Current Affairs – 23rd Jan 2024

Articles Covered:

  1. PARAKRAM DIWAS
  2. PRADHANMANTRI SURYODAYA YOJANA
  3. Odisha knocks on Tamil Nadu’s doors to help tackle jumbo attacks, seeks four Kumki elephants and mahouts
  4. Phytocannabinoids
  5. KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK:
  6. FCRA REGISTRATION FOR SEVERAL NGO’S CANCELLED
  7. DRIVERS OF FOOD INFLATION
  8. STATE OF WOMEN’S LABOUR FORCE IN INDIA
  9. WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM (WEF)

PARAKRAM DIWAS:

Parakram Diwas, observed on January 23rd, 2024, marks the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, a prominent figure in India’s freedom struggle. This day is celebrated to honour his indomitable spirit and invaluable contribution to India’s independence. This year nation observes the 127th edition of Parakram Diwas 2024.

  1. Parakram Diwas Historical Context: The Genesis of Parakram Diwas: – The Government of India, recognizing the need to honour Netaji’s heroic legacy, officially declared January 23 as Parakram Diwas in 2021.This day is an embodiment of Bose’s courage and determination, inspiring future generations to uphold the values of patriotism and sacrifice.
  2. Parakram Diwas 2024 Significance: – Parakram Diwas 2024 is a national event celebrated annually in India since 2021. It commemorates Netaji’s birth anniversary and is a tribute to his brave legacy. The day serves as a reminder of the courage and determination of one of India’s most revered freedom fighters.
  3. Parakram Diwas 2024 Celebrations at Red Fort: The 2024 Parakram Diwas celebrations were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Red Fort on the evening of January 23,extending till January 31. Organized by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with various institutions, the event presented a multifaceted celebration blending historical reflections and vibrant cultural expressions.
  4. Digital Launch of Bharat Parv: – NA highlight of Parakram Diwas 2024 was the digital launch of ‘Bharat Parv’ by the Prime Minister. This event, showcasing the nation’s diversity through Republic Day Tableaux and cultural exhibits, was a vibrant display of India’s rich heritage.

PRADHANMANTRI SURYODAYA YOJANA:

  1. “Pradhanmantri Suryodaya Yojana” with the target of installing rooftop solar on 1 crore houses at his residence at Lok Kalyan Marg.
  2. During the meeting, Prime Minister said that the power of the sun can be harnessed by every household with a roof to reduce their electricity bills and to make them truly aatmanirbhar for their electricity needs.
  3. Pradhanmantri Suryodaya Yojana aims to provide electricity to low and middle-income individuals through solar rooftop installations, along with offering additional income for surplus electricity generation.
Key Highlights:

  1. Aatmanirbhar Energy for Every Household: PM Modi emphasized the importance of harnessing solar power to empower households economically and reduce electricity bills. The scheme aims to make India self-reliant in energy by promoting rooftop solar installations.
  2. Goal of Pradhanmantri Suryodaya Yojana: The initiative focuses on providing electricity to low and middle-income individuals through solar rooftop installations. Additionally, households can generate surplus electricity, contributing to additional income.
  3. National Campaign for Rooftop Solar Adoption: The Prime Minister directed the initiation of a nationwide campaign to encourage residential consumers to adopt rooftop solar systems on a large scale. This push aims to raise awareness and promote widespread adoption.
  4. Financial Assistance under National Rooftop Solar Scheme: The government’s existing National Rooftop Solar Scheme, providing 40% financial assistance for the capital cost of solar rooftop projects, complements the newly announced initiative.

Odisha knocks on Tamil Nadu’s doors to help tackle jumbo attacks, seeks four Kumki elephants and mahouts:

  • The Odisha government also hopes to revive its elephant training programme with Tamil Nadu’s help.

IMPORTANCE:

  1. To mitigate man-elephant conflict, emerging as a key challenge in Odisha, the state government has sought four Kumki elephants and their mahouts from Tamil Nadu, given the state’s success in training and utilising them for wildlife conservation.
  2. Kumkis are trained captive elephants used in operations to trap, rescue and tranquilise wild elephants.
  3. “They can be deployed strategically to help manage and drive wild elephants, thereby reducing damage to crops, human habitation and the potential loss of both human and elephant lives. These elephants can also be deployed for forest patrolling and rescue operations,”
  4. the Kumki elephants will serve as an invaluable asset to the state’s wildlife organisation and aid its efforts to minimise conflicts.

KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK:

  1. It is located in the state of Assam.
  2. It is part of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspots.
  3. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses two-thirds of the total world population of greater one-horned rhinoceros.
  4. It is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife Internationalfor the conservation of avifaunal species.

Flora:

  • It is a mix of eastern wet alluvial grasslands, semi-evergreen forests and tropical moist deciduous forests.
  • It is primarily famous for its dense and tall elephant grasses intermixed with small swamplands.
  • It also includes an abundant cover of water lilies, water hyacinths and lotus.

Fauna:

  • It is home to the One-horned rhinoceros, Leopard, Fishing Cat, other Lesser cats, royal Bengal tiger, Large Indian Civet and Small Indian Civet etc
  • It is also one of the last remaining homes of the endangered and endemic western hoolock gibbon, the only species of apes found in India.
  • It is one of the last homes of the critically endangered Bengal florican.

Phytocannabinoids:

Scientists at CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, have found that tetrahydrocannabidiol (THCBD) which is phytocannabinoids, a class of compounds found in the cannabis plant, possess some hitherto unexplored antibiotic properties.

  1. Cannabinoids are a class of compounds found in the cannabis plant.
  2. The prefix ‘phyto’ in phytocannabinoid means it comes from a plant.
  3. Cannabinoids bind to receptors in the bodies of animals to produce a variety of neurological effects.
  4. The researchers extracted cannabidiol from a cannabis plant and made it react with hydrogen, using palladium as a catalyst.
  5. This process yielded a mixture of molecules with the same composition and order of atoms but different structures. One of them was THCBD.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

  1. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health and development threats.It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.
  2. The misuse and overuse of antimicrobialsin humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.
  3. AMR affects countries in all regions and at all income levels. Its drivers and consequences are exacerbated bypoverty and inequality, and low- and middle-income countries are most affected.
  4. AMR puts many of the gains of modern medicine at risk. It makes infections harder to treat and makes other medical procedures and treatments – such as surgery, caesarean sections and cancer chemotherapy – much riskier.

FCRA REGISTRATION FOR SEVERAL NGO’S CANCELLED:

  • Recently, the Central government of India Cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR)

A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a group that functions independently of any government. It is usually non-profit. NGOs, sometimes called civil society organizations, are established on community, national, and international levels.

Foreign Contribution Regulation Act:

  • This act was enacted during the Emergency in 1976amid apprehensions that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs by pumping money into the country through independent organisations.
  • The FCRA requires every person or NGO seekingto receive foreign donations to be
  1. Registered under the Act
  2. To open a bank account for the receipt of foreign funds in the State Bank of India, Delhi.
  3. To utilise those fundsonly for the purpose for which they have been received and as stipulated in the Act.

Eligibility criteria for the registration:

  1. These registrations are granted to individuals or associationsthat have definite cultural, economic, educational, religious, and social programmes.
  2. The applicant should not be fictitious or benami; and should not have been prosecuted or convicted for indulging in activitiesaimed at conversion through inducement or force, either directly or indirectly, from one religious faith to another.
  3. Once granted, FCRA registration is valid for five years. NGOs are expected to apply for renewal within six months of the date of expiry of registration.
  4. Registration can be cancelled if an inquiry finds a false statement in the application
  5. Once the registrationof an NGO is cancelled, it is not eligible for re-registration for three years.
  6. The ministry also has the power to suspend an NGO’s registration for 180 dayspending inquiry and can freeze its funds.
  7. All orders of the government can be challenged in the High Court.

FCRA 2022 Rules:

  • In July 2022, the MHA effected changes toFCRA rules  which increased the number of compoundable offences under the Act from 7 to 12.
  • The other key changes were exemption from intimation to the government for contributions less than Rs 10 lakh – the earlier limit was Rs 1 lakh — received from relatives abroad, and increase in time limit for intimation of opening of bank accounts.

DRIVERS OF FOOD INFLATION:

High global prices, likewise, caused runaway inflation in cereals, particularly wheat, from the middle of 2022 – in this case, by making exports attractive and exacerbating domestic shortages.

In recent times, Consumer food prices were 9.9% higher year-on-year, with food inflation now largely limited to cereals and pulses, and the government is required to start addressing concerns of both producers and consumers in equal measure.

Recent Scenario of Food Price Inflation and Disinflation in India

  1. Inflation is basically the general rise in the price of goods and services and the decline in purchasing power of people.
  2. This means that when inflation rises (without an equivalent rise in income), consumers are able to buy lesser things than they could buy previously, or have to pay more money for the same stuff now.

Inflation in Cereals and Pulses:

  • Estimates show FOOD INFLATION is being increasingly driven by two items: Cereals (11.9%) and pulses (13%)in the preceding months of July and August respectively.
  • Annual retail price rise in vegetables was even higher, at 37.4% and 26.1%.
  • The best indicator is tomato,the retail inflation for which stood at 202.1 % and 180.3% during the same period.

Measuring Food Inflation in India:

  1. Price Indices: Each price index serves a distinct purpose and can be calculated based on producer, consumer, or wholesale prices.
  2. Product Price Index (PPI): It assesses the average selling prices of domestic producers for both goods and services, providing a perspective from the producer’s point of view.
  3. Consumer Price Index (CPI): In contrast to the PPI, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures average prices from the consumer’s standpoint, accounting for variations between seller and consumer prices.
  4. Factors Influencing Price Discrepancies: Seller and consumer prices can differ due to various factors, including taxes, subsidies, and market costs, highlighting the complexities in aligning producer and consumer perspectives within inflation measurements.
  5. Wholesale Price Index (WPI): WPI is designed to ideally gauge average wholesale market prices, specifically in bulk transactions, providing insights into the broader market dynamics where goods are sold in larger quantities.

Recent initiatives taken to contain food inflation:

  • Wheat Export Ban in May 2022
  • Rice Export Restrictions – Halted exports of broken rice (September 2022) and imposed export ban on non-basmati white rice (July 2023)
  • Rice Export Duties – Imposed 20% export duty on parboiled rice (July 2023)
  • Export Duty on Onion – Imposed a substantial 40% export duty on onions (August 2023)

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM (WEF):

India also made its presence felt in ways other than its economic potential. One of the ideas discussed at WEF this year was how investment in women’s health could boost the global economy by $1 trillion annually by 2040.

“One of the key takeaways from the Forum meeting was the announcement of the launch of a Global Good Alliance for Gender Equity and Equality with the support and endorsement by WEF and Government of India. The idea of this alliance emerged from the G20 Leaders’ Declaration and India’s abiding commitment to the cause of women-led development as propounded by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.”

objective of this Alliance is to bring together global best practices, knowledge sharing and investments in the identified areas of women’s health, education, and enterprise,”

  • WEF is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of societyto shape global, regional and industry agendas.
  • It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Foundation: Klaus Schwab, a German professor with a background in mechanical engineering and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard,founded WEFin 1971, originally known as the European Management Forum.
  • He introduced the concept of STAKE HOLDER CAPITALISM

Major Reports 2024:

  1. The Future of Growth Report 2024
  2. Global Cyber security Outlook 2024
  3. Global Gender Gap Report 2024
  4. Global Travel and Tourism Report 2024
  5. World Energy Outlook 2024
  6. GLOBAL RISK REPORT

STATE OF WOMEN’S LABOUR FORCE IN INDIA:

The adoption of the 2030 UN Agenda for SDG and the resolve of world leaders “to achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value” (Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, target 8.5.) and “to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” (SDG 5) by 2030 are proof of that awareness.

  • As per Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data for 2021-22, LFPR is only 35.6%for women in the working age group (15-59 years).
  • Participation rate was higher for rural India compared to urban.
  • India has one of the lowest female labour force participation rates (LFPR)in the world, even behind other South Asian countries (except Afghanistan and Pakistan).
  • The Time Use Survey (2019)reveals that on average, women spend over 5 hours every dayin unpaid domestic services and more than 2 hours in unpaid caregiving services in rural areas which is substantially more than men. Rural women also spend over 7 hours every day growing crops for the market and household use.

Recent increase in women’s Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR):

  1. Feminization of Agriculture: From 2017 to 2021, women’s LFPR increased relative to men, particularly in rural areas because of the larger engagement of rural women in agriculture and allied activities.
  2. Rural India: Recent increase in rural women’s LFPR is entirely explained by the increase in self-employment.

current trends in rural women’s labour force participation:

  1. Nearly 3/4th of rural working women was involved in agriculture and allied activities.
  2. More than half worked as unpaid family helpers (in household business without getting any payment). Furthermore, married women were more prone to taking on the role of unpaid family helpers or engaging in domestic chores.
  3. Rural women working as regular and casual wage workers faced a higher” Gender Wage Gap” compared to urban women.
  4. Self-employed women received less than half of men’s earnings, indicating a higher gender earning gap.
  5. A significant proportion of women are involved in unpaid but essential activities and are not considered within the labour force in India.
  6. In rural areas, one third of women remained engaged in unpaid domestic chores.

state of rural women in agriculture:

  1. Gender Disparity: The Agriculture Census (2015-16) reported that women owned only 14.7% of the operational landholdings.
  2. Out of these, 57% are small and marginal landholdings. This is important as owning land can enable women to get access to different agricultural schemes, compensation and relief measures in case of crop loss.
  3. Recently, schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) have received a higher allocation from the government.
  4. But the gender-wise beneficiary data highlights that only 15% women farmers received financial support from PMFBY in 2023 and only 25% women farmers received financial benefit under PM-KISAN.
  5. Since landowning is the major criterion for getting benefits of these two schemes, many women farmers end up excluded.
15458