MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. Describe the several causes of the stubble burning problem. How burning stubble affects agriculture, the environment, and people.
GS III – Environmental Conservation related issues
Introduction:
- Stubble burning is the technique of lighting the remaining straw stubble—such as paddy, wheat, etc.—after grains have been harvested. In regions where crop residue is left behind by the combined harvesting process, it is typically necessary. In order to make way for the sowing of the rabi crop, paddy stubble burning is primarily done in the Indo-Gangetic plains of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
The following factors cause stubble burning:
- Agricultural mechanisation: Large leftovers are all that remain when rice is harvested mechanically. For farmers, manual harvesting is not an option because to the high labour costs and labor-intensive nature of the operation.
- Lack of time between two crops: The primary cause of stubble burning is the little amount of time between harvesting rice and planting wheat, as planting wheat too soon has an impact on the wheat crop. There is only a two to three week window of time remaining between the paddy crop’s harvest and the next crop’s seeding.
- Lack of Knowledge: Farmers burn organic debris and soil-friendly insects without realising that they are doing so, which results in large losses of potassium, DAP, and nitrogen. Farmers think that if this waste isn’t burned, it will float on the transplant-ready paddy fields of the seedbed, getting into the fragile seedlings and harming the crop during strong winds.
- The difficulties in managing environmentally friendly residue include the high cost of the equipment needed to control stubble burning, such as rotavators and happy seeders. Using machinery to manage crop residue is discouraged by rising diesel prices, which exacerbates the situation.
- Decreased stubble usage: In the past, farmers cooked with and used stubble as hay to keep livestock and houses warm. But, sporting this stubble is no longer appropriate. Furthermore, because rice straw contains a lot of silica, it is deemed inappropriate for use as animal feed (this includes non-basmati rice varieties).
- Policies of the government: A few laws, including the 2009 Punjab Sub-Soil Water Conservation Act, have inadvertently encouraged stubble burning.
Burning stubble:
An issue affecting humans, agriculture, and the environment:
- Burning stubble releases dangerous pollutants into the atmosphere, including as volatile organic compounds (VOC), carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carbon monoxide (CO), and methane (CH4). These directly contribute to the melting of the Himalayan glaciers due to environmental pollutants.
- The temperature of the soil rises to 33.8 to 42.2 degrees Celsius when paddy straw is burned because the heat travels 1 centimetre into the ground. This eliminates the communities of bacteria and fungi that are necessary for healthy soil.
- Crop residue burning destroys the organic content of the soil as well as other microorganisms found in the top layer. Crops are more vulnerable to illness as a result of the loss of “friendly” pests, which has increased the wrath of “enemy” pests.
- A report states that burning stubble results in the loss of all soil nutrients except organic carbon: 5.5 kg of nitrogen, 2.3 kg of phosphorus, 25 kg of potassium, and more than 1 kg of sulphur.
- Burning stubble can cause anything from skin diseases to eye discomfort. Additionally, long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution can result in lung conditions like cancer, emphysema, bronchitis, asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), lung capacity reduction, and bronchitis.
- A survey found that individuals in rural Punjab spend Rs 7.6 crore year on medical care for conditions brought on by burning their stubble.
Actions that can be performed to address stubble burning:
- Adoption of technology: By using agricultural equipment such as Happy Seeder, Rotavator, etc., farmers can also efficiently manage crop leftovers. However, because these devices are too expensive, state governments must to step up and offer greater subsidies so that farmers may purchase these devices.
- Take a cue from others: Punjab’s Gurdaspur district has devised a creative solution to reduce agricultural waste burning. Farmers that refrain from burning their stubble will receive certificates of praise and be acknowledged as environmental defenders, or “vatavaran de rakhe.” They can skip the wait at government offices by presenting it. It is possible to establish such programmes in other districts as well.
- Enhance Farmers’ Awareness: Education programmes that highlight the savings that machines and in-situ treatment can make on input costs, fertilisers, and water in the short term, as well as the long-term benefits to soil fertility that lower agrochemical costs, are needed to raise farmers’ awareness.
- Encourage crop diversification: It’s also critical to boost the purchase of coarse cereals, oilseeds, and pulses on MSP in order to persuade farmers to move away from paddy cultivation. Having a suitable agricultural marketing infrastructure for various crops will help encourage farmers to diversify their crop yields.
- Crop leftover is a natural resource that, when ploughed into the soil or after composting, can improve soil fertility, irrigation effectiveness, and erosion control. This is known as “scale incorporation of crop residue into the soil.” According to a study, incorporating paddy straw into the soil is more environmentally friendly than managing it in place.
- Encourage Short-Duration Rice Varieties: Rice varieties that mature quickly provide farmers ample time to harvest the paddy crop, remove stubble, and get the fields ready for the following harvest.
- Boost Connections for Ex-situ Crop Residue Management: This method has the potential to manage stubble while also providing farmers with a source of money. Crop debris can be used in power plants to grow mushrooms, make handicrafts, fodder, mulch, and biofuels.
- Given the negative effects of stubble burning, this problem requires coordinated efforts from the business community and organised government initiatives. A very good place to start is with the Supreme Court’s 2019 directive, which offers farmers who are not burning paddy straw cash support of Rs 100 per quintal.
Q2. Discuss Mahatma Gandhi’s contributions to the Indian liberation movement.
GS I – Modern Indian History
Introduction:
- One well-known figure from the pre-independence era was Mahatma Gandhi. His most well-known title is “Father of the Nation.” Gandhi continued to be the national movement’s principal figurehead. His two main tools for the Indian national cause were “Ahinsa,” or nonviolence, and “Satyagraha,” or passive citizen resistance.
The renowned contributions made by Mahatma Gandhi to the Indian freedom movement:
- Champaran Satyagraha: Gandhi’s initial active participation in Indian freedom politics was during the Champaran agitation in Bihar. Farmers in Champaran were being forced to plant indigo, and if they objected, they would suffer torture. Gandhi was called in by the farmers, and with a well-planned, nonviolent demonstration, he was able to pressure the government into making concessions.
- Kheda Satyagraha: Local farmers in Gujarat’s Kheda hamlet petitioned the authorities to relieve the taxes after the village was severely damaged by flooding. Here, Gandhi launched a signature drive in which farmers promised to not pay taxes. Additionally, he organised a social boycott of the revenue officers, or mamlatdars and talatdars. The government loosened the requirements for paying revenue taxes in 1918 until the famine was over.
- Khilafat Movement: In 1919, the British overthrow of the Sultan of Turkey aroused the ire of Indian Muslims. The Khilafat movement was established by Indian Muslims who saw the Turkish Sultan as their Khalifa and wanted to see Khalifa restored in Turkey. The movement was led by Shaukat Ali and Mohammed Ali. They appealed to Gandhi for direction. Gandhi saw this as a chance to bring Muslims and Hindus together in opposition to the British. He thus publicly endorsed the movement.
- Gandhi understood that the British could only remain in India with the Indians’ help, leading to the non-cooperation movement. He demanded a movement of non-cooperation with this in mind. With the backing of the Congress and an unwavering determination, he persuaded the populace that nonviolent resistance was the route to independence. The Indian populace was urged to embrace national schools, colleges, arbitration courts, and Khadi; to shun government schools, colleges, courts, and councils; and to boycott foreign commodities and embrace Swadeshi. Gandhi established the principle of Swaraj, or self-governance, which has since evolved into the Indian independence movement’s catchphrase.
- Civil Disobedience Movement: Gandhi began the new stage of the countrywide movement on March 12, 1930. This new movement, called the Civil Disobedience movement, began with Gandhi and his 78 supporters’ historic Dandi March. He manufactured salt against the law while walking from his Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a Gujarati seaside village. Gandhi and those who were with him were detained because the colonial administration forbade the production of salt. Nationwide, there were huge demonstrations protesting his detention. Businesses that sold foreign items were picketed, support for Khadi and Charka was expressed, hundreds of individuals lost their jobs, and thousands of students dropped out of college and school. The peasants in certain regions ceased filing taxes. The British government invited the Congress to a Round Table Conference to discuss the key concerns after observing the public’s mood.
- Quit India Movement: The ‘Quit India’ movement was declared by the Congress. Gandhi urged the populace to ‘do or perish’. Before the leaders could organise the movement, the British authorities had most of them incarcerated. However, this did not make the people any less optimistic. Local leaders took the initiative and kept the campaign going. Violence broke out everywhere since there was no central command for this movement and government persecution was at its peak. Post offices, police stations, and train stations were set on fire. The parallel government was established in numerous places. Additionally, protests and strikes were planned, and individuals attacked and interfered with the government transportation network. In response, the government tightened its crackdown. Many thousands were detained and thousands died. Even though the government was able to put a halt to the movement, it was now clear that people were willing to use violence in order to obtain their freedom from foreign authority.
- There are no words to adequately describe Gandhi’s contribution to the Indian liberation fight. He and other liberation warriors forced the British out of India. Millions of people were inspired by his speech, and his goals and actions were nonviolent.
