Category: MPPSC

In this article, we will discuss Potential of Solar Energy in Agriculture. So, let’s get started.

Potential of Solar Energy in Agriculture

• Solar energy can easily fulfil energy provision and supply at agriculture farms. Various solar energy absorbing devices and systems have been developed and are in the works for agricultural applications. This includes:
• Solar Pumping System: It is quite helpful to operate the already burdened irrigation system in India.
• Specifically, solar pumps can be useful as water lifting devices in irrigation canals and also to evenly distribute water in those areas where traditional water systems could not have access, such as in the elevated hilly lands.
• Solar Crop Drying: Different types of solar dryers are available for various applications, which can be used for drying of agricultural products like potatoes, grains, carrots and mushrooms.
• Solar Spraying: The solar pesticides sprayer machine can improve their productivity for small farmers.
• Most pesticide spraying activity is done in the daytime, so these spray machines could be used by directly capturing solar energy, which prevents the installation of batteries in these machines.
• Solar Powered Tractors: Tractor converted agriculture farming into agro-industry by performing a lot of functions with the help of a variety of tools and equipment.
• Usually, tractors consume oil to run and work, which increases the budget of farming and also causes the pollution in the atmosphere by producing carbon dioxide during combustion.
• Solar powered tractors became a good option which could work directly under the sun by consuming solar energy in daytime and also could continue working in night time with the help of energy stored in batteries.

In this article, we will discuss Off Grid and On Grid Solar Energy. So, let’s get started.

Off Grid and On Grid Solar Energy

• On-grid means the solar system that is tied to the local utility’s grid or utility company.
• Utility system acts as the battery space for Solar Energy Users. It means that the surplus energy that is produced by the solar panels is sent to the grid’s power company, and in exchange a credit is generated that one can cash out at the end of the year.
• Being grid-tied is beneficial because there is no requirement of an expensive battery back-up system to store any excess energy.
• Off-grid means there is no connection to the grid’s power system or utility company.
• This is appealing because of 100% self-sustaining energy use.
• However, there are disadvantages because off-grid systems require a back-up battery which can be expensive, bulky, and not very environmentally friendly which defeats the purpose of going solar (save money and live greener).

In this article, we will discuss NCRB. So, let’s get started.

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

• NCRB, headquartered in New Delhi, was set-up in 1986 under the Ministry of Home Affairs to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators.
• It was set up based on the recommendations of the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the MHA’s Task Force (1985).

In this article, we will discuss UBI in India (Cons). So, let’s get started.

UBI in India (Cons)

• Higher Government Expenditure: If UBI is universal, which means all citizens, regardless of their financial capacity, are by default beneficiaries will widen the existing rich-poor gap in India.
• Adopting a universal approach in India would result in higher government expenditure as it will have to ensure that no citizens are excluded.
• Once introduced, it may become difficult for the government to wind up a UBI in case of failure.
• Conspicuous Spending: UBI is not tied to the recipients’ behaviour, and they are free to spend the money as they wish. Households with lack of awareness about fiscal management may spend on wasteful activities.
• There is no guarantee that the given cash will be spent on productive activities, health & education, etc. It may be spent on tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and other luxury goods etc.
• Reduction in Labour Force: A minimum guaranteed income might make people lazy and opt out of the labour market.
• In the absence of any reciprocal exchange, UBI in India may easily turn into a scheme that renders the working age adults as supplicants and without any real purpose or direction in their lives.
• Increase the Rate of Inflation: Replacing things like food programmes with UBI might expose the population to more market risks and inflation.
• Price fluctuation will affect the purchasing power of the consumers.
• Lack of Connectivity Channel Between Government and Beneficiary: In India, the poorest live in mostly remote areas and lack recourse to banking and often mobile phones is a major concern.
• Not all habitations have been covered by the banks and a lot of time and energy is spent in accessing banking services physically.
• Economic survey also points to JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile) system as a prerequisite for a successful UBI implementation.
• Federal Challenge: Centre-State negotiations on cost sharing for the programme could delay its implementation.
• Since Indian states are at different levels of development, maintaining a uniform financial transfer will be challenging.

In this article, we will discuss UBI in India (Pros). So, let’s get started.

UBI in India (Pros)

• Social Justice: No society can be just or stable if it does not give all members of the society a stake. A Universal Basic Income promotes many of the basic values of a society which respects all individuals as free and equal.
• UBI is a radical and compelling paradigm shift in thinking about both social justice and a productive economy.
• Administrative Efficiency: A UBI will reduce the burden of financing a plethora of separate government schemes and administrative burden of implementation.
• The UBI, by design, should effectively tackle issues related to misallocation and leakage because transfers are directed straight to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts.
• Finally, given the fewer avenues for leakages, monitoring a UBI would be easier than many other schemes.
• Employment: UBI is an acknowledgement of the government’s duty to guarantee a minimum living standard ( Article 43 of Indian Constitution) is even more urgent in an era of uncertain employment generation.
• Moreover, UBI could also open up new possibilities for labour market.
• They allow for more non-exploitative bargaining since individuals will no longer be forced to accept any working conditions, just so that they can subsist.
• Insurance Against Shocks: Poor households often face multiple shocks such as bad health, job loss or aggregate shocks such as crop loss, water borne diseases, loss of property and natural disasters.
• The UBI income floor will provide a safety net against health, income and other shocks.
• Freedom of Choice: A UBI treats beneficiaries as agents and entrusts citizens with the responsibility of using welfare spending as they see best, this may not be the case with in-kind transfers.
• Improvement in Financial Inclusion: Payment transfers will encourage greater usage of bank accounts, leading to higher profits for banking correspondents (BC) and an endogenous improvement in financial inclusion.
• Credit increased income will release the constraints on access to credit for those with low income levels.
• Women Empowerment: In 2011, a pilot study of Universal Basic Income was conducted in 8 villages of Madhya Pradesh for 18 months.
• Reviewing the UBI trial in India (2013-2014), SEWA Bharat and UNICEF concluded that “women’s empowerment was one of the more important outcomes of this experiment,”
• Women receiving UBI participated more in household decision making, and benefited from improved access to food, healthcare, and education.

In this article, we will discuss Universal Basic Income. So, let’s get started.

Universal Basic Income

• Universal basic income (UBI) is a socio-political financial transfer policy proposal in which all citizens of a given country receive a legally stipulated and equally set financial grant paid by the government.
• A basic income can be implemented nationally, regionally, or locally.
• A Universal Basic Income is unconditional. It requires that every person should have a right to a basic income to cover their needs, just by virtue of being citizens.
• In 2016, the idea of a Universal Basic Income in India made huge news by taking up over 40 pages in the 2016-2017 Economic Survey of India as a serious and feasible solution to India’s poverty and a hope for the healthy economy as a whole.
• Economic Survey of India 2016-17 highlighted that “UBI liberates citizens from paternalistic and clientelist relationships with the state”
• UBI has mainly 4 components:
• Universality: It is universal in nature.
• Periodic: Payments at regular intervals (not one-off grants)
• Individuality: Payments to individuals
• Unconditionality: No preconditions attached with the cash transfer

In this article, we will discuss Effects of Manual Scavenging. So, let’s get started.

Effects of Manual Scavenging

• Social Discrimination: Most manual scavengers are stigmatised by the community due to the nature of their job.
• They are regarded as untouchable and they are forced to accept their condition.
• This problem is much deeper as their children are also discriminated against and forced to occupy the same work as their parents.
• Caste Based Inequalities: The caste is still regarded as a lower class and is excluded from moving to a better occupation.
• As a result, the scavenging work is seen as part of their natural occupation.
• Also, the marginal caste from rural areas moving to urban areas to seek a better livelihood always end up in the same occupation.
• Health-Related Problems: The scavengers are exposed to gases such as carbon dioxide, ammonia and methane. Long exposure to these gases may lead to serious health diseases or even death.
• They are also exposed to various infections in the sewer, which is also common due to the numerous bacteria residing in the sewers.
• As per the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) database, 608 manual scavengers have died between 2013 and 2017 while cleaning septic tanks.

In this article, we will discuss India Malaysia Relations. So, let’s get started.

India Malaysia Relations

• India established diplomatic relations with Malaysia in 1957.
• Economic Relation:
• India and Malaysia have signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).
• CECA is a kind of Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
• India has also signed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in services and investments with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• Malaysia is the third largest trading partner in ASEAN.
• Bilateral trade between India and Malaysia is significantly biased in favour of Malaysia.
• Defence & Security Cooperation:
• Joint military exercises “Harimau Shakti” are held annually between the two countries.
• Traditional medicine:
• India and Malaysia signed a MoU on cooperation in the field of Traditional Medicine in October 2010.
• The Government of Malaysia has been working to popularize AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) systems in Malaysia.
• AYUSH systems are practiced in Malaysia.
• Recent Developments:
• In 2020, India resumed purchases of Malaysian palm oil after a gap of four-month following a diplomatic row between the two countries.
• The former Prime Minister of Malaysia had criticised India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which was considered as an interference in the internal matters of India