IAS BABA YK GIST - DECEMBER 2021

Atmanirbhar Bharat
Innovative Skilling and Livelihood
 IASBABA’S YK GIST – DECEMBER 2021

ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT
Chapter 1: From Farm to Fork
The Indian agricultural sector is largely production-oriented and plays a pivotal role in the Indian
economy. About 55% of the total workforce of the country is still engaged in agriculture and allied
sector activities, contributing about 18% to the country’s gross value added (GVA) for the year 2019-
20.1 Despite the pandemic-led contraction in other sectors, the agriculture and allied sectors have
shown a robust growth rate of 3.4% at constant prices during the year 2020-21.2 The Gross Capital
Formation (GCF) in agriculture and allied sectors relative to GVA in this sector has been showing a
fluctuating trend between the years 2013-2017 but consistently rising from the year 2017-18 to
2019-20. Consumer spending in India is also expanding in 2021 post the pandemic-led contraction.
The Farm to Fork Value Chain
In a typical farm to fork value chain, there are various components like production, Post-Harvest
Infrastructure (PHI), processing and value addition, distribution, marketing, and consumption. The
role of the farmer hitherto was limited to production and the other functions in the value chain like
storage, distribution, and selling of produce were taken up by intermediaries.
• With the adaption of technology and the emergence of direct-from-farm concepts, farmers
are directly connecting with the markets and discovering higher margins than conventional
selling to the intermediaries.
• The Government is constantly striving to strengthen the agricultural sector through various
programmes and initiatives by bridging the gaps in the value chain, yet the progress of these
is delayed due to various factors.
• Owing to the complex activities in the value chain, it is laborious for the farmer to manage
multiple activities other than production. About 85% of the farmers in India are small and
marginal farmers who hold less than two hectares of land and their exposure to education is
minimal to zero. Hence, they are often ignorant of the type of interventions that are
required to increase their income.
Strategies that Farmers should adopt at each stage to reap higher benefits
Production Phase
Despite being one of the top producers of agricultural commodities across the globe, India’s
performance in terms of productivity is low compared to other countries due to subsistence
farming. The recommendations from NITI Aayog to improve farm productivity are classified into six
broader aspects that need immediate attention to lift the economic status of millions of farm
families. These are Quality Inputs, Technology, Land Fragmentation, Irrigation & Electricity, Farm
Credit, and Crop Insurance.
• Initiatives like Soil Health Management under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture,
Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, National Mission on Oil Seeds and Oil
Palm, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), and scientific techniques like bio-
stimulants are being implemented with the objectives to make agriculture more productive,
sustainable, adopt comprehensive soil health management practices and to optimise
utilisation of water resources on the farm.
• An increase in the agricultural credit flow has been raised to Rs 15 lakh crores, ensuring
convenient access to loans at concessional rates. These programmes will facilitate access to
quality inputs, micro-irrigation techniques, and farm credit which boosts farm productivity.
• Technology is massively empowering the farmers, from giving information on seeds, soil,
fertilisers, weather reports, etc. through the Kisan Suvidha Portal. The use of high-quality
certified seeds together with neem-coated urea and bio-stimulants has shown a
phenomenal increase in the yield per hectare.

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 IASBABA’S YK GIST – DECEMBER 2021
The increase in income is factored- in by two parameters – quantity and quality of the yield. The use
of high-quality inputs not only produced a higher yield per hectare but also a higher quality of the
produce in terms of nutrients.
• Effective use of irrigation at the field level can improve on-farm water utilisation, reduce
water wastage, and expand the cultivable area under assured irrigation.
o The adoption of water-saving technologies can recharge the aquifers and promotes
watershed development.
o PMKSY aims to boost productivity by ensuring irrigation facilities. The objective is to
ensure access to efficient water conveyance and precision water application devices
to agricultural farms through the programme ‘Per Drop More Crop’.
o The combined effects of implementing high-quality inputs and precision irrigation at
the farm level generate higher returns by almost 50-90% to the farmer’s income
considering the impact of external factors to be minimal.
• In recent years, organic farming has gained momentum and farmers are rapidly transitioning
to this chemical-free mode of farming, which not only has a lower production cost, but also
a higher selling price. India is paving its way to becoming the hub for organic products.
o To address the gaps and encourage organic farming, the Government of India
launched Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana in 2015-16 to support farmers from
production to certification and marketing. Post-harvest management support
including processing, packing, marketing is made an integral part of this scheme to
encourage organic farmers.
o The growth in the organic farming sector, development of new products, research
into genetically modified crops, and support from the government played a crucial
role in sustaining and achieving the growth.
o While the domestic market is nascent in generating demand for organic produce due
to higher prices, the distant and global markets are positively responding spurting
growth in the exports of organic products. Small and marginal farmers from various
States have reported that they have observed an increase in the yield by 25% in
organic horticulture farming generating profits and higher returns between 200–
500% from organic cultivation varying between regions and crops.
o A smooth transition from chemical-based farming to organic or natural farming
needs a well-thought plan.
Post-harvest Phase
According to the economic survey 2018-19, India’s global position in post-harvest losses is at 70 of
125 nations. As per the estimates, the total food loss in agricultural products ranges between 4-10%
for cereals, pulses, and oilseeds whereas 5-16% for fruits and vegetables. Post-harvest losses are
primarily caused by a failure in the handling and connecting of food produced to consumption points
or markets.
• Under the umbrella scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana, the Government is
implementing various schemes which include Mega Food Parks, Integrated Cold Chain, and
Value Addition Infrastructure, Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters, and Creation of
Backward and Forward Linkages.
• The Government has launched Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme with an outlay of
1.97 lakh crores in 13 key sectors, including the food processing sector, for enhancing India’s
manufacturing capabilities and improving exports.
• To facilitate infrastructure projects at farm-gate and for financially viable post-harvest
management, a fund of 1 lakh crores has been set up through Agri Infrastructure Fund for
10 years.

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• Post-Harvest Losses (PHL) in India arise due to lack of infrastructure, limited technical know-
how on good agricultural practices, asymmetrical market knowledge, and inadequate
market access.
o Fragmented land holdings and the inefficient post-harvest value chain cause losses
to stack up progressively throughout the value chain.
o Small and marginal farmers are affected by these challenges of fragmentation and
value chain inefficiencies in the form of weak access to markets, low investment in
agriculture, low productivity, and low income.
o The high volume of losses, if reduced, can generate significant value and address
food insecurity.
As per the latest estimates by the High-level Dalwai Committee report, India loses approximately Rs
92650 crores on account of PHL due to rejection at the farm gate and delays in the distribution
process.
• Besides the harvesting losses, a significant proportion of post-harvest losses are due to
decay, diseases, and pests.
o These challenges can be targeted with proper storage infrastructure and efficient
crop protection practices. Fruits and vegetables, due to their perishability and short
shelf life, need a different storage infrastructure than those used for grains, wheat,
and sugar.
o Developing storage infrastructure can be broadly divided into warehouses and
integrated cold-chains as they also bring efficiency in demand-supply management
and farmers can hold on to their produce when there is surplus supply in the
market.
o As a key stakeholder in facilitating the required infrastructure, the Central
Government is implementing Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) to
holistically address the gaps in post-harvest infrastructure.
o The Government is promoting scientific storage facilities for individual farmers,
groups of farmers/growers, registered FPOs in rural areas through the scheme of
“Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI)”, which is a sub-scheme of Integrated
Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) and Gramin Bhandaran Yojana (GBY).
Conclusion
The low per capita income of farmers – especially small and marginal farmers – is a major reason for
agrarian distress. Doubling of farmer’s income needs intervention at every node of the value chain.
• Processing near the farmgate can improve the value-addition of agriculture produce, ensure
remunerative prices for farmers, and minimise losses.
• Increased participation from the organised private sector combined with the hub and spoke
model for processing activities can become a viable and efficient model to expand direct
engagement between the industry and small and marginal farmers.
• Indian farmers have traditionally followed certain practices. By integrating the post-harvest
management methods, farmers will overcome the distressed selling by utilising storage and
processing facilities which can yield higher returns.
Right from increasing the Total Factor Productivity and increasing the cropping intensity to
diversification towards high-value crops and improving the terms of trade for the farmers are a must
to cumulatively achieve the desired goal.

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PRELIMS ORIENTED MCQ

Q1: With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements:
a) At present, the retail price of chemical fertilizers is market-driven and not administered by the
Government.
b) Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.
c) Sulphur, which is a raw material for phosphoric acid fertilizer is a by-product of oil refineries.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 2 only
d) 1, 2 und 3
Solution: b

Q2: With reference to pulse production in India, consider the following sentences:
1. Black gram (Urad) can be cultivated as both Kharif and rabi crop.
2. Green gram (Moong) alone accounts for nearly half of pulse production.
3. In the last three decades, while the production of kharif pulses has increased, the production
of rabi pulses has decreased
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) None
Solution: a

Q3: The black cotton soil of India has been formed due to the weathering of
a) Brown forest soil
b) Fissure volcanic rock
c) Granite and schist
d) Shale and limestone
Solution: b

Chapter 2: GI-TAGGING OF RURAL PRODUCTS

Geographical indications are intellectual property rights which confers a sign to particular product
from definite geographical origin and assure about its exclusive quality. The GI tag distinguishes the
original product from other products in the market which helps in fetching premium price especially
from the developed countries. The GI tags are of great significance as they boost exports and
promote economic prosperity of the producer thereby leading to sustainable development.
• It is a sign on products having a unique geographical origin and evolution over centuries
with regard to its special quality or reputed attributes.
• It is a mark of authenticity and ensures that registered authorized users or at least those
residing inside the geographic territory are allowed to use the popular product names.
• GI tag in India is governed by Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection)
Act, 1999.
• It is issued by the Geographical Indications Registry (Chennai).

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There are three main ways to protect a geographical indication:

a) Sui generis systems (i.e. special regimes of protection);
b) Using collective or certification marks; and
c) Methods focusing on business practices, including administrative product approval schemes
Geographical indications are protected in different countries often using a combination of two or
more of the approaches outlined above.
Protection of GI tag in India
• Geographical indication( Registration and Protection )Act, 1999 provides legal protection to
GIs holder in India.
• Validity of registration for 10 years with indefinite extension by renewing.
• Prohibition of using GIs as Trademark.
• GIs are Public property so they cannot be assigned or transmitted.
Legal measures
• Under Articles 1 (2) and 10 of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property,
geographical indications are covered as an element of IPRs. They are also covered under
Articles 22 to 24 of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
Agreement, which was part of the Agreements concluding the Uruguay Round of GATT
negotiations.
• India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical
Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection)Act, 1999 has come into force with effect
from 15th September 2003.
• Besides intellectual property office conducts various awareness programmes to make
various stakeholders aware of their rights and about the misuses and legal measures
regarding GI.
Significance of GI Tag
• Protect Indian products- Indian Basmati and many products have huge international
demand leading to an attempt to hijack by an American firm few years back. GI tag is
important to protect any such future move
• Better price and branding- GI tag helps to establish the local product in national and
international market.
• Recognition- to indigenous knowledge and local people culture as many handicraft products
are now getting promoted after having GI tag in international market.

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• Standardization- GI tag set certain expected standards for products so quality get assured
for marketing purpose and easy to export.
The Challenges
• Challenges of Middlemen: The benefit of the GI registered tribal product, in many cases,
accrues not to the artist but to traders or middlemen.
• Issue of duplicate and fake products: Traditional hand-woven designs are often duplicated
and sold at a lower price through mass production, which deprives the tribes of their
legitimate income. A case in point is the GI registered unique hand-woven embroidery and
textile designs made by the Toda tribe of the Nilgiris.
• Challenges of Marketing and brand promotion: The GI tag enhances the value—in terms of
sales and profits—of only those products which are known, are already profitable
The Way Forward
India has huge potential for GI tag use as Indian diversity and its cultural richness provide many
unique products; we need more information dissemination on it and same time speedy action on
request for GI tag.
• Proactive State Governments: States should try to identify traditional products, which
incorporate the knowledge and skills of the scheduled tribes, and strive to get GI tag for such
products
• Effective Implementation of GI Provisions: Any infringement of GI provisions, such as cases
of proliferation of duplicate and fake products, should be dealt severely.
• Inclusive GI Tag recognition: There is a need to upgrade the GI Act, 1999, and make it more
inclusive and responsive to ground realities so that more products are GI registered.
• Civil Society Support: It is also critical that NGOs and corporates support the branding and
marketing of GI products. In fact, the credit for establishing Araku Valley coffee as an
international brand owes essentially to the marketing efforts of an NGO and select
corporates.
• Enterprise-facilitating platform such as a chamber of commerce, governmental help desk or
a voluntary organisation dedicated to GI must be constituted. This would help connect the
buyer with the original seller/tribal, thereby helping in reducing the exploitative gap
between owner and seller within the GI ecosystem
• Legal Support: The inclusion of legal support services within the chamber of commerce and
voluntary organisations also helps protect the rights of tribes.
Recent GI Tags –
Bhalia Wheat
• The wheat has high protein content
• It is sweet in taste.
• The crop is grown mostly across Bhal region of Gujarat which includes Ahmadabad, Anand,
Kheda, Bhavanagar, Surendranagar, Bharuch districts.
Madurai Malli
• It is the Jasmine flower, known for its strong and powerful, mysteriously attractive &
seductive fragrance.
• Because of its place of origin, it is known as Madurai Malli.
• It is mainly cultivated in the district of Madurai and the neighboring places of Madurai like
Theni, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar and Dindigul.
• It was given GI recognition in 2013.
• GI protection prevents producers of similar flowers in other regions from using the specific
tag and helps growers in the specific region preserve their identity in the local and global
market

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• Madurai has emerged as a major market for the malligai grown in its neighbourhood, and
has evolved into the ‘jasmine capital’ of India.
MattuGulla
• MattuGulla is a variety of brinjal that has Geographical Indication (GI) tag
• Known for its unique taste, MattuGulla is grown in Mattu, Kaipunjal and Uliyargoli villages
of Udupi district inKarnataka
• About 200 farmers cultivate this rare variety of brinjal on about 120 acres of land from
October to June.
• The speciality of MattuGulla, besides its taste, is that it has less seed and more pulp
Jharkhand’s Sohrai Khovar painting and Telangana’s Telia Rumal
Sohrai Khovar
• It is a traditional and ritualistic mural art.
• It is practised by local tribal women during local harvest and marriage seasons.
• Local, naturally available soils of different colours are used.
• It is mainly practiced in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand.
Telia Rumal: This cloth involves intricate handmade work with cotton loom displaying a variety of
designs and motifs in three particular colours — red, black and white.
Alibaug White Onion
• Alibaug, is a coastal town, just south of Mumbai, in the state of Maharashtra
• Local farmers have preserved the seed for over two centuries. The onion is also mentioned
in a government gazette published in 1883.
• The soil of Alibaug taluka has low sulphur content.
• The onions have low pungency, sweet taste, ‘no tear’ factor, low pyruvic acid, high protein,
fat and fibre content, besides high antioxidant compounds (quercetin).
• It boosts immunity, helps with insomnia, blood cleaning, blood pressure and heat-related
ailments.
Assam’s Rice Wine Judima
• This wine is made from rice and a certain herb.
• It is the first beverage from the north-eastern region to earn this label.
• Judima is intrinsic to the social and cultural life of the Dimasas.
• The GI tag for the drink came 14 years after the ginger of the adjoining Karbi Anglong district
received its geographical indication.
• A week ago, Manipur saw two of its indigenous products get the GI tag.
o These were the Tamenglong orange and Hathei chilli grown in the hills.

Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED)

• A national-level apex organization, came into existence in 1987
• Objective: To provide good price of the ‘Minor Forest Produce (MFP) collected by the tribes
of the country.
• It functions under Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India.
• TRIFED has its Head Office at New Delhi and has a network of 13 Regional Offices located at
various places in the country.

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PRELIMS ORIENTED MCQ

Q1: Which was the first Indian product to get the geographical indication tag?
(a) Aranmula Kannadi
(b) Darjeeling Tea
(c) Katarina Rice
(d) Madhubani Paintings
Solution: b

Q2: Pokkali is a unique saline tolerant rice variety that is cultivated in which of the following state?
(a)Andhra Pradesh
(b)Odisha
(c)Kerala
(d)Karnataka
Solution: c

Q3: In which Indian state 'Feni' spirit produced exclusively?

(a) Arunachal Pradesh
(b) Goa
(c) Tamil Nadu
(d) Uttrakhand
Solution: b

Chapter 3: Har Ghar Jal

“While a safe water supply is vital for economic health on a global scale, it is persistently under-
prioritized.”
India has a long history of being recognised for its abundant and clean water resources; since ancient
times, its rivers have been respected for their pure water; the Ganga, Yamuna, and Sarasvati have all
been worshipped, and the water has been dubbed Pavitra and is believed to cure ailments. Of the
south, the Krishna, Kaveri, Mahanadi, and Narmada rivers in Gujarat are recognised as the states’
lifelines. Punjab is a land with numerous rivers. We have been blessed with clean and wholesome
water for drinking and irrigation for thousands of years. However, times have changed dramatically,
and we now struggle to obtain safe drinking water.
India does not have adequate water to supply. More than 50 per cent of India’s agriculture is rain-
fed. With an erratic monsoon cities across the country are facing water crises. A NITI Aayog report
states that more than 21 cities could have zero groundwater by 2020. Reports suggest that more
than 100 million do not have access to clean drinking water. To top this, to implement water-related
schemes, smooth Centre-state ties are required, because water is a state subject.
When the programme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2019, only 17% of
rural households in the country had tap water connections. After two years of the programme, the
number has been increased to 40.77%.
About Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)
• It is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household
tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.
o It envisages supply of 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household
through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.

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o It also includes functional tap connection to Schools, Anganwadi centres, GP
buildings, Health centres, wellness centres and community buildings
• The programme will also implement source sustainability measures as mandatory elements,
such as recharge and reuse through grey water management, water conservation, rain water
harvesting.
• JJM focuses on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level.
• The Mission is based on a community approach to water. It looks to create a jan andolan for
water, thereby making it everyone’s priority.
o It promotes and ensure voluntary ownership among local community by way of
contribution in cash, kind and/ or labour and voluntary labour.
• Parent Ministry: Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti
• Funding Pattern: The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and states is 90:10 for
Himalayan and North-Eastern States, 50:50 for other states, and 100% for Union Territories.
• Four-tier implementation & monitoring of the scheme at National, State, District & village
level.
The following components are supported under JJM
• Development of in-village piped water supply infrastructure to provide tap water
connection to every rural household
• Development of reliable drinking water sources and/ or augmentation of existing sources to
provide long-term sustainability of water supply system
• Wherever necessary, bulk water transfer, treatment plants and distribution network to
cater to every rural household
• Technological interventions for removal of contaminants where water quality is an issue
• Retrofitting of completed and ongoing schemes to provide FHTCs at minimum service level
of 55 lpcd;
• Greywater management. (Grey water — wastewater from kitchen sinks, showers and
laundry fixtures)
• Support activities, i.e. Information Education & Communication (awareness of water
conservation), Human Resource training, development of utilities, water quality
laboratories, water quality testing & surveillance, R&D, knowledge centre, capacity building
of communities, etc.
A crucial component: Unburdening lives of rural women
According to a report by the National Commission for Women, on an average, a rural woman in
Rajasthan walks over 2.5 km to reach a water source. This is probably an underestimate, but the
bottomline is that our women and girls spend a significant proportion of their time on fetching
water. With women playing a leadership role in managing their community’s water resources, minus
the drudgery of walking for miles to fetch water for their families, the Jal Jeevan Mission will provide
a massive fillip to the ease of living for women, and they will no longer be beasts of burden.
Functioning of the mission:
• Jal Jeevan Mission adopts an end-to-end approach which implies that not only taking care of
water resources is important but taking care of water conservation, augmentation of
existing water resources, and then providing tap water supply is also very important.
• If more tap water is provided to the household, then naturally the amount of greywater or
used water will be more. So, Jal Jeevan Mission has made greywater treatment and its reuse
in forestry, agriculture, horticulture, or in the local industries one of the essential
components of the mission.
• Therefore, all three aspects are taken care of under the Jal Jeevan Mission:
o The source of water and its sustainability,
o The operation maintenance and providing tap water supply to each and every
household, and

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o The treatment of the greywater or used water,
• There is a Water Quality Management Information System as well which is a dedicated one-
stop information portal that provides information about the quality of water. Jal Jeevan
Mission emphasizes that each local village should be able to test the quality of water not
only at the source but also at the delivery points.
• For that purpose, the National Jal Jeevan Mission with the help of states is giving training to
at least five women in one village, implying out of the 6 lakh villages, 30 lakh women will be
trained. So far, 6 lakh women have been trained and they are assigned the task of testing
the tap water quality which they get at their village level.
• Focus is now being given to getting the 2023 water quality labs in the country accredited by
the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). All these
labs are now open to the public at a very nominal cost. Now, the public can go there and test
the tap water quality supplied to them.
Challenges involved:
• Bigger states have bigger challenges. In water scheme though focus is village level scheme
but many times support is not available very close to the villages. So, for that, there is
provision of multi village scheme. Example is Rajasthan.
• Also, in the Ganga belt, water quality issues are present in the form of impurity (arsenic,
sulfur, etc.) contamination or other water quality issues and hence, providing water to
households in these areas does take time.
• But the states have taken this mission very seriously and they are doing their best to provide
water to each household.
Way Forward:
• Be it at the water conservation level, or greywater treatment, or the operation and
maintenance level, all the level require the community involvement as the main focus of the
Jal Jeevan Mission is the community. Therefore, without community involvement it is not
possible to successfully achieve the target.
• Earlier, all the programs were basically engineering-based programs so, most of the stress
was on creating engineering water infrastructure. But this time, the emphasis is on service
delivery not on infrastructure creation. Service delivery has its own challenges such as
supplying adequate water, maintaining the sources, etc. Hence, all these aspects should be
taken care of.
• Need to relook at water-guzzling sugarcane —with a value chain that sucks is terrible in
terms of subsidies at various stages
• Need to reimagine the public health engineering department (PHED) as not just a technical
body but also as a public utility that oversees water entitlements as well as pricing of such
entitlements is a goal. Digital sensors could facilitate remote monitoring of household water
supply and quality, and eliminate tedious meter readings.
• This devolution can be incentivised by GoI, linked to milestones state governments and gram
panchayats must reach, and hand-held by NGOs. For instance, JJM could tie up with the skill
development ministry to train village women to measure turbidity and quality.
• On the lines of the Swachh Bharat Mission, extensive information, education and
communication will be needed to create a jan andolan for water management. The ongoing
Jal Shakti Abhiyan will help in creating awareness about the importance of integrating
source sustainability and water reuse with the provision of household water supply.
• The empowerment of capacity building of the local village communities is very important.
With the involvement of not only Ph.D. engineers but also the local people, the challenges
will be met.

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Chapter 4: Self-reliance in Energy Sector

India’s Renewable Energy
• In the last 6 years, India’s installed Renewable Energy (RE) capacity has increased by over
two and a half times and stands at more than 141 Giga Watts (including large Hydro).
• The installed solar energy capacity has increased by over 15 times, and stands at 41.09 GW.
• During the last 7 years, over USD 70 billion investments has been made in RE in India.
o India allows 100% FDI through the automatic route in energy sector.
• Renewable Energy Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board (REIPFB) Portal has also
been developed to provide one-stop assistance and facilitation to the Industry and Investors
for development of projects and bringing new investment to the Renewable Energy sector in
India.
• Several members from the Industry have voluntarily declared RE goals and committed to the
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), Renewable 100% (RE100) and Science based targets (SBTs).
• Rules are being framed for a ‘green tariff’ policy that will help electricity Distribution
Companies (Discoms) supply electricity generated from clean energy projects at a cheaper
rate as compared to power from conventional fuel sources.
• The government is promoting Green Hydrogen with obligations for Fertilizers and Refining
industries (Green Hydrogen Purchase obligations).
Measures taken by government that accelerated the progress in renewable sector:
• Waiver of inter-state transmission charges for the sale of solar and wind power
• The renewable purchase obligation (RPO) trajectories for states
• Focus on maintaining the sanctity of contracts
• Permitting FDI in the renewable sector
Challenges w.r.t Renewable Energy
• Vulnerable to Weather Conditions: While conventional power plants—that are coal-based
or large hydro—have the ability to vary the generation as per need, renewable generation is
more at the mercy of nature. Nor are the buyers who are focused on commercial
considerations keen to purchase renewable power.
• Challenges of Market Intervention: Given the seasonality and intermittency of renewable
power, it is not easily susceptible to market intervention.
• Weak participation in electricity exchanges: Most renewable power generation companies
in India are committed to selling their power to consumers—mostly discoms and a few third-
party consumers under the long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), with little
prospect of excess generation to be offered on the exchange and the inability to schedule
power supply
Major Initiatives
A. Launch of the `one world, one sun, one grid’ initiative at the COP 26 Climate Meet in Glasgow
Envisioning a global ecosystem of interconnected renewable energy green grids
Challenge: Solar energy is totally clean and sustainable. Challenge is that this energy is only available
during the daytime and is dependent on the weather. ‘One Sun, One World & One Grid’ is the
solution to this problem. Through a worldwide grid, clean energy can be transmitted to anywhere &
anytime
It will –
• Reduce storage needs
• Enhance the viability of solar projects
• Reduce carbon footprints and energy cost
• Bring together a global coalition of governments, international financial and technical
organisations, legislators, power system operators and knowledge leaders to accelerate the
construction of the new infrastructure needed for a world powered by clean energy

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Main areas of work of the initiative will be:
• Investing in solar, wind, storage and other renewable energy generation in locations
endowed with renewable resources for supporting a global grid
• Building long-distance cross-border transmission lines to connect renewable energy
generators
• Developing and deploying cutting edge techniques and technologies to modernise power
systems
• Supporting the global transition to zero emission vehicles through incorporating the role of
electric vehicles to help improve grid flexibility
• Attracting investment into solar mini-grids and off-grid systems to help vulnerable
communities gain access to clean, affordable, and reliable energy
• Developing innovative financial instruments, market structures for solar grid infrastructure.
B. Green Grids Initiative
Objective: Trading energy from sun, wind and water across borders to deliver more than enough
clean energy to meet the needs of everyone on Earth.
• The initiative was endorsed by more than 80 countries.
• The ISRO has developed an application that could compute the potential solar energy at any
point on earth and help decide if it would be suitable for solar energy installations.
• A Ministerial Steering Group will work towards accelerating the making of large solar power
stations and wind farms in the best locations, linked together by continental-scale grids
crossing national borders.
o The Ministerial Steering Group includes France, India, the United Kingdom and the
United States, and will also have representatives from Africa, the Gulf, Latin America
and Southeast Asia.
C. Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM)
• GTAM is an alternative new model introduced for selling off the power by the renewable
developers in the open market without getting into long term PPAs
• Transactions through GTAM will be bilateral in nature with clear identification of
corresponding buyers and sellers, there will not be any difficulty in accounting for
Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO).
• Positive Start to GTAM: The green market commenced trade on August 21 and in about just
90 days of commencement of trade, the market has achieved a cumulative traded volume of
over 400 million units reflecting the confidence of the initiative.
• More Options under GTAM: The green market has now launched two more options—daily
and weekly, to facilitate the market participants in buying renewable energy from three-
hours to 11-days ahead. This will further strengthen the market and allow participants to
buy green energy through contracts available for trade in all the segments.
Significance and benefits of GTAM initiative:
• Benefit to Producer: GTAM platform will benefit renewable energy producers by
providing access to pan- India market. The green market will ultimately encourage green
generators to adopt multiple models of sale and trading.
• Benefit to Buyer: It will benefit buyers of Renewable Energy through competitive prices and
transparent and flexible procurement.
• Incentivises State Governments: It would lessen the burden on Renewable Energy-rich
States and incentivize them to develop RE capacity beyond their own RPO.
• Strengthens RE Market: With robust value proposition such as transparency, competitive
prices, flexibility, and payment security and financial savings that the exchange market
offers, a pan-India green market has the potential to make the renewable energy market
robust by increasing the number of participants in the sector.

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• Helps achieve National Targets: The transparent platform would help in achieving RE
capacity addition targets of the country. The Government has a target of 175 GW RE
Capacity by 2022.
D. Amendment to Energy Conservation Act, 2001
• Amidst the growing energy needs and changing global climate landscape, the Government
has identified new areas to achieve higher levels of penetration of Renewable energy by
proposing certain Amendments to Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
• Objective: Enhance demand for renewable energy at the end- use sectors such as Industry,
buildings, transport etc.
• The proposal includes
▪ Defining minimum share of renewable energy in the overall consumption by the
industrial units or any establishment.
▪ There will be provision to incentivise efforts on using clean energy sources by means
of carbon saving certificate.
▪ The proposed amendments would facilitate development of Carbon market in India
and prescribe minimum consumption of renewable energy either as direct
consumption or indirect use through grid. This will help in reduction of fossil fuel
based energy consumption and carbon emission to the atmosphere
E. Other initiatives taken by the Government
• India’s Commitment: India has also made a commitment at COP 26 Summit that by 2030 it
will fulfill 50% of its energy requirement through renewable energy and bring its non-fossil
fuel energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030.
• Regional Power Grid: Connecting more neighbouring countries through a regional power
grid which can be used to supply electricity to surrounding nations without adequate
number of power plants.
• International Solar Alliance (ISA): India has already initiated the International Solar Alliance
(ISA) which aims to deploy over 1,000 GW of solar generation capacity globally and mobilise
investment of over $1 trillion towards by 2030.
▪ It is a treaty-based inter-governmental Organisation.
▪ It aims to mobilise investment of over $1 trillion by 2030.
▪ Headquarter: Gurgaon
▪ It was established following the Paris Declaration as an alliance dedicated to the
promotion of solar energy among its member countries.
▪ It has become India’s calling card on climate change and is increasingly being viewed as a
foreign policy tool
Putting people at the heart of the ‘Green’ transition
It is time the policymakers, environmental activists, sector experts, and other relevant stakeholders
to emerge out of the fact that estimations, figures, and numbers are the only ways to measure the
success of the energy transition journey.
Lack of Social Dialogue: There is wide disarray and disagreement within different stakeholders
regarding the form, shape, and nature of energy transition which is being pursued nationally. For
example, the chase for higher and higher levels of renewable energy capacity or the existing “coal is
bad, green is great” mindset that appears to be governing the clean energy transition. The social
dialogue needs to change in the very first stages of planning and articulating the vision of energy
transition.
What about the quality of life?: The quantitative numbers are often delusional when it comes to
their manifestation on the quality of life of the people concerned.
• An unbiased exploration of the nature of jobs in the outgoing as well as incoming sectors is
required so that the transition weeds out the ills of the past and does not repeat them while
reimagining the shape of the energy ecosystem.

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• Seriously monitor the quality of jobs that the ‘green’ investments are creating as merely
being a renewable energy project does not guarantee a job that is well-paying, has scope of
skill and income enhancement, is safe from occupational hazards, promotes collectivism
amongst workers and provides the social safety net required for leading a dignified life.
Lack of transparency, accountability, and social participation in the decision-making processes
related to clean energy transition: As per several ground reports, the processes of land acquisition
pertaining to various solar projects and wind projects in various parts of the country has been
evasive of public concerns and lacks public participation.
• Locals are hardly aware of even the basic distinction between any private project and public
project, especially when the entity acquiring their land is the State.
• In many instances, this information asymmetry has been used by the private parties to voice
down, sometimes using the force of law and local police, any dissent or resistance which
came up while the land acquisition or project construction was being done.
• Similarly, in case of public utility lands, the ‘public’ which was utilising such land for
livelihood, agriculture, and other purposes is hardly informed and consulted before
acquiring their lands. Often, the locals are cheated on by being given promises of preference
in jobs but without any written assurance for the same by the renewable energy companies.
Thus, with the motive of profiteering on any cost, the green energy projects seem to be treading the
same path that various exploitative industries and capitalists have been treading for a long time
now.
The Way Forward – To truly make the energy transition a ‘just’ one, unbiased, inclusive and
rigorous
• Each and every stakeholder must introspect, drop their respective biases, come clean about
their own motives and then listen carefully to the concerns of each other so that the
dialogue does not become a war of words, but a constructive and forward-looking strategy-
making process. This will actuate the optimal usage of one of the most important and often
overlooked pillar of the just transition framework – social dialogue.
• Dialogues are required to hear the historically unheard voices from the ground – each
stakeholder should come together on a platform and collectively shape the facets of energy
transition.

Chapter 5: Police Reforms

The history of Police in India is characterised by trials, errors, vicissitudes, imperatives of an imperial
government, changing priorities, and changing context. India, after Independence, retained the basic
structure of police organisation, though the nature of policing did change. Police as an institution, as
it exists today, has evolved over several centuries, tracing its roots to the long-gone period. It acts as
an independent administrative institution in India, however, developed only during the British
colonial period, which to a great extent was an amalgamation of various features prevalent during
the Medieval ages and some borrowed from the British structure of law and order. The present Police
System structurally and functionally owes its existing structure to the various Acts and Enactments
promulgated by the colonial rulers.
Police as being a part of the administrative machinery of the State to protect life and property came
into existence with the inception of civilized society. It was considered the primary tool of the
state/ruling class. The ‘police’ connotes a system of administration or regulation, but the word is
now generally used to indicate the organised body of civil officers in a place whose particular duty is
the preservation of law and order. The present Police System structurally and functionally owes its
existing structure to the various Acts and Enactments promulgated by the colonial rulers. The Indian
State has retained, consolidated, and expanded the inherited police structure.

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Ancient Period: Intricately concurrent with the institutions of religion, community, and ethics.
• There are several references in ancient texts of India which indicate the existence of a
specialised unit to deal with the detection of crime and offences against the State.
• We get glimpses of a city police organisation in the Arthashastra of Kautilya.
• Police was an important functionary for maintenance of peace which was a necessary pre-
condition for the general welfare.
• The indigenous Police System in India was organised on the basis of land tenure and also on
the collective responsibility of the village community.
Medieval Period: Muslim rule in North India began in the twelfth century and the Police System
evolved slowly but steadily as the area of conquered territories under them expanded.
• The centre of power and political activity was the Sultan.
• Faujdar, being the head of the criminal justice delivery system at the provincial level, was
entrusted to maintain its peace and security.
• Kotwal was the magistrate, head of the police
• Chowkidar was responsible for the village peace and order under the local landholder or the
village headman. The chowkidars were maintained by the villages themselves and were paid
remuneration out of the share of the crops.
The Colonial Period: As the grip of the British tightened over the Indian territory, issues of security
of trade and property necessitated some kind of police arrangements.
Through various trials and error, the British perfected a Police System which served them
throughout their colonial rule in India.
• Warren Hastings, in 1772, established criminal courts as a measure to suppress and prevent
violent crime.
• In 1792, Lord Cornwallis, “took police administration out of the hands of the large
landowners (the zamindars) and established in their place a police force responsible to
agents of the Company. Districts were divided into parts and over each, a police official,
known as a Darogha, was placed. …The kotwal remained in charge of police administration
in the towns.”
• These reforms however did not yield desired results. It was the great widespread movement
against the British rule by many sections of the Indian society in 1857 that made the British
realise the imperative need for a regularised institution to control the vast lands that they
had conquered. “The formation of ‘civil’ police forces was intended to lessen somewhat by
the 1850s had come to be seen as a dangerous reliance on the army for internal policing”
• The excessive dependence on the army was expensive as well. So a police force was
conceptualised that could ‘develop a sense of fear of authority in the entire population and
could serve as the first line of defence.”
• A Police commission was appointed in 1860. The purpose of the Commission was to
reorganise the police department, to make it more effective and efficient. The Commission
recommended the abolition of the military police and the establishment of the single
uniform civil police force which would be under the provincial government. It resulted in the
enactment of the Police Act (Act V) of 1861. It is the basic foundation of the present-day
Indian Police.
The Police Act, 1861
A bill passed on 16 March 1861, came into force as the Indian Police Act on 22 March 1861. The
police commission of 1860 established the following principles of police organization:
(1) Military police were to be eliminated and policing was to be entrusted to a civil constabulary;
(2) Civil police were to have their own separate administrative establishment headed by an
inspector-general in every province;
(3) The inspector-general was responsible to the provincial government as the superintendent was
to the civilian collector; and

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(4) The superintendent was to supervise village police.”10
The role and hierarchy
The Inspector-General was assisted by District Superintendents of Police who were in turn assisted
by several Assistant Superintendents of Police. The Subordinate Police service was also reorganised
and the officers were designated as Inspectors, Head Constables, Sergeants, and Constables. An
organisational hierarchy was reinforced for the first time in the Indian Police with a clear command
and control. The higher ranks of officers were, to begin with, exclusively European, and it was in the
subordinate ranks of police that Indians were recruited, although not in entirety.
Improve village policing
This was to be under the supervision and control of the local magistrate. It was also recommended
that the salaries and remuneration of the police should be improved and made more equitable with
that of the military forces.
• In 1892, the Provincial Civil Service was created.
• In 1902, Lord Curzon constituted another Commission to look into the functioning of the
Police System and to suggest effective measures to ensure prevention of torture of police,
better magisterial supervision over police, and several other allied matters.
• The Commission was quite critical of the functioning of the police, however, it did not
recommend any major structural reforms in the Police System. It recommended that
educated Indians be admitted to police organisation at the officer level.
• In 1902, a new rank was formed especially for Indian officers- Deputy Superintendent of
Police, which was although one rank junior to the Superintendent, belonged to the highest
rank of the Provincial or subordinate service.
As the years went by, Indianisation of the police service picked up.
• In 1920, Indians were allowed to enter the higher ranks of the Indian Police through an
entrance exam which was to be held in India as well as in England.
• Lee Commission was formed in 1924 through which recruitment shifted decidedly in favour
of Indians.
As the nationalist movement gathered momentum and ferocity in the twentieth century, Indian
police was increasingly used to suppress and control these movements. Herein lay the dilemma of
the Indian police: Indians were very cleverly utilised against the Indians. It was “an agonising time of
trial”. India after independence in 1947, built up its administrative and police structure primarily
based on what the British had established.
Special Police Force
Twentieth century ushered in a period of renewed and more persistent nationalist agitations
throughout the country. The existing district police, though expanded over a period, was not enough
to enforce control. Therefore, it was decided to constitute armed ‘striking forces’.
• Two major striking forces were formed in the Madras Presidency. The Malabar Special Force
and the East Coast Special Force. Both the forces were specialised, well trained, disciplined,
and armed with latest weapons. They can be called the harbingers of today’s paramilitary
forces.
• With the spread and aggressiveness of the Quit India agitation in 1942 and the onset of the
Second World War in 1939, the government perforce had to increase the strength of the
police reserves as well as paramilitary forces.
Police Reforms
‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of
India. However, the Government of India, in September 2017, approved implementation of umbrella
Scheme of “Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF)”.
• This Scheme has two verticals – Police Modernisation & Security Related Expenditure (SRE)
& includes central sector sub-schemes such as Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and

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Systems (CCTNS) project and e-Prisons project, which have been made operational in all the
States/Union Territories.
• The Government also implemented Special Central Assistance (SCA) scheme to undertake
development interventions in Left-Wing-Extremism (LWE) districts.
• Additionally, focus is also laid on upgradation of police wireless and other infrastructure.
• This Scheme also includes centrally sponsored sub-schemes of ‘Assistance to States for
Modernisation of Police’ and ‘Assistance to States for Special Projects /Programmes for
upgrading Police Infrastructure’ to assist State Governments in modernisation of their police
forces.
• The second vertical of SRE comprises sub-schemes of Security Related Expenditure (SRE) for
Jammu & Kashmir, North Eastern States, and LWE affected States as well as Special
Infrastructure Scheme (SIS).
• One of the major aims of the Scheme was to bolster the Government’s ability to address
challenges faced in different theatres such as areas affected by LWE, Jammu and Kashmir
and North East effectively, and undertake development interventions which will catalyse in
improving the quality of life in these areas and help combat these challenges effectively at
the same time.
• To combat Left Wing Extremism, the Government, in 2015, had approved ‘National Policy
and Action Plan’, which includes a multi-pronged approach covering areas of security,
development, ensuring rights and entitlements of tribals/local communities, and perception
management. The steadfast implementation of the Policy and Action Plan has resulted in
decline of LWE related violence and geographical spread of LWE influence.

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INNOVATIVE SKILLING AND LIVELIHOOD

Chapter 6: Skilling for Future: Reaping Demographic Dividend for
AtmaNirbhar Bharat
India has one of the youngest populations in an ageing world.
• By 2020, the median age in India will be just 28. Demographics can change the pace and
pattern of economic growth.
• While China’s spectacular growth has already benefited from a demographic dividend, India
is yet to do so.
• Working age population is projected to grow by roughly 9.7 million per year during the
decade 2021-31 and 4.2 million per year between 2031-41.
The coming decades are a window of opportunity for Indiato leapfrog into a $5 trillion economy by
transforming its human capital into a highly skilled workforce for the national and global market.
Vocational Education can be the game changer
Vocational Education can be defined as the education that is based on occupation and employment.
Vocational Education is also known as career and technical education (CTE) or technical and
vocational education and training (TVET). The nodal agency for granting the recognition to the I.T.I. is
NCVT, which is under the Ministry of Labour, Govt. of India.
Objectives of vocational training
• Enhance the employability of youth through demand driven competency based modular
vocational courses.
• Maintain their competitiveness through provisions of multi-entry multi-exit learning
opportunities and vertical mobility/ interchangeability in qualifications.
• Fill the gap between educated and employable.
• Reduce the dropout rate at the secondary level.
Vital for our country because
• Demographic Dividend: India has 65% of its youth in the working age group. Efficient
utilization of these population would promote saving and investment rate
• Meet employer need of skills: The latest India skill Report indicates that only about 47%
coming out of educational institutions are employable.
• A useful vocational education in agriculture, coupled with access to the formal economy for
finance and marketing, could raise the quality of life. AGRI-UDAAN programme to promote
innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture is a step in the right direction.
• Prepare workers for a decent livelihood: this improves India’s ranking in HDI
• Low-skilled and repetitive jobs are bound to be eliminated by robots and artificial
intelligence under the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This scenario is forcing technical and
vocational education and training (TVET) institutions to evolve continuously and sustainably
to remain relevant in the future. World class productivity and quality
• For Make in India – It give big opportunity for MNCs to come to India
• Export of skilled workforce to aging developing countries
o The study titled ‘Global Talent Crunch’ highlighted that India would have a talent
surplus of around 245.3 million workers by 2030 at a time when the Asia-Pacific
region itself would face a talent deficit of 47 million workers.
Major Initiatives by Government
SANKALP: Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion
• An outcome-oriented centrally sponsored programme of Ministry of Skill Development &
Entrepreneurship (MSDE) with a special focus on decentralised planning and quality
improvement.
• It focuses on the overall skilling ecosystem covering both Central & State agencies.

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• The scheme has a six-year implementation schedule, and aims to
o Create convergence among all skill training activities
o Improve quality of skill development programmes through building a pool of quality
trainers and assessors model curriculum and content
o Establish robust monitoring and evaluation system for skill training programs, and
more
o Enhancement of inclusion of underprivileged and marginalized communities
including women, Scheduled Castes (SCs)/Schedule Tribes (STs) and Persons with
Disabilities (PWD). It will also develop a skilling ecosystem that will support the
country’s rise in Ease of Doing Business index.
Skill India Mission
• Skill India Mission is an initiative of the Government of India, launched by the Prime Minister
on the 16th of July 2015 with an aim to train over 40 crore people in India in different skills
by 2022.
• It includes various initiatives of the government like
o National Skill Development Mission,
o National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015,
o Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)
o Skill Loan scheme
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): For imparting short duration skill development
training through Short-Term Training (STT) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to youth across all
States/UTs.
Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) Scheme: Providing vocational skills to non-literates, neo-literates and
school dropouts by identifying skills that have a market in the region of their establishment.
National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS): For promoting apprenticeship training and
increasing the engagement of apprentices by providing financial support to industrial establishments
undertaking apprenticeship programme under The Apprentices Act, 1961.
Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS): Long term training programme in 137 trades are provided
through 14,788 ITIs in India.

Skill development and promotion of rural entrepreneurship address the challenge of

Naxalism in the tribal pockets of India
The Maoist problem has been identified by many experts and leaders, as the most serious internal
security challenge that the country is faced with. In this regard, improved governance and
effective implementation of development schemes, in the form of skill development, can help
overcome the challenge of Naxalism.
• To address issues of education and employment in Maoist affected regions, the Ministry of
Skills Development & Entrepreneurship (MoSDE) launched two schemes, namely, ‘Skill
Development in 47 LWE affected districts’ and ‘Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
(PMKVY)’ for creating infrastructure and providing employment linked skill training to
youth in affected areas.
• Further, undertaking “Skill Development Programme”, which includes in-house training,
aimed at equipping tribal youth to acquire the necessary knowledge, skill and proficiency
in the operation of Mine/Plant to help them in seeking employment can help in attracting
the youth.
• Paying appropriate stipend during the period of the programme and offer free/subsidised
breakfast, lunch, uniforms, tool kits, etc., along with establishment of ITI/ Polytechnic
Colleges exclusively for tribal youth providing entire infrastructure facilities, including
residential quarters and hostel buildings for students, to develop local talent suiting to the
needs of the industry.

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These measures can help towards leaning away the tribal youth from the clutches of naxalites as
many analysts have shown that in the absence of viable employment opportunities, youth tend to
take up arms.

Chapter 7: Innovative Approaches in Farm-based Livelihoods

Agriculture continues to be the most crucial sector of the Indian economy. With 19.9 percent
contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and providing employment to nearly 2/3rd of the
work force, agriculture is so much at the centre stage in the Indian economy that any situational
change in this sector, positive or negative, has a multiplier effect on the entire economy. The largest
industries of the country like sugar, jute, textiles, food processing, milk, etc. are dependent on
agriculture for their raw materials.
The rural poor are usually marginalized smallholders who depend partly on subsistence production
(mostly not sufficient to sustain their livelihoods) and partly on cash income from selling surplus,
from wage labour (mostly not sufficient and not reliable either), and, increasingly, from remittances.
They are also the landless people, relying on seasonal jobs as farm workers and on informal non-
farm income sources.
• They are often short of land in terms of farm size, quality and security of access.
• They lack access to clean and safe drinking-water.
• They are often short of family labour (owing to migration or diseases) and, therefore, suffer
from seasonal labour bottlenecks.
Small and marginal farmers with landholdings of less than two hectares comprise over eighty-six
percent of all agricultural labour, reflecting high land fragmentation and low economies of scale.
• Mainstream extension and agriculture support services are not customized for these farmer
segments, limiting their capacity to access improved production inputs and technology.
• The situation is even more complicated for women farmers who constitute nearly forty-
three percent of India’s agricultural labour force.
Some of innovative approaches include –
a) Participatory approach -Involving Panchayats in decision making
b) Diversification and Intensification – Restructuring extension and adaptive research delivery
• Convergence with schemes and departments
• Social mobilisation
• Formation of Farmer advisory team at different levels
• SHGs for commodity marketing
• Upgrading production system across all sectors
• Risk mitigation through weather insurance, drought, crop failure, price risk
management, warehouse and storage issues, etc.
c) Holistic Integrated approach – Issues relating to productivity, marketing, post-harvest, agro-
processing, credit, rural infrastructure, research, natural resource management should be
addressed.
d) New technology development, adoption and dissemination
e) Putting women at the centre of community-based livelihoods: The rural women play a
significant role in the rearing of livestock and are responsible for most of the operations
relating to feeding, breeding, management and health care of the livestock. The rapidly
increasing demand for livestock products creates opportunities for the empowerment of
women.
f) Promote holistic growth of horticulture sector, including bamboo and coconut through area
based regionally differentiated strategies, which includes research, technology promotion,

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extension, post-harvest management, processing and marketing, in consonance with
comparative advantage of each State/region and its diverse agro-climatic features
g) Diversification of income and employment portfolio is crucial for sustainable rural
livelihoods. Livestock sector can play an important role in poverty alleviation, income
enhancement and risk reduction for poor rural households.
h) Participatory planning, management and monitoring of rural assets, and participation of
farmers in identifying needs, planning, implementation and monitoring.
i) Creating enabling environment for Privatisation and Commercialisation: The concept of a
free market in agriculture will pave the way for corporate sector and make it more efficient.
The emergence of private investment is expected to revamp the sector by driving
productivity, adopting new technology, and integrating supply chain “from farm to fork”.
j) Integration of food processing into the agricultural production cycle will help achieve the
target of doubling farmers’ income.
k) Empower Farmer Self Help Groups to be active with the objective to create self-reliant
mechanisms.
l) Involvement of private veterinary doctors
m) Adoption of bio-village, seed village and farmer field schools
n) Enhancing knowledge through radio, television and internet
o) Promoting Exports: To increase export from these areas, 50% relaxation in railway freight as
freight subsidy can be provided from dry ports.
p) Cluster Approach: Special incentives are being offered to develop industrial corridors and
clusters but this model should be replicated in the rural and backward areas to provide job
opportunities to nearby small and marginal farmers and farm labourers.
q) Decentralised Microenterprise Ecosystem: A distributed, micro-level factory that can
produce solopreneurs and micro-enterprises has to be created and supported in the rural
areas. For instance, processing and packaging of vegetables for sale in urban malls can be
one such micro-enterprise that is labour intensive.
r) Investment in Rural areas: Promotion of new industrial investment with a special incentive in
backward areas to provide new jobs to rural India. Providing jobs to small, marginal farmers
and farm labourers in nearby areas will minimise the rural-to-urban migration

Sustainable Livelihood Framework for Farm-based Cooperatives

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Chapter 8: Rural Women: Key to New India’s Agrarian Revolution

One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman. This is the opening line of Book II of de Beauvoir’s.
This implies that weak position of women in society is construct of civilization, a reflection not of
“essential” differences in men and women but of differences in their situation. This also implicitly
highlights the life cycle vulnerabilities women have to go through.
Life cycle vulnerabilities refers to vulnerabilities a women has to go through at different stages of life
from “womb to tomb”. Rural women are specifically more vulnerable due to higher life cycle
vulnerabilities.
We will only focus on the existing huge economic opportunity gap
• Female labour force participation rate ~ 26% (Niti Aayog)
• Gender pay gap ~ 34% (ILO)
• Glass ceiling
• Feminization of informal sector and de-feminization of formal sector.
• Practice of “Sarpanch Pati” in village panchayats.
• Socially – triple burden comes on rural women – homemaking + agriculture (due to male
migration) and child upbringing.
Rural to urban migration of men has increased the role of women in rural economy but it has also
exposed them to different types of exploitations.
The increased participation has also led to exploitation of women:
• Wage parity.
• Menial jobs.
• Sexual exploitation.
• Lack of access to formal credit.
• Physical stress: Due to physical labour.
• Double burden: Family and work.
• Maternity issues.
• Health issues due to hard work and work under dangerous conditions.
The pre-COVID-19 situation (for rural women)
1. Rural women faced crisis of regular employment
• According to national labour force surveys, a quarter of adult rural women were in the
labour force (or counted as “workers” in official data) in 2017-18
• However, time-use surveys from rural Karnataka by NGOs show that, although there were
seasonal variations in work participation, almost all rural women came within the definition
of “worker” in the harvest season.
• The above data suggests that rural women face a crisis of regular employment.
• In other words, when women are not reported as workers, it is because of the lack of
employment opportunities rather than it being on account of any “withdrawal” from the
labour force
2. Paid work outside home
• Another feature of rural women’s work, is that women from all sections of the peasantry,
with some regional exceptions, participate in paid work outside the home
• Thus, while thinking of the potential workforce, we need to include women from almost all
sections of rural households and not just women from rural labour or manual worker
households.
3. Age differentiated aspiration amongst rural women
• A third feature is that younger and more educated women are often not seeking work
because they aspire to skilled non-agricultural work, whereas older women are more willing
to engage in manual labour.
4. Wage Inequality

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• A fourth feature of rural India is that women’s wages are rarely equal to men’s wages, with
a few exceptions. The gap between female and male wages is highest for non-agricultural
tasks — the new and growing source of employment.
5. Underestimation of women’s work
• Counting all forms of work — economic activity and care work or work in cooking, cleaning,
child care, elderly care — a woman’s work day is exceedingly long
• It is estimated that the total hours worked by women (in economic activity and care) ranged
from 61- 88 hours in the lean season, with a maximum of 91 hours (or 13 hours a day) in the
peak season.
• No woman puts in less than a 60-hour work-week.
Impact of Pandemic & lockdown on rural women
• Limited agricultural activity for women:
o There was increased tendency to use more family labour and less hired labour on
account of fears of infection.
o Therefore, though agricultural activity continued during lockdown employment
available to women was limited.
• Reduced income from agriculturally allied sectors
o For women across the country, incomes from the sale of milk to dairy cooperatives
shrank because the demand for milk fell by at least 25% (as hotels and restaurants
closed)
o Among fishers, men could not go to sea, and women could not process or sell fish
and fish products
• Collapse of non-agricultural employment for women.
o Non-agricultural jobs came to a sudden halt as construction sites, brick kilns, petty
stores and eateries, local factories and other enterprises shut down completely
o In recent years, women have accounted for more than one-half of workers in public
works, but no employment was available through the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) till late in April
o Accredited Social Health Activists or ASHAs, 90% of whom are women, have become
frontline health workers, although they are not recognised as “workers” or paid a
regular wage.
• Effect on Women’s health & nutrition
o During the lockdown period the burden of care work mounted.
o With all members of the family at home, and children out of school, the tasks of
cooking, cleaning, child care and elderly care increased
• Disproportionate impact of lockdown on rural women jobs
o Among rural casual workers 71% of women lost their jobs after the lockdown; the
figure was 59% for men.
o Data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) also suggest that job
losses in April 2020, as compared to April 2019, were larger for rural women than
men.
• Inadequate attention has been paid to the consequences of the pandemic for women
workers and on the design of specific policies and programmes to assist women workers
The Way Forward
• Wage parity: Brining wage parity i.e. equal pay for equal work irrespective of gender.
• Formal work: Gram Sabha providing employment to women under MGNREGA and other
schemes like ASHA etc.
• Feminization of tools: Feminization of agricultural tools i.e. making them women user
friendly.
• Formal credit: Making availability of formal credit without any guarantee since they lack any
property or lands under their name.
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 IASBABA’S YK GIST – DECEMBER 2021
• Marketing facility: Providing marketing facility to women produce.
• KVK: Opening Krishi Vigyan Kendra at every Zilla panchayat level to address and train them.
• Collective farming by women: This is to reduce any kind of exploitation be it sexual or
physical by men or outsiders.

Women and Cooperative Dairy Farming

• Substantive Participation of Women: There are more than 1,90,000 dairy cooperative
societies across the country, with approximately 6 million women members.
• Increased incomes: The Cooperative model that has advantages of greater control by
farmers, economical for small & marginal farmers, transparency, regularity of payment and
training facilities has increased the incomes of millions of women dairy farmers in India. In
2020, Amul Dairy released a list of 10 women dairy farmers who became millionaires by
selling milk to the company.
• Freedom from clutches of middlemen: Dairy cooperatives models that were at the heart of
Operation Flood made it possible to enhance backward and forward linkages in the dairy
value chain, paving the way for freeing small farmers from the clutches of middlemen, and
guaranteed minimum procurement price for milk.
• Improved access to Skill Training: National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) now organises
farmer’s orientation programmes across the country, under which women farmers are
trained in scientific best practices on animal health, fodder quality, clean milk production,
and accounts management.
• Rise of women-led dairy unions and companies: The NDDB has played a proactive role in
setting up women-led producer enterprises like Shreeja Mahila Milk Producer Company,
which was started with 24 women and now has more than 90,000 members, with an annual
turnover of approximately INR 450 crore.
• Promotes Leadership amongst women: Women-led cooperatives also provide fertile ground
for grooming women from rural areas for leadership positions. In many instances, this
becomes the first step for women in breaking free from traditional practices.
• Creation of better assets: A study across Rajasthan showed that with the income generated
through dairying, 31% of the women had converted their mud houses to cement structures,
while 39% had constructed concrete sheds for their cattle.
• Helps overcome structural obstacles: Many women who never had access to education or
formal employment have experienced a life transformation after they became a member of
the Cooperative Milk Union. This helped women, especially single parents, to increase their
incomes and lead a dignified life.
• Bridges information asymmetry: Major challenge in Dairy sector is information asymmetry
among farmers. Statistics indicate that small and marginal farmers have access to only 50-
70% of the resources that large and medium farmers have. However, the presence of
collectives in the form of cooperatives and milk unions plays a significant role in enhancing
the knowledge and bargaining power of women.
• Learning New Skills: Many of women dairy farmers have not had a formal education, but
through the process of dairying and working with larger collectives, such as milk unions and
cooperatives, they have mastered the nuances of finance and marketing.

All the best

Team IASbaba ☺

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