Question : Q. How nutritional deficiency needs to be tackled? Discuss with ongoing initiatives and suggested improvements.


Decode the Question:

• Start with presenting some data about the malnutrition status of India. 
• Discuss some ongoing initiatives associated with Nutritional deficiency such as POSHAN Abhiyaan,  Mid-Day Meal Scheme etc.
• Suggest some measures to improve Nutritional deficiency.
• Provide a suitable conclusion.

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• The Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition or POSHAN Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission (NNM) has the objective of reducing malnutrition in women, children and adolescent girls.
• The Ministry of Women and Child (MWCD) is the nodal Ministry implementing the NNM. The programme through the targets will strive to reduce the level of stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight babies.
• It will create synergy, ensure better monitoring, issue alerts for timely action, and encourage States/UTs to perform, guide and supervise the line Ministries and States/UTs to achieve the targeted goals. POSHAN Abhiyaan (now referred as POSHAN 2.0) rightly places a special emphasis on selected high impact essential nutrition interventions, combined with nutrition-sensitive interventions, which indirectly impact mother, infant and young child nutrition, such as improving coverage of maternal-child health services, enhancing women empowerment, availability, and access to improved water, sanitation, and hygiene and enhancing homestead food production for a diversified diet.

• Data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 2019-21, as compared to NFHS-4 2015-16, reveals that the country has not progressed well in terms of direct nutrition interventions.
• India has 20% to 30% undernutrition even in the first six months of life when exclusive breastfeeding is the only nourishment required. Despite a policy on infant and young child feeding, and a ban on sale of commercial milk for infant feeding, there has only been a marginal improvement in the practice of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). Child undernutrition in the first three months remains high.
• Creating awareness on EBF, promoting the technique of appropriate holding, latching and manually emptying the breast are crucial for the optimal transfer of breast milk to a baby.
• Recent evidence from the Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA), IIT Mumbai team indicates that well-planned breastfeeding counselling given to pregnant women during antenatal checkup prior to delivery and in follow up frequent home visits makes a significant difference. The daily weight gain of a baby was noted to average 30 to 35 grams per day and underweight prevalence rate reduced by almost two thirds.

• Pulses are a major contributor to address protein hunger. The Mid-Day Meal Scheme aims to enhance the nutrition of school children by providing a balanced diet in schools.

• The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) is implementing a Sub-Mission on Nutri-Cereals (Millets) under National Food Security Mission (NFSM). The Millets are a rich source of Protein, Fibre, Minerals, Iron, Calcium and have a low glycemic index.

Awareness at the right time with the right tools and techniques: Need to create an awareness at the right time with the right tools and techniques regarding special care in the first 1,000 days deserves very high priority. We must act now and invest finances and energy in a mission mode.

• Overhauling POSHAN 2.0 flows: There is a pressing need to revisit the system spearheading POSHAN 2.0 and overhaul it to remove any flaws in its implementation.
• Revisiting Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS): There is a need to revisit the nodal system for nutrition programme existing since 1975, the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) under the Ministry of Women and Child and examine whether it is the right system for reaching mother-child in the first 1000 days of life.
• Nutrition orientation of Public Distribution (PDS): There is also a need to explore whether there is an alternative way to distribute the ICDS supplied supplementary nutrition as Take- Home Ration packets through the Public Distribution (PDS).
• Empowering the anganwadi workers: free the anganwadi workers of the ICDS to undertake timely counselling on appropriate maternal and child feeding practices.
• Develop integrated system: There is a need to systematically review the status and develop and test a new system that would combine the human resource of ICDS and health from village to the district and State levels. This would address the mismatch that exists on focussing on delivery of services in the first 1000 days of life for preventing child undernutrition by having an effective accountable system.

It is time to think out of the box and overcome systemic flaws and our dependence on the antiquated system of the 1970s that is slowing down the processes. Moreover, mass media or TV shows could organise discourses on care in the first 1,000 days to reach mothers outside the public health system.
Governance can be termed ‘good’ only when it banishes hunger and starvation.
The poor must also be valued like the rest of the population since attaching less value to their lives is one unstated reason why their nutritional needs are not taken care of as they should be.
The dream of a New India cannot be built on a large population of children and mothers deprived of nutritional sufficiency.

Question : Q. What is the rationale behind recent wheat and food products export bans? How does it affect inflation globally and within the domestic economy?


Decode the Question:

• Start with the recent developments world wide that have an impact on food supply. 
• Discuss the rationale behind recent export bans by taking the case of India’s wheat ban.
• Discuss the relationship of these export bans with inflation.
• Provide a suitable conclusion by citing negative impacts of such bans.

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• Food security: soaring global wheat prices have put pressure on food security, not only in India, but also in neighbouring and vulnerable nations.
• Buffer stock: Because of the sharp rise in global prices, some farmers were selling to traders and not to the government. This got the government worried about its buffer stock of almost 20 million tonnes -- depleted by the pandemic -- needed for handouts to millions of poor families and to avert any possible famine.
• Taming Inflation: The rising inflation also prompted this step. The WholeSale Price Index (WPI) in India has moved up from 2.26 per cent at the start of 2022 to 14.55 now. Retail inflation, too, hit an eight-year high of 7.79 per cent in April, driven by rising food and fuel prices.
• Decrease in Production: India put this ban in the wake of an extraordinary heat wave that had severely damaged the domestic wheat harvest.

Question : Q. In the context of decarbonizing the economy, discuss the importance of the National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage.


Decode the Question:

• In Introduction,  recent developments regarding decarbonizing the economy should be discussed. 
• Discuss the importance of the National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage.
• Provide a suitable conclusion. 

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• Promotion to Electric vehicles in India: The Mission will provide mobility solutions that will bring in significant benefits to the Electric vehicle industry, economy and country. The Mission will recommend and drive the strategies for transformative mobility and Phased Manufacturing Programmes for Electric Vehicles, EV Components and Batteries.
• Solution to Air Pollution in Cities: This mission will help in improving air quality in cities.
• Reducing oil import dependence: It will help in reducing India’s oil import dependence and enhance the uptake of renewable energy and storage solutions.
• Development of domestic manufacturing ecosystem: The Mission will lay down the strategy and roadmap which will enable India to leverage upon its size and scale to develop a competitive domestic manufacturing ecosystem for electric mobility.
• Improve quality of life: It will deliver societal and environmental benefits that will improve quality of life for citizens.
• Employment generation: It will also provide employment opportunities through ‘Make-in-India’ across a range of skills.

Question : Q. Problem in poverty reduction is also due to the lack of its measurement data. Discuss some approaches to measure poverty in India.

• Start with defining poverty and parameters used to measure poverty. 
• Discuss the lack of measurement data and poverty reduction relation.
• Discuss  various committees and approaches for poverty measurement in India.
• Provide a suitable conclusion.

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• Working Group (1962):  A nine-member working group set up by the Planning Commission proposed the poverty line at Rs 20 per capita per month in the early Sixties, loosely ensuring the adequacy of minimum requirements.
• Study by VM Dandekar and N Rath (1971): They went into detail about minimum calorie needs, based on the average consumption pattern. They made the first systematic assessment of poverty in India, based on National Sample Survey (NSS) data.
• Alagh Committee (1979): It determined a poverty line based on a minimum daily requirement of 2400 and 2100 calories for an adult in Rural and Urban areas respectively.
• Lakdawala Expert Group (1993): It did not redefine the poverty line and retained the separate rural and urban poverty lines recommended by the Alagh Committee at the national level based on minimum nutritional requirements. However, it disaggregated them into state-specific poverty lines in order to reflect the inter-state price differentials.
• Tendulkar Expert Group (2009): The Tendulkar Committee formally announced delinking of nutritional norms from poverty in 2010.
• Rangrajan Committee (2014): It recommended separate consumption baskets for rural and urban areas which include food items that ensure recommended calorie, protein & fat intake and non-food items like clothing, education, health, housing and transport. This committee raised the daily per capita expenditure to Rs 47 for urban and Rs 32 for rural from Rs 32 and Rs 26 respectively at 2011-12 prices.

• Incidence of poverty is estimated by the Planning Commission on the basis of the large sample surveys on household consumer expenditure conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) on a quinquennial basis.
• The NSSO regularly conducts surveys on household consumer expenditure, in which households are asked about their consumption of the last 30 days and is taken as the representative of general consumption. This was considered a much better data to estimate the incidence of poverty at national and sub-national levels by adjusting for inter-state and inter-region differences in price changes over time.

• Poverty measures compare people in a society, in order to assess the extent of unacceptable disadvantages that exist. Yet any poverty measure is itself imperfect. Imperfections stem primarily from two factors: data limitations and the diversity of human lives being assessed more so in a vast country like India.
• Poverty lines have to be recalibrated depending on changes in income, consumption patterns and prices. In India, poverty measurement has repeatedly led to contentious debates on the poverty line.
• Despite these shortcomings, conceptually having a poverty line and related poverty estimates help to concentrate the public policy discourse around an agreed set of numbers as well as to track the progress in combating poverty.

Question :

• Start with the need for defence reforms by citing current developments and controversies.
• Discuss the recent major defence reforms .
• Discuss the significance of defence reforms in the context of the recently rolled out Agnipath initiative and defence modernization.
• Provide a suitable conclusion by mentioning the recommendations/suggestions of previous defence committees/task forces.

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• Streamlining of structures and processes: The silo-driven approach to defence planning has resulted in the lack of an integrated view. The three services, as well as the civilian and defence agencies, are often seen to be working at cross purposes. The CDS and Agnipath Schemes seems streamlining of structures and processes of defence forces.
• Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs):  A key step that the CDS has to undertake is encouraging the establishment of Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs), which are essentially joint combatant commands. Commanders of ITCs can bring about efficiency if they have operational and some budgetary control over the forces under their command. One of the most vital changes that may come about, though, would be how the three arms of the Indian military operate with one another, not as individual services, but as the armed forces of the Union.
• Decrease the average age profile of armed forces personnel: the “Agnipath” scheme is expected to decrease the average age profile of armed forces personnel from the current 32 years to 24-26 years over a period of time.
• Help in modernising the mass versus machine ratios: All major world militaries — the U.S., France, China, Russia and others — have undertaken reforms to modernise the mass versus machine ratios, which is a key pillar of modern warfare. The “Agnipath” scheme will be a step in this direction.
• “Future-ready” Force: A youthful armed forces will allow them to be easily trained for new technologies. The “Agnipath” scheme will be a step in this direction.
• Reduce the defence budget: The armed forces’ growing pension bill has been a major concern for the Defence Ministry. Total budget allocation for defence for 2022-23 is ₹5.25 lakh crore, of which revenue allocation is ₹2.33 lakh crore, capital allocation is ₹1.52 lakh crore, and defence pensions add up to ₹1.19 lakh crore. Agnipath scheme is a way out to reduce the defence budget.
• Higher skilled workforce: the skills and experience acquired during the four-year service,  Agniveers will get employment in various fields.
• Employment Opportunities: opportunities for youth to serve in the armed forces will increase after the “Agnipath'' scheme. In the coming years, recruitment of Agniveers will be around triple of the current recruitment in the armed forces.
• Excellence in Mobilisation:  The undertaking of mobilisation cannot be considered as a peaceful act. On the contrary, it represents the most decisive act of war. Recent Indo-China conflict arose the question of early mobilisation and younger armed forces can be the solution for this. Agnipath scheme seems a good step.

• Kargil Review Committee (KRC) recommended, stating, “the Army must be young and fit at all times. In 2000, a Group of Ministers (GOM) endorsed the KRC’s recommendation stating that, “in order to ensure that the armed forces are at their fighting best at all times, there is a need to ensure a younger profile of the services.”. 
• The Naresh Chandra Task Force on National Security set up by the UPA government in 2011 also addressed this issue.  Thus, the Agniveer recruitment reform must be contextualised in the backdrop of the larger canvas of defence reforms that include the appointment of a CDS, a reorganisation of the armed forces into theatre commands to promote jointness and synergy.
• The future of warfare entails a lighter human footprint, but soldiers equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry, supported by cutting-edge technology to fight a war in a highly informationised environment.
• This recruitment reform would help in right sizing the armed forces provided it gets dovetailed into the imperatives of fifth generation warfare. “All India, all class” recruitment to the services may lead to the erosion of the loyalty that a soldier has for his regiment. Doubts about training and permanent job status questions should be dealt with greater caution for better implementation of Agnipath scheme.

Question : Q. Digitisation and outsourcing in higher education have its own set of challenges. Examine if the pre-pandemic approach needs full replacement in higher education.

Decode the Question:

• Start with explaining ‘hire education’ trends in higher education.
• Discuss the challenges associated with digitisation and outsourcing in higher education.
• Provide a suitable conclusion.

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• Employment challenges: Going by the evidence, employers across the world are generally negatively disposed towards online education. Most recruiters prefer to hire those who have graduated in face-to-face mode.
• Quality Education:  The quality of higher education is inversely proportional to the intensity of regulation, designing and developing an efficient and effective regulatory mechanism often proves more challenging than imagined.
• Economical and cost-effective paradox: The open and distance mode of learning is often considered as economical and cost-effective, but it is not completely true. To be effective, they not only require massive capital investment in infrastructure, but also demand significantly higher recurring expenses on content development and their continuous updating and upgradation.
• No substitute for teachers: It would be a blunder to regard technology-mediated teaching-learning as an alternative to face-to-face education. Technology can supplement and not substitute teachers. No world-class universities, including those with a high degree of technology integration in their teaching and learning processes, are planning to cut down their faculty cost or their number any time soon. On the contrary, they envision hiring more of them to attain greater excellence.
• Complacent Nature: This can also allow for all parties involved to become complacent if the online course is not fully structured or interactive.
• No way of gauging body language with students: When teaching in an online environment another potential weakness is there is no way of gauging body language with students.
• Lack of Practical exposure: Teaching of subjects like chemistry where practical knowledge is important and laboratory work is essential can not be taught effectively on digital devices.

Question : Q. Low female labour force participation is the result of structural factors. Discuss. How can this be tackled with careful drafting policies for the gig economy and start-up ecosystem in India?


Decode the Question:

• Start with explaining India’s demographic dividend position.
• Discuss the structural issues responsible for low female labour force participation.
• Discuss the ingredients required for better policy development for the gig economy and start-up ecosystem in India to deal with low female labour force participation .
• Conclude it by the recent NITI Aayog report on the gig economy.

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• Fiscal incentives:  such as tax-breaks or startup grants may be provided for businesses that provide livelihood opportunities where women constitute a substantial portion (say, 30%) of their workers. 
• Platformisation of work and incentivising platforms: platform companies offer flexibility and choice of labour to all workers in general, and women in particular, empowering them to monetise their idle assets when and where they want — a benefit missing in traditional employment sectors — making them an attractive opportunity for women.
• Higher share of women managers and supervisors: businesses have a higher share of women managers and supervisors in the organisation to ensure that communication to workers does not perpetuate gender stereotypes.
• Better infrastructure and work design: To encourage more women, platforms may develop better infrastructure and work design.
• Enhance skill development: Empowerment of women, which can to an extent be addressed by integrating life skills coaching into skilling programs, and interfacing with their families and communities to change backward mindsets - are critical aspects of helping women reach their potential.
• Asset ownership: Ownership of assets have huge implications on the lives of women.
• Access to digital skills and technology: The gender skill gap is vast, especially for digital skills as women continue to work in more stereotypically ‘feminised’ sectors such as beauty, retail etc. and men continue to work in mechanised, technologically advanced sectors. The lack of digital skills prevents women from entering the rapidly advancing workforce.
• Gender sensitisation and accessibility awareness programmes: undertaking gender sensitisation and accessibility awareness programmes for workers and their families can improve female labour participation.
• Formal credit for women: Niti Aayog added that access to institutional credit could be enhanced through financial products specifically designed for platform workers and those interested to set-up their own platforms. Special emphasis may be placed on access to formal credit for women.

Question :

• Start the introduction by highlighting the role of MSMEs in India.
• Discuss the economic potential of MSME.
• Discuss the role of MSME in environmental issues.
• Discuss the role of Climate finance for MSME.
• Conclude with a balanced way forward.

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• GDP contributions: MSME sector contributes around 30 per cent to India’s gross domestic product. Small industries in India account for 95 per cent of the industrial units in the country.
• Employment: MSME are the second largest employers of human resources, after agriculture. This is a boon for a labour surplus country like India. The MSME sector employs around 120 million people.
• Entrepreneurship: MSME provides ample opportunity for entrepreneurship.
• Exports: In terms of exports, they are an integral part of the supply chain and contribute about 40% of the overall exports.
• Rural development: MSMEs are intertwined with the rural economy as well, as more than half of the MSMEs operate in rural India.

• This sector generates around 110 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. To attain net zero carbon emissions by 2070, India needs to gradually phase out the use of coal, increase investment in renewable energy sources, stop deforestation and speed up the transition to electric vehicles.
• The CSTEP report also highlighted that the sector used 13 per cent (81 million tonnes) of the total coal / lignite, seven per cent (8.5 million tonnes) of petroleum products and eight per cent (3.3 billion cubic metres) of the natural gas supplied in India in 2015-16. The MSME sector needs a push to adopt new technologies that quickly minimise its carbon footprints and make it less vulnerable to climate change and risk. The sector can achieve this transformation with the aid of climate finance.

Need of Climate financing:

• The MSME sector in India faces a huge credit gap. Climate finance is money paid by developed countries to developing countries to help them pay for emissions reduction measures and adaptation. Climate finance will open doors and enable the transfer of technology and expertise from developed to developing nations, which require these resources and capacity to combat climate change at the rate that the world currently demands.

Question : Critically discuss the trends in productivity of food crops during the last 5 years as per the latest report of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare).

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : What is the concept of deficit in Balance of Payments ?

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : ‘Development of Infrastructure is a key driver for speedy economic development.’ Discuss in the context of Indian experience. 

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : Explain the significance of Multilateral Trading Agreements. What are the Pros and Cons of Multilateral Trade Agreements?

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : What is meant by international debt crisis? Explain the factors responsible for the international debt crisis in the recent past citing proper examples.

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : State the objectives of public distribution system in India. How far the system has achieved these objectives ? How India’s public distribution system can be improved further?

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : How do Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) impact women workers?

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : Critically examine the institutional credit system in rural India.

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : Discuss the impact of advancement in space technology on Indian Economy.

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : In light of the Russia-Ukraine war, being the world’s second largest producer of wheat in short-term the entire world is banking on India for supply of wheat. Critically analyze the emerging situation. 
To fill the huge gaps in global stocks is it a likely opportunity for Indian agri-exports?

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

 

Question : What is your opinion about two major budget announcements pertaining to the issuance of sovereign green bonds and a central bank digital currency? While expediting the process, what kind of challenges government and RBI can face?

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : India achieved a key milestone in the country's Aatmanirbhar Bharat journey by surpassing its merchandise export target of $400 billion set for FY 2022. Critically examine the factor that helped us achieve this feat.

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : What do you mean by Economic Integration? Discuss India’s role on regional integration both within the region and between South Asia and its neighbours.

(GS Mains; Paper - 3)
Indian Economy: Economic Developments

Question : Post-Covid, in India soaring prices of commodities has impacted the inflation curve. Now, with Russia-Ukraine conflict supply chain disruptions and soaring energy prices can have ramification on India’s fiscal policy. Discuss in detail.

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : Discuss in detail how the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) is able to utilise India's strong science, technology and research talent base to develop new capabilities in defence innovation.

(GS Mains; Paper 3)

Question : What do you mean by Fiscal Consolidation? Discuss the steps, if any, taken by the Government of India in this direction in the recent past.

(GS Mains; Paper 3)  

Question : Do you agree that Land Reforms in India are improving incentive structure in agriculture? Explain the reasons. 

(GS Mains; Paper 3 - Indian Economy)  

Question : Discuss the success of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) model in the development of economic infrastructure projects with reference to airports, roads and railway sectors in India.   
Why they have taken a hit in social infrastructure such as water supply, solid waste management, health, and education?

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)  

Question : ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) is helping develop the infrastructure to harness pilgrimage and heritage tourism destinations. Comment and substantiate your answer with some major projects undertaken in recent years.

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)

Question : What is the chief objective of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)? It seems that the performance of the scheme has been deficient, necessitating urgent need to revisit the design and implementation of this scheme especially in the light of COVID pandemic, which has resulted in economic shocks. Elaborate. 
Give your suggestions to improve maternal health and nutrition in a pragmatic manner.

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)
   

Question : What are the social cost of unregulated virtual gaming, which is also called the "opium of the mind"? How can the children be prevented from its ill effects?  It is also said that regulating the virtual gaming will provide economic opportunities. How? Elaborate.

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)
   

Question : Why Should one Obtain Geographical Indication Protection? What are the advantages of getting GI tag for any product and how they are awarded in India? Give examples of some products , which have been awarded GI tag recently.

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)
   

Question : What do you understand by Forex Reserves? Explain all its components. Also, discuss the purpose of maintaining Forex reserves.

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)
   

Question : What do the LEADS and LPI indicate? How the insights from govt’s LEADS initiative along with the World Bank’s LPI can help identify reforms to improve the logistics sector? Elaborate.

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)

Question : INR (Indian National Rupee) Foreign Exchange derivatives are one of the most heavily-traded forex contracts globally. In this background, why is it important to hedge currency risks? What are the recommendation of the task force set up by The RBI to address concerns arising out of offshore rupee trading?

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)

Question : Discuss the working of investment multiplier. Cite some recent initiatives of the government of India in this regard.

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)

Question : Define and distinguish between inclusive economic growth and the economic development.

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)

Question : Differentiate between foreign direct investment (FDI) and portfolio investment by foreign institutional investors (FII). Discuss the factors that determine foreign direct investment inflows in a developing country, like India.

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)

Question : Women play a decisive role in ensuring Food Security and Preserving local Agro-Biodiversity. Do you agree with this statement? Elaborate your answer with the efforts made by the government in ‘Gender Mainstreaming in Agriculture’.

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)
 

Question : Discuss the various economic and socio-cultural forces that are driving increasing feminization of Agripreneurship in India.

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)
 

Question : Why the proposed Bad Bank- an idea that has been extensively discussed and debated- is important for the Indian economy? What does the Global Experience say about Bad Banks?

(GS MAINS PAPER 3)

Question : What do you mean by Silver Economy. What are the challenges and perspectives for building the ecosystem for elderly population ?

(GS MAINS PAPER 3)

Question : Although the central and federal governments in India have enthusiastically been encouraging organic farming but the latest Lankan food crisis and the Bihar farmers’ agitation against fertilizer shortages show the perils of organic farming. Comment.

(Agriculture; GS Mains Paper 3)

Organic farming is a type of farming method constantly being employed for centuries. Organic farming is based on the fact that farming is carried out without using synthetic agricultural chemicals.
It is evident that Central and State governments in India have been promoting organic farming in full swing for the last decade through several schemes like Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). 
There are lots of positive of Organic farming like it protect the health of Soil, provide better nutrition and a healthy working environment around farms, provides resistance to pests and diseases, and fertilizers are made naturally to reduce the burden of import and saves forex also.
But along with the benefits, there are some challenges that cannot be ignored. Like for example, several studies have proven that yield of agricultural products is low in organic farming, and organic farming is vulnerable to several pests, diseases and droughts that is why it may cause a food crisis as the Srilankan government is facing.
It’s pertinent to mention that the Sri Lankan food crisis is due to Only Organic Policy of the Sri Lankan government. Because of this policy government banned the import of fertilizer and this resulted in the shortage of essential food items.
This incident of Sri Lanka and farmers’ agitation in Bihar on the issue of shortage of fertilizer portrays that fertilizer is an essential ingredient of agriculture. As far as fertilizers’ importance is concerned, it can't be ignored that after the green revolution it helped in huge productivity and made India self-sufficient in producing several crops.
However, there is no doubt that the overuse of fertilizer destroys the health of the soil and forces the Indian government to rationalise its use and at the same time look for sustainable agriculture practices like organic farming and zero budget natural farming. Hence, the government started promoting organic farming. However, the government, on the one hand, promoted organic farming, and on the other hand, continuously maintained the support on fertilizer to sustain productivity.
Hence today, promoting organic farming is as much important as maintaining agricultural productivity and resistance of crops to sustain the food security and Atmanirbhar Bharat. Srilankan food crisis and farmers protest in Bihar underscores the importance of fertilizer in Agriculture. A miscalculated move to go fully organic or rampant uses of fertilizers will always have their perils.

Question : What do you mean by Import-Substitution Industrialisation (ISI) policies? Do you think that the ISI policies adopted by  India to meet the  goal of “Make in India for the World” have been a success as it is  widely believed?  Substantiate your answer.

(GS Mains; Paper-3)

Question : Differentiate between crop combination and crop diversification. How do they help in increasing the agricultural productivity?
Enumerate the steps taken by the government to encourage the above practices.

(GS MAINS PAPER - 3)

1. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana: Program run by the Ministry of Agriculture to promote the process of diversity in crop production. The focus of this scheme is more on those areas where mono-culture (Single crop) farm practice is high.
2. Crops Diversification Program (CDP) for replacing paddy crop with less water consuming alternative crops to save water and protect the soil in the state of Punjab.
3. Increasing Minimum support price (MSP) on other not so produces agricultural items. For example millets
4. Including new cereals into the Nation food security program and distributing through the PDSs mechanism.

Question : Contrary to expectations of inflation being transitory, it has remained close to the upper limit of the band of 2-6% inflation targeting framework set by Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). If inflation remains elevated, what more steps MPC should take to bring it back in the band. Discuss.

(GS MAINS PAPER 3)

Question : Both agriculture and exports highlight the advantages of a diversified economy and diversified markets, in riding out a domestic downturn. Comment.

(GS Mains Paper 3)

Question :

In view of India’s heavy dependence on imports for edible oils, efforts are on for increasing the domestic production of edible oils. How government’s newly launched initiative National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) can prove to be a game-changer?

(GS MAINS; PAPER 3)

India is one of the major oilseeds grower and importer of edible oils. India's palm oil imports are almost 60% of its total vegetable oil imports. The domestic consumption of edible oils has increased substantially and has touched the level of 18.90 million tonnes in 2011-12 and is likely to increase further. A substantial portion of our requirement of edible oil is met through import of palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia. It is, therefore, necessary to exploit domestic resources to maximize production to ensure edible oil security for the country 
To proceed further towards production of Palm Oil, Government announced a National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), with an investment of over Rs 11,000 crore over a five-year period.
NMEO-OP proposed to have an additional 6.5 lakh hectares for palm oil by 2025-26.It will involve raising the area under oil palm cultivation to 10 lakh hectares by 2025-26 and 16.7 lakh hectares by 2029-30. Oil palm farmers will be provided financial assistance and will get remuneration under a price and viability formula. The Viability Formula is a Minimum Support Price-type mechanism and the government will fix this at 14.3% of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) price. It will eventually go up to 15.3%. Special assistance will be given to replant old gardens for their rejuvenation.
The emphasis of the scheme will also be in India’s North-Eastern (NE) states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to the conducive weather conditions in the regions. To attract industry to the NE and Andaman regions, a provision of Rs 5 crore of 5 mt/hr (million tonne per hectare) with pro-rata increase for higher capacity will be given.
Oil Palm is comparatively a new crop in India and is the highest vegetable oil yielding perennial crop. With quality planting materials, irrigation and proper management, there is potential of achieving 20-30 MT Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) per ha after attaining the age of 5 years. Therefore, National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), can play be crucial towards achieving Atmanirbhar Bharat in Oil seed production 

Question :

What are Oil and Recapitalisation Bonds? What are their impacts on the fiscal health of the Indian Economy. How will it effect the investments in the Economy?

(GS MAINS PAPER - 3)

 

Recapitalisation Bonds is a government bond that is an instrument that can be termed as a new capital to improve the balance sheet of the public sector companies that are undergoing credit crunch. 
Recapitalisation bonds is a broader term that could be for oil, food, fertilizers, PSU Banks etc. With these Bonds government raise money from the market with a promise to repay the face value of the maturity date and a periodic interest.
In recent days, rise in petroleum prices and share of government taxes has come in picture as government has defended the higher excise as some of the oil-bonds are maturing in recent month and following years.
Be it oil subsidy when India had Administered Price Mechanism (APM) system in place in oil sector or food/fertilizer subsidy or the much talked about accumulation of non-performing assets (NPAs) for financial companies, particularly Public Sector Banks, instead of taking refinancing risks that would have had a major bearing on fiscal deficit the government retorted to issuing Recapitalization Bonds. 
What is the need?
Government being the biggest shareholder in public sector oil marketing companies, public sector banks, food and fertilizer companies fulfils the responsibility of infusing capital by using different instruments. 
By issuing long dated special securities as compensation in lieu of cash subsidies that could impact government’s overall debt/GDP ratio, Recapitalization Bond is one such instrument that is a preferred option to mitigate credit rating risks in short-term, these longer dated recapitalization bonds, staggered over 10-15 years’ maturity makes refinancing risks lower.
Though, these securities may carry a marginally higher coupon over the yield of the dated securities of comparable maturity, but this is an attractive route that it does not add to the fiscal deficit, but the government is liable to pay the interest and face value of the bonds on maturity.
Recapitalisation Bonds – The Method
To ease out the credit crunch, government issues recapitalization bonds that such companies subscribe as in investment. The money realized by the government through these bond sales, goes back to these companies as capital thus strengthening their balance-sheets. The money raised by the government for subscribing recap bonds from banks and financial institutions is free from becoming a bad loan as it comes with sovereign guarantee. 
Impact on the fiscal health of Indian Economy
Being cash neutral transection, such bonds have limited immediate impact on fiscal deficit; fiscal deficit is impacted only by the interest cost on the bonds that the government pays every year. On the other hand, this shore up their capital reserves and enhance credit flow into the economy.
Since it is a long-term debt, it provides time to banks, oil-marketing companies, fertilizer companies to improve their balance-sheets by increasing their credit and private investment. The positive aspect is as the financial stability returns, the government, then, can retire the debt from the proceeds by selling the equities purchased earlier, once companies’ situation gets better.
How will it affect the investments in the Economy?
The banking sector is an industry and a section of the economy devoted to the holding of financial assets for others and investing those financial assets as a leveraged way to create more wealth. 
This process in the economy brings about a chain effect as a strong financial infrastructure is a catalytic agent that affects the growth. With country’s stable fiscal and robust growth, the liquidity in the system fuels private sector capital expenditure and contribute in financial stability and sustain economic growth.  

Question :

GS Mains Paper 3

Question :

“The three farm laws are only a part of the far wider set of economic reforms that will be needed to stabilize Indian agriculture. The guiding principle for these reforms must be to create conditions that allow farm households to maximize their income while minimizing the overall level of risk in Indian agriculture.” Critically Analyse.

[GS Mains Paper III]

 

Hint:

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/farm-laws-india-protest-7427334/

https://www.indiatoday.in/news-analysis/story/what-are-farm-laws-farmers-protest-msp-1749723-2020-12-15

Question :

“The mere growth in a sector doesn’t translate to benefits for workers.”

In the light of this statement analyse in detail how it may not be prudent to rely on Sectoral growth as a measure of economic welfare. [GS Mains Paper III]

Hint: Indian Express

Question :

Analyse the disruptive impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the food security and livelihoods of the poor and marginalised. [GS Mains Paper III]

Hint: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/lessons-from-indias-food-security-response/article35529291.ece

Question :

“Man cannot live by the Internet alone”. In the context of this statement discuss the significance of agriculture and rural economy in India.

[GS Mains Paper III]

Hint: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/man-cannot-live-by-the-internet-alone/article35453575.ece
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-rural-economy-can-jump-start-a-revival/article34957515.ece
https://www.thehindu.com/brandhub/reinventing-indian-agriculture/article33667799.ece

Question :

In the context of all embracing development in India, discuss the importance of the inclusive growth and also highlight the initiatives taken by the government to ensure multidimensional inclusive growth.

[GS Mains Paper III]

Hint: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/fashioning-the-framework-of-a-new-india/article30745303.ece
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/the-mirage-of-inclusive-growth/article8656382.ece
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/an-inclusive-growth-policy/article5872724.ece

Question :

Highlight the significance of the Public Distribution System in India and also discuss the challenges associated with respect to the implementation of the ' One Nation One Ration Card' initiative.

[GS Mains Paper III]

Hint: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/one-nation-one-ration-card-scheme-makes-food-security-portable-centre-tells-sc/article34810261.ece
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/one-nation-one-ration-card-system-explained-6410179/

Question : ‘The key economic indicators show that the Indian agriculture sector has enough resilience.’ In the light of this statement discuss how agriculture can help in reviving the rural economy. [GS Mains Paper III]

Hint: THE HINDU

Question : Bitcoin has been in news recently, explain the relevant technology behind it. Implementing this technology comes with its own challenges. Discuss?

Hint:  A-Cube IAS YouTube Channel 

Question : [GS Paper III]

“The best way to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1991 reforms is to consider what we can learn from them in dealing with the current crisis”. Illustrate.

Hint: The Hindu

Question :
“Development is about transforming the lives of people, not just transforming economies.” Substantiate this argument in the context of India. [GS Paper III]

Hint: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/in-the-post-pandemic-world-we-must-prioritise-people-poverty-7333341/
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/fashioning-the-framework-of-a-new-india/article30745303.ece
 

Question : There is an urgent need to strengthen the public distribution system and the MGNREGS in order to tackle rural economic distress. Discuss.

(GS MAINS; Paper 3)