MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. In order to completely eradicate hunger and malnutrition, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY), a comprehensive integrated food security scheme, is essential. However, there are issues with the distribution of free foodgrains that need to be properly handled. Examine.
GS II – Government Policies and Interventions
Introduction:
- The Center’s early COVID-19 aid included the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) initiative. The program’s goal was to give every individual covered by the National Food Security Act 2013 an extra 5 kg of free grains—either rice or wheat—on top of the 5 kg of foodgrains that were previously subsidised under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
- It was first announced for April, May, and June 2020, encompassing 80 crore ration cardholders, during a three-month period. It was later extended through September 2022. The Ministry of Finance is its nodal ministry. Any migrant worker or beneficiary under the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) programme may use portability to receive the free ration from over 5 lakh ration stores nationwide.
The accomplishments of PMGKAY and NFSA:
- When the pandemic struck India, it was the government’s initial action.
- The programme fed about 80Cr people, reaching its target population.
- It has shown to be more of a safety net for migrants who have lost their jobs and means of subsistence.
- Additionally, this has guaranteed the children of migrant workers a secure diet.
Constraints on PMGKAY and NFSA:
- Expensive: The government must spend a lot of money maintaining it, which makes a plentiful supply of inexpensive grains more necessary. India was forced to impose export restrictions on wheat and rice in 2022 due to unpredictable weather that affected the crop, raising food prices and upsetting the world’s agricultural markets.
- Increased Fiscal Deficit: The government’s goal of bringing the fiscal deficit down to 6.4% of GDP may be jeopardised.
- Inflation: The program’s choice may have an impact on inflation as well. Because of decreased production in the midst of a heatwave and inconsistent monsoon, the prices of rice and wheat—which account for 10% of India’s retail inflation—are rising.
- Study of plan: The federal government ought to order a study and release the results to the public. Similar to how it was during the first several months of the pandemic.
- It ought to serve as the foundation for updating the database of cardholders who draw food grains, closely examining the information, and focusing on the most vulnerable.
- Need to go beyond the NFSA’s mandate: the government can provide foodgrains at a fair price, as is being done under the PMGKAY.
- Regular ration: The Centre ought to think about giving the States a free one kilogramme of pulses on a regular basis, or at very heavily discounted prices.
- Restrictions on quota: It is possible to modify the quota for wheat or rice in a way that maintains control over the budgetary allocation.
- Diversion from PDS: Considering the ongoing issue of diversion from the Public Distribution System (PDS), federal and state authorities must consider whether to continue the programme.
- A comprehensive database for migrant labourers and their families ought to exist. This ought to record the migration data appropriately. All states ought to adopt the One Nation One Ration Card in its entirety. In the near future, free vaccinations should be provided along with a stable income support system like MGNREGS to ensure food security. Modernising PDS should reduce leaks as much as possible. There should be a food-token system to prevent leaks.
Q2. Discuss the main causes of the rise in human-animal conflict that has occurred recently. What significant actions has the government done to reduce the number of conflicts?
GS III – Environmental Conservation
Introduction:
- Data indicates that almost one person has been killed by roving tigers or raging elephants every day for the previous three years, making the man-animal conflict an existential issue for both humans and animals. When it comes to protecting wildlife, India stands out among other nations. The majority of our large wildlife species persist despite our billion-person population. India now possesses the biggest populations of tigers, Asian elephants, leopards, sloth bears, gaurs, and many other species when compared to south-east Asian countries with lower densities of population.
- Live electric wires are a serious threat to Odisha’s wild elephant population. A number of tuskers have been killed by poachers using traps with live conduction and low-hanging exposed wires, casting doubt on their safety.
Principal reasons for conflicts between humans and animals:
Development that is not sustainable:
- In a large sea of people, cattle, and unsustainable land usage, tigers, national parks, and sanctuaries are but islands.
- Traditional wild areas and animal sanctuaries across the nation are becoming more and more populated, putting humans in competition with wildlife for food and other resources.
- Elephant disputes have increased as a result of factories, railway tracks and highways blocking elephants’ normal passageways.
- The dynamics of the landscape are altered by urbanisation and growth objectives, which ripples down to affect animal ecological dynamics. As a result, there is a form of ecological dislocation, causing distressed wild animals like tigers or putting them in danger.
- Governmental actions that failed:
- The majority of the interventions, according to “Human-Wildlife conflict mitigation,” are ineffective because they are dysfunctional and have been implemented hastily.
- Elephants are accustomed to covering large distances on foot, the majority of which are outside of protected zones.
- According to wildlife experts, there is insufficient space for territorial animals in reserves, and there is insufficient food for their prey to grow. Due to this, the wild animals are being forced to leave their habitat and travel close to populated areas in quest of food.
- The main cause of the rise in confrontations between humans and animals is the abundance of animals and birds that are present outside of designated protected zones. According to wildlife specialists, 29% of India’s tigers are thought to be outside of protected regions.
- The latest threat to India’s biodiversity is the death of wild animals on roads.
- There is inadequate wildlife management, cumulative effect studies, or land use planning and management.
- There isn’t a buffer between human settlements and wildlife.
- Over time, both grey langurs and monkeys have evolved to live in metropolitan areas.
- ongoing devastation and fragmentation of forest areas.
Governmental efforts to lessen conflicts between humans and animals include:
- Awareness campaigns to educate the public about the Dos and Don’ts in order to reduce conflict
- programmes for police and forest workers to handle the issues of confrontations between people and nature.
- The 1972 Wildlife Protection Act’s approach is predicated on the mistaken belief that locals are the main causes of the loss in wildlife, and it establishes human-free zones as a means of protecting rare animals. Not all species have been successfully protected by this strategy.
- supplying the financial and technical assistance required to build the infrastructure and support facilities required for the immobilisation of troublesome animals.
- Giving LPG to locals: In order to prevent villagers from trespassing into forests and causing Man-Animal Conflicts, LPG should be given to those villagers who regularly visit forest regions, particularly wildlife habitats, to gather fuel wood for their chullahs.
State administrations:
- Helping the state government build solar fences and boundary walls around vulnerable locations to stop attacks by wild animals
- enhancing the resources available to the state government to compensate victims of wild animal attacks for their losses and injuries
- encouraging the state government to establish a system of wildlife corridors and protected areas in order to save wildlife.
- Ecodevelopment initiatives are being carried out in the villages surrounding protected areas in an effort to gain local support for managing the regions.
- encouraging participation from prestigious academic institutions, research centres, and nonprofit organisations with experience in handling human-wildlife conflict scenarios.
- To curb poaching: It is important to put an end to the poaching of wild animals in order to maintain the balance between the numbers of prey and predators in the forest ecosystem and to allow the population of wild animals to stabilise at its carrying capacity.
- Technology
- Research organisations employ information technology, such as GPS, satellite uplink facilities, and radio collars, to track the movements of wild animals.
- Project Tiger, Project Elephant, and Integrated Wildlife Habitat Development are centrally financed initiatives.
- sun fencing surrounding agricultural fields: Stone fencing or sun fencing can be used to protect agriculture fields that are close to areas of woodland or wildlife habitat. There has been some success using solar fence in Maharashtra’s Wardha District.
- Wherever they are found, forest corridors connecting protected areas must be preserved.
- To ensure that the elephants have access to food, the current habitats must be inspected and enhanced.
- In order to lower elephant stress levels during conflict mitigation, local community must be instructed to avoid fire, firecrackers, and crowds of people.
- A monitoring system that gathers and disseminates data on these conflicts is required.
- Experts advise that increasing the number of wild ungulates—wild boars and hares, in particular—as prey for wild carnivores could be another strategy to lessen human-animal conflict. Both of these species are prolific breeders. To breed them, separate large enclosures might be built in the jungles. The extra stock can be periodically released into the jungles for the wild carnivores to eat.
- The main framework for managing forests will be the draft National Forest Policy. Additionally, there is a plan for the National Community Forest Management (CFM) Mission, which is about to get underway.
- The entire spectrum of society must be involved in the prevention of human-wildlife conflict for it to be genuinely effective: governments, NGOs, corporations, communities, people, and consumers. While solutions are feasible, they frequently require funding for ongoing development and support.
