Month: December 2022

Categories
Environment & Biodiversity

Greenwashing

  • To avoid the risk of “greenwashing,” the Reserve Bank’s Deputy Governor has called for a taxonomy on green finance.
  • Greenwashing is the practice of misleading the general public into believing that businesses, governments, or civic officials are doing more for the environment than they actually are.
  • This may entail making a product or policy appear more environmentally friendly or less harmful than it is.
  • Jay Westerveld, an environmentalist, coined the term in 1986.
  • The phenomenon emerged as consumers and regulators sought out more environmentally friendly, recyclable, and long-lasting ‘green’ products.
  • By 2015, 66% of consumers were willing to pay more for an environmentally sustainable product.

How is it done? 

  • The terms ‘net-zero,’ ‘net-zero aligned,’ ‘eco-friendly,’ ‘green,’ and ‘ecological’ are used interchangeably.
  • Such practices are common because there is no enforcement mechanism.

Why it happens 

  • Greenwashing is done primarily for a company to present itself as an ‘environmentally friendly’ entity or to maximize profits.
  • It is accomplished by introducing a product that addresses the inherent demand for environmentally friendly products.
  • In some cases, it is done with the larger idea as a premise to reduce certain operational logistics and provide consumer essentials.

Its relation with the financial sector

  • Ethical investing: Millennials and impact investors concerned with ‘ethical investing’ are increasingly interested in sustainable investing.
  • ESG credentials’ role: Regulators, shareholders, customers, and other stakeholders are expected to scrutinize a company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) credentials more closely.
  • Transition funding: Financial institutions are expected to fund the transition to renewable energy while discouraging investments in traditional energy sources such as coal, oil, and gas.

Policy moves in India

  • If the financial sector is to effectively respond to the demand for products that aim to bring about positive changes in the economy, ‘greenwashing’ must be avoided.
  • The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) established an advisory committee in May this year to investigate all ESG-related issues.

Key recommendations

  • The expert committee recommends that financial institutions cease all lending, underwriting, and investments in companies seeking to strengthen or expand their coal-related infrastructure immediately.
  • In the case of oil and gas, it recommends that all investments involving the exploration of new oil and gas fields, the expansion of existing reserves, and further production be halted.
  • Companies should instead encourage increased investment in renewable energy and institutions that are committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Way ahead

  • Companies must work to reduce emissions across their entire value chain rather than focusing on just one part of the chain.
  • They must not, under any circumstances, invest in the extraction of fossil fuels or engage in deforestation or other environmentally destructive activities.
  • In addition to this, companies cannot compensate for this investment by means of cheap credits, that “often lack integrity”.
  • Furthermore, all state and non-state actors must ensure a “just transition” that does not jeopardize livelihoods.
  • The committee also suggests a shift from voluntary disclosures (of net emissions) to regulatory standards.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/explained-what-is-greenwashing/article66120116.ece
Categories
Security Issues

Virtual Digital Assets (VDA) and Terror Financing

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ No Money for Terror conference concluded with a commitment from the 93 participating nations to end all financing of terror, including through the use of emerging digital technologies such as VDAs.

Problems regarding virtual digital assets

  • Concerns about the misuse of VDAs for illicit purposes necessitate careful legislative responses and forward-thinking regulatory safeguards.
  • On a fundamental level, these concerns stem from a lack of reporting and transparency norms, as well as a lack of international consensus on regulatory design.
  • Lack of reliable data: The Deputy Director of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) highlighted the difficulty in regulating VDAs due to a lack of reliable data on VDA transactions.
  • Unregulated transactions: This allows bad actors to engage in unchecked transactions and defraud investors, as demonstrated by FTX, one of the (formerly) largest VDA exchanges.

India’s role in regulating the VDA

  • Capitalizing on the G20 Presidency: As one of the highest-ranked countries in terms of VDA adoption, India now has a critical role to play in shaping the global regulatory environment.
  • Empowering anti-money laundering authorities: In the short term, a viable approach for India is to instil confidence in the industry and investors by giving anti-money laundering (AML) authorities visibility over VDA transactions, as well as the authority to impose controls and prosecute in the event of any misuse.
  • India should follow FATF guidelines: There are several international templates available for this purpose. The Financial Action Task Force Guidelines on Virtual Asset Transactions (FATF Guidelines), which have been adopted by a number of jurisdictions, including the EU, Japan, and Singapore, are an example.

FATFs Guideline regarding VDA regulation

  • Minimum anti-money laundering standards: The FATF prescribes minimum anti-money laundering standards that countries should follow in order to reduce the likelihood of misuse, and the FATF Guidelines do the same for VDA transactions.
  • VDA licencing and reporting: The Guidelines apply to VDA service providers in member countries such as India. The FATF Guidelines include licensing/registration requirements as well as extensive reporting and record-keeping requirements for VDA service providers.
  • Obligations under the Travel Rule: The Travel Rule requires service providers to record the originator and beneficiary’s account details, transaction amount, and transaction purpose for all wire transfers.
  • Verifying identity above a certain threshold: All transactions exceeding $1,000 should be subject to customer due diligence obligations, which include verifying the customer and beneficiary’s identities.
  • Obligation on service providers: When a transaction is with a higher-risk country, the FATF Guidelines require VDA service providers to perform enhanced due diligence obligations (such as confirming the customer’s identity with a national database or potentially tracing the customer’s IP address to ensure there are no links to illicit activities).

India’s current laws to regulate VDA

  • The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) includes a reporting obligation: India’s existing anti-money laundering framework, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), already applies these regulatory tools to traditional financial institutions. Notably, the PMLA includes reporting requirements for overseas transactions that are classified as “suspicious” under the framework.
  • VDAs are not covered by the PMLA: The PMLA currently does not apply to the VDA industry.
  • The government has the authority to notify any “designated business or profession” as a reporting entity under the PMLA and can issue a notification classifying VDA service providers as a designated business.

@the end

With the Digital Data Protection Bill and the Digital India Act already in the works, Indians and digital businesses will soon be able to operate within a consistent set of rights and responsibilities. The time has come to broaden regulatory oversight of the VDA industry in order to ensure that technological innovation occurs in a responsible and accountable manner.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/indias-g20-presidency-taking-the-lead-on-regulation-of-digital-assets-8339468/
Categories
Polity

Difficulties in Improving Judicial Infrastructure

With each new Chief Justice, India’s judicial infrastructure comes back into focus. Justice S.H. Kapadia was the first to propose a systematic plan in 2010 to examine the state of existing infrastructure and identify district judiciary’s future needs.

Judiciary’s attempt to upgrade judicial infrastructure

  • Magistrate infrastructure: Justice T.S. Thakur has publicly lamented the poor conditions in which magistrates work.
  • Vacancy in the district judiciary: After that, Justice Ranjan Gogoi successfully streamlined the process of filling vacancies in the district judiciary.
  • National judicial infrastructure authority: Justice N.V. Ramana proposed establishing a national judicial infrastructure authority, which was rejected.
  • Strengthening the district judiciary: We now have Justice D.Y. Chandrachud raising the issue of district judiciary strengthening.

Government of India’s attempt to upgrade judicial infrastructure

  • State contributions: Under the scheme, the Centre has earmarked funds with contributions from respective state governments in the ratio of 60:40 (90:10 for North-eastern states and union territories), as well as monitoring the progress of initiated projects.
  • There has been no significant improvement in the physical state of our district courts, despite the scheme spearheaded by the Ministry of Law and Justice, leaving successive Chief Justices to lament the state of affairs.
  • State contributions: Under the scheme, the Centre has earmarked funds with contributions from respective state governments in the ratio of 60:40 (90:10 for North-eastern states and union territories), as well as monitoring the progress of initiated projects.
  • There has been no significant improvement in the physical state of our district courts, despite the scheme spearheaded by the Ministry of Law and Justice, leaving successive Chief Justices to lament the state of affairs.

Reasons for non-progress in judicial Infrastructure

  • Non-utilization of funds: The majority of the funds allocated under the scheme go unused because states do not contribute their fair share, resulting in a lapse in annual budgetary allocation.
  • Consider this: a total of Rs 981.98 crore has been sanctioned for 2019-20. In the end, only Rs 84.9 crore was spent, leaving 91.36% of the funds unutilized. In 2020-21, Rajasthan came out on top by utilising Rs 41.28 crore of the sanctioned Rs 594.36 crore, but significant funds lapsed due to non-utilisation.
  • No single owner of the scheme: There is no single owner of the scheme. The lack of a single coordinating agency prevents its successful implementation. In its current form, the CSS envisions separate state- and central-level monitoring committees.
  • No representation of the judiciary in central committees: There is no representation of the judiciary as an institution in the central committee. As a result, the ultimate beneficiary of the scheme is excluded from the entire process.
  • Lack of planning: Failure to plan for the future has consequences. At the moment, the central scheme has no plans to meet future demands. As a result, there is no discussion about the foreseeable workload of district courts in the next 10-20 years.
  • There will be no single agency in charge of implementing: The lack of a single agency makes it impossible to achieve both short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals, such as building courtrooms for existing judicial strength rather than sanctioned strength, record rooms, computer service rooms, and so on, suffer in the absence of a single agency that can track progress on planned initiatives and nudge stakeholders into action.

Way forward

  • A single dedicated institution, as proposed by Justice Ramana, would ensure that when states submit action plans for upgrading/establishing judicial infrastructure, they also deposit their share of funds with the authority.
  • Working with state governments: While the actual work will be done in collaboration with the states, it will ensure that one agency is in charge of setting goals and achieving them.

@the end

Justice is the foundation of a healthy society and a just nation. India cannot progress to economic prosperity unless its judiciary is improved. Upgrading judicial infrastructure should be a top priority for both the judiciary and the government.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/cji-ramana-rues-ad-hoc-unplanned-improvement-and-maintenance-of-judicial-infrastructure/article37136774.ece
Categories
Economics

Formal Employment as India’s Path to Prosperity

It is difficult to achieve widespread prosperity for large populations. India’s large remittances from a small population abroad, as well as the employability of the IT sector, reinforce that our mass prosperity strategy should focus on human capital and formal jobs.

Why is human capital formation such a powerful tool for mass prosperity?

  • Disproportionate contribution of IT employees: Our software employment makes a strong case for human capital-driven productivity — 0.8% of workers generate 8% of GDP.
  • Remittances by NRIs: Remittances from our overseas population, which accounts for less than 2% of our resident population, exceeded $100 billion last year.
  • Shift towards formal employment: According to a World Bank report, the qualitative shift in the previous five years from low-skilled, informal employment in Gulf countries (which fell from 54% to 28%) to high-skilled formal jobs in high-income countries (which increased from 26% to 36%) has been significant.
  • Our rich forex remittance harvest is roughly 25% higher than FDI and 25% less than software exports, and it is fruit from the tree of human capital and formal jobs.

Limitations of Fiscal and monetary policy

  • The availability of credit is a bigger issue: Monetary policy is, at best, a placebo, painkiller, or steroid, especially in India, where credit availability is more of a problem than credit cost.
  • The source of finance is more important than the expenditure: Global experience indicates that where governments spend money (pensions, interest, salaries, education, healthcare, roads, etc.) and how this spending is financed (taxes or debt) is more important than how much is spent (about Rs 80 lakh crore in India this year).
  • Covid made enormous fiscal and monetary policy demands, but the bigger the binge, the bigger the hangover. Western central banks are struggling to shrink their balance sheets because they used “unelected power” to pursue goals outside their mandate, administer medicine with unknown side effects, and speed down highways with no known return paths, according to Harvard’s Paul Tucker.
  • India escaped the fiscal and monetary quagmire: Borrowing rates in rich countries have risen by more than 300 percent, and inflation disproportionately affects the poor. These fiscal and monetary policy excesses were avoided by India. This prudence is now being combined with previous structural reforms (GST, IBC, MPC, UPI, DBT, NEP, and so on) and a “tone from the top” reform to create a fertile habitat for productive citizens and firms.

Strategy in next fiscal year for employment generation

  • Targeting job creation: The Finance Bill must prioritise productivity and continuity by enacting previously proposed human capital and formal job reforms.
  • The NEP should be implemented within five years: It should shorten the 15-year implementation glide path for the powerful National Education Policy 2020 to five years.
  • Eliminating licencing requirements: It should eliminate separate licencing requirements for online degrees and allow all of our 1,000-plus accredited universities to freely launch online learning.
  • Accelerating apprentices: The Apprentices Act should allow all universities to launch degree apprentice courses under tripartite contracts with employers, allowing us to increase our 0.5 million apprentices to 10 million.

What other steps can be taken through the next budget?

  • Notify labour code: It should notify the four labour codes for all central-list industries, as well as appoint a tripartite committee to converge them into a single labour code by the next budget.
  • Universal business number: It should continue EODB reforms by designating the PAN number of each enterprise as its Universal Enterprise Number.
  • Get rid of the factory act: It should look into manufacturing jobs by repealing the Factories Act, which accounts for 8,000 of the 26,000+ criminal provisions in employer compliance, and requiring all employers to comply with each state’s Shops and Establishment Act (like Infosys, TCS, and IBM India do).
  • Ensure better employer compliance: It should establish a non-profit corporation (similar to NPCI in payments) to run an API-driven National Employer Compliance Grid, allowing central ministries and state governments to rationalise, digitise, and decriminalise their employer compliances.
  • Making EPFO contributions optional: Making employee provident fund contributions optional while increasing employer PF contributions from 12% to 13%. It should notify employees of a previous budget announcement in order to give them the option of contributing to health insurance (ESIC or insurance companies) and pensions (EPFO or NPS).
  • Subsidy to high-paying employers: Most importantly, it should tie all employer subsidies and tax breaks to the creation of high-wage jobs (a difficult-to-fudge and easy-to-measure effectiveness metric for this public spending is employer provident fund payment).

@the end

Experience and evidence now strongly suggest that anchoring our strategy in human capital and formal jobs rather than fiscal or monetary policy raises the odds of mass prosperity in the world’s most populous nation from possible to probable.

Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/view-indias-prosperity-depends-on-reducing-its-50-self-employment/articleshow/62964222.cms?from=mdr
Categories
Economics

Genetically Modified Crops and Transgenic Technology Require Caution

The Supreme Court’s Technical Expert Committee, as well as two unanimous reports from multi-party parliamentary standing committees, have recommended that genetically modified (GM) herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops be prohibited in India.

Why transgenic technology is troublesome?

  • Uncontrollable and irreversible: Unlike other technologies, transgenic technology is uncontrollable and irreversible once released into the environment.
  • Self-propagation and proliferation: Living Modified Organisms (LMOs), as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are referred to in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, propagate and proliferate.
  • Long-term evaluation is required: This process cannot be reversed. As a result, any deliberate environmental release must be preceded by a thorough, independent, peer-reviewed assessment of the long-term implications.
  • Precaution is required: Because of the unpredictability and time lag of serious outcomes manifesting in highly complex living systems, as well as their irreversibility, the precautionary principle is a cornerstone. To use an analogy, not a single one of India’s 330 invasive species (such as lantana and parthenium) has been eradicated, despite an estimated Rs 8.3 trillion in damage caused by just ten of them!

Reality check on GM crops

  • Fewer countries adopted GM technology: More than 25 years after their introduction, GM crops are still grown in only 29 of 172 countries worldwide. Furthermore, 91% of GM crop area is still concentrated in just five countries (USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, India).
  • BT cotton demand is declining: Most European and Japanese countries, as well as Israel, Russia, and Malaysia, do not grow GM crops. Bt cotton area has been declining in China, a first adopter, and non-GM hybrid technology is used for rapeseed/mustard.
  • Over 85 percent of GM crops grown have only two traits: herbicide tolerance (HT, where crop plants are modified to withstand large amounts of toxic weed-killing chemicals), and/or insect resistance (pesticidal toxin, usually Bt, is produced inside the plant).

Harmful impact of HT crops

  • Ecological damage: HT crops cause both ecological and human health problems for consumers. Once declared safe, the effects, like tobacco, take time to manifest.
  • Honey production will be harmed: According to beekeepers, HT mustard will harm honey production, and contaminated honey will harm exports.
  • Human health will be affected: Independent research on GM crops and associated herbicides, which were once claimed to be “safe” by developers and regulators, has documented probable carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity, reproductive health problems, organ damage, and so on.
  • Campaign against the release of GM crops: Over 100 eminent Indian doctors have expressed their concerns, requesting that no HT food crops be released and that the planted GM mustard be uprooted before flowering, as thousands of doctors have done in other countries.

Issues with DMH-11 Mustard crop

  • Mustard is not an HT crop, according to the proponent: It is claimed that DMH-11 is not an HT crop because the use of the Bar gene, which confers a herbicide tolerance trait, is primarily for pollination control technology in creating hybrids, and glufosinate herbicide will be used only during seed production.
  • Opponent claims it is an HT crop: The reality is that because the Bar gene is present in both parental lines, and thus in all of their hybrid offspring, this GM mustard can withstand application of a toxic weedkiller, glufosinate, even in farmers’ fields. As a result, it should have been evaluated as an HT crop.
  • Government failed to prevent illegal use of HT cotton: If governments have been aware of illegal planting of herbicide tolerant cotton and rampant illegal use of glyphosate on such HT cotton for more than ten years and have been unable or unwilling to stop it, what “regulatory process” will now prevent farmers looking for low-cost weeding options from spraying glufosinate on herbicide tolerant mustard?

Observations of SC and parliamentary Committee

  • Lack of regulatory protocol: The ongoing Supreme Court cases concern serious flaws in our regulatory regime. Minutes of GEAC meetings and the “guidelines and protocols” section of the regulator’s website show a lack of regulatory protocols for HT crops.
  • Inadequate bio testing: Despite this, a crop containing an HT trait is being released into the environment! The SC-appointed technical expert committee (TEC) and the unanimous multi-party reports of two parliamentary standing committees have revealed serious flaws and deficiencies in bio-safety testing.
  • Against the release of genetically modified crops: They all agreed that herbicide-tolerant crops, such as GM Mustard, should not be released in Indian conditions.
  • The ban was recommended by a government panel: Even the TEC’s government-appointed experts advocated for a ban on HT crops. The government cannot possibly call them unscientific.
  • No independent testing participant: Testing on GM mustard was conducted using test protocols developed by the crop developer, with the applicant performing the majority of the tests. The committees that investigated the safety of GM mustard included no independent health experts.
  • No biosafety data: Biosafety data for GM mustard has yet to be posted on the regulator’s website for independent review.

@the end

GM crop transgenic technology is fraught with complications. The government must strike a balance between biodiversity concerns and farmer welfare. Without credible data and scrutiny, an outright ban or permission must be avoided.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/seeds-of-hope-the-hindu-editorial-on-gm-crops-and-scientific-consent/article66087013.ece
Categories
Art & Culture Science & Tech

World Ayurveda Congress: Integrating Traditional and Modern Medicine

While speaking at the World Ayurveda Congress 2022 (WAC) earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the recent growth of traditional medicine (TM), particularly Ayurveda. Noting the lag in evidence despite considerable research, he gave a clarion call “to bring together medical data, research, and journals and verify claims (benefit) using modern science parameters”.

About World Ayurveda Congress (WAC)

  • The World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) is a platform established by the World Ayurveda Foundation to spread Ayurveda in its true sense around the world.
  • Platform for bringing together various stakeholders in medicine: The World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) is a forum for Ayurvedic practitioners, medicine manufacturers, enthusiasts, and academics to network.
  • What is the mandate? The World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) & Arogya Expo tracks progress, initiates missions, and collects feedback.

World Ayurveda Congress (WAC), 2022

  • 9th edition of WAC held at Panjim, Goa: The 9th edition of World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) & Arogya Expo was organized at PANJIM, GOA.
  • Organized by the Ministry of AYSUSH on the basis of the whole-government approach (WGA): The WAC on the ‘Whole Government Approach’ (WGA) organised by the Ministry of AYUSH to foster and strengthen the research ecosystem for AYUSH systems.
  • WSA: The WGA concept is consistent with the “Whole System Approach” (WSA). WSA entails the integrated and network participation of multiple stakeholders (including patients and the community) in order to achieve better solutions (treatment outcomes) in a difficult and complex situation. In the current context, IM is an important component of WSA.Participation: More than 40 countries and all Indian states actively participated in the event.
  • PM’s vision: To transform the country’s healthcare system and create a healthy society, it is necessary to think holistically and integrate Traditional Medicine (TM) and modern medicine systems (MM).

World Ayurveda Foundation (WAF)

  • WAF’s mission: WAF is a 2011 initiative founded by Vijnana Bharati aimed at global Ayurvedic propagation.
  • Objective and fundamental principle: The core principles of WAF’s objectives are global scope, propagation, and encouragement of all scientific and Ayurvedic activities.
  • Areas of Concentration: The broad latitudes of focus at WAF are research support, health-care programmes through camps, clinics, and sanatoriums, documentation, organisation of study groups, seminars, exhibitions, and knowledge initiatives to popularise Ayurveda in the far corners of the world.

Traditional Medicine

  • According to WHO: The WHO describes traditional medicine as the total sum of the “knowledge, skills and practises indigenous and different cultures have used over time to maintain health and prevent, diagnose and treat physical and mental illness”.
  • The culmination of several ancient practises: Its scope includes both ancient and modern practises such as acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, and herbal mixtures.
  • Traditional medicine is used by the following percentage of people: According to WHO estimates, traditional medicine is used by 80% of the world’s population.

Traditional medicine in India

  • It is frequently defined as including practises and therapies such as Yoga, Ayurveda, and Siddha that have historically been part of Indian tradition, as well as others such as homoeopathy that have become part of Indian tradition over time.
  • Ayurveda and yoga are widely practised throughout the country.
  • The Siddha system is primarily practised in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
  • The Sowa-Rigpa System is primarily practised in Leh-Ladakh and other Himalayan regions such as Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling, Lahaul, and Spiti.

How can TM modalities (such as Ayurveda or homoeopathy) scientifically align with MM to produce better results?

  • A newly established Department of IM in NIMHANS has continued to show remarkable success in treating difficult neurological diseases with a team of Ayurvedic and MM physicians and a carefully planned and monitored IM strategy.
  • CRD initiatives: The Centre for Rheumatic Diseases (CRD) model of modern rheumatology includes critical elements of TM and Ayurveda, which have shown unequivocal evidence in CRD research projects.
  • Based on other protocols, evaluate: Several controlled protocols-based evaluations of standardised Ayurvedic drugs and other TM modalities (such as diet, exercise, yoga, and counselling) in arthritis patients were completed, often in conjunction with MM.
  • Long-term clinical improvement in patients with active Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): RA is a crippling lifelong autoimmune condition that is mostly seen in women and is widely acknowledged as difficult to treat. Over several years, supervised and monitored IM intervention (including Ayurvedic drugs) demonstrated consistently superior and sustained clinical improvement in patients with active RA.

Relationship between AYUSH and Modern medicines

  • Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, Siddha, and other TM are examples of AYUSH systems.
  • AYUSH systems and MM appear to differ dramatically in several ways.
  • Modern scientific research in Ayurveda frequently contradicts classical Ayurveda.
  • Unlike MM, TM is based on a personalised approach. MM is primarily a reductionist.
  • AYUSH’s ambitious futuristic TM and IM programme is well-intended and headed in the right direction.

@the end

TM and Ayurveda must adapt to the new world order, which has recently changed dramatically. It is reasonable to expect that MM and TM will continue to be used to treat a variety of medical disorders and altered health states in their current form. However, evidence-based medicine will be the new mantra. Furthermore, informed and empowered patients and people will continue to make sound decisions.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/nmc-bats-for-integration-of-modern-medicine-with-ayush/article65918077.ece
Categories
Economics

Millet-only lunch in Parliament

PM Modi, along with fellow parliamentarians from all parties, enjoyed a sumptuous lunch featuring millets to raise awareness and prepare for 2023.

News

  • The United Nations has designated 2023 as the “International Year of Millets,” following a proposal from India in 2019.

Millets

  • Sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), foxtail millet (kangni), little millet (kutki), kodo millet, finger millet (ragi/ mandua), proso millet (cheena/ common millet), barnyard millet (sawa/ sanwa/ jhangora), and brown top millet are all small grain cereals (korale).
  • They were among the first domesticated crops.
  • Millets were consumed in the Indus-Sarasvati civilisation, according to evidence (3,300 to 1300 BCE).
  • Several varieties that are now grown all over the world originated in India.
  • Indigenous varieties of the crop can also be found in West Africa, China, and Japan.

Cultivation of millets

  • Millets are now grown in over 130 countries and are the traditional food of over a billion people in Asia and Africa.
  • Sorghum (jowar) is the most important millet crop worldwide.
  • The United States, China, Australia, India, Argentina, Nigeria, and Sudan are the top jowar producers.
  • Another important millet crop is bajra, which is grown primarily in India and some African countries.

Millets in India

  • Millets are primarily a kharif crop in India.
  • According to Agriculture Ministry data, three millet crops accounted for roughly 7% of the country’s gross cropped area in 2018-19: bajra (3.67%), jowar (2.13%), and ragi (0.48%).

(1) Jowar

  • Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh are the primary growing states for jowar.
  • In 2020-21, the jowar area was 4.24 million hectares, with a production of 4.78 million tonnes.
  • During 2020-21, Maharashtra had the largest area (1.94 million ha) and production (1.76 million tonnes) of jowar.

(2) Bajra

  • Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka are the primary growing states for bajra.
  • Rajasthan had the most bajra land (4.32 million ha) out of the total 7.75 million ha in 2020-21.
  • In 2020-21, the state produced the most bajra in the country (4.53 million tonnes out of a total of 10.86 million tonnes).
  • Millets were consumed primarily in the following states: Gujarat (jowar and bajra), Karnataka (jowar and ragi), Maharashtra (jowar and bajra), Rajasthan (bajra), and Uttarakhand (ragi).

Advantages of Millets

  • Millets are environmentally friendly crops because they require significantly less water than rice and wheat and can be grown in rainfed areas without additional irrigation.
  • Wheat and rice have the lowest green water footprints but the highest blue water footprints, while millets are the polar opposite. The term “green water footprint” refers to water derived from precipitation, whereas “blue water” refers to water derived from land sources.
  • Highly nutritious: The Agriculture Ministry designated certain millets as “Nutri Cereals” for production, consumption, and trade.
  • Millets contain 7-12% protein, 2-5% fat, 65-75% carbohydrates, and 15-20% dietary fibre. Small millets contain more nutrients than fine cereals. They contain more protein, fat, and fibre.
Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/agriculture-minister-to-host-millet-only-lunch-for-mps-pm-modi-to-attend-11671447918116.html
Categories
Economics

Anti-dumping duty on Indonesian viscose fibre

The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has recommended that anti-dumping duties (ADD) be levied on viscose staple fibre imported from Indonesia.

Dumping

  • Dumping is the process by which a company exports a product at a significantly lower price than it normally charges in its home (or domestic) market.
  • This is an unfair trade practise that has the potential to distort international trade.
  • Anti-dumping is a trade distorting measure used to correct the situation caused by dumping of goods.

Anti-Dumping Duty

  • An anti-dumping duty is a protectionist tariff imposed by a domestic government on foreign imports that it believes are underpriced.
  • Many countries impose duties on products they believe are being dumped in their domestic market in order to protect their respective economies.
  • In reality, anti-dumping is a tool for ensuring fair trade, not a form of protection for domestic industry.
  • Such ‘dumped’ goods have the potential to undercut local businesses and the economy.
  • Anti-dumping duties protect domestic industries from the harm caused by dumping.

Mechanism in India

  • The anti-dumping duty, whether provisional or final, is recommended by the Department of Commerce.
  • Within three months, the Department of Revenue in the Finance Ministry acts on the recommendation and imposes such duties.

WTO and Anti-Dumping Duties

  • The World Trade Organization (WTO) enforces a set of international trade rules, including the international regulation of anti-dumping measures.
  • It does NOT intervene in the activities of dumping companies.
  • Instead, it focuses on how governments can—or cannot—respond to dumping.
  • In general, the World Trade Organization agreement allows governments to take action against dumping if it causes or threatens material harm to an established domestic industry.

Problems with such duties

  • Anti-dumping duties may cause market distortions.
  • Governments cannot normally determine what constitutes a fair market price for any good or service in a free market.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/business/dgtr-recommends-anti-dumping-duty-on-viscose-fibre-from-indonesia/article66289616.ece
Categories
Art & Culture Culture of India

Dhokra Art of West Bengal

  • The art of Dhokra, named after a nomadic tribe called ‘Dhokra Damar,’ was originally found in the region from Bankura to Dariapur in Bengal, as well as across the metal-rich regions of Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
  • It is still practised today in the tribal belt of modern-day Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana.
  • The Dhokra artists begin by creating a wax model, which is then replaced with molten metal, either brass or bronze, via a lost-wax metal cast.

Dhokra

  • Dhokra is a metal cast art form that employs the age-old lost-wax casting technique.
  • This art is said to be the first of its kind to use non-ferrous metals such as copper and its alloys such as brass (a mix of zinc and copper) or bronze (tin and copper) that do not contain iron.
  • It employs the annealing process, in which a metal is heated to extremely high temperatures and then allowed to cool slowly.
  • The casting is done in two ways: the traditional hollow-casting method and solid casting. Telangana uses solid casting, whereas Central and Eastern India uses hollow casting.

Symbolism of Dhokra

  • Dhokra, which has its origins in ancient civilisations, represents a primitive lifestyle and people’s beliefs dating back to the age of hunting.
  • This is why elephants, owls, horses, and tortoises are frequently depicted in Dhokra art.
  • The elephant represents wisdom and masculinity; the horse represents motion; the owl represents prosperity and death; and the tortoise represents femininity.
  • These iconic symbols have stories in Hindu mythology as well.
  • The world is thought to be supported by four elephants standing on the shell of a tortoise.
  • The tortoise, regarded as Lord Vishnu’s avatar, carries the world on his back, supporting the earth and the sea. 
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/bengal-village-lalbazar-a-hub-for-dokra-metalcraft-basks-in-the-lustre-of-metal/article66288504.ece
Categories
Environment & Biodiversity

Three more sites added to UNESCO’s preliminary list of World Heritage Sites

The tentative list of UNCESO World Heritage Sites now includes Gujarat’s Vadnagar town, the iconic Sun Temple at Modhera, and the rock cut sculptures of Unakoti in Tripura.

UNESCO tentative list

  • The UNESCO preliminary list is an inventory of the properties that each State Party intends to nominate.
  • With the addition of these three sites, India now has 52 sites on the UNESCO Tentative List.

The sites

(1) Sun Temple, Modhera

  • The Modhera Sun Temple is situated on the left bank of the river Pushpavati, a tributary of the river Rupan, in the Becharaji taluka of Mehsana district.
  • According to the temple description, it was built in the Maru-gurjara architectural style and consists of the main temple shrine (garbhagriha), a hall (gadhamandapa), an outer hall or assembly hall (Sabhamandapa or rangamandapa), and a sacred pool (Kunda), which is now known as Ramakunda.
  • This temple faces east and is made of bright yellow sandstone.
  • It is the first of such temples to set architectural and decorative trends, exemplifying the Solanki style at its best.

(2) Vadnagar

  • Vadnagar is a historic town that has been inhabited for over 2,700 years.
  • Vadnagar’s history dates back to nearly the eighth century BCE, making it a multi-layered historic town.
  • The town still has a large number of historic buildings, the majority of which are religious or residential in nature.
  • It has an early historic fortified settlement, a hinterland port, a centre for shell and bead industries, a late mediaeval town, a religious center/temple town, a significant junction on trade routes, and a mercantile town.
  • Ramparts from the second century BCE, fortifications along the lake from the third to fourth centuries CE, Indo-Pacific glass beads and marine shells discovered, and palaeo-seismic evidence all point to the town’s historical authenticity.

(3) Unakoti

  • Unakoti, in Tripura’s northeastern region, is known as an ancient holy place associated with Shaiva worship.
  • It is dubbed the “Angkor Wat of the North-East.”
  • The structures of the rock-cut sculptures are massive, with distinct mongoloid features and almost the same mystical charm as the spellbinding figures in Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple.

UNESCO World Heritage Committee

  • The World Heritage Committee chooses which sites will be included on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.
  • It monitors the state of conservation of World Heritage properties, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund, and distributes financial assistance to States Parties who request it.
  • It is made up of 21 states parties who are elected for four years by the General Assembly of States Parties.
  • This Committee does not include India.
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