The

Analyst Women labour market outcomes

Handout
11th October, 2023

CONTEXT: Claudia Goldin has won the nobel prize in Economics.

About Economics Nobel Prize: ● Pay gap and parenthood

● Not a part of Alfred Nobel’s 1895 will
● Based on donations received by the Nobel
foundation in 1968 from Sveriges Riksbank (
Sweden’s central bank).
Key findings of Claudia goldin’s research;
● U-Shaped - female participation at first
declined in the 19th century but began to rise
again in the 20th century.
● The limitations of marriage
○ She found that by the beginning of the
20th century, while around 20% of
women were gainfully employed, the
share of married women was only 5%.
○ Goldin noted that legislation known as
marriage bars often prevented married
women from continuing their
employment as teachers or office
workers.
○ Goldin also demonstrated that there
was another important factor in the
slow reduction of the gap between men’s
and women’s rates of employment,
namely women’s expectations for their
future careers.
○ Women’s expectations were based on
the experience of their mothers, and
thus their educational and professional
decisions were not taken with the
expectation of having a long,
uninterrupted, and fruitful career.
● Contraceptive pills
○ By the end of the 1960s, as
easy-to-use contraceptive pills became
more popular, women could exercise
greater control over childbirth and
actually plan careers and motherhood.
○ However, one glaring gap still remained
and continues to this day — the
gender-based pay gap.
○ Till the time men and women worked
in factories, where the pay depended
on the day’s countable output, the pay
gap was not too high.
○ It became wider when monthly pay
contracts came into the picture.
○ One factor significantly impacted how
men were paid versus women —
childbirth.
Causes of lower women participation in Labour
market:
● Mid-career dropouts
● Work in double shifts
● occupational segregation
● Breaking of glass-ceiling a class
phenomenon (McKinsey- just 14% of senior
level position)
● Sexual harassment at workplace
● Informal sector
Factors that are enhancing female labour force
participation:
● Plastic sexuality
● Increased automation
● Recognition of women rights ( Equal
remuneration act, 1976, maternity Benefit
(amendment) Act, 2017)
● Universalization of Education
● Governance Measures ( MGNREGA, Mudra
Yojana & Stand-Up India)
Way Forward:
● Effective Enforcement of Acts
● Promote gender diversity at workplace
● Gender sensitization
● Flexible work arrangements
 The
Analyst Electoral bonds
Handout
11th October, 2023
CONTEXT: The Supreme Court on Tuesday fixed October 31 for final hearing on pleas
challenging the validity of the electoral bond scheme for political funding of parties.
Features of Electoral bonds :
● Electoral Bond would be a bearer
instrument in the nature of a Promissory
Note and an interest free banking
instrument. A citizen of India or a body
incorporated in India will be eligible to
purchase the bond.
● Electoral bond would be issued/purchased
for any value, in multiples of `1,000,
`10,000, `1,00,000, `10,00,000 and
`1,00,00,000 from the specified branches
of the State Bank of India (SBI).
● The purchaser would be allowed to buy
electoral bond(s) only on due fulfilment of all
the extant KYC norms and by making
payment from a bank account. It will not
carry the name of payee.
● Electoral Bonds would have a life of only 15
days during which it can be used for making
donation only to the political parties
registered under section 29A of the
Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 (43
of 1951) and which secured not less than one
percent of the votes polled in the last
general election to the House of the People
or a Legislative Assembly.
● The bonds under the Scheme shall be
available for purchase for a period of 10
days each in the months of January, April,
July and October, as may be specified by the
Central Government. An additional period
of 30 days shall be specified by the Central
Government in the year of the General
election to the House of People.
● Encashment only through an authorized
bank account of the political party.
● There is no limit on the number of bonds
an individual or company can purchase. If
a party hasn’t encashed any bonds within
15 days, SBI deposits these into the
Prime Minister’s Relief Fund
Issues with Electoral Bonds
● Anonymous Funding
● Violations of citizens right to Information
● Undue advantage to the Ruling party
● Corporate funding
● Common people not funding political
parties
Arguments for Electoral Bonds
● Limits use of cash in political funding
● Curbs Black money
● Protects donors from political
victimization
● Eliminate Fraudulent political parties
● Enhances Transparency
Way Forward
● Partial state funding (National electoral
Fund, Indrajit Gupta Committee & 2nd
ARC)
● Curbing cost of campaigning
● Disclosure audit of assets and liabilities of
Candidates(PUCL vs UOI, 2003, ECI
-2004, NCRWC)
● Revising official limits on Campaign
expenditure
● Switch to complete digital transactions
● Donations above a certain limit be made
public
● Political parties under RTI
 The
Analyst Gaganyaan Mission
Handout
11th October, 2023
CONTEXT: ISRO will execute the first of multiple test flights ahead of the Gaganyaan
mission on October 21.

About Gaganyaan mission :

● Envisages demonstration of human spaceflight
capability by launching crew of 3 members to an
orbit of 400 km for a 3 days mission and bring
them back safely to earth, by landing in Indian
sea waters.
● Part of Indian Human Spaceflight Programme
● Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3/GSLV Mk3)
● Astronaut Training: Astronaut Training: In
India, there is a lack of dedicated facilities for
comprehensive and specialized training,
including the absence of centrifuges for
g-force exposure and aircraft for simulating
weightlessness
● Astronauts may have medical issues due to:
○ Microgravity
○ Isolation
● Space Debris Concerns: The escalating
danger posed by space debris in low Earth
orbits raises the risk of potential
depressurization in the crew module if it
collides with small debris.
● Budget Considerations: Human spaceflight
missions entail ongoing financial commitments
rather than serving as one-time investments
aimed at showcasing national capabilities.

Suggestions & way ahead

● A well-developed Environmental Control

Significance : and Life Support System (ECLSS) is needed
● Scientific research to supply the essentials, maintain the
● International Cooperation acceptable environment and deal with the
● Inspiration management of waste products.
● Boost to industries ● Ground testing will have to be followed by
● Employment tests in the space orbit while simulating zero
● Prestige gravity and deep vacuum.
Challenges of the mission: ● Ensuring reliability of launch escape system.
● The crew and mission control team require
● Launch:.Commencing a human space mission extensive training to prepare.
necessitates a launcher with a reliability
threshold of 98% or higher

● Escape System: It is important to develop a

crew escape system to prepare for any
emergency .
 The
Analyst Prompt Corrective Action Framework
Handout
11th October, 2023
CONTEXT: RBI has stated that Prompt Corrective Action Framework will apply to state-owned NBFCs
(including PFC, REC, IRFC & IFCI) from October 2024.

What are NBFCs ? ● Prompt Corrective Action :The RBI

introduced the PCA framework in 2002 as a
● An NBFC is a company registered under the structured early-intervention mechanism for
Companies Act 1956 engaged in the business of banks that become undercapitalised due to poor
loans and advances, acquisition of asset quality, or vulnerable due to loss of
shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities profitability.
issued by the Government or local authority or
other marketable securities of a like nature. Parameters :
● Banks vs NBFCs Capital to Risk weighted Assets Ratio
○ NBFC cannot accept demand deposits; NPA
○ NBFCs do not form part of the payment Return on assets
and settlement system and cannot issue Tier 1 leverage ratio
cheques drawn on itself;
○ Deposit insurance facility of Deposit
Insurance and Credit Guarantee
Corporation is not available to depositors
of NBFCs, unlike in case of banks.
○ Unlike banks, NBFCs are not subjected to
stringent and substantial regulations.

Pet Coke

CONTEXT: SC asked the CAQM to look into import and mechanism for distribution of
petroleum coke, a pollutant across the country.

CAQM Pet Coke: It is a final carbon-rich solid material and

● Formed by an ordinance in October 2020 after residual waste material extracted from oil refining.
dissolving EPC superseding bodies such as the ● Polluting form of carbon
central and state pollution control boards of ● Bottom of the barrel
Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan. ● Application
● Composition: ● Implications:
○ Chairperson: To be chaired by a ○ Health
government official of the rank of ○ Environment
Secretary or Chief Secretary.
○ It will have experts CPCB, ISRO and
Civil Society.