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Jan 26, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 25th January 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 25th January 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) India in bottom five in the Environmental Performance Index, 2018 Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Environment, pollution and degradation Key pointers: India is among the bottom five countries on the Environmental Performance Index 2018, plummeting 36 points from 141 in 2016. While India is at the bottom of the list in the environmental health category, it ranks 178 out of 180 as far as air quality is concerned. Its overall low ranking — 177 among 180 countries — was linked to poor performance in the environment health policy and deaths due to air pollution categories. The report deaths attributed to ultra-fine PM2.5 pollutants have risen over the past decade and are estimated at 1,640,113 annually in India. Switzerland leads the world in sustainability, followed by France, Denmark, Malta and Sweden in the EPI, which found that air quality is the leading environmental threat to public health. Overall, India (at 177) and Bangladesh (179) come in near the bottom of the rankings, with Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nepal rounding out the bottom five.\ Despite government action, pollution from solid fuels, coal and crop residue burning, and emissions from motor vehicles continue to severely degrade the air quality for millions of Indians. The EPI report: It is a biennial report released by Yale and Columbia Universities along with the World Economic Forum. The 10th EPI report ranks 180 countries on 24 performance indicators across 10 categories covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality. Article link: Click here Reforms roadmap for public sector banks Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Indian Economy Key pointers: The government has announced a reforms roadmap for public sector banks and details of how Rs 80,000 crore of funds raised through recapitalisation bonds will be allocated to 20 PSBs. Alongside the fund infusion, the government announced a set of measures to keep a close watch on the asset quality of the banks, including “specialised monitoring” by agencies for corporate loans of more than Rs 250 crore. A total of around Rs 1 lakh crore will be infused in the PSBs by March-end, which comprise Rs 80,000 crore via recapitalisation bonds, Rs 8,139 crore through gross budgetary support and Rs 10,312 crore of funds raised from the market. Banks have been asked to ring-fence cash flows of corporate borrowers,to ensure that their earnings are not diverted for other purposes. The government has also mandated each of the PSBs to have a stressed assets management vertical and monetise their non-core assets such as real estate to boost their capital adequacy. To ensure that banks comply with the reforms parameters, the government said that an independent agency will conduct an Annual EASE (Enhanced Access & Service Excellence) Index Survey of banks, the results of which will be made public. As per the EASE plan, the government wants to ensure that there is a banking facility within 5 km of every village in the country. Article link: Click here ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Credibility of Ease of doing business index in question In news: Earlier this month, the World Bank announced that it would revise the methodology it uses to calculate the ease of doing business index, a move that is expected to affect the rankings of countries in the last four years. The decision to revise the methodology comes after the Bank’s chief economist Paul Romer raised concerns that the rankings could have been influenced by politics. Chile’s overall ranking has see-sawed between 25 and 57 since 2006, going down in periods when Socialist Party was in power, and rising when Conservative was at the helm. Incidentally, India recorded its best-ever improvement in the latest ease of doing business rankings. What is the ranking about? The annual report, now in its 15th year, ranks countries on quantitative and qualitative parameters that relate to ease of doing business – such as time to obtain a construction permit; the time, cost and procedures in getting a power connection; ease of getting tax refund and so on. In broad terms, it is considered a measure of how bad red tape is in a country, and how easy (or difficult) it is to do business. It's significance: The ease of doing business index has become a popular tool tracked by governments trying to show the world that they offer a favourable investment climate for private businessmen. Meanwhile, some critics have pointed to Chile which has seen its ranking fluctuate widely based more on the ideology of the government in power than on underlying business conditions. Other issues: A common criticism of the ranking is that it limits its sample size to just a few major cities, thus projecting an imperfect picture of overall business conditions. It can be that governments may be tailoring their policies to specifically fit the World Bank’s criteria instead of trying to enact wider structural reforms. The bank measures a country’s business environment based on written legal rules rather than investigating the actual ground conditions in which businesses operate. Conclusion: Given the significance of the rankings, the world bank needs to restore the credibility of the ease of doing business rankings. This can be done by bringing in transparency and bringing certain methodological changes. Connecting the dots: Discuss the significance of Ease of doing business index. Also mention the criticisms of the rankings. INTERNATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests Making India-ASEAN relationship functional In news: The year 2017 was an important landmark as India and the ASEAN commemorated 25 years of their partnership, 15 years of summit-level interaction, and five years of strategic partnership. The challenge now is to map out next steps in the India-ASEAN partnership at this time of unprecedented geopolitical flux in the wider Indo-Pacific. Sense of disillusionment: There has been a sense of disillusionment on both sides about the present state of play in the relationship. While the ASEAN member states have been disappointed that India performs less than its potential in the region, New Delhi’s expectations regarding a more robust support for its regional outreach too have not been met. India’s capacity to provide development assistance, market access and security guarantees remains limited and ASEAN’s inclination to harness New Delhi for regional stability remains circumscribed by its sensitivities to other powers. The interests and expectations of the two sides remain far from aligned, preventing them from having candid conversations and realistic assessments. Other issues: Though the government’s ‘Act East’ policy is aimed at enhancing India’s strategic profile in East and Southeast Asia, New Delhi’s main focus remains on South Asia and the Indian Ocean region. India’s economic focus is not in tune with other regional powers which view ASEAN as an important market for exports and investments. India’s export sector remains weak and the government’s focus has shifted to boosting manufacturing domestically. India’s interest in ASEAN as a multilateral forum remains lacklustre. Myanmar and Thailand have emerged as key players in India's southeastern outreach. The hope is to use these nations as a bridge to ASEAN. Prioritising these countries over others in ASEAN may also prevent others from looking at India as a regional stakeholder. Making the cooperation functional: It is important for India and ASEAN to chart out a more operational, though modest, agenda for future cooperation. The three Cs of commerce, connectivity and culture have been highlighted but a more granular perspective is needed in terms of a forging a forward-looking approach. Enhancing trade and economic linkages between India and ASEAN is quintessential. They also need to focus on areas such as digital technologies. India, as a fast-emerging major player, has significant comparative advantages. As Chinese giants begin to dominate the digital space in Southeast Asia and concerns rise about their ability to own data, the Indian IT sector may take some advantage. India as a facilitator of the ASEAN-wide digital economy would not only challenge China but also emerge as an economic guarantor of its own. New Delhi needs to focus on effective delivery of projects it is already committed to. In this context, prompt completion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, which will run from Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar, is key. The plan is to extend this highway to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in an attempt to project India’s role in the emerging transportation architecture. With China having three times more commercial flights than India to Southeast Asia, improving air connectivity between India and ASEAN countries should also be high on the agenda. The Bay of Bengal can be used as an exploratory ground for the development of an India-ASEAN maritime framework. The cultural connect between the two needs strengthening. While India offers scholarships to students from ASEAN states to study at Nalanda University, this initiative should be extended to the IITs and the IIMs. Tourism too can be further encouraged between India and the ASEAN with some creative branding by the two sides. Conclusion: While India and the ASEAN have been very ambitious in articulating the potential of their partnership, they have been much less effective in operationalising their ideas. The need now is to focus on functional cooperation. Connecting the dots: India and ASEAN relationship has great potential. There have been many ideas but only few have operationalized effectively. Analyze. MUST READ Afghanistan on a slow fuse The Hindu Offices without profit Indian Express India's foreign policy on show Business Line

Jan 25, 2018 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2018 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 130]

UPSC Quiz- 2018 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 130] Archives Q.1) Efficient use of plants to remove, detoxify or immobilise environmental contaminants in a growth matrix (soil, water or sediments) through the natural biological, chemical or physical activities and processes of the plants is known as Phytoremediation Phytostabilization Both (a) and (b) Neither (a) nor (b) Q.2) Consider the following statements Taiwan is an island that lies in the Yellow Sea Tropic of Cancer cuts across both Taiwan and India Choose the correct code 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Sendai Framework, which was in news recently, is related to: Convention on Chemical and Biological Weapons Convention on Migratory Species Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment Convention on Disaster Risk Reduction Q.4) Recently, a Global Centre for Cybersecurity was launched by World Economic Forum World Trade Organisation Visegrad Group SAARC Q.5) Rotavac and Rabishield vaccine is concerned with Tuberculosis Japanese Encephalitis Hepatitis B None of the above To Download the Solution – Click here All the Best IASbaba

Jan 24, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 24th January 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 24th January 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) PM Modi in Davos Part of: GS Mains Paper II- International relations Key pointers: Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his keynote speech at the Plenary Session of the World Economic Forum in Davos to showcase the role that India is set to play in the global economy. Speaking in Hindi, Modi made a forceful impact on the global power elite as he addressed three major challenges that mankind faces: Climate Change, Terrorism and Protectionism. Highlighting India’s growing influence in the global economy, Modi recalled that in 1997, when an Indian Prime Minister last attended the WEF, the country’s GDP was a bit over $400 billion. “Two decades later, the country’s GDP has multiplied over six times,” he said. He raised the issue of the protectionist approach of major economies, which, he said, hurts the essence of globalisation. On climate change, Modi said there is a dearth of countries willing to assist in helping fellow nations tackle climate change. Everyone wants to cut carbon emissions, but very few countries are coming forward to share technologies with developing countries. PM Modi also expressed concern over the changing nature of terrorism. More than terrorism, the bigger concern is the artificial divide created between good and bad terrorism. The more pressing and immediate issue that calls for our attention is the radicalisation of well-to-do and educated youth. About WEF: The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss nonprofit foundation, based in Switzerland. Its mission is cited as "committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas". The Forum holds its annual meeting at the end of January in Davos, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland. The meeting brings together some 2,500 top business leaders, international political leaders, economists, and journalists for up to four days to discuss the most pressing issues facing the world. Article link: Click here Jobless in India, to rise: ILO Part of: GS Mains Paper III- Inclusive growth Key pointers: The number of jobless persons in India is likely to increase over the next two years with no change in the unemployment rate, the ILO has estimated. The Asia-Pacific region will add 23 million jobs from 2017 to 2019, with employment generation taking place in many South Asian nations including India. The jobless in the entire region will continue to increase, the ILO’s World Employment Outlook report pointed out. High incidence of informality continues to undermine the prospects of further reducing working poverty in South Asia.“Informality affects around 90 per cent of all workers in India, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Nepal,” the report said. Globally, however, unemployment is likely to go down slightly to 192.3 million jobless people in 2018 compared to 192.7 million in 2017. High ‘informality’: Partially driven by the high shares of employment in agriculture Informality also remains pervasive in the non-agriculture sectors such as construction, wholesale and retail trade, and accommodation and food service industries. Vulnerable employment: Vulnerable employment, as per the ILO, is a measure of persons who are employed under relatively precarious circumstances and are less likely to have formal work arrangements, access to benefits or social protection programmes and are more “at risk” to economic cycles. The report also pointed out that a lot of jobs being created are of poor quality despite strong economic growth and some 72 per cent of workers in South Asia will have vulnerable employment by 2019. Article link: Click here TAPI pipeline Part of: GS Mains Paper II- International relations Key pointers: $15-billion TAPI (Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India) Pipeline is also called Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline. The pipeline originates from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh field having gas reserves of 16 trillion cubic feet. The project is being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It is slated to connect central Asia with south Asia covering 1,814 km. Out of the total 1,814 km., the pipeline will run for 214 km in Turkmenistan, 774 km in Afghanistan along the Kandahar-Herat highway, 826 km in Pakistan through Quetta and Multan and finally reaching the settlement of Fazilka, in India located near the India-Pakistan border. Renewed interest: India will be participating at a ground-breaking ceremony on 23rd Feb for TAPI at Afghanistan that will mark the beginning of formal round of talks amongst the participating countries on the pipeline The Turkmen President has also urged the business community of Uzbekistan to participate in the project. The Saudis are also now taking keen interest in TAPI. The Saudi government is investing heavily in the project from the Saudi Development Fund. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3: Infrastructure – Roads The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017: Rectifying systemic issues Introduction: The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in 2017. The bill if made a law would be first of its kind to extensively reform existing legislation on road safety, the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The Amendment Bill is robust and rectifies several systemic issues by providing for a uniform driver licensing system, protection of children and vulnerable road users, rationalising penalties, and much more. Going digital: The World Health Organisation (WHO) points out that for effective road safety management, it is imperative to have an institutionalised and sustainable data system. This includes information pertaining to drivers, such as types of licences held and a record of violation of traffic laws. Issue: The driver licensing system in India controls and filters the number and quality of drivers on the road. Currently, the procedure is largely manual, while the number of licences issued per year is over a crore. The inefficiencies of a predominantly manual system, given the scale of licences issued every year, results in lakhs of licences being issued without the prescribed checks and balances. In the absence of a central registry, often multiple licences are held by one person for different States. Low penalties for licensing offences allow erring drivers to be behind the wheel and get away with life-threatening violations. Provision in the bill: The Bill addresses each of the above challenges by introducing technology in the licensing procedure. A digitised, uniform and centralised driver licensing system will go a long way in ensuring ease of access, efficiency and transparency in the filtering process. The Bill also proposes to introduce digitisation in the monitoring and enforcement of traffic laws. Example: Kerala Electronic monitoring and enforcement can already be seen in practice in Kerala. The State has a ‘city surveillance and traffic monitoring system’, and automated traffic enforcement systems to detect traffic light violations as well as speeding. The enactment of the Bill will facilitate the replication and creation of such digitised systems for all other States. Children in focus: Issue: Since 2008, in India, over 55,000 children have lost their lives in road accidents. In 2016 alone, 7% of road crash deaths were attributed to children below 18 years. The WHO asserts that using child-restraint systems in vehicles decreases the risk of death in a crash by about 70% for infants and 54-80% for small children. In the current piece of legislation, there is no provision for protection of children, and this lacuna has been addressed for the first time. Provision in the bill: The Bill proposes to mandate the use of protective headgear by every person above the age of four driving, riding or being carried on a two-wheeler. It provides for measures to be laid down for the safety of children below the age of four. Similarly, the Bill mandates the use of safety belts and child restraints for those under 14 years and introduces a fine of Rs. 1,000 for the driver or guardian for the violation of the same. Increased penalties: Issue: For decades, penalties for behaviour that results in fatalities and grievous injuries have remained minimal, largely unrevised, and, consequently, have failed to deter violators. Provision in the bill: This Bill promises to rationalise these fines. For instance- The penalty for drunk driving has been increased to Rs. 10,000 for the first offence and Rs. 15,000 for the subsequent one. For exceeding lawful speeds, the penalty has been increased to Rs. 1,000 for light motor vehicles and Rs. 2,000-4,000 for medium and heavy motor vehicles. For the non-use of helmets and seat belts, the fines have been increased from Rs. 100 to Rs. 1,000. Conclusion: As a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety, India has committed to reducing, by 2020, the number of road crash fatalities and serious injuries by 50%. This will be impossible to achieve if the sole statute governing road safety in India, the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, is not overhauled. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017, will serve as the first and most essential step towards fulfilling this vision. Connecting the dots: The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 needs overhauling. Discuss. AGRICULTURE/ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies Ashok Dalwai committee: Doubling farmer incomes by 2022 Introduction: Agriculture has become the new industry and next frontier. The US and EU are currently supporting agriculture the way they promoted industry in the 1930s. To put it in a nutshell: they are using the latest technology to maximize output, high tariffs to discourage imports and massive subsidies to push exports. Outsmarting everyone, China has acquired large tracts of land along the proposed “New Silk Road” to grow food and avoid food imports from the US and Oceania. UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation highlighted that by 2030, most developing countries will be dependent on imports from developed countries for their food requirements. India must also act with utmost urgency to transform the sector. Where does India stand? There is an urgent need to transform India’s agriculture. Doubling farmers’ income in next five years can be an apt metaphor and goal for this transformation. Past strategy for development of the agriculture sector in India has focused primarily on raising agricultural output and improving food security. The net result has been a 45 per cent increase in per person food production, which has made India not only food self-sufficient at aggregate level, but also a net food exporting country. The strategy did not explicitly recognise the need to raise farmers' income and did not mention any direct measure to promote farmers welfare. The net result has been that farmers income remained low, which is evident from the incidence of poverty among farm households. Indian agriculture suffers from low productivity, low quality awareness and rising imports. Reasons/Factors: Droughts in 2014-15 reduced agricultural income substantially as over 60% of farming is rain dependent. Mechanised farming is not possible in over 65% of land holdings as they are less than one acre in size. Most farmers cannot buy quality seeds or expertise as they have little money. Together these factors resulted in low crop yields or productivity for most farmers. The collapse of food prices has hurt farmer incomes. Real incomes of farmers have come down by 1.36% a year over the past five years. A recent report by the Ashok Dalwai committee on doubling farmers’ incomes thus deserves attention. Ashok Dalwai committee on doubling farmers’ incomes According to Dalwai committee, solutions can be categorized into four broad areas: Land Access to markets Increase in productivity and Diversification towards high-yield crops and non-farm activities Land: Land holdings in India are small and fragmented, 86% of them being smaller than 2 hectares. Holdings are too small for the use of modern implements. Farmers have to rely on informal sources of lending and are subject to the vagaries of the weather and volatile prices for their produce. Small farmers, who are already very poor, are forced to bear more risk than they would like. Suggestions and recent actions: Encourage contract farming. Much of India’s exports and supermarket supplies originate from Contract/Corporate Farming Ventures (CFVs). A CFV takes land on lease from a group of farmers and pays an agreed amount and a share of profits to them. Or it may supply inputs and expertise to farmers, supervise production and buy the products. The Union government has framed the model agricultural land lease law, 2016 and the draft model contract farming law, 2018 to mitigate these problems. Access to markets: Agricultural produce market committees (APMCs) have perpetuated (cause to continue) monopolistic intermediaries. In other words, existing agricultural marketing – under the Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC) – has led to policy distortions and fragmentation, largely as a result of a huge number of intermediaries and poor infrastructure. The Ashok Dalwai committee highlighted that - because of the APMC acts, farmers are required to sell a large number of commodities in local mandis where different layers of intermediaries often manipulate the price, thus depriving them of their fair share. Suggestions and recent actions: Union government has introduced a model agricultural produce and livestock marketing (APLM) law, 2017 that is intended to replace the existing APMC Act, and allow a single market within a state, freeing farmers to trade at private wholesale markets, allowing them to sell directly to bulk buyers, and promoting trading on the electronic national agriculture market (eNAM). Farmer centres would integrate with the electronic National Agriculture Markets (e-NAM) to help farmers sell direct to the consumer. III. Increase in productivity As per the Agriculture Census 2010-11, 67.10% of India’s total farmers are marginal farmers (below 1 h.a.) followed by small farmers (1-2 h.a.) at 17.91%. Since Indian agriculture is dominated by marginal farmers who have small holdings, raising productivity is likely the single most important factor if incomes of this group are to be doubled. Productivity of crops in India is low compared to global standards and there is large variation across states, primarily explained by access to irrigation facilities and adoption of improved technology. Suggestions and recent actions: This requires public investment in irrigation, seeds, fertilizers and other technology. However, successive governments have preferred to give subsidies rather than invest in rural infrastructure. Niti Aayog has called for substantive investment in irrigation, seeds & fertilisers and new technology coupled with a shift into high-value commodities such as horticulture, poultry and dairying to double incomes. Massive investment is needed in irrigation if productivity of India’s farms are to be increased. Diversification towards high-yield crops and non-farm activities Finally, diversification is crucial if farmers’ incomes have to increase. This is because the average productivity of high-value crops, like vegetables and fruits, is more than Rs1.4 lakh per hectare, compared to Rs40,000 for staple crops. Suggestions and recent actions: Most of the above reforms are the domain of state governments which often protect the interests of large farmers. NITI Aayog has argued for bringing agriculture into the concurrent list so that the Union government can ensure a national market for agricultural products—that may not be a bad idea. Conclusion: Doubling agricultural income by 2022 is a mammoth task. It is also one that is the need of the hour. With majority of the country’s population dependant on agricultural activities, no true development can be said to be meaningful unless it incorporates the needs of this sector. Increasing farmer suicide rates and increasingly erratic weather patterns further add to the problem. The walk to doubling income is a long, tedious one. But a welcome one. Respectable income in farm sector will also attract youth towards farming profession and ease the pressure on non-farm jobs, which are not growing as per the expectations. Connecting the dots: Doubling Farmer’s Income Mindmap: https://iasbaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Doubling-Farmers-Income-IASbaba.jpg Critically analyze the strategies outlined by the Indian government to achieve the target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022. Instead of relying on subsidies and loan waivers, greater focus on increasing farmers’ income would go a long way in addressing agrarian distress in India. Comment. MUST READ Reform with caution The Hindu Growth has dipped below the 30-year average The Hindu The new dalit challenge Indian Express How government can double farmer incomes Livemint India's burgeoning middle class Livemint A path to productivity and safety Business Line

Jan 24, 2018 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Demographic Dividend

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Demographic Dividend Archives NOTE – Instructions to download Mind Maps/Images Right Click on the image and ‘Open in a new tab’ Remove/Delete the resolution part from the URl. Eg. “-1024×869” and Press Enter/Load Again Afterwards the URL will look something like this – “iasbaba.com/…./…/..-IASbaba.jpg” Right Click and Save As/Download (You’ll get the maximum resolution)

Jan 24, 2018 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2018 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 129]

UPSC Quiz- 2018 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 129] Archives Q.1) DHARMA App is concerned with Public Distribution System Dam Safety Tourism Cleaning of rivers Q.2) World Economic Outlook is published by World Economic Forum International Monetary Fund World Bank World Trade Organisation Q.3) Consider the following statements about Brasilia Declaration It is related to Road Safety India is a signatory to the declaration Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following statements about National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) The NIIF is being operationalized by establishing three Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) under the SEBI Regulations It seeks to create long-term value for domestic investors only, seeking investment in energy, transportation, housing, water, waste management and other infrastructure-related sectors in India Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) In which one of the following countries, is Tamil a major language? Myanmar Indonesia Mauritius Singapore To Download the Solution – Click here All the Best IASbaba

Jan 23, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 23rd January 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 23rd January 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) A mission-mode approach to promote millets Part of: GS Paper II- Government interventions in various sectors Key pointers: In the National Year of Millets, the Centre proposes to adopt a mission-mode approach to promote the nutrient-rich cereals, including sorghum, ragi and foxtail millets. A Millet Mission is being proposed with an outlay of Rs. 800 crore for the next two years to boost production of these cereals. The proposed mission, apart from aiming to boost supplies of these nutri-cereals, is expected to help address the issue of nutrition security. Besides supporting farmers with technical inputs, including seeds, the mission will focus on farm-gate processing, aggregation, and provide linkages to the value addition industry and markets. Also, seed hubs are being planned in major millet growing States and a referral lab is being set up at the Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Millets Research to give a fresh impetus to R&D activities. On the demand side, the proposed mission will focus on creating consumer awareness. Central focus: India, which grows over half-a-dozen varieties of millets, produces around 20 million tonnes of these nutri-cereals, which make up about 7 per cent of the country’s overall foodgrain output of around 275 mt. It will be implemented in at least 16 of the 21 States that grow millets. Millets are naturally rich with protein and nutrients such as iron, calcium and zinc, and also consume less water and inputs, thus being ecologically sustainable. The NITI Aayog has recommended including millets in the public distribution system. Akshaya Patra the mid-day meal implementing agency in Karnataka, has recently launched a pilot with a millet-based diet in Bengaluru and has started distributing a millet-based snack to schoolchildren in Telangana. Article link: Click here India to be world’s fastest-growing economy in 2018 and 2019: IMF Part of: GS Paper III- Indian Economy Key pointers: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has retained India's GDP forecast for the country at 6.7 per cent in 2017 and 7.4 per cent in 2018. In its World Economic Outlook Update, it also estimated that the Indian economy would grow by 7.8 per cent in 2019, which make the country the world’s fastest-growing economy in 2018 and 2019, the top ranking it briefly lost in 2017 to China. The projection is in line with official estimates from the Central Statistics Office, which pegged GDP growth at 6.5 per cent this fiscal. The IMF has scaled up its forecast for world output to 3.9 per cent each in 2018 and 2019. Article link: Click here Inclusive Development Index: World Economic Forum Part of: GS Paper III- Indian Growth & Economy Key pointers: Despite an improved performance, India continues to be ranked below neighbours Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal in the Inclusive Development Index released by the World Economic Forum. India has been ranked 62 out of 74 emerging economies on a metric focussed on the living standards of people and future-proofing of economies by the WEF. Pakistan has been ranked 47, Sri Lanka is at 40, and Nepal at 22; Uganda (59) and Mali (60) are also higher on the index than India. India, the WEF said, reflects an ‘improving trend’. There has been a 2.29 per cent improvement in the overall five-year trend of the IDI for India. Though the incidence of poverty has declined in India over the past five years, six out of 10 Indians still live on less than $3.20 per day. According to the study, Norway tops the chart followed by Iceland and Luxemburg in advanced economies. Lithuania, Hungary, and Azerbaijan are the toppers among the emerging economies. Designed as an alternative to GDP, the Inclusive Development Index (IDI) reflects more closely the criteria by which people evaluate their countries’ economic progress. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes Choosing “Institutions of Eminence” Background: Last August, the Union government invited universities across India to apply to be chosen as “Institutions of Eminence”. Successful applicants would be exempted from the oversight of the University Grants Commission; and provided a handsome subsidy of Rs 1,000 crore each. The idea was to nurture Indian universities fit to be placed in the “top five hundred of any world renowned ranking frameworks (such as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings)”. In the 21st century, more than ever, knowledge shall be the key to economic and social progress. That is why we should welcome the government’s “Institutions of Eminence” scheme. Global universities vis-a-vis India universities: In the 1970s, Chinese universities had been destroyed by the Cultural Revolution. The universities in South Korea and Singapore were utterly mediocre. Those in Japan were constrained by their lack of English proficiency. Many Chinese and Korean universities today rank higher than Indian universities, which would not have been the case in the 1970s and 1980s. In recent decades, while public universities in other Asian countries have perceptively improved, those in India have noticeably declined. Reasons behind decline in quality of Indian universities: The elevation of quantity over quality The contempt for scholarship and research among our political and bureaucratic elite. The fact that the choice of vice-chancellors and IIT directors is not left to academics themselves but directed by political calculations. The autonomy of our leading educational institutions has been gravely corroded over the year with the HRD ministers of all parties seeking to place, at the head of universities and research institutes, their own people rather than those best qualified for the job. The catchment area of faculty and students is restricted to a single city or state. Professors impose their own intellectual frameworks on students rather than exposing them to competing theoretical approach. The pressures of identity politics exist. Universities have excessive dependence on state funding. Thus, In India pluralism is undermined by narrow-mindedness: The best universities practise five kinds of pluralism: They offer undergraduate and graduate courses in diverse disciplines. They expose students to different theoretical frameworks in each discipline. They recruit faculty from across the country and from all social groups. They attract students of diverse backgrounds. They attract private as well as public funding. Selecting “Institutions of Eminence”: As many as one hundred institutions have applied for the tag, including seven IITs, DU, IISc, as well as new private universities such as Ashoka. Each applicant has submitted a 15-year “vision plan” explaining how it shall break into the list of the top 500 universities in the world. From this large pool, 20 institutions — 10 public, 10 private — will be chosen by a so-called “Empowered Experts Committee”. The committee’s members will be reputed and credible individuals who have contributed to education, other public issues, economic growth and social development for a minimum period of ten years. They should have had an exceptional and untarnished record in their respective fields of excellence, and an incontrovertible and demonstrated commitment to public causes. For this Expert Committee to indeed be credible it must have real, independent, experts in the field of education and research. Conclusion: The idea of having Institutions of Excellence is excellent in itself; however, its credibility shall rest on the manner in which the “Empowered Experts Committee” is constituted and goes about its work. Serious scholars who have themselves nurtured institutions of quality are far better qualified than party hacks or career bureaucrats to judge which Indian universities do (and do not) have the potential to become world-class. Connecting the dots: The government has envisaged choosing few of the Indian universities as "institutions of eminence". Discuss the idea behind the scheme. Also discuss the role of the empowered experts committee. Indian universities have been marred with narrow-mindedness while the best universities across the world practices pluralism in disciplines, faculty, students, funding etc. Critically analyze. INTERNATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests India-ASEAN: Economic engagement Background: This Republic Day, heads of the all the ten Asean economies — Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei — will meet in Delhi. Asean is touted to become the fourth largest economic bloc in the world by 2030. As the region increasingly witnesses Chinese interference in and around the Indian Ocean, it has become important for India to strengthen its relationship with other Asian economies. The 3Cs: Commerce, Connectivity and Culture It should ideally become the pivot of cooperation between Asean and India. It is true that India’s mythology and culture find great resonance across the entire Asean region. But in order to add value to our relationships we need to have proactive and constructive commercial engagement with Asean economies. Asean's potential: Asean today is one of the most thriving business and commerce centres globally. The region constitutes around 8 per cent of the global exports, and receives 15 per cent of world investments, while having almost 26 per cent in outward investments. It is also home to economies such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, which are often touted as the last frontier economies in the world having exhibited more than 7 per cent growth consistently over the past few years. Benefits for India: Indian businesses could benefit by setting up production units in Asean, which could then act as a platform for them to enter China with whom Asean has an FTA. India could also benefit from Asean’s trade agreements with other economies in the region. The ambition to have an Asean Economic Community would catapult the ten economies of $2.6 trillion into a single market and production base. This would provide Indian business unparalleled access to over 622 million people, almost double the population of the US. Poor economic cooperation: India’s commitment to trade and investment in Asean remains far from impressive. While around 10 per cent of India’s exports goes to Asean, we contribute only 2 per cent to Asean’s total import from across the globe. In fact, the balance of trade has always been in favour of Asean. Chinese challenge: There exists the continuous dominance and interference by China in some of the economies in the region as it gets desperate to win control in and around the subcontinent. The entire Asean region is flooded with Chinese products. For example, in Cambodia, many government vehicles sport the tag, “Gifted by friends from China”. Coincidentally, India was instrumental in Cambodia securing freedom, but today finds it difficult to have a significant commercial presence in that country. Meanwhile, China has gained significant prowess and is able to exploit differences within Asean. Investments, soft loans, grants and assistance have been offered to most of the new frontier economies, making it difficult for countries such as India to do genuine business there. Way ahead: India needs to be cautious while negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with China being the big elephant in the room. Trade facilitation is one of the key areas. It is important for Indian banks to set up operations in the region which would help Indian businesses. Aspects such as Mutual Recognition Agreement in the context of services should be ratified at the earliest keeping aside any apprehension. India may also explore opportunity to be a part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC, and to the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM) — a mechanism created in 2010 to help manage regional financial crisis. Both India and Asean would require to tweak their existing policies to facilitate trade and investment and, more importantly, maintain a sustainable environment for peace in the region. Asean’s strength today lies in plantations, electronics and heavy machinery, while for India it is largely in computer services, light engineering and pharmaceuticals. Both sides needs to create appropriate frameworks to reduce both tariff and non-tariff barriers to widen the scope of trade, while looking at participation in the value chain. India in 2015 announced a Rs. 500-crore Project Development Fund, which was meant to encourage Indian businesses to set up ventures in CLMV countries (Cambodia, Laos Myanmar and Vietnam). The region offers a lot of opportunities for Indian entities in project exports, supply contracts, and creating utility infrastructure, apart from having manufacturing set-ups. It is important for India that such initiatives are realised soon, especially when it faces competition from an aggressive Chinese. India must strive to penetrate in Asean economies. The engagement should avoid any inordinate delay. Conclusion: Given that the US is moving towards protectionism with the withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, its influence over Asean is decreasing. Thus, despite a looming Chinese presence, the ten-country bloc can offer lucrative business and strategic opportunities. A benign and non-hegemonic engagement between India and Asean would yield sound economic results. Connecting the dots: India- ASEAN relationship has huge potential. Discuss. Also highlight the challenges and way forward. MUST READ The perilous march of Hindistan The Hindu Getting back on the democratic path The Hindu The colour of inequity The Hindu Wealth of the nation Indian Express Nurturing excellence Indian Express

Jan 23, 2018 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2018 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 128]

UPSC Quiz- 2018 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 128] Archives Q.1) Global Talent Competitiveness Index – 2018 is released by Adecco Insead Tata Communications Select the correct code: 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.2) National Regulatory Authority of India (NRAI) comprises of Pharmaco-vigilance Programme of India (PvPI) Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) Both (a) and (b) Neither (a) nor (b) Q.3) Hope Island is under the administration of West Bengal Orrisa Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu Q.4) Consider the following statements with regard to Hungary It is a landlocked country River Danube flows through Hungary The grassland biome found in Hungary is known as Puszta Choose the appropriate code 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.5) Which of the following countries is/are members of New Agenda Coalition (NAC) Brazil New Zealand South Africa Select the correct code: 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above To Download the Solution – Click here All the Best IASbaba

Jan 23, 2018 AIR

All India Radio (AIR) : Virtual Currencies- Including Bitcoins

Virtual Currencies- Including Bitcoins ARCHIVES Search 29th December here http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 3 Awareness in the fields of IT Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology. Virtual currency or crypto currency is gaining prominence in world. Lot of people are investing more into bitcoins but there is an advisory from the government as well as RBI that people should not put money in bitcoin as it is not a legal currency. What is virtual currency? Etymologically, cryptocurrency is a currency that operates through codes using computer technology as its basic platform. There are blockchains which are online registers and through these online registers, people can actually buy these currencies and mine the currencies and use them as instrument of exchange. There are about 9-10 cryptocurrencies in the world right now. Bitcoins is the largest cryptocurrency in the world because they are computer generated currencies and the codes are completely secret, so nobody masters it. Since it is computer coded and secure, the dangers of computer currencies credibility being undermined is little. At the same time, it doesn’t come out in open about who has transacted what. Right now, there are 16 million currencies in operation. But it has the capacity of mining 21 million currencies. Each currency has a value and currently, each bitcoin is around 15000 dollars. The current valuation of bitcoin is around 250 billion dollars which makes it world’s 6th largest currency in world. Nobody knows who created it. But a large number of people are using it as currency as well as current asset. The advantage- if one wants to make transaction through cryptocurrency, it wont be easily clear through what transaction it was used. There is no central bank controlling it. Even though its is like a fiat currency, as it is not government’s legal tender, it doesn’t have supervision of a central bank or central government in any part of the world. Thus, there is attraction towards cryptocurrency. Rise in value- As they are limited in nature- only 21 million cryptocurrency that can be mined. So there is a demand-supply issue and thus the prices are going up. Government’s response It has clearly stated that it is not a currency. If it is to be treated as a currency, it has to come under foreign exchange management act. Hence, it can be a capital asset which is prone to bubbles. The intrinsic value is not backed by any assets. The value seen today- 15000 USD or 20000 USD, it is purely speculative, and not backed by any asset. Unlike fiat currency, the cryptocurrency is not backed by asset but it is operated on a principle that there is a finite supply. Fiat currency which is issued by the governments, there is no assurance that there will be a finite supply. The government decides how much currency it wants to print according to the need of economy. Thus there is a sharp escalation and deceleration in value of cryptocurrency. Use in India There about 6 lakh people in India that are reported to have done dealings in cryptocurrency, mostly in bitcoins. There are 9 exchanges for it and thus it is not something new for the country. However, it is soon expected that the transactions under cryptocurrency will come under close scrutiny from tax law authorities. Bitcoins are used in transactions which the users don’t want to bring out in open. At present, Bitcoins are used for illicit trafficking purchase of drugs, terrorist activity funding, and also used by some rogue governments for some activities which they don’t want to be formalized. Therefore bitcoins also have nefarious roles to play. If goods are declared illegal, there is a danger of treating large number of people criminals. How to make sure that there is no smuggling by ensuring that the borders are safe and properly monitoring. At the same time, it will increase the incentive for smuggling by various fiscal and monitory policies. Similarly, bitcoins be looked in a matter that instead of completely debarring it as an activity that is not to acknowledge its presence, it will be better to have better system in place so that bitcoins do not become completely illegal activity but an activity that can be monitored under close supervision and under regulatory structure. Limitation- There is fear of password hack as bitcoin is stored digitally. The dangers of losing bitcoin is as large as in any other digital transaction. Way forward To regulate the bitcoin transaction. There should be a framework which regulates cryptocurrencies and widely publicized so that people know the features of virtual currencies. If the government believes that the Indian regulators have no clue about what is happening to bitcoin, there is low level of awareness, the government is justified in cautioning the people about to not rush into investing in bitcoin. An outright ban on cryptocurrency may not be a good idea. If new currency is popular, it would be wise to take note of it, accept the advent of technology, recognize the rise in popularity of cryptocurrency and then introduce safeguard, measures and regulatory structure by which people do not feel that they should have something to fall back on. The government will see opportunities for revenues as large number of people have made gains through cryptocurrency. Connecting the dots: Cryptocurrencies are bound to fail as a medium of exchange for its speculative nature and digital existence. Comment.

Jan 23, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 22nd January 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 22nd January 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) US soon to become world's second largest producer of oil Part of: GS Paper II- Internal developments Key pointers: The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects the United States oil output to be higher than that of Saudi Arabia in 2018. This would make US the world's second largest producer after Russia. In its monthly oil market report, the IEA said that 2018 would become a "record-setting" year for American shale oil producers. A group of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and non-OPEC oil producers have maintained their output cuts in wake of price fall. OPEC member states agreed to lower production in 2017 and have decided to maintain their output cuts for the whole of 2018 to shore up crude prices and reduce a global supply glut. Article link: Click here Star rating of Garbage-free cities Part of: GS Paper II- Urbansiation Key pointers: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Hardeep Singh Puri has launched the ‘Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities’. The star-rating initiative, developed by the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban, will be rating cities on a seven-star rating system based on multiple cleanliness indicators for solid waste management, which will include- Door to Door Collection, bulk generator compliance, source segregation, sweeping, scientific processing of waste, scientific land filling, plastic waste management, construction and demolition management, dump remediation& citizen grievance redressal system etc. Cities can be rated as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 star based on their compliance with the protocol conditions specified for each of the rating. Further city should be ODF (Open Defecation Free) before it could be given rating of 3 star or above. While cities may self-declare themselves as 1-star, 2-star or 4-star, MoHUA will carry out an additional verification through an independent third party to certify cities as 3-star, 5-star or 7-star. Cities will need to get re-certified themselves every year to retain their star-status. Article link: Click here 2018 to be declared as the ‘national year of millets’ Part of: GS Paper III- Indian agriculture Key pointers: The Union government has decided to declare 2018 as the ‘national year of millets’. Dedicating a year for millets will- Increase awareness about its health benefits. Result in higher demand for these drought-resistant varieties, resulting in remunerative prices for poor and marginal farmers. There is a need to promote millet cultivation ‘as we move towards climate-smart agriculture in the wake of frequent droughts’. Karnataka is the country’s leader in the millet sector. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC : General Studies 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Allowing Cross-practice What is cross-practise? Cross practicing is when a homeopath or an ayurved uses allopathic drug and vice versa. In news: The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill 2017 attempts to revamp the medical education system in India to ensure an adequate supply of quality medical professionals. Section 49(4) of the bill proposes a joint sitting of the Commission, the Central Council of Homoeopathy and the Central Council of Indian Medicine. This sitting may decide on approving specific bridge course that may be introduced for the practitioners of Homoeopathy and of Indian Systems of Medicine to enable them to prescribe such modern medicines at such level as may be prescribed. Debate: Questions regarding the ability of Ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and homoeopathy (AYUSH) practitioners to cross-practise has been highlighted. Currently there exists restrictions on allopathic practitioners from practising higher levels of caregiving. Rationale behind allowing cross-practicing: Primary health system is struggling with a below-par national physician-patient ratio (0.76 per 1,000 population, amongst the lowest in the world). This is due to- Paucity of MBBS-trained primary-care physicians. Unwillingness of existing MBBS-trained physicians to serve remote/rural populations. Urban-rural disparities in physician availability in the face of an increasing burden of chronic diseases make health care in India both inequitable and expensive. Need for trained cadre: There is an urgent need for a trained cadre to provide- Accessible primary-care services that cover minor ailments. Health promotion services. Risk screening for early disease detection. Appropriate referral linkages. Thereby ensuring that people receive care at a community level when they need it. Basis on which AYUSH physicians can be allowed to cross-prescribe: The practice of using AYUSH physicians as medical officers in guideline-based national health programmes exists already. Location-specific availability of this cadre can ensure uninterrupted care provision in certain resource-limited settings. Their current academic training has primed them for cross-disciplinary learning. Need for capacity building: The National Health Policy (NHP) 2017 calls for multi-dimensional mainstreaming of AYUSH physicians. There were 7.7 lakh registered AYUSH practitioners in 2016, according to National Health Profile 2017 data. The 2013 Shailaja Chandra report on the status of Indian medicine and folk healing, commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, noted several instances in States where National Rural Health Mission-recruited AYUSH physicians were the sole care providers in PHCs. The report called for the appropriate skilling of this cadre to meet the demand for acute and emergency care at the primary level. The 4th Common Review Mission Report 2010 of the National Health Mission reports the utilisation of AYUSH physicians as medical officers in primary health centres (PHCs) in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand as a human resource rationalisation strategy. While the supply of AYUSH physicians was high in many instances, a lack of appropriate training in allopathic drug dispensation acts as a deterrent to their utilisation in primary-care settings. Way forward: Deploying a capacity-building strategy using AYUSH physicians upskilled through a bridge-training programme Use of evidence-based protocols, supported by technology, to deliver quality, standardised primary health care to rural populations. Efforts to gather evidence on the capacity of licensed and bridge-trained AYUSH physicians to function as primary-care physicians have been under way in diverse field settings. A structured, capacity-building mechanism is the next logical step. The Maharashtra government has led the way in implementing bridge training for capacity-building of licensed homoeopathy practitioners to cross-prescribe. As anchors: Capacity-building of licensed AYUSH practitioners through bridge training to meet India’s primary care needs is only one of the multi-pronged efforts required to meet the objective of achieving universal health coverage set out in NHP 2017. Capacity-building of other non-MBBS personnel such as nurses, auxiliary nurse midwives and rural medical assistants, thereby creating a cadre of mid-level service providers. They can act as anchors for the provision of comprehensive primary-care services at the proposed health and wellness centres. Conclusion: In the long run, a pluralistic and integrated medical system for India can surely help in effective primary-care delivery and prevention of chronic and infectious diseases. Connecting the dots: What do you understand by the term "cross-practice"? Discuss the issues surrounding it. Should it be allowed in India. Give your rationale. ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Labour reforms Introduction: Faster growth of jobs must be the principal objective of whatever economic reforms the Indian government undertakes now. Arguments made in favor of labour reforms: The labour market is not functioning. The Indian labour market is not working when many young people, who need jobs most, cannot find them. There is a supply-side problem from the citizens’ perspective: not enough jobs are being created. Unless employers have the right to fire, they will not hire more workers. The thrust of government’s policies must be to protect workers’ incomes and not to protect jobs which should disappear when industries change. Unions, who care only for their own highly paid workers, are the obstacles to labour market reforms, the aim of which must be to benefit workers who are not union members. More jobs are not being created because employers cannot fire their employees- False argument: Employers are hiring more workers whenever they need them. They hire them as contract workers or casual workers, and not regular workers whom they would have to pay more. Since contract and casual workers can be easily fired, the inability to fire the workers they hire Way forward: Technologies are changing more rapidly. Also, off-line training institutions cannot keep up. Their trainees do not have the skills needed as employers say. Employers must change their processes, they must provide workers opportunities to learn the new skills necessary. Employers need to show commitment to retain and invest in people. The rights of workers, Decent treatment, Fair wages, Adequate social security, must be secured. Ensuring social security net. For contract workers, informal sector workers, and even domestic workers. Farmers are demanding better prices for their produce and financial safety nets. The expansion of the social safety net in India, to cover a variety of occupations and enterprises, will have to be the principal thrust of ‘labour market’ reforms. Employers can be given more freedoms to retrench workers only after strengthening the social safety nets beneath them. Reforming the laws: India’s labour laws are archaic, too many, often contradictory, and badly administered. They must be reformed. The government is simplifying and consolidating the laws into a few codes. The reformed laws must suit emergent conditions. They must provide more flexibility to employers. They must ensure fair treatment of workers, and provide a wider social safety net. Reforms must be made with consensus amongst workers and their unions, and employers and their associations. Trust between workers and employers must be increased. Conclusion: Making ‘bold’ labour reforms, either at the Centre or in the States, to give employers more freedoms to fire workers, may please financial markets for a while, as Thatcher’s reforms did in the UK. However, it will weaken the already fraying social compact in India between the elite and workers. India must strengthen the social compact and build a strong industrial base democratically, like Germany and Japan did, with consensus amongst unions and employers. Connecting the dots: It is necessary that a wide social safety net is provided to Indian labour and trust between employers and workers is increased. Discuss. MUST READ The aadhaar opportunity Indian Express Natural partners Indian Express Startups alone won't cut if for growth Business Line Education does not deter violence Business Line

Jan 22, 2018 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Automobile Industry - India

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Automobile Industry - India Archives NOTE – Instructions to download Mind Maps/Images Right Click on the image and ‘Open in a new tab’ Remove/Delete the resolution part from the URl. Eg. “-1024×869” and Press Enter/Load Again Afterwards the URL will look something like this – “iasbaba.com/…./…/..-IASbaba.jpg” Right Click and Save As/Download (You’ll get the maximum resolution)

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