Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

A day after a ‘severe’ category thunderstorm hit the Delhi pavements and roads were strewn with tree branches and trunks that had snapped, and full-grown trees that were uprooted entirely.

• Poor root growth due to concretization could be a factor that caused trees to keel over
• Most trees have ‘feeder roots’ that are in the upper layers of the soil. These roots take nutrients and moisture, and have symbiotic fungi in and around them. But these roots cannot survive under concrete, since they need oxygen.
• If the space around trees is covered with concrete, there will be no life beneath the concrete
• An NGT order from 2013 states that concrete within a 1 metre radius of trees is to be removed. A notice was issued in 2019 by the forest department; informing all departments and civic agencies that concretisation of trees damages them and is an offence under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994.
• Leaving 1 metre around the trees is not enough to have sustainable growth of avenue trees. They need to have good feeder roots that can spread to take in nutrients.

Deepor Beel

Assam’s Deepor Beel is perishing from concretisation and waste dumping. Deepor Beel has shrunk around 35 per cent in size since 1991.

What’s happening?

• Threatened habitats, littered lake
• A 24-hectare garbage dumping yard lies to the east of the lake in Boragaon. Birds and animals feed on rotten flesh and waste from the site, littering the waterbody and threatening their lives
• Huge mountains of solid waste are turning the picturesque lake into a stinking drain
• Concrete factories, houses and warehouses built illegally on the wetland damage the ecology.
• Rail track impacts wildlife
• A railway line passing through the bird sanctuary has also been posing a danger to the wildlife in and around the lake.
• At least 14 jumbos were killed crossing the railway track till 2014 between Rani Reserve Forest and Deepor Beel.
• Lost livelihoods
• The deterioration of the lake harmed the livelihoods of several hundred fishers who have depended on it for generations. The government has banned fishing in the core area of the lake.
• Discharge from a local oil refinery has been further polluting the water and inducing kerosene-like smell in the fish

Deepor Beel

• It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Assam and the State’s only Ramsar site besides being an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International.
• It is located towards the southwest of Guwahati city, Assam and is the erstwhile water channel of River Brahmaputra.

Importance:

• It constitutes a unique habitat for aquatic flora and avian fauna.
• It has both biological and environmental importance besides being the only major storm-water storage basin for Guwahati city.
• It provides a means of livelihood for a number of local families.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

An all-party meeting held in Bihar has unanimously decided to start the caste based census very soon.

Background:

Bihar Legislature’s two resolutions demanding caste-based census had already been rejected by the Central Government because it would be a “divisive exercise”. The centre, however, said “States can hold caste census on their own”.

How have caste details been collected so far?

• While SC/ST details are collected as part of the census, details of other castes are not collected by the enumerators. The main method is by self-declaration to the enumerator.
• So far, backward classes commissions in various States have been conducting their own counts to ascertain the population of backward castes.

What kind of caste data is published in the Census? 

Every Census in independent India from 1951 to 2011 has published data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but not on other castes. Before that, every Census until 1931 had data on caste.

What is SECC 2011?

The Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 was a major exercise to obtain data about the socio-economic status of various communities.

• It had two components: a survey of the rural and urban households and ranking of these households based on pre-set parameters, and a caste census.
• However, only the details of the economic conditions of the people in rural and urban households were released. The caste data has not been released till now.

Difference between Census & SECC:

• The Census provides a portrait of the Indian population, while the SECC is a tool to identify beneficiaries of state support.
• Since the Census falls under the Census Act of 1948, all data are considered confidential, whereas all the personal information given in the SECC is open for use by Government departments to grant and/or restrict benefits to households.

Pros of caste census:

The precise number of the population of each caste would help tailor the reservation policy to ensure equitable representation of all of them.

 Concerns associated:

• There is a possibility that it will lead to heartburn among some sections and spawn demands for larger or separate quotas.
• It has been alleged that the mere act of labelling persons as belonging to a caste tends to perpetuate the system.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Recently Prime Minister of India officially inaugurated the country’s first liquid nano urea plant at Kalol, Gujarat

• This patented product is expected to not only substitute imported urea, but to also produce better results in farms.
• IFFCO commissioned the Kalol liquid nano urea plant, the country’s first, in August 2021.

Liquid Nano Urea

• It is essentially urea in the form of a nanoparticle.
• Urea is a chemical nitrogen fertiliser, white in colour, which artificially provides nitrogen, a major nutrient required by plants.
• The product has been developed by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) Nano Biotechnology Research Centre (NBRC) at Kalol.
• While conventional urea has an efficiency of about 25 per cent, the efficiency of liquid nano urea can be as high as 85-90 per cent.
• Conventional urea fails to have the desired impact on crops as it is often applied incorrectly, and the nitrogen in it is vaporised or lost as gas – A lot of nitrogen is also washed away during irrigation.
• Liquid nano urea is sprayed directly on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant.
• Fertilisers in nano form provide a targeted supply of nutrients to crops, as they are absorbed by the stomata, pores found on the epidermis of leaves
• 2-4 ml of nano urea should be mixed a litre of water and sprayed on crop leaves at active growth stages
• Liquid nano urea contains 4 per cent total nitrogen (w/v) evenly dispersed in water. The size of a nano nitrogen particle varies from 20-50 nm.
• Liquid nano urea has a shelf life of a year, and farmers need not be worried about “caking” when it comes in contact with moisture

Indigenous Liquid Nano Urea vs Imported Urea

• The liquid nano urea produced by IFFCO comes in a half-litre bottle priced at Rs 240, and carries no burden of subsidy currently.
• By contrast, a farmer pays around Rs 300 for a 50-kg bag of heavily subsidised urea.
• The government’s fertilizer subsidy payout this financial year will be Rs 2 lakh crore, up 25 per cent from the Rs 1.6 lakh crore it paid last year.

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited

• It is one of India’s biggest cooperative societies which is wholly owned by Indian Cooperatives.
• Founded in 1967 with just 57 cooperatives, today it is an amalgamation of over 36,000 Indian Cooperatives with diversified business interests ranging from General Insurance to Rural Telecom apart from its core business of manufacturing and selling fertilisers.

Objective:

• To enable Indian farmers to prosper through timely supply of reliable, high quality agricultural inputs and services in an environmentally sustainable manner and to undertake other activities to improve their welfare.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

The Centre has released the entire amount of Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation payable to States up to May 31, 2022 by releasing an amount of ₹86,912 crore.

• This is being done to assist the States in managing their resources and ensuring that their programmes, especially the expenditure on capital, is carried out successfully during the financial year.

What is the GST compensation?

The Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act 2016, was the law which created the mechanism for levying a common nationwide Goods and Services Tax (GST).

While States would receive the SGST (State GST) component of the GST, and a share of the IGST (integrated GST), it was agreed that revenue shortfalls arising from the transition to the new indirect taxes regime would be made good from a pooled GST Compensation Fund.

How is the GST Compensation Funds  funded?

This corpus is funded through a compensation cess that is levied on so-called ‘demerit’ goods.

• The items are pan masala, cigarettes and tobacco products, aerated water, caffeinated beverages, coal and certain passenger motor vehicles.

Computation of the shortfall:

The computation of the shortfall is done annually by projecting a revenue assumption based on 14% compounded growth from the base year’s (2015-2016) revenue and calculating the difference between that figure and the actual GST collections in that year.

Can the deadline be extended? If so, how?

The deadline for GST compensation was set in the original legislation and so in order to extend it, the GST Compensation must first recommend it and the Union government must then move an amendment to the GST law allowing for a new date.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Exports can help Indian economy reach the $5-trillion target sooner than expected.

Status

• India’s exports surpassed the pre-pandemic level of $331 billion in FY 2018-19 and reaching $418 billion in FY 2021-22
• Total exports, including the services exports of around $240 billion, amount to more than $650 billion.
• Total merchandise trade, including imports of $610 billion, amounts to $1.28 trillion for FY 2021-22.

What the above Statistics indicate?

• The revival of exports has provided relief at a time when major components of aggregate demand such as consumption and investment had been slowing down.
• These milestones on the trade front are a sign of a rising India, which would certainly accelerate the growth
• If India sustain the momentum and capitalize on exports’ potential, this will help achieve the $-5 trillion economy goal sooner
• The trade achievements are a sign of growing confidence in the Indian economy

Reasons for this achievement

• The proactive policy schemes by the government — such as merchandise exports scheme, duty exemption scheme, export promotion capital goods, transport and marketing assistance scheme — have helped the export sector.
• Schemes like the gold card scheme and interest equalization scheme by RBI and the market access initiative by the export promotion councils are helpful

Export Potential of India

• Though achievements in trade are laudable, India still has much potential. For example, the annual growth rate of India’s exports between 2011 to 2020 is a little over 1 per cent compared to 3 per cent and 4.2 per cent, respectively, for China and Bangladesh.
• There is a huge difference in India’s exports potential and actual exports in many sectors, especially pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery and chemicals.

Policy Reforms Needed

• India has to aggressively increase its participation in global value chains (GVCs) with its best endowment of working-age population and its strength in labour-intensive manufacturing
• As the Economic Survey (2019-20) suggests, “assemble in India”, particularly in network products, will increase India’s share in world exports to 6 per cent and create 80 million jobs.
• It is time to find out and research why MNCs are (re)locating to countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Mexico when India offers a big market and cheap manpower.
• State-level reforms in reducing red tape and complex laws including taxation will go a long way.

Institutional Reforms

• India also needs to work on institutions facilitating trade, processes for exports and imports and logistics that not only reduce trade and transaction costs but also ensure reliability and timely delivery, which is important to becoming part of GVCs.
• India’s rank in the logistics performance index is 44 while China’s rank is 26 and South Korea’s 25.
• The unit cost of a container of exports is significantly higher for India compared to China, South Korea and others, thereby reducing the price competitiveness of India’s exports.

Signing FTAs

• One way to reduce the complexities of trade and business is by signing free trade agreements.
• These not only reduce tariffs and give market access but bring down non-tariff barriers such as administrative fees, labelling requirements, anti-dumping duties etc

Focus on Service Exports

• As per the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), services exports are expected to reach the target of $1 trillion before the deadline of 2030.
• India has done well in IT and IES exports and it can accelerate services exports in other categories including travel and tourism and business, commercial and financial services

Capitalize on opportunities arising out of geopolitical conflicts

• India must utilize opportunities arising out of geo-political conflicts and the intention of the world to diversify its supply chain portfolio.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Israel signed a free trade deal with the United Arab Emirates its first with an Arab country, building on their U.S.-brokered normalisation of relations in 2020 i.e. Abraham Accords

• UAE-Israel trade will exceed $2 billion in 2022, rising to around $5 billion in five years, bolstered by collaboration in renewable, consumer goods, tourism and the life sciences sectors
• The UAE was the first Gulf country to normalise ties with Israel and only the third Arab nation to do so after Egypt and Jordan.
• The signing came two days after thousands of flag-waving Israelis marched through Jerusalem’s Old City during a nationalist procession marking Israel’s 1967 capture of east Jerusalem. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in 1980, a move never recognised by the international community. The UAE “strongly condemned” what it called Israel’s “storming” of Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque compound, one of Islam’s holiest sites.

Abraham Accords

• Abraham Accords deal, sponsored by the US, was part of the country’s regional security agenda to counter Iran.
• As part of this security agenda — signed during the Trump administration — the US prioritised improving relations between Israel and the Gulf countries, something that the latter nations have been wary of because of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
• As part of the Abraham Accords, Israel agreed to stop further annexation of Palestinian territory.
• The accords were signed by the leaders of Bahrain, Israel and the UAE in September 2020.
• After Egypt in 1979 and Jordan is 1994, the UAE became the third Arab country to agree to formally normalize relations with Israel, as well as the first Persian Gulf country to do so.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

• India’s push for electric vehicles (EVs) was renewed when phase-II of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric (FAME) Vehicles scheme in India, with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore, was approved in 2019.
• India was doubling down on its EV ambitions, focusing on cultivating demand for EVs at home while also developing its own indigenous EV manufacturing industry which could cater to this demand.

FAME II

• Aims to boost electric mobility and increase the number of electric vehicles in commercial fleets
• Initially envisioned for three years, FAME-II got a two-year extension in June 2021 owing to a number of factors including the pandemic.
• It aims to support 10 lakh e-two-wheelers, 5 lakh e-three-wheelers, 55,000 e-four-wheeler passenger cars and 7,000 e-buses.
• As a part of FAME-II, the government has made a push for indigenous manufacturing of EVs
• While e-two-wheelers and e-four-wheelers receive significant coverage, a three-wheeled underdog has been quietly dominating the Indian EV space.

The Dominance of e-3-wheelers

• Three-wheeler EVs like e-autos and e-rickshaws account for close to 65% of all EVs registered in India while two-wheeler EVs come at a second with over 30% of registrations and passenger four-wheeler EVs at a meagre 2.5%
• Under the targets for FAME-II, e-three-wheelers have crossed over 4 lakh vehicles of the 5-lakh target since 2019.
• At the current rate, e-three-wheelers are expected to breach the 5-lakh target by 2023

Factors responsible for success of e-3-wheelers

• The EV registrations data show that Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal account for close to 80% of all e-three-wheeler registrations
• Of these five States, Assam, Delhi, U.P., and West Bengal have formalised EV policies
• Indigenously designed and produced, e-three-wheelers like e-rickshaws have become a common sight in these States
• These vehicles are produced by local workshops and small enterprises and have come to dominate the e-three-wheeler market
• With financial assistance from FAME-II, local manufacturers have built a truly Indian EV with its unique design catering to Indian commuter needs.
• Legacy automakers have been struggling to compete with these local producers.
• The focus of the EV policies of these five States is on accelerating adoption of EVs among consumers and promoting local manufacturing.
• The success India has experienced in the e-three-wheeler space has come from developing both the demand and supply sides. Subsidies, tax exemptions, and interest-free loans have successfully rallied demand for these vehicles.
• These vehicles are easy to maintain, and have relatively low operating costs, making them immensely popular among operators

E-2-wheelers and e-4-wheelers

• This success in the e-three-wheeler space has been difficult to replicate in the e-two-wheeler and e-four-wheeler space, which have problems both on the demand and supply side
• Both the types are associated with personal use, consumers are justifiably apprehensive in adopting such vehicles given the host of issues which come with it.
• The recent incidents of fires in e-scooters have added to the apprehension.
• Reliable manufacturers with proven track records in the two-wheeler and four-wheeler EV space in India are hard to come by – this adds to the supply side crunch and there are very few affordable offerings for the consumer.

Issues to be addressed

• The current policies focuses on accelerating adoption of EVs among consumers, have spurred an e-three-wheeler dominance
• The major aspect that is missing the attention of policy makers is adequate passenger safety
• Local manufacturing enterprises often lack the necessary resources or the motivation to invest in design developments focusing on safety.
• Lack of proper oversight from regulatory bodies over these manufacturers adds to the woes.
• The current State-level policies have led to an increasingly fragmented manufacturing industry with non-uniform standards – This fragmentation has led to legacy automakers struggling to compete with the large number of manufacturers in every State

Way Forward

• Future EV policies must incorporate appropriate design and passenger safety standards
• EV policies must address the issues faced by legacy automakers and ensure they are not demotivated from competing in the e-three-wheeler space. Their resources are necessary for designing and manufacturing more advanced and safer e-three-wheelers

Future EV policies must therefore take into account the existing and emerging stakeholders on the demand and supply sides for effective implementation. With the prevailing trajectory of EVs, India must take lessons from its e-three-wheeler success story to sustain its EV ambitions.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with the Hyderabad-based public-sector Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) for supply of the Astra Mark-1, at a cost of Rs 2,971 crore, for deployment on fighter jets of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

Astra Mk-1

• The Astra Mk-1 is a beyond visual range (BVR), air-to-air missile (AAM).
• Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) technology enables the fighter-pilots to shoot precisely at the enemy targets which are beyond their visual range
• AAMs are fired from an airborne asset to destroy an airborne target
• The missile has been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for deployment on fighter jets like Sukhoi-30 MKI and Tejas of the IAF and the Mig-29K of the Navy
• Range: While the range for Astra Mk-1 is around 110 km, the Mk-2 with a range over 150 km is under development
• Speed: The missile can travel at speeds more than four times that of sound and can reach a maximum altitude of 20 km, making it extremely flexible for air combat.

Strategic Significance

• The missile has been designed based on requirements specified by the IAF for BVR as well as close-combat engagement, reducing the dependency on foreign sources.
• AAMs with BVR capability provides large stand-off ranges to own fighter aircraft.
• Stand-off range means the missile is launched at a distance sufficient to allow the attacking side to evade defensive fire from the target.
• It can neutralise adversary airborne assets without exposing adversary air defence measures.
• Astra is technologically and economically superior to many such imported missile

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

UN Habitat has identified various pressing issues posing challenges for urban planners of Jaipur City.

Issues highlighted include:

• Rapid expansion of cities.
• Weak urban mobility.
• Extreme levels of drought during summer and also urban floods.

 Recommendations:

• Increase the green cover, strengthen urban biodiversity, and thereby enhance the quality of life for citizens.
• Implement the idea of a compact city with re-development and re-densification of the existing urban areas.
• To curb development on the city’s outskirts, link the distance from the main city to the development charges imposed on citizens.
• Eco-trails with plantations along natural drainage channels and railway tracks are recommended in the city.
• The 800 dry wells in City could be used for rainwater harvesting and raising the water table, mitigating urban floods and ensuring efficient utilisation of water resources.

 About UN Habitat:

• The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat) is the United Nations agency for human settlements and sustainable urban development.
• It was established in 1978 as an outcome of the First UN Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat I) held in Vancouver, Canada in 1976.
• It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
• It is a member of the United Nations Development Group.
• UN-Habitat reports to the United Nations General Assembly.
• It has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

Habitat Agenda:

• The mandate of UN-Habitat derives from the Habitat Agenda, adopted by the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996.
• The twin goals of the Habitat Agenda are adequate shelter for all and the development of sustainable human settlements in an urbanizing world.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

50% of rural households in India have now been covered under the Jal Jeevan Mission. At the time of launch of Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019, only 3.23 Crore households i.e. 17% of the rural population had access to drinking water through taps.

Performance of the scheme:

• Certain state and union territories such as Goa, Telangana, A&N Islands, D&N Haveli and Daman & Diu, Puducherry and Haryana have already achieved 100% household connections.
• Punjab, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar have coverage of more than 90% and are progressing fast towards attaining the status of ‘Har Ghar Jal (water in every household)’.

About the Jal Jeevan Mission: 

JJM envisages supply of 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024. It is under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. It was launched in 2019.

The mission ensures:

• Functionality of existing water supply systems and water connections.
• Water quality monitoring and testing as well as sustainable agriculture.
• Conjunctive use of conserved water.
• Drinking water source augmentation.
• Drinking water supply system, grey water treatment and its reuse.

It also encompasses:

• Prioritizing provision of FHTCs in quality affected areas, villages in drought prone and desert areas, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) villages, etc.
• Providing functional tap connection to Schools, Anganwadi centres, Gram Panchayat buildings, Health centres, wellness centres and community buildings.
• Technological interventions for removal of contaminants where water quality is an issue.

Implementation:

• The Mission is based on a community approach to water and includes extensive Information, Education and Communication as a key component of the mission.
• JJM looks to create a jan andolan for water, thereby making it everyone’s priority.
• The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and states is 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern States, 50:50 for other states, and 100% for Union Territories.