25 November 2023

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. What is the strategy for national security? Explain why it is impossible to overlook India’s need for a national security strategy.

GS III – Internal Security related issues

Introduction:

• The nation’s security goals and the strategies to be used to attain them are described in a National Security Strategy document. It specifies both traditional and non-traditional dangers and opportunities and introduces agency accountability for implementing such tasks. It is updated on a regular basis. A national security plan, in short, would provide a comprehensive understanding of the overall security of the country, the dangers it faces, and the path forward for addressing them. It would also direct the military and important defence and security reforms that have strategic ramifications.
• A National Security Strategy is in place and is periodically revised in the majority of developed nations with sophisticated armed forces and security systems. Russia, the US, and the UK have all released national security plans.

The necessity of a national security strategy for India:

• The Indian government lacks a comprehensive National Security Strategy (NSS) that outlines policies to address security threats and provides a thorough assessment of such threats.
• It was urgent to design a national security policy because of the complexity of the different classic and non-traditional dangers, particularly in light of the uncertainties that have replaced rising geopolitical tensions.
• While responding with flexibility may be possible in the absence of explicit policies, handling security-related situations becomes more likely to result in errors. More significantly, it gives room for an enemy like Pakistan to take advantage of what appear to be holes in our security system.
• It would support the best possible use of military resources in upcoming conflicts and operations.
• In a similar vein, the ease with which terrorists and criminals can enter our country is facilitated by a vast network of smuggling and illicit trade. It is not possible to counter such threats only with increased military might without also addressing the factors that encourage illegal trade.
• In a world driven by technology, the NSS would make it possible to identify vital infrastructure that could be the target of cyberattacks and to develop human resources with the skills necessary to recognise attacks, defend against them, and restore vital systems.
• The role of the several organisations established to handle national defence, such as the Department of Military Affairs, CDS, NSA, National Security Council, and secretariat, as well as already-existing organisations like the Chiefs of Staff Committee, is another more significant issue. It’s time to make clear the specific operational and consultative functions that the various institutions currently play, as well as their relationships with one another.
• The main weakness in our security system, aside from the lack of a “national security strategy,” is the absence of a formal, updated “national defence policy” that is connected with national security policies.
• India’s National Security Strategy must adopt a comprehensive approach, addressing both internal and external issues as well as economic and ecological ones. It must also highlight the connections and feedback loops between these issues and develop a cogent framework for multidisciplinary and multisectoral interventions. A template like this would act as a roadmap for the entire government, guaranteeing that actions taken in one area do not conflict with or even nullify actions taken in another. It must also consider the fact that challenges from the outside and within must be dealt with diplomatically and politically in addition to using the military and other forms of hard power.

Q2. What distinguishing characteristics does the National Food Security Act, 2013 have? Discuss the main obstacles to putting the Act into practise as well.

GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Introduction:

• The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) was passed by the Parliament on September 10, 2013, with the intention of enabling people to live decent lives by supplying them with a sufficient amount of high-quality food at reasonable costs. With the enactment of a new law, the goal of ensuring food security in India is now driven by rights rather than entitlements.

Key components of the 2013 National Food Security Act include:

• Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) coverage will extend to up to 75% of rural and 50% of urban populations, with a monthly entitlement of 5 kilogrammes per person. Nonetheless, the entitlement of current Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households will be preserved at 35 kg per household per month, as these households are the lowest of the poor and currently receive 35 kg per month.
• The rice, wheat, and coarse grain subsidised prices are fixed at Rs 3, Rs 2, and Rs 1 per kg for a period of three years from the date of NFSA beginning. After that, they must be adequately linked to the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
• States and Union Territories (UTs) are responsible for identifying eligible households within the states’ respective TPDS coverage areas.
• In the event that any State’s annual foodgrain allotment under the NFSA was less than their average annual off-take of foodgrains, the protection of the foodgrain average for the previous three years under normal TPDS would apply.
• Meals and maternity benefits worth at least Rs 6,000 are provided to expectant mothers and nursing moms with each delivery.
• Under the Mid Day Meal (MDM) and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programmes, children between the ages of six months and fourteen are eligible for meals.
• Regarding the purpose of providing ration cards, the oldest woman in the household who is at least eighteen years old is considered the head of the household.
• provisions for food security stipend to eligible recipients in the event that their entitlement to foodgrains is not met.
• District and state-level establishment of Grievance Redressal Mechanisms, with the option for states to create their own or utilise the current systems.
• The State will get support from the Central Government to cover its costs for foodgrain handling, intrastate transportation, and margin payments to fair price shop (FPS) sellers.

Principal Obstacles in the Act’s Implementation:

• Cost of Satisfying the Food Requirement: The Act is anticipated to cost the government exchequer Rs 124,000 crore once it is put into effect. The price of the food grain subsidy and its distribution are included in this expense.
• The challenge of mitigating corruption: corruption is now a near-certainty and the top concern in whatever benefit programme the government launches.
• Insufficient Storage Infrastructure: The FCI currently keeps more than twice as much storage as is compatible with it. This is one of the main causes of their waste being infested with fungi, rodents, and being stolen.
• Identification of Beneficiaries: The issue of beneficiary identification is twofold in that the goal of providing food grains to the most impoverished and disadvantaged people is undermined by both the inclusion of eligible families and the non-inclusion of eligible households.
• Lack of Anganwadis and Their Situation: Not enough children in the nation are receiving the advantages of Anganwadis. In many states, the coverage of anganwadis is particularly inadequate. In these situations, it will be difficult to determine how the Act’s advantages would trickle down to the expectant mother and her children.
• Climate change: The changing climate will have a variety of effects on food grain production, including a significant impact on food security. For instance, fluctuations in rainfall and other forms of precipitation across time and space can lead to conditions such as excess or deficit moisture stress, which can cause flooding or drought.

Direction of Travel:

• It is imperative that sufficient steps be taken to prevent theft and guarantee accountability when transferring goods to state governments.
• Establishing anganwadis in locations where they are not currently operating and taking the necessary steps to guarantee their proper operation must be accorded the appropriate priority.
• Adoption of clear exclusion criteria is required, according to which those who qualify will only get food grains and those who do not qualify will not be covered by the Act.
• Even while using the railway network to move food grains is inevitable, it’s crucial to utilise alternative roads and waterways to their fullest potential depending on the circumstances and needs.
• One important piece of legislation that has improved the lives of the impoverished and those who are food insecure is the National Food Security Act. In order for the actual beneficiaries of this act to reap the benefits, it is imperative that the aforementioned difficulties be addressed more effectively.