[Mission 2022] INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB SUMMARY 01 APRIL 2022

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

Context:

Imposition of President’s rule in West Bengal is being demanded, following the gruesome incidents in Birbhum in which 10 people, including two children, were burnt alive.

What is the President’s Rule in the Indian context?

Article 356 of the Constitution of India gives the President of India the power to suspend state government and impose President’s rule of any state in the country if “if he is satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the government of the state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution”.

It is also known as ‘State Emergency’ or ‘Constitutional Emergency’.

Implications:

Upon the imposition of this rule, there would be no Council of Ministers.

• The state will fall under the direct control of the Union government, and the Governor will continue to be head the proceedings, representing the President of India.

Parliamentary Approval and Duration:

• A proclamation imposing President’s Rule must be approved by both the Houses of Parliament within two months from the date of its issue.
• The approval takes place through simple majority in either House, that is, a majority of the members of the House present and voting.
• Initially valid for six months, the President’s Rule can be extended for a maximum period of three years with the approval of the Parliament, every six months.

Report of the Governor:

Under Article 356, President’s Rule is imposed if the President, upon receipt of the report from the Governor of the State or otherwise, is satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the government of the State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Revocation:

• A proclamation of President’s Rule may be revoked by the President at any time by a subsequent proclamation.
• Such a proclamation does not require parliamentary approval.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. Imposition of President’s Rule.
2. Related Provisions.
3. Report of Governor.
4. Parliamentary approval and duration.
5. Revocation.
6. What happens to the State legislature Under President’s Rule.

Mains Link:

What is the President’s Rule? Why it is controversial? Discuss.

Sources: the Hindu.

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context:

Recently, The Union Cabinet approved a USD 808 million or Rs 6,062.45 crore, World Bank assisted programme on “Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance” (RAMP).

• RAMP is a new scheme and would commence in FY 2022-23.

What is RAMP?

• “Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance” (RAMP) is a World Bank assisted Central Sector Scheme.
• It has been launched to support various Resilience and Recovery Interventions of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME).
• In addition to building the MoMSME’s capacity at the national level, the RAMP program will seek to scale up implementation capacity and MSME coverage in States.

Objective:

The programme aims at improving access to market and credit, strengthening institutions and governance at the Centre and State, improving Centre-State linkages and partnerships, addressing issues of delayed payments and greening of MSMEs.

RAMP will function as a:

1. ‘’Policy Provider’’ through the enhanced capacity for evidence-based policy and program design, to enable the delivery of more effective and cost-efficient MSME interventions to improve competitiveness and business sustainability.
2. “Knowledge Provider” through bench-marking, sharing and demonstrating best practices/success stories by leveraging international experiences.
3. “Technology Provider” by providing access to high-end technology resulting in the digital and technological transformation of MSMEs through state of art Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Internet of things (IoT), Machine Learning etc.

Background:

RAMP was formulated and proposed by the Government of India, for strengthening MSMEs in line with the recommendations made by U K Sinha Committee, KV Kamath Committee and Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (PMEAC).

Need for and Significance:

• 40% of MSMEs in India lack access to finance. MSMEs are the backbone of the Indian economy.
• The RAMP programme with impacts across the country will directly or indirectly benefit all 63 million enterprises that qualify as MSMEs.

Significance of MSMEs:

With around 63.4 million units throughout the geographical expanse of the country, MSMEs contribute around 6.11% of the manufacturing GDP and 24.63% of the GDP from service activities as well as 33.4% of India’s manufacturing output.

• They have been able to provide employment to around 120 million persons and contribute around 45% of the overall exports from India.
• About 20% of the MSMEs are based out of rural areas, which indicates the deployment of significant rural workforce in the MSME sector.

Insta Curious:

Did you know that Maharashtra tops India’s list in the number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) owned by entrepreneurs from the Scheduled Castes with as many as 96,805 enterprises? Know more about MSMEs in the country here.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. Share of MSME sector in India’s GDP and exports.
2. RAMP Programme.
3. The basic criteria for MSME classification.
4. What is referred to as Udyam according to the Government of India?
5. Classification of MSMEs.
6. What is V- shaped recovery?
7. SDGs on MSMEs.

Mains Link:

What is the potential of India’s MSME sector? Discuss the challenges and concerns associated with the growth of MSME sector in India.

Sources: PIB.

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context:

The Union of India has approved a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, namely, “New India Literacy Programme (NILP)”.

• The NILP has been approved for the next five financial years (2022-27) in order to integrate all the aspects of adult education with the National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP).
• The Education ministry has chosen to use ‘Education for All’ rather than ‘Adult Education,’ since the previous terminology was not applicable to non-literates aged 15 and above.

Objectives:

It aims to support the States and Union Territories in promoting literacy among non-literates in the age group of 15 and above.

Coverage:

It will cover across the country covering 5 crore non-literates during the implementation period from 2022-23 to 2026-27.

Funding:

The scheme has been approved with a financial outlay of Rs.1037.90 crore including Central share of Rs.700.00 crore and State share of Rs.337.90 crore.

The scheme has five components namely:

1. Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.
2. Critical Life Skills.
3. Vocational Skills Development.
4. Basic Education.
5. Continuing Education.

The salient features of the NILP are:

1. Involvement of school students, pre-service students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), school teachers, Anganwadi and ASHA workers.
2. School to be unit for implementation of the scheme.
3. Use of ICT and online implementation of the scheme through ‘Online Teaching Learning and Assessment System’ (OTLAS) material and resources through digital modes, viz, TV, radio, cell phone-based free/open-source Apps/portals, etc.

Implementation:

• The scheme will be implemented through volunteerism through online mode.
• The training, orientation, workshops of volunteers, may be organized through face-to-face mode. All material and resources shall be provided digitally.
• School will be Unit for implementation of the scheme.
• Schools to be used for conducting surveys of beneficiaries and Voluntary Teachers.

Need for:

• As per Census 2011, the absolute number of non-literates of the country in 15 years and above age group is 25.76 crore (Male 9.08 crore, Female 16.68 crore).
• Also, in consideration of the progress of persons certified as literates being to the tune of 7.64 crore under the Saakshar Bharat programme implemented during 2009-10 to 2017-18, it is estimated that currently around 18.12 crore adults are still non-literate in India.

Sources: PIB.

GS Paper 3:

Topics Covered- Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices.

Context:

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Raw Jute for 2022-23 season.

• The approval is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.
• The announced MSP of raw jute for 2022-23 season is in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times all India weighted average cost of production as announced by the Government in the Budget 2018-19.
• It assures a minimum of 50 percent as margin of profit.
• It is one of the important and progressive steps towards ensuring better remunerative returns to the jute growers and to incentivize quality jute fibre.

What is MSP?

MSP is the rate at which the government buys grains from farmers.

How is it calculated?

The MSP is the rate at which the government purchases crops from farmers, and is based on a calculation of at least one-and-a-half times the cost of production incurred by the farmers.

• The Union Budget for 2018-19 had announced that MSP would be kept at levels of 1.5 the cost of production.
• The MSP is fixed twice a year on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), which is a statutory body and submits separate reports recommending prices for kharif and rabi seasons.

Which production costs are taken in fixing the MSPs?

The CACP considers both ‘A2+FL’ and ‘C2’ costs while recommending MSP.

1. A2 costs cover all paid-out expenses, both in cash and kind, incurred by farmers on seeds, fertilisers, chemicals, hired labour, fuel and irrigation, among others.
2. A2+FL covers actual paid-out costs plus an imputed value of unpaid family labour.
3. The C2 costs account for the rentals and interest forgone on owned land and fixed capital assets respectively, on top of A2+FL.

The limitations of MSP:

1. The major problem with the MSP is lack of government machinery for procurement for all crops except wheat and rice, which the Food Corporation of India actively procures under the PDS.
2. As state governments procure the last mile grain, the farmers of states where the grain is procured completely by the government benefit more while those in states that procure less are often affected.
3. The MSP-based procurement system is also dependent on middlemen, commission agents and APMC officials, which smaller farmers find difficult to get access to.

Insta Curious:

Do you know about the private member’s bill for Minimum Support Price of crops introduced by MP Varun Gandhi last year? Reference: read this.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. Composition of CCEA.
2. What is CACP?
3. How many crops are covered under the MSP scheme?
4. Who announces MSP?
5. Difference between Kharif and Rabi crops.

Sources: PIB.

GS Paper 3:

Topics Covered: Different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage.

Context:

Of all Asian countries, India has the highest flood mortality rate, or the number of lives lost to flood each year. According to the Central Water Commission, between 1952 and 2018, floods led to the loss of one hundred thousand lives and Rs 4,69,000 crore in damages.

• These tragedies are now being compounded by the effects of climate change on dam operations.

What’s the issue?

The country has 5,745 dams, of which 293 are more than 100 years old; 25% of the dams are between 50 and 100 years old.

• These dams are ill-equipped to respond to climate change, as old rainfall patterns shift and extreme weather events increase in frequency.
• An assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released in March 2022, notes that instances of floods in South Asia, including those caused by glacial lake outbursts, are going to increase with rising temperature.

The solution- About DRIP:

The project was launched in 2012 by the Central Water Commission (CWC) with assistance from the World Bank.

The objectives of DRIP:

1. To improve the safety and operational performance of selected existing dams and associated appurtenances in a sustainable manner.
2. To strengthen the dam safety institutional setup of participating States / Implementing Agencies.

Phase 1 of the Project:

The first phase of the DRIP programme covered 223 dams in 7 states.

Phase II and Phase III:

• Financial Assistance is being provided by the World Bank (WB), and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
• The Project will be implemented over a period of 10 years duration in two Phases, each of six years duration with two years overlapping from April, 2021 to March, 2031.

DRIP Phase II & Phase III envisages the following objectives:

1. To improve the safety and performance of selected existing dams and associated appurtenances in a sustainable manner.
2. To strengthen the dam safety institutional setup in participating states as well as at central level.
3. To explore the alternative incidental means at a few selected dams to generate the incidental revenue for sustainable operation and maintenance of dams.

Need for the Scheme:

India ranks third globally after China and the United States of America, with 5334 large dams in operation. In addition, about 411 dams are under construction at present. There are also several thousand smaller dams.

• Indian dams and reservoirs play an important role in the economic and agricultural growth of our country by storing approximately 300 billion cubic meter of water annually.
• These dams present a major responsibility in terms of asset management and safety.
• The consequences of dam failure can be catastrophic, in terms of loss of human life and property, and damage to ecology.

Insta Curious:

• DHARMA (Dam Health and Rehabilitation Monitoring) is a system to monitor the health of dams. At present, it is being used by 18 states.
• A seismic hazard analysis information system (SHAISYS) has also been developed.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About DHARMA.
2. What is SHAISYS?
3. About DRIP.
4. Implementation of the third phase and international financial assistance.

Mains Link:

Discuss the significance of the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project.

Sources: PIB.

GS Paper 3:

Topics Covered: Infrastructure.

PM GatiShakti — National Master Plan:

Context:

PM Gati Shakti entails the geospatial mapping of everything in the country, different layers of maps which talk to each other, leading to integrated planning, with better optimization of time and cost.

What is Geospatial Technology?

• Geospatial technology uses tools like GIS (Geographic Information System), GPS (Global Positioning System) and Remote Sensing for geographic mapping and analysis.
• These tools capture spatial information about objects, events and phenomena (indexed to their geographical location on earth, geotag). The location data may be Static or Dynamic.
• Static location data include position of a road, an earthquake event or malnutrition among children in a particular region while dynamic location data include data related to a moving vehicle or pedestrian, the spread of an infectious disease etc.
• The technology may be used to create intelligent maps to help identify spatial patterns in large volumes of data.
• The technology facilitates decision making based on the importance and priority of scarce resources.

About PM GatiShakti:

It is a digital platform that connects 16 ministries — including Roads and Highways, Railways, Shipping, Petroleum and Gas, Power, Telecom, Shipping, and Aviation.

It aims to ensure holistic planning and execution of infrastructure projects.

Services provided:

• The portal will offer 200 layers of geospatial data, including on existing infrastructure such as roads, highways, railways, and toll plazas, as well as geographic information about forests, rivers and district boundaries to aid in planning and obtaining clearances.
• The portal will also allow various government departments to track, in real time and at one centralised place, the progress of various projects, especially those with multi-sectoral and multi-regional impact.

Significance:

The objective is to ensure that “each and every department now have visibility of each other’s activities providing critical data while planning and execution of projects in a comprehensive manner.

• Through this, different departments will be able to prioritise their projects through cross–sectoral interactions”.
• It will also boost last-mile connectivity and bringing down logistics costs with integrated planning and reducing implementation overlaps.

Need for:

• Poor infrastructure planning included newly-built roads being dug up by the water department to lay pipes. This has badly affected the road Infrastructure and movement of the country.
• Also, logistics costs in India are about 13-14% of GDP as against about 7-8% of GDP in developed economies. High logistics costs impact cost structures within the economy, and also make it more expensive for exporters to ship merchandise to buyers.

Insta Curious:

Did you know about the Geospatial Energy Map of India? Reference: read this.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About the Project.
2. Key features.
3. Components.

Mains Link:

Discuss about the significance of the project.

Sources: PIB.

Topic: Poverty and developmental issues

Q1. Examine the socio-economic characteristics of India’s poor population, with a focus on the geography of poverty and the backgrounds of the economically disadvantaged. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: DTE

Why the question:

How many Indians are poor? An answer to this question remains elusive, notwithstanding the fact that after a gap of 12 years, the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) conducted a Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) in 2022-2023 and released its findings this February.

Key Demand of the question:

Analyze the socio-economic traits of India’s poor population, focusing on their geographic distribution and the specific backgrounds that contribute to economic disadvantage.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction:

Introduce the issue of poverty in India, highlighting its prevalence and significance. You can add data and facts too for enrichment of answer.

Body:

1. Socio-Economic Characteristics: analyze correlation between low levels of education and poverty. prevalence of informal and low-paying jobs among the poor population. Highlight the poor health conditions and limited access to healthcare services among economically disadvantaged groups.
2. Geographic Distribution of Poverty: higher incidence of poverty in rural areas compared to urban regions.
   • Here, write the factors contributing to rural poverty, such as dependency on agriculture, lack of infrastructure, and limited access to education and healthcare.
3. Regional Variations: mention geographic concentration of poverty in certain states, such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
   • Here, provide how factors like regional development disparities, historical neglect, and socio-political issues contribute to these variations.
4. Backgrounds of the Economically Disadvantaged: Social Groups. Gender Disparities, Children and Elderly etc.

Conclusion:

Conclude by discussing on the importance of targeted policy interventions that address the specific needs of different disadvantaged groups to achieve inclusive and sustainable development.

Topic: Agriculture

Q5. Analyze the potential impact of Dgital Agriculture Mission on improving agricultural productivity and transparency in the farm sector. Discuss the key components of the Mission and their likely contribution to sustainable farming practices. (15M)

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Reference: Indian Express

Key Demand of the Question: Analyze the role of the Digital Agriculture Mission in enhancing agricultural productivity and transparency, while discussing its major components such as AgriStack, Krishi Decision Support System, and Soil Profile Maps.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction: Introduce the Digital Agriculture Mission as a government initiative aimed at creating robust Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in the agricultural sector, aligning with other e-governance platforms like Aadhaar and UPI. Mention the significant budgetary allocation and expected impact.

Body:

1. AgriStack:

• Farmers’ Registry: Digital identity for farmers will streamline access to subsidies, schemes, and credit, reducing bureaucratic delays.
• Crop Sown Registry: Accurate digital recording of crop patterns through surveys, enhancing data for policy-making and yield estimation.
• Geo-referenced Village Maps: Integration of land records and geography, improving farm management and precision agriculture.

2. Krishi Decision Support System (DSS):

• Geospatial information on weather, crops, and water resources will enable better decision-making and climate adaptation for farmers.
• Support for drought/flood monitoring, yield assessment, and risk mitigation for crop insurance claims.

3. Soil Profile Maps:

• Detailed soil mapping will assist in the balanced use of fertilizers and promote sustainable agricultural practices based on soil health.

4. Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES):

• Enhanced accuracy in crop yield estimation and production data will support efficient MSP procurement, insurance, and credit schemes.

Conclusion: Summarize the transformative potential of the Digital Agriculture Mission in increasing agricultural productivity, ensuring transparency, and fostering sustainable farming. Emphasize its alignment with the government’s broader goal of digital governance and long-term agricultural sustainability.