9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – January 31st, 2023
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GS PAPER - 1
A problem of science at the Padma awards
Source– The post is based on the article “A problem of science at the Padma awards” published in The Hindu on 31st January 2023.
Syllabus: GS1- Indian culture
Relevance– Awards and recognitions
News– The article explains the issues raised by recent conferring of Padma awards under science and engineering category to plant breeders. It also tells about general perception oif science.
What is the general perception of science?
Science is distinguished in practice by following the scientific method and the rituals of academic publishing. It is an activity that only a highly and specifically trained group of people is allowed to practise.
Its findings are presumed to be implicitly superior to knowledge that isn’t uncovered and organised by the same rules.
Why the recent Padma awards to plant breeders under the category of science raises doubts?
Successful plant breeders defy the above-mentioned perceptions of science. So, perhaps they should be rewarded under a category called ‘agriculture and seeds.
Cheruvayal K. Raman was awarded the Padma Shri for having conserved more than 50 rice varieties on a modest farm in Wayanad. He wasn’t formally trained as a botanist or scientist.
He has not published scientific papers.
Over the years, agricultural scientists have understood the scientific basis of the work of those like Mr. Raman. However, such a basis alone doesn’t make something science.
Mr. Dudekula was also awarded with Padma Shri in the ‘science and engineering’ category. He has been credited with popularizing the dietary benefits of millets.
But his prescriptions also include scientifically dubious elements such as homoeopathy; consuming millets to “prevent” or cure various cancers, diabetes; and avoiding the consumption of milk, eggs, and non-vegetarian food.
Mr. Dudekula doesn’t appear to have published any scientific papers demonstrating the efficacy of these claims.
What is the way forward?
We shouldn’t celebrate alternative systems that compromise trust in scientifically tested medicine in the midst of a pandemic and several epidemics.
Increasing access to and consumption of millets could help India reduce its frightening prevalence of anemia. But, claims of therapeutic effects against cancer is a big leap and certainly requires scrutiny.
Before conferring any Padma award in the ‘science and engineering’ category, the Indian government must ensure that a claim has been scientifically validated. It should encourage the systematic validation of all such claims before they are lauded.
Tasks for India’s millet revolution
Contents
- 1 What are some facts and statistics about millets in the context of India?
- 2 What are issues with millets cultivation in India?
- 3 What are the lessons from the experience of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in promoting the production and consumption of millets in the Kolli hills, Tamil Nadu?
- 4 What is the way forward to increase millet cultivation in India?
Source– The post is based on the article “Tasks for India’s millet revolution” published in The Hindu on 31st January 2023.
Syllabus: GS1- Economic geography. GS1- Cropping patterns in various parts of country
Relevance– Diversification of agriculture for sustainability
News– The article explains some facts and statistics about millets in India. It also explains the issues with millets cultivation in India and steps needed to boost the production of millets.
What are some facts and statistics about millets in the context of India?
Millets have special nutritive properties. They are high in protein, dietary fiber, micronutrients, and antioxidants. They have special agronomic characteristics like drought-resistant and suitable for semi-arid regions.
Two groups of millets are grown in India. Major millets include sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet. Minor millets include foxtail, little millet, kodo, proso, and barnyard millet.
In 2019-20, the total production of nutri-cereals was 47.7 million tonnes. The bulk of this was maize, a non-millet crop used mainly as feed.
The production of sorghum, pearl millet, and finger millet along with other millets put together was 18.9 million tonnes.
Currently, millets are procured in only a few States. Stocks in the central pool are small. In May 2022, central stocks had 33 million tonnes of rice but only four lakh tonnes of nutri cereals.
What are issues with millets cultivation in India?
There has been a decline in the area under millet cultivation. Over the last decade, the production of sorghum has fallen, the production of pearl millet and finger millet has stagnated or declined.
The low productivity of millets is another challenge. The productivity of jowar and bajra has increased, but only marginally. The yield of bajra was 1,079 kg per ha in 2010-11 and 1,237 kg per ha in 2017-18.
What are the lessons from the experience of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in promoting the production and consumption of millets in the Kolli hills, Tamil Nadu?
Yield enhancement was attempted by using improved seeds, new agronomic practices, and new technology.
Customised post-harvest machinery was introduced.
Another major initiative was training. Ready-to-cook products were branded.
Net returns from value-added products were five to 10 times higher than from grain.
Yields have risen as a result of improved seeds, agronomic practices and intercropping. There have been significant improvements in incomes from millet farming.
What is the way forward to increase millet cultivation in India?
Increasing the production of millets requires multiple interventions including scientific inputs, institutional mechanisms, and financial support.
There is a need to pay attention to the economics of millet cultivation.
Small farmers in hilly regions and dryland plains are going to cultivate millets only if it gives them good returns. Adequate public support can make millet cultivation profitable.
Groundwater Use and Governance in India – Explained, pointwise
Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 What is the current status of Groundwater Use in India?
- 3 What are the challenges associated with Groundwater Use in India?
- 4 What steps have been taken to improve status of Groundwater Use in India?
- 5 What steps can be taken to improve Groundwater Use and Governance in India?
- 6 Conclusion
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Introduction
India has nearly 18% of the world’s population and occupies about 2.4% of the world’s geographical area. India consumes 4% of total water resources. A World Bank report has noted that India is the largest groundwater user. As India’s economy and population grow, the groundwater use is expected to rise further. It has further strained the groundwater resources in India. Groundwater is the backbone of India’s agriculture and drinking water security in rural and urban areas. Groundwater is pivotal to India’s water security. Experts argue that there are several gaps in the groundwater governance in India which hampers the efforts related to conservation. Groundwater governance reforms and promoting judicious use of groundwater can address the depleting groundwater levels in India.
Read More: Water Crisis in India – Explained, pointwise |
What is the current status of Groundwater Use in India?
According to a Report by the Ministry of Jal Shakti (Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment Report 2022), the total annual groundwater recharge is 437.60 Billion Cubic Metres (BCM). The quantity of groundwater extracted stood at 239.16 BCM. The extraction has been the lowest since 2004, when the extraction was 231 BCM. The major user for groundwater is for irrigation (208.49 BCM), followed by domestic (27.05 BCM) and industrial use (3.64 BCM).
According to a Report by the CAG (2021), groundwater extraction in India increased from 58% to 63%, between 2004-17, exceeding the groundwater recharge rate.
The Central Groundwater Board of India estimates that about 17% of groundwater blocks are overexploited (rate of extraction exceeds the rate of recharge of aquifer) while 5% and 14% blocks are at critical and semi-critical stages, respectively. The situation is particularly alarming in three major regions: North-western, Western, and Southern peninsular. According to the Groundwater Resource Assessment (2022), there has been a 3% reduction in the number of ‘overexploited’ groundwater units and a 4% increase in the number of ‘safe’ category units as compared to 2017. There was an improvement in groundwater conditions in 909 units.
According to India water portal, India uses 25% of all groundwater extracted globally, ahead of USA and China. ~70% of the water supply in Indian agriculture today is groundwater.
Source: PRS
What are the challenges associated with Groundwater Use in India?
Rising Population: Rapid rise in population increases demand for water. Rise in urban population increases load of management of waste and polluted water. India is the largest user of groundwater accounting for ~25% of the total global withdrawal. Indian cities cater to about 48% of their water supply from groundwater. With rise in population, groundwater use is expected to rise further.
Unplanned urbanisation: Increase in the built-up and paved area eliminates infiltration of water into the ground. Absence of green cover reduces evapotranspiration. Increases in surface runoff causes urban flooding. Groundwater recharge is reduced. A study in theUnited States indicated that for every 1% increase in the impervious surface area, there is a 3.3% increase in the urban flood magnitude.
Transformation of the natural landscape, watershed and flow direction by urban sprawl often modifies the groundwater cycle and may result in a sharp decline or rise of groundwater levels, reduced well yields and deteriorating quality.
Agriculture Practices: Irrigation is increasingly shifting to tube-wells. Combined with faulty crop cycles due to farm subsidy and subsidy on electricity has resulted in over-use of groundwater, especially in the Northwest India. Regions with the most blocks with critical groundwater levels are in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh.
Institutional, Management Framework Vacuum: (a) Various bodies are associated with regulation of groundwater resulting in fragmented regulation and absence of an ‘integrated and comprehensive’ approach to regulation; (b) There is lack of legal provisions regulating extraction of groundwater resulting in overexploitation. Groundwater rights are still determined by the archaic Indian Easement Act, 1882. These rights tied to land ownership rights exclude a large part of the society that has no land rights and gives landowners the liberty to withdraw limitless water. There is a large number of unaccounted and unregulated private water wells; (c) The various organisations that manage India’s groundwater lack accountability and responsibility; (d) There is lack of comprehensive data on groundwater e.g., there is a lack of clarity on the aquifer boundaries (invisibility of groundwater). This makes it difficult to formulate clear guidelines for proper management of groundwater.
Source: PRS
Groundwater Pollution: Infiltration and seepage from roads, industrial sites, waste dump sites, effluent drains with heavy metals and micro-pollutants are contaminating groundwater aquifers. Microbiological contamination occurs through the sewage system. Nitrate, arsenic, fluoride are some of the major elements responsible for groundwater pollution.
Climate Change: Climate shocks are exacerbating the groundwater crisis. Intermittent rainfall and prolonged droughts are reducing groundwater recharge resulting in falling water tables in many regions.
What steps have been taken to improve status of Groundwater Use in India?
Model Groundwater Bill: The Union Government has released Model Groundwater Bills in 1970, 1992, 1996, 2005, 2011 and 2016-17. Through the Bills, the Government has sought to foster a minimum level of control, among other things by recommending the setting up of State groundwater authorities. Various versions proposed registration of existing groundwater structures and a permit-based system, though actual restrictions would apply only to new wells, fitted with electrical pumps.
The Model Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Bill, 2017, addresses some of the major concerns in the existing regulatory framework and offers a holistic way forward. The major highlights include: (a) Strong environmental perspective in protection and prevention of damage to the aquifers; (b) Bottom-up institutional structure; (c) Drinking water as highest priority and the right to water, health, and environment; (d) Decentralization and subsidiarity principles; (e) Local bodies to form committees for groundwater management
Integration of Union Ministries: The Ministry of Jal Shakti was formed after the merger of the erstwhile Ministries of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation along with Drinking Water and Sanitation. This has given impetus to the management of water resources with special focus on demand and supply management.
Initiatives: (a) Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) and the National Project on Aquifer Management (NAQUIM) have been launched with the goal of ‘participatory groundwater management’. ABY looks to inculcate behavioural change made possible by incentivsation. NAQUIM envisages the mapping of sub-surface water bearing geological formations (aquifers) to help gather authentic data and enable informed decision-making; (b) Jal Jeevan Mission: It has been launched to provide safe drinking water to all rural households by 2024; (c) Through the India-Groundwater Resource Estimation System (IN-GRES) dynamic groundwater assessments will be done annually. A software, ‘India-Groundwater Resource Estimation System (IN-GRES)’, has also been developed; (d) Realising the importance of community participation, the Jal Shakti Abhiyan has been launched subsequently to transform Jan Shakti into Jal Shakti through asset creation, rainwater harvesting (‘Catch the Rain‘ campaign) and extensive awareness campaign.
What steps can be taken to improve Groundwater Use and Governance in India?
First, Mihir Shah Committee Recommendations should be implemented: (a) The Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) should be restructured and unified to form a new National Water Commission (NWC). A unified body will help in the collective management of ground and surface water. The NWC will be responsible for water policy, data and governance in the country. It should be an adjunct office of the Ministry of Water Resources and function with full autonomy; (b) The NWC should have eight divisions: Irrigation Reform Division, River Rejuvenation Division, Aquifer Mapping and Participatory Ground Water Management Division, Water Security Division, Urban and Industrial Water Division, Water Quality Division, Water Data Management and Transparency Division, Knowledge Management and Capacity Building Division; (c) Participatory Groundwater Management: Ground water needs to be recognised as a common pool resource and its continuous, unchecked extraction needs to be stopped. Corrective measures such as establishing required drilling depth, distance between wells, cropping pattern that does not require over-withdrawal of the resource should be adopted.
Second, For planning and management of groundwater, there is a need to focus on the Integrated Water Resource Management framework. It promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources.
Third, water-sensitive urban design and planning should be adopted. This can help maintain the water cycle by managing groundwater, surface water and rainwater for water demand and supply.
Fourth, there is need to adopt Blue-Green Infrastructure approach. Green (trees, parks, gardens, playgrounds and forests) and the blue (rivers, lakes, wetlands and water utilities) spaces can play a vital role in waterbody and aquifer rejuvenation.
Fifth, Public awareness and participation as well as trust-building between formal water sector institutions and communities will fill the void in groundwater management.
Sixth, Policies in the agriculture sector should be reviewed. The cropping pattern should be according to the local agro-ecology. Farm subsidies on electricity should be scrapped. These steps can help rationalize groundwater use in agriculture.
Conclusion
The situation of groundwater use in India has improved marginally as shown by the latest assessment. However, the pressure on groundwater resources is expected to rise further with rising population, urbanization and the uncertainties driven by Climate Change. Hence there is a need to adopt a more proactive approach to groundwater management in India. The governance framework related to water management in India must be reformed. Judicious and sustainable use of groundwater should be promoted through awareness campaigns and people participation (Jan Bhagidari).
Syllabus: GS I, Distribution of key natural resources across the world; GS III, Conservation.
Source: The Hindu, World Resources Institute, India Water Portal, Down to Earth, PRS
GS PAPER - 2
The French Connection – France’s pension reform is a story that resonates around the ageing rich world
Source: The post is based on the article “21st century India needs a real-time fiscal data portal” published in the Livemint on 31st January 2023.
Syllabus: GS 2 – Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.
Relevance: About French pension reforms.
News: The French government now tries to push through highly unpopular pension reforms.
Why does the government want to push pension reforms?
The French government’s pension system is one of the most generous in the world. But it has long been known to be unsustainable. The entire system cost Paris just under 14% of its GDP in 2021. This led to French public debt reaching record-high levels of 115% of GDP last year.
A report last year by the Pensions Advisory Council – a French state body – predicted the system will run into a deficit in the not-too-distant future. For example, by 2027 the pension deficit will be almost $12 billion.
The Ukraine war has put extra strain on European economies that are now battling high inflation and energy crunches.
What are the reforms the French government proposes?
The government is seeking an increase in the minimum retirement age for most people from 62 to 64. It is also supporting businesses through tax cuts by ensuring pension reforms.
Note: The burgeoning public debt and demographic decline are also witnessed in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. All plan to lift the minimum retirement age to 67 over the coming years – the UK will lift it to 68.
This will ensure a more robust geopolitical role for France, both in Europe and across the world.
‘General Assembly divided over UN reforms’
Source– The post is based on the article “General Assembly divided over UN reforms” published in The Hindu on 31st January 2023.
Syllabus: GS2- Important international institutions
Relevance– Global governance
News– The article explains the reason behind the slow pace of UNSC reforms. It also explains the issues with UNSC working.
What are the reasons behind the slow pace of UNSC reforms?
The disunited state of the UN General Assembly is responsible for it. Reform of the UN Security Council was a member-driven process.
The members of the UNGA had to first come together to pass a resolution demanding the reform of the Security Council. Still, no resolution has been passed by UNGA
The General Assembly has always been very much divided. Among the 193 countries, there are five negotiating groups and they are neutralising each other.
Permanent members are not enthusiastic about reform of the UN system. But, they had all agreed that it was necessary for introducing changes in the Security Council.
What are the issues with UNSC?
The system of veto in the Security Council is 77 years old. It has become a tool to block the work of the global body and not to encourage it.
The Indian establishment views the UN as a “frozen 1945-invented mechanism”. Some powers have been singularly focused on their own advantage. They are not concerned about the well-being of the international community.
Why does India deserve to be a member of UNSC?
India had played a vital role in the past years in improving the response mechanism of the United Nations.
India has contributed in stabilising the world which had been shaken by pandemic and war in recent years.
GS PAPER - 3
Known unknowns of the fertiliser subsidy
Contents
- 1 What were the measures proposed by the government?
- 2 What are the problems associated with the fertilizer subsidies?
- 3 How would the first proposal for asking the fertilizer companies to buy up to 20 percent of their LNG needs will lower the subsidy costs?
- 4 How would the second proposal of the government on capping the prices help in reducing the prices of gas?
- 5 What are the challenges with India?
Source: The post is based on an article “Known unknowns of the fertiliser subsidy” published in Business Standard on 31st January 2023.
Syllabus: GS 3 – Indian Economy
Relevance: concerns associated with subsidy on fertilisers
News: The government last year came up with measures to bring down the fertiliser subsidy bill. The article provides an analysis of those measures.
What were the measures proposed by the government?
First, it asked the fertiliser companies to buy up to 20 per cent of their LNG needs directly or via the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX).
Second, the government decided to review the domestic gas pricing formula, and caps rates.
What are the problems associated with the fertilizer subsidies?
Fertilizer along with food take up a huge amount of budget.
Fertilizer subsidy goes to manufacturers, mainly urea makers, to compensate them for selling fertilizer below market rates. These fertilizer makers are the biggest consumers of imported LNG.
The cost of buying LNG is further growing due to the increasing global gas rates and stagnant domestic production. Due to which, the Finance Ministry had allotted Rs 1.05 trillion for 2022-23 to compensate fertilizer makers.
However, the amount allotted for the subsidy is expected to increase further due to the Ukraine conflict, high international prices of raw materials and finished fertilizers, currency depreciation, etc.
Moreover, a large amount of fertilizer subsidy goes to the foreign gas suppliers because 80 percent of the cost of urea is natural gas.
Therefore, it is expected that the cost of subsidy will go up for FY24. Hence, due to these difficulties, the government came with those two proposals.
How would the first proposal for asking the fertilizer companies to buy up to 20 percent of their LNG needs will lower the subsidy costs?
It will allow fertilizer companies to buy in a most cost-effective way and find an exchange most suited for their purpose. This has huge potential to save on gas subsidies.
However, the government needs to change the regulations for companies to gain from this proposal.
At present, fertilizer units source LNG using a pooling mechanism managed by Gail India. But the way the pool works is that efficient fertilizer plants end up subsidizing inefficient ones.
Even if an efficient fertilizer maker gets gas from IGX under the new 20 percent sourcing rules, it would still need to pay the difference between the IGX rate and the average pool price.
This would reduce the incentive for efficient fertilizer units to seek gas outside the pool.
Therefore, the 20 percent procurement volumes should have been kept out of the pooling price mechanism.
Moreover, the government’s second proposal to cap on domestic gas prices could help in reducing the pooled gas prices.
How would the second proposal of the government on capping the prices help in reducing the prices of gas?
The Parikh Committee recommended capping domestic gas rates, and changing the fixed prices for domestic gas from global gas benchmarks to crude oil rates.
This is because industrial customers have switched to crude-linked alternatives due to lower crude prices than gas prices.
Therefore, the adoption of recommendations could lower domestic gas prices and, thus, the pooled gas prices for fertilizer companies.
What are the challenges with India?
India has adopted these domestic policies but these domestic polices may have limited impact due to the global cause of leading to higher prices of natural gas.
The LNG production is limited and the demand is soaring all over the world which is ultimately increasing the price. Hence, the government might to have bear the burden of subsidy for a longer period.
21st century India needs a real-time fiscal data portal
Source: The post is based on the article “21st century India needs a real-time fiscal data portal” published in the Livemint on 31st January 2023.
Syllabus: GS 3 – Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Relevance: About real-time fiscal data portal.
News: Former chief economic adviser in his book mentions accounting tricks that made it difficult to gauge the precise extent of the fiscal deficit. Hence, the government should make efforts for a more transparent and accessible budget for India’s citizens and investors.
Why does India need a real-time fiscal data portal?
At the moment, fiscal data in India is fragmented, incomplete, and often comes with lags. This makes it difficult to analyse government finances across the country comprehensively.
If local body grants provided by the Union government to states are shown as entries in the budgets of both the Union and states, it will overstate government spending.
Most states do not maintain reliable and up-to-date data on off-balance sheet spending and contingent liabilities (including liabilities on account of state level public enterprises).
Different states tend to have different budgetary classifications, making inter-state comparisons difficult.
Must read: Economic Survey 2022-23 PDF |
What are the committee recommendations that demand a real-time fiscal data portal?
-A 2018 committee on fiscal statistics appointed by the National Statistical Commission (NSC) argued for a complete overhaul of India’s fiscal database.
The committee found that a) local government accounts were simply unavailable for most states, b) India’s fiscal data lacks compilation, classification into suitable categories and eventual publication on a website or in printed form.
The report mentions that as many parts of the financial system have been digitized, it is possible to build a comprehensive real-time fiscal data warehouse.
-Over the years, a number of Finance Commission reports have advocated the setting up of an apex fiscal council to aggregate fiscal data. Such a council can help clean up public finance statistics and provide a more accurate view of the flow of public funds across the country.
Read more: India needs to use its fiscal armoury to fight inequality |
What are the advantages of a real-time fiscal data portal?
The portal will a) inform about the funds flowing across the three tiers of government—Centre, state and local governments, b) be an invaluable resource to understand the Indian economy, c) allow India’s citizens to monitor fund flows minutely, d) improve the quality of reporting, thereby driving up the efficiency of public spending, e) allow government vendors and related businesses to plan their purchases and inventories better, f) help government to estimate borrowing needs of different levels of government accurately.
Hence, the government should create a federal fiscal organization to bring more consistent reporting standards and a real-time fiscal data portal that can bring about economy-wide efficiency gains, and pre-empt fiscal crises in the future.
Hedging and entrenched attitudes from India and Pakistan are a reminder that technical agreements are only a partial solution
Contents
Source– The post is based on the article “Hedging and entrenched attitudes from India and Pakistan are a reminder that technical agreements are only a partial solution” published in The Indian Express on 31st January 2023.
Syllabus: GS3- India and neighborhood relations
Relevance– India and Pakistan bilateral relationship
News– The article explains India current stand on the updation of Indus Water Treaty. It explains the important legal provisions of IWT related to negotiation of disputes. It also talks about the attitude of India towards water diplomacy
What is India’s current stand on the Indus Water Treaty?
New Delhi has expressed its intention to update the Treaty to incorporate the lessons learnt over the last 62 years. It has given a 90-day notice to Islamabad.
It has claimed that the adamant position of Pakistan had made the communication channels over shared waters defunct.
India has adopted the moderate approach of not terminating but modifying the IWT.
It has attributed the breach of treaty to Pakistan’s unilateral decision to approach the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Pakistan has bypassed the mandate of Indus Commissioners. It has violated the dispute settlement mechanisms provided by Articles 8 and 9 of the Treaty.
Conversations on renegotiating and upgrading the IWT began a few years ago. In 2021, a parliamentary standing committee report suggested renegotiating the Treaty.
What are some important legal provisions of the Indus Water Treaty?
Under Article 60 of the Vienna Convention on the Laws of the Treaties, a party can criticize an agreement and give notice of its intention to terminate it if the other party violates its fundamental provisions.
Article 8 of Indus Water Treaty specifies the roles and responsibilities of the Permanent Indus Commission.
Article 9 is relevant for addressing any dispute that might emerge between the two countries.
It provides for the appointment of a neutral expert in case there is a lack of consensus among the Commissioners.
If the neutral expert believes that the difference should be treated as a dispute, it can be referred to the Court of Arbitration. However, the Commission has to report the facts to the two governments.
The report must state the points of concord in the Commission, the views of each Commissioner on these issues and also mention the issues of disagreement.
Only after receiving such a report can either of the governments address the issue bilaterally or through the Court of Arbitration.
What has been the attitude of India and Pakistan in case of water diplomacy?
Pakistan has shown an inclination for third-party mediation. India has seen Pakistan’s objection to the hydel projects as a tactic to delay them.
Both countries have opted for diplomatic hedging. This attitude has framed the water diplomacy between the two countries as well.
Pakistan has contested the Ratle project on the Chenab River on grounds of design and violations of the IWT. It asked the World Bank to establish a Court of Arbitration to look into the project. India objected to this process by claiming that it was a unilateral move.
What is the way forward for water diplomacy by India and Pakistan?
We cannot look only at legal aspects. The practice of diplomacy and the use of law for explaining and justifying government actions are equally important.
The reasoning put forward by India and Pakistan requires scrutiny. Ecological and economic concerns are also important to understand the diplomatic fault lines.
Technically-negotiated agreements are only partial solutions and can put incremental strains on transboundary rivers and their ecosystems for years.
The two countries should use bilateral dispute settlement mechanisms to discuss the sustainable uses of water resources.
Article 7 talks about future cooperation. There is a need to discuss the transboundary governance issues in holistic terms. It could be the starting point for any potential diplomatic negotiations.
Education challenges of employment
Contents
Source: The post is based on an article “Education challenges of employment” published in Business Standard on 31st January 2023.
Syllabus: GS 3 – Employment
Relevance: India’s labour force participation rate and unemployment
News: The article discusses how education is associated with employment and labour participation rate in India.
What are highlights of the data?
India suffers from a poorly educated workforce that is confined to poor quality jobs. Most employment is informal and in the unorganized sector.
For example, 48 percent of the workforce had not cleared their 10th exams, 28 percent had cleared between the 6th and 9th standards and 20 percent had cleared only the 5th standard.
Only 12 percent of the workforce was a graduate or postgraduate whereas this ratio in the US is about 44 per cent for persons of 25 years or more.
During September-December 2022, the overall unemployment rate in India was 7.5 percent but the unemployment rate for graduates was at 17.2 percent.
And in the same period, nearly 40 percent of the workforce had only high school degrees, i.e., between the 10th and 12th standards.
This shows the dismal picture of India’s labour force because labour participation rate decreases with less education.
How does the Labour Participation Rate (LPR) change with education?
The labor participation rate and the unemployment rate increase with education and vice versa.
For example, for those with an education between 10th and 12th standards, the LPR rose to 40 percent with the unemployment rising to 10.9 percent compared to those who are less educated.
Moreover, in the US, the unemployment rate drops as the education levels rise. However, it is the opposite in India.
Furthermore, the LPR among graduates is rising in India which is a positive indication for lowering unemployment rate.
What are other problems with the employment in India?
Even though the LPR has improved for graduates, the jobs for them are not growing enough to make a difference to the composition of the workforce. They have still not reclaimed their pre-Covid share in the workforce.
Moreover, other problem with the Indian workforce is that many graduates leave India for better job opportunities abroad.
India has been unsuccessful in offering adequate jobs and enough good quality jobs to its graduates.
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