Tag: SSC

In this article, we will discuss India’s Demographic Dividend. So, let’s get started.

India’s Demographic Dividend

• About:
• According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), demographic dividend means the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a population’s age structure.
• Mainly when the share of the working-age population (15 to 64) is larger than the non-working-age share of the population (14 and younger, and 65 and older).
• Median Age:
• The median age in India is 28 years., compared to 38 in China and the US, 43 in Western Europe, and 48 in Japan.
• Diversity in India’s States:
• While India is a young country, the status and pace of population ageing vary among States.
• Southern States, which are advanced in demographic transition, already have a higher percentage of older people.
• While Kerala’s population is already ageing, in Bihar the working age cohort is predicted to continue increasing till 2051.
• The differences in age structure reflect differences in economic development and health of the states.

In this article, we will discuss Significance of Population Growth in India. So, let’s get started.

Significance of Population Growth

• A larger population is perceived to mean greater human capital, higher economic growth and improved standards of living.
• Better economic growth is brought about by increased economic activities due to higher working age population and lower dependent population.
• In the last seven decades, the share of the working age population has grown from 50% to 65%, resulting in a remarkable decline in the dependency ratio (number of children and elderly persons per working age population).
• As per the WPP 2022, India will have one of the largest workforces globally.
• In the next 25 years, one in five working-age group persons will be living in India.

In this article, we will discuss Significance of FinTech. So, let’s get started.

Significance of FinTech

• FinTechs are an essential part of the Indian financial ecosystem; though they have been around for decades, their importance is pronounced post demonetisation, with the Covid-19 pandemic further intensifying their significance.
• FinTech is redefining financial services for the common man and woman; the use of big data for small credit through smart analytics and algorithms has vastly expanded the pool of eligible borrowers in India.
• FinTech has brought down the cost of doing business drastically. The cost of a digital transaction like payments, credit assessment and fraud check is a fraction of the amount spent on physical processes.
• Fintech is breaking geographical barriers and shrinking the country into the palm of the hand. It is opening doors to a large number of underserved yet economically viable customers.
• Growth of FinTech in India: India is the global FinTech superpower with the highest FinTech adoption rate in the world. In 2020, India overtook China as Asia’s top FinTech market.
• As per the government of India estimates, the Indian FinTech ecosystem is expected to reach $150 billion by 2025 from its present level of $50 billion.

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

FinTech

• Originally, FinTech referred to the technology applied to the back-end of established consumer and trade financial institutions.
• However, in the past few years, the term has expanded to include any technological innovation in the financial sector (financial literacy and education, retail banking, investment and even crypto-currencies (Decentralised Finance (DeFi)).
• FinTech is any technology that seeks to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services.

In this article, we will discuss ISRO Small Satellite Vehicle Launch Mission. So, let’s get started.

Small Satellite Vehicle Launch Mission (Purpose)

• The purpose of this mission was to place the two satellites in circular low-earth orbits at a height of about 350 km above the Equator.
• EOS-2: An optical remote sensing satellite designed and developed by ISRO.
• AzadiSAT: Array of 75 tiny payloads integrated by students, to measure the ionising radiation, integrated by the student team of Space Kidz India.
• It is ISRO’s attempt at popularising Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) among girl students at the school level as it pushes for further exploration of the cosmos.

In this article, we will discuss Challenges Associated with EdTech. So, let’s get started.

Challenges Associated with EdTech

• Limited Practical Attachment to Learning: Subjects of Science and technology include hands-on laboratory sessions, dissertation projects and field trips to complement theoretical studies.
• This aspect of learning is severely limited in online education.
• Limited Social Skill Enhancement: Education is not just about subject knowledge but also about developing social skills and sportsmanship among the students, which is built over the years.
• Relying solely on online education may hinder the holistic development of children, and many may underperform later in their professional and personal lives.
• Lack of Digital Infrastructure: While India enjoys a wide geographic and cultural diversity, it also suffers from a huge socio-economic divide, including non-uniformity of digital infrastructure facilities.
• Interrupted power supply and weak or non-existent internet connectivity are major challenges hindering the percolation of online education at the grassroot.
• Widening Gender Inequality: Online education may lead to a wider gender gap.
• In a recent survey of 733 students studying in government schools in Bihar, only 28% of the girls had smartphones in their homes, in contrast to 36% of the boys.
• However, girls were found to spend a disproportionately longer time on household chores than boys, which often overlapped with the time of telecast of these lessons.
• Business Malpractice: With the growing market for digital education, Edtech companies are likely to engage in various forms of business malpractice to attract consumers.
• Most recently, issues of misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices have come to light.
• The Department of School Education and Literacy stated that ed-tech companies are luring parents in the garb of offering free services and getting the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) Mandate signed or activating the auto-debit feature, especially targeting vulnerable families.
• Educator-Learner Adaptability Concern: Using the internet for entertainment is common, but for online lessons is a big challenge.
• Teachers may not be well-versed with creating digital content, and conveying it effectively online.
• Similarly, a sudden expectation from them to upgrade, and from students to adapt, is unfair.

In this article, we will discuss Significance of EdTech for India. So, let’s get started.

Significance of EdTech for India

• Interactive and Innovative Learning: Learning online with lectures, multimedia graphics, and interactive elements makes learning more engaging, and reinforces learning concepts with a visual approach.
• India’s edtech boom also stems from facts like the prevalence of enthusiastic entrepreneurs adopting a multicultural approach to suit the needs of a diverse country, developing innovative products and approaches.
• Need of On-Demand Learning: Students who were not compatible with the traditional school system’s rigid timetables can get access to quality education from their home. Especially competitive exam candidates often juggle work and studies simultaneously.
• It is not often that classroom timings are aligned to their work schedule. On-demand training turns the table in students’ favour enabling them to access courses and study materials on demand anywhere, anytime and through any medium.
• Educators Availability: In the past, a single professor could handle at most a batch of 100 students.
• EdTech enables educators to make themselves available to a huge population of students.
• The need for a physical space where students and teachers can assemble for classroom sessions is no longer needed.
• Personalized Evaluation: Students receive personalized recommendations based on data on their previous learning patterns and performance.
• Students who need extra support and benefit from a slower learning pace could receive the appropriate care.
• Remove Age Barriers: Online programs and courses allow people of any age group to learn at their own pace, without inhibitions, and without compromising on their other commitments, which were not available at their time.
• Equitable Chances and Reduced Pay-Wall: India’s edtech industry could slowly bridge the education-quality gap between the rich and the poor, giving Indians from all backgrounds more equitable chances of success.
• The cost-effectiveness of edtech allows students to overcome the paywall between them and premium educators, and the virtual nature of this learning erases geographical constraints.

In this article, we will discuss Blue-Green Infrastructure. So, let’s get started.

Blue-Green Infrastructure

• Blue-Green Infrastructure refers to a network that provides the “ingredients” for solving urban and climatic challenges by a combination of infrastructure, ecological restoration and urban design to connect people with nature.
• Blue indicates water bodies such as rivers and tanks
• Green indicates trees, parks, and gardens.

In this article, we will discuss Benefits of ONDC. So, let’s get started.

Benefits of Open Network for Digital Commerce

• Level Playing Field: ONDC is keen to level the playing field for e-commerce operators and widen the digital market access for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and small traders in the country.
• Additionally, it will help new entrants by bringing discoverability, interoperability, and inclusivity.
• Competitive and Innovative Ecosystem: Existing e-commerce platforms operate in compartments and are strictly regulated.
• ONDC will empower suppliers and consumers by breaking the monopoly of giant platforms to drive innovation and transform businesses in sectors like retail, food, and mobility.
• Freedom of Choice for Consumers: Consumers can potentially discover any seller, product or service in a common platform, thus increasing freedom of choice for consumers.
• It will enable the consumers to match demand with the nearest available supply. This would also give consumers the liberty to choose their preferred local businesses.
• Neutral and Regulated Platform: ONDC aims at fostering open networks developed on open-sourced methodology, using open specifications and network protocols, and independent of any specific platform.
• It will set protocols for cataloguing, vendor match, and price discovery on an open source-basis, like the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
• Snapdeal is the first E-commerce platform to get on the open network.

In this article, we will discuss Contemporary Challenges for India’s Foreign Policy. So, let’s get started.

Contemporary Challenges for India’s Foreign Policy

• Growing Russia-China Axis: Russia has become increasingly interested in its periphery’s affairs. Furthermore, sanctions imposed after the annexation of Crimea have pushed it towards a closer relationship with China that can certainly deflect its interest in India.
• Self-Imposed Isolation of India: Currently, India remains isolated from supranational bodies like South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Moreover, India has opted out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
• Self-imposed isolation does not fit with India’s ambition to become a global power.
• Weakening Ties with Neighbors: A more worrying concern for Indian foreign policy is weakening ties with the neighbors. This can be seen from instances like China’s Cheque Book Diplomacy vis-a-vis Sri Lanka and Pakistan, strain in relation with Bangladesh on National Register of Citizens (NRC) issue and a border dispute with Nepal.
• Thus instead of looking towards development of the country, India is forced to invest heavily in security.