Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance, Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Indian Economy and issues, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers, supply chain management.

What’s the ongoing story: Retail inflation rate surged to a 14-month high of 6.21 per cent in October with a sharp rise in prices of food items, especially fruits, vegetables, meat and fish, and oils and fats, data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Tuesday showed. Food inflation, based on Combined Food Price Index (CFPI) shot up to a double-digit level of 10.87 per cent in October — a 15-month high — from 9.24 per cent in September and 6.61 per cent in the year-ago period.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is retail inflation?

• How is inflation measured in India?

• What is food inflation?

• What is the difference between core and headline inflation?

• What are the factors behind the high retail inflation in India?

• What initiatives have been taken by the government to control inflation?

• What steps should be taken to control inflation?

• What is the difference between a wholesale price index and a consumer price index?

• What are the impacts of high inflation on the economy?

• What is monetary policy?

Key Takeaways:

• Food inflation has risen to double digits after a gap of 14 months for the first time since July 2023, the NSO statement showed, which was released at 4 pm for the first time after the advancement of the data releases from 5:30 pm.

• With the October print, the headline retail inflation rate, based on Consumer Price Index (Combined), has again breached the 4 per cent mark in the 4+/- 2 per cent band of RBI’s medium-term inflation target for the second consecutive month.

• With this surge in inflation, as was also flagged by the Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das last week, hopes of an immediate rate cut by the central bank in its upcoming monetary policy meeting in December have been dashed.

• Inflation rate for perishables such as vegetables increased to 42.18 per cent in October from 35.99 per cent in September, while that for fruits rose to 8.43 per cent from 7.65 per cent.

• Last week, RBI Governor Das had said that the CPI-linked inflation rate is likely to escalate further in October. The Governor had also stated that the change in monetary policy stance in the October policy to ‘neutral’ from ‘withdrawal of accommodation’ should not be interpreted as a cut in the repo rate in the next policy, dampening hopes of the much-awaited reduction in the key policy rate. The repo rate has been kept unchanged for 20 consecutive months and stands at 6.5 per cent at present.

Do You Know:

From the Editorial Page- “A case for caution”

• “Much of the surge in inflation in recent months has been driven by food prices, and within the food category by vegetables, particularly tomatoes and onions. Vegetable inflation rose by 36 per cent in September and 42 per cent in October. Excluding vegetables, headline inflation is considerably lower.

• However, there are expectations that food price pressures will ease with the arrival of the fresh harvest. The outlook for the rabi crop is also encouraging.

• The central bank expects food price pressures to ease later in the financial year largely “due to a good kharif harvest, ample buffer stocks of cereals and a likely good crop in the ensuing rabi season”. However, it is possible that the latest inflation data will prompt it to revise its forecast — in October, it had projected inflation at 4.8 per cent in the third quarter and 4.2 per cent in the fourth quarter.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Everyday Economics: What are WPI and CPI inflation rates?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(1) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2020)

1. The weightage of food in Consumer Price Index (CPI) is higher than that in Wholesale Price Index (WPI).

2. The WPI does not capture changes in the prices of services, which CPI does.

3. The Reserve Bank of India has now adopted WPI as its key measure of inflation and to decide on changing the key policy rates.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

 

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance, environment.

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

What’s the ongoing story: The Union Environment Ministry on Monday notified new rules for holding inquiry and imposing penalties for violations of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. The new Rules – Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) (Manner of Holding Inquiry and Imposition of Penalty) rules, 2024, will come into effect immediately, as per the government’s notification.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Read about the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.

• What is the objective of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) (Manner of Holding Inquiry and Imposition of Penalty) Rules, 2024?

• What is the role of the Union Environment Ministry under the 2024 Rules?

• What are the potential implications of the new rules on industries and stakeholders involved in activities affecting water resources?

• What are the major causes of water pollution in India?

• What are the impacts of water pollution?

• What are the measures taken by the Indian government to control water pollution?

Key Takeaways:

• The Rules come in the backdrop of the amendments made to the Water Act earlier this year, wherein offences and violations of the Act were decriminalised, replacing them with penalties instead.

• Earlier in July, the Union Environment Ministry also notified Rules exempting non-polluting ‘white’ category industries from obtaining prior permissions to establish and operate under the Water Act, to give effect to certain amendments in the Act.

• The amendments had also allowed the Centre to appoint officers to adjudicate offences, and violations and determine penalties.

• These sections relate to contravention of norms on releasing industrial effluents and pollutants.

• According to the Rules, the adjudication officer then has powers to issue notice to persons against whom complaints have been filed, detailing the nature of contravention alleged or committed. An adjudication officer, as per the amended Act, has to be a person not below the rank of a joint secretary or secretary to the state government. The adjudication office then considers the explanation provided and if needed, holds an inquiry into the complaint.

• The alleged violator could defend themselves or through a legal representative. The whole process has to be completed within six months from issuance of notice to the opposite party, the Rules state.

Do You Know:

• India is expected to be the most severely affected as the global urban population facing water scarcity is projected to increase from 933 million in 2016 to 1.7-2.4 billion people in 2050, according to the flagship UN report.

• The government has prioritised providing tap water connections, but the quality of aquifers remains neglected. Historically, the country attempted to solve water deficiencies by focussing on supply-side characteristics.

• There is little cooperation among departments responsible for surface and groundwater, irrigation resources, and drinking water. Despite the fact that floods and droughts occur with alarming frequency in most parts of the country, rainwater harvesting plans remain primarily on paper.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Our choking cities: How we can improve air and water quality in urban spaces

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

What are the salient features of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan launched by the Government of India for water conservation and water security? (UPSC CSE 2020)

 

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

What’s the ongoing story: The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) kicked off on Monday (November 11) in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Delegates from about 200 countries, business leaders, climate scientists, Indigenous Peoples, journalists, and various other experts and stakeholders are expected to attend the summit, which will last until November 22.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is UNFCCC’s Conference of Parties (CoP)?

• What are some of the criticisms of COP?

• What were the outcomes of CoP 28?

• What steps should be taken to tackle the challenge of climate change?

• Why is there a need for climate finance?

• Terms to know: Carbon market, Carbon credit, carbon footprint.

Key Takeaways:

• The primary goal of COP29 is to bring together countries to develop a shared plan for curbing further global warming. It will also focus on scaling up climate finance to help developing nations tackle the adverse effects of climate change.

• Conference of Parties, or COP, is the supreme governing body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — an international treaty, signed in 1992, that has provided a basis for climate negotiations.

• The UNFCCC commits parties (countries that have joined the treaty) to act together to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations “at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system”. Currently, there are 198 parties (197 countries plus the European Union) to the UNFCCC, constituting near-universal membership.

• One of the significant tasks for the COP is to “review the national communications and emission inventories” submitted by member states, according to the UNFCCC’s website. “Based on this information, the COP assesses the effects of the measures taken by Parties and the progress made in achieving the ultimate objective of the Convention,” the website said.

• Every year since 1995 — except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — the parties come together to discuss and agree on international climate policy. The summit is known as the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

• Climate finance is at the top of the agenda of COP29. The parties are negotiating the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), a new amount that must be mobilised by developed countries every year from 2025 onward to finance climate action in developing countries. It has to be more than the $100 billion that developed countries, collectively, had promised to raise every year from 2020.

• On Monday, COP29 adopted standards for the creation of carbon credits under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, breaking a years-long deadlock and allowing countries to emit greenhouse gases if they offset emissions elsewhere.

Do You Know:

From Express network “Small victory as nations approve new carbon market rules, standards”

• A small step forward towards operationalisation of carbon markets was hailed as an early victory at COP29 on Tuesday, even as major persisting differences between developed and developing nations continue to dampen the prospects of a strong and comprehensive finance agreement, the main outcome expected from this conference.

• Late on Monday night, the participating nations approved a couple of new standards and rules relating to carbon markets that had been pending for at least two years. Carbon markets allow trade in carbon credits with the overall objective of bringing down emissions. An entity that emits less than what is expected of it, earns carbon credits, which can be traded for money with another entity that is unable to achieve its emissions standards. A mechanism like this is meant to accelerate emissions reductions by offering monetary incentives to do so.

• Establishment of carbon markets is the last remaining part of the 2015 Paris Agreement that is yet to become operational, mainly because the rules, modalities and procedures of this very complicated and technical structure are still to be finalised. COP29 approval to a couple of these standards marks a small step forward, but many more steps still have to be taken.

• On the finance negotiations, which is the most keenly awaited outcome from Baku, there was no progress. The G77-plus China grouping, which represents more than 130 developing countries, rejected an initial draft proposal on the finance agreement, and called for a new version.

Do you know:

• In 1992, at the Rio Earth Summit, 154 countries signed a multilateral treaty called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It aimed to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations “at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system.”

• The treaty came into force two years later, and since then, countries which are part of the UNFCCC, meet every year at different venues. Today, there are 198 ‘parties’ or signatories of the Convention.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Five things you need to know about Conference of the Parties (COP), the world’s biggest climate meeting

????Knowledge nugget of the day: 7 must-know Environmental terms

????War emissions on table as COP29 kicks off

???? Return of Donald Trump hangs heavy on climate summit as world meets to talk

(2) Which one of the following is associated with the issue of control and phasing out of the use of ozone-depleting substances? (UPSC CSE 2015)

(a) Bretton Woods Conference

(b) Montreal Protocol

(c) Kyoto Protocol

(d) Nagoya Protocol

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India in this conference? (UPSC CSE 2021)

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Main Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: The Kerala High Court has held that prosecution cannot be initiated on charges of possessing a Waqf property without the sanction of the Waqf board if the property was in possession before fusing section 52A in the Waqf Act.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is ‘waqf’?

• How are Waqf properties regulated in India?

• Who comprises the Waqf board?

• What are the provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024?

• What are the concerns related to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024?

• What are the constitutional provisions related to the right to freedom of religion in India?

Key Takeaways:

• The ruling was made by Justice P V Kunhikrishnan on November 7 in a petition moved by two officials of the Postal Department. The officials were facing prosecution under section 52A of the Waqf Act from 2017 on charges of illegally possessing a Waqf property.

• The court said section 52A was inserted in the Act in 2013 but the petitioners were in possession of the property even before the introduction of the section concerned. The State Waqf Board initiated action against the Postal department staff in Kozhikode pertaining to a post office functioning in a building owned by Muslim trust — JDT Islam.

• The board issued notices to the Postal staff and dubbed them encroachers when they failed to vacate the premises. The office has been functioning since 1999.

• The section 52A envisages rigorous imprisonment of up to two years for alienation, purchasing or possession of movable or immovable Waqf property without prior sanction from the board.

Do You Know:

• A Waqf is personal property given by Muslims for a specific purpose — religious, charitable, or for private purposes. While the beneficiaries of the property can be different, the ownership of the property is implied to be with God.

• The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 changes the composition of the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards to include non-Muslim members. —The Survey Commissioner has been replaced by the Collector, granting him powers to conduct surveys of waqf properties. —Government property identified as waqf will cease to be waqf. Collector will determine ownership of such properties. —Finality of the Tribunal’s decisions has been revoked. The Bill provides for direct appeal to the High Court.

• Waqf properties in India are governed by the Waqf Act, 1995. However, India has had a legal regime for the governance of Waqfs since 1913, when the Muslim Waqf Validating Act came into force. The Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923 followed. After Independence, the Central Waqf Act, 1954, was enacted, which was ultimately replaced by the Waqf Act, 1995.

• In 2013, the law was amended to prescribe imprisonment of up to two years for encroachment on Waqf property, and to explicitly prohibit the sale, gift, exchange, mortgage, or transfer of Waqf property.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????In letter to Lok Sabha Speaker, Opposition MPs say Jagdambika Pal is ‘bulldozing’ Waqf JPC’s proceedings

????Explained: The proposed changes to Waqf law

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

What’s the ongoing story: India’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from burning fossil fuels are expected to rise 4.6% in 2024, the highest among major economies, according to a Global Carbon Project study. Last year, it was 8.2%.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the COP29?

• What is the impact of climate change?

• How CO2 contributes to global warming?

• What are the other factors contributing to global warming?

• What are carbon sinks?

• What is El Nino?

• What is the role of El Nino in CO2 sinks?

• What are the necessary steps that need to be taken at national and international levels to control CO2 emissions?

Key Takeaways:

• Globally, fossil-based CO2 emissions are set to touch a record high of 37.4 billion tonnes this year, a rise of 0.8% from 2023, the study said, adding that at this rate there was “a 50% chance global warming will exceed 1.5 degree Celsius (ºC) consistently in about six years”.

• According to the study, released at COP29 in Baku, India’s carbon emissions are projected to rise with an increase in emissions from coal (4.5%), oil (3.6%), natural gas (11.8%, but from a low base) and cement (4%).

• Compared with India, China’s emissions are projected to rise by 0.2% in 2024 while that of the United States and the European Union by 0.6% and 3.8%, respectively. India’s contribution to global CO2 emissions stands at 8% while China, the US and EU contribute 32%, 13% and 7%, respectively.

• In terms of carbon sinks, the study showed that land and oceans combined absorbed around half of the CO2 emitted due to human activity even while facing negative impacts of climate change.

• Oceans took up 10.5 billion tonnes — or 26% of the total CO2 emissions — on average each year in the past decade. This, even as climate conditions reduced the ocean sink by an estimated 5.9% in the past decade, likely dominated by altered winds that perturb the ocean circulation with a smaller contribution from the reduced solubility of CO2 in warming waters.

• El Nino reduced land CO2 sink in 2023 due to warmer temperatures, but it is projected to recover as El Nino ended by the second quarter of 2024. Land and ocean CO2 sinks fluctuate annually due to natural climate variability.

Do You Know:

• India’s current climate policies are projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around four billion tonnes between 2020 and 2030, and drive a 24-per cent reduction in coal-based power generation, according to a new report.

• This is significant considering the fast-developing South Asian country, now the fifth-largest economy in the world, had committed to reducing emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030 at COP26 in Glasgow.

• The study by Delhi-based independent think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) said policies for India’s power, residential and transport sectors have already saved 440 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO2) between 2015 and 2020.

• According to the report, in the power sector alone, policies promoting renewable energy are expected to drive a 24-per cent decline in coal-based electricity generation by 2030, relative to a no-policy scenario.

• This is equivalent to avoiding 80 GW of coal-based power plants that would have otherwise been installed to meet India’s burgeoning power demand, CEEW said. At present, India generates around 71 per cent of its electricity using coal.

• India has been pushing for a higher share of renewables in its energy mix, increased adoption of electric vehicles and improved energy efficiency in domestic air-conditioning and lighting. It has also launched programmes like the National Solar Mission, the FAME I and II schemes, the Standards and Labelling scheme and the UJALA programme, which will continue to affect future energy demand and supply.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????India’s climate policies expected to reduce CO2 emissions by around 4 billion tonnes by 2030: Report

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(3) The scientific view is that the increase in global temperature should not exceed 2°C above pre-industrial level. If the global temperature increases beyond 3oC above the pre-industrial level, what can be its possible impact/impacts on the world? (UPSC CSE 2014)

1. Terrestrial biosphere tends toward a net carbon source.

2. Widespread coral mortality will occur.

3. All the global wetlands will permanently disappear.

4. Cultivation of cereals will not be possible anywhere in the world.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

 

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

What’s the ongoing story: C. Raja Mohan writes: This week and next, a series of high-profile multilateral summits are set to unfold — the climate change conference in Azerbaijan, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Peru, and the G20 summit in Brazil. These gatherings, however, take place under the shadow of Donald Trump’s recent re-election as US President.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is multilateralism?

• What is the “America First” doctrine?

• What was the impact of the US-China trade war on India?

• What are the significance and criticisms of the G20 grouping?

• How has the India-USA relationship evolved in recent years?

• What are the areas of cooperation and contestation in the US-India relationship?

• How is the change in American leadership going to impact the India-USA relationship?

• How re-election of Trump is going to impact the global world order?

• Read about: COP29, the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), UNESCO, WHO, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Mineral Security Partnership, the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, the Artemis Accords, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and the G20 summit

Key Takeaways:

• Trump’s second term compels India and other nations to reassess their strategies for engaging with global institutions. As the crisis of multilateralism deepens, India may need to devote more attention to “minilateral” groups and coalitions of “like-minded” countries in dealing with global issues.

• Trump withdrew from key international agreements and organisations, including the Paris Agreement on climate change, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), UNESCO, WHO, and the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Under Trump, US policies helped weaken the World Trade Organisation. These moves signalled a clear departure from the liberal internationalist vision that had long guided US policies.

• Unlike Democratic administrations, Trump rejected the notion that the US was responsible for leading global institutions, arguing instead for a foreign policy rooted in national interest.

• Following Trump’s defeat in 2020, the Biden administration sought to restore US commitment to multilateralism. The US rejoined the Paris Accord, WHO, and re-entered UNESCO. But Trump’s critique of the global trading order endured under Biden. As Trump prepares to return, the domestic backlash against globalism has intensified.

• Trump is widely expected to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement again. At home, he has promised to dismantle the range of regulatory constraints on energy development, including on the hydrocarbon sector, imposed by the Biden Administration.

• Trump’s stance is likely to embolden other countries to scale back their commitments, exacerbating global tensions. Several key leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Brazilian President Lula da Silva, are skipping the climate summit in Azerbaijan.

• Whether Trump will continue with the IPEF is unclear. However, his proposed 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports signal a potential intensification of the US-China trade war.

• Established in 2008 to address the global financial crisis, the G20 has struggled in recent years to maintain its relevance amid deepening geopolitical and economic divides.

• For India, which has invested heavily in multilateralism in general, and G20 in particular, the upcoming summit offers an opportunity to reassess the forum’s effectiveness. More broadly, PM Modi’s discussions with world leaders should help India rethink its approach to global governance during Trump 2.0.

• Multilateralism — economic, political, and institutional — that reached its peak at the turn of the 21st century is now in trouble. While globalists will bemoan the passing of an era, India’s policymakers will have to adapt to the new dynamics.

• Unilateral development of new technologies, bilateralism in trade and economic cooperation, and like-minded coalitions in finding solutions to regional challenges are likely to gain ground in the next few years.

• India has already moved in this direction. It has invested in the national development of renewable energy solutions and negotiated new bilateral trade deals. It is now part of several minilateral groups that seek to develop new technologies to address regional and global challenges as well as construct new global norms. These include the Quadrilateral Forum, the Mineral Security Partnership, the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, and the Artemis Accords. India needs to invest more vigorously in these initiatives until the conditions for productive multilateralism re-emerge in the global arena.

Do You Know:

• What about US foreign policy under Trump? There will be rejoicing in Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel and deep anxiety and apprehension in Ukraine. We should expect Israel to double down on its military offensives in Gaza and southern Lebanon. The US will be more proactive in providing Israel with both advanced weapons and a protective shield against retaliation from any quarter.

• While Netanyahu may feel emboldened to carry out an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump may not be ready to go that far. He may, however, widen the scope of economic sanctions against Iran and wink at covert and not-so-covert actions against Iranian targets. Trump’s antipathy to Iran is well known but may not extend to risking a wider war in the region.

• One, if Trump decides to abandon Ukraine, Europe will not be able to sustain support for it on its own. Two, if Trump reaches out to Russian President Vladimir Putin to try and broker a ceasefire, which will inevitably entail the loss of territory on the part of Ukraine, the Europeans will find themselves in a very difficult position, having to deal with a triumphant Putin.

• Trump’s disdain for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) will also weaken European security. Trump could also impose high tariffs on European imports and if that happens, the outlook for European economic and military security looks bleak.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????In Our Opinion: Trump in US is both a challenge and opportunity for India in climate negotiations

???? Recalling India-US relations in Trump 1.0

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

What is the significance of Indo-US defence deals over Indo-Russian defence deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (UPSC CSE 2020)

‘What introduces friction into the ties between India and the United States is that Washington is still unable to find for India a position in its global strategy, which would satisfy India’s National self-esteem and ambitions’. Explain with suitable examples. (UPSC CSE 2019)

 

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.

General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: Sonalde Desai writes: As economists struggle to explain the stagnation in women’s participation in wage work in India, conservative social norms have emerged as a handy target to explain why rising economic prosperity has not translated into greater employment for women. However, this assumption of social stagnation has little basis in reality.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the Female female labor force participation rate (LFPR)?

• How is the role of women changed in Indian society?

• What is the impact of globalisation on Indian women?

• What are the initiatives taken by the government to promote the care economy?

• Highlight challenges faced by working women in India.

• What is the role of women in building a strong nation?

• What steps need to be taken to increase the female LFPR?

Key Takeaways:

• The India Human Development Survey (IHDS), organised by the University of Maryland and the National Council of Applied Economic Research, has tracked changes in the lives of Indian households between 2004 and 2024.

• Over this decade, Indian parents have increased their investments in developing their daughters’ capabilities. Parental aspiration for their children — both sons and daughters — has grown rapidly, resulting in a massive increase in education.

• Today, the gender gap in education has virtually disappeared, and girls seem poised to outdistance boys. In 2011-12, IHDS found that 27 per cent of 20-29 year-old women had completed class 12 and only 12 per cent had a college degree.

• This expansion of girlhood allowed women to expand control over their own lives. Marriage remains a family affair, but whereas only 42 per cent of young women in 2012 had any input in selecting their partners, by 2022, 52 per cent did. Premarital contact between spouses has historically been low, but is increasing sharply.

• Young women also began to expand their connection with the world around them. The proportion of women who felt comfortable travelling a short distance alone by bus or train grew from 42 per cent to 54 per cent, and membership in Self Help Groups increased from 10 per cent to 18 per cent for women in their 20s.

• These are not revolutionary changes; women continue to negotiate their lives within various constraints. But the sum total of these changes reflects the ongoing transformation in the social and normative climate in which Indian women live their lives.

• However, the one area where a transformation has not even begun relates to economic opportunities. Women continue to contribute to the economy by working on family farms, and the Periodic Labour Force Survey has documented a substantial increase in this work. However, participation by women in wage labour has stagnated.

• The IHDS shows that the proportion of 20-29 year old women in wage labour was 18 per cent in 2012, falling to 14 per cent in 2022. Some of it may be due to increased college enrollment, but even for women in their 30s, participation in wage labour stagnated.

• The new economic orthodoxy tells us that women’s low levels of employment are because of restrictive social norms that look down on families where women work.

• Of the four key areas that define women’s empowerment, personal efficacy, power in intra-household negotiations, societal engagement, and access to income-generating activities, we see improvements in the first three domains.

• In contrast, the fourth — access to employment — has stagnated. It is time to invite India’s daughters to partake in the fruits of economic development; they have clearly shown that they are ready and willing to help harvest the gender dividend.

Do You Know:

• India has 53 per cent of women outside the labour force due to care responsibilities and needs further investment in the care economy, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said in its latest report ‘The impact of care responsibilities of women’s labour participation’ released last week.

• India would need further investment in the care economy, particularly in the early childhood care and education (ECCE) to support labour force participation of unpaid carers and gender equality in the workforce, the report said.

• In comparison, just around 1.1 per cent of men stay outside the labour force due to care responsibilities in India. The high proportion of women staying outside the labour force comes amid concerns over low female labour force participation rate in India, with most employed in unpaid household work.

• The report also showed that 97.8 per cent women and 91.4 per cent men in India are outside the labour force due to personal or family reasons.

• According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for 2023-24, 36.7 per cent of females and 19.4 per cent of the workforce in India is engaged in unpaid work in household enterprises as against 37.5 per cent females and 18.3 per cent of total workers in 2022-23.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????‘More than half of Indian women remain outside labour force due to care duties’: International Labour Organization report

????For women-led development, invest in the Care Economy

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Explain why suicide among young women is increasing in Indian society. (UPSC CSE 2023)

Examine the role of ‘Gig Economy’ in the process of empowerment of women in India. (UPSC CSE 2021)

What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space? (UPSC CSE 2019)

Discuss the positive and negative effects of globalization on women in India. (UPSC CSE 2015)

 

 

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