CURRENT AFFAIRS DECEMBER 17, 2021

I. It’s time to correct wrong farming practices: PM

1. News:

i. Virtually addressing a conclave on natural farming in Gujarat Mr. Modi urged farmers
to replace the chemical fertilizers and pesticides that spurred the Green Revolution
with concoctions made with the dung and urine of indigenous cows, advocating a
“completely science based” shift from chemistry labs to nature’s laboratory
ii. Calling for a mass movement to promote natural farming, he said reducing the import
bill on artificial fertilizers was an essential step to achieve the goal of an Atmanirbhar
Bharat or a self-reliant India.
iii. This comes at a time when farmers in parts of the country have been complaining of
fertilizer shortages during the critical winter sowing season
iv. Government’s latest push to promote zero budget natural farming techniques.

2. Prelims Facts:

• Zero Budget Natural Farming

i. Zero budget natural farming is a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing from

traditional Indian practices.
ii. It was originally promoted by agriculturist Subhash Palekar, who developed it in the
mid-1990s as an alternative to the Green Revolution’s methods that are driven by
chemical fertilizers and pesticides and intensive irrigation.
iii. It is a unique model that relies on Agro-ecology.
iv. It aims to bring down the cost of production to nearly zero and return to a pre-green
revolution style of farming.
v. It claims that there is no need for expensive inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides and
intensive irrigation.

• ZBNF is based on 4 pillars:

i. Jeevamrutha: It is a mixture of fresh cow dung and aged cow urine (both from India's
indigenous cow breed), jaggery, pulse flour, water and soil; to be applied on
farmland.
ii. Bijamrita: It is a concoction of neem leaves & pulp, tobacco and green chilies
prepared for insect and pest management, that can be used to treat seeds.

iii. Acchadana (Mulching): It protects topsoil during cultivation and does not destroy it
by tilling.

iv. Whapasa: It is the condition where there are both air molecules and water molecules
present in the soil. Thereby helping in reducing irrigation requirement

3. Mains Related Info:

• Advantages

i. Minimized Cost Of Production: It is considered as a cost- effective farming

practice with scope for raising employment and rural development.

ii. Ensures Better Health: As Natural Farming does not use any synthetic
chemicals, health risks and hazards are eliminated. The food has higher nutrition
density and therefore offers better health benefits.

iii. Reduced Water Consumption: By working with diverse crops that help each
other and cover the soil to prevent unnecessary water loss through
evaporation, Natural Farming optimizes the amount of ‘crop per drop’.

iv. Rejuvenates Soil Health: The most immediate impact of Natural Farming is on
the biology of soil—on microbes and other living organisms such as earthworms.
Soil health depends entirely on the living organisms in it.

v. Employment Generation: It generates employment on account of natural

farming input enterprises, value addition, marketing in local areas, etc. The surplus
from natural farming is invested in the village itself.As it has the potential to
generate employment, thereby stemming the migration of rural youth.

• Issues Related to ZBNF

i. Sikkim (India's first organic state), has seen some decline in yields following
conversion to organic farming.
ii. Many farmers have reverted to conventional farming after seeing their ZBNF
returns drop after a few years.
iii. While ZBNF has definitely helped preserve soil fertility, its role in boosting
productivity and farmers’ income isn’t conclusive yet.
iv. ZBNF advocates the need of an Indian breed cow,whose numbers are declining at a
fast pace.
v. According to Livestock Census, the country’s total population of indigenous and
nondescript cattle has dropped by 8.1%

INDIASHASTRA

GS III AGRICULTURE
II. Cabinet nod to raise girls’ marriage age to 21

1. News:
• Centre has decided to raise the legal age of marriage of women from 18 to 21 years and
is likely to move legislative amendments
• Bill to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, will be introduced
during session. The proposed Bill may also contain amendments to various personal laws
relating to marriage of various communities to ensure a uniform age of marriage.

2. Prelims Facts:

• Minimum Age of Marriage for Girls

i. The Indian Penal Code enacted in 1860criminalised sexual intercourse with

a girlbelow the age of 10.
ii. The provision of rape was amended in 1927 through the Age of Consent Bill,
1927, which declared that marriage with a girl under 12 would be invalid.
iii. In 1929, the Child Marriage Restraint Actset 16 and 18 years as the minimum age of
marriage for girls and boys respectively.
iv. This law, popularly known as the Sarda Act after its sponsor Harbilas Sarda, a judge
and a member of Arya Samaj, was eventually amended in 1978 to
prescribe 18 and 21 years as the age of marriage for a woman and a man
respectively.

• Present Age for Marriage

i. The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act,
2006prescribe 18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage
for women and men respectively.
ii. The laws prescribe a minimum age of marriage to essentially outlaw child
marriages and prevent the abuse of minors.Personal laws of various religions
that deal with marriage have their own standards, often reflecting custom
iii. For Hindus, Section 5(iii) of The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, sets 18 years as the
minimum age for the bride and 21 years as the minimum age for the groom.
However, child marriages are not illegal — even though they can be declared
void at the request of the minor in the marriage.
iv. In Islam, the marriage of a minor who has attained puberty is considered valid.
v. Additionally, sexual intercourse with a minor is rape, and the ‘consent’ of a minor
is regarded as invalid since she is deemed incapable of giving consent at that age
 3. Mains Related Info:

• Link Between Age of Marriage and Nutrition:

i. A study conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), which
was published in 2019, showed that children born to adolescent mothers (10-19
years) were 5 percentage points more likely to be stunted(shorter for their age) than
those born to young adults (20-24 years), and 11 percentage points more stunted
than children born to adult mothers (25 years or older).
ii. Children born to adolescent mothers also had 10 percentage points higher prevalence
of low weight as adult mothers.
iii. It recommended that increasing age at first marriage, age at first birth, and girl’s
education are a promising approach to improve maternal and child nutrition.

• About the Committee:

i. On 2nd June 2020, the Union Ministry for Women and Child Development set up a
committee to examine matters pertaining to age of motherhood, imperatives of
lowering Maternal Mortality Ratio and the improvement of nutritional levels among
women. The Committee is headed by Jaya Jaitely.
ii. The Committee was proposed in the Union Budget 2020-21.
iii. It will examine the correlation of age of marriage and motherhood with health, medical
well-being, and nutritional status of the mother and neonate, infant or child, during
pregnancy, birth and thereafter.
iv. It will also look at key parameters like Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality
Rate (MMR), Total Fertility Rate (TFR), Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) and Child Sex Ratio
(CSR), and willexamine the possibility of increasing the age of marriage for women
from the present 18 years to 21 years

INDIASHASTRA

GS II POLITY
III. Putin, Modi, Xi meet soon: official

1. News:
• A trilateral summit of the leaders of India, China and Russia is expected in the near
future
• Recent videoconference between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese
counterpart Xi Jinping and they discussed a trilateral meet with India.
• At that meeting, all parties agreed to counter terrorism but a major difference was
visible on Indo-Pacific, with Russia supporting Chinese concern on Indo-Pacific grouping
‘Quad’

2. Prelims Facts:

• RIC :
i. It is a trilateral grouping of Russia, India and China that has met annually since 2002. In
recent years
ii. RIC is a strategic grouping that first took shape in the late 1990s under the leadership
of Yevgeny Primakov, a Russian politician as “a counterbalance to the Western alliance.
iii. The group was founded on the basis of ending its subservient foreign policy guided by
the USA and renewing old ties with India and fostering the newly discovered friendship
with China.
iv. Together, the RIC countries occupy over 19% of the global landmass and contribute to
over 33% of global GDP.

3. Mains Related Info:

• RIC Summit:
i. The discussions of meeting focused on regional security, issues affecting Asia-Pacific
region, counter-terror efforts and coordination at regional and multilateral forums.
ii. The ministers reiterated importance trilateral format as platform to foster closer
dialogue and practical cooperation in identified areas

INDIASHASTRA

GS II INTERNATONAL RELATIONS
IV. Iran: no nuclear images for IAEA until curbs end

1. News:

• The UN atomic watchdog will not be able to examine camera images from a nuclear
facility near Iran’s Karaj until sanctions are lifted

• they had reached deal on replacing the cameras at the facility which makes centrifuges

• The cameras will be installed in a way that they take images which will be stored in the
cameras’ memory.

• When they are full, the memory cards will be removed and placed under the joint
control of Iran and the Agency. In other words, the Agency will not have any access to
the information before sanctions are lifted

2. Prelims Facts:

• International Atomic Energy Agency:

Widely known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and
Development” organization within the United Nations family, the IAEA is the
international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field.

• Establishment:
The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations
generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear technology.

• Headquarter: Vienna, Austria.

3. Mains Related Info:

• Objective:

i. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote
safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies
 ii. In 2005, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work for a safe and peaceful
world.

• Functions:

i. It is an independent international organization that reports annually to the United

Nation General Assembly.

ii. When necessary, the IAEA also reports to the UN Security Council in regards to
instances of members’ non-compliance with safeguards and security obligations.

INDIASHASTRA

GS II INTERNATONAL RELATIONS