NILGIRIS: PESTICIDE LEVELS IN POTATO, CARROT
Why in news? A study of fruits and vegetables grown in the Nilgiris has found that some of the produce might be harbouring high levels of pesticide, beyond what is considered advisable Details: Organophosphate use was high in carrot and potato cultivation Using liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry, the research team developed a […]
RAIL, FLIGHT SERVICES TO TRANSPORT FARM PRODUCE
Why in news? FM has announced ‘Kisan Rail’ Programme Details The Centre has raised the target for agricultural credit by 11% to ₹15 lakh crore in 2020-21 and proposed to begin special rail and flight services to transport farm produce as part of a 16-point action plan for the agriculture sector announced in the Union […]
PRIVATE PLAYERS ALLOWED TO SET UP DATA PARKS
Why in news? Union Budget for 2020-21 has made a provision for private players to get into data center market Details All ‘public institutions’ at the gram panchayat level, such as anganwadis, health and wellness centres, government schools, PDS (public distribution system) outlets, post offices and police stations will be provided with digital connectivity Fiber […]
India’s dominance as global economic power for three-fourths of economic history manifests by design.
Kautilya’s Arthashastra postulates the role of prices in an economy (Spengler, 1971). Historically, Indian economy relied on the invisible hand of the market with the support of the hand of trust: Invisible hand of the market reflected in openness in economic transactions. Hand of trust appealed to ethical and philosophical dimensions. What is Invisible hand […]
THALINOMICS: THE FORMULA BEHIND ONE SQUARE MEAL
For the average worker in India’s organised manufacturing sector, the affordability of a plate of vegetarian food — comprising rice or roti, dal and sabzi has improved 29% since 200607, according to Thalinomics, a take on the economics of food by the Economic Survey. For non-vegetarians, affordability has risen 18%.
NEEDED: FEWER REGULATIONS FOR START-UPS
India needs to work on improving the ease of doing business, especially the ease of starting business, registering property, paying taxes, or enforcing contracts, according to the Economic Survey. Cumbersome norms “If you want to start up a firm in India, it takes 18 days on an average with 10 procedures that can be often […]
CROP DUSTING WITH DRONES IS ILLEGAL, SAYS CENTRE
Why in news? Use of drones for agrochemical spraying had increased of late. This would create a lot of problems. What are problems? Aerial spraying impacts a larger area, while decreasing the efficacy on the target pests. Eg. Kasargod in Kerala reeling under such impact due to aerial spraying of Endosulfan for over 25 years […]
What is Union Budget?
According to Article 112 of the Indian Constitution, the Union Budget of a year, also referred to as the annual financial statement, is a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the government for that particular year. Theme 1: ASPIRATIONAL INDIA Agriculture Sector • Budget is aimed at doubling farmer income by 2022 by: State […]
PANDEMIC COULD MAKE ANOTHER 25 MILLION JOBLESS
Focus: GS-III Indian Economy, Science and Technology, Prelims Why in news? The COVID-19 pandemic will significantly increase global unemployment, leaving up to 25 million more people out of work, and will dramatically slash workers’ incomes, the United Nations said on 18th March 2020. Views of The International Labour Organization The economic and labour crisis sparked […]
RBI TO REGULATE PAYMENT AGGREGATORS
Focus: GS-III Indian Economy, Economic Development Why in news? The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 17th March 2020, said it will regulate in entirety the activities of payment aggregators (PAs) and provide baseline technology-related recommendations to payment gateways (PGs) in view of the important functions of these intermediaries in the online payments space as […]