Two billion Women Lack Social Protection: UN Women

Syllabus: GS1/Society

Context

• The World Survey on the Role of Women in Development report released by UN Women highlighting the widening gender gap in social protection.

About

• The report reveals that an alarming two billion women and girls are without access to any form of social protection. This is putting at risk progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5).
• Gendered poverty: Women aged 25 to 34 are 25 percent more likely than men in the same age group to live in extreme poverty. 
• Conflict and climate change continue to exacerbate this inequality, with women in fragile environments being 7.7 times more likely to live in extreme poverty compared to those in stable regions.
• Maternity protection: Globally, over 63 percent of women still give birth without access to maternity benefits, with the figure reaching 94 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.

Indian Scenario 

• Health and Nutrition: The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) reveals that 23.3% of women (15-49 years) are undernourished, and 57% of women are anemic.
  • The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India was 97 per 100,000 live births in 2023, down from 130 in 2014. 
• Gendered Poverty: According to Oxfam, 63% of women in India face unpaid caregiving responsibilities, which limits their economic participation.
• Labor Force Participation: In India, only around 37% of women aged 15 years and above participate in the workforce (compared to about 73% of men).
• Gender Gap in Education: As per NFHS-5, 70.3% of females are literate, compared to 84.7% of males. 

Reasons of Vulnerability of Women

• Cultural Expectations and patriarchal norms restrict women’s opportunities to participate in formal employment and hinders their access to economic independence.
• Educational Disparities: Cultural practices like early marriage, gender-based violence in schools, and lack of sanitation facilities disproportionately affect girls’ attendance and retention rates in education.
• Informal Sector Employment: A large percentage of women are employed in informal sectors, which are characterized by low wages, irregular hours, and lack of job security. 

Government Initiatives 

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP): Launched to address the declining child sex ratio and promote education and survival of the girl child.
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): A maternity benefit scheme providing financial assistance to pregnant and lactating mothers to ensure safe delivery and proper nutrition.
• Ujjwala Scheme: Provides free LPG connections to women from below poverty line (BPL) households to reduce health issues caused by smoke from traditional chulhas.
• Poshan Abhiyaan: This mission aims to improve nutrition outcomes for children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.
• Digital Literacy Programme for Women: It is part of Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) and empowers women to access e-governance services and financial platforms, helping them participate in the digital economy.
• One Stop Centre Scheme (Sakhi Centres), aims to facilitate women affected by violence with a range of integrated services under one roof such as Police facilitation, medical aid, legal aid and legal counseling, psycho-social counseling, temporary shelter, etc.

Way Ahead

• The poor condition of women is a product of deeply rooted patriarchal norms, discriminatory practices, economic inequalities, and lack of targeted policies that address the specific needs of women. 
• Addressing these systemic issues requires a comprehensive approach that includes improving access to education, healthcare, and legal protections, while promoting gender-responsive social protection policies.
• Gender budgeting is a critical tool for advancing gender equality, promoting women’s empowerment, and achieving inclusive and sustainable development in India. 

Threat to the ‘Zero Hunger’ Goal by 2030 

Syllabus: GS2/ Governance

Context

• The United Nations’ goal to eradicate world hunger by 2030 seems increasingly challenging to achieve due to the impacts of wars, climate change, and economic crises.

About

• Goal 2 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is all about creating a world free of hunger by 2030.
• The 2024 Global Hunger Index score for the world is 18.3, with 42 countries still experiencing alarming or serious hunger.
  • Hunger is most severe in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia where the crisis has soared to humanitarian levels. 
• Little progress has been made on reducing hunger since 2016, and the prospects for achieving Zero Hunger by the target date of 2030 are grim.

Food Insecurity in India

• India has been ranked 105th out of 127 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2024, placing it in the “serious” category for hunger levels. 
• The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023 report states that around 224 million people in India faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2021-22.

What are the challenges?

• Wars and Conflicts: Ongoing conflicts like in the Red Sea, disrupt supply chains, and access to food, leading to severe hunger, especially in vulnerable regions like sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
• Climate Change: Extreme weather events, droughts, floods, and shifting agricultural patterns caused by climate change severely affect food production and availability.
• Regional Disparities: Hunger remains most severe in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where conditions have escalated to humanitarian crises, making it harder to address hunger effectively in these regions.
• The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity, pushing many households into poverty and making it harder for them to access sufficient food.

India’s Efforts to achieve zero hunger by 2030

• Mid Day Meal Programme: The Programme aims to boost enrolment, retention, and attendance while improving the nutritional status of children in government, local body, and government-aided schools.
• Food Fortification: The government promotes fortified rice, wheat flour, and edible oils as part of the public distribution system.
• The National Food Security Act, 2013: The Act provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population for receiving subsidized foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
• Poshan Tracker: The Ministry of Women and Child Development developed the Poshan Tracker ICT application as a key governance tool.
  • It uses WHO’s expanded tables with day-based z-scores to dynamically assess stunting, wasting, underweight, and obesity in children based on height, weight, gender, and age.
• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana was launched to alleviate hardships faced by the poor due to economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
• SakshamAnganwadi and Poshan 2.0 includes key schemes such as the POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anganwadi Services and Scheme for Adolescent Girls as direct targeted interventions to address the problem of malnutrition in the country. 

Way Ahead

• Humanitarian Assistance: Provide more financial resources for humanitarian aid to conflict-affected regions to ensure food distribution and nutritional support.
• Sustainable Agriculture: Promote agricultural practices that can withstand shocks from climate change.
• Targeted Assistance Programs: Develop targeted food assistance programs for vulnerable populations affected by conflicts, including cash transfers and food vouchers.

North-East: Vital For India’s Development

Syllabus: GS 3/Growth and Development

In News

• The Vice-President of India stated that the North-East is vital for national unity, economic progress, and cultural essence.

About North-East Region 

• It consists of eight hilly states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, and Nagaland. 
• It shares a 5,812 km international border with China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar.
• It is connected to mainland India via the narrow Siliguri corridor, also known as the ‘chicken’s neck,’ which is just 22 km long.
• It has a diverse socio-ethnic landscape, home to numerous tribal groups that speak around 220 languages, each with unique societal and cultural traits

Importance 

• Strategic Location: It serves as a gateway to ASEAN markets, facilitating easy access to Southeast Asia.
• Abundant Natural Resources: It is rich in oil, gas, coal, minerals, timber, medicinal plants, and water resources, providing opportunities for industrial exploitation.
• India’s Green Hub: It boasts lush forests and biodiversity, making it ideal for ecotourism and agro-based industries.
• Diverse Cultural Heritage:It is home to unique ethnic communities and traditions, presenting investment opportunities in tourism and handicrafts.
• Low-Cost Manufacturing Hub: Competitive labor costs compared to other regions in India and globally.
• Skilled Workforce: Features a young, educated workforce proficient in English.
• Emerging Consumer Market: A growing consumer base with rising incomes and urbanization, creating significant business potential.

Issues and Challenges 

• The British colonial policies created boundaries to protect tribal interests, which have persisted in independent India, impacting economic development while preserving cultural identity.
• The region faces isolation, political violence, ethnic conflict, and inadequate infrastructure, complicating its integration into national development frameworks..
• Connectivity projects in the Northeast face delays, necessitating timely completion and a detailed assessment of ongoing initiatives and challenges.
• Concerns are raised  about the spread of unfounded information on public platforms 

Initiatives 

• The Look East and Act East policies enhanced communication, connectivity, and airport development in the region.
• Government Incentives offer various incentives, including tax holidays and subsidies, to encourage business growth.
• The Union Budget 2024 outlines a roadmap for India to achieve “Viksit Bharat” by prioritizing economic, industrial, and agricultural growth, particularly benefiting youth, women, and tribal communities in the Northeast.
  • The budget supports traditional artisans, Self Help Groups (SHGs), and women entrepreneurs through various schemes, including PM Vishwakarma and Stand up India. 
• The newly announced Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram scheme aims to improve the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities, directly benefiting 5 crore people in 63,000 villages.
• Key projects like the Kaladan Multimodal project, India-Myanmar rail links, and the Trilateral Highway project are crucial for enhancing connectivity through the NER.

Conclusion 

• The NER is strategically important as it serves as a vital link between South Asia and Southeast Asia, with extensive international borders and unique socio-political dynamics.
• Despite various initiatives, significant challenges remain in improving connectivity in the NER, which need to be addressed to unlock the region’s full potential.
• There is a need to strengthen connections within the NER to address underdevelopment and marginalization and expand interactions between the NER and mainland India.
• Development of human resources and capacity building in the NER should parallel infrastructure development
• Skill development is essential for optimizing talent and enhancing human resources.

India’s Semiconductor Market to exceed 100 billion dollars by 2030

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

Context

• India’s semiconductor market is set to exceed 100 billion dollars by 2030. 

About

• According to a report by the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association and Counterpoint Research, mobile handsets and IT sectors are leading the market by contributing over 75 percent of revenues. 
• The market was valued at 45 billion dollars in 2023 and is expected to grow at 13 percent annually.
• This growth is driven by strong demand and government initiatives like the production-linked incentive scheme. 
• Semiconductors are vital for electronics, defence, healthcare, and automotive industries. 

What are Semiconductors?

• Semiconductors are materials with electrical properties that fall between those of conductors (like metals) and insulators (like rubber).
  • They have a unique ability to conduct electricity under certain conditions while acting as insulators under others.
• They are sometimes referred to as integrated circuits (ICs) or microchips made from pure elements, typically silicon or germanium. 
• In a process called doping, small amounts of impurities are added to these pure elements, causing large changes in the conductivity of the material.
• Applications: Semiconductors are used in a vast range of electronic devices.
  • Transistors, which are fundamental components of modern electronic circuits, rely on semiconductor materials. 
  • They act as switches or amplifiers in everything from computers to cell phones. 
  • Semiconductors are also used in solar cells, LEDs, and integrated circuits.

Why is there an Increased focus on Semiconductors?

• Given their importance to the economy, semiconductors have become a key strategic industry sector for many countries, with governments and companies alike investing heavily in research and development to maintain competitiveness and innovate.
• A serious shortage of those chips in 2021, underlined how dependent global industry is on a few key suppliers.
  • Taiwan is currently the world’s largest chipmaker, holding approximately 44% of global market share, followed by China (28%), South Korea (12%), the U.S. (6%) and Japan (2%)
• In an effort to cut that dependency governments are spending huge sums to create stronger domestic chip industries.
• India is looking to be a big player in the space, and with intensifying competition with China.
  • This has prompted the US and other allied countries to strengthen tech cooperation with India.

Factors favouring India

• Skilled Workforce: India leads the world with record number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates, offering the much-needed skilled workforce required in semiconductor manufacturing, design, research, and development.
• Cost Advantage: India offers a substantial cost advantage for semiconductor manufacturing due to the lower labour cost, supply chain efficiency and emerging ecosystem.
• Global Supply Chain Diversification: India has become a preferred destination for back-end assembly and testing operations amidst this industry relocation, with potential for future front-end manufacturing.
• Policy support: The Indian government has promptly seized the opportunity following the global semiconductor supply chain glut after the pandemic and showed great intent through policy support to present India as an alternative to China in the global semi supply chain. 

Government Support

• Semicon India: The initiative is for the development of semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in the country.
  • The programme aims to provide financial support to companies investing in semiconductors, display manufacturing and design ecosystem.
• India Semiconductor Mission: It functions as a dedicated division within the Digital India Corporation.
  • Its main goal is to nurture a strong semiconductor and display ecosystem to position India as a prominent global player in electronics manufacturing and design.
• The government offers incentives for manufacturing setup in India:
  • Under the Semiconductor Fab Scheme, fiscal support of 50% of the project cost on an equal footing for all technology nodes.
  • Under the Display Fab Scheme, fiscal support of 50% of the project cost on an equal footing basis.
  • Under the Compound Semiconductor Scheme, fiscal support of 50% of the capital expenditure on an equal footing basis, including support for discrete semiconductor fabs.
• Under the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme being implemented at 113 academic institutions/ R&D organizations/ Start-ups/ MSMEs, 85,000 number of high-quality and qualified engineers are being trained in several areas. 
• In February 2024, the government approved the establishment of three semiconductor plants, two in Gujarat and one in Assam.

Way Ahead

• With the rise of digital technologies, AI, IoT, and 5G, the demand for semiconductors is skyrocketing. India, with its burgeoning tech industry, is well-positioned to capitalize on this trend.
• Foreign Investment: Major global players like Intel, TSMC, and others are exploring opportunities in India. This influx of foreign investment will help develop local expertise and infrastructure.
• Startup Ecosystem: India has a vibrant startup ecosystem focused on semiconductor design and related technologies, fostering innovation and contributing to the overall growth of the sector.
• Infrastructure Development: Improved infrastructure, including special economic zones (SEZs) for electronics manufacturing, is being established to facilitate the growth of the semiconductor industry.
• Talent Pool: India boasts a large pool of engineering graduates and skilled professionals, which can support the workforce needs of the semiconductor sector.

Issue of Stubble Burning 

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment & Degradation

In News

• The Supreme Court criticized Haryana and Punjab for not taking strict action against stubble burning, which worsens air pollution in northern India. 

What is Stubble Burning?

• Stubble burning is a practice where farmers burn the leftover straw from harvested paddy fields to prepare the land for sowing wheat. It is common due to the limited time between paddy harvest and wheat planting.

Why Farmers opted for  Stubble Burning?

• Quick and cost-efficient: It clears the field rapidly and is the least expensive option for farmers.
• Weed and pest control: Burning helps in eliminating weeds, slugs, and pests that could damage the next crop.
• Reduces nitrogen tie-up: Burning can help control nitrogen immobilization, improving soil nitrogen availability.

Negative Effects of Stubble Burning

• Air pollution: Stubble burning emits harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), contributing to poor air quality and smog formation, particularly in northern India.
• Soil degradation: The intense heat from burning depletes soil nutrients, reduces soil fertility, and kills beneficial microbes, compromising long-term soil health.
• Climate change: The release of large quantities of greenhouse gases worsens air quality and contributes to global warming.

Alternatives to Stubble Burning

• Paddy straw-based power plants: Utilizes crop waste for energy and creates jobs.
• Incorporating crop residues: Incorporating them into the soil enhances soil fertility, boosts productivity, and replenishes essential nutrients.
• Composting: Turns residues into organic manure.

Initiatives to Prevent Stubble Burning

• Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP): The GRAP is an emergency response mechanism developed to combat rising air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. It is implemented in a phased manner based on the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels.
• Financial Incentives and Penalties: The Supreme Court has suggested providing incentives to farmers who refrain from stubble burning and imposing fines or reducing Minimum Support Price (MSP) benefits for those who continue the practice.
• Chhattisgarh’s Gauthan Model: In Chhattisgarh, unused stubble is collected and converted into organic fertilizer in community plots called gauthans. This method not only reduces pollution but also generates employment.