Poverty levels below 5%, claims NITI Aayog chief
Syllabus: GS-III
Subject: Current Affairs
Topic: Indices and reports
Issue: Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES)
Context: Findings of the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) for 2022-23 released.
Highlights:
- Inequality between rural and urban India declining.
- Share of food spending fell down.
| Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES)
● It is a large-scale survey conducted by the National Statistical Office(NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. ● Periodicity: Every five years. ● Objectives: ○ Estimate the Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) for rural and urban sectors. ○ Provide insights into the consumption patterns of various goods and services by households. |
Related Concepts:
Consumer Price Index(CPI):
- It is the main inflation indicator and tracks price changes for a wider basket of goods and services consumed at retail level.
- Base year: 2012
- It includes both goods and services.
- Released by: National Statistics Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.
- The Monetary Policy Committee(MPC) uses CPI data to set the repo rate.
Source: The Hindu
How LPG subsidy can be redesigned to privilege low-income households
Syllabus: Current affairs
Subject: Schemes
Topic: Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana(PMUY)
Issue: LPG for India’s clean energy transition
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY):
- To provide LPG access to an additional 10 million low-income households.
- one-time subsidies for a cooking stove and gas refill.
- Led to decrease in rural household use of biomass for cooking.
- evolution of LPG subsidy : from universal to no subsidy to Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under PAHAL scheme.
Reasons for the low refill of LPG cylinders:
- Paying full price upfront (DBT credited into account later).
- Ill information to households about the timing and logistics of receiving subsidy transfers.
- Credit constrain: PMUY consumers mostly earn their living on a daily or weekly basis.
Suggestions :
- A substantive targeted and upfront subsidy
- Shift to an on-time subsidy transfer without leakage by:
- Electronic payment of subsidy amount to the dealer/deliveryman at the point of refill purchase by PMUY consumer.
- Use digital rupee (e-RUPI)
| +1 Advantage for Mains ( Case study)
PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojana offered three free cylinders to PMUY beneficiary o this led to not only increase in consumption. o and habit formation for some time. Prelims connect: PAHAL (Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh) or Direct benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL): o Aimed at rationalizing subsidies. o To arrest subsidy leakages. o Applicable subsidy is directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. |
The NB8 visit to India focuses on cooperation and trust
Syllabus: GS-II
Subject: International Relations
Topic: India’s relation with other countries
Issue: India’s and Nordic Baltic countries (NB-8)
- NB8 includes– Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.
Global significance of NB-8
- Advanced outward-looking, innovation-driven economies.
- Fully integrated into the European Common Market
- Committed to democracy ,human rights and support rule based international order
NB-8 and India:
- Cooperation in: innovation, green transition, maritime affairs, health, intellectual property rights, technology, space, and artificial intelligence.
- steadily increasing Trade and investment.
- Collaboration to pursue common goals amid geopolitical shifts.
- The security of the Nordic-Baltic region and the Indo-Pacific is interconnected.
- joint efforts are necessary to uphold international law and address security threats.
- NB-8 countries recognize India’s growing global significance.
Changing the growth paradigm
Syllabus: GS- III
Subject: Economy
Topic: Growth development and inclusion
Issue: GDP centric approach to growth
| Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced in a country within a specific time period. |
GDP Centric approach to growth
- Based on principle of increasing the size of the pie before its redistribution.
- Replaced “socialist” models concerned with conditions at the bottom.
- Based on agriculture to industry and then industry to service transition.
- Also means transition from village to urban area.
- A fossil fuel based resource intensive economy.
Concerns:
- Wellbeing of citizens is ignored.
- Damage to climate and environment
- Resource intensive GDP race creates a contention in global climate negotiations
- Persistence of issues like inequality, jobless growth.
Suggestions:
- Local co-operatively developed community driven solution
- Gandhian models for India’s economic and social progress
- Leverage the present realities, focusing on rural development (64% the citizens living in rural areas)
- break free from Western economic theories.
- Focus on small scale industries and agriculture can lead to inclusive and sustainable growth.
X factor: On the X appeal in the Karnataka High Court
Syllabus: GS-II
Subject: Polity
Topic: Right issues
Issue: Fundamental Right- right to speech and expression
Context: Internet shutdowns and arbitrary curbs on free speech on social media.
Key concerns
- Arbitrary internet shutdowns
- Vague reasoning without any actual evidence (Violates proportionality tests laid out in Anuradha Bhasin case)
- Social media platforms lack of transparency on legal requests
- Jeopardize India’s reputation as a free, democratic society.
+1 Advantage for Mains:
| Case law: Anuradha Bhasin v Union Of India 2020
Undefined and indefinite restriction of internet services is illegal. The right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a), and the right to carry on any trade or business under 19(1)(g), using the medium of internet is constitutionally protected. The Review Committee under 2017 rules has to periodically review the suspension orders. |
Sugar mills allowed to sell potash made from molasses
Syllabus: GS-III
Subject: Economy
Topic: Agriculture and allied
Issue: Potash Derived from Molasses
Context: Sugar mills can sell potash derived from molasses (PDM) to fertiliser companies.
Potash derived from molasses (PDM)
- It is a potassium-rich fertiliser, a by-product of the sugar-based ethanol industry.
- Distilleries produce a waste chemical called spent wash during ethanol production.
- which is burned to produce ash.
- This ash can be processed to produce PDM.
- By selling PDM:
- Sugar Mills can earn additional revenue.
- They can also receive nutrient-based subsidies on it.
Aim: To reduce fertiliser imports.
+1 Advantage (Data points for Mains)
| ● Currently India is the second-highest consumer of fertilisers after China.
● India’s fertiliser import bill is huge.(₹2.2 trillion in 2022-23). ● The government aims to achieve self-sufficiency in urea by 2025. ● Fertiliser Subsidies: In 2022-23, the government spent about ₹2.55 trillion, a record high. |
Source: Mint
Show caller’s name in incoming calls on user’s request, says Trai
Syllabus: GS-II
Subject: Polity
Topic: Rights Issues
Issue: TRAI recommendations
Context: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommendations.
- TRAI recommended to introduce caller identification (caller ID) as a default feature across domestic telecommunications networks (telcos).
Concerns:
- contradicting user’s right to privacy.
- Violating the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.
Prelims Connect: (Institutions in News)
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
Responsibilities:
|
Source: Mint
PSBs can now check on big borrowers on unified portal
Syllabus: GS-III
Subject: Economy
Topic: Banking and Financial Intermediaries
Issue: Central Economic Intelligence Bureau
Context: An “Automated Search Portal” was operationalised by the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) in collaboration with the State Bank of India.
Objective: To check the antecedents of prospective large borrowers.
- Ascertain the existence of any non-performing assets against their name.
- All Public Sector Banks are mandated to seek a report from the CEIB before sanctioning loans exceeding ₹50 crore to new borrowers.
- To help in making informed decisions regarding
Prelims Connect: (Institutions in News)
Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB)
|
Source: The Hindu
Centre amends surrogacy rules, allows couples to use donor gametes
Syllabus: GS-I
Subject: Current Affairs
Topic: Acts, Bills, Rules & Guidelines
Issue: Surrogacy
Context: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare notified amendments to the Surrogacy (Regulation) Rules, 2022.
- A gamete is a reproductive cell of an animal or plant.
Amendments:
| Before Amendment | Now |
| Prohibition of donor gametes: Couples undergoing surrogacy must have both gametes from the intending couple only. | Allowed: Couples (husband or wife) suffering from medical conditions, allowed to use one donor gamete. |
- Single women (widow or divorcee) undergoing surrogacy must use self-eggs and donor sperm to avail surrogacy procedures.
Prelims Connect (Terms in News)
Surrogacy:
- It is the practice wherein a woman agrees to carry a foetus and give birth to a baby for someone else.
- The surrogate won’t have any parental rights on the child.
Surrogacy Regulation Act 2021
- Prohibits commercial surrogacy: Only altruistic surrogacy is permitted.
- Eligibility: Only married Indian couples with proven medical infertility.
- and single Indian women who are medically incapable of conceiving.
- Establishes a National Surrogacy Board and State Surrogacy Boards to regulate clinics and oversee surrogacy procedures.
- Maintains the confidentiality of the identities of the surrogate mother and the intending parents.
Source: The Hindu
‘Make public orders on J&K Internet suspension’.
Syllabus: GS-II
Subject: Polity
Topic: Rights Issues
Issue: Internet Suspension
Context: The Supreme Court ordered the government to publish the final decisions of the committee on internet suspension orders in Jammu and Kashmir.
Suspension of Internet – Related Laws:
- Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services Rules, 2017 under Telegraph Act – empowers the government to temporarily suspend telecom services and internet access.
- in case of public emergency or public safety concerns.
- Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC) allows authorities to impose restrictions on communication.
- in areas prone to disturbances to maintain public order.
+1 Advantage:
Case law(Mains) : Anuradha Bhasin v Union Of India 2020
- Undefined and indefinite restriction of internet services is illegal.
- The right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a), and the right to carry on any trade or business under 19(1)(g), using the medium of internet is constitutionally protected.
- The Review Committee under 2017 rules has to periodically review the suspension orders.
Source: The Hindu