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General Studies – 1
Topic: urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: the Hindu
Why the question: Only 12% of the villages that were supposed to get infrastructure for liquid waste management this year have achieved their goal under the second phase of the Swacch Bharat Mission, according to the parliamentary standing committee report on water resources presented in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Key Demand of the question: To write about challenges associated with Solid waste management (SWM) and remedies for the issue.
Directive word:
Analyse – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin the answer by defining Solid waste management.
Body:
First, explain the challenges pertaining to SWM in India – infrastructure, sanitation, manual scavenging, lack of disposal, pollution etc.
Next, write about various ways to tackle it – leveraging Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2.0, periodic data collection on waste generation, strict segregation at source, improving waste collection efficiency and exploring Waste to Energy options.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
Solid waste management (SWM) refers to the process of collecting and treating solid wastes. It also offers solutions for recycling items that do not belong to garbage or trash. In a nascent effort to look beyond toilets and kick off its ODF+ phase — that is, Open Defecation Free Plus — focussing on solid and liquid waste management, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) has included the prevalence of plastic litter and water-logging in villages as indicators of cleanliness in its 2019 rural survey.
Body
Current Situation of SWM in India:
- As per the SBM 2.0 guidelines, the total quantity of waste generated by urban areas in India is about 32 lakh tonnes daily. This adds up to 4.8 crore tonnes per annum.
- Of this only about 25% is being processed; the rest is disposed of in landfills every year.
- Given that the waste dumpsites have been operational since the early 2000s, more than 72 crore tonnes of waste need to be processed.
- Most cities have confined themselves to collection and transportation of solid waste. Processing and safe disposal are being attempted only in a few cases.
- The CPCB report also reveals that only 68% of the MSW generated in the country is collected of which, 28% is treated by the municipal authorities. Thus, merely 19% of the total waste generated is currently treated.
- According to a UN report, India’s e-waste from old computers alone will jump 500 per cent by 2020, compared to 2007.
- Disappearance of urban water bodies and wetlands in urban areas can be attributed to illegal dumping of Construction & Demolition waste.
Some of the major issues concerning solid waste management are:
- Absence of segregation of waste at source
- Lack of funds for waste management at ULBs.
- Unwillingness of ULBs to introduce proper collection, segregation, transportation and treatment/ disposal systems.
- Lack of technical expertise and appropriate institutional arrangement
- lack of infrastructure and technology
- lack of involvement from the private sector and non-governmental organisations
- Indifference of citizens towards waste management due to lack of awareness
- Lack of community participation towards waste management and hygienic conditions
- Lack of sewage management plan.
- About 70% of the plastic packaging products turn into plastic waste within a short period.
- Unorganized vendors and markets, existence of slum areas and Corruption are other issues plaguing MSWM.
Measures needed
- State governments should provide financial support to ULBs to improve their waste management system under various schemes and programs.
- Initiatives like Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT should provide significant funding to improve civic services infrastructure.
- The key to efficient waste management is to ensure proper segregation of waste at source and to ensure that the waste goes through different streams of recycling and resource recovery as stated in the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
- Waste to energy is a key component of SWM. Installation of waste-to-compost and bio-methanation plants would reduce the load of landfill sites
- There is a need to encourage research and development so as to reinvent waste management system in India.
- The focus should be on recycling and recovering from waste and not landfill. Further, it is important to encourage recycling of e-waste so that the problem of e-waste
- Public- Private Partnership models for waste management should be encouraged.
- Construction and demolition waste should be stored, separately disposed off, as per the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016.
- Responsibilities of Generators have been introduced to segregate waste in to three streams, Wet (Biodegradable), Dry (Plastic, Paper, metal, wood, etc.) and domestic hazardous wastes (diapers, napkins, empty containers of cleaning agents, mosquito repellents, etc.) and handover segregated wastes to authorized rag-pickers or waste collectors or local bodies.
- Sensitization of citizens as well as government authorities, community participation, involvement of NGOs. Littering should be prohibited.
- International Best practices should be emulated. South Korea is one of the few countries to separate and recycle food waste. It has also launched landfill recovery projects such as the Nanjido recovery project which have successfully transformed hazardous waste sites into sustainable ecological attractions.
Conclusion
Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is one of the major environmental problems of Indian cities. The need of the hour is scientific, sustainable and environment friendly management of wastes.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: the Hindu
Why the question: In refusing to entertain ‘sealed covers’ submitted by the government or its agencies, the Supreme Court has made a noteworthy and welcome shift away from this unedifying practice.
Key Demand of the question: To write about the importance of judicial transparency and its impact.
Directive word:
Elaborate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the context. You must be defining key terms wherever appropriate and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Give a defining transparency in judicial institutions
Body:
Mention the advantages of transparency in judicial proceedings – accountability, combats corruption, and aids in eliminating arbitrariness. Public information can improve the level of trust and legitimacy of judges and others working in the justice system, allowing society to better understand its operation, challenges, and limitations.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing that judicial transparency reassures justice.
Introduction
The Indian Judiciary plays an increasingly important role in the life and the governance of this country. However, the issue of transparency has been a sticking point for the judiciary in India. The use of material produced in a ‘sealed cover’ as an aid to adjudication is something to be strongly discouraged and deprecated. However, it gained much respectability in recent years, with contents withheld from lawyers appearing against the government, but being seen by the judges alone.
Body
Importance of transparency in Judiciary
- it promotes accountability, combats corruption, and helps eliminate arbitrariness, Transparency is particularly important in judicial institutions.
- It facilitates greater judicial independence and enhances public confidence in this way.
- The level of trust and the legitimacy of judges and others operating in the justice system can be enhanced by a policy of transparency and access to public information, thereby enabling the society to understand its operation, challenges, and limitations.
- Thus, Transparency fundamentally reassures society that justice is served.
Challenges to transparency in Judiciary
- Appointment and Transfer of Judges and Functioning of Collegium System
- Due to lack of transparency in the appointment of judges, the procedure adopted by Collegium system is being criticized since its
- Transfer of Judges
- Since many years not only the policy of appointment but the policy of transfer is also criticized because many transfer of judges of different High Courts has been made on extraneous
- Roaster System
- Chief Justice of India has power to decide the roster of the cases.
- In this regard, dissatisfaction from the members of highest judiciary itself has been expressed.
- It was said that particular and some specific case are picked up and has been allotted to favorable bench of judges.
- Practice of Sealed Envelope
- In case of sealed cover submission the information is accessible only to the court and only to the party who has submitted it.
- There are so many cases where the Court had sought detailed report in sealed cover envelope such as in case of former Chief of CBI Alok Verma, Assam National Register of Citizen, 2G Spectrums and Board for Control of Cricket in India etc.
- RTI Act
- The Supreme Court, in a recent decision in the Chief Information Commissioner v. High Court of Gujarat (2020), barred citizens from obtaining access to court records under the RTI Act.
- According to the Court, such records can only be accessed under regulations established by each High Court under Article 225 of the Constitution.
- Though this ruling does not restrict the RTI Act from being used to the administrative side of the court, it does effectively close the door to accessing the millions of court records submitted on the judicial side under the RTI Act.
- Judicial independence
- Judicial independence is employed as a blanket over all difficulties and as a shield against accountability for the problems that have arisen.
- There is a lack of openness in the court system’s operation.
Measures needed
- To create confidence and faith of the public it is necessary to adopt the principal of transparency and fairness in the functioning of any democratic institution.
- The use of transparent and open processes in the appointment of judges serves to shield judges from undue external influences such as those exercised by other branches of government or interest groups.
- A key strategy to increase judicial transparency is to collect, analyse, and share statistical data. Such data allows for the analysis of performance, the identification of accomplishments, the detection of problems, and the development of strategies to address them.
- It is critical to provide public access to the courts, including through the media, in order to raise awareness of the judiciary’s activities. The recording of court sessions by video, audio, or transcription is one example of such access.
- Access to Supreme Court decisions is especially important since they affect government institutions and actions in general, not just the cases at hand. Such judgements may concern individual rights or state obligations, and hence have a significant impact on how citizens’ rights are viewed and safeguarded.
- The Supreme Court should determine and circumscribe the circumstances in which confidential government reports, especially those withheld from the other side, can be used by courts in adjudication.
- The procedure for allotment of cases must be transparent, fair, just and reasonable through a proper codified system.
Conclusion
Transparency also leads to the proper functioning of a democratic country whereby people have the right to receive information and make informed decisions regarding the government or the country they live in. As the Supreme Court must also serve as the protector of the fundamental rights of every citizen in the country, it is important to make sure that the people’s right to receive information which is implicit under Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution is not affected. We can soon have an efficient and responsible judicial system where the rule of law prevails if we take a few measures toward a more transparent judiciary.
Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question: Russia’s war on Ukraine has decisively shaped international opinion. Indian foreign policy is also going to be affected in a profound manner. The most important question facing Indian diplomacy is how to navigate India’s great power relations in the future.
Key Demand of the question: To write about the need to have a change in India-Russia dynamic relations due to recent geopolitical developments.
Directive word:
Critically analyze – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them 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 balanced judgment on the topic.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving context of ‘all weather’ friendship between India and Russia.
Body:
In the first part, Highlight the strength of the relationship – Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, cold war era friendship, the long history, defence partnership, nuclear power plants etc.
Next, bring out the issues in the relationship by dividing them into geopolitical, geostrategic and at bilateral level – Ukraine Issue, Russia-Pakistan, Russia-China, and USA-India, Changes in Afghanistan and issues emanating from them.
Discuss how should India and Russia navigate the tides moving forward.
Conclusion:
Conclude by commenting on their current nature of evergreen friendship.
Introduction
Russia’s war on Ukraine has decisively shaped international opinion. Indian foreign policy is also going to be affected in a profound manner. While there has always remained a pro-Russian popular sentiment in India, rooted in Moscow’s support during the Cold War era, particularly against the pro-Pakistani diplomatic activism by powerful Western countries in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), a majority of Indians today seem taken aback by Russia’s misadventure against a sovereign country.
Body
Background: Russia-Ukraine war
- The increasing aggression on part of Russia started with news of eastward expansion of NATO, especially Ukraine’s membership to NATO. This would mean deployment of western missiles and weapons in Russia backyard and its borders.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has played a major move by announcing formal recognition for the Donbas region enclaves (Oblasts) of Donetsk and Luhansk in Eastern Ukraine, one which changes the course of the present diplomatic efforts.
- Post this, Russian troops have started full scale invasion and have reached the capital city Kyiv.
Complex issues facing India while balancing Moscow and the West
- ‘China’ problem: There are understandable reasons for India’s (subtle) pro-Russia position.
- An aggressive Russia is a problem for the U.S. and the West, not for India.
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expansion is Russia’s problem, not India’s.
- India’s problem is China, and it needs both the U.S./the West and Russia to deal with the “China problem”
- Geopolitics rather than emotions: There is today a sobering recognition in New Delhi about the weakening of the U.S.-led global order and the rise of China as a counter-pole, geographically located right next to India.
- S. withdrawal from the region and its decline as the principal system shaper has complicated India’s place in regional geopolitics.
- Neighbouring China as the rising superpower and Russia as its strategic ally challenging the U.S.-led global order at a time when China has time and again acted on its aggressive intentions vis-à-vis India, and when India is closest to the U.S. than ever before in its history, throws up a unique and unprecedented challenge for India.
- Beyond all weather friendship: For India, Russian ties are important. It must be recalled that Ukraine was against India during 1998 nuclear tests and had spoken against India with issue of Kashmir.
- India’s Russia tilt should be seen not just as a product of its time-tested friendship with Moscow but also as a geopolitical necessity.
- If in the future there is Chinese aggression or Pakistan tries adventurism on India, India will need all hands on the deck. Russia being the most important.
- Russia’s support to solve continental problems: There is an emerging dualism in contemporary Indian strategic Weltanschauung: the predicament of a continental space that is reeling under immense pressure from China, Pakistan and Taliban-led Afghanistan adding to its strategic claustrophobia; and, the emergence of a maritime sphere which presents an opportunity to break out of the same.
- Defence supplies: New Delhi needs Moscow’s assistance to manage its continental difficulties through defence supplies, helping it ‘return’ to central Asia, working together at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) or exploring opportunities for collaboration in Afghanistan.
- Russia, to put it rather bluntly, is perhaps India’s only partner of consequence in the entire Asian continental stretch.
- Therefore, having Russia on its side is crucial for India, more than ever.
- Moscow may or may not be able to moderate Chinese antagonism towards New Delhi, but an India-Russia strategic partnership may be able to temper New Delhi’s growing isolation in a rather friendless region.
Way forward for India
- India’s past record has been maintaining balance between the West and Russia. On January 31, India abstained on a procedural vote on whether to discuss the issue of Ukraine.
- New Delhi had then articulated its position on “legitimate security interests” that echoed with a nuanced tilt towards the Russian position, and had abstained along with Kenya and Gabon.
- Despite abstention, India has reiterated and has called for cessation of violence in no ambiguous terms.
- India has also quoted the international charter on sovereignty, highlighting that all nations must respect the same, intended towards Russia.
- For India, Russian ties are important. It must be recalled that Ukraine was against India during 1998 nuclear tests and had spoken against India with issue of Kashmir.
- Hence strategic autonomy is the way forward as India has been doing.
Conclusion
India’s position also shows the unmistakable indication that when it comes to geopolitics, New Delhi will choose interests over principles. And yet, a careful reading of India’s statements and positions taken over the past few days also demonstrates a certain amount of discomfort in having to choose interests over principles.
However, New Delhi’s response to the recent crisis, especially its “explanation of vote” at the UNSC indicates a careful recourse to the principle of strategic autonomy: India will make caveated statements and will not be pressured by either party. In that sense, India’s indirect support to the Russian position is not a product of Russian pressure but the result of a desire to safeguard its own interests.
Topic: Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: IndianExpress
Why the question: The Right to Food Campaign and associated organisations had conducted the first Hunger Watch survey (HW-I). Covering close to 4,000 people in 11 states, the survey highlighted the extent of widespread hunger and a deterioration in the quality of diets compared to the pre-pandemic period.
Key Demand of the question: To write about the reasons for lingering hunger in the country, despite various measures and suggest reforms to rectify it.
Directive word:
Comment– here we must express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving the statistic about the widespread nature of hunger and food insecurity in the country.
Body:
First, Explain the various schemes and measures aimed towards elimination hunger in India – National Food Security mission, Poshan abhiyaan and Antyodaya Anna Yojana etc.
Next, write about the causes for limitations in the above efforts– disruption in food systems, dried-up income sources, job losses and consequent financial hardships etc. Bring outs it impact.
Next suggest reforms that are needed to overcome the above.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
“Food Security” is one of crucial factors of development and poverty alleviation around the globe the right to food is a principle of international human rights law. Food security, as defined by the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security (CFS), is the condition in which all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Our current understanding of food security includes the four dimensions of access, availability, utilisation and stability.
The Right to Food Campaign and associated organisations had conducted the first Hunger Watch survey (HW-I). Covering close to 4,000 people in 11 states, the survey highlighted the extent of widespread hunger and a deterioration in the quality of diets compared to the pre-pandemic period.
Body
Various interventions to tackle hunger in the country
- Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): 6,000 is transferred directly to the bank accounts of pregnant women for availing better facilities for their delivery.
- POSHAN Abhiyaan:aims to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight babies through synergy and convergence among different programmes, better monitoring and improved community mobilisation.
- National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, aims to ensure food and nutrition security for the most vulnerable through its associated schemes and programmes, making access to food a legal right.
- Mid-day Meal (MDM)scheme aims to improve nutritional levels among school children which also has a direct and positive impact on enrolment, retention and attendance in schools.
- Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS),with its network of 1.4 million Anganwadi Centres, reaching almost 100 million beneficiaries who include pregnant and nursing mothers and children up to 6 years;
- Public Distribution System (PDS)that reaches over 800 million people under the National Food Security Act.
- Additionally, NITI Aayog has worked on a National Nutrition Strategy (NNS),isolated the 100 most backward districts for stunting and prioritised those for interventions.
The issue continues to be persistent sore in the nation’s food security
- Economic distress:
- The significant rise in food insecurity, as shown by these data, is a clear manifestation of the overall economic distress during this period marked by a deepening agrarian crisis, falling investments across sectors and shrinking employment opportunities.
- The latest PLFS data have shown that the unemployment rates in the recent years have been higher than in the last four decades.
- It is widely believed that demonetisation and introduction of the Goods and Services Tax were two prime causes of economic distress during this period.
- NFSA issues:
- The NSFA does not guarantee universal right to food: Targeted –Restricts the right to food to only 75% of rural and 50% of urban population in India
- Act would not apply in times of “war, flood, drought, fire, cyclone or earthquake”. This a highly problematic clause given that food is becomes utmost necessary during these circumstances
- The Act focuses primarily on distribution of rice and wheat and fails to address the ‘utilization’ dimension of food security.
- Given that a major reason for micronutrient deficiency in India is because of a cereal-based diet; the NSFA does not address the issue of malnutrition and nutritional deficiency adequately.
- Under the National Food Security Act, the identification of beneficiaries is to be completed by State Governments. As per findings of Comptroller and Auditor General in 2016, a massive 49 % of the beneficiaries were yet to be identified by the State Governments.
- Quality issues:
- Inadequate distribution of food through public distribution mechanism, food adulterations in distributed food
- Beneficiaries have complained of receiving poor quality food grains.
- Issues with procurement:
- Open-ended Procurement: All incoming grains accepted even if buffer stock is filled creating a shortage in the open market.
- The recent implementation of Nation food security act would only increase the quantum of procurement resulting in higher prices for grains.
- The gap between required and existing storage capacity.
- The open market operations (OMO) are much less compared to what is needed to liquidate the excessive stocks.
- Issues with storage:
- Inadequate storage capacity with FCI.
- Food grains rotting or damaging on the CAP or Cover & Plinth storage.
- The money locked in these excessive stocks (beyond the buffer norm) is more than Rs 1 lakh crore.
- Issues with allocation of food grains:
- Inaccurate identification of beneficiaries.
- Illicit Fair Price shops: The shop owners have created a large number of bogus cards or ghost cards (cards for non-existent people) to sell food grains in the open market.
- Issues with transportation:
- Leakages in food grains distribution to be reduced as most leakages in PDS takes place in initial stages.
- Climate Change:
- Higher temperatures and unreliable rainfall makes farming difficult. Climate change not only impacts crop but also livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, and can cause grave social and economic consequences in the form of reduced incomes, eroded livelihoods, trade disruption and adverse health impacts.
- Lack of access to remote areas:
- For the tribal communities, habitation in remote difficult terrains and practice of subsistence farming has led to significant economic backwardness.
- Increase in rural-to-urban migration, large proportion of informal workforce resulting in unplanned growth of slums which lack in the basic health and hygiene facilities, insufficient housing and increased food insecurity.
- Overpopulation, poverty, lack of education and gender inequality.
- Corruption:
- Diverting the grains to open market to get better margin, selling poor quality grains at ration shops, irregular opening of the shops adds to the issue of food insecurity.
Measures needed:
- Governments, private actors, and NGOs should carefully coordinate their responses to overlapping food and health crises and work with community organizations to make sure interventions are culturally acceptable, reach the most vulnerable, and preserve local ecosystems.
- Food should be priced not only by its weight or volume but also by its nutrient density, its freedom from contamination, and its contribution to ecosystem services and social justice.
- Governments should expand access to maternal and child health care, as well as education on healthy diets and child feeding practices.
- Supporting smallholder farmers in becoming sustainable and diversified producers; governments and NGOs must seek to improve those farmers’ access to agricultural inputs and extension services, coupling local and indigenous agricultural knowledge with new technologies.
- Existing human rights-based multilateral mechanisms and international standards—such as the Committee on World Food Security—must be strengthened to support inclusive policy making and sustainable food systems.
Conclusion
Prioritizing early childhood nutrition is key to ensuring India’s development rests on strong and steady shoulders. India’s ability to harness long-term demographic dividends rests on it prioritizing nutrition in its health agenda, and reforming the institutional framework through which interventions are delivered.
Topic: Development processes and the development industry —the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: IndianExpress
Why the question: Highlighting that ‘Cooperative Societies’ is a State subject under the Constitution, a parliamentary standing committee has advised the newly created Cooperation Ministry, which is headed by Amit Shah, to “exercise utmost prudence” in chalking out activities and programmes at the national level so that federal features of the country are not “impinged upon”.
Key Demand of the question: To write about the importance of cooperatives and reasons for its success in India.
Directive word:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate 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:
Begin by giving the aims and objectives of cooperatives and their origin.
Body:
First, write about the significance of cooperatives – Mention the role of Cooperatives in linking the local business men/ farmer to the mainstream multi-million marketplace, giving the right forum to reap benefits of collective demand and supply in terms of financing, local level policy negotiations etc and promoting economic and social upliftment. Cite examples to substantiate.
Next, write about the reasons for success of cooperative movement – Economic growth and the increase in disposable incomes have played an important role in the growth of cooperatives in India. micro level implementation, good execution of policies and procedures etc.
Conclusion:
Conclude by stating that the Co-operative model can be emulated in various other sectors with a push from the government for boosting the economy of our country.
Introduction
A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled. The need for profitability is balanced by the needs of the members and the wider interest of the community
Body
Importance of cooperatives:
- India is an agricultural country and laid the foundation of World’s biggest cooperative movement in the world.
- For instance, Amul deals with 16 million milk producers, 1,85,903 dairy cooperatives; 222 district cooperative milk unions; marketed by 28 state marketing federations.
- There are over 8 lakh cooperatives of all shapes and sizes across sectors in India
- In India, a Co-operative based economic development model is very relevant where each member works with a spirit of responsibility.
- It provides agricultural credits and fundswhere state and private sectors have not been able to do very much.
- It provides strategic inputsfor the agricultural-sector; consumer societies meet their consumption requirements at concessional rates.
- It is an organization for the poor who wish to solve their problems collectively.
- It softens the class conflictsand reduces the social cleavages.
- Itreduces the bureaucratic evils and follies of political factions;
- It overcomes the constraintsof agricultural development;
- It creates a conducive environment for small and cottage industries.
For women in particular:
- Increased Income: A study conducted on Women Dairy Cooperative Society (WDCS) members across Rajasthan showed that with the income generated through dairying, 31% of the women had converted their mud houses to cement structures, while 39% had constructed concrete sheds for their cattle.
- Provides Leadership lessons: Importantly, women-led cooperatives also provide fertile ground for grooming women from rural areas for leadership positions.
- Breaks barriers: In many instances, this becomes the first step for women in breaking free from traditional practices.
- Defeats Information Asymmetry: The presence of collectives in the form of cooperatives and milk unions plays a significant role in enhancing the knowledge and bargaining power of women
- Set up business chain: Cooperatives enhance backward and forward linkages in the dairy value chain, paving the way for freeing small farmers from the clutches of middlemen, and guaranteed minimum procurement price for milk.
- A study by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) indicates that 93% of women farmers who receive training alongside financial support succeed in their ventures, compared to the 57% success rate of those who receive financial aid alone.
- According to latest data, there are more than 1,90,000 dairy cooperative societies across the country, with approximately 6 million women members.
Reasons for the success of cooperative movement in India
- Economic growth and the increase in disposable incomes have played an important role in the growth of cooperatives in India.
- Focus on quality means that the product quality is better. This helps in building customer confidence and makes customer retention easier.
- Cooperatives, being democratic entities in nature, have the opportunity to elect a professional and experienced management. The most successful cooperatives in India are run by a professional management.
- Innovation plays a crucial role in the success of Indian cooperatives. For instance, Amul has added 102 new products in the past four years. The increased adoption of drones is expected to help save farmers’ time and energy and increase their income.
- Branding and effective marketing have played an important role in the success of cooperatives. Amul is famous for its Amul Girl mascot
- cooperatives have remained socially relevant even after five decades. dairy cooperatives participate in community affairs such as festivals, donate food, contribute monetarily and non-monetarily in cultural and social functions in villages and help farmers in distress through loans.
- The Government has initiated various reforms to help the Indian cooperatives. Such reforms include forming the Ministry of Cooperation, reducing compliance burden, providing training, and so on.
- Further, the Government has organised training programmes through various entities, to help cooperatives become more eficient in conducting their operations. Among such entities are the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
Way forward:
- Principle of the cooperative movement is to unite everyone, even while remaining anonymous. The cooperative movement has the capacity to solve people’s problems.
- The pandemic seems to have increased the significance of community effort.
- Reducing vaccine hesitancy, providing food to those waiting outside hospitals and, most importantly, looking after orphaned children are imperatives crying out for the cooperative model.
- Implementing the steps provided by the Vaidyanathan committee on credit cooperative societies.
- The idea of cooperatives must take the agenda beyond agriculture, milk, credit and housing cooperatives
- New areas are emerging with the advancement of technology and cooperative societies can play a huge role in making people familiar with those areas and technologies.
- There is a need to create more cooperatives with women at the helm of it.
- The irregularities in cooperatives need to be checked and the need of the hour is to have rules and stricter implementation of same.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Insightsonindia
Why the question: The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 3 and mentioned as part of Mission-2022 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question: To write about the reforms that are needed in the WTO.
Directive word:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate 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:
Begin by giving the aims and objectives of WTO.
Body:
First, Explain the factors that have led to India’s chequered relationship with the World Trade Organisation (WTO). – impasse over the Doha Round, deglobalisation bring out the opposition of USA under Trump, lack of any significant achievement even two decades, the rising number of bilateral and multilateral treaties etc.
Next suggest reforms that are needed to overcome the above – Appellate body reform, clarity on Special and differential treatment and Sustainable Development Goal-oriented trade negotiation etc.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
WTO as an organization was expected to play larger role for improved living standards, employment generation, trade expansion with increasing share for developing countries and overall sustainable development. Trade liberalization was seen as means for achieving the above-mentioned objectives.
A democratic inclusive WTO however, started showing signs of discontent. The issues came to surface in the very first Singapore Ministerial (1996). Singapore issues spilled over to Seattle, Cancun and finally to Doha Ministerial. The recent trade war between US and China where US is increasing import tariffs is a symptom of the larger rot
Body
India and WTO: A chequered relationship
- Stalled Doha Development Round negotiations: They focused on reducing important trade barriers in sectors, such as agriculture, industrial goods and services.
- However, after a decade of talks, it still remains to be concluded.
- Growing protectionism: Over the past two years, governments have introduced trade restrictions covering a substantial amount of international trade — affecting $747 billion in global imports in the past year alone.
- WTO has been less affective in addressing them, including US China trade war.
- New emerging issues: Groups of members are also working towards new rules on a range of issues — electronic commerce, investment facilitation, domestic regulation in services — that aim to make trade more efficient and predictable in cutting-edge sectors of the economy.
- However, the rising differences among developed and developing countries is delaying any early settlement.
- India has made it clear that no discussion can go on without settling the question of Peace clause and Doha rounds.
- Side stepping WTO: Since the launch of the Doha Round, countries have turned to free trade agreements (FTAs) in order to gain significant trade access in new markets and to explore new trade-related issues that are currently not addressed within the WTO.
- As more FTAs have been concluded, the central role of the WTO in liberalizing trade has been called into question.
- Limited success in major issues: WTO has played a very limited role in helping address other global issues related to trade, such as food security, climate change and global trade imbalances.
Way forward
- A vibrant WTO cannot accommodate conflicting economic models of market versus state. All WTO members will have to accept the operative assumption of a rules-based order steered by a market economy, the private sector, and competition.
- Launch negotiations to address the intertwined issues of agricultural subsidies and market access, while recognising that food security concerns will not disappear.
- A credible trading system requires a dispute settlement system that is accepted by all.
- Launch serious negotiations to restore the balance, and we must do so in an open-ended plurilateral manner that cannot be blocked by those who do not want to move ahead.
- GATT/WTO rules in a number of areas are outdated. New rules are required to keep pace with changes in the market and technology. Rules and disciplines on topics ranging from trade-distorting industrial subsidies to digital trade require updates.
Conclusion
The World Trade Organization remains an indispensable organisation but it requires urgent modernisation. Members have to face the reality that the organisation requires non-cosmetic, serious root-and-branch reform for a WTO adapted to 21st century economic and political realities.
Value addition
Organizational Structure of WTO
- Ministerial Conference – It Includes all members, meets once in 2 year and the 11th Ministerial Conference was held in Argentina)
- General Council – It acts a Dispute Settlement Body and Trade Policy Review Body.
Topic: Case study
a) Can you think of a rational way to resolve this dilemma?
b) Give your reasons for it. (250 words)
Difficulty level: Moderate
Why the question: The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Case Study Fridays’ in Mission-2022 Secure.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start with giving the facts of the case and the mentioning the dilemma in the case
Body:
First, enumerate the various rational course of actions that could be taken by you as the officer in the above case.
Next, state reasons for the actions taken by you. Justify them with help of ethical theories, moral thinkers and SC judgements in similar case
Conclusion:
Conclude by summarising about the course of action you will take In the above case.
Introduction
The given case is an example of ethical dilemma that an individual faces between professional ethics and empathy towards others. You want to perform your duty honestly but sometimes cases arise that may force you to overcome rules and guidelines. In such times these moral dilemmas arise.
Body
Stakeholders
- Myself as an officer-in-charge
- Destitute woman and others like her
- Public welfare and benefit
- Government as a welfare state
Ethical issues involved
- Conflict between Objectivity & Compassion.
- Crisis of Conscience.
- Fiduciary Responsibility to use public funds for intended purpose.
- Justice to the poor and needy
- Empathy towards suffering of people
- Transparency and accountability
- Upholding the Rules of Procedure as a civil servant
Rational way to resolve the dilemma
According to enquiry done by office in charge the old women is really a destitute woman and deserves the benefits under social service scheme. So not providing the benefits just because of lack of documents would defeat the noble purpose of this social service scheme itself. Though it may be legally right but morally and ethically it would be wrong. And this is blatant injustice to the woman to deny her the benefits due to a small irregularity. Ultimately people like her are the ones that really need such social support.
- The woman is old and illiterate, so just giving directions to complete the documents would not help her. I would ask a subordinate officer to help that woman in completing necessary documents, and providing benefits to her.
- Though there may be some delays in completing the document so in this specific condition, I would write to my senior officer and ask permission for some discretionary powers so that I can provide immediate relief to old women.
- This is the specific case that came into my knowledge but there may be lots of similar cases. To resolve these types of cases, I would inform to the senior authorities and ask them to appoint a special officer that would look only the problem related with old and illiterate person who are not able to complete their documents. A special desk in the office can be assigned to these types of cases.
Reasons for my action
- My action would provide the benefit of scheme to old woman and would not keep her out of the ambit of benefits just because she is not capable of completing her documents.
- This action would be compliant to rule of law and would also be humane in nature.
- My action to inform the seniors to resolve these types of cases would solve the problems for future also.
- It would reduce the hurdles such as red tapism, bureaucratic inertia in getting benefits of such social security schemes.
- Rule of Law with inclusion of humanity aspect would be taken care of by this action.
- Administrators are expected to be compassionate towards the voiceless but following the rules is equally important.
- Violating rules would set a wrong precedent.
- In the present era, administration and civil society are expected to work synergistically. Hence taking help from NGOs is justified.
- Administrators need to have creative bent of mind to find such innovative solutions.
Conclusion
If such people are rejected the benefit, then it is gross injustice. And an Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. But if such problems recur, then finding a permanent solution is in the greater good of such vulnerable people. And it can be followed procedurally, henceforth as this action would set the right precedent. Hence, one must take interest in solving issues of the public for the greater good of the society.
