INSTA MINDMAPS
JUNE 2022
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Table of Contents
GENERAL STUDIES – 1 ...............................................................................................................................2
Topic: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times 2
Role of Museums in preserving India's Culture and Heritage .................................................................................................... 2
Topic: Effects of globalization on Indian society. .................................................................................................................... 3
Deglobalisation .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Topic: Social Empowerment ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Access to Assistive Aids for Disabled ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Topic: Women related Issues ................................................................................................................................................. 6
Gender Equality in Data governance ......................................................................................................................................... 6
GENERAL STUDIES – 2 ...............................................................................................................................8
Topic: Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues
arising out of these. ............................................................................................................................................................... 8
Parliamentary Disruptions ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Women Representation in Parliament ...................................................................................................................................... 9
Topic: Issues relating to poverty and hunger. ...................................................................................................................... 10
Food insecurity among Elderly ................................................................................................................................................. 10
Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human
Resources. ........................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Malnutrition ............................................................................................................................................................................. 11
Rising Global Food Prices ......................................................................................................................................................... 12
Expanding Government Jobs ................................................................................................................................................... 13
Topic: India and its neighbourhood- relations. ..................................................................................................................... 15
India - Nepal Relations ............................................................................................................................................................. 15
Unresolved Issues in South-Asia .............................................................................................................................................. 16
Topic: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.................................................... 17
Building Strong BRICS ............................................................................................................................................................... 17
GENERAL STUDIES – 3 ............................................................................................................................. 19
Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc. ..................................................................................... 19
Energy Security ........................................................................................................................................................................ 19
Topic: Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country .................................................................................. 20
Importance of Millets .............................................................................................................................................................. 20
Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation .......................................................................................... 21
Nature-based solutions to Tackle Climate Change .................................................................................................................. 21
Impacts of Pollution ................................................................................................................................................................. 23
Sea Level Rise ........................................................................................................................................................................... 24
Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT ...................................................................................................................................... 25
Private Sector in India’s Space Sector ...................................................................................................................................... 25
Disaster and disaster management. ..................................................................................................................................... 27
Landslides in India .................................................................................................................................................................... 27
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General Studies – 1
Topic: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from
ancient to modern times
Role of Museums in preserving India's Culture and Heritage
Introduction
• India is home to over 1,000 museums representing a rich and diverse blend of the cultural, religious and
scientific achievements that our civilisation has witnessed over the years.
• On the occasion of International Museum Day, the Ministry of Culture had made admissions to all
museums under its ambit free of cost for a week.
• This not only makes our art and culture accessible to all, but also provides an opportunity to propagate
our civilizational heritage.
Shift in perspectives of Culture and heritage
• There has been a transformational shift in our perspectives of our culture and heritage.
• There has been a shift from a museum-centric approach to a cultural spaces approach.
• Museums have been built for specific purposes rather than on general purpose.
• Museums are looked with a whole-of-government approach to ensure that museums provide a
wholesome experience.
Cultural Spaces
• India is one of the few continuously inhabited civilisational states that continues to thrive.
• Our art, culture and heritage can be witnessed in our day-to-day activities.
• The festivals, the deities, the food, and the dance and music performances are all a testimony to our
civilisational ethos.
• Our approach has been to continuously integrate our culture into our lives.
• Whenever stolen heritage from other countries are brought back, there is an attempt to restore it to the
place it was taken from.
• It is with this underlying philosophy that the recently retrieved idol of Goddess Annapurna was returned
to its rightful place at Kashi Vishwanath temple, Varanasi.
• Similarly, to embed art and our civilisational heritage in places such as the new Central Vista Project also
builds on this approach to have cultural spaces that are contiguous.
Role of museums in preserving culture and heritage
• Platform to showcase diverse heritage:
o Indian history is one of the richest and varied histories of the world.
o But history comes in different forms. It could be through art, culture, science or natural
objects.
o History can be understood through esteemed facets, such as paintings, carvings,
documents, and weaponry.
• Foray into economic and social life of Ancient Indians:
o History can also be seen through the prism of daily objects, such as clothing, pots and
pans, toys, cutlery and more.
o History is preserved through tangible articles and it is a museum that houses these.
o Eg: National Museum in Delhi has artefacts from Harappan civilisation giving us a feel of
life in 3500 B.C
• Recognizing the contributions of great personalities:
o To recognise the role of over 200 tribal freedom fighters across India, 10 tribal freedom
fighter museums are being set up across the country.
o Recently Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya was inaugurated
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In tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Statue of Unity also contains
a museum that chronicles the various facets of Patel in great detail.
Specific purpose museums:
o Specific theme-based museums, which have unique content and a definite purpose
ensures that the overall experience is wholesome.
o Museums along these lines are Biplobi Bharat museum in Kolkata, the arms and armour
museum at the Red Fort, a gallery on Gautama Buddha in Delhi, and the museum on
Jammu and Kashmir.
Renewal of Museums
• With the renewed mandate of modernisation, upgradation, and establishment of new museums, we can
bring our institutions closer to international standards of museology in the 21st century.
• The Ministry of Culture organised a first-of-its-kind Global Summit on ‘Reimagining Museums in India’
recently.
• The learnings from the summit are being incorporated to devise a blueprint for the development of new
museums, nurture a renewal framework, and reinvigorate existing museums.
Way Forward
• The use of digital technology to widen public access through modernisation a nd digitisation of
collections and exhibitions.
• Breaking down silos to forge a whole-of-government approach in such a specialised domain
requires new skills and perspectives.
• Human capacities and domain knowledge require continued upgradation.
• Modernising our traditional museums from display spaces of past glory to making them more
interactive through technology interfaces, innovative curatorial skills and imaginative storytelling.
• Compared to new museums, successfully repurposing existing museum spaces needs more imaginative
thinking.
• With this renewed mandate of modernisation, upgradation, and establishment of new museums, we are
bringing our institutions closer to international standards of museology in the 21st century.
Topic: Effects of globalization on Indian society.
Deglobalisation
Introduction
• The term de-globalisation is used to highlight the trend of several countries wanting to go back to
economic and trade policies that put their national interests first.
• It often takes the form of tariffs or quantitative barriers that impede free movement of people, products
and servies among countries.
• The idea behind is to shield local manufacturing by making imports costlier.
Factors contributing to deglobalisation
• Delegitimization of International Organizations:
o The United Nations (UN) is widely viewed as weak and deadlocked.
o International organizations have seen their reputations suffer, either condemned as too powerful
or too weak.
o The World Health Organization (WHO) struggled to drive an efficient response to the COVID–19
pandemic.
• Lockdown of national borders:
o The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the danger of relying on global supply chains for essential
medical supplies.
o India came up with self-sufficient ‘Atmanirbharta’ concept and so did many other nations.
o Nations like Japan and India have joined hands to from SCRI – Supply Chain Resilience Initiative.
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Positives of deglobalisation
• Increased manufacturing:
o Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan will provide impetus for indigenous manufacturing and becoming
self-reliant.
o Deglobalization will be successful if it reduces the income inequality and increase the share of
manufacturing in the Indian economy.
• India’s share in global trade:
o India, while protecting its national interests, has an opportunity to redefine the contours of global
trade.
o Companies whose factories and units are in China, can be attracted towards India, which also
offers alternative supply chain.
• Trade agreement with UK and EU
o With Brexit, India can renew its attempt to arrive at a free trade agreement with UK.
o India, with its much-hyped demographic dividend, offers unparalleled markets to EU investors.
o The India and EU FTA can accrue wide ranging economic gains to all stakeholders.
• Pharmacy of the world:
o India stands to gain by becoming generic drug manufacturer, as well as vaccines and become net
distributors of the same.
o India must focus on manufacturing API’s by reducing dependency on China and increase its
production.
Regional implications
• The phenomenon of “deglobalisation” has its regional implications too.
• The “idea of Europe” crumbled quickly under the onslaught of the pandemic.
• The famous Schengen visa and the notion of border-free movement was the first casualty of COVID-19.
• Early in the pandemic, Italy was denied medical equipment by its EU neighbours, who introduced export
controls.
Negative Impact of deglobalisation on Indian society
• Impact on food security:
o Indonesia, the world’s top producer of palm oil has banned exports of this cooking oil.
o Ukraine is a supplier of wheat and the war has led to severe shortage in the globe.
o This impacts the food security in India.
• High energy costs:
o It is fuelled partly because of the sanctions on Russian oil and gas.
o Much of the rare earth minerals that is needed to power the new energy future from petro to
electro are controlled by the countries that are in the non-democracy camp, from China to Russia.
• Market volatility:
o Deglobalisation also entails more political/geopolitical uncertainty, which could lead to market
volatility.
• Reduced income:
o While a retreat into protectionism may improve income equality in some countries, it will reduce
incomes of both the poor and the rich and poverty headcounts will be increased.
• Migration:
o De-globalisation with respect to the mobility of services and people can impact both the export
of services, and the trend of Indians migrating abroad for higher education and jobs.
• Climate change cooperation:
o Climate change cooperation will be impacted by closing borders and shutting doors of global
trade.
Way Forward
• In a world where global trade and commerce is inevitable, protectionist policies of a few nations will only
cause severe inequality.
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A middle ground is the need of the hour and a gated globalization could be the preferred option, with
India paving the path for other nations to follow, in the decades to come.
The sheer complexity and our interdependence require more global governance.
The world is a better place when countries engage in dialogue, when they have a forum to talk through
the problems they share rather than resorting to tit-for-tat responses
When the current pandemic is over, the globe must learn lessons about what happened, and how
international systems and institutions can be strengthened.
Topic: Social Empowerment
Access to Assistive Aids for Disabled
Introduction
• According to Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, “Person with disability” means a person
with long term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment which hinders his/ her full and
effective participation in society equally with others.
• The 2011 Census puts the national estimate of the number of people with disabilities at 2.21% of the
total population.
• It increased by 22.4% between 2001 and 2011 census periods.
Importance and need of Assistive Aids
• Approximately one in every 10 children in the world has a disability.
• Besides poverty and prejudice, the lack of access to assistive technology, as well as inaccessible
transport and school environments restrict children with disabilities to access education.
• The number of people in need of one or more assistive products is likely to rise to 3.5 billion by 2050,
due to populations aging and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases.
• Assistive technology is a life changer, it
o opens the door to education for children with impairments.
o employment and social interaction for adults.
o an independent life of dignity for older persons.
• Assistive technology reduces the need for formal health and support services, long-term care and the
work of caregivers.
• Universal Health Coverage can be advanced inclusively only if people are able to access quality
assistive products when and where they need them.
Barriers to assistive products
• Lack of assistive products
o More than 2.5 billion people need one or more assistive products.
o Yet a billion of them are denied access, particularly in low- and middle-income countries,
according to report released by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF.
o This is not only an infringement of human rights, but it is also economically shortsighted.
o Also, affordability is a major barrier to access.
• Poor implementation of policies and schemes
o Though various acts and schemes have been laid down with an aim to empower the disabled,
their enforcement face many challenges.
• Quality, affordability and supply of assistive products continue to be enormous challenges.
• Quality and standards issues such as safety, performance and durability are key concerns.
• Services are not available across all geographies and populations.
Assistance to Disabled persons for purchasing/fitting of aids/appliances (ADIP) scheme
• ADIP scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
• It aims to assist the needy disabled persons in procuring durable, scientifically manufactured, modern,
standard aids and appliances.
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It promotes their physical, social and psychological rehabilitation, by reducing the effects of
disabilities and enhance their economic potential.
Way Forward
• People with disabilities need to be better integrated into society by overcoming stigma.
• State-wise strategies on education for children with special needs need to be devised.
• There should be proper teacher training to address the needs of differently-abled children and
facilitate their inclusion in regular schools.
• There should be more special schools and ensure educational material for differently-abled children.
• More budgetary allocation for welfare of the disabled. There should be a disability budgeting on line
of gender budget.
• Proper implementation of schemes and proper monitoring mechanisms and accountability of public
funds.
Topic: Women related Issues
Gender Equality in Data governance
Introduction
• Given sensitivities around women’s data and its impact on their ability to use the internet, India’s data
governance proposals must be evaluated from a gender lens.
Rise of new technologies
• The rise of big data and machine learning has caused an immense growth in powerful technologies
and applications.
• But the same technologies have become a privacy issue for their users.
• The algorithms behind these technologies collect a huge amount of data from individuals, which is
then used to target the users.
Gender Divide in the use digital technologies
• Women and men use digital technologies differently.
• According to a 2017 survey, women use social media significantly more than men.
• There appears to be a huge disparity in mobile ownership with significant diversity between states
and union territories (UTs) in terms of the percentage of women having a mobile phone.
• Areas with less penetration of phones among women indicate shared use of mobile phones in Indian
families, which, in turn, impact women’s behaviour on the internet.
Online Abuse
• Women also face a higher risk of reputational loss online.
• Between 2017 and 2018, cases of cyberstalking or bullying of women or children increased by 36%
while the conviction rate fell from 40% to 25%.
• Such issues can negatively affect the mental health of victims resulting from humiliation, diminishing
self-esteem, and social isolation.
• These incidents also lead to a perception of the internet as an unsafe place for women.
Concerns / Challenges
• The discussion on how data governance laws might impact women differently than men has been
mostly missing.
• The proposed Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill, 2019 imposes a blanket requirement for parental
consent for processing the personal data of anyone below the age of 18 years.
• This effectively gives parents control over teens’ access to any internet platform.
• A blanket requirement such as this coupled with the shared usage of mobile phones, may
compromise the agency of teenage girls far more than boys.
• A larger discussion around algorithmic biases against women has been missing.
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If an automated speech recognition system is trained on a dataset that has disproportionately fewer
voice snippets of women talking, it will make errors while trying to comprehend women’s voices.
From a privacy perspective, the risks of identification by piecing together different sets of nonpersonal data are far higher for women than men.
For example, non-personal data from women’s health apps, when pieced together with shopping
data, may risk revealing their identities and their reproductive health issues.
Way Forward
• Given the sensitivities around women’s data and its impact on their ability to use the internet, India’s
data governance proposals that are under discussion must be evaluated from a gender lens.
• A policy around AI development is more urgent and needs to ensure that underlying datasets are not
biased.
• As India moves towards an increasingly digital society, how privacy and data governance laws may
impact women’s safety and agency on the internet should not come as an afterthought.
• We need to have these discussions upfront as these regulations can be a key building block to
women’s agency on the internet and their participation in the economy of the future.
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General Studies – 2
Topic: Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers &
privileges and issues arising out of these.
Parliamentary Disruptions
Introduction
• Disruption has been frequent in Parliament in recent times.
• Disruption is replacing discussion as the foundation of our legislative functioning.
• According to reports, 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19) lost 16 per cent of its scheduled time to disruptions.
Reasons for lack of discipline and decorum in legislatures.
• Dissatisfaction in MPs because of inadequate time for airing their grievances.
• Currently, government business takes priority, and private members discuss their topics post lunch
on a Friday.
• Political parties not adhering to parliamentary norms and disciplining their members.
• Absence of prompt action against disrupting MPs under the legislature’s rules.
• The Monsoon Session in 2021 was the third least productive Lok Sabha session of the last two
decades, with a productivity of just 21 per cent.
Earlier Rules
• The Lok Sabha has code of conduct for its MPs since 1952.
• The rules required MPs not to interrupt the speech of others, maintain silence and not obstruct
proceedings by hissing or by making commentaries during debates.
• These rules were updated in 1989.
• Accordingly, members should not shout slogans, display placards, tear away documents in protest,
play cassettes or tape recorders in the House.
• It empowers the Lok Sabha Speaker to suspend MPs obstructing the Houses’ business automatically.
• But these rules have not been enforced.
Role of the Government
• The government decides when Parliament should meet, for how long and plays a significant role in
determining what issues the House should discuss.
• Successive governments have shied away from increasing the working days of Parliament.
• When a contentious issue crops up, the government dithers on debating it, leading to Opposition MPs
violating the conduct rules and disrupting the proceedings of Parliament.
International Practice
• In the United Kingdom, where Parliament meets over 100 days a year, opposition parties get 20 days
on which they decide the agenda for discussion in Parliament.
• Canada also has a similar concept of opposition days.
Way Forward
• Breaking this pattern of parliamentary disruptions requires a few changes in the functioning of
Parliament.
• Legislative body’s role must be strengthened and deepened so that disruption of proceedings ceases
to be an option.
• Giving MPs more teeth in questioning the government and empower its committees to become
critical stakeholders in the law-making process.
• A sense of accommodation by the treasury benches and a sense of responsibility by the Opposition
benches is the balance essential for the smooth running of Parliament.
• Enforcement of a code of conduct for MPs and MLAs.
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Increasing the sitting days of legislatures. Our legislature should meet throughout the year, like
parliaments of most developed democracies.
These increased days will not help prevent disruptions if opposition parties don’t have the
opportunity to debate and highlight important issues.
Evolving a ‘Parliament Disruption Index’.
Women Representation in Parliament
Introduction
• In 1952, when the Indian Republic held its first Parliamentary session, there were 39 strong, intelligent,
and passionate women leaders.
• Today there is lack of representation of women in Parliament, but there is surge in the number of
women coming out to vote in recent years.
A slide from the initial years
• At a time when women formed only 1.7% of the total members of the US Congress and 1.1% of the
Parliament of the UK, India was leading with 5.5% women representation.
• Thousands of women across profession, class, caste, and religion contributed for India’s Independence.
• A testament to their invaluable contribution has to be their louder voice in our parliamentary democracy.
• Despite a woman Prime Minister, a President, and a relatively higher percentage of women
parliamentarians in the past, our struggle with inclusivity has not eased.
• Due to systemic issues, Parliament continues to alienate women.
• The number of women representatives is still considerably small.
• Parliament as a workspace continues to be built exclusively for men.
Movement for gender inclusivity
• India has witnessed a burgeoning movement for gender inclusivity during the past few years.
• The Supreme Court judgment (National Legal Services Authority vs Union of India, 2014) on gender
identity has given the movement greater impetus.
• In the past, amendments have been brought about to make documents gender neutral.
• In 2014, under the leadership of the then Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Rules of Procedure of the Lok
Sabha were made entirely gender neutral.
• Since then, each Lok Sabha Committee Head has been referred to as Chairperson in all documents.
• This initiative is proof that amending legal documents to make them inclusive for all genders is an
attainable goal if there is a will.
Not gender neutral
• India is still worse than 140 countries in the representation of women in Parliament.
• The share of women legislators in the Lok Sabha peaking at 14.39% as of June 2019. The global average
for the share of women parliamentarians stood at 24.6%.
• From 2008 and 2018, only nine States had an average share of more than 10% women in their Assemblies
in this period.
• A closer look at our parliamentary discourse and communication reveals absence of gender-neutral
language.
• Parliament often refers to women in leadership positions as Chairmen and party men.
• Referring to the Vice-President of India as the ex-officio Chairman - lack of gender-neutral language in the
Constitution of India.
• There are instances of refering to as “Chairman madam” in the Lok Sabha.
• In the last decade, there have hardly been any gender-neutral Acts.
• Acts have made references to women not as leaders or professionals (such as policemen), but usually as
victims of crimes.
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Grassroot representation
• The Constitution guarantees a one-third reservation for women at panchayat and municipalities.
• Many grassroots-level women leaders have demonstrated their leadership qualities and brought about
visible changes in their communities.
Way Forward
• In the 21st century, when people of all genders are leading the world with compassion, strength and
ambitions, the Indian Parliament needs to reflect on its standing.
• Recognition and correction of past errors through amendments to rulebooks, laws, and the Constitution
must lead to equal treatment, and appreciation for the people of India.
• As has happened in the case of panchayats and municipalities, only a legally mandated quota could
ensure a large-scale entry of Indian women into the higher political power.
Topic: Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
Food insecurity among Elderly
Introduction
• Food insufficiency among older adults aged 45 and above is a major concern, often linked with a
higher risk of chronic diseases as well as disabilities.
• These negative health outcomes have a direct impact on food access, resulting in food poverty.
Recent Study
• Nearly 6 per cent of older individuals in India aged 45 years and above consumed smaller portions or
skipped meals;
• 5.3 per cent did not eat even when they were hungry; and
• 3.8 per cent went a full day without eating because the food was unavailable.
Food insecurity
• Food insecurity is defined as “the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe
foods, or the limited or uncertain ability to get appropriate foods in socially acceptable ways.”
• India has the highest number of food-insecure people in the world, according to the State of Food
Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, 2020.
• Food insecurity also increased 3.8 percentage points between 2014 and 2019 in the country.
• Food insecurity in elderly people is caused by more than just a lack of financial resources.
• The pace of eradication of food insecurity has been slow, and as a result, has failed to achieve the
international target by the end of 2015.
• While elderly people have higher health and nutritional demands than the general population, food
insecurity could exacerbate existing health problems, also adding emotional and financial stress.
• Elderly people who are food insecure face a number of challenges that prevent them from achieving
nutritional well-being and food assistance programmes.
Way Forward
• Food assistance programmes should be provided to the elderly as a food safety net to combat the
adverse nutritional and health status and provide healthcare cost saving for the nation.
• Food-insecure people should be given special attention because their nutritional and health state is
worse than that of the average elderly.
• As the older population grows, determining the amount of food insecurity becomes more critical for
policy decisions.
• Ensuring that older persons have enough food to suit their needs should be a crucial step in
ensuring their health and ability to remain active as they age.
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Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to
Health, Education, Human Resources.
Malnutrition
Introduction
• Good nutrition has the power to empower the present and future generations.
• While there has been some progress in tackling malnutrition among children and women over the past
decade, the improvement has been modest at best.
Nutrition for women and children
• India’s greatest national treasure is its people — especially women and children.
• A child’s nutritional status is directly linked to their mother.
• Poor nutrition among pregnant women affects the nutritional status of the child and has a greater chance
to affect future generations.
• Undernourished children are at risk of under-performing in studies and have limited job prospects.
• This vicious cycle restrains the development of the country, whose workforce, affected mentally and
physically, has reduced work capacity.
Present Status
• The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) has shown marginal improvement in different nutrition
indicators, indicating that the pace of progress is slow.
• Children in several States are more undernourished now than they were five years ago.
• 13 States or Union Territories have seen an increase in stunted children since NFHS-4.
• India also has the highest prevalence of anaemia in the world.
• The survey indicates that more than 57% of women (15-49 years) and over 67% children (six-59 months)
suffer from anaemia.
• Anaemia has major consequences in terms of human health and development.
• It reduces the work capacity of individuals, in turn impacting the economy and overall national growth.
• India loses up to 1.18% of GDP annually due to iron deficiency anaemia.
Concerns / Challenges
• Saksham Anganwadi and the POSHAN 2.0 programme have seen only a marginal increase in budgetary
allocation.
• 32% of funds released under POSHAN Abhiyaan to States and Union Territories have not been utilised.
Way Forward
• There is a greater need to increase investment in women and children’s health and nutrition to ensure
their sustainable development and improved quality of life.
• India must adopt an outcome-oriented approach on nutrition programmes.
• Parliamentarians must begin monitoring needs and interventions in their constituencies and raise
awareness on the issues, impact, and solutions to address the challenges at the local level.
• There has to be direct engagement with nutritionally vulnerable groups (like elderly, pregnant women,
those with special needs and young children).
• Ensuring last-mile delivery of key nutrition services and interventions.
• Various studies highlight a strong link between mothers’ education and improved access to nutrition
interventions among children.
• There should be a process to monitor and evaluate programmes and address systemic and on the ground
challenges.
• A new or existing committee must deliberate over effective policy decisions, monitor the implementation
of schemes, and review nutritional status across States.
Conclusion
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The country’s response to malnutrition and its growing anaemia burden should be practical and
innovative.
This is critical to make an India that is malnutrition-free and anaemia-free a reality, and not just an
aspiration.
Everyone is a stakeholder and should contribute towards ending malnutrition and anaemia.
Rising Global Food Prices
Introduction
• Global food prices are characterised by year-to-year volatility and periodic sharp spikes.
• Steep and severe periodic price shocks can lead to some sort of a crisis at the global and national
levels.
• It becomes imperative to understand the real causes of such shocks and devise effective mechanisms
to deal with them.
Global Food Crisis
• The crisis can emerge in the form of
o food shortages,
o trade disruptions,
o a rise and spread in hunger and poverty levels,
o a depletion of foreign exchange reserves for net food importing countries,
o a strain on a nation’s fiscal resources due to an increase in spending on food safety nets,
o a threat to peace, and even social unrest in some places.
Crises and history
• Data show that since the onset and the adoption of Green Revolution technology in the early 1960s,
the world has been struck thrice by food price crises.
• The increase in global food prices after the three food price crises since the 1960s offers some
pertinent lessons for global food systems and the international community.
• All the three-food price, and the recent one which began towards the end of 2020 have one thing in
common — they were triggered by factors outside agriculture.
• They were not caused by any serious shortfall in agriculture production.
• The interval between two consecutive price shocks has narrowed down considerably and the severity
of shock is turning stronger.
The recent spike
• The recent spike in food prices has been triggered by supply disruptions due to COVID-19 and
further aggravated by the Russia-Ukraine war.
• Some other factors that have also contributed to a rise in food prices are trade patterns and
composition of the usage of food commodities.
• The current food price spike first began in vegetable oils and then expanded to cereals.
• Around 38% of the vegetable oil produced and consumed is globally traded.
• In the case of wheat, dependence on trade to meet global demand forms 25%, while only one tenth
of rice output or consumption is traded.
• Trade dependence for maize is 16%.
• Therefore, the effect of global trade disruption will be higher for commodities that are traded more
and vice-versa.
• Another factor is diversion of food for biofuel needs.
• The proportion of vegetable oil used for biodiesel increased from 1% in 2003 to 11% in 2011; it went
up to more than 15% in 2021.
• When crude prices increase beyond a certain level it becomes economical to use oilseeds and grains
for biodiesel and ethanol, respectively.
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There is also increase in the prices of fertilizer and other agrochemicals.
The international price of fertilizer has increased by 150% between April 2021 and April 2022.
Implications for India
• Export and import in the agriculture sector constituted 13% of gross value added in agriculture during
2020-21.
• So, there is transmission of an increase in global prices on domestic prices.
• This can be moderated through trade policy and other instruments, which India has been doing.
• When international prices go too low, India has checks on cheap imports to protect the interests of
producers.
• When international prices go too high, the country liberalises imports and imposes checks on exports.
• The policy of having a buffer stock of food staples has also been very helpful in maintaining price
stability.
Wheat export restrictions
• The recent ban on wheat exports and restrictions on the export of other food commodities by India
need to be seen in the light of an abnormal situation created by spikes in international prices.
• Some experts see it as a setback to India’s image as a reliable exporter.
• But a closer examination of data reveals that India’s action is not disrupting its normal exports.
• India was a very small exporter of wheat, with its share in global wheat trade ranging between 0.1%
to 1% during 2015-16 to 2020-21.
• The international market is looking for around 50 million tonnes of wheat to compensate for the
disruption in wheat exports from Russia and Ukraine.
• If India had not imposed a ban on wheat export, it would have resulted in a severe shortage of wheat
within the country.
• India should continue with a policy of strategic liberalisation, to balance the interests of producers
and consumers.
• The policy of buffer stock has also been very helpful in maintaining price stability.
Way Forward
• The world requires new breakthroughs such as Green Revolution technology, in order to enable
checks on food prices rising at a faster rate.
• This in turn requires increased spending on agriculture research and development (especially by the
public sector and multilateral development agencies).
• There is a need to strengthen and rejuvenate the global agri-research system under the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
• Diversion of land under food crops and food output for biofuel should be carefully calibrated with
implications for food availability.
• Climate change is going to be an additional source of supply shocks in the years ahead.
• Therefore, the global community must plan to have a global buffer stock of food in order to ensure
reasonable stability in food prices and supply.
• The situation requires coordinated and timely action by the global community.
Expanding Government Jobs
Introduction
• Several unemployed people in India resorted to protests in January 2022 over alleged flaws in the
railway’s recruitment process and more recently, India saw protests over the Agnipath scheme.
• The government has sought to push for recruitment of 10 lakh people in a mission-mode over 1.5 years.
A culture of hire and fire
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In May 2022, Haryana terminated the services of over 2,000 contractual health workers who had been
hired during the pandemic.
In Delhi, hundreds of nurses, paramedical staff, lab technicians and other contractual workers have been
terminated from various hospitals.
Over 8,300 panchayat and rural development contractual staff in Assam staged protests in February
2022.
They said they had been in a contractual state for 12-14 years and had not been given bonuses,
allowances, pension or pay revisions.
Present Status
• Vacancies in the government are not being filled at a sufficient pace.
• Where vacancies are being filled, they are notably skewed towards contractual jobs.
• In 2014, about 43% of government employees had non-permanent or contractual jobs, with about 6.9
million working in key flagship welfare schemes with low wages.
• By 2018, the share of government employees in this category had risen to 59%.
• For Central Public Sector Enterprises, the share of contractual employees increased from 19% to 37%.
Job opportunities
• Renewable power generation:
o There is significant potential for job creation (for example, in rooftop solar power generation,
manufacturing of solar panel modules and end-use servicing).
• On the waste management front, there is significant scope for expanding waste-water treatment
capacity.
• Building and management of treatment plants for sewer waste and faecal sludge treatment plants leads
to generation of jobs.
• Encouraging solid waste treatment practices could create about 300 jobs per year in a city municipal
corporation.
• A push for adopting electric vehicles and encouraging green mobility would require significant manpower,
leading to the generation of ‘green jobs’.
• Encourage urban farming, with significant job potential in permaculture, gardening and nursery
management.
• Selective PSU reform could also be considered.
Way Forward
• Government jobs have lost their shine. We need to attract talent to the government.
• Reforms advocated by the Administrative Reforms Commission should be our initial step.
• Instead of expanding contractual employment, we should seek to bolster public services.
• Expanding public service provisioning will also lead to the creation of good quality jobs, along with skilled
labour, offering us social stability.
• A push for enhancing public health would lead to the creation of societal assets.
• Such spending will lead to an increase in consumer demand and have strong multiplier effects, generally
improving the productivity and quality of life.
• This is the time to build capacity for an efficient civil service that can meet today’s challenges:
o providing a corruption-free welfare system
o running a modern economy
o providing increasingly better public goods
• Improved public service delivery, through better compensation, should be our ethos.
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Topic: India and its neighbourhood- relations.
India - Nepal Relations
Introduction
• Recently the Indian Prime Minister had travelled to Lumbini in Nepal to lay the foundation stone for a
Buddhist cultural centre that coincided with Buddha Purnima.
• This visit was seen as bringing soft power to the centre stage of India-Nepal relations.
Bilateral Relations
• India is the largest trading partner of Nepal and provides employment to 8mn Nepalese.
• India assists the Nepal Army in its modernization and Military exercises like Surya Kiran to boost
interoperability.
• Kosi Treaty and Mahakali Treaty helps to discuss issues relating to cooperation in water resources, flood
management etc.
• Power Exchange Agreement for meeting the power requirements in the border areas.
• Connectivity projects include Raxaul-Kathmandu Railway project and Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Nepal (BBIN) Initiative.
• India provides scholarships to Nepalese students for various courses.
• Both countries share strong historical and cultural links in terms of religion, language, cuisine, movies etc.
Recent developments and Issues
• China’s rising influence in Nepal’s economy, politics and society impacting India’s traditionally dominant
influence.
• Nepal has joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative
• The border dispute between India and Nepal over the regions of Kalapani, Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and
Susta.
• Anti-India rhetoric is running high in Nepal over border disputes.
• Nepal’s discontent in bilateral trade due to huge trade deficit that it incurs.
• Distrust towards India as a result of India’s big brother attitude, lackadaisical approach towards revising
the Treaty of Peace and Friendship 1950
• Unrestricted cross-border movement of people which hinders national security, Nepal’s domestic
industry, local livelihood and law and order.
• Nepal internal politics also pose problems as political parties flip from pro-India positions to anti-India
positions.
Leveraging cultural heritage to reset Indo-Nepal relation
• People-to-people relations
o Since time immemorial, people-to-people relations have remained unique.
o The anti-India rhetoric can be overturned by these contacts and soft power.
• Open border
o Because of the open border system, the citizens cross over the border for livelihood
opportunities apart from marriages; familial ties; cultural, social, and economic
security.
• Religious tourism
o From Pashupathinath to Kashi Vishwanath and Buddhist heritage, both nations share
common religions and holy places.
o Such cultural ties can be used to build a strong friendship that is sustainable.
• Congenial environment
o Nepal needs to create a congenial environment to enable India to complete its projects in
Nepal on time.
o Indian companies in Nepal should be given adequate protection.
o These technical issues can be solved by leveraging cultural and kinship ties.
• Multilateral platforms and connectivity
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The focus should be given to more air, road, train, and waterways connectiv ity, apart
from playing an active role in several important multilateral forums such as BBIN,
BIMSTEC, NAM, and SAARC to serve their common interests.
Way Forward
• Since Nepal’s dependence on India is more than India’s dependence on Nepal, it is all the more necessary
to balance such relations.
• India should focus on fructifying the potential of hydropower cooperation, which has remained
untapped largely due to differing perceptions.
• India should maintain the policy of keeping away from internal affairs of Nepal, meanwhile
India should guide the nation towards more inclusive rhetoric.
• India needs to be a sensitive and generous partner for the “neighbourhood first” policy to take root.
Unresolved Issues in South-Asia
Introduction
• “Neighbourhood First” has been a cardinal component of India’s foreign policy.
• Recurrent political or economic crises in neighbouring countries draw India back into the subcontinent
and constrain its ability to deal with larger regional and global issues.
• Unless India manages its periphery well in the subcontinent, its pursuit of a more significant role in the
Asian region will remain suboptimal.
Unresolved issues in South Asia
• Bangladesh:
o The rhetoric in India about illegal Bangladeshi migrants and their alleged involvement in
communal riots has had a negative resonance in the country.
• Pakistan:
o With Pakistan too, India has historical adversity dating back to Independence and Partition and
also the four wars.
o Fuelling separatist tendencies in Kashmir and state sponsored terror attacks (Pulwama, Uri) have
led to nonstarter of diplomatic relations.
o Peace between India and Pakistan is not just good for the two states but for all the nations
constituting the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
• Nepal:
o The Kalapani boundary dispute is a major issue.
o In 2019, Nepal released a new political map claiming Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh of
Uttarakhand and the area of Susta (in Bihar) as part of Nepal’s territory.
• Sri Lanka:
o Killing of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy is a lingering issue between these two nations.
o In 2019 and 2020, a total of 284 Indian fishermen were arrested and a total of 53 Indian boats
were confiscated by the Sri Lankan authorities.
• The recent political instability in Pakistan, the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, the ’India Out’ campaign in
Maldives and China’s growing footprint in Nepal are other major challenges for India.
Way Forward
• A Revised Foreign & Security Policy:
o A strong Indian foreign and security policy must ascertain that its neighbourhood remains
peaceful and stable and no hostile presence can threaten India’s security.
o The challenge for Indian foreign policy lies in creating effective and enduring incentives for
our neighbours to remain sensitive to India’s security interests.
• Lesser Interventions:
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o To deal with the increasing engagement of the smaller neighbours with external partners,
India should not articulate red lines with each country, as it would invite charges of disrespect of
the sovereignty of neighbours.
o A better way would be to intervene less in the internal political affairs of its neighbours.
Taking Advantage of Political Shifts:
o The leadership change in Pakistan offers the prospect of reviving the India-Pakistan engagement.
o It is in India’s interest to promote regional economic integration, and SAARC is the one important
available platform for that purpose.
o BIMSTEC should not be looked upon as an alternative to SAARC but should pursue it on its own
merits.
Cross-Border Connectivity:
o India requires efficient cross-border connectivity both in terms of infrastructure and
procedures to allow the smooth and seamless transit of goods and peoples.
Transportation:
o India should develop its role as the partner of choice for trade and transportation.
o We need a much deeper engagement beyond government, at the level of civil society, even at
very localised levels between India and its neighbours.
o Only then we will be able to act in ways that are meaningful to the peoples of the region as a
whole.
Conclusion
• India’s immediate neighbourhood directly impacts it geopolitically, geo-strategically and geoeconomically because of its vicinity.
• Thus, working with them is important for India to rise as a superpower.
• Emphasis must be on sustainable and inclusive development. India’s neighbourhood first policy, SAGAR
initiative etc. are critical for this.
Topic: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.
Building Strong BRICS
Introduction
• Today BRICS has become an important platform for win-win cooperation among China, India, Russia,
Brazil and South Africa.
• BRICS has become a significant force for the evolution of international order, the improvement of global
governance and the promotion of common development.
Importance of BRICS
• The world today witnesses increasing factors of instability, uncertainty and insecurity.
• It was significant for the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting to reach consensus and outcomes on multiple
important issues concerning global security and development.
• BRICS countries can strengthen solidarity and cooperation in the face of challenges with firm conviction.
• A louder BRICS voice can uphold the common interests of the developing countries.
Upholding universal security
• BRICS countries should be builders of universal security.
• Cold-war mentality and bloc confrontation pose grave threats to world peace and security.
• It is important to respect and guarantee the security of every country, and promote effective and
sustainable regional security architecture.
BRICS Plus
• BRICS countries have agreed to include new developing country members.
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Argentina, Indonesia and Egypt are among countries that have previously indicated their interest in
joining the grouping.
The “BRICS Plus” format was launched as a way to broaden the BRICS outreach with other developing
countries.
Way Forward
• BRICS countries need to
o strengthen political mutual trust and security cooperation,
o maintain coordination on major international and regional issues,
o accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns,
o respect each other’s sovereignty, security and development interests,
o oppose hegemonism and power politics,
o work together to build a global community of security for all.
• BRICS countries should enhance mutually-beneficial cooperation in supply chains, energy, food and
financial resilience.
• They must make BRICS’ voice in major international and regional issues more widely heard.
• On Health:
o BRICS countries should fully leverage their respective strengths, and jointly promote the
development of global health governance in favour of developing countries.
o Establish a BRICS early warning mechanism for preventing large-scale infectious diseases.
• On Governance
o BRICS countries should be leaders of global governance.
o Embrace a global governance philosophy that emphasises joint contribution and shared benefits,
enhance unity and cooperation with emerging markets and developing countries.
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General Studies – 3
Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
Energy Security
Introduction
• Energy security is integral to India’s economic policy.
• Clean energy appears to be the future for the power needs of humanity across the globe as reliance of
fossil fuels continues to diminish.
• The government must rely on calculated measure to balance energy security and net-zero commitments.
Background
• At the 26th Conference of Parties (CoP26), India declared a five-fold strategy — termed as
the panchamrita — to achieve the feat of clean energy and net-zero emissions by 2070.
• These five points include:
o India will get its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts (GW) by 2030.
o India will meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030.
o India will reduce the total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now onwards till
2030.
o By 2030, India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by less than 45 per cent.
o by the year 2070, India will achieve the target of Net Zero.
Obstacles to an energy secure India
• The country’s demand for energy is set to double by 2040, and its electricity demand may triple.
• Indian oil consumption is expected to grow faster than that of any other major economy (including
China).
• This makes further improving energy security a key priority for India’s economy.
• India’s oil demand is expected to reach 6 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2024, but its domestic
production is expected to rise only marginally, making the country more reliant on crude imports and
more vulnerable to supply disruption in the Middle East.
India on path to achieve carbon neutrality
• Exceeding the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) commitment:
o India is on track to meet and exceed the NDC commitment to achieve 40% electric power
installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based sources by 2030.
• Reduction in emission intensity of GDP:
o Against the voluntary declaration for reducing the emission intensity of GDP by 20%-25% by
2020, India has reduced it by 24% between 2005-2016.
• Renewable energy expansion:
o India is implementing one of the most extensive renewable energy expansion programmes to
achieve 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
• Investment in green measures such as biogas and cleaner fuels, producing efficient solar photovoltaic
(PV), advanced chemistry cell battery and afforestation programme.
Ensuring energy security
• Focus on Energy Efficiency:
o Need for energy efficient buildings, lighting, appliances and industrial practices to meet
the net-zero goal.
• Increased usage of Biofuels:
o This can help reduce emissions from light commercial vehicles and tractors in agriculture.
o In aviation, the only practical solution for reducing emissions is greater use of biofuels, until
hydrogen technology gains scale.
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Transition towards Electric vehicles:
o This will further help curb the carbon emissions and move towards cleaner f uel.
Carbon Sequestration:
o India will have to rely on natural and man-made carbon sinks to soak up the emissions.
o Trees can capture 0.9 billion tons; the country will need carbon capture technologies to sequester
the rest.
Carbon Pricing:
o India, which already taxes coal and petroleum fuels, should consider putting a tax on emissions to
drive change.
Deploying lower-carbon Energy:
o Deploying lower carbon energy would help address both domestic and international climate
challenges while simultaneously improving the economic well-being of India’s citizens.
Mainstreaming Renewable energy:
o India’s energy mix is dominated by coal powered electric generation stations as of now.
o The need of the hour is increasing the share of renewable energy in this energy mix.
Conclusion
• Given the massive shifts underway in India’s energy system, we would benefit from taking stock of our
actions and focusing on near-term transitions.
• We can start putting in place the policies and institutions necessary to move us in the right direction for
the longer-term.
Topic: Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country
Importance of Millets
Introduction
• The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 2023 the International Year of
Millets, as proposed by India to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• India has 41% market share, and a compound annual growth rate of 4.5% is projected for the global
millet market in the coming decade.
Importance of Millets
• Millets possess immense potential in our battles against climate change and poverty, and provide
food, nutrition, fodder and livelihood security.
• Being hardy crops, they can withstand extreme temperatures, floods and droughts.
• They also help mitigate the effects of climate change through their low carbon footprint as compared
to wheat and rice.
• Millets can deliver greater returns than maize, while using 40% less energy in processing.
• Millets also offer a significant cost advantage over maize as a feedstock for bio-ethanol production.
Mitigating Climate Change
• Cultural connection
o The cultivation of millets is deep-rooted in Indian culture.
o North-East Network in Nagaland organized in 2020 and Mandukiya in Vishakhapatnam celebrated
annually, has helped promote the growth of millets.
o Some organisations have formed women’s collectives in Telangana and are promoting millets
through a culture-centric approach.
o In 2018, the #LetsMilletCampaign in Bengaluru saw the new and experimental use of millets in
dishes such as risotto and pizza by restaurateurs.
• Restoration of ecosystems and sustainability
o Land degradation has been a major problem in India, causing massive economic losses year after
year.
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o Drought-tolerant crops with low dependence on chemical inputs would put far less pressure on
ecosystems.
o The inter-cropping of millets with other crops is beneficial because the fibrous roots of millet
plants help in improving soil quality, keep water run-off in check and aid soil conservation,
thereby restoring natural ecosystems.
Biofuel and climate resilience
o Most bio-ethanol in India is produced using sugar molasses and maize.
o However, a study showed that bio-ethanol can be created using sorghum (jowar) and pearl
millet (bajra), and that this fuel could bring down carbon emissions by about half.
Addressing SDGs
o Millets can play a role in India’s sustainability policy interventions.
o The value of millets is evident in their relevance to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of
food security, nutrition and poverty eradication.
Government Initiatives
• The Indian government launched its Millet Mission in 2018 as part of the National Food Security
Mission, which has led to the promotion of technological interventions, improvement in seed quality
and MSP for bajra and jowar in India.
• Millet Network of India and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation were involved in collective
formation efforts to boost the domestic growth of millets.
• Several farmer organizations have been set up to help small and marginal farmers overcome
hindrances in millet production and marketing.
Concerns / Challenges
• Millets faces several market and economic barriers.
• Their demand has been low, especially in urban markets.
• Unjust pricing and value twisting by intermediaries have led to farmer distress.
Way Forward
• The huge potential of millets in bolstering India’s food and nutritional security and reducing hunger
deserves top-level attention.
• Market dynamics need to favour the growth of millets.
• Incentivizing the adoption of inter-cropping and providing crop insurance and support for storage
facilities will foster income and food security.
• Millet marketing policies need to be broadened.
• Millet cultivation clearly needs state support. The Odisha Millet Mission, for example, has reportedly
managed to motivate about 70,000 farmers to take up millet farming as part of this programme.
• Incentives such as these need to be deployed across India for the country to bring its sustainability
goals closer within reach.
Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation
Nature-based solutions to Tackle Climate Change
Introduction
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Nature-based solutions refer to a collection of actions and policies that harness the power of nature
to protect and restore ecosystems.
It involves conserving, restoring or better managing ecosystems to remove carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere.
Forests are probably the most well-known nature-based solution for climate change, but there are
many more - including peatlands, mangroves, wetlands, savannahs, coral reefs and other
landscapes.
They were a key theme at COP26 summit.
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Why is it important?
• Our planet is facing a dual climate and biodiversity crisis.
• Around a million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction - more than ever
before in human history.
• At the same time, the climate emergency threatens to expose millions of people to extreme heat
waves and could leave a billion people affected by sea-level rise within decades.
• Nature-based solutions can transform our energy, land, urban and industrial systems.
• It is required to protect and enhance biodiversity.
Regenerative farming
• An essential example for nature-based solution is regenerative farming, which works to harness the
power of nature rather than depleting it.
• Regenerative farming improves soil health – and healthy soil is the biggest carbon pool on the planet.
• A regenerative practice called agroforestry – not only increases carbon storage, but it also creates a
protective canopy that helps to regulate temperature and humidity, boost biodiversity and improve
productivity.
Progress of NbS in some countries
• Argentina launched the Forest AR2030. The initiative aimed to restore two million hectares of
forested land.
• China has been aggressively pursuing the NbS since the 1998 mass flooding. They have planted trees
on a massive scale to reduce the flood runoff and established the sponge cities project to develop
better urban centres.
• Italy has developed an instrument through which local enterprises and firms can decrease their
carbon footprint by paying for local afforestation and contributing to the community’s environmental
and social benefits.
• The United States is pursuing the agenda of NbS, which has also been included in hazard mitigation
plans.
How Nature based Solutions can benefit India
• India can potentially leverage these global practices and harness multiple benefits by implementing
NbS.
• Planting mangroves can play a crucial role in climate-proofing India’s coastal cities.
• NbS can be an effective tool in mitigating urban heat island problems, urban flooding and poor air
quality to develop resilient cities.
• Programmes such as GrowGreen, funded by the European Union or the Sponge City programme in
China, have been exemplary examples of managing urban floods and addressing urban heat stress.
Concerns / Challenges
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Finance around nature-based solutions is still not adequate. Much more investment is needed to
unlock the full potential of it.
Much of the world still seems to favour destruction for short term gains over the longer-term
benefits of sustainable management.
There is limited technical expertise within governments to identify nature-based solutions targets in
order to integrate them into development strategies.
Way Forward
• Promoting nature-based solutions and prioritizing actions that could have climate benefits.
• Need to increase investment in high-quality nature-based solutions.
• Advocating for policy changes and the increased inclusion of nature-based solutions for climate in
national climate targets.
• Global standards for nature-based solutions like those developed by the IUCN are key to advancing a
rigorous, consistent and accountable framework for implementation.
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To ensure long-term resilience, projects involving nature-based solutions should adhere to four highlevel principles.
o Nature-based solutions are not an alternative to decarbonization;
o They need to involve a wide range of ecosystems;
o They should be designed in partnership with local communities while respecting Indigenous
and other rights; and
o They must support biodiversity, from the level of the gene to the ecosystem.
The world must invest now in nature-based solutions that are ecologically sound, socially equitable
and designed to pay dividends over a century or more.
Impacts of Pollution
Introduction
• Pollution is still the largest existential threat to human and planetary health and jeopardises the
sustainability of modern societies.
• Pollution caused nearly nine million deaths in 2019, or about one in six deaths worldwide.
• This number had effectively unchanged since the last such analysis in 2015 by the Lancet Commission on
Pollution and Health.
Impact of various kinds of pollution
• Air pollution:
o Some 570,000 children under age five die from respiratory infections, attributable to indoor
and outdoor air pollution, and second-hand smoke each year.
o air pollutants such as short-lived climate pollutants including black carbon and ground level
ozone cause climate change and affect ecosystems.
• Land and soil pollution:
o Humans and wildlife living near former industrial sites and some reclaimed lands are at
potential risk of continued exposure to pollution if sites are not decontaminated properly.
o Land and soil pollution is an increasing concern with the growth in demand for land for food
production and housing.
• Water Pollution:
o Polluted water is more likely to host disease vectors, such as cholera.
o The main impacts are changes to habitats and ecosystems, especially wetlands; the loss
of aquatic biodiversity; changes in species composition, ecosystem functioning and service
provision.
o The spread of waterborne diseases; changes in the productivity of food chains.
• Marine and coastal pollution:
o Nutrient loads into coastal areas rose by between 10 per cent and 80 per cent between
1970 and 2000.
o This increased eutrophication and hypoxia, hindering tourism, and negatively impacting
economic livelihoods.
o The associated harmful algal blooms can cause acute poisoning as well as liver and
colorectal cancers.
o At least 500 dead zones have been recorded in coastal areas around the world.
o Oil from spills nearshore can have locally devastating impacts on the environment.
o Radioactive waste leaked into the ocean is also an important source of pollution.
Impact on health of people of low- and middle-income countries
• Lack of expertise:
o Many low and middle-income countries lack basic information about the location,
severity and potential risks of “pollution hotspots”.
o Without such information, it is difficult to prioritize challenges, allocate resources and
implement solutions to protect drinking water supplies and farmland.
o The problem persists with significant economic implications for High-income countries.
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Children affected:
o Lead is one of the most harmful heavy metals, especially to young children, because it can
build up in the body over time and cause severe, long-term effects.
Mortality cost:
o Mortality costs from outdoor air pollution are projected to rise to about US$ 25 trillion by
2060 in absence of more stringent measures.
Pollution transfer:
o Nations have exported their wastes to low-income nations in the garb of recycling.
Way Forward
• The implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change will be a major step forward in
tackling air pollution.
• The Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets call for a decrease in
pollution and demands specific actions on excess nutrients.
• Educate and inform people about what they can do to reduce air pollution.
• Put out public health messages on the metro, buses, billboards, and radio to help change public
behaviour.
• Raise and enforce emission standards.
• Improve public transportation and traffic management.
• Build, repair, and reclaim the sidewalks for pedestrians and not for parking and vending, so
people can walk more often, including to nearby bus stops and metro stations.
• Penalize big and non-compliant polluters:
o Like Beijing, ban the sale and registration of all new private diesel vehicles in Delhi.
o Provide 24×7 power across the NCR to minimize genset use; ban diesel gensets and promote
CNG gensets.
o Spot-check fuel pumps for adulteration.
• Reduce road and construction dust by changing how our urban surface infrastructure is built.
• There is a need for a massive, rapid transition away from all fossil fuels to clean and renewable
energy.
Sea Level Rise
Introduction
• The recently published Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report is a
clarion call for climate action.
• It provides one of the most expansive scientific reviews on the science and impacts of climate change.
Findings from the Report
• The report discusses different shared socio-economic pathways for the future with varying levels of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• It is extremely likely that average warming will exceed 2°C near mid-century.
• The average global temperature is already 1.09°C higher than pre-industrial levels and CO2
concentration in the atmosphere is currently 410 ppm compared to 285 ppm in 1850.
Sea level rise
• Sea level rise is an increase in the level of the world’s oceans due to the effects of global warming.
• Burning fossil fuels is one of the causes of global warming and the oceans then absorb the majority of
this heat.
• As water becomes warmer, it expands. This results in ocean levels rising.
• Land-based ice, such as glaciers and ice sheets, is greatly affected by global warming, as well.
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Climate change and sea level rise
• Close to 700 million people worldwide live along the coast and there continue to be plans to expand
coastal cities.
• Therefore, understanding the risks involved from climate change and sea level rise in the 21st and
22nd centuries is crucial.
• Sea level rise will continue after emissions no longer increase, because oceans respond slowly to
warming.
• Sea level rise occurs mainly due to the expansion of warm ocean waters, melting of glaciers on land,
and the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.
• Global mean sea level (GMSL) rose by 0.2m between 1901 and 2018.
Uncertainties
• Ice sheets can destabilise rapidly as the water gets warm.
• Ice cliffs can collapse swiftly, leading to rapid sea level rise; this is marine ice cliff instability (MICI).
• Changes in ice-ocean interactions can cause extensive and rapid sea level rise.
• This happens from mass loss of ice shelves, which may disintegrate suddenly.
• According to the UN Environment Programme Emissions Gap Report, the world is heading for a
temperature rise above 3°C this century, which is double the Paris Agreement aspiration.
• And there is deep uncertainty in sea level projections for warming above 3°C.
Consequences
• Sea level rise poses a serious threat to coastal life around the world.
• Consequences include increased intensity of storm surges, flooding, and damage to coastal areas.
• Therefore, people may become displaced and will need to seek safer homes.
• Even life farther inland is threatened because rising seas can contaminate soil and groundwater with
salt.
• Predicting how high the sea levels will rise is difficult.
Vulnerability in India
• Communities along the coast in India are vulnerable to sea level rise and storms, which will become
more intense and frequent.
• They will be accompanied by storm surges, heavy rain and flooding.
• Even the 0.1m to 0.2m rise expected along India in the next few decades can cause frequent coastal
flooding.
Way Forward
• Adaptation to sea level rise must include a range of measures, along with coastal regulation, which
should be stricter, as it has become with each update of the Coastal Regulation Zone.
• The government should not insure or bail out speculators.
• Coastal communities should be alerted in advance and protected during severe weather events.
• Natural and other barriers should be considered in a limited manner to protect certain vulnerable
areas.
• Retreat should be part of the adaptation strategies for some very low-lying areas.
Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT
Private Sector in India’s Space Sector
Introduction
• With the recent measures taken to expand the role of private players in the space sector, Indian Space
Association (ISpA) is a premier industry association of space and satellite companies.
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Indian Space Association aims to brings public and private entities together so that they can work in
tandem for the expansion of the Indian space programme.
India is lagging in harnessing the power of private innovation in the space domain.
This not only limits the exploitation of space for economic development, but has serious national security
implications.
Although the ISRO encourages private sector participation in the national space programme, its model is
still very 20th century — in terms of governmental domination.
Low in-house capacity of ISRO restricts them to very few launches in a year.
Privatization can offload 30-40% of the work and help them work more efficiently.
This will boost defence systems and manufacturing.
Potential of private sector in the space sector
• Today, the space industry is undergoing a paradigm shift, moving from Space 3.0 to Space 4.0.
• Space 3.0 has been characterized by large government investments and public-public collaborations.
• Space 4.0 is a more democratized and accessible field with more public-private and private-private
collaborations.
• Significant expansion of satellite-based telecommunication, navigation, broadcasting and mapping has
given commercial dimension to the space sector.
• The global space business is now estimated to be around $ 400 billion and is expected easily rise to at
least trillion dollars by 2040.
• One example of the rise of private sector companies in the space sector is SpaceX.
• The entry of private sector has begun to drive down the cost-per-launch through innovations such as
reusable rockets.
Advantages
• The biggest advantage is the production and launching of satellites, which is a huge benefit for
communications.
• If a private company owns and launches its own satellite then they can use this data for mapping,
weather forecast, industrial surveys, water and energy mapping, road and building construction,
agriculture.
• For communications, this will mean Direct Transmission, and the dependence on cell phone towers will
be eliminated entirely.
• Even remote terrestrial areas, which are difficult to cover, will be connected.
Concerns / Challenges
• Monopoly: In India ‘Space’ means Indian Space Research Organisation.
• Funding: A major challenge in setting up a space business in India is funding.
o Space industry is capital intensive and upstream activities come with a long gestation period.
o The size of the space economy in India is small.
• The United States, Europe, Russia — all have space industries with big players like Boeing, SpaceX, Air
Bus, Virgin Galactic, etc. There is no such ecosystem in India.
• Lack of Regulation: India is a party to the Outer Space Treaty, where one of the fundamental
requirements laid upon states is the supervision of space activities within its borders, and the country did
not have any formally legislated laws.
• This is a potential roadblock for commercialization.
Way Forward
• India should have national space activities legislation which takes on board all stakeholders.
• In the UK, space ventures are treated as a complement to big organizations. This should be encouraged in
India too.
• A supportive international partner and likeminded local partners helps to set up a space business.
• The idea should be to let the private industry build their own facilities after gaining enough expertise.
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The private sector already supplies majority of the sub-systems in satellite manufacturing.
This can be further scaled up into other activities with proper regulation and partnership of the ISRO and
private sector.
Disaster and disaster management.
Landslides in India
Introduction
• A landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope, under the direct
influence of gravity.
• The important causes of Landslides are slow weathering of rocks as well as soil erosion, earthquakes and
volcanic activity.
Land-use change
• Historically, most of the settlements were concentrated in the coastal plain, the adjoining lowlands and
parts of the midlands.
• However, this scenario has altered now, with significant land-use change across topographic boundaries.
• Population growth, agricultural expansion, economic growth, infrastructure development, have all led
to settlement of the highlands.
• The demand for construction materials, with the attendant quarrying and excavations, is altering the
landscape.
• Road construction in hilly areas, even when cutting across the toe of the slope, is destabilising and creates
conditions conducive to landslides.
• This has resulted in gross disturbance of the character of the terrain.
• Consequently, the water-absorbing capacity of the river catchment is lost, contributing to increasing
surface run-off and reduction in ground water recharge.
Measures undertaken to control landslides
• National Landslide Risk Management Strategy which addresses all the components of landslide disaster
risk reduction and management.
• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has done a national landslide susceptibility mapping for 85% of the
entire landslide-prone area in the country.
• Improvement in early warning systems, monitoring and susceptibility zoning.
• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Guidelines on Landslide Hazard Management.
o Delineating areas susceptible to landslide hazards
o Encouraging implementation of successful landslide remediation and mitigation technologies.
o Developing institutional capacity and training for geoscientists, engineers, and planners for the
effective management of the landslide hazard.
• National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) provides Capacity Building support to various
National and State level agencies in the field of Disaster Management.
Reasons why impact of landslides are still high
• Lack of correct data and poor data collection strategies.
• The CAG reported the lack of communication systems which aggravated the problems. Example during
the Uttarakhand landslides.
• The issue of coordination and administration at different levels is still lingering.
• Poor predictability: The appropriate interpretation of the meteorological forecast is still lacking.
• Lack of awareness among the people.
• The inappropriate hill area development like unscientific construction of roads, tunnels, hydroelectric
projects cause damage to the natural balance of the structures.
• Illegal encroachment of the rivers is still not contained through appropriate actions.
• Weak environmental impact assessment regime.
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Lack of scientific analysis of landslide events and inventory of data analysis makes mistakes recurring.
Way forward
• Structural measures
o Plantation in barren areas, especially on slopes, with grass cover is an important component of
integrated watershed management programme.
o Stopping Jhum cultivation.
o Grazing should be restricted.
o Construction of engineering structures like buttress beams, retaining walls, anchors to stabilise
the slopes.
o Use the surface vegetative cover to bind the soil particles and decrease the velocity of flowing
water.
• Non-structural measures
o Mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment of the infrastructure projects before commencing
the work.
o Declaration of eco-sensitive zones where mining and other industrial activities are banned.
o Hazard mapping of the region to identify the most vulnerable zones and take measures to
safeguard it.
o Local Disaster Management force for quick relief and safety of the people affected by landslides.
o Teaching people about landslides & ways to mitigate.
o Constructing a permanent assessment team comprising scientists & geologists for better
mitigation and adaptation techniques.
o Involving the local people for sustainable development of Himalayas.
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