EducatorIAS

India has replaced 29 existing labour laws with four codes. The Code on Wages was enacted on 8 August 2019. The Codes on Industrial Relations (IR), Occupational, Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) and Social Security (CSS) were passed by the Indian parliament on 23 September 2020.   The new laws should facilitate the ease of doing business in the country and make labour regulations contemporary given the transformation in India’s labour market over the years. Flexibility of hiring workers would also increase while ensuring that all sections of the workforce, including the unorganised, (platform workers and gig workers)1 get social security. The underlying arguments behind labour reforms are to enable companies to adjust their labour requirements along with changes in market demand, ensure better compliance of labour laws through online modes, and shift of the labour inspection regime from a negative emphasis on ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ to a positive ‘inspector and facilitator’ a...

Malnutrition rates have been declining in India, but the absolute numbers of stunted (short for age) (46.6 million), wasted (low weight for height) (25.5 million), and anaemic children (73 million under-3 children) are still a concern. With a prodigious challenge of triple burden of malnutrition -- under-nutrition, over-nutrition and micro-nutrient malnutrition -- facing India and due to the cultural and geographical variance across states, combating malnutrition requires a granular approach.   Achieving the World Health Assembly’s Global Nutrition Target of a 40% reduction in the number of under-5 stunted children and to reduce wasting to less than 5% by 2025 is challenging. According to the recent CNNS survey, 35% of under-5 children in India were stunted while 17% were wasted. Hence, efforts to reduce malnutrition must be accelerated.   Malnutrition is multi-factorial, caused by the lack of wholesome and nutritious food, poor hygiene and sanitation, frequent illness, poor c...

Internet of Things (IoT), wireless applications, and cloud computing are some of the major factors leading to digital transformation across the corporate world. Today, they are playing a fantastic role in driving the Industrial Revolution 4.0. However, it is also not surprising to know that they have also proportionally raised serious concerns around data and information security, especially with increasing malicious activities including data breaches and leaks. Ransomware attackers have recognized that data is one of the most valuable assets a business has at its disposal. It is perhaps why they show no mercy when it comes to extorting large sums of money by seizing this asset. The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2020 also highlights that the number of cyberattacks and breaches is rising with 46% of businesses being a victim to them in the past months. It’s obvious that attackers have a special interest in OT (Operational Technology) infrastructure such as the Industrial Control System...

The year that is shortly coming to an end has been an extraordinary one. In recent memory this is the first economic crisis that has been triggered by a non-economic factor. It is a pandemic, a novel coronavirus pandemic, which has literally brought the economy to a halt. The actions that have to be taken to prevent the spread of the virus such as the lockdown have impacted the economy severely. As the restrictions were slowly withdrawn, the economy has also started looking up. This can be seen very clearly from the performance of the Indian economy in Q1 and Q2 of 2020-21. In Q1, the economy declined by 23.9%; it declined by 7.5% in Q2, when the relaxations were eased. At the dawn of the New Year 2021, several questions rise in our mind. How bad was the performance of the Indian economy in 2020-21? What are the prospects for 2021-22? What should the stance of monetary policy be in the coming months? What should the Budget to be presented by the central government in February 2021 focu...

National Judicial Data Grid: Aimed at promoting transparency and access to information for all stakeholders in the justice delivery system, the NJDG public access page can be visited at the National eCourts portal, ecourts.gov.in'. 1)NJDG is a subset of the eCourts project, a scheme launched in 2007 by the Ministry of Law and Justice. 2)The project aims to integrate technology with the judicial system. However, a recent study by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) found that eCourts data lacks in several aspects, which may make the recent Supreme Court directions difficult to achieve.  This is not a new issue, and the Law Commission of India has also faced challenges while depending on judicial data to calculate the caseload across various courts In particular, the problems in the data arise due to three reasons: Inconsistencies in what is reported, missing data and restricted access. As an example, the NJDG records only 24 case types. This is the form in wh...

Fiscal policy comprises a mix of budgetary instruments that government use to target  economic objectives of the country. It is the use of government spending and taxation to influence the economy.   The objectives of the fiscal policy are: the achievement of economic growth, distributive justice, price stability and full employment.  Fiscal policy is the policy of government related to its own expenditure and taxes in order to influence the aggregate demand (AD). The government employs either expansionary or contractionary fiscal policy. Expansionary fiscal policy via increase in government expenditure or reduction in taxes would increase the aggregate  demand whereas contractionary fiscal policy via reduction in government expenditure  and raise of taxes would reduce the aggregate demand. Changes in the level, timing and composition of government spending and taxation have an important effect on the  economy.   The fundamental objective of fiscal polic...

The Sixth Schedule was incorporated to protect the rights of the minority tribals living within a larger state dominated by the majority.  But in these largely tribal-dominated states, the indigenous enjoy overwhelming majority and a major political voice, with 90 per cent of the Assembly seats (55 out of 60 in Meghalaya) reserved for the tribals. Indeed, it is now the rights of minority non-tribals that need protection.  The existence of the Sixth Schedule in a full-fledged state with all powers is thus not only unnecessary but also illogical.  It undermines social harmony, stability and economic development of the state and the region.  The Sixth Schedule which applies to the Tribal Areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, provides for autonomy in the administration of these areas through  Autonomous District  Councils (ADCs) and the Regional Councils empowered to make laws in respect of areas under their jurisdiction, which cover land, forest, cul...

Here are few points which highlight the shocking status of our Health System: 1. Public spending stagnated to 1.2% of total GDP, compared to world average of 6-8%, India ranks 170 out of 188 countries in domestic general government health expenditure as a percentage of GDP. 2. India, ranks 145th among 195 countries in terms of quality and accessibility of healthcare — Lancet. 3. India ranks 94th out of the 107 countries in Global Hunger Index (GHI). 4. India ranks 144 out of the 156 countries in world happiness Index. 5. India ranks 129 among 189 countries human development index (HDI)-UN. 6. India ranks 150th in female health and survival among 153 countries — Gender Gap Index. 7. The fundamental aspect of healthcare — primary healthcare is in shambles. There is only one primary healthcare centre (often manned by one doctor) for more than 51,000 people in the country. 8. 40% of people(around 63 millions ) that are hospitalized are pushed either into lifelong debt or below the poverty ...

The HDI comprises three key baskets of data reflecting information on health through metrics such as life expectancy, capacity measured by years of schooling, and standard of living or Gross National Income per capita.  What it measures is health, cognitive capacity and productivity.? All three are heavily impacted by environmental factors.  Air pollution is a major problem in India; it affects human health by increased incidence of pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, it adversely affects life expectancy. It also impacts cognitive abilities and this is reflected in metrics relating to school attendance and performance. Health and education have a direct bearing on productivity, in turn, affecting national income.

The MSP is meant to set a floor below which prices do not fall, and is  announced by the government for 23 commodities . It is the price at which the government ‘promises’ to buy from farmers if market prices fall below it. MSP is determined for the country as a whole and not region or state-specific. The Umbrella Scheme “Pradhan Mantri AnnadataAaySanraksHan Abhiyan” (PM-AASHA), comprising Price Support Scheme (PSS), Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS), and pilot Scheme of Private Procurement and Stockist Scheme (PPSS) will aid in procurement of pulses and oilseeds. National Commission on Farmers (NCF) headed by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan had recommended that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) should be at least 50 percent more than the weighted average cost of production. How are Minimum Support Prices determined? The CACP considers various factors such as the cost of cultivation and production, productivity of crops, and market prices for the determination of MSPs. The CACP calculates ...

The  National Family Health Survey (NFHS 2019-20 factsheets  on the burden of child undernutrition is not encouraging, with few exceptions. For the most part, this assessment has relied on the measure of a child’s anthropometry, i.e., children are defined as stunted, underweight or wasted if their standardised height-for-age, weight-for-age or weight-for-height, respectively, is more than two standard deviations below the  World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards  median. However, undernutrition can also be measured by observing the adequacy and sufficiency of food or dietary intake among children. So how do Indian children fare when we bring a food measure to tell us about their nutritional status? Diet-related undernutrition Across the 22 States/Union Territories for which the NFHS-5 has released the factsheets, the percentage of children (aged 6-23 months) who do not meet the  minimum dietary adequacy  — as defined under the Infant and Youn...

four dimensions on India’s relations with China by Jai Shankar ministry of external affairs : First, the bilateral relationship between India and China has been significantly damaged this year.  Second, China has no intention of withdrawing as it has brought tens of thousands of soldiers right up to the LAC in Ladakh that has ‘profoundly disturbed the relationship’.  Third, the peace and tranquillity at the border is central for rest of the relations to progress. Jaishankar also underlined that since the 15th June incident, sentiments in India have completely changed towards China and it is unrealistic to think of repairing ties during the standoff.  Fourth, China has given ‘five different explanations’ for the violation of agreements at the border.

In a preceding post we reviewed  four economic systems and their implications for the environment . In this post we take a look at the environmental implications of three types of economies (Brown, Blue and Green) and their environmental implications. It should be stated at the outset that most modern economies are an admixture of all three.    Brown Economy A brown economy is one in which economic growth is largely dependent on environmentally destructive forms of activity, especially fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. One of the byproducts of this form of economy are massive levels of climate change causing greenhouse gas (GHG) which includes carbon dioxide and methane.  Air and water pollution are defining feature of this type of economy and this also includes a range of harmful impacts on biodiversity. In this system economic development depends on finite resources. Blue Economy The blue economy, also called the marine economy is one that supports clean and hea...

Climate change is a global phenomenon and requires the cooperation of all nations based on the principles of ‘Equity’ and ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities’. India is a signatory to the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.  As part of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), India has three quantitative climate change goals viz.  1)reduction in the emissions intensity of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 level,  2)achieving about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030 and  For instance :Achieving 100 gigawatts of solar power capacity within the overall renewables goal, from 36 GW now,  3)creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. For instance : India took a step of forest expansio...

Government continues even after a few rounds of discussion and more than a  fortnight of protest at the Delhi border  by the farmers. The  latest proposal by the government  indicates its willingness to amend the  three agriculture-related Acts  passed in September. On the contentious issues of registration of private traders, levy of taxes on trade outside the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)  mandis , the government has proposed amendments which will empower the States to frame rules on these issues. Similar assurances have been given on access to the judiciary for dispute resolution and continuation of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism. However, farmer unions have rejected the proposal and continue to demand complete withdrawal of the three Acts along with making MSP a guarantee. Many protests, one thread It is likely that the issue may ultimately get resolved and an amicable solution is found to resolve the impasse. However, thi...

Over the past decade, India has made significant progress in monitoring air pollution. There are more than 250 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations and more than 800 ambient air quality monitoring stations operating across the country. It is owing to these that we are able to understand the magnitude of the challenge of air pollution. There has been a tremendous effort in improving awareness of citizens through campaigns around air pollution and its adverse impact on health and environment. However, while these efforts need to amplify, it is equally important to have systemic changes at the policy and strategy levels. Welcoming policy interventions Public policy is already responding positively. The budget allocation for air pollution increased substantially in 2020-21 from what it was in 2018-19 to ensure cleaner air in cities having populations above one million. The establishment of the Commission for Air Quality Management with penal provisions against polluters in th...

India has been a land of great philosophical, intellectual and mystic dynamism. At different points in time, saints have appeared along the length and breadth of the country and contributed to the upliftment of the human mind and spirit towards the timeless eternal truth. These saints and savants have helped the cultural ethos of our country retain and nurture its deep bond with spirituality. The śāstra-s speak of the three-fold paths - karma yōga, bhakti yōga and jñāna yōga. In very general terms,  karma yōga refers to the path of action,  bhakti yōga – the path of devotion and  jñāna yoga- the path of enquiry and enlightenment Nature of Bkhati : Men and women who have achieved great spiritual heights have, understood the nature of each of these paths and out of the innate compassion in their hearts, strived to spread the message of the ultimate truth to mankind, through the message of bhakti.  Their transcendental spiritual experiences, if are to be understood by...

  APPSC Group, - 1 Mains Paper - 4 expected areas in Economy and Development of India and Andhrapradesh Chapter 1: Explain the nature of  Indian Growth, and Examine  it is inconsistent in terms growth in recent years and it impact on indian economy?   Discuss major drivers of economy growth of India? Give reasons for  in recent years there was inconsistent growth rate?  Why manufacturing sector  in India register low growth rate? What are the major causes and  steps taken by government to promote and to stimulate the growth in manufacturing sector in India?  Distinguish between wholesale price index and consumer price index in India?  Examine the causes and consequences recent slowdown of economic growth due to the pandemic Covid - 19 in India? What are the measures taken by the government to boost the economy growth India? Give suggestions?  What are the causes and consequences of inflation in India? What are the initiatives a...