democracy. Neutrality is about being ‘a third’ vis-à-vis a conflict between others. The claim of neutrality is a claim addressed to the belligerent parties to show respect for the choice of the neutral and not to become involved in their conflict.
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Background
- The Supreme court has highlighted the need for authorities like the Speaker and the Governor to be faithful to constitutional morality and not vacillate under “prevailing political pressures”.
- The court has made it clear that as “the sentinel on the qui vive of the Constitution, it is under obligation to see that the democracy prevails and not gets hollowed by individuals”.
Significance of ‘Neutrality Doctrine’ in case of Constitutional Bodies
Upholding constitutional trust:
- A constitution vests the trust in the office of Speaker, Governor, EC etc. which needs to ensure their neutrality in their actions.
- Ensuring political fairness: The exercise of the wide constitutional powers by the constitutional office such as Governor’s, speaker’s, CAG’s and Election Commission’s is supposed to be in line with the “sacred” conventions of political neutrality and fairness. o However, we see erosion of such conventions in case of Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, the Speakers in both assemblies had helped ruling parties keep their flocks together by using their powers to disqualify MLAs under the Tenth Schedule.
- Upholding federalism: In India, the balance of power is tilted towards the Union. The importance of the constitutional posts such as Governor’s arises from, he being the crucial link within this federal structure in maintaining effective communication between the Centre and a State.
- For continuity in governance and keeping a check on the executives: Constitutional posts such of Speakers and Governors, acting independently of each other or in concert, can navigate the destiny of State governments. As a figurehead who ensures the continuance of governance in the State, even in times of constitutional crises, Governor’s role is often that of a neutral arbiter in disputes settled informally within the various strata of government, and as the conscience keeper of the community.
For a fair system of election and thus strengthening democracy:
- Elections are pivotal to the quality of a country’s governance and can either greatly advance or set back a country’s long-term democratic development. Therefore here EC’s neutrality is of utmost significance and value.
To maintain the health of the economy:
- The independence, powers and responsibilities of the constitutional offices like CAG’s place high ethical demands on the auditor and the staff he employs or engages for auditing and accounting work. The general standards for the CAG include independence from the legislature and from the executive so that any economic misconduct by the government or siphoning of the public exchequer can be pointed out.
Conclusion
The principle of political neutrality, which requires the state to remain neutral on disputed questions is an extension of traditional liberal principles of toleration and independence of opinion. Thus, political neutrality casts duties not only on constitutional offices but also on government of the day. The political leaders must protect independent constitutional offices from political interference and must not involve them in political activities or debates.
Introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group.
It has been at the forefront of coordinating global response against the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the role and its response were criticized for being inadequate.
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Criticism against WHO in handling Pandemic
- Lack of preparedness: The WHO already had access to data and years of subsequent research about the SARS outbreak.
- A research paper in 2007 had already warned against the mutable nature of the virus coupled with China’s rapid urbanisation, proximity to exotic animals and refusal to tackle illegal wildlife trade.
- In 2015, the coronavirus family of diseases was selected to be included in a list of priorities requiring urgent research and development.
- It was earmarked as a primary contender for emerging diseases likely to cause a major epidemic. This assessment was reiterated in WHO’s 2018 annual review of prioritised diseases.
- Delay in declaration:WHO has been criticised for its unexplained delay in declaring COVID 19 as a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ (PHEIC).
- Various governments across the world reached out to the WHO for an advisory, but the WHO emergency committee was split on whether to declare a PHEIC.
- WHO did not take any decision and stated that “the focus is not so much on the numbers”. It finally had to declare once the confirmed cases had increased tenfold across 18 countries.
- Subsequently, WHO also delayed its declaration as a ‘pandemic, especially when the COVID 19 was exhibiting the characteristics of a pandemic, i.e. spreading rapidly around the world.
- Indecision in visiting China:The WHO did show any urgency in sending an investigation team to China. A joint WHO-Chinese team went to Wuhan only in mid-February.
- Exclusion of Taiwan:Since China acceded to the UN in 1971, it has periodically blocked Taiwan’s WHO membership on the grounds that the democratically governed island is part of China.
- The WHO’s continued support to the “One China” principle, which recognizes the government in Beijing as the legitimate Chinese government, became a crucial hurdle in dealing with the pandemic.
- Delay in acknowledging human-to-human transmission of the virus especially, after the first case was announced outside China.
- This is despite the fact that Taiwan had warned the WHO of this as early as end of December, 2019.
- The recent reports clearly highlight that China stayed silent on its knowledge of human-to-human transmission.
- Not endorsing the use of trade and travel restrictions: The explosion of travel restrictions that countries implemented to counter COVID-19 prompted arguments that these restrictions violated the IHR, violations that the WHO did not probe despite having authority to do so.
- Rather, the WHO urged the international community to not spread fear and stigma by imposing travel restrictions.
- It even criticised early travel restrictions by the US as being excessive and unnecessary.
At the same time,
- WHO’s efforts to advance development of coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics have been appreciated.
- The WHO’s efforts in sharing of information and its attempts to counter online misinformation and disinformation have earned widespread praise
Measures to democratise global health governance
- Increase the WHO’s technical capacities and capabilities– Creating new departments focused on science, antimicrobial resistance and digital health will also broaden the WHO’s range of expertise and keep up with the latest public health challenges and opportunities.
- Help focus on the mission of WHO-which does not have the capacity to do everything and has frequently found itself responding to situations rather than setting its own agenda. It may also encourage member states to provide additional resources if they have a better idea of where that money is going.
- Coordinate with other global players– as these reforms do not address how the organization should interact with major global health players like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Doctors Without Borders.
- Mobilize more resources– WHO’s current biennial budget is 4.42 billion, with overwhelming majority dictated by donors and their priorities, which leaves the organization limited control over the funding.
- There are plenty of funds flowing into the health sector but the same is imbalanced in allocation to “big” diseases (vertical) but not to the health system for strengthening (horizontal).
- There is also lack of evaluation, accountability and sustainability, which necessitates the need for major overhaul and shifts with regard to traditional donors and models of funding for optimisation of the existing health resources.
Conclusion
The criticism being faced by the WHO has done great damage to its global reputation and standing. While the politicisation of the WHO remains a serious concern, it also presents an opportunity to rethink the underpinnings of the broader global governance architecture. The WHO reforms announced few months back should be implemented on a war footing. Its donor dependency and weakened capacity should be addressed effectively, to meet its triple billion targets in future.
General Studies – 3
Reference: Live Mint, Insights
Introduction
Prime minister of India last year announced investment opportunities worth ₹2.5 trillion in the national asset monetisation pipeline mentioned in the Budget through sale of around 100 assets of central public sector enterprises (CPSEs).
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National monetisation Pipeline
- The target is to monetize around 100 assets in oil, gas, port, airport, railways and power sectors to raise about Rs 90,000 crore in the current financial year. For instance, the Indian Railways has approximately 43,000 hectares of vacant land across the country and many road projects are in the pipeline for monetization as well.
- The government is increasingly looking to monetize physical assets such as land, buildings and brownfield operational assets like roads, railways stations, pipelines, mobile towers, etc. to raise resources in recent times.
- In addition, the Ministry of Shipping is in the process of recycling 11 assets, including 10 berths and the International Cruise Terminal at Goa Port. While in the telecom sector, BSNL and MTNL towers are planned to be monetized.
Review of previous asset monetization exercises
- Learnings from past success: Since 2016, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been deploying the Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) model for asset monetization in the highways sector.
- Furthermore, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already completed the privatization of six identified airports (Ahmedabad, Mangalore, Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, and Guwahati).
- The railway station redevelopment program was among the initial projects which involved monetization of physical assets.
- As part of this initiative, Habibganj and Gandhinagar railway stations are being redeveloped into airport-like world class stations by the Indian Railways Station Development Corporation (IRSDC)
- Learnings of the past failures: The government has faced many challenges in its asset monetization efforts in the past.
- Lack of proper maintenance of asset register and title and encroachment issues have adversely affected the Indian Railways’ plan to monetize its land.
- Furthermore, the progress of the flagship railway station redevelopment program has been marred by improper planning including land unavailability, delayed approvals and clearances, policy constraints and lack of coordination among stakeholders.
- The current market conditions and legacy real estate industry issues could further impact the progress.
- In the roads sector, refinancing remains an issue considering the long-term nature of the TOT concessions despite the model providing more certainty of cash flows to the investors than under the greenfield projects.
- So far, the TOT model has witnessed limited participation in all its previous packages or bundles.
- Further, the unprecedented situation caused by COVID-19 which has severely impacted the toll collections could delay the asset monetization plan of NHAI.
- Clarity on the number, size and type of assets that would come to the market would instill confidence among investors who are looking to acquire a specific package or category of assets.
Measures to make National Monetization Pipeline a success
- NITI Aayog has therefore suggested the creation of an Empowered Group of Secretaries for fast approval and clearances under the railway station redevelopment program.
- An underlying objective of asset monetization is to raise resources for future investments into the sector. The Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) model which provides a way for recycling of capital invested in operational assets in an efficient manner, could be adopted to achieve the desired objective.
- In the power sector, the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) has recently approved monetization of the transmission assets of the state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) through InvIT model.
- Another advantage of this model is that it would attract both domestic and global investors, including sovereign wealth funds, retail investors and institutional investors such as pension funds.
Conclusion:
Monetization of public assets is a complex and rigorous process that involves stakeholders’ management, efficient coordination, and detailed due diligence of the technical, operational and financial aspects of the assets. Successful implementation of the monetization exercise will ease the burden on existing projects, enable asset value unlocking, and propel economic growth. As a way forward, asset monetization could be a game changer for the infrastructure investment in India.
Reference: New Indian Express
Introduction
In the venture capital industry, the term unicorn refers to any startup that reaches the valuation of $1 billion. The term was first coined by venture capitalist Aileen Lee in 2013. Mostly, all the unicorns have brought a disruption in the field they belong to. Uber, for example, changed the way people commuted. Airbnb changed the way people planned their stay while travelling and Snapchat disrupted the usage of the social media network etc.
India currently stands third in the global list of the number of companies that have attained unicorn status.
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Benefits of a unicorn
- The Indian start-up ecosystem is nothing short of a revolution with $106-billion worth of value-creation by 44 unicorns, in turn creating 4 million direct and indirect jobs.
- Start-ups have helped women entrepreneurs to contribute immensely to the start-up ecosystem
- It’s increasingly seen as a sign that the Indian economy is reaching a turning point and that its entrepreneurial culture is maturing.
- Ancillary industries rise up creating more avenues of innovation, growth and employment.
- The unicorns like ola, flipkart which are consumer centric have created an alternate gig economy for workers, which gives them much needed flexibility.
- Due to competition among unicorns, consumers are benefited through competitive pricing.
- It has created an ecosystem in cities such as Bengaluru and Delhi, which has paved way for more capital and investments flowing into the nation.
Challenges faced by unicorns in India
- Capital: For running a company from being startup to unicorn, a significant amount of working capital is required. Many startups, especially at early stages, are bootstrapped, i.e. self-funded through the founders’ own savings, or using capital from friends and family.
- Complex regulatory environment: The government of India has introduced policies that aim to ease the business environment for startups.
- However, the present regulatory framework in which startups/unicorns operate is widely seen as difficult, inefficient and unpredictable.
- Bureaucratic process: Companies in India often feel encumbered by bureaucratic processes, which appear to lack underlying standards.
- They have insufficient possibilities to find information, and there is little planning security about how long processes can take.
- In addition, regulations can suddenly change or startups receive random notices.
- As a result, startups have to find frustrating workarounds, waste valuable time or pivot their business model.
- A further challenge for startups is to take their products to the market as Indian markets appear difficult to penetrate.
- Competitive landscape: Often, many firms are already present and many more enter the market, including copycats.
- A second reason is that startups are at a disadvantage compared to large companies.
- Huge uncertainty: Recently, the biggest-ever initial public offering (IPO) in India fell flat on its face on the first day of its listing in the stock exchange, with shares being traded at prices less than 27% of the IPO price.
- On the one hand, this is due to the fact that big market players are more capable of dealing with bureaucratic regulations.
- On the other hand, public procurement is seen as weak and government prefers to sign contracts with established companies.
- For many job-seekers, joining a startup as an employee is not an attractive career option, due to the inherent risk that the startup might fail.
Need for proper regulatory mechanism
- The factors enabling the rise of unicorns comprise the availability of private equity funds, increasing Internet penetration and digital payments, more robust infrastructure and the rising pool of skilled talent.
- Considering the focus on creating an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, however, the nation’s policymakers, risk-taking corporates and funding agencies need to foster a conducive climate for ensuring easier availability of domestic capita
- As business models get more complex and interlinked, the regulators have to play a more proactive role in formulating appropriate regulations that encourage innovation and support emerging business models rather than hindering innovation.
- Besides promoting local funding, the government and corporate entities may need to invest in a big way through leading academic institutions to de-risk start-up investments in the long run.
- It appears that corporations and valuation experts overestimate the Indian economy’s potential to consume services by assuming exponential demand growth over longer time periods.
- Firms spend a lot of money to offer huge discounts to clients in the hopes that people would become so used to these platforms that they will continue to use them even if the prices are raised. This could lead to cartelization and market monopoly on a long run.
Conclusion
By providing the “minicorns” (a start-up with $1 million-plus valuation) and “soonicorns” (funded by angel investors or venture capitalists and likely to soon join the unicorn club) the right regulatory ambience and local sources of funding, India can create a truly innovative and resilient economy.
Answer the following questions in 250 words:
General Studies – 1
Introduction
Gandhiji was a thinker, writer, public intellectual, political activist, political theorist and, above all, a philosopher who invented a new philosophical way of life. As a philosopher, he undoubtedly deserves to be ranked alongside the Buddha and Socrates.
On January 30, 1948, the Father of the Nation’ was assassinated at Gandhi Smriti in the Birla House during the evening prayers. January 30 is the day when Mahatma Gandhi was martyred and the Government of India announced the day as Shaheed Diwas or Martyrs’ Day.
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Essential elements of Gandhi’s political philosophy and his valuable contributions
- Mahatma Gandhi successfully weaponized truth, satyagraha, and peace during India’s struggle for independence.
- These ideals inspired great men across the world, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. Their lives stand as a testament to their indomitable will and the courage to practice the ideals.
- Mahatma Gandhi believed that the true test of life for the individual can be summarized in two principles: self-discipline and self-restraint. In this relation, he observed: “A self-indulgent man lives to eat; a self-restrained man eats to live.”
- Mahatma Gandhi saw his place among the weakest and the poorest. His notion of a just and truthful politics was that in such an environment, the weakest should have the same opportunities as the strongest.
- Gandhiji is a great example of simplicity and transparency. Gandhi’s simplicity was reflected in his deeds and acts, but mostly in his mode of life.
- Mahatma Gandhi believed in the interrelated nature of human existence. He was interested in the self-transformative nature of the citizens which seems important in the upholding of the ethic of human action.
- Mahatma Gandhi gives ethical and political primacy to the two concepts of self-realization and self-rule. For Gandhi, a self-realized and self-conscious community is a society of citizens who reconcile the self-determination of the individual with the recognition of the shared values in the community.
- The Gandhian technique of mobilising people has been successfully employed by many oppressed societies around the world under the leadership of people like Martin Luther King in the United States, Nelson Mandela in South Africa, and Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar, which is an eloquent testimony to the continuing relevance of Mahatma Gandhi.
- Gandhi’s concept of basic education includes holding of creative activities like cleaning surroundings, spreading communal unity, health education programme, addiction relief programme etc. which can instil national, social, spiritual and cultural values among children.
- Even if Gandhi is no more among us, his spirit has been with the great transformative leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries like Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Václav Havel and Pope Francis.
Conclusion
Martyrs’ Day is an occasion to remind us of the fact that thousands of brave soldiers, some prominent, many obscure, had walked on the thorny path of resistance fighting for India’s freedom in the epic struggle spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi. As a global thinker with a transhistorical and trans geographical influence, Gandhi was a moral and political leader who stayed out of the box.
General Studies – 2
Introduction
Public Servants are the glue between the State and the people. They have a wide array of responsibilities from formulation, implementation of various rules, policies to service delivery to citizens. They are granted with sufficient powers to carry on their work in an unhindered manner.
When India attained independence, Sardar Vallabhai Patel was the first to envision civil services as the ‘steel frame’ of Independent India. Today, more than six decades later, the Indian bureaucracy is both celebrated and reviled. Far from what Patel had warranted, his vision of a “steel frame” is now derided as “babudom”.
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Reasons why civil servants are losing their integrity
- There is no recognition of good work in civil services. When you work in civil services, there is nothing that you can achieve without the cooperation of your team and the goodwill of the people. Honest and brave officers are threatened with suspension and humiliation.
- Today, our bureaucracy is twenty times more bureaucratic, our deference to the chain of command more cringing and decorous, our worship of paper more entrenched. To q
- uote Hyman Rickover, “If you are going to sin, sin against God, not the bureaucracy. God will forgive you but the bureaucracy won’t.”
- A bureaucracy that wastes its precious human potential is morally indefensible.
- This does not mean that there should be fewer oversight checks. An administration certainly needs guardrails in the form of non-negotiable rules.
- Without such rails, the system can stray badly. But necessitating a dozen signatures where a few can do, is a criminal surfeit of supervisory controls.
- Similarly, we have a colossal army of paper-pushing subordinates churning out work of frivolous value.
Various constraints due to fading values of civil servants
- Inefficiency and misalignment with strategic national goals
- For Example, IAS is hamstrung by political interference, outdated personnel procedures, and a mixed record on policy implementation
- Institutionalized corruption
- For Example, A paper prepared in 2012 by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions states that corruption is prevalent at all levels in civil services and it is institutionalized.
- Misappropriation of funds
- For Example, ₹1 lakh crore (US$14 billion) losses through corruption, waste and fraud occurred from the government’s National Rural Health Mission healthcare Programme, several of arrested high-level public servants died under mysterious circumstances including one in prison
- Criminalization
- For Example, In 2011, over a period of preceding three years more than 450 charge sheets for criminal cases of corruption were filed and a total of 943 corruption cases were at different stages of investigation by CBI against civil servants
Measures needed:
- Personal self-interest should be secondary to the common good in all situations, especially when such circumstances give rise to conflict of interest.
- A dilemma should be dealt appropriately by considering and reformulating all the options in a systematic and coherent manner.
- To resolve such ethical dilemmas, an order or a sequence of logical reasoning is must to integrate and rearrange the process of dealing with ethical dilemmas.
- The decisions should be guided by following principles:
- The provisions of Indian Constitution.
- Democratic accountability of administration.
- The rule of law and the principle of legality.
- Professional integrity.
- Impartiality and neutrality.
- Larger public good.
- Responsiveness to civil society.
- The bureaucracy should be loyal to the country and its people while decision making considering consequences of such decisions.
- It is fundamental ethical duty of civil servants to show a spirit of neutrality and discretion and keep their own personal preferences out in the performance of their duties and responsibilities.
Conclusion
A bureaucracy must be an enabler and not a hinderer that clogs the decision-making pipeline. Honest and competent civil servants—and there are many—need to initiate human capital reform to create high-performing machinery that does fewer things but does them better.
Introduction
A Citizens’ Charter represents the commitment of the Organisation towards standard, quality and time frame of service delivery, grievance redress mechanism, transparency and accountability. The concept of Citizens Charter enshrines the trust between the service provider and its users.
Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in Government of India (DARPG) initiated the task of coordinating, formulating and operationalising Citizen’s Charters.
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The basic objective of the Citizens Charter is to empower the citizen in relation to public service delivery.
Importance of Citizen’s charter in the Governance of developing nation like India:
- To make administration accountable and citizen friendly.
- To ensure transparency.
- To take measures to improve customer service.
- To adopt a stakeholder approach.
- To save time of both Administration and the citizen
Problems faced in implementation of Citizen’s charter:
- One size fits all: Tendency to have a uniform CC for all offices under the parent organization. CC have still not been adopted by all Ministries/Departments. This overlooks local issues.
- Silo operations: Devoid of participative mechanisms in a majority of cases, not formulated through a consultative process with cutting edge staff who will finally implement it.
- Non-Dynamic: Charters are rarely updated making it a one-time exercise, frozen in time.
- Poor design and content: lack of meaningful and succinct CC, absence of critical information that end-users need to hold agencies accountable.
- Lack of public awareness: only a small percentage of end-users are aware of the commitments made in the CC since effective efforts of communicating and educating the public about the standards of delivery promise have not been undertaken.
- Stakeholders not consulted: End-users, Civil society organizations and NGOs are not consulted when CCs are drafted. Since a CC’s primary purpose is to make public service delivery more citizen-centric, consultation with stakeholders is a must.
- Measurable standards of delivery are rarely defined: making it difficult to assess whether the desired level of service has been achieved or not.
- Poor adherence: Little interest shown by the organizations in adhering to their CC. since there is no citizen friendly mechanism to compensate the citizen if the organization defaults.
Way forward:
- Wide consultation process: CC be formulated after extensive consultations within the organization followed by a meaningful dialogue with civil society.
- Participatory process: Include Civil Society in the process: to assist in improvement in the contents of the Charter, its adherence as well as educating the citizens about the importance of this vital mechanism.
- Firm commitments to be made: CC must be precise and make firm commitments of service delivery standards to the citizens/consumers in quantifiable terms wherever possible.
- Redressal mechanism in case of default: clearly lay down the relief which the organization is bound to provide if it has defaulted on the promised standards of delivery.
- One size does not fit all: formulation of CC should be a decentralized activity with the head office providing only broad guidelines.
- Periodic updation of CC: preferably through an external agency.
- Fix responsibility: Hold officers accountable for results: fix specific responsibility in cases where there is a default in adhering to the CC.
Conclusion
Citizen’s Charter is playing a prominent part in ensuring “minimum government & maximum governance”, changing the nature of charters from non-justiciable to justiciable & adopting penalty measures that will make it more efficient & citizen friendly. The Sevottam model proposed by 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission for public Service Delivery can be regarded as a standard model for providing services in citizen centric governance.
General Studies – 3
Reference: Live Mint
Introduction
Covid has caused a tectonic shift in all spheres of our lives, economy, businesses, entertainment, kids’ education, travel, etc, apart from healthcare. The only common thread taking us through it has been digitalization and e-commerce. Businesses and services depend ever more on technology.
Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) could also survive with technology and digitization of their processes, inventory management and interface with markets, either directly or via the e-commerce ecosystem.
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As India’s economic recovery remains fragile, it would be prudent to help fast-track India’s e-commerce sector and the onboarding of MSMEs, which account for an estimated 30% of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) and constitute more than 40% of exports. However, currently less than 10% of Indian MSMEs sell online and 85% are unregistered.
Advantages to MSME’s on joining e-commerce
- Increase revenues and profit margins: Improved timeliness of marketing, global client base and flexible business conduct can aid MSMEs to increase revenues and provide specific e-commerce benefits such as online referral systems to acquire more customers, knowledge-based customisation to improve customer acquisition and use service & feedback channels to enhance the future sales experiences.
- Reduce spend on marketing and distribution costs: Because of increased competition in this space, e-commerce players are heavily spending on digital and traditional media to improve site traffic, gain customers, establish customer relationships and boost sales.
- In addition, digital channels provide a cost-effective and efficient Infomedia space to advertise and communicate with target audiences, wherein most e-commerce platforms provide links on social media channels, which is then used by their partners to create awareness about their products and services.
- Use data analytics to understand, engage and retain customers: Through their portals/websites, most B2B e-commerce players generate, store and analyse customer data including products, prices and technical details accessed, time spent on every page, orders placed and purchases made over a period.
- Building a global reputation: Online transactions create an auditable history of a company’s performance and reliability. Often consumers depend on these records to identify companies that are most likely to provide a satisfactory service.
- Access to foreign markets: One of the biggest challenges with traditional export channels is the inability of small enterprises to participate in that process.
- To overcome this, e-commerce platforms provide a level playing field for all types of businesses that seek access to foreign markets.
Issues onboarding MSME’s to e-commerce
- The current GST Rules provide that any offline seller with annual turnover under ₹40 lakh and engaged in intra-state sales must obtain GST registration to sell online.
- Additionally, offline sellers under ₹1.5 crore annual turnover with intra-state sales cannot continue with simplified GST compliance processes under the composite GST scheme if they want to sell online.
- Accordingly, even where an MSME’s turnover does not cross the threshold, it would be required to register itself under GST and fulfil all subsequent compliance requirements.
- Under the current GST framework, many small businesses may not be able to transition from conventional sales to e-commerce platforms because their GST registration under the composition scheme may not be adequate, posing a hurdle in small business owners’ efforts to access the large customer base that global e-commerce majors and several others may offer.
- Moreover, MSMEs operating through online platforms are burdened with cumbersome and time-consuming periodical compliance needs like registration and the monthly filing of returns, which further dissuades them from registering under the GST Network.
- Yet, we must proactively get MSMEs selling online, as also artisans and farmer-producer organizations scattered across India, and provide them marketing support.
Measures to overcome the issues
- It may be prudent to provide an enabling GST ecosystem in the interest of all suppliers, online as well as offline.
- In the spirit of empowering small retailers and not placing online platforms at a disadvantage to brick-and-mortar businesses, MSMEs should be liable for GST only at the threshold value, irrespective of whether they sell offline or online.
- Enabling GST parity between offline and online sellers with respect to registration would be logical and help in integrating small business owners in the country with the e-commerce ecosystem.
- Also, amending the rules to allow small offline sellers to sell online (with intra-state restrictions) without needing a GST registration will increase GST and income tax collections for the government, increase control and transparency, and improve efficiency of tax collection.
Conclusion
India’s e-commerce sector is projected to reach $80 billion by 2021 and $300 billion by 2030. For MSMEs, e-commerce is rightly synonymous with economic stability, growth and security; and is a channel that allows even the smallest MSMEs to showcase their products in any part of the world without having to shell out on expansion or changing locations. These platforms have empowered small businesses by removing barriers, providing a large customer base and consequently, ensuring increased revenues. For growth and development of MSMEs, e-commerce marketplaces are perhaps the best catalysts for directing their transformation at minimal costs, investment and innovation. A collaborative effort between the government, the private sector, industry groups, training organisations and SMEs is the most efficient way to support MSMEs.
Reference: New Indian Express
Introduction
Climate change directly affects agricultural production as this sector is inherently sensitive to climatic conditions and is one of the most vulnerable sectors at the risk and impact of global climate change.
FAO defines Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) as “agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, enhances resilience (adaptation), reduces/removes GHGs (mitigation) where possible, and enhances achievement of national food security and development goals”
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India’s vulnerability: Scope of CSA in India
- India’s agricultural ecosystem is distinguished by high monsoon dependence and with 85% small and marginal landholdings, it is highly sensitive to weather abnormalities.
- There has been less than normal rainfall during the last four years, with 2014 and 2015 declared as drought years.
- There are also reports of an escalation in heat waves, which in turn affecting crops, aquatic systems and livestock.
- The Economic Survey 2017-18 has estimated farm income losses between 15% and 18% on average, which could rise to 20%-25% for unirrigated areas without any policy interventions.
- These projections underline the need for strategic change in dealing with climate change in agriculture.
- There will be an increased risk of pests and diseases due to change in the pattern of host and pathogen interaction. For every two-degree rise in temperature, the agriculture GDP of India will reduce by five percent.
- The recent locust attack is also attributed to climate change, which can have highly disastrous effect on food security.
- Poor agricultural performance can lead to inflation, farmer distress and unrest, and larger political and social disaffection, all of which can hold back the economy. It will force farmers to either adapt to challenges of climate change or face the risk of getting poorer.
Climate Smart Agriculture: Solving food security and climate change problems
- Increased productivity: Produce more food to improve food and nutrition security and boost the incomes of 75 percent of the world’s poor who live in rural areas and mainly rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.
- Enhanced resilience: Reduce vulnerability to drought, pests, disease, and other shocks; and improve capacity to adapt and grow in the face of longer-term stresses like shortened seasons and erratic weather patterns.
- Reduced emissions: Pursue lower emissions for each calorie or kilo of food produced, avoid deforestation from agriculture and identify ways to suck carbon out of the atmosphere.
- The climate-smart agriculture approach seeks to reduce trade-offs to make crop and livestock systems, forestry, and fisheries and aquaculture more productive and more sustainable.
- Climate-smart agriculture explicitly looks for where there are synergies and trade-offs among food security, adaptation and mitigation. Climate smart agriculture works through several dimensions to reorient agricultural development and management to take climate change into account.
- Management of farms, crops, livestock, aquaculture and capture fisheries to balance near-term food security and livelihoods needs with priorities for adaptation and mitigation.
- Ecosystem and landscape management to conserve ecosystem services that are important for food security, agricultural development, adaptation and mitigation.
Way forward and Conclusion
- Farmers, especially smallholder farmers, need handholding during their scaling up to adopt CSA.
- Mobile telecommunication systems are increasingly cost-effective and an efficient way of delivering weather-based agro-advisories to farmers at a large scale.
Radio (especially community radio), television, newspapers, folk media, and village level public address systems will also need to be used to bridge this “communication divide.” - Weather-based agro-advisories must be locale-specific, crop-and farmer-specific; need to also recommend soil, water, and biodiversity conservation practices. Integrating this with Soil Health Card scheme will be a good step forward.
- Build adaptive capacities to climate variability and strengthen the sustainability of farming systems.
- On-site training and awareness campaigns, technology demonstrations, farmer-specialist interactions, and engagement with local governance bodies.
- Soil health and need-based irrigation management need to be addressed adequately.
- Closer collaboration between public, civil society, and private technology and financial service providers so that farmers get access to accurate information, and affordable technologies.
