MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. India will surpass all other nations in population by the middle of 2023, thus substantial economic possibilities must be generated there in order to fully exploit the demographic dividend potential. Examine.
GS I – Population-related issues
Introduction:
- The term “demographic dividend” describes the potential for economic growth that might arise from changes in the age distribution of a population, particularly when the proportion of the working-age population (15–64) is higher than that of the non-working-age population. As per the 2023 State of World Population Report, India is expected to surpass China as the world’s most populated nation by mid-2023. Furthermore, investments in health, education, and high-quality employment for young people are necessary to fully exploit the potential of the demographic dividend in India, where nearly 50% of the population is under 25.
The following actions should be done in order to generate revenue and realise the demographic dividend potential:
- generating job opportunities: The nation’s largest development problem is producing jobs. By 2030, India must add 100 million new jobs. It is imperative to create formal job possibilities, particularly in labor-intensive and export-focused businesses like textiles, leather, jewellery, gems, and shoes.
- Putting money into education: Education helps close the gender gap. Boys are more likely than girls to be enrolled in secondary and postsecondary education in India. It is the opposite in Thailand, China, and the Philippines. In India, this trend needs to be stopped.
- Skill development: Moving from secondary school to universal skilling and entrepreneurship need more attention because India’s workforce begins at a younger age. For the purpose of developing skills, the government has introduced the SANKALP and STRIVE programmes as well as the Skill India portal.
- The shift away from the agricultural sector: India must likewise lower the proportion of its people that is employed in agriculture. It is necessary to remove and replace the portion of low-paying farm labour with more trained, higher-paying labour.
- Growing the number of women working in the economy: in 2019, 20.3% of women were employed or searching for employment, a decrease from 34.1% in 2003–2004. There are lessons to be learned from South Korea, where policies like making gender budgeting legally required and increasing tax breaks for part-time employment have helped to build a 50% female workforce participation rate.
- Taking into account state-to-state diversity: India is a young nation, yet each state has a different population ageing rate and situation. Due to their advanced demographic shift, the Southern States already have a higher proportion of elderly residents. Nonetheless, this presents countless chances for states to collaborate, particularly in the area of demographic change, with the north-central region serving as the labour pool for India.
- Making the most of the service industry: The Indian service sector has a sizable relative size and enormous job generation potential. For instance: India may export healthcare services because of its cost advantage. Jobs in industries like recreation, the arts and entertainment, and housing will also expand more quickly as income increases.
- Governance reforms: In order to ensure that state policies are coordinated, a new federal strategy for governance reforms for the demographic dividend must be implemented. The goal should be to reduce bureaucratic red tape so that policies can be implemented properly.
- A limited window of opportunity to benefit from the demographic dividend eventually closes as the working generation matures. In order to address new demographic concerns like migration, ageing, skilling, female workforce participation, and urbanisation, the federal and state governments should collaborate. In order to fully reap the benefits of the demographic dividend, it is imperative that we give women, adolescents, and children greater attention.
Q2. Analyze how new artificial intelligence (AI) technology can be used to protect the environment from various dangers.
GS III – Science and Technology related issues
Introduction:
- Artificial intelligence (AI) is the term used to describe the imitation of human intelligence in robots that have been taught to think and behave like people. Through a variety of uses, AI has the ability to expedite international efforts to preserve the environment and conserve resources. A Microsoft study suggests that by 2030, AI applications in the transportation, energy, water, and agriculture sectors could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4%.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies being used to protect the environment against threats:
- Reducing deforestation: Over 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are a result of land use changes and deforestation. A monitoring sensor is fastened to trees to record sounds from the nearby forest and send it in real time to the cloud in an effort to stop illicit land removal. Thirty-five countries have placed nearly 600 of these “guardians” devices.
- Cutting down on carbon footprints: Cement and steel are essential building materials. However, companies also produce a lot of CO2, and the mining and transportation of the raw materials for their products contributes significantly to this emission. AI tools can be used to lessen the quantity of alloys or ingredients that are mined in order to address this.
- Reducing energy waste in buildings: Buildings account for roughly one-third of greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of worldwide energy usage. An app named Neuron has been developed to reduce energy waste in buildings. It gathers real-time data from an energy management system in a building using 5G and Internet of Things (IOT) sensors.
- Smart farming: Crop harvests are at risk from invading pests, more frequent extreme weather events, and unpredictable temperatures due to climate change. Agvolution, a startup, has created an AI system that uses information from solar-powered sensors that track the microclimate around crops in order to allay these worries. In addition to providing suggestions for water and fertiliser needs, the devices assess temperature, humidity, radiation, and soil moisture in the field.
- Monitoring air quality: AI-enabled air purifiers have the ability to continuously record environmental data and air quality, as well as adjust the filtration efficiency. AI can also lessen air pollution by utilising data from cameras, radar sensors, and cars. For instance, the UNEP has established the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the way that methane emissions are monitored and mitigated.
- AI can be used to combat poaching: Many wild species, especially those that are conserved in national parks and wildlife reserves, are seriously threatened by poaching. For instance, poaching has led to the endangered status of the rhino species. An AI-enabled anklet that helps conservation teams find rhinos and track their activities in real time has been developed as a solution to this problem.
- In order to address climate change, traditional industries and systems can be transformed with the use of artificial intelligence, one of the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution, along with robots, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, 3D printing, genetic engineering, and quantum computing. Additionally, it can support the accomplishment of the ambitious climate targets and SDGs.
