Context:

• Recently, the Prime Minister conveyed condolences to Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas  at the loss of civilian lives at the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza. 

Humanitarian assistance to Palestine

• India will send humanitarian assistance to Palestine amid ongoing conflict.

Evolution of India Palestine Relations 

• 1974: India became the first Non-Arab State to recognize Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. 
• 1988: India became one of the first countries to recognize the Palestinian State. 
• 1996: India opened its Representative Office in Gaza, which was later shifted to Ramallah in 2003.
• 2003: India also voted in favor of the UNGA Resolution in October 2003 against construction of the separation wall by Israel.
• 2011: India voted in favor of Palestine becoming a full member of UNESCO. 
• 2012: India co-sponsored and voted in favor of the UNGA Resolution that enabled Palestine to become a ‘non-member Observer state’ at the UN without voting rights.
• 2017: Narendra Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, without visiting Palestine, paving the way for Dehyphenation in foreign policy towards Israel-Palestine. 

India’s Dehyphenation of Policy towards Israel and Palestine

• De-hyphenation means dealing with two countries, having an adversarial relationship between them, in an independent manner. This would mean building a relationship with one, ignoring the complexities of its relations with the other.
  • For Example: The United States (US) has advocated such a policy vis-à-vis India and Pakistan, since the second-term Bush presidency, connoting that its relationship with India would stand on its own rather than getting affected by its relations with Pakistan.

India Palestine Relations: What is the India’s  Stand over the ongoing conflict? 

• India has condemned Hamas terror  attacks on Israel while reiterated India’s long-standing principled position of Two-State Solution On the Israel-Palestine issue.
  • Two-State Solution:The two-state solution has for decades been the primary focus of efforts to achieve peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
    • The two-state solution aims to establish an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, ensuring two states for two peoples.                                    

News Source: Indian Express

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Context:

• As per estimates of Think Change Forum (TCF) report, Illegal betting activities related to the Cricket World Cup 2023 in India are causing significant tax losses, with an estimated inflow of Rs 8,20,000 crore ($100 billion) per year.

Illegal Betting and Gambling

• As per estimates, more than 140 million people in India participate in betting and gambling regularly and this number shoots up to 370 million during the IPL.
• To attract Indian users, gambling sites have secured the endorsement of popular Bollywood actors and sports figures.

What is Gambling?

• Gambling is the risking or staking of money or any other valuable security which may be referred to as “stakes” on an event that does not have a certain outcome.
• It can take various forms and is commonly associated with activities such as casino games (slot machines, roulette, and poker).
• The Public Gambling Act 1867 also known as the Gambling Act is the general law that governs gambling in India. However, gambling is largely a state subject and comes under the State list of the 7th Schedule of the Constitution.
  • This means that only the state has the right to regulate laws (State-specific) related to gambling activities in their territory.
  • For example, states like Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh have specific laws that make most forms of online gambling illegal.

Concerns raised in report

• Funds are funnelled through mechanisms like hawala, cryptocurrencies, and other illicit channels, posing a threat to the nation’s financial stability. 
  • These diverted funds may fund illegal activities, undermining public order and national security.
• Delay in forming of Self-Regulatory Organizations (SROs) will allow illegal offshore betting sites to flourish.

Recommendations

• Strict implementation of the new GST regime by establishing a task force.
• Monitoring of  illegal offshore betting activities and forcing offshore operators to register in India to protect the outflow from legal gaming platforms to offshore platforms.

News Source: Tribune

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Context:

• Recently, the Multiple earthquakes have hit Afghanistan.

Earthquakes in Afghanistan: Why do earthquakes frequently occur in Afghanistan?

• Location: Afghanistan is located over multiple fault lines in the region where the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates meet. These plates collide often, leading to significant tectonic activity in the region.

• Northward movement of the Indian Plate: The northward movement of the Indian Plate towards the Eurasian Plate causes compression, uplifting the Himalayas and generating tectonic stress that deforms the crust and creates earthquakes through fault movements.
• Active Fault Systems: Afghanistan is also crisscrossed by various active fault systems like the Chaman Fault and the Main Pamir Thrust. These faults are the sources of many earthquakes in the region.
• Tectonic Plates cause earthquakes in Hindu Kush and Pamir Knot: Afghanistan is situated in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which is one of the most seismically active regions in the world.

News Source: The Hindu

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Context:

• The Prime Minister  inaugurated a 17-km stretch classified as the ‘priority section’ of the 82-km-long delhi–meerut regional rapid transit system.

What is the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS)?

• Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) is an integrated, mass transit network which aims to ensure “balanced and sustainable urban development” through better connectivity and access across the NCR.
• The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) recommended eight RRTS corridors to connect NCR towns with high speed rail-based commuter transit services.
• Implementing Agency: National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) Or Namo Bharat under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. 
  • NCRTC is a joint venture company of the Central government and Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• The RRTS is modeled on systems such as the RER in Paris, Regional-Express trains in Germany and Austria as well as the SEPTA Regional Rail in the United States.

What are the benefits of regional rapid transit system?

• Faster: Unlike metros, the regional rapid transit system network is faster. It will cater to commuters who want to travel relatively longer distances across the National Capital Region (NCR) in a short time.
• Higher Frequency: Compared with the Indian Railways, though the RRTS train will cover relatively smaller distances, it will do so at higher frequency and provide relatively more comfort than the average Railways coach.
• Connectivity: It will enhance multi-modal connectivity at the existing transportation hubs within NCR.
• Employment Generation: It aims to give a push to employment generation and the opening up of newer commercial hubs along the current contours of the NCR.

News Source: The Indian Express

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Context:

• This article is based on the news “What is the first test on Gaganyaan journey, to be held on Saturday” Which was published in the Indian Express. ISRO is set to conduct the Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) as part of the Gaganyaan project.

Safety Test For Gaganyaan

• The Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) will demonstrate the performance of the Crew Escape System of the Gaganyaan project. 
• It marks the first in a series of tests for launching an Indian astronaut into space by 2025. 

What is Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1)?

• New Test Vehicle: The TV-D1 flight will demonstrate the new Test Vehicle. Thus, the test has been named Test Vehicle-Demonstration 1 (TV-D1).
• Payloads: The payloads consist of the Crew Module (CM) and Crew Escape Systems (CES) with their fast-acting solid motors, along with CM fairing (CMF) and Interface Adapters.
• Crew module: It will demonstrate a basic version of the crew module — the capsule in which the astronauts will be seated during the Gaganyaan human space flight. The crew module will be empty for the test.
• Functioning of Crew Escape System: The test will check the functioning of systems for separating the crew module from the rocket in case of a mid-flight emergency (abort mission) and the escape of astronauts.
• Simulation of abort condition: Flight will “simulate the abort condition during the ascent trajectory corresponding to a Mach number of 1.2 encountered in the Gaganyaan mission”, including crew module separation and its safe recovery.

Test Vehicle for the test

• For the TV-D1 mission, ISRO will use a low-cost basic rocket it has built specifically to test systems.
  • The full-fledged test flight of the crew module into space and back will be carried out on the human rated LVM3 rocket in 2024.
• It will use existing liquid propulsion technology, but has innovations such as the throttleable and restartable L110 Vikas engine which is capable of controlling propellant use.
  • Vikas engine forms the core second stage of the LVM3 rocket.

What is a Crew Escape System (CES)? 

The crew escape system (also known as Launch Abort System or Launch Escape System) is an emergency exit option critical to manned space missions. It is designed to pull away the crew module, take it to a safe altitude and bring it safely back on the earth in the event of a launch abort or during the vehicle’s ascent.

• It has five types of solid motors which generate the thrust needed for various mission requirements– 
  • Crew escape system jettisoning motor
  • High-altitude escape motor (four of them) 
  • Low-altitude escape motor
  • Low-altitude pitch motor 
  • High-altitude pitch motor. 

What are the significance of Gaganyaan mission for India? 

• A Platform for Innovation: Gaganyaan mission will help scientists to better understand the effects of microgravity on the human body and to develop new technologies for space exploration. 
  • The ISRO is considering a minimum of 10 microgravity experiments for the mission, including space medicine, sensor development for medical devices, etc.
• Scientific Exploration: It is a significant step towards India’s ambitious goals in space exploration, including setting up an Indian Space Station by 2035 and sending an Indian astronaut to the moon by 2040.
• Advanced technology capability: It will help in undertaking human space exploration, sample return missions and scientific exploration.
  • It will give way to progress towards a sustained and affordable human and robotic programme to explore the solar system and beyond.
• Developmental  collaboration: Gaganyaan mission will boost future capability to actively collaborate in global space station development & to carry out scientific experiments of interest to the nation.
• • It will help in creating a broad framework for wider Academia – Industry partnership in taking up development activities for national development.
• Economy: Ample scope for employment generation and human resource development in advanced science and R&D activities.
• • The mission will also boost India’s tourism industry, as people from all over the world will want to visit the country to see where its astronauts were trained and launched.
• Space Diplomacy: The Gaganyaan mission will help India to forge closer ties with other spacefaring nations. 
  • India has already signed agreements with Russia, the United States, and France to collaborate on the mission. 
  • India joined the US-led Artemis Accord for international partnership on planetary exploration and research.

What are the challenges with the Gaganyaan mission?

• Long Delay in project: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been facing delays with the Gaganyaan mission which was scheduled to launch in 2022. The reasons for delay include:
  • COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the work schedules of space agencies as well as disrupted the supply chain disruptions.
• Risks of failure: Sending humans to space missions is extremely dangerous, evident in the failure of the Russian Soyuz FG rocket with two astronauts aboard.
  • The mission marked its first failure in 55 launches.
• Radiation: Astronauts on space stations are exposed to radiation levels more than ten times that of Earth, which can increase the risk of cancer and harm the central nervous system.
  • This radiation exposure may also lead to symptoms like nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and fatigue.
• Challenges of gravity: Transitioning between gravity fields poses challenges that can impact hand-eye and head-eye coordination. 
  • As per NASA, in absence of gravity, the human body experiences mineral loss in bones, leading to a higher risk of osteoporosis-related fractures even after returning from a space mission. 
• Isolation: Regardless of their training, astronauts are susceptible to behavioral issues due to the isolation they experience. 
  • Isolation can give rise to depression, fatigue, sleep disorders, and psychiatric conditions.
• Harsh Environment: Space presents a hostile environment with no atmosphere. In such conditions, without pressure, creating challenges for human body.
  • To address this, the ‘Gaganyaan’ mission must simulate an Earth-like atmosphere within a confined space. 

Also read: New Targets for ISRO: Indian Space Station by 2035, Indian on Moon by 2040

Conclusion:

The successful execution of this Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 for the Gaganyaan will mark a critical milestone in India’s journey towards achieving human spaceflight capabilities and will reinforce ISRO’s commitment to advancing space exploration. It will elevate India’s reputation as a technologically advanced nation and a player in international space exploration.

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Context:

• This article is based on the news “MSP calculations still continue with old formula & not on comprehensive cost” Which was published in the DownToEarth. On October 18, 2023, the Union government announced an increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for six Rabi crops for the 2024-25 marketing season.

Government Approves Minimum Support Price (MSP); Key Highlights

• It is in line with the Union Budget 2018-19 announcement of fixing the Minimum Support Price at a level of at least 1.5 times of the All-India weighted average Cost of Production.  
• The expected margin over the All-India weighted average Cost of Production is 102 percent for wheat, followed by 98 percent for rapeseed & mustard, 89 percent for lentil, 60 percent for gram, 60 percent for barley, and 52 percent for safflower. 
• MSP for wheat has been increased by 7.1% to ₹2,275 per quintal for the rabi marketing season (RMS) 2024-25. This is the highest year-on-year increase in wheat MSP since 2012-13.
• Fixing MSP based on the Swaminathan committee report backed with statutory guarantee has been a long demand of farmer groups and was a major demand during the year-long farmers’ protest in 2021-22.

What is Minimum Support Price?

• It is a “Minimum Price” for any crop that the government considers as remunerative for farmers and hence deserving of “support.” 
• It is also the price that government agencies pay whenever they procure a crop.
• The government now fixes Minimum Support Prices  for 23 Crops but is NOT legally bound to pay these even if open market rates for the said produce are ruling below their announced floor prices.

How are Minimum Support Prices determined? 

• The actual amount depends on the method used to calculate the cost of production (CoP). 
• The government bases its announcement on the recommendations from the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP), which details three major formulae to arrive at Minimum Support Price. (Refer Infographics)

What is the National Commission of Farmers?

It is also known as the Swaminathan Commission, recommended that the Minimum Support Price should at least be 50 percent more than the weighted average CoP, which it refers to as the C2 cost. The government maintains that the MSP was fixed at a level of at least 1.5 times of the all-India weighted average CoP, but it calculates this cost as 1.5 times A2+FL.

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which approved the MSP, referred to the ‘A2+FL’ costs as the cost of production on which it has based its MSP calculations.
• Below is the projected cost of production for the Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2024-25 for different crops based on A2+FL and C2 formulae.

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which approved the  Minimum Support Price, in its statement on October 18, referred to the ‘A2+FL’ costs as the cost of production on which it has based its MSP calculations.
• Now if the C2+50% formula is to be applied, the difference between the declared MSP and the one that the farmers have been demanding ranges between Rs 203 per quintal and Rs 1,380 per quintal, depending on the crop.

Is the Farmers’ Demand to Legalise Minimum Support Price Justified?

Arguments Against Legalizing Minimum Support Price:

• Fiscal Burden on Government: Rice and wheat are procured by the government and distributed through the PDS at a highly subsidized issue price of Rs 3 per kg and Rs 2 per kg, while the economic cost is Rs 36 per kg and Rs 24 per kg, respectively. If MSP is legalized, the remaining crops also need to be procured and disposed of orderly.
• Storage and administrative capability: Using the current marketable surplus ratios (MSR),  the expected marketed surplus (MS) of these crops is around 261 MT (Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2019). However, the storage capacity available with the Food Corporation of India (FCI), state agencies, the Central Warehousing Corporation and the cooperative sector is only about 98 MT as per estimates by the Committee for Strengthening Negotiable Warehouse Receipts.
• High Inflation: A law barring purchases of the other 21 crops below MSPs by any private trader will also, immediately, fuel high inflation. Every one percentage point increase in MSPs leads to a 15-basis point increase in inflation.
• Market Distortions: An Minimum Support Price mechanism that ignores demand and global prices creates market distortions. If an MSP is above that market clearing price, no one from the private sector will be willing to buy. In that case, the government will have to become the buyer of last resort, or farmers will be left high and dry with no buyers for their produce, making farmers worse off.
• Export: Mandatory Minimum Support Prices will render India’s agri-exports non-competitive because the government’s assured prices are way higher than domestic and international market prices.
  • Keeping MSP at 50 percent above cost C2 involves increasing the current MSP by 27-89 percent for Kharif and up to 45 percent for rabi crops. 
• Cropping Pattern: MSPs have also incentivized foodgrains over other crops, giving rise to imbalances of water and land resources and shifting land away from crops such as pulses and oilseeds, necessitating costly imports.
  • India, the world’s biggest vegetable oil importer, will likely buy 15.6 million metric tons of cooking oils in the 2023-24 oil year.
• WTO’s Obligation: WTO rules cap government procurement for subsidized food programs by developing countries at 10% of the total value of agricultural production based on 1986-88 prices in dollar terms.Surplus cereals can’t be exported without a subsidy, which invites the World Trade Organization (WTO) objections.

Also read: How Does Monsoon Rainfall Impact the Indian Economy?

Arguments In favour of Legalizing Minimum Support Price

• Raising Farmer’s Income: In 2018-19, the average farm household earned ₹10,218 per month (at current prices), whis was less than average national per capita income, which was ₹10,495 per month. In other words, on average, a non-farm household in India is better off than a farm household.

• Crop diversification: Ensuring all 23 crops are legally sold at Minimum Support Price will also lead to crop diversification as there would be no incentive to grow only those crops where MSP is now available — mostly paddy, wheat and sugarcane. 
  • So, the country would also come out from surplus paddy, wheat and sugarcane production situation, which will have multiple economic and ecological benefits.
• Self-sufficiency: A legal backing for Minimum Support Price  is a great instrument to control the production quantities of various crops to match demand. The country could also become self-sufficient in edible oils and pulses if we ensure remunerative MSPs for these crops. 
  • Import dependency of pulses decreased from 19% in 2013-14 to around 9% in 2021-22; projected to drop further to around 3% by 2030-31.
  • Pulses procurement up more than 74 times during 2016-21 in comparison to 2009-14 Record increase in MSP of the pulses benefiting farmers
• Reduce Fiscal Burdens: If the government and private prices are the same, farmers won’t seek out the government to purchase their crops. So the government will not be pressured to buy more than it requires.
• Food Security: The Minimum Support Price is vital in achieving food security. It encourages farmers to receive a fair price for their crops, thus motivating them to produce essential food items and contribute to a steady and sufficient food supply in the market.
  • Therefore, it is important that it should continue to function with better facilities and scientific management.

Also read: PM-PRANAM Scheme

Way Forward

Dalwai Committee (2016) Recommendation for Doubling Farmers Income: The committee has observed that an increase in the Minimum Support Price could be one of the instruments for enhancing farmers’ income. 

• A more straightforward, and potentially more beneficial, means of raising farm incomes could be reforming the marketing system of agricultural produce, while also developing new institutions and reviving existing ones to facilitate linking of the farmer to the markets. 

Price Deficiency Schemes: The Niti Aayog has  suggested a ‘Price Deficiency Payment’ system to address the gaps in Minimum Support Price (MSP) based procurement of crops.

• Price Deficiency Payment’ system wherein subsidy would be provided for targeted produce in case the price falls below the MSP threshold. All the crops will be considered for price support.
• “Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana” the scheme paid the difference between the market price and the minimum support price to farmers 

Direct Income Transfer: The idea here is to extend MSP benefits to the small and marginal farmers  and in states where government procurement is currently insignificant. 

• In the long run, Minimum Support Price procurement itself should be replaced with per-acre transfers. Farmers are better off with minimum “income” rather than “price” support.
• The Rythu Bandhu scheme launched by Telangana, wherein the government gives farmers an incentive of Rs 5,000 for each acre of land as an investment for the crop.

Structural and Governance Reforms in Agriculture: It  includes institutional mechanisms at district, state & national levels for coordination & convergence of various government schemes, a digital monitoring dashboard at district, state & national levels for seamless & real-time monitoring of fields, utilizing Panchayat Raj Institutions, and farm income measurement as key delivery channels for transparent and inclusive development.

Agri-R&D and agricultural-extension systems: Agricultural extension is critical to improve farm productivity and to translate the same into increased income. 

• Use of digital and disruptive technology such as AI, Robotics and Drone, etc. are  vital in developing the sector into a major source of growth in the Indian economy. 

Strategies for Sustainability in Agriculture: It is essential that sustainable agriculture is not limited to the practice of alternate production systems(such as Climate Resilient Agriculture, Rainfed Agriculture,  Integrated Farming System, Organic Farming, etc.)  in certain geographies alone, but goes beyond into larger cultivation practices by incorporating evidence-based and good agricultural practices.

Conclusion:

Farming over the years, for the majority, especially small and marginal farmers, has not turned out to be remunerative. A rise in their income could be the long-term answer to farmers’ financial distress. 

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