Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index

The number of people living below the poverty line in India decreased by 415 million between 2005-06 and 2019-21, according to a new Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released on 17 October 2022 jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford. However, the index has stated that India still has the world’s highest number of poor at 228.9 million, followed by Nigeria (96.7 million projected in 2020).

What the report said?

1. The report found that across 111 countries which were assessed using the most recent comparable data available, 1.2 billion people (19.1 per cent) live in acute poverty and almost half of these people (593 million) are children under the age of 18 years.
2. The developing region with the largest number of poor people is Sub-Saharan Africa (nearly 579 million), followed by South Asia (385 million).
3. The MPI highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic had set the global progress in reducing poverty back by 3–10 years. Despite progress, India’s population remains vulnerable to the mounting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and to rising food and energy prices. Integrated policies tackling the ongoing nutritional and energy crises should be a priority.
4. India had 97 million poor children in 2019-21. This translates into more than one in five children (21.8 per cent)–more than the total number of poor people in any other country covered by MPI.
5. India is the only country in South Asia in which poverty is significantly more prevalent among female-headed households than among male-headed households.
6. About 19.7 per cent of people living in female-headed households live in poverty compared with 15.9 per cent in male-headed households.
7. Ninety per cent of India’s poor people live in rural areas and 10 per cent in urban areas.
8. Bihar continues to be the poorest state in the country. Others among the top 10 poorest states were Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
9. West Bengal was the only state among the top-10 poorest in India in 2015-16, and not in 2019-21.
10. India is an important case study for the Sustainable Development Goals, the first of which is to end poverty in all its forms and to reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions by 2030, all while leaving no one behind, the report added.

 

Global Multidimensional Poverty Index

• The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is an annual report of poverty measures. Read here to know more about it.
• The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is an international measure of acute multidimensional poverty covering over 100 developing countries.
• It complements traditional monetary poverty measures by capturing the acute deprivations in health, education, and living standards that a person faces simultaneously.
• It is based on the idea that poverty is not unidimensional- it does not depend on income only as one individual may lack several basic needs like education, health, etc- rather it is multidimensional.
• The global MPI was developed by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for inclusion in UNDP’s flagship Human Development Report in 2010. It has been published annually by OPHI and in the HDRs ever since.

What does the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) measure?

• The global MPI shows who is poor and how they are poor and can be used to create a comprehensive picture of people living in poverty.
• It permits comparisons both across countries and world regions, and within countries by ethnic group, urban/rural area, sub-national region, and age group, as well as other key household and community characteristics. For each group and country as a whole, the composition of MPI by each of the 10 indicators shows how people are poor.
• This makes the MPI and its linked information platform invaluable as an analytical tool to identify the most vulnerable people – the poorest among the poor, revealing poverty patterns within countries and over time, enabling policymakers to target resources and design policies more effectively.

How is the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) measured?

The MPI assesses poverty at the individual level. If a person is deprived in a third or more of ten (weighted) indicators, the global MPI identifies them as ‘MPI poor’. The extent or intensity of their poverty is also measured through the percentage of deprivations they are experiencing.

The global multidimensional poverty index uses three dimensions and ten indicators as described below. These dimensions and indications cover the sustainable development goals as well.

National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (NCCCP)

About NCCCP:

• National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (NCCCP) is a party congress that is held every five years and is the highest decision-making body within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
• The Congress is the public venue for top-level leadership changes in the CCP and the formal event for changing the Party’s Constitution.
• The Congress formally approves the membership of the Central Committee, a body composed of the top decision-makers in the party, state, and society.
• Since 1987 the National Congress has been held in the months of October or November.

About PLA:

• The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People’s Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
• The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, and Strategic Support Force.
• It is under the leadership of the Central Military Commission (CMC) with its chairman as commander-in-chief.
• The PLA is the world’s largest military force (not including paramilitary or reserve forces) and constitutes the second largest defense budget in the world.

Single brand ‘Bharat’ for fertilizers launched

Prime Minister on 17 October 2022 launched subsidised urea under single brand ‘Bharat’ as part of One Nation, One Fertiliser scheme and inaugurated 600 Kisan Samruddhi Kendras, saying these two reforms will boost availability and ensure quality fertilisers. PM also unveiled international weekly fertiliser e-magazine ‘Indian Edge’ at the event PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 organised jointly by agriculture and fertiliser ministries.

What

1. The Centre has started a new scheme – Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana – One Nation One Fertilizer (ONOF) – under which it is mandatory for companies to market subsidised fertiliser under single brand ‘Bharat’.
2. After launching the brand for the most consumed and highly subsidised fertiliser urea, the prime minister said branding subsidised fertilisers to ensure quality is a major reform undertaken by the government.
3. Farmers are in “illusion and confused” about fertiliser brands and are not getting the quality soil nutrients because at one hand retailers are pushing certain brands for want of higher commission and on the other hand companies run advertisement campaigns of their products. Now, these problems have been resolved under ONOF.
4. One brand and one quality of urea will be sold across the nation. This brand would be ‘Bharat.’ Now urea will be available in the brand name of Bharat.
5. With single branding, the competition among companies that push their brands will get reduced. It will also ensure sufficient supply of fertilisers across the country.
6. PM-KSK will not only supply agri-inputs like seeds, fertilisers and farm implements, but also provide testing facilities for soil, seeds and fertilisers, besides information about government schemes.

One Nation One Fertilizer (ONOF)

• The single brand name for UREA, DAP, MOP and NPK etc. would be BHARAT UREA, BHARAT DAP, BHARAT MOP and BHARAT NPK etc. respectively for all Fertilizer Companies, State Trading Entities (STEs) and Fertilizer Marketing Entities (FMEs).
• Also, a logo indicating Fertilizer subsidy scheme namely Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna will be used on the fertilizer bags.
• Under the scheme, companies are allowed to display their name, brand, logo and other relevant product information only on one-third space of their bags.
• On the remaining two-thirds space, the “Bharat” brand and Pradhanmantri Bharatiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana logo will have to be shown.

What is the government’s argument for introducing this scheme?

The government’s logic for introducing a single ‘Bharat’ brand for all subsidized fertilizers +being marketed by companies is as follows:

• The maximum retail price of urea is currently fixed by the government, which compensates companies for the higher cost of manufacturing or imports incurred by them.
• The MRPs of non-urea fertilizers are, on paper, decontrolled.
• But companies cannot avail subsidy if they sell at MRPs higher than that informally indicated by the government.
• Simply put, there are some 26 fertilizers (inclusive of urea), on which government bears subsidy and also effectively decides the MRPs.
• Apart from subsidizing and deciding at what price companies can sell, the government also decides where they can sell.
• This is done through the Fertilizer (Movement) Control Order, 1973.
• Under this, the department of fertilizers draws an agreed monthly supply plan on all subsidized fertilizers in consultation with manufacturers and importers.
• This supply plan is issued before the 25th of each month for the following month, with the department also regularly monitoring movement to ensure fertilizer availability as per requirement, including remote areas.
• The government is spending vast sums of money on fertiliser subsidy (the bill is likely to cross Rs 200,000 crore in 2022-23).
• By deciding where and at what price companies can sell, it would obviously want to take credit and send that message to farmers.

Possible drawbacks of the scheme

• It may disincentivize fertilizer companies from undertaking marketing and brand promotion activities.
• They will now be reduced to contract manufacturers and importers for the government. Any company’s strength ultimately is its brands and farmer trust built over decades.
• Currently, in case of any bag or batch of fertilizers not meeting the required standards, the blame is put on the company. But now, that may be passed on fully to the government.
• Politically, the scheme might well boomerang rather than benefit the ruling party.

India’s Coal Mines Are Severely Under-utilized amid push for new ones: Report

Why in the news?

• Recently, according to research by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a company that studies the utilization of the fuel source internationally, India’s coal mines use barely two-thirds of their capacity on average, with some large ones using only 1%.
• This shows that 99 coal mine projects in India, which are estimated to produce 427 MTPA (million tonnes per annum), are unnecessary, and that building new coal mines would not help ease the short-term supply shortages.

Background

• India faced acute coal shortages at least twice last year, with more than 100 of the country’s 285 thermal power reactors witnessing coal stocks drop below the key level of 25% of the necessary stock.
• It went below the 10% mark in more than 50 plants.
• Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh, had power shortages as a result of coal shortage.

Issues

• According to an analysis by the Global Energy Monitor study, just two-thirds of the current capacity is being used, making new projects now in development potentially “unnecessary.”
• GEM emphasizes that Coal India has not cited capacity constraints as one of the reasons it is unable to meet output targets.
• The main challenges cited are competition from renewables, infrastructure impasses, and land-use difficulties.
• Over 100 million tonnes of industrial capacity are currently unutilized at active mine sites in some significant mining regions, including Jharkhand and Odisha, accounting for more than 40% of those States’ unutilized mine capacity.

Expected impact of new coal mines

• Relocation of villages: At least 165 villages could be relocated by coal mines currently under development, affecting 87,630 families, 41,508 of which are in areas where tribal communities are predominant.
• Threatening agriculture lands: In addition to threatening 19,297 ha of forest and 22,686 ha of agricultural land.
• Excess need of water: Coal mines currently under construction will use at least 168,041 kiloliters of water per day, or roughly one million people’s daily needs, per the GEM. This is happening when the nation is experiencing severe water stress.
• Prolong the transition to a sustainable energy future and, in the process.

What is the coal scenario in India?

• India has the fourth-largest coal reserves in the world.
• The country generates more than 75% of its energy from coal and is the third-largest producer of power in the world.
• The Ministry of Power projects that the yearly demand for electricity would rise at the fastest rate in at least 38 years.
• The coal blocks that have already been awarded can produce 15% to 20% more coal than what is projected to be required in 2030.
• The government-owned Coal India has declared its intention to raise domestic coal production to 1 billion mt by FY 2023–2024.

Conclusion

• Old issues in the mining industry cannot be solved by new mines. The irony of this expansion is that, as renewable energy competition and land use challenges continue to proliferate, constructing new mines now can exacerbate the sector’s shortcomings and inefficiencies tomorrow.

Types of Coal Found in India

• Anthracite: The best coal is anthracite, which has a carbon concentration ranging from 80 to 95%. It slowly starts to burn with a blue blaze. It has the highest calorific value. It is found in small quantities in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Bituminous: Bituminous has low moisture content and a carbon content ranging from 60 to 80%. It is commonly utilized and contains a lot of calories. It is also present in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.
• Subbituminous: It is black in color, dull (not shiny) and has a higher heating value than lignite.
• Lignite: The color of lignite is usually brown. It contains between 40 and 55 percent carbon. It is an intermediate stage that takes place while woody matter changes into coal. Due to its high moisture content, burning it produces smoke. It can be found in Tamil Nadu, Lakhimpur, and Rajasthan.

Tamil Nadu Worried Over Increased Presence of Chinese Army in Sri Lanka

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China’s growing involvement in Sri Lanka has raised severe security concerns in Tamil Nadu. In a recent report, the Tamil Nadu’s intelligence agency said that Chinese activities in the neighboring countries pose a threat to national security and urged more vigilance along the coastline. This has brought the issue of maritime security to prominance.

What are the observations of the Tamil Nadu Intelligence agency?

• TN Intelligence issued the security alert a few days after the same agency warned that a few Chinese people had secretly entered India through the maritime route with the help of cadres from a political party with roots in Sri Lanka.
• The alert addressed to all towns and districts in the State stated that the movement of PLA cadres and the deployment of high-tech tools like satellites, drones, and other communication equipment in northern Sri Lanka in the name of starting sea cucumber farming, to necessitate regular surveillance in coastal districts.

What is Maritime Security?

In international relations, marine security is not standardized. However, the phrase also refers to maritime-related issues like National as well as human security, economic development, and marine ecology. Along with the oceans of the world, it also covers local seas, national waters, rivers, and ports.

What are the sources of maritime security threats to India?

There are primarily 2 types of Maritime Security Threat Sources:

Threats State Actors

This type of threat emerges from the nations particularly neighbours. The common threats in this form include attack on the port, war activity, maritime blockade, surveillance and espionage activity.

Threats from Non State Actors

• Piracy: Pirate attacks on ships are a constant concern, particularly near the coast of Somalia. This puts trade and business in danger.
• Terrorism: Terrorists conduct their operations in international waterways. For instance, a breach in marine security led to the 2008 Mumbai Attacks.
• Illegal migration: Compared to traveling by land or air, crossing international waters is a better approach to enter a foreign country. So there is more illegal immigration through marine waters.
• Transnational organized crimes: These criminal activities, which cause serious harm to the world economy and put national security at risk, also take place in the waterways.
• This covers illegal trade in narcotics, illegal trade in psychoactive substances, illegal trade in people, illegal trade in firearms, etc.
• Environmental catastrophes: As pollution levels rise and the climate warms, the frequency of cyclones, floods, and other natural disasters has increased.

Why is Maritime Security a priority for India?

• International Trade: A significant amount of the nation’s imports and exports are conducted through marine waters. Therefore, protecting communication sea routes is essential for economic progress.
• Security of Large coastline: India has a coastline that extends for over 7000 kilometers, which increases its susceptibility to marine threats, as evidenced by the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
• Increased Chinese Presence: China’s assertion that India’s regional interests are at danger as a result of China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean region. It might also use India’s naval strength as leverage to intimidate it on other matters.
  • For instance, China sent the Yuan Wang class research ship into the Indian Ocean in August 2020, during the Eastern Ladakh class.
• Promoting Blue Economy: 4.1% of India’s GDP comprises blue economy activities, which are based on marine resources. The industry has enormous future potential, but only a stable marine environment can allow for its expansion.
• Technological Advancement: Due to its continually changing nature, marine security should also receive more attention. For instance, two crew members were recently killed when a drone targeted an Israeli ship in the northern Arabian Sea.

Mechanisms for addressing maritime Security Challenges:

• UNCLOS: Also referred to as the Law of the Sea Treaty or the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. It outlines the obligations that states have regarding the usage of the world’s waters.
  • It affirms the idea that all issues pertaining to ocean space are intricately tied to one another and must be handled as a whole.
• SAGAR: The SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) concept was introduced by the Indian Prime Minister in 2015. With its maritime neighbors, it seeks to strengthen economic and security connections and support the development of their marine security capacities.
• Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI): SAGAR’s goal was expanded upon by the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. The project concentrated on seven components of marine security:
  • Science, technology, and academic cooperation, trade connectivity, maritime transport, and maritime ecology, resources, capacity building, and disaster risk reduction and management.
• QUAD: India, the United States, Japan, and Australia are having a strategic discussion. An Indo-Pacific region that is “free, open, and affluent” is what is intended.
• Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS): It is a global governance framework that was formed on January 14, 2009, in New York. It attempts to make it easier for states and organizations to coordinate their efforts to combat Somali piracy.

Way Forward

In the context of Increased presence of China in Northern Sri Lanka near to India, there is need for Increased Surveillance and reconnaissance activity in the Coastal region.

Further India needs to bring the issue Espionage to the notice of Sri Lanka and take appropriate diplomatic actions as per the situation.