Space to Add More Dimensions - Jatin Verma€¦ · Role played by NGO’s Environment promotion programme To carry out environment promotion programme through safe drinking water

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SYNOPSIS

Intro

India is the second largest producer and third largest exporter of tobacco in

the world. The tobacco industry provides employment to 46 Million

people. With the evolving facilities provided by the Tobacco Board of

India, the market has recorded a total (manufactured and unmanufactured

tobacco) export of INR 60.84 Bn in FY 2018

Body Part

Explain its significance

Employment opportunities: Tobacco contributes a major percentage of

the total value of commercial crops in India generating huge socio-

economic benefits in terms of agricultural employment, farm incomes,

revenue generation and foreign exchange earnings.

Significant source of foreign earnings: Indian tobaccos are exported to

over 100 countries. Total (manufactured and unmanufactured tobacco)

export of INR 60.84 Bn in FY 2018

Supports Dry land agriculture: Produced in the worst farming belts of the

country with poor soil quality unfit to grow many other crops. It can grow

on soil of poor fertility and can withstand variations in weather conditions

better than other crops

Indirect Socio-economic benefits of the tobacco industry on other

sectors of the economy: Enhance the livelihoods of people, who indirectly

earn, such as people engaged in packaging, warehousing, flavour and

fragrance, paper, jute, mentha, areca nut, transporters along with input

industries like fertilisers and pesticides

Challenges to tobacco Industry in India

Market Challenges:

o Cigarette taxes (64% excise duty, 28% GST, and 5% cess) in India are

among the highest in the world. Therefore, high tax rates make

cigarettes unaffordable to a large section of consumers. As a result, they

shift towards the consumption of beedi and other forms of smokeless

tobacco. Hence, the overall tobacco market experiences slow growth.

Space to Add More

Dimensions Q1.Analyse the significance of tobacco industry in India and also

bring out the challenges faced by it?

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o The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of

Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production,

Supply and Distribution) Act of 2003 (COTPA, 2003) imposes a

blanket ban on tobacco advertising. This prevents companies from

directly advertising their products, because of which they resort to

surrogate advertising. Hence, it becomes difficult for manufacturers to

promote their brands, limiting the growth of the domestic market.

FDI not permitted since 2010, the Indian government has forbidden

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as a measure to control smoking.

Therefore, manufacturing of tobacco products is controlled by local

players.

Health Concerns for people involved in Beedi making Beedi making is

a source of livelihood for many families. In some families, everyone

including children – helps make beedis. The frequent inhalation of tobacco

flakes has similar effects as the actual use of the tobacco product.

Therefore, these families have an increased risk of lung diseases and

cancers of the digestive tract. And, addiction is common among these

families.

Smuggled Goods Disparities in cigarette taxation structures would lead to

an increase in the smuggling of cigarettes from nearby countries, which

would jeopardize the prospects of the Indian Domestic Trade and in turn

the dependent farming community

Conclusion

With growing health concerns, Indian tobacco farmer today is subjected to

discrimination by way of harsh policies it is imperative to provide an

alternative to safeguard their interest and livelihoods before any

regulations that curb tobacco usage .



SYNOPSIS

Intro

PPPs broadly refers to long term, the contractual partnership between the

public and private sector agencies specially targeted towards financing,

designing, implementing and operating infrastructure facilities and services

that were traditionally provided by the government or its agencies.

Body Part

The motives for pursuing public-private partnerships vary from fiscal

opportunism, simply seeking to replace public finance with private finance,

to genuine desire to seek lower costs both for taxpayers and consumers or

improved services.

Pros

Despite of partial success, the PPP projects had faced numerous challenges.

The PPP route has been criticized for not meeting the supply-

demand gap exactly in the infrastructure facilities.

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Q2. Adoption of PPP model for infrastructure development of the

country has not been free of criticism. Critically discuss pros and

cons of the model.



Economic Survey (2008-09) noted six key hurdles faced by PPPs

projects:

Policy and regulatory gaps

Inadequate availability of long-term finance

Inadequate capacity in public institutions and public officials to

manage PPP processes

Inadequate capacity in the private sector-both developer/investor

and technical manpower

Inadequate shelf of bankable infrastructure projects that can be bid

out to the private sector

And inadequate advocacy to create greater acceptance of PPPs by

stakeholders

Another biggest setback for PPP projects came into light with the

selection of projects partly due to limited information of demand in

the system and partly due to lack of well-defined databases related

to the traffic data, land related records and details of inventory.

Also, it is pointed out that there are practices of aggressive bidding

for projects, tendency to pass on the risk to the government when

the project becomes unviable

The most important challenge for PPP projects have emerged as

delay in achieving commercial operation date (COD) which lead to

time and cost overruns. It has occurred partly due to land

acquisition issues, willful default by promoters, irrational biddings,

huge difference between project costs as approved by NHAI, and

ones that are given to lenders.

Way Forward

India is currently in a global win-win situation with a large young

population that will need good jobs and a huge pool of global

savings that can be tapped for building out our infrastructure.

PPPs are an important policy instrument that will enable India to

compress time in this journey towards economic growth and

development.

A successful and growing stream of PPPs in infrastructure will go

a long way in accelerating the country’s development process



SYNOPSIS

Intro

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 global

goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year

2030. The SDGs are part of Resolution 70/1 of the United Nations General

Assembly, the 2030 Agenda

The spectrum of the 17 SDGs and 169 targets range from poverty

eradication, human health and sanitation to urban settlements and to

safeguarding the global ecosystems on which humanity depends for its

survival.

Body Part

You need to critically evaluate 2-3 goals mentioned in SDG and

broadly address other issues

What is their current status

How well India is faring in each Goals.

Give your evaluation whether they can be achieved if not suggest

measures to attain the objective by 2030

Goal 1 aims to end poverty: By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all

people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25

a day

India’s Progress

Over the last two decades there have been large advancements in economic

growth and poverty reduction.

According to the Tendulkar Committee estimates, poverty rate in India declined

by 18 percent between 1993-94 and 2004-05, and further declined by 41

percent between 2004-05 and 2011-12; in 2011-12, 21.9 percent of India’s

population was below the poverty line.

Improved economic performance coupled with concerted interventions by the

government towards poverty eradication has led to decline in poverty rates

across all economic, social and religious groups at the national level and in all

States

Space to Add More

Dimensions Q3.Do you think that sustainable goals are really sustainable by

2030?



Goal 3: aims to ensure that people enjoy a level of health that enables them to

lead a socially and economically productive life. It aims to end preventable

deaths across all ages from communicable and non-communicable diseases and

illnesses caused by air, water, and soil pollution and contamination. Sensitive

and ensure that all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote

sustainable development. It also aims to achieve universal health coverage,

including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health care services

and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines. It also

calls for a renewed focus on mental health issues..

India’s Progress

Maternal Mortality Ratio:

Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India stands at 130 per 1 lakh live births.

The SDG target is to reduce the MMR to less than 70 per 1 lakh live births by

2030. Three States, namely Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have achieved

this target with MMR of 46, 61 and 66 per 1 lakh live births respectively.

Under Five Mortality Rate: For every thousand live births in India, 50 children

aged under five years die. The national target is to bring this rate down to 11

per thousand live births by 2030. Kerala is the only State to have achieved this.

Goa among the States, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands among the UTs are

nearing the target with current under five mortality rates at 13 per thousand

live births each.

Immunization coverage in children: 62 percent of children aged 12-23 months

are fully immunized (BCG, Measles and three doses of prevalent vaccines). The

national target is to increase this rate to 100 percent. No State or UT has yet

achieved this target. Highest immunization coverage is observed in Punjab (89

percent) among the States and Puducherry (91 percent) among the UTs.

We have discussed this question on India specific

You can also refer this article: It has described generically on how SDG can be

achieved.https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/09/how-achievable-are-the-

sustainable-development-goals/

Conclude your opinion on a positive note. Also suggest measures to

improve on SDG goals target where we are lagging.


https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/09/how-achievable-are-the-sustainable-development-goals/

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/09/how-achievable-are-the-sustainable-development-goals/




SYNOPSIS

Intro

NGOs are defined by the World Bank as "private organizations that pursue

activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the

environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community

development”. The primary purpose of an operational NGO is the design

and implementation of development-related projects.

Body Part

It has been recognized that the task of the development of Scheduled Tribes

cannot be achieved by Government efforts only.

The role of voluntary or non-governmental organizations, with their local

roots and sense of service has become increasingly important.

They supplement the efforts of the State in ensuring that the benefits reach

to large number of populations.

Role played by NGO’s

Environment promotion programme To carry out environment

promotion programme through safe drinking water among the needy,

establishment of latrine in the school campus and in common places.

o To bring out the community wastelands and individual lands under

plantation programmes to make land green and ecologically

balanced.

Media advocacy publishing of news, letters, booklets, periodicals, leaflets,

etc. with the aims of creating awareness among the people.

Awareness Generation

o To provide awareness programme on STDs/HIV/AIDS.

Education: Facilitating free boarding and lodging to the SCs and STs

School children for higher education.

o To develop human resource and literacy

Sports: To organize sports competition among the school children and the

village youths to represent in the state, national and international level.

Employment To provide employment guarantee by implementing various

income generating programmes.

o Provide employment through establishment of technical, non-

technical and vocational training institute.

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1. Q4.Critically discuss the role of NGO’s in Tribal development?



Social Issues To organize work committees, to fight against dowry deaths

and women atrocities.

o Revamping of culture for better living.

Irrigation Facilities: To arrange irrigation facilities and other facilities to

the lands of small and marginal farmers for production of more food grains.

Infrastructure Development To take up infrastructure development like

construction of village connection roads, excavation of tanks for

pisciculture, construction of ring bond, etc. for the development of the

people.

Strengthening local governance at grassroots through PRI initiatives.

Sustainable development of livelihood of under-privileged marginalized

oppressed groups.

Women’s empowerment through promotion and strengthening of Self-

Help Groups.

Livelihood Promotion such as Handicraft promotion and development of

rural artisans.

Marketing tribal products marketing of rural agricultural and handicraft

products.

Land development and natural resource management activities.

Some Examples

NGO Development role

Priramal Foundation’s - tribal

health programme ‘ASARA’

Tries to achieve zero maternal mortality

among tribes near Araku valley

VAAGDHARA’s-Vari

program

Distributing seeds through SHGs and

helping create kitchen gardens near

hand-pumps or where families are

disposing of waste water

SRUTI – Society for Rural

Urban and Tribal Initiative,

works towards social change at the

grass roots

NALSA to provide free legal consultations to

Scheduled Tribes (ST)

Aahan Foundation Women Empowerment

Concerns Regarding the functioning of NGO

There are no linkage and coordination among the different NGOs that

are working in the same geographical area and for a nearly identical

purpose



There should be more transparency in the function of the NGOs so that they

may garner the support and faith of the ordinary people

Fragmentation, powerlessness, corruption, nepotism, and internal

weaknesses are some of the negative traits of the NGOs.

The NGOs hardly disclose their funding source and expenditure pattern.

They refuse to reveal the names of their funding partners and reasons for

tying up with them

NGOs are in a need of a regularized code of ethics and conduct.

With the easy availability of foreign aids, working for an NGO has become a

very good career option. Many retired bureaucrats take interest nowadays

in opening up an NGO both as a pastime and a financially viable alternative.

Therefore, the idealism with which the NGOs appeared in the social

panorama is declining now

The NGOs fail to scale or successfully transplant their lessons and

experiences into large organisations and programmes for they fail to take

into account the socio-cultural and area specific realities.

Conclusion

Though certain concerns persists regarding the functioning of NGO’s, role

of NGO’s in Tribal welfare is vital.



SYNOPSIS

Intro

Desertification is a process in which there is a gradual destruction

of the biological potential of land which ultimately results in desert-

like conditions. In semi-arid and arid areas, the ecosystem is fragile.

The process of restoration of the disturbed ecosystem in these areas

is very slow.

Human interventions like deforestation, mining etc. further hasten

the process of desertification in these areas.

In India, the problem of desertification is severe in the states of

Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, and Punjab which contain areas

adjoining the desert (Thar).

Body Part

Impediments in Tackling Desertification

Desertification is the end product of a vicious mixture of political,

technological and economic forces, which leaves people socially,

politically and economically marginalised.

Apart from overgrazing, deforestation and unsustainable agricultural

practices, there are hidden causes of desertification as well.

Climate change: Climate changes contribute to changes in biogeochemical

cycles which may alter the hydrological cycles and thus, worsen natural

eco-balances.

Natural Disaster: Natural disasters such as droughts, mass landslides and

floods, over the years, have caused considerable environmental damage,

loss of life, damage to national economy and suffering to the lives of

people. Such natural disasters may also lead to desertification of land.

Sea level rising: Atolls in the Pacific have been lost due to rising seas. The

sea level rise may also come along with the water shortages and droughts in

some areas. For example in PNG, Marshall, Samoa, and Fiji.

Invasive species: Invasive species are the second largest threat to global

biodiversity after habitat loss and a region wide challenge to biodiversity

loss.

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Q5.What are the impediments in tackling desertification?

Enumerate the efforts taken in India to tackle desertification



Efforts for Combating Desertification

India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and has submitted several National Reports to UNCCD, including the data of Desertification Atlas, detailing the steps taken to combat desertification.

In 2001, a National Action Programme to combat desertification was prepared. Other major programmes to address the issues of desertification and land degradation include:

Desert Development Programme. Integrated Watershed Management Programme which is now

subsumed under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana. National Mission on Green India which is a part of National Action

Plan on Climate Change. National Afforestation Programme. Soil Conservation in the Catchment of River Valley Projects and Flood

Prone Rivers. National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas. Fodder and Feed Development Scheme – a component of Grassland

Development including Grass Reserves Command Area Development and Management Programme.

Way Forward: More than two billion hectares of degraded land in various parts of

the world can be rehabilitated. The techniques include integrated farming, agro-forestry and farmer-

managed natural regeneration. Small community initiatives like the closure of degraded lands for

grazing, curtailing farming, growing fast-growing plants, raising tall trees that serve as a barrier against winds and sandstorms are very effective.

Further sustainable management of soil, water and biodiversity are required for protecting the land from further degradation.



SYNOPSIS

Intro

The Indian auto industry became the 4th largest in the world with sales

increasing 9.5 per cent year-on-year to 4.02 million units (excluding two

wheelers) in 2017. It was the 7th largest manufacturer of commercial

vehicles in 2018.

Body Part

The automotive industry is a pillar of Indian economy and a key

driver of macro-economic growth and technological advancement

It contributes 7.1% to the total GDP and provides employment to

about 32 million people, directly and indirectly

Strong domestic demand along with supportive Government

policies have led to the Indian automotive industry climbing up the

ranks to be one of the global leaders

India is the largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, three-wheelers

and tractors in the world

India is the fifth largest vehicle manufacturer overall

The sector will attract around USD 8-10 billion more in local and

foreign investment by 2023

Reasons for Slowdown

Rising fuel costs-due to rise in international crude oil prices

Reduced Rural Demand-due to Fragmented monsoons and crash in

farm prices dented rural sales

Investment cycle slowdown due to NBFC liquidity crisis, defaults

made by IL&FS.

Bank credit growth also slowed owing to rising NPA

Lack of cheaper funding options for their new vehicle buys

The insurance regulator increased the mandatory third-party cover

to three years for cars and five years for two-wheelers, thereby

pushing up the upfront cost when buying a vehicle. Stricter safety

norms also increased price of vehicles.

Hike in new-vehicle registration fee

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Q6.Explain the significance of automobile Industry to India.

What would be the causes for the recent slowdown? Bring out the

steps taken by government to improve the automobile sector



Government Initiatives

The Government of India encourages foreign investment in the

automobile sector and allows 100 per cent FDI under the automatic

route.

Some of the recent initiatives taken by the Government of India are

The government aims to develop India as a global manufacturing

centre and an R&D hub.

Under NATRiP, the Government of India is planning to set up

R&D centres at a total cost of US$ 388.5 million to enable the

industry to be on par with global standards

The Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India has

shortlisted 11 cities in the country for introduction of electric

vehicles (EVs) in their public transport systems under the FAME

(Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric

Vehicles in India) scheme. The government will also set up

incubation centre for start-ups working in electric vehicles space.

In February 2019, the Government of India approved the FAME-II

scheme with a fund requirement of Rs 10,000 crore (US$ 1.39

billion) for FY20-22.

Way Forward

The automobile industry is supported by various factors such as

availability of skilled labour at low cost, robust R&D centres and low cost

steel production. The industry also provides great opportunities for

investment and direct and indirect employment to skilled and unskilled

labour.






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Space to Add More Dimensions - Jatin Verma€¦ · Role played by NGO’s Environment promotion programme To carry out environment promotion programme through safe drinking water