It has been argued that remedying the exclusion of the majority of women from

access to and control of rural land in India is one of the most significant steps that
could be taken towards enhancing the country's rural livelihoods. In this context,
identify the challenges in access to land rights by women. What measures can be
taken to strengthen these rights? (150 words) 10 Approach: • Briefly write about
women’s unequal rights over land. • Discuss the challenges in accessing land
rights for women in India. • Mention steps needed to strengthen women’s land
rights. • Conclude appropriately.
Answer: The debilitating effect of women's unequal rights to access and control
rural land has been well documented. In a country where 73.2% of rural women
workers are engaged in agriculture, women own only 12.8% of land holdings.
However, inclusion of access to and control of land to women can enhance rural
livelihoods in the following ways: • Women having legal claim to the land they
cultivate, shall have control over resources, the production process and income.
• Access to land rights would allow women farmers access to inputs from
government benefits like institutional credit (bank loans, Kisan Credit Cards),
input subsidies etc. that will increase their productivity and agricultural output. o
Access to institutional credit would be facilitated with land ownership. Women
direct the use of income from productive land to meet the basic nutritional,
welfare, and educational needs of their children and family. Challenges in
accessing land rights by women: • Patriarchy: Traditionally, inheritance rights in
India have been skewed in favour of men, limiting the advancement of women’s
land ownership. • Awareness of rights: Rural women are not empowered to claim
and defend their land rights. They usually lack knowledge of their rights, and lack
capacities, documents and opportunities to participate in land governance, which
reinforces gender inequalities in access to land. • Legislative, administrative and
judicial factors: Complexity of laws, long, costly and complex administrative
procedures to access land and justice also act as a barrier. They also make the
efforts in this direction unaffordable for women with limited means and support.
Measures that are needed to be taken: • Widen the ambit of the term ‘farmer’:
The term ‘farmer’ should be defined legally to include cultivators. This will allow
increased recognition of women’s contribution and pave the way for women
farmer’s access to government inputs. • Inheritance laws: There is a need to
remove discriminatory laws under the individual state revenue codes and bring
them in consistency with the Hindu Succession Amendment Act, 2005, for
countrywide applicability. • Land record updation schemes need to have in-built
gender justice components. For example, the recently launched Swamitva
Scheme by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to map inhabited 2 www.visionias.in
©Vision IAS land ownership in rural India should incorporate gender justice by
requiring joint property registration between husband and wife. • Civil society
advocacy is important for creating change in laws and policies; increase
awareness on women’s land rights; provide rural women with information on
their rights and how to access legal services etc. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, with land-specific SDG indicators (such as 1.4.2), provide global
guidance to governments on tallying data on women’s land rights in law and in
practice, both documented and as perceived by their beneficiaries. Securing land
rights for women can set off powerful, continued ripple effects that can go a long
way toward realising gender equality and a range of critical human rights. 2.
Various challenges need to be addressed in order to successfully push forward
the agenda of decarbonizing the transport sector in India. Discuss. (150 words)
10 Approach: • Highlight briefly the need of decarbonizing the transport sector in
India. • Discuss the challenges towards energy efficiency, shift from fossil fuels,
promotion of electric transport etc., which are required to push forward the
agenda of decarbonizing the transport sector. • Give a brief conclusion
delineating the way forward. Answer: The transport sector is a major contributor
to air pollution in India mainly with burning fossil fuels by on-road vehicles. Within
the sector, Road transport contributes about 90 percent of emissions. Although
government has taken various measures towards decarbonizing such as
adopting BS-VI norms, fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty vehicles,
promoting uptake of electric and hybrid vehicles etc., there are still challenges
that need to be addressed towards decarbonizing transport sector: • Inadequate
support infrastructure: Electric Vehicles (EVs) do not have a higher market share
due to the absence of charging infrastructure. Without charging stations, very few
EVs are being sold, which in turn makes setting up the charging infrastructure an
unattractive investment. The government needs to make initial investments in
this area so that the private sector/investment will crowd in. • Low acceptability
of public transport: The first step towards decarbonization should start from
reducing the total demand of energy itself, which faces challenge as the society
still accords high status to private ownership of vehicles. Thus, there is need to
incentivize shift towards more sustainable modes i.e. public transport by
upgrading the associated infrastructure. • GHG emissions: Transport energy
demand has more than doubled in a decade and India’s energy system is largely
based on coal for power generation and fossil fuel for transport. This makes it
difficult for reducing the carbon imprint of even the electric vehicles. Thus,
simultaneous focus on clean power is required. • Slow shift towards cleaner
alternative fuels: India has historically struggled to meet its 5% ethanol-blending
mandate. Thus, there is a need of incentivizing alternative fuels in the transport
sector to reduce dependence on crude oil imports and promote low-carbon
transition. • Inefficient modal mix: Road transport accounted for 90% of total
energy demand in domestic transport. Therefore, efforts should be made
towards shifting traffic from road to more efficient railways and water transport
to obtain substantial savings in energy consumption. • Uptake of electric
transport: India sold only 22,000 battery EVs in 2016, well short of the sales
growth needed to meet the 6-7 million sales target for 2020. For this, high upfront
purchase price of EVs need to be reduced and innovation is needed to upgrade
the present battery technologies to edge out the advantage of diesel vehicles. 3
www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS • Unplanned city design: Cities in India have
witnessed unplanned growth and development. There is a need to organize cities
around public transport and promote sustainable mode of commutation like
cycling and walking to the workplaces, thereby improving mobility for many, while
limiting car use. The efficiency of road transport could be further improved by
complementary measures, such as efficiency standards for tyres, promoting eco-
driving, regular mandatory inspections for existing and new vehicles etc. Further,
there is need to ensure the enforcement of fuel efficiency standards and
standards for all road vehicles. 3. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has the
potential to mitigate the concerns associated with rice production in India.
Analyze. Also, suggest ways in which this can be achieved. (150 words) 10
Approach: • Highlight the concerns associated with the rice production pattern in
India. • Define System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and mention its potential to
mitigate the above concerns. • Suggest ways to promote SRI in India. • Conclude
with a way forward. Answer: India has the largest area under rice crop but its
production pattern is associated with several concerns such as, a poor yield of
2191 kg/hectare, as opposed to global average of 3026, intensive water usage,
‘groundwater crisis’, acute soil distress such as - increasing salinity, decreasing
fertility and micro-nutrient deficiencies. In this context, SRI is a new method of
rice production and management that involves cultivating rice with as much
organic manure as possible, starting with young seedlings planted singly at wider
spacing in a square pattern; and with intermittent irrigation that keeps the soil
moist but not inundated, and frequent inter cultivation with weeder that actively
aerates the soil. It has the potential to mitigate the concerns mentioned above: •
SRI requires only about half as much water as normally applied in rice irrigation.
Under SRI paddy fields are not flooded but kept moist during vegetative phase.
Later only one inch of water is maintained. This leads to lesser electricity
consumption for water extraction as well was frees up water for other uses. • Use
of precision irrigation significantly improves the yield. • Due to smaller and fewer
seedlings to transplant, the drudgery of labour is significantly reduced. • It also
involves less usage of chemicals and pesticides because of preference to organic
manures and manual weeding. Further, by reducing the application of
agrochemicals in rice production, the resulting grain has little or no chemical
residues. • Higher grain and straw yields, coupled with lowered cultivation costs,
leave farmers with higher net income. Ways in which SRI can be promoted •
Demonstrations: 0.4 ha demonstrations for every 100 ha is the key extension
strategy under the National Food Security Mission. It requires focused & intensive
work in a compact area over a period of 3-5 years, so that all stakeholders and
components (farmer management, labour, irrigation, etc.) get adjusted to SRI
requirements. • Farmer-level facilitation: It includes incentives for farmers in
terms of subsidising labour inputs as there is higher labour costs in the initial
years and intensive ‘science’ sharing or knowledge inputs. • Reduce
apprehensions: SRI demands more personal attention and constant involvement
by farmers. Apprehensions about the new way of raising seedlings, handling
young seedlings and square planting needs to be reduced among farmers by
raising awareness. 4 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS • Redesign institutional
mechanisms: Field level ‘agency’ is important to establish partnerships with civil
society organisations (CSOs). These CSOs should be given space in the national
and state-level executive committees. • Financial support: There is a need to
allocate more financial outlays for SRI at state level along with coordination with
state level agencies for its proper implementation. Given the potential of SRI as
discussed above, it will be beneficial for small and marginal farmers also, which
constitute a major chunk among the farmers in India. 4. Identifying the key
elements under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM), explain
how it can help achieve the goal of “Sweet Revolution” in India. (150 words) 10
Approach: • Giving a brief introduction about National Beekeeping and Honey
Mission (NBHM), bring out its key elements. • Then discuss how it can help in
achieving the goal of the Sweet Revolution in India. Answer: Beekeeping is an
agro-based activity, which is being undertaken by farmers/landless laborers in
rural areas as a part of Integrated Farming System (IFS). Beekeeping has been
useful in pollination of crops, thereby, increasing income of the
farmers/beekeepers by way of increasing crop yield and providing honey and
other high value beehive products, viz.; beeswax, bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly,
bee venom, etc. The Government of India has approved a new Central Scheme
under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, entitled ‘National Beekeeping
and Honey Mission (NBHM)’ for overall promotion and development of scientific
beekeeping in mission mode to achieve the goal of ‘Sweet Revolution’ in the
country. Key elements of National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM): • The
NBHM will have following sub-schemes/ three Mini Mission: o Mini Mission 1:
Under which thrust will be given on production and productivity improvement of
various crops through pollination assisted by adoption of scientific beekeeping.
o Mini Mission 2: This mission will concentrate on post-harvest management of
beekeeping/beehive products including collection, processing, storage,
marketing, value addition etc. with a thrust to develop requisite infrastructural
facilities for these activities. o Mini Mission 3: This mission will concentrate on
Research and Technology generation for different regions/ states/ agro-climatic
and socio-economic conditions. • The NHBM will work in coordination with other
governmental programmes/ schemes relating to promotion of beekeeping like
MIDH, RKVY, Honey Mission of KVIC, MSME, ICAR etc. • The NBHM will provide
technical guidance and advice and administrative support to the implementing
agencies at the National and State level for effective and smooth implementation
of the scheme. • It will include a dedicated cell at national level to drive and steer
programmes in beekeeping at National level, to look after overall execution and
implementation. • At national as well as state levels various committees will work
for effective and smooth implementation. The NBHM will help in achieving the
goal of Sweet Revolution: • It will promote holistic growth of the beekeeping
industry providing livelihood support to farm and non-farm households and
enhancing agriculture/ horticulture production. • It will help in developing
additional infrastructural facilities for developing quality nucleus stock of
honeybees, multiplication of stock by bee breeders, setting up of disease
diagnostic labs and quality control labs technology. • It will promote State of the
Art Technologies and skill development in the beekeeping industry for production
of honey and other high value beehive products. 5 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
• It will help in maximizing economic, ecological and social benefits by
diversification through beekeeping by production of higher quantity and good
quality honey and other high value beehive products for domestic and export
market. NBHM is a strategic step to emphasize the increase in honey production
in the state, which can be a major contributor to doubling the income of farmers.
5. It is argued that excessive state intervention in itself has created multiple
hurdles in the agricultural marketing system in India. Explain with adequate
evidence. (150 words) 10 Approach: • Introduce by mentioning the significance of
agricultural marketing. • Highlight issues due to excessive state
regulation/intervention. • Mention the recent steps taken by the government in
this context and conclude appropriately. Answer: An efficient marketing system
helps in the optimisation of resource use, output management, increase in farm
incomes, widening of markets, growth of agro-based industry, addition to
national income through value addition, and employment creation. Agricultural
marketing in India is characterized by pervasive government interventions that
are aimed at correcting perceived market failures. However, state intervention in
various forms has led to several issues. These include: • Regulation of Agricultural
Produce Markets: Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) have
emerged as a sort of government-sponsored monopolies in the supply of
marketing services/facilities leading to inefficiencies such as: o The APMCs do not
allow the traders to buy from the farmers outside the specified market yards or
sub-yards, therefore, the cost of marketing increases. o The area served per
market yard is large, the national average being 459 sq. km, and considerably
higher in states like Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, and
Rajasthan. The long travel distance involved to reach a marketplace is a
disincentive for most farmers, with small surplus to sell. o A large range of taxes
and cesses levied by APMCs cuts into farmers’ price realisation while only a small
proportion is ploughed back into the development of mandi infrastructure. o In
several states, since elections of APMCs are not regularly held, they are
superseded by the government and administered by bureaucrats, depriving
them of the characteristic of being farmer-dominated managerial bodies.
Further, the staff remains overly occupied with the collection of market fees and
construction work rather than market development. • Stock limits: Stock limits on
production, supply, distribution and trade of essential agricultural commodities
like vegetables, pulses, sugar etc. are imposed through Control Orders issued
under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 by the states from time to time. This
acts as a disincentive for private players to invest in agriculture, as it creates
opportunities for rent seeking and harassment. • Price support: The
government’s procurement at MSP for a few crops has tilted the balance in favour
of few crops such as rice, wheat and sugarcane. Lack of diversity and
overdependence on the government has thwarted the development of a vibrant
private trade market. In order to correct these inefficiencies, the government has
passed the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation)
Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price
Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities
(Amendment) Act, 2020 to deregulate the sector. These legislations aim at
promoting barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade, providing for a national
framework on contract farming that protects farmers and removing stock holding
limits on commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds etc. (except under
extraordinary circumstances), respectively. The laws herald a new era of market
freedom ending excessive state regulation that can go a long way in the
improvement of farmers’ welfare in India. 6 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS 6. Bring
out the inefficiencies that plague the core road logistics business in India. Also,
suggest some ways to overcome them. (150 words) 10 Approach: • Briefly
highlight the relevance of road logistics. • Mention the inefficiencies in the sector.
• Suggest measures to overcome these inefficiencies. • Conclude with a way
forward. Answer: Freight transport in India is road-dominated—accounting for
59% of freight movement. Road logistics offers greater flexibility in terms of final
destination and volume of goods to be transported. However, the road logistics
sector is marred by several inefficiencies, such as: • Fragmentation: About 75 per
cent of the truck supply is done by small owners (with five or fewer trucks).
Similarly, the vast majority of the transporter population in India comprises small
and mid-sized transporters. Thus, both transporters and truckers have to rely on
a network of brokers to gain access to shippers. This result in low asset utilization
as finding adequate loads is difficult for an individual trucker. • High cost: In
addition to slowing down the business, layers of brokers and agents eat into
truckers’ margins and add to their operating costs. • Poor Information exchange:
To ply on a new route, truckers need information about reliable transporters,
brokers, mechanics and retailers on the way. The lack of such information
prevents them from exploring new routes, limiting asset utilization and
decreasing efficiency. • Limited digital capabilities: Given the unorganized
structure, the sector lags in offering technology driven service enhancements,
such as live tracking, security features, analytics etc. • Poor Infrastructure: Lack of
parking and unloading bays in a majority of Indian cities leads to ubiquitous illegal
parking, increasing congestion and ultimately leading to increased travel times,
costs, and emissions. • Regulatory ecosystem: Because trucks tend to produce
significant negative externalities, a common policy response is a blanket ban on
trucks entering the city during daytime hours. This leads to using passenger cars
or vans during daytime hours which have smaller loading capacities. Their use
increases the overall urban traffic load for goods deliveries. Various solutions to
address these inefficiencies are: • Digitization of loading information and truck
routing and dispatch: Digitizing the process of finding and contracting for loads,
potentially through applying shared mobility business models to trucking
markets, can keep trucks on the road moving freight and generating revenue. •
Standardization of logistics practices: Standardizing both physical assets and
information allows seamless movement of goods from one party to the next and
is critical for truck productivity. For example, standardization of trucks allows for
drop-and-hook operations, standardization of data allows for automation etc. •
Parking and loading bays: Several innovative approaches can be adopted for this
such as multi use lanes where lanes of road change use over the course of the
day, use of codes to mandate the construction of sufficient truck parking etc. •
Consolidation centers: Consolidation centers are cross-docking infrastructure
which aggregates deliveries going into urban centers and regroups them into
consolidated shipments which allow for greatly enhanced loading and routing
efficiency of delivery trucks. With India’s growing economy, it is imperative to
invest in robust logistics infrastructure and efficient supply chains. 7
www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS 7. Discuss the opportunities & challenges in
privatisation of railways in India. (150 words) 10 Approach: • Introduce by giving
brief about privatisation of railways in India. • Mention the opportunities arising
out of privatization of railways. • Enlist the challenges involved in this regard. •
Conclude by giving a way forward. Answer: Since independence, Indian Railways
has been under state control. The future of Indian Railways as a state owned-
organization, however, came into question post-liberalization. The privatization
of Indian Railways has been recommended by the erstwhile Planning
Commission of India and now by NITI Aayog. Privatization of railways will provide
following opportunities: • Capital infusion and better management: The private
sector will bring in fresh investments into the sector along with their expertise
and professionalism in management of railways. • Improved Infrastructure: It will
help in improving safety, reduction in travel time etc., which will be in consonance
with NITI Aayog’s strategy for New India @75 targets. • Improved Quality of
Services: It will foster competition leading to overall betterment in the quality of
services and solving issues like lack of punctuality, cleanliness of coaches and
platforms etc. • Technology Infusion: The entrance of private players can act as a
possible impetus to the research and development helping in accommodating
the latest technology in railways coaches, safety and traveling experience. • Safer
travel experience: Private participation can lead to better accountability and
monitoring, which will help in reducing the number of accidents and will help gain
higher monetary savings in the long run. However, the road to privatization of
railways faces following challenges: • Absence of an independent regulator: The
Bibek Debroy committee has pointed out that in the absence of an independent
regulator the balance of power seems tilted in favor of the government, which
will conflict with the interests of private firms. • Coverage Limited to Lucrative
Sectors: Routes, which are less popular, may be neglected, which may have
negative impact on connectivity rendering some parts of the country virtually
inaccessible. For example, regions with rugged terrain and low population
density like Himalayan states and Northeastern states. • Issue of Cross-
Subsidization: Indian Railways tend to cross-subsidize passenger fares through
freight revenue, which translates to below cost pricing. Thus, it may get difficult
for private players to compete. • Concerns of marginalized communities: As the
private sector doesn’t provide for reservation, it will harm the interest of
marginalized communities, who get reservation under the government jobs in
railways. Faced with the above challenges, the role of government cannot be
completely ruled out. It is necessary that the government through this
participation establish competent authorities for necessary vigilance of railways
in the areas of safety, tariff regulation, station development, catering and other
activities, which are central to a successful corporate practice endorsement.
Under a constrained state budget, and without additional investment, the
collaborative efforts of private players are crucial for dividing responsibilities and
promoting equitable and holistic development of railways. 8 www.visionias.in
©Vision IAS 8. The Public Distribution System (PDS) in India is not only a significant
anti-poverty measure but also serves as an instrument of raising nutritional
security. Discuss. (150 words) 10 Approach: • Highlight the role of PDS as a
significant anti-poverty measure. • Proceed to explain the importance of PDS in
terms of raising nutritional security. • Conclude appropriately. Answer: The PDS
is one of the largest welfare programs, which provide subsidized food grain to
the poor households. In the beginning, the coverage of PDS was universal but
over the years it has been revised to target poor sections, for example, through
schemes such as Antyodaya Anna Yojana, Annapurna Scheme etc. under PDS.
PDS as an antipoverty measure: • PDS is an important public policy instrument
for attaining goal of social and distributive justice as it ensures that fruits of
economic growth, increased production and productivity reach all sections of
society through just and equitable distribution. • PDS has been used as an
important instrument for containing the tendency of price rise and to check
inflation by supplying food grains and essential commodities at fair and
reasonable prices in general and to the poor and vulnerable sections of the
society in particular. • India is a country where about one third of its population
lives below the poverty line or below subsistence level. The purchasing power of
people is low and PDS ensures continuous flow of supply line of essential articles.
• It allows them to save and spend their resources for other developmental
activities like education and health. PDS is not only a significant anti-poverty
measure but also serves as an instrument in raising nutritional security in the
country as evident from the National Food Security Act, 2013 which relies largely
on the existing TPDS to deliver food grains as legal entitlements to poor
households and has special provisions to ensure nutritional securities as: • There
is a special focus in the Act on nutritional support to pregnant women and
lactating mothers and children up to 14 years of age by entitling them to
nutritious meals. • Pregnant women are also entitled to receive cash maternity
benefit of Rs. 6,000 in order to partly compensate her for the wage loss during
the period of pregnancy and also to supplement nutrition. • Further, the Act seeks
to provide food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring
access to adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices to people to live
a life with dignity. Also, the Public Distribution System was envisaged as a means
of dealing with nutritional deficiency by ensuring the availability of essential food
articles such as coarse grains, pulses and jaggery, besides rice. Wheat, Sugar and
oil and other items such as eggs may be included by states as well. • Further states
such as Chhattisgarh through PDS provide pulse, gram, sugar, iodized salt to the
beneficiaries to ensure nutrition security. • Distribution of food under midday
meal scheme through PDS fights under nutrition (calorie deficiency) and
malnutrition (protein deficiency) across the country among children. • Scheme on
Fortification of Rice and its Distribution under the PDS to address anemia and
micro-nutrient deficiency in the country for a period of 3 years beginning 2019-
20 has been in place. • Nutritional support is also mandated to pregnant and
lactating women and through the Integrated Child Development Services
Through its implementation, the PDS achieved 75% coverage of the rural
population, In this way the Public Distribution System has been a cornerstone of
government policy responding to nutrition and food security. However, any such
large scheme needs to change with changing times 9 www.visionias.in ©Vision
IAS to ensure efficiency and equity. Focus on urban areas and on migrants is also
the need of the hour. In this context, One Nation One Ration Card System, under
which a beneficiary will be able to buy subsidised food grains from any Fair Price
Shops (FPS) across the country, is a welcome step. 9. In order to make fisheries
in India a profitable and sustainable enterprise, the subsidy regime needs to be
rationalized. Do you agree? (150 words) 10 Approach: • Briefly give some statistics
related to the fisheries industry in India. • Highlight the current direct and indirect
subsidies given to the sector. • Discuss the need to rationalize subsidies given to
the sector. • Conclude on the basis of above points. Answer: India is the second
largest producer of fish in the world contributing about 7.7% of global fish
production. According to the National Fisheries Development Board, fisheries
alone has employed 145 million people and contributed to 1.07% of the GDP. Due
to the importance of the fisheries sector, the government provides various direct
and indirect subsidies to this sector. The subsidies can be direct and indirect.
Direct subsidies include support for the purchase of vessels, gear, engines, fuel,
modernisation and assistance with aquaculture activities. Indirect subsidies
include financial assistance through welfare schemes, construction of ports,
fishing harbours and fish landing centres, development of post-harvest and
market infrastructure, tax exemptions, investments in fisheries corporations and
enterprises and exports. However, these have been criticized due to following
reasons: • The government provides subsidy to the tune of Rs 2,110 crore of
which Rs 1,325.5 crore is believed to contribute to destructive fishing practices
like bottom trawling. • According to the OECD, fuel subsidies, gear subsidies, and
mechanized vessel subsidies are considered the worst kinds of subsidies from
the perspective of ecological sustainability. • India spent nearly double the
amount on harmful subsidies, such as fuel subsidies for mechanised fishing, than
it does on beneficial subsidies for fisheries management and marine protected
areas. o For instance, in a single financial year (2010- 2011), Rs 4.98 crore were
spent on subsiding the motorisation of traditional crafts, Rs 9.36 crore were spent
to rebate on High-Speed Diesel (HSD) and Rs 52.82 crore were spent for
establishment of fishing harbors and other infrastructure. In the future, it is
estimated that the demand for seafood will go up while the supply will remain
constrained forcing fishermen to adopt unsustainable fishing practices.
International organisations like the World Trade Organisation and the World
Bank have recognised the need to adopt policy measures that discourage
practices like mechanised bottom trawling and dredging. Further, studies by the
Food and Agriculture Organisation have shown that even without subsidies,
small-scale fishing is a highly profitable form of fishing in states like Kerala and
Goa, while bottom trawl fishing is unprofitable in many places, such as along the
Coromandel Coast. Thus, removal of harmful fishing subsidies could transform
marine fisheries – economically as well ecologically. OECD research suggests that
instead of harmful subsidies, subsidising fishing communities’ access to trade
and business can provide the greatest benefits, without the ecological costs. It
only involves the diversion of harmful subsidies to beneficial subsidies and it
could be a win-win situation for both fishing communities and marine
ecosystems at the same time. 10 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS 10. Explaining the
significance of millet cultivation, give reasons behind its low cultivation in India.
(150 words) 10 Approach: • Give a brief introduction of millets and discuss
importance of millets. • Explain reasons for low cultivation of millets in the
country. • Conclude accordingly. Answer: Millets are small-seeded grasses that
grow well in dry zones as rain-fed crops under marginal conditions of soil fertility
and moisture and are great for small farmers’ livelihoods. Examples include pearl
millet, sorghum, finger millet etc. Owing to their nutritional importance, the
Indian Millet Mission was introduced in 2018. Various reasons for continued
importance of millet cultivation are following: • Sustainable agriculture: Due to
high resistance against harsh conditions, millets are sustainable to the
environment. • Shifting away from monoculture to crop diversity: In many parts
of the country, wheat and rice monocropping have caused ecological problems.
Millets add to crop diversity and encourage multi-cropping. • Good crops in
drought prone areas: Crops like rice, sugarcane or maize are irrigationintensive
while millet is a drought-resistant crop. Unlike rice and wheat, which require
many inputs in terms of fertiliser and water, millets grow well in dry regions as
rain-fed crops. • Food for future: Because of their genetic diversity millets are
touted to address future food concerns and security. • Nutritional value: Millets
are rich sources of nutrients for calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron and have
high protein content. While India is the world leader in production of millets, its
share of millets in total grain production has dropped from 40 to 20 percent,
leading to some serious agricultural, environmental and nutritional
consequences. The reasons for this decline in production are: • More focus on
wheat and rice: Before the Green Revolution, millets made up around 40 percent
of all cultivated grains (contributing more than wheat and rice). However, since
the revolution, the production of rice has increased doubly and wheat production
has tripled. • Change in consumer preferences: Until globalisation and LPG
reforms of 1991, indigenous foods including millets were given importance.
However, owing to rising aspirations, urbanisation, rising incomes, and
westernisation – demand and consequently the growth of these millets started
to decline. Food aspirations significantly changed owing to rising incomes. • Low
remuneration: Low remuneration, lack of input subsidies and price incentives are
other factors. • Less cultivation of minor millets: In some villages, minor millets
are vanishing due to the predominance of ragi (finger millet). Millets, being an
important crop for the aforesaid reasons, various steps should be taken to
increase its cultivation such as, there should be a strong integration of the sub-
mission on nutri cereals with the flagship Poshan Abhiyaan of the Central
government. 11. Discuss the issues plaguing crop procurement in India. Also,
suggest measures to strengthen the procurement framework. (250 words) 15
Approach: • Discuss about existing crop procurement framework in India. • Then
discuss the issues plaguing procurement framework in India. • Suggest some
measures. • Conclude accordingly. 11 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS Answer: The
procurement mechanism in India functions as an assured market for farmers and
plays a role to guide the cropping patterns and incentivises production. On the
recommendation of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), the
government notifies its floor price in the form of MSPs annually for 23
commodities. In addition, it also notifies Fair and Remunerative Prices (FRP) for
sugarcane and jute. The existing procurement mechanisms by the government
are implemented under Price Support Scheme in case of MSP notified crops,
Market intervention scheme to support commodities for which MSPs are not
notified, Price Stabilization Fund to protect consumers from rising prices and FCI
operations for Central Pool. Prevalent issues with the procurement framework in
India: • Limited reach of procurement: Status of procurement linked to MSP is
distorted both in terms of crops covered and geographical spread. For example,
in case of wheat, of the average of 33 percent of marketed surplus procured, 90
percent procurement is accounted only from Punjab, Haryana and Madhya
Pradesh. • Largely benefited wheat and paddy farmers: The procurement of other
MSP notified commodities has not been very encouraging. For instance,
procurement of oilseeds remained abysmally low at 0.66 percent of the total
production. • Poor operation of the Price Support Scheme: As can be seen with
total procurement of pulses being at only 10 percent of the marketed surplus,
the procurement of perishables under MIS is still negligible. • Delayed action:
Market participants have argued that delayed intervention on part of the
government in a distress situation benefits the intermediaries more than the
farmers. • Shift in production and consumption patterns: The price and
procurement-based interventions have contributed towards higher supply and a
supply driven shift towards ricewheat consumption and cropping. The unseen
consequence of this calorie-dominant food security approach has been
nutritional deficiency. Measures than can be taken to strengthen procurement
framework in India: • Increasing diversification in procurement interventions:
There is a need to revisit the strategy on demand and supply, including the PDS
system, for balancing the nutritional security of the population. Such
interventions should have differentiated outcomes and appropriate sunset
clauses. • Timely market interventions: Market interventions are also triggered by
price linked eventualities. The extent and time of any market intervention should
aim also at normalizing the fluctuations in market prices and more importantly
the downslide of prices due to temporal post-harvest glut. • Adopting a more
robust system of procurement: In addition to strengthening the existing
procurement schemes, more such tools can be developed and deployed to
enhance the support and its reach across the country & across crops, besides
improving speed of response and effectiveness of procurement, in cases where
prices may drop below MSP. The government has taken initiatives like PM-AASHA
to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce; however, sincere
implementation of recommendations of Ashok Dalwai Committee on doubling of
farmer’s income should be undertaken. 12. In the context of India's
transportation multimodal mix, highlight the reasons behind the low share of
water transport. Also, mention the steps that can be taken in this regard, with
specific reference to Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020. (250 words) 15 Approach: •
Give a brief overview of water transport in India. • Discuss reasons for low share
of water transport in India’s Transport Modal Mix. • Suggest improvements to the
Transport Modal Mix w.r.t. water transport. 12 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS • Set
the context for a discussion on the role of Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 in
improving water transport. • Conclude with a way forward. Answer: Water
transport is arguably the cheapest and least polluting means of transport.
Transporting goods by water costs Rs. 0.55 per tonne whereas for railways and
roadways it is Rs. 0.90 and Rs. 1.50 respectively. Despite the potential, the share
of water transport in India’s Transport Modal Mix is around 6% whereas in China
it is around 47%. Reasons for low share of water transport in Transport Modal
Mix: • Inadequate Infrastructure: Poor berthing and evacuation infrastructure
leads to higher turnaround time at the ports thereby keeping operational
efficiency below potential. • Last mile connectivity to the ports: It is a major
constraint in smooth movement of cargo to/from the hinterland. Around 87% of
Indian freight uses either road or rail for transportation of goods. • Overburdened
ports: With only 12 major ports for a coastline of approx 7500 km, these ports are
overburdened and are in need of capacity augmentation. Also, because of
government policies, there is poor participation of private players. • Pre-
tendering delays: Delay in regulatory approvals especially w.r.t. environmental
and land clearances, for inland and shipping infrastructure creation, impacts the
capacity augmentation. • Public Governance Model: All major ports except
Ennore, are based on the public service port model. This leads to dominance of
the public sector and retards the private participation. Steps to be taken to
improve the share of water transport in the Transport Modal Mix: • Capacity
addition: The capacity addition needs to be done at major ports, Inland
waterways, and non-major ports. • Increasing investment: Both public and private
investment need to be boosted in Inland as well as coastal shipping. •
Modernisation of ports: As mentioned under the Sagarmala Programme,
Government has envisioned a total of 189 projects for modernisation by the year
2035. This should be done on a priority basis. • Inland waterways: There is a need
to speed up the completion of National Waterways and associated Multimodal
Terminals. • Regulatory approvals: The time for regulatory approval needs to be
improved for ensuring ease of doing business in the sector. In this context,
recently passed Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020 will replace the Major Port Trusts
Act, 1963. The Bill seeks to provide for regulation, operation and planning of
Major Ports in India. It aims to promote the expansion of port infrastructure and
facilitate trade and commerce through: • Decentralised Decision Making: It will
help to impart faster and transparent decision making benefiting the
stakeholders and better project execution capability. • Infuse Professionalism
and Transparency: Re-orienting the governance model in central ports to
landlord port model in line with the successful global practice • The role of Tariff
Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) has been redefined: Port Authority has now
been given powers to fix tariff which will act as a reference tariff for purposes of
bidding for PPP projects. • Adjudicatory Board: It will carry out the residual
function of the erstwhile TAMP for Major Ports. It will look into disputes between
ports and PPP concessionaires, review stressed PPP projects, suggest measures
to revive such projects and look into complaints regarding services rendered by
the ports/ private operators. Apart from this, the efforts by the government like
Coastal Berth Scheme, relaxation of Cabotage, abatement of service tax on
coastal shipping, green channel clearance for coastal cargo etc. will help in
improving the contribution of the port and shipping sector. Additionally, Jal Marg
Vikas Pariyojana will boost the share of water transport in India. 13
www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS 13. A reliable and efficient transport system is the
key to agricultural marketing. Discuss. Also, highlight the significance of Kisan Rail
Scheme and Krishi Udan Scheme in this context. (250 words) 15 Approach: •
Briefly mention the importance of efficient transport for better marketing of
agricultural produce. • Highlight some key issues associated with transport
system in India. • Discuss the role of Krishi Udan and Kisan Rail Scheme in
improving agricultural marketing. • Give a brief overview of the significance of
these reforms in the conclusion. Answer: Transport is regarded as a crucial factor
in providing the forwards linkage to agricultural produce. It facilitates interaction
among geographical and economic regions and opens up new areas to economic
focus. Transport, whether traditional or mechanized, is needed to move the
agricultural commodities from field to market as shown below: There are multiple
benefits of a reliable and efficient transportation to agricultural marketing. This
can be explained in following ways: • It provides a wider market to the agricultural
produce, taking the produce from remote villages to domestic and international
markets. • Better price for the farmers: Improved market access provides better
bargaining power in the hands of the farmers. • Reduce the post-harvest losses:
Because of timely transportation of produce, the chances of post-harvest losses
are low. • Reduce damages during transportation: Efficient transportation has a
controlled environment for carrying goods. Thus, the chances of damages are
low. • Boost export of agricultural commodity: Better transportation reduces cost
of production and hence makes the product competitive in the external market.
• Affordable food for common man: An efficient supply chain and reduced prices
increase the availability and affordability of food for all. But the farmers have not
been able to market their produce properly because of transportation issues.
These issues can be analysed at various levels: 14 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS In
order to tackle some of the issues of transportation of agricultural produce, Kisan
Rail and Krishi Udaan scheme were announced in Budget 2020-21: • Kisan Rail: It
will be set up by Indian Railways in public–private partnership (PPP) mode for
providing a cold supply chain to transport perishable agricultural goods. • Krishi
Udaan: It will be launched by the Civil Aviation Ministry to transport agricultural
products to national as well as international destinations. Role of Krishi Udan and
Kisan Rail Schemes in improving agricultural marketing: • Safe transportation: To
build a seamless national cold supply chain for perishables to be transported
safely without damage. • Speedy transportation of farm produce: Agricultural
goods can be transported quickly to distant places. • Refrigerated parcel vans on
select mail express and freight trains for carrying perishable cargo to various
market places across the country. • Doubling the farmers’ income: By ensuring
better prices for the commodities to the famers, their income will increase. •
Booting exports: The schemes will also help in increasing agricultural exports,
especially the Krishi Udan Scheme. • Advantage over roadways: Kisan Rail Scheme
will have both cost and time advantage over road transport. Whereas, Krishi Udan
Scheme will have time advantage. Also, in comparison to road transport, there
will be less damage to the farm produce during transportation. These will bring a
major change in the economy related to agricultural marketing. Also, it will
increase the capacity of the country's cold supply chain. Even the smallest
produce will be able to reach the big market properly at an optimum price,
benefitting both the farmer and the consumer. 14. Enumerate the key provisions
of RCS-Udan Scheme. Also, discuss the performance and challenges associated
with this scheme since its inception. (250 words) 15 Approach: • Briefly write
about key provisions of RCS-UDAN Scheme. • Mention the successes of this
scheme. • Discuss the challenges along with recommended measures to improve
its performance. • Conclude with a way forward. Answer: RCS-Udan scheme was
launched in 2016 to “enhance regional connectivity through fiscal support and
infrastructure development”. It seeks to provide connectivity to un-served and
under-served airports through revival of existing air-strips and airports etc. Key
provisions of RCS-Udan scheme are following- • UDAN will be applicable on flights
which cover distances between 200 km and 800 km with no lower limit set for
hilly, remote, island and security sensitive regions. • The scheme seeks to reserve
a minimum number of UDAN seats i.e. seats at subsidized rates and also cap the
fare for short distance flights and long distance flights. • Subsidized seats would
be made available through two means: o A financial stimulus in the form of
concessions from Central and State governments and airport operators like tax
concessions, exemptions from parking and landing charges etc. o A Viability Gap
Funding (VGF) to the interested airlines to kick-off operations from such airports
so that the passenger fares are kept affordable. Such support would be
withdrawn after a three-year period, as by that time, the route is expected to
become self-sustainable. • A Regional Connectivity Fund would be created to
meet the VGF requirements under the scheme. The RCF levy per departure will
be applied to certain domestic flights along with 20% contribution from states. 15
www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS • For balanced regional growth, the allocations
under the scheme would be equitably spread across the five geographical regions
of the country viz. North, West, South, East and North-east. • The selection of
airports where UDAN operations would start would be done in consultation with
state governments and after confirmation of their concessions. Since its
inception in 2016, RCS-Udan scheme has helped aviation sector in India in
following ways: • In the last 3 rounds, around 700 RCS routes were awarded, 106
airports and 31 heliports were constructed and 232 RCS routes were
operationalized. • Nearly 35 lakhs passengers were flown under RCS-UDAN
Scheme till December, 2019. • There has been a commendable uptick of 242% in
air passenger traffic on RCS routes, between April 2018 - April 2019, as per
estimates from MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel company. • Many cities
witnessed flight connectivity for the first time or after many years due to this
scheme, such as- Salem, Kishangarh, Bikaner etc. However, to realize its full
potential, some more steps would be required to be taken, such as- • Till 2019,
only around 25% routes were operational. Steps should be taken to
operationalize all UDAN routes as planned. • Enough resources need to be raised
to meet the subsidy burden which would be between Rs. 1700-1900 crore per
annum if all UDAN routes as planned are operationalized. • The withdrawal of
financial support after three years might be misplaced. It does not take into
account a scenario of fuel cost increase that would significantly change the air
cost dynamics. • The Government should discourage airlines who have built their
entire business plans based on the subsidies alone. Rather, the government
should support operations relying on sound business policies and market
dynamics. UDAN has the potential of creating a virtuous circle wherein the UDAN
routes feed the national routes, which further create new opportunities for the
people across the country, which will then generate demand for more regional
routes. 15. Discuss the reasons behind increasing demand of processed food in
India and the scope for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in this context.
What important factors should be considered while facilitating formation of
FPOs? (250 words) 15 Approach: • Discuss the reasons for increasing demand for
processed food. • Highlight the potential of Farmer Producer Organisations
(FPOs) to unleash the potential of the food-processing sector in India. • Mention
the factors, which need to be considered while facilitating the formation of FPOs.
• Provide a suitable conclusion. Answer: There has been a constant rise in
demand for the processed food in India making India’s food processing sector
one of the largest in the world with its output to reach $535 bn by 2025-26. This
shift in the consumption pattern can be attributed to the following reasons: • Rise
in disposable income: Rise in the income due to economic growth has led to an
increase in demand for convenience and processed foods. • Urbanisation: With a
change in the urban work culture and fast-paced lifestyles there is limited time
available for cooking and meal preparation. • Organised Retail: The increasing
penetration of organized food retail outlets offer consumers access to diverse
products, usually with attractive discounts. • Working Women: As the proportion
of working women increases, the amount of time for 16 www.visionias.in ©Vision
IAS household activities is declining, leading to rising demand for ready-to-eat
foods. • Consumer preferences: An increasing focus on convenience of long-term
storage, making responsible food choices, and attention to attributes like smells,
tastes and other sensory experiences have propelled the demand for processed
food. Scope for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in Food Processing (FP)
industry There is ample scope for FPOs to bring value to every stage of the food
processing cycle. Some instances include: • FPOs enable agri-industry linkages in
several ways. They help aggregate landholdings to have efficient use of
machinery at the input level. At the output level, they assist in aggregating
produce, increase the bargaining power of the farmer and insure better prices. •
The Food Processing industry requires heavy investments in processing
equipment, logistics, safety and quality control infrastructure, which is difficult
for individual farmers to take up. • FPOs can help smallholder farmers, especially
women, overcome market barriers and various transaction costs like
information, negotiation and monitoring and enforcement costs. • Through FPOs,
the Food Processing industry can access the untapped perishables market in
India. • Both FPOs and food processing industry have a strong government policy
push currently, which doubles the avenues of financing since there is government
funding, tax incentives and, various schemes such as SAMPADA scheme for the
food processing sector, the NABARD Producer Organisation Development Fund
(PODF) for FPOs etc. Factors for facilitating formation of FPOs Aggregating
producers into collectives is one of the best mechanisms to improve access of
small producers to investment, technology and market. The facilitating agency
should however keep the following factors in view: • Types of small-scale
producers in the target area, volume of production, socio-economic status and
current marketing arrangement. • Willingness of producers to invest and adopt
new technology, if identified, to increase productivity and quality of produce. •
Sufficient demand in the existing market to absorb the additional production
without significantly affecting the prices. • Vulnerability of the market to shocks,
trends and seasonality. • Previous experience of collective action (of any kind) in
the community. • Key commodities, processed products or semi-finished goods
demanded by major retailers or processing companies in the surrounding
areas/districts. • Support from Government Departments, NGOs, specialist
support agencies and private companies for enterprise development. • Incentives
for members (also disincentives) for joining the FPO. Keeping the above factors
in consideration, FPCs present a financially and organizationally feasible model
to tap into the potential of the food processing industry in India and improve the
economics of production and processing while raising the income level of the
farmers. 16. What do you understand by e-agriculture? Explaining how
information and communication technology (ICT) can help the agriculture sector,
highlight some initiatives taken by the government in this regard. (250 words) 15
Approach: • Define the term ‘e-agriculture’. • Enumerate the ways in which ICT can
help the agriculture sector. • Briefly highlight the challenges needed to overcome
to reap the full benefits of e-agriculture. • Mention some initiatives of the
government to promote e-agriculture. • Conclude with a way forward. 17
www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS Answer: E-agriculture is the adoption of Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) in order to give an impetus to the
development of the field of agriculture. ICT can help the agriculture sector in
various ways, such as: • Improved decision making by dissemination of relevant
and timely information to farmers regarding: o Agro-inputs such as seeds,
fertilizers, pesticides etc. o Suitable crops and soil health management. o
Weather forecasting and disaster preparedness. o Agro processing, market
support and marketing of agriculture produce. o Agro-finance and management
of farm agri-business. o Suitable government schemes. o Localized information
on specific farm and agriculture related subject around the village/
block/district/state. • By providing information about the new scientific
techniques, newer varieties of specific crops, methods of pest control, etc.
information technology can help farmers in maximising their production. •
Precision farming extensively uses IT including technology sensors and analysis
tools to improve agricultural productivity. • Information technology can help in
bringing different farmer groups and associated people together to discuss and
find out the best ways to maximize agricultural production, improve skills and
increase income. • The techniques of remote sensing using satellite technologies,
geographical information systems, agronomy and soil sciences are used to
increase the agricultural output. • ICT can provide farmers access to national as
well as global markets through price dissemination systems like AGMARKNET and
spot exchanges. • It can also facilitate linkages with academia, industry and
government agencies to enhance production. However, to reap the full benefits
of e-agriculture, India needs to overcome some challenges, which include • Lack
of awareness and literacy among farmers about the use and benefits of e-
agriculture. • Lack of digital infrastructure, which includes lack of accessibility and
affordability to the internet, mobile phones, and other ICT devices. • Digital divide
in the country also poses a challenge in adoption of e-agriculture. In this context,
various initiatives have been launched by the government to reap the benefits of
ICT in agriculture, some of which are - • National e-Governance Plan in
Agriculture: It aims to achieve rapid development of agriculture in India through
ICT enabled multiple delivery channels such as the internet, touch screen kiosks,
Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Kisan Call Centres (KCC), agri-clinics, Common Service
Centers (CSCs) and mobile phones. • Kisan Sabha app: It aims to provide the most
economical and timely logistics support to the farmers. • e-National Agricultural
Market: It is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing
APMC mandis for providing better price discovery through transparent auction
process. • Crop Insurance Mobile App: It can be used to calculate the Insurance
Premium for notified crops based on area, coverage amount and loan amount in
case of loanee farmers. • Seednet: It is a national initiative for information on
quality seeds. • DD KISAN: This 24X7 television channel disseminates real-time
inputs to farmers on new farming techniques, water conservation and organic
farming among other information. • mKisan SMS Portal: It enables the central and
state government organizations to give information/services/advisories to
farmers by SMS in their language, preference of agricultural practices and
location. 18 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS • Sub-Mission on Agricultural
Mechanization: It provides a suitable ‘single window’ platform for converging all
activities for inclusive growth of agricultural mechanization with a special focus
on small and marginal farmers. The government should continue to take
progressive steps in collaboration with private players to promote use of ICT in
agriculture, as it has the potential of bringing another Green Revolution in India.
17. Explaining the concept of Integrated Water Resource Management, discuss
how it can help in addressing the gaps in the present system of water
management in India. (250 words) 15 Approach: • Introduce by giving definition
of Integrated Water Resource Management. • Enlist the water management
issues in India. • Explain how Integrated Water Resource Management can be
helpful to tackle above issues. • Conclude accordingly. Answer: Integrated water
resources management (IWRM) has been defined as "a process, which promotes
the coordinated development and management of water, land and related
resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an
equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems".
IWRM rests upon three principles that together act as the overall framework: •
Social equity: ensuring equal access for all users (particularly marginalized and
poorer user groups) to an adequate quantity and quality of water necessary to
sustain human well-being. • Economic efficiency: bringing the greatest benefit to
the greatest number of users possible with the available financial and water
resources. • Ecological sustainability: requiring that aquatic ecosystems are
acknowledged as users and that adequate allocation is made to sustain their
natural functioning. Figure: The process of IWRM Present system of water
management faces issues like underutilization of irrigation potential, poor
efficiency of irrigation systems, indiscriminate use of water in agriculture, poor
implementation and maintenance of projects, overuse of groundwater,
subsidized pricing of water, citizens’ not getting piped water supply, and
contamination of groundwater etc. IWRM aims to create sustainable water
security by tackling the above issues of the present water management system
in the following ways: 19 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS • Participation and
coordination mechanisms: At the policy level, when it comes to national
governments, water is dealt with by many ministries, for example, agriculture,
transport and navigation, power, industry and environment, but there often
tends to be little coordination between them, and their focus is likely to be more
on development type issues, than on water resource management. IWRM fosters
information sharing and exchange. • Water availability and requirements:
Integrated approach would help refining the assessment of water resources of
various basins, collect reliable data pertaining to observed flows and utilization
from surface and ground water resources and develop uniform guidelines for
assessing water resources potential and assessing water requirements for
various uses at periodic intervals. • Prioritized allocation: Proper planning
bringing all stakeholders together would help prioritize water access for drinking
and sanitation, followed by other domestic usage, sustainable agriculture, food
security and then for other purposes. This would promote conservation and
efficient use as well. • Comprehensive Monitoring and evaluation: It is a core
component in IWRM, which ensures that the management of water resources is
properly implemented, and identifies any needs for adjusting management
strategies. • Awareness of the importance of sustainable development: Due to its
participatory approach with involvement of local communities in decision-
making, it has led to giving due importance to incorporation of social and
environmental considerations into water management. This is due to
incorporation of specialized and local knowledge as well as innovative solutions
arising out of diversity of viewpoints. IWRM is a cross-sectoral policy approach
designed to replace the traditional, fragmented sectoral approach to water
resources and management that has led to poor services and unsustainable
resource use. It thus helps in understanding that water resources are an integral
component of the ecosystem, a natural resource, and a social and economic
good. 18. Highlighting its potential, discuss the challenges that are being faced in
the dairy sector in India. Also suggest some steps, which can be taken in this
regard. (250 words) 15 Approach: • Briefly highlight the status of dairy sector in
India. • Discuss the potential of the dairy sector in India. • Discuss the challenges
faced in the dairy sector in India. • Suggest some steps to address these
challenges. • Conclude with a way forward. Answer: India is the world’s largest
milk producer and consumer and has the largest bovine population in the world.
In the year 2018-19, India produced around 21% of the world’s milk production.
The sector contributes approx. 4.2% of India's GDP, provides livelihood to around
15 crore farmers and has been growing at 6.4 percent annually since 2016.
Recently, the sector witnessed slowdown due to lockdown restrictions which led
to drastic reduction in milk prices and created a crisis in the dairy sector.
However, it has the potential to grow further driven by the following factors: •
Rising living standards: With rising income level and increasing preference for
healthy lifestyle, there is increased demand for dairy products. • Growth of niche
dairy products: Till now, dairy products were limited to cow and buffalo milk and
milk-based products. With growing milk production and increased investment,
there is demand for healthier alternatives such as camel milk, goat milk etc.
Challenges faced in the dairy sector in India: • Lack of organised sector: Of the
total milk production, only 18-20% is channelized through the organised market
leaving around 75% on the unorganized sector. Therefore, leaving them out of
the modern processing infrastructure. 20 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS •
Inadequate cold chain Infrastructure: There is a lack of required infrastructure
such as chilling plants, bulk coolers and shortage of electricity leading to
contamination and spoilage at village level. • Scarcity of fodder: As per a FICCI
report, there is deficit of dry fodder, concentrates and green fodder. The reason
for this is inadequate fodder seed production, market linkages, and very low seed
replacement rate. • Lack of breed improvement: There is lack of awareness about
health, nutrition and farm management because of small herd size (average 1-3
milch animals). As a result, milk yield per cow or buffalo is much less than
potential yield from current breed. Various steps have been taken by the
governments in recent times, such as Rashtriya Gokul Mission, Dairy Processing
and Infrastructure Development Fund, Nationwide Artificial Insemination
Programme, Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme etc. However,
following further steps can be taken: • At times when demand is sluggish, the
government may temporarily procure milk in order to support the milk
producers. • The government should create a buffer stock of processed dairy
products like skimmed milk powder and butter to clear the stock with producers.
• Niti Aayog's recommendation of “Price Deficiency Payment” to the farmers
cultivating maize, soybean, etc. may be taken up so as to increase availability of
raw material to feed industries. • Modernizing production, processing and
marketing infrastructure at par with international quality requirements so that
the Indian dairy sector can capture a larger global market. • Strengthening dairy
cooperatives in order to bring dairy producers in the formal market by proactively
promoting the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). • Boosting dairy exports
through steps like promotion of specialized dairy products, inclusion of dairy
products under New Freight Support Scheme among others. Keeping the growth
potential in mind, increasing investments and budgetary support in dairy sector,
apart from organizing the dairy sector on scientific lines are the needs of hour.
By doing so, the dual goal of doubling the farmer’s income and ensuing
nutritional security can be achieved. 19. Do you agree with the view that despite
its enormous economic appeal, land in India has never been the engine of
growth? Give reasons. (250 words) 15 Approach: • Establish the economic appeal
of land in India’s context. • Highlight various obstacles that led to land not being
the engine of growth in India. • Conclude accordingly Answer: Land in India has
economic appeal as classical economics envisages land as a scarce space for
locating economic production activities, infrastructure and dwellings; as
productive soil that provides organic and inorganic materials for agriculture; and
as a store of value and assets. This is the reason why land is considered as one
of the traditional primary inputs. In India, land is the most preferred asset for
both individuals and lenders. According to the National Sample Survey, 2017, an
average Indian household keeps more than 65 percent of its assets in land. Also,
land is more often used as collateral against business loans and term loans.
However, despite the enormous economic appeal of land in India, it has never
been the engine of growth. There are multiple issues that distort the economic
potential of land from achieving its full realization and become the driver of
growth in India. They are: • Diversity across states: Multiple policies, procedures
and implementations across states, has hampered lending and investment in
land, especially for out-of-state participants. • Social and cultural appeal: People
in India are attached to land emotionally due to various reasons like ancestral
property, status symbol etc. and are not willing to liquidate it to realize its 21
www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS economic potential. Also large families have led to
fragmentation of lands in India thus making them more or less useless. •
Improper land records: With multiple government agencies involved
independently, recordkeeping is siloed. Non-standardized record-keeping
leading to various disputes on lands, thus hampering their utilization in a timely
manner. • Presumptive land titling: India currently follows a system of
presumptive land titling, which means that land records are maintained with
information on possession, which is determined through details of past
transactions. Due to absence of conclusive land titling system, where land
records designate actual ownership, investors are not interested in purchasing
lands for business activities as their ownership over land can be questioned due
to presumptive titling system. • Opacity in Market transactions: There is
opaqueness in land market leading to price distortions as well as various Benami
transactions, thus making land more of a commodity rather than an economic
asset. • Lack of tenancy laws: The landowners prefers to leave the land vacant
than giving it to tenants for the fear of capturing of the land. • Improper Land Use:
It is estimated that more than 60 percent of all urban construction suffers from
improper land use, deviations from plan to construction, or some type of
violation of zoning and development control regulations. These issues lead to the
outcome from land being suboptimal. To mitigate these issues, State and Central
Governments have also come up with several initiatives like: • The Urban Property
Ownership Records initiative of the Government of Karnataka. • The Digital India
- Land Records Modernization Programme aiming at digitization and
modernization of land records and the creation of a centralized land record
management system. • Also, The SWAMITVA Yojana has been launched by the
Centre to map rural inhabited lands using drones and latest survey methods to
move towards streamlined planning, revenue collection and provide clarity over
property rights in rural areas. However, real reforms will work only when
incentives of multiple stakeholders are naturally aligned. 20. The overall farm
mechanization in India has been lower than many other major countries. Discuss
the need for farm mechanisation, the hurdles in this context and the steps
required to ensure adequate progress. (250 words) 15 Approach: • Introduce by
explaining farm mechanization and comparing it with other countries. • Highlight
its need and explain the impediments faced in farm mechanization. • Conclude
by mentioning the steps needed to promote farm mechanization. Answer: Farm
mechanization refers to the development and use of machines that can take the
place of human and animal power in agricultural processes with the end objective
to enhance the overall productivity and production with the lowest cost of
production. Overall farm mechanization in India has been lower at 40-45 per cent
compared to other countries such as the USA (95 per cent), Brazil (75 per cent)
and China (57 per cent). Need for farm mechanisation • Input savings: Studies
have shown a direct relationship between farm mechanization and farm yield.
Farm mechanization is said to provide a number of input savings; seeds (15-20%),
fertilizers (15-20%). • Increase in efficiency: It can help reduce time by
approximately 15-20 percent, thus increasing the efficiency of farm labour and
reducing drudgery and workloads. 22 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS • Social
benefits: It decreases workload on women due to improved efficiency of labour.
It helps in encouraging the youth to join farming and attract more people to work
and live in rural areas. • Dealing with increasing cost of labour: The cost of
deploying labour for agriculture operation is increasing substantially. For
instance, daily wages of men have increased from approx. Rs. 70 in 2006-07 to
nearly Rs. 230 in 2013-14. • Increase in farm income: Effective use of agriculture
machinery helps to increase productivity & production of output, undertake
timely farm operations and enable the farmers to quickly rotate crops on the
same land. This boosts farm output and thus farm income. • Sustainable
agriculture: Farm mechanization provides optimal utilization of land and water
resources that can influence the environmental footprint of agriculture leading
to sustainable outcomes. Challenges with farm mechanisation in India •
Economies of scale and operations: India has very small average land holding size
(2.66 acres as per Agriculture Census, 2015-16) and that too is scattered over
different places in small parcels. This is making individual ownership of
agriculture machinery economically unviable. • Low income level of farmers: 86
percent of farmers in India are small and marginal and earn on an average Rs.
6,426 per month as per 2016 NSSO report. This hinders huge investment needed
for mechanisation of agriculture. • Credit procedure: The procedure to avail
agriculture term loan for various activities helping farm mechanization is very
cumbersome. Also, the rate of interest is higher for such loans in comparison to
crop loans. • Low awareness: Farm mechanization is viewed as only usage of
tractors, power tillers, combine harvesters and threshers. Farmers are not aware
of other machines suitable for small land holdings and methods of using them. •
Variability in farm power: Power availability varies highly from one state to the
other as well as according to the agro-climatic regions. Lack of access to power
results in slow uptake of farm mechanization and hence non-intensification of
farm productivity, particularly among small and marginal farmers. Steps to
promote farm mechanization: • Small farmers will continue to be the mainstay of
Indian agriculture, it is necessary to consolidate the land holdings to reap the
benefits of agricultural mechanization. • Small farm machineries/implements
need to be promoted keeping in view the versatility of various crops, cropping
patterns and agriculture operations. • ‘Make in India’ initiative can be used to
support the manufacture of inputs and farm implements currently being
imported for reducing the overall capital cost. • Need to innovate custom hiring
service or a rental model by institutionalization for high cost farm machinery such
as combine harvester, sugarcane harvester, paddy transplanter etc. to reduce the
cost of operation. • Ease of financing such as KCC, procedures to avail term loan
may be simplified with minimum documentation along with capacity building of
banks. The government is targeting to double the farm mechanization per
hectare in the next 10 years, as it will help maximize the productivity and
profitability of the farm sector. It will also create demand for the manufacturing
sector, thus contributing to the overall economy