29 March 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

 1 – MSP: GS III – Topic Indian Agriculture:

 Context:

• India has been under fire from the World Trade Organization (WTO) for evading questions about its minimum support price (MSP) programmes for food grains, particularly rice, where subsidies have surpassed permitted limits. Some countries say that India did not fully address the concerns they raised during negotiations.

About:

• The rate at which the government buys crops from farmers is known as the MSP, and it is calculated as being at least 1.5 times the farmers’ production expenses.
• Any crop the government determines to be profitable for farmers and hence deserving of “assistance” has a “minimum price” (MSP) established for it.

MSP-covered crops include:

• Together with MSPs for 22 obligatory crops, the Council for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) also suggests the fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane.
• CACP is the name of a division within the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• The list of necessary crops consists of 14 crops for the kharif season, 6 crops for the rabi season, and 2 more commercial crops.
• Moreover, the MSPs for copra and de-husked coconut are based on the MSPs for toria and rapeseed/mustard, respectively.

 Motives for Supporting the MSP:

• The CACP considers a number of factors, including the cost of cultivation, before determining the MSP for a commodity.
• The dynamics of supply and demand for the commodity, price trends on both the domestic and global markets, parity with respect to other crops, consumer effects (inflation), environmental effects (soil and water consumption), and trade agreements between the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors are all taken into account.
• Three various types of production costs:
• The CACP forecasts three types of production costs for each crop, both at a state- and India-wide average level.
• ‘A2’: Covers all of the farmer’s direct costs, including fuel, irrigation, hired labour, leased land, pesticides, fertiliser, and seeds.
• “A2+FL” stands for A2 plus an imputed value for unpaid family labour.
• “C2”: This cost is more thorough and includes fixed capital assets, interest forgone on owned land, and rentals in addition to A2+FL.
• CACP considers both A2+FL and C2 costs when advising MSP.
• The return cost is simply estimated by CACP as A2+FL.
• However, C2 costs are primarily used by CACP as benchmark reference costs (opportunity costs) to assess whether the MSPs they recommend at least cover these costs in some of the major producing States.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) of the Union government makes the ultimate decision on the MSP level and other recommendations made by CACP.

Why is MSP necessary?

• Due to the twin droughts of 2014 and 2015, farmers have been forced to deal with declining commodity prices since 2014.
• The rural economy was hurt by the simultaneous shocks of demonetization and the implementation of the GST, especially the non-farm sector but also agriculture.
• Due to the epidemic, the decline in the economy after 2016–17, and other issues, the majority of farmers still live in insecure situations.
• Cost increases for fuel, energy, and fertilisers have only gotten worse.

What Issues Concern India’s MSP Regime?

• Even though 23 crops’ MSPs have been officially announced, only two—rice and wheat—are actually purchased because they are distributed by the NFSA (National Food Security Act). The rest is mostly incidental and unimportant.
• Ineffectively Implemented: According to the 2015 Shanta Kumar Committee study, just 6% of the MSP could be received by farmers, meaning that 94% of farmers nationwide did not benefit from the MSP.
• More of a Purchase Price The current MSP policy has no impact on domestic market prices. It serves as a procurement price rather than an MSP because its primary function is to satisfy NFSA requirements.
• Results in Paddy and Wheat Farming’s dominant industry Farmers are prevented from producing other crops and horticulture goods because of the overproduction of rice and wheat brought on by the unbalanced MSP system, which may increase farmers’ revenue.
• Smaller farmers may find it challenging to get in touch with the middlemen, commission agents, and APMC officials who are necessary for the MSP-based procurement system.

How to Proceed:

• Real MSPs demand that the government step in if market prices fall below a predetermined level, usually when there is an excess of production and supply or when external factors have caused a price collapse.
• MSP can also be a motivating price for many of the products that are desirable for nutritional security, such as coarse cereals, as well as for pulses and edible oils for which India is dependent on imports.
• Spending more money on nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables, together with fisheries and animal husbandry, is the way to wisdom.
• The best way to invest is to give companies financial incentives to build valuable value chains based on cluster strategies.
• A transitional plan for agricultural pricing must be developed by the government, in which some agricultural pricing should be supported by the government and some should be decided by the market.
• One method to accomplish this would be to create a shortfall payment plan modelled after the Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana (BBY) of Madhya Pradesh.

Source The Hindu

 2 – NCPCR: GS II – Topic Government Policies and Interventions:

 Context:

• According to a letter from the National Council for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to the Chairman/Secretary Education Boards of all States and Union Territories, children with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) must receive the appropriate care and facilities.

The National Commission for the Protection of Children’s Rights is concerned with:

• The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a statutory organisation, was established by the Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act of 2005.
• Administratively, it is controlled by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• According to the statute, someone between the ages of 0 and 18 is considered a child.
• It makes an effort to ensure that all laws, policies, programmes, and administrative frameworks adhere to the perspective on kids’ rights expressed in both the Indian Constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• Six people make up this commission, including the chairwoman; two of the members must be women.
• The central government appointed them all for three years.
• The commission has a maximum age of 65 for the chairman and 60 for the members.
• Salary, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment for the Chairman and Members must be as the Central Government may prescribe.

Among the responsibilities of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights are:

• Consider and evaluate the measures taken to protect children’s rights, and make recommendations for ways to ensure their effective implementation.
• Look into cases of violations of children’s rights and push for the beginning of legal action.
• When there has been terrorism, intergroup conflict, rioting, a natural disaster, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, trafficking, maltreatment, torture, and exploitation, pornography, or prostitution, examine every factor that prevents children from exercising their rights and recommend appropriate corrective measures.
• Investigate problems with children that require particular care and protection, such as children in need, marginalised and underprivileged children, children without families, and children of criminals, and recommend the best remedial measures.
• Do some legal and international treaty research. Examine current child rights policies, programmes, and other activities on a regular basis. Provide suggestions for their effective execution in the children’s best interests.
• carry out and promote studies on children’s rights.
• Increase awareness of the safeguards available for the preservation of children’s rights among various societal groups by employing publications, the media, seminars, and other accessible resources.
• inspect any institution or place of residence for children that is under the control of the Central Government, a State Government, or another authority, or arrange for an inspection to occur there.
• Investigate reports of abuses and deprivations of children’s rights by taking suo moto notice of them.
• Children are not being protected and their growth is not being promoted by the laws that are in place.
• non-compliance with decisions made by policies, rules, or directives meant to ease hardships, guarantee children’s wellbeing, and provide assistance to such children.
• Such extra responsibilities can be thought to be required to advance children’s rights.
• The Commission is not required to look into any matter that a State Commission or another Commission that has been duly created in accordance with any currently in force statute is considering.
• deliver an annual report and any other reports the commission considers necessary to the federal government.

Source The Hindu

3 – SCO: GS II Topic – International Relations:

 Context:

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) National Security Advisors (NSAs) will meet in Delhi on Wednesday. The Russian Federation’s Secretary of the Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, will be present. The conference will be chaired by NSA Ajit Kumar Doval, and many high-ranking officials from the Central Asian Republics will be attending. According to diplomatic sources, China and Pakistan will participate in the meeting electronically.

About:

• The SCO is a long-standing, multinational, intergovernmental organisation.
• The objective of this Eurasian political, economic, and military institution is to maintain peace, security, and stability in the region.
• It was established in 2001.
• The SCO Charter was signed in 2002 and went into force in 2003.

Genesis:

• Prior to the creation of the SCO in 2001, the Shanghai Five, which comprised Tajikistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Russia, existed.
• The Shanghai Five (1996) was the outcome of numerous border delineation and demilitarisation talks between China and the four former Soviet republics in order to maintain peace along the borders.
• Uzbekistan joined the Shanghai Five in 2001, and the organisation later adopted the name SCO.
• India and Pakistan joined in 2017.
• According to rumours, Iran will become a full member of the SCO on September 17, 2021.

Objectives:

• fostering a sense of cooperation and neighbourliness among the member states.
• promoting effective cooperation in the areas of trade, the economy, research, and culture.
• developing ties in industries like tourism, energy, transportation, and environmental protection.
• maintain and uphold the peace, security, and stability of the region.
• the establishment of a new, democratic, equitable, and rational world political and economic order.

Membership:

• Iran, China, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan are the other countries mentioned.

Structure:

• The SCO’s governing body, the Heads of State Council, makes decisions regarding how the group will function internally, engage with other States and international organisations, and address global challenges.
• The Heads of Government Council discusses issues pertaining to the interaction of economic sectors within the SCO and approves the budget.
• ponders issues pertaining to day-to-day operations in the Council of Foreign Ministers.
• The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) was established to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism.

Source The Hindu

4 – Speaker of Lok Sabha: GS II – Topic Parliament-related issues:

 Context:

• On March 28, a number of opposition legislators wearing black entered the chamber, shouted protests, and threw papers at the Speaker’s desk, preventing the Lok Sabha from convening.

Lok Sabha: The office of the Speaker:

• The Speaker, who is in charge of the daily operations of the House, is chosen by the Lok Sabha, the nation’s highest legislative body.
• The Lok Sabha Speaker is chosen as one of the first tasks for any newly elected House.

Election for Speaker of the House:

Criteria:

• The Indian Constitution stipulates that the Speaker must be a House member.
• Although there are no specific prerequisites established for being elected as the Speaker, knowledge of the Constitution and the laws of the country is considered to be a key advantage for the office’s incumbent.
• Usually, the Speaker is selected from among the members of the ruling party. The ruling party nominates its candidate in accordance with a process that has evolved over the years after informal consultations with the leaders of other parties and groupings in the House.
• By adhering to this custom, the Speaker will earn the respect of the entire House once they have been selected.
• Voting: The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are chosen from among the Lok Sabha members by a simple majority of the MPs present and voting in the House.
• After a decision has been reached, the Prime Minister or the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs frequently suggests the candidate’s name.
• Speaker’s Term: The Speaker’s tenure in office lasts from the day of his or her election to the day before the first meeting of the following Lok Sabha (for 5 years).
• The speaker can run for reelection after being chosen.
• Whenever the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Speaker continues to serve until the newly-elected Lok Sabha meets.

 Speaker’s powers and duties:

• He or she has the last word on how the Indian Constitution’s articles, the Lok Sabha’s rules of procedure, and parliamentary precedents should be interpreted inside the House.
• He or she frequently makes judgements in matters affecting the application of these laws that are regarded by members and have legal weight.
• He or she is responsible for directing a joint meeting of the two Houses of Parliament.
• Such a meeting is called by the President to break a deadlock over a bill between the two Houses.
• A tenth of the members of the House must be present in order to adjourn or suspend a session of the House (called the quorum).
• Voting: When the House is evenly divided on a matter, the Speaker has the authority to cast the deciding vote. In the first instance, the Speaker abstains from voting.
• A casting vote, which is used to break ties, is one of several types of votes.
• Money Bill: This person makes the final determination of whether or not a measure is a money bill.
• Disqualification of Members: The speaker decides whether to disqualify a Lok Sabha member for defecting in accordance with the provisions of the Tenth Schedule.
• According to the 52nd amendment to the Indian Constitution, the Speaker has these authority.
• The Speaker’s decision in this case is subject to judicial scrutiny, according to a 1992 Supreme Court ruling.
• The Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG), which acts as a bridge between the Indian Parliament and the numerous other parliaments throughout the world, has him or her as its ex-officio chairman.
• Also, he represents the nation as the conference of presiding officers of legislative bodies’ ex-officio chairman.
• Members of the House Committees, who operate under the Speaker’s overall direction, are appointed by the Speaker.
• The Chairmen of each parliamentary committee are chosen by him or her.
• The Rules Committee, the Business Advisory Committee, and the General Purposes Committee are under his direct chairmanship.
• House privileges: The Speaker is in charge of defending the rights of the House’s Committees, Members, and privileges.
• At the sole discretion of the Speaker, any matter of privilege may be referred to the Committee of Privileges for evaluation, investigation, and a report.

Source The Hindu