lordabhijith

  Irrigation water productivity is how much crop is produced per unit of water, while land productivity measures how much crop is produced per unit of water.  The shift is important because Water too is an important and scarce resource India is facing water shortage in 2/3rd of it's blocks Climate change is making some parts of country drier China produces more than twice in terms of water making India net water exporter Most of ground water in India is contaminated, especially in North-West Indian population and standard of living is growing Challenges People are generally resistant to change Bureaucratic inertia and red tape M.S.P. and other entrenched legacy systems depend on land productivity 50% of India is yet to be irrigated Most farmers hold less than one acre Lack of capacity and technical know how Deep political power of farmers and farm groups  India is facing a looming water crisis today. It could be tackled through this tweak towards measuring water productiv...

  India ushered in the Panchayti Raj system through 73rd and &74th constitutional amendments  Challenges faced by PRI in terms of functionality State governments rarely delegate all functions enlisted in 13th schedule Panchayat funds are severely restricted, many states still have not constituted State Finance Commissions under Article 243 I State bureaucracy like Panchayat Secretary, B.D.O., R.D.O. etc interfere and set agenda  Grama Sabha's never assemble periodically Increased devolution of powers can Increase revenue collection needed for development Formulate bottom up plans and execute them Increase legitimacy by providing social services Increase the significance of Grama Sabhas  India needs governance to be micro-sized. It should be achieved by state governments receding to monitoring roles.  

  The Hindu newspaper of 13-06-2024 contained two economy related articles one on Brexit and another one about elections in a state in India; Andhra Pradesh. It was interesting to see, how similar policies led to similar results in two different parts of the world. How you may ask. Let me explain.  United Kingdom's exit from European Union was primarily to stop immigration to Eastern Europe. Conservatives riled up cultural sensitivities so much so that labour could only watch in the wing. It was messy, ugly and difficult. But U.K., achieved it nonetheless.  Economic experts warned U.K. of dire consequences. The conservatives brushed those concerns aside. They proclaimed new trade deals with rising powers like India, China and others would make up for lost ground.  Torrie's missed a crucial point here. Experts where warning that U.K. would lose valuable labour from Eastern Europe. They were the back bone of British economy, not trade with anyone.The point here is that...

  Recently, India settled four long standing trade disputes between U.S. and India through negotiation. Role of Litigation/negotiation  Litigation between countries at WTO often take years to settle and creates much bad blood Trade has to operate through good faith and proper give and take International trade makes win - win solution through comparative advantage and specialization India needs as much trade as it can get to feed it's a billion strong population Way forward Mediation and negotiation need to be incorporated institutionally into WTO architecture Developed countries need to realize that lack of trade makes world much more poorer than it is WTO appointments need to be proper and timely India needs to mediate between Global North and South wherever possible  Nations need to collaborate and concede to achieve the sustainable development goals.

  Indian constitution have adopted a federal distribution of power where states are given political power by schedule 7 and financial autonomy via article 270 and others. Influence of concentration of power Only twice over 2/3rd majority was obtained by a single party or coalition, once INC(I) under Rajiv Ghandhi and BJP under Narendra Modi Taking these as precedents examples could be plucked out One trend is stalling governance in states through the office of Governor, central bureaucracy like E.D.,C.B.I, N.I.A.,etc and delay in disbursal of funds Another is rolling out welfare schemes like Indira Gandhi Awas Yojana, PM Sram Yogi Mandhan, PM B.J.P. etc Higher expenditure in infrastructure projects Also role of Parliament especially Rajya Sabha declined heavily, with less sittings, disruptions, lesser bills scrutinized etc. Way forward Consultation and compromising governance that resist straight jacket-ting motivations American model upper house where states are represented more o...

  None of the above (N.O.T.A.) was introduced after a supreme court verdict to express voter dis-satisfaction with the entire roaster of candidates. Role of NOTA It functions as a huge warning bell for political parties, as in a democracy every vote matters. Many changes were introduced by political parties when a significant number of NOTA votes were polled. But it's ability to influence electoral outcome is lessened by the fact that nothing happens if NOTA gains a majority. It is riskier in allowing NOTA to influence electoral outcome in India as electorate is divided by caste, community, religion, language, ethnicity etc. Way forward In a mature democracy when NOTA gains majority, electoral ballot should be changed. It would discourage criminalization of politics and reduce influence of money and muscle.