The

Analyst
Handout Fishing Sector
29th February,2024

Context: Fishing near Katchatheevu islet

● Significance ● Govt Steps

○ 2.36 million hectares of ponds and ○ Blue Revolution 2.0
tanks, 7,500 km of coastline, and 1.1 ○ PMMSY
million hectares of brackish water ■ Goal - production,
○ Livelihoods to 28 million exports, jobs,
○ 2nd globally in the aquaculture income
industry ■ Inland fisheries and
○ FIsheries - 3rd largest producer, 4th aquaculture
largest exporter ■ Aquaculture
○ Growth rates infrastructure
○ National Genetic
Improvement Facility for
shrimp breeding
○ National Surveillance
Programme for Aquatic
Animal Diseases
○ Fisheries and
Aquaculture
Infrastructure
Development Fund
○ Kisan Credit Card facility
extended
○ New areas - saline and
brackish waters,
● Challenges
reservoirs, and
○ Overfishing/Unsustainable Fishing
floodplains
○ Bycatch
○ e-Gopala app
○ Illegal Fishing
○ SagarParikrama
○ Extension services - information
support, credit
○ Infrastructure
■ availability of quality seed
■ cold chain
■ Post harvest losses
■ Price discovery mechanisms
 The
Analyst
Handout Rare Diseases
29th February,2024

Context: Today is Rare Disease Day.

● Definition - severity, threat to life, Strengthen tertiary health

treatment options, heritable care facilities

● WHO, EU, US

● India - 7000 rare diseases ● National Policy for Rare

● Examples - Inherited cancers, Diseases, 2021
Autoimmune disorders, Congenital ○ Categorisation - 3
malformations, Gaucher disease, Groups
Cystic fibrosis, Muscular dystrophies ○ Financial support
○ Beneficiaries
● Challenges ○ Registry of rare
○ Definition diseases
○ Diagnosis ○ Early screening and
○ Treatment prevention - Nidan
Kendras
○ Strengthen tertiary
health care facilities
● Suggestions
○ Definition
○ Awareness generation
○ Cooperation &
Collaboration
○ Examples
■ USA Orphan
Drugs Act
■ EU Programme
● National Policy for Rare Diseases,
on Rare Diseases
2021
■ Singapore Rare
○ Categorisation - 3 Groups
Disease Fund
○ Financial support
○ Beneficiaries
○ Registry of rare diseases
○ Early screening and prevention -
Nidan Kendras
 The
Analyst
Handout Fiscal Centralisation
29th February,2024

Context: Agitations by different State governments have highlighted many

disquieting issues in the practice of fiscal federalism.

● FIscal Devolution in India ○ Decrease in

○ Statutory Transfers to the States Grants-in-Aid to the
■ Finance Commission - states
Article 280 ○ Increase in the share
■ Grant in Aids - Article 275 of non-devolvable
○ Non-Statutory Transfers to the cess and surcharge
States ○ Centralisation of
■ Schemes Public Expenditure
■ Tied grants ○ Erosion of State
Taxation Autonomy as
GST
○ Issues with GST

● Why worry
○ Principle of fiscal
federalism
○ Burden on state
exchequer
○ Interstate inequality
exacerbated
○ Potential bias in
resource allocation
○ Fueling regionalism

● Suggestions
○ Principles of Horizontal
& Vertical Devolution
● Evidence of Fiscal Centralisation: ○ Rationalisation of
Empirical Data Public expenditure
○ Reduced Financial Transfers to ○ Address GST concerns
the States ○ Third tier of Govt
○ Growth of Union & State Govt’s
tax Revenue
 The
Analyst
Handout
Fuel Cells
29th February,2024
Context: PM Modi flagged off India’s first indigenously built hydrogen fuel
cell ferry boat.

About : ● Advantages
○ Clean and efficient energy:
● Electrochemical devices that
produce electricity through a ○ Reliable backup power:
chemical reaction ○ Energy storage capabilities:
○ Fuel flexibility:
● No combustion or recharging
● Challenges
● Can potentially meet 7% of ○ High initial costs
India's power needs by 2032 ○ Requires Hydrogen
infrastructure
○ Technology limitations
■ durability
■ Water management and
thermal efficiency

WTO Investment Deal

Context: India blocked an attempt to get IFD in the development agenda of
MC13.

About : ● Why India doesn’t support

● Legally binding provisions to ○ WTO’s mandate

facilitate investment flows ○ Concerns about West strategy
○ Plurilateral agreements within
● States to augment regulatory WTO
transparency and predictability of ○ MFN provisions
investment measures ○ Legally binding dispute
● Informal Dialogue - 2017 settlement
○ Umbrella clauses
● IFA negotiations - 2020