Indian Polity and Governance - 5 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana

Context 

As Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) enters its 4^th year of implementation, the Department of Fisheries plans to expedite the pace of implementation of the scheme. 

• As part of this plan, the Department has scheduled a series of review meetings with states and Union Territories (UTs). The first review meeting recently took place in the Northeastern Region (NER) of India. 

What is PMSSY? 

• About: 
  • It aims to bring about the Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India. 
  • PMMSY was introduced as part of the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ package with an investment of Rs. 20,050 crores, the highest-ever investment in this sector. 
    • The scheme is being implemented in all States and UTs for a period of 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25. 
  • In order to facilitate access to institutional credit, fishermen are provided with insurance coverage, financial assistance and a facility of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) as well. 
• Implementation: 
  • It is implemented as an umbrella scheme with two separate components namely: 
    • Central Sector Scheme: The project cost will be borne by the Central government. 
    • Centrally Sponsored Scheme: All the sub-components/activities will be implemented by the States/UTs, and the cost will be shared between the Centre and State. 
• Objectives: 
  • Harness the potential of the fisheries sector in a sustainable, responsible, inclusive and equitable manner 
  • Enhance fish production and productivity through expansion, intensification, diversification and productive utilisation of land and water 
  • Modernise and strengthen the value chain including post-harvest management and quality improvement 
  • Double fishers' and fish farmers’ incomes and generate meaningful employment 
  • Enhance the contribution of the fisheries sector to agricultural Gross Value Added (GVA) and exports 
  • Ensure social, physical and economic security for fishers and fish farmers 
  • Build a robust fisheries management and regulatory framework 
• Significance:  
  • The fisheries sector plays an important role in the Indian economy. It contributes to national income, exports, food and nutritional security as well as employment generation.  
    • The sector provides a livelihood for more than 2.8 crore fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and several more along the fisheries value chain.  
  • It is a major source of income for a large proportion of the country's economically disadvantaged population.  
    • To improve fish production, it is important to conduct integrated fish farming and diversify fish production. 
  • Further, the fisheries sector has been a major contributor to foreign exchange earnings, with India being one of the world's leading seafood exporters. 
    • In FY20, aquaculture products accounted for 70–75% of the country's total fishery exports.  
• Achievements: 
  • As of 2023, under PMMSY, projects worth Rs 14,654.67 crore have been approved from 2020-21 to 2022-23.  
  • As the 3^rd largest fish producer and the 2nd largest aquaculture producer globally, India recognizes the significance of the fisheries and aquaculture industry.
    • The fish production reached an all-time high of 16.25 MMT during FY 2021-22 with marine exports touching Rs. 57,586 Crores.  

What are the Challenges in Implementation of the Scheme?

• Infrastructural and Technological Gap: 
  • The fisheries sector faces a lack of adequate infrastructure and technology for fish production, processing, storage, transportation and marketing. 
• Lack of Human Resource Development: 
  • Lack of skilled and trained manpower and extension services for fish farmers and fishermen affects the adoption of best practices, innovations and standards in the sector. 
• Financial Inclusion and Social Protection:  
  • Inadequate access to timely credit and insurance for fish farmers and fishermen exposes them to various risks and vulnerabilities such as natural disasters, diseases, market fluctuations, etc.  
• Regulatory and Legal Compliance:  
  • The fisheries sector faces a lack of awareness and compliance with the regulatory and legal framework for fisheries management such as fishing rights, licenses, quotas, conservation measures, quality control, traceability, etc. This affects the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector. 

World Youth Skills Day: Namda Art, AI for India 2.0

Context

Recently, on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day (15^th July), the Skill India project achieved a remarkable feat by successfully reviving the dying Namda Art of Jammu and Kashmir, by flagging off the first batch of Namda Art products for export to the UK.

• On the same occasion, the Union Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, launched AI for India 2.0.

What is World Youth Skills Day?

• About:
  • Every year, the 15^th of July is observed as World Youth Skills Day.
  • The day highlights the critical role of skills development in preparing young people for the labor market and fostering their active participation in society.
  • Celebrates the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship.
• Background:
  • Designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014.
• World Youth Skills Day 2023 Theme:
  • Skilling Teachers, Trainers, and Youth for a Transformative Future.

What is Namda Art?

• Origin and Introduction:
  • Namda Art began in the 16^th century when Mughal Emperor Akbar desired protective coverings for his horses.
  • It was introduced to Kashmir by Sufi saint Shah-e-Hamdan.
• Creation and Materials:
  • Namda is a type of traditional Kashmiri felted carpet made using sheep wool.
  • The wool is compressed and matted together; a process known as felting, giving it a distinct texture.
• Manufacturing Process:
  • Namda carpets are typically created by layering multiple wool layers on top of each other.
  • Each layer is sprinkled with water and pressed using a tool called a 'pinjra' (woven willow wicker).
  • The layers are compressed to create a solid and durable carpet.
• Decline and Revival:
  • Due to low availability of raw material, lack of skilled manpower and marketing techniques, the export of this craft has declined almost 100% between 1998 and 2008.
    • Hence, the Skill India project under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) has designed a short-term training curriculum to preserve this endangered craft.
  • The training provided under this initiative has empowered local artisans and helped preserve this traditional craft for future generations.
  • Kashmir has also been seeking GI registration for various products, including Kashmir Namda and Gabba (two types of Valley-specific woollen rugs) (besides Wagguv (mat made of reed and paddy straw), Shikara and Kashmir Willow bat).

What is Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana?

• About:
  • It is a flagship scheme under the Skill India Mission launched in 2015.
  • It aims to train over 40 crore people in India by 2022, providing vocational training and certification for better livelihoods and societal respect.
• PMKVY 1.0:
  • Launch: Introduced on July 15, 2015, on World Youth Skills Day.
  • Objective: Encouraging skill development by offering free short-term training and monetary rewards for skill certification.
• PMKVY 2.0 (2016-20):
  • Coverage: Scaled up for greater alignment with missions like Make in India, Digital India, Swachh Bharat, etc.
  • Funding and Targets: NSDC:State Governments = 75:25.
  • Outcome: Over 1.2 Crore youth trained/oriented under PMKVY 1.0 and 2.0.
• PMKVY 3.0 (2020-22):
  • Coverage: Launched in 717 districts across 28 States and 8 UTs.
  • Implementation: Decentralized structure with increased involvement and support from States/UTs and Districts.
• Features:
  • Focus on new-age and Industry 4.0 job roles
  • Emphasis on vocational education and early skill development
  • Bottom-up approach to identify local job opportunities
• PMKVY 4.0 (2023-26):
  • Coverage:
    • Latest phase of the scheme announced in Union Budget 2023-24.
    • It will emphasize On-job training, industry partnership, and alignment of courses with the needs of the industry.
  • Implementation:
    • To be implemented by NSDC, will involve state govts, industry associations, and other stakeholders.
    • To be monitored by an empowered committee under the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
  • Features:
    • Offers skill training and certification in various fields ranging from AI, blockchain, mobile repairing, vehicle maintenance, and management, etc.
    • Align the training course of National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF).
    • Provide soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy training to the candidates.
• Other Initiatives for Skill Development:
  • SANKALP.
  • STRIVE Project.
  • TEJAS Initiative for Skilling
  • Mandatory CSR Expenditure in Skilling: Since the implementation of mandatory CSR spending under the Companies Act, of 2013, corporations in India have invested over Rs. 100,000 crores in diverse social projects.

What is AI for India 2.0?

• About:
  • AI for India 2.0 is a free online training program focused on Artificial Intelligence.. The program is a continuation of AI for India 1.0, which was launched on February 24, 2021. AI for India 1.0 was a one-day online event that provided a complimentary course on Python programming language, a widely used language in AI development.
  • It is a Joint Collaboration between Skill India and GUVI, an IIT Madras incubated startup.
  • Completion of the program results in recognition and certification of acquired AI skills.
• Aim:
  • Aims to future-proof India's youth by offering AI skill training.
  • Equipping Indian youth with frontier AI skills.
  • Enhancing employability and fostering skill development.
• Accreditation:
  • Accredited by NCVET (National Council for Vocational Education and Training) and IIT Madras.
• Salient Features:
  • Accessibility:
    • Envisions easy accessibility of AI learning across the nation.
    • Empowering youth with cutting-edge technologies.
  • Language Inclusivity:
    • Focuses on providing AI skill training in Indian languages.
    • Addresses the language barrier in technology education.
  • Technological Advancements:
    • Contributes to India's position as a technology-savvy country.
    • Expanding training in cutting-edge technologies.

Export Preparedness Index 2022

Context

• Tamil Nadu has emerged as the most export-competitive state in India, securing the top spot in the Export Preparedness Index 2022 by Niti Aayog.

Export Preparedness Index (EPI)

• EPI is a comprehensive tool aimed at gauging the export readiness of India’s states and union territories (UTs).
• The index analyses various parameters, enabling the identification of strengths and weaknesses in each region and offering valuable insights for effective policy formulation.
• EPI focuses on four pillars:

1. Policy: This pillar evaluates the effectiveness of a state’s trade policy, providing strategic direction for both exports and imports.
2. Business Ecosystem: The efficiency of a business ecosystem is crucial for attracting investments and fostering an enabling infrastructure for startups and entrepreneurship.
3. Export Ecosystem: This pillar assesses the business environment specific to exports, determining the level of support and facilitation provided to exporters.
4. Export Performance: The sole output-based parameter, this pillar examines the reach of export footprints in states and UTs, measuring their actual export achievements.

• 10 Sub-pillars include: Export Promotion Policy; Institutional Framework; Business Environment; Infrastructure; Transport Connectivity; Export Infrastructure; Trade Support; R&D Infrastructure; Export Diversification; and Growth Orientation.

States performance

• Export-Competitive State: Top Contenders: Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat (last year’s leader) followed closely, while Haryana claimed the fifth position.
• Coastal States’ Dominance: Coastal states dominated the top rankings, with four out of the top five positions occupied by them. Andhra Pradesh also secured the ninth spot.
• Gujarat- Leading Merchandise Exporter: Gujarat holds the top position as the leading merchandise exporter, accounting for one-third of India’s total merchandise exports.
• Top Five Exporting States: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh complete India’s top five exporters.
• Seven States’ Dominance: An impressive 75% of India’s total exports are contributed by just seven states.

Reasons for export boost

• Export Promotion Policies: The top-performing states have implemented export promotion policies at both state and district levels.
• Diversified Export Basket: These states have a diverse export basket, showcasing their global footprint.
• Promoting Unique Products: Successful states focus on promoting products unique to their region. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka lead in exporting geographical indication (GI) products.

India’s Export Performance

• Resilient Exports: Despite pandemic challenges and supply-side issues, India’s goods exports remained robust, reaching an all-time high of $447 billion in FY23.
• Target for FY24: The government refrained from setting a specific export target for FY24 due to global headwinds but may aim for $450 billion to $500 billion in goods exports.
• Services Exports: Services exports amounted to $323 billion in FY23, bringing India’s overall exports to $770 billion.

Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill, 2023

Context

• The Rajasthan government tabled the Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill 2023.
• The Bill aims to provide entitlement-based social security to support the individuals or households with an additional minimum guaranteed income in the form of a guaranteed wage or social security pension.

What is the Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill 2023?

• Under the Bill, all families of the state get guaranteed employment of 125 days every year.
• The aged, disabled, widows, and single women will get a minimum pension of Rs 1,000 per month.
• Importantly, the pension will be increased at the rate of 15% each year.
• The Bill has three broad categories: right to minimum guaranteed income, right to guaranteed employment, and right to guaranteed social security pension.
• The government anticipates an additional expenditure of Rs 2,500 crore per year for this scheme, which may increase with time.

Understanding the 3 Broad Categories of the Bill

Minimum guaranteed income:

• Each adult citizen of the state has been guaranteed a minimum income for 125 days a year through -
• The Rajasthan government’s flagship Indira Gandhi Shahri Rozgar Guarantee Yojana for urban areas, and
• The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in rural areas.
• In his budget speech this year, the CM had increased the employment guarantee per family from 100 days to 125 days for his urban employment scheme.
• The state will supplement the MGNREGA’s 100 days by providing jobs for an additional 25 days in rural areas.
• Next, the government will provide eligible categories with a minimum pension of Rs 1,000.

Guaranteed employment

• The right to employment states that post the work in urban or rural employment schemes, the minimum wages should be paid weekly or in any case not later than a fortnight.
• The state will designate a program officer - not below the rank of Block Development Officer in rural areas and an Executive Officer of the local body in urban areas - to implement the Act.
• Among other things, the Program Officer shall ensure that the work site is within a radius of 5 Kms of where the job card is registered in both rural and urban areas.
• If the Program Officer fails to provide employment within 15 days from the receipt of the application, the applicant shall be entitled to an unemployment allowance on a weekly basis and in any case not later than a fortnight.

Guaranteed social security pension

• Every person falling in the category of old age/ specially abled/ widow/ single woman with prescribed eligibility shall be entitled to a pension.
• It will increase over the base rate in two installments - 5% in July and 10% in January of each financial year starting 2024-2025. 

Significance of the Bill

• The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members. (Mahatma Gandhi)
• It is a moral responsibility of every government to ensure that everyone gets justice.
• Therefore, the Bill is part of a bouquet of schemes and measures undertaken by the Rajasthan government to provide relief from inflation with an eye on the polls later this year. 

How have Social Activists Reacted?

• The Bill contains many firsts in the country.
• The Bill’s approach, guaranteeing minimum employment and pensions by law, distinguishes it from the cash transfer schemes that various other states have.

NITI Aayog Unveils TCRM Matrix Framework

Context

NITI Aayog has introduced the Techno-Commercial Readiness and Market Maturity Matrix (TCRM Matrix) framework, an innovative assessment tool aimed at transforming technology evaluation, encouraging innovation, and nurturing entrepreneurship in India.

What is TCRM Matrix?

• TCRM Matrix stands for Techno-Commercial Readiness and Market Maturity Matrix.
  • It is an assessment tool designed to revolutionize technology evaluation, foster innovation, and fuel entrepreneurship in India.
• The framework presents an integrated assessment model that offers in-depth insights and actionable intelligence to stakeholders at every stage of the technology development cycle.

How will TCRM Matrix be Useful?

• TCRM framework provides a robust analysis of the joint readiness of a project.
  • The scale is intended to give a standard language for innovators, researchers, and investors to communicate about the readiness of a technology for commercialization or deployment.
• The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) was designed to give a framework for assessing a technology’s readiness and communicate more effectively about the risks and opportunities associated with a given technology by utilizing standard language to express the maturity of a technology.
  • This framework was developed from the study of innovation from an economic perspective and looks at the increase in performance of a technology over time.
  • It finds that from the point of introduction of the technology by an innovator, the improvement in performance of a technology usually starts very slowly with early adopters.
• The Commercialization Readiness Level (CRL) will assess various indicators which influence the commercial and market conditions beyond the technology maturity.
  • It assess how a new technology could be commercially successful all the way through to commercial availability and wider acceptance within the target market.
  • This enables key barriers to be addressed to support the commercialization of a technology.
  • It is intended to supplement the TRL scale by providing increased focus on a technology’s preparedness for market launch and commercial success through specific and clearly defined business indicators.
• Market Readiness Level (MRL) is a methodology used to evaluate how close to the market the project outputs.
  • It is used to assess how ready your product or service is to take to market as a commercial offering for a group of customers.
  • It relies on extrinsic indicators like the awareness of extrinsic market indicators.
  • It is intended to supplement the TRL and CRL by focusing on a technology’s preparedness for the purpose of customer adoption and market success

Why is TCRM Matrix Needed?

• According to the Global Innovation Index 2022, India was ranked 40th in the world in terms of R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP.
• India’s start-up ecosystem has grown rapidly, with over 50,000 start-ups in the country. This is supported by a strong network of incubators and accelerators, which have helped to nurture and support these innovative companies.
• The IT and software sector contributed USD 191 billion to India’s GDP in 2020, accounting for 7.7% of the country’s total GDP.
• The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the world’s third largest by volume, with over 20,000 registered companies.

Way Forward

• The adoption of the TCRM Matrix framework necessitates a comprehensive analysis and contextualization within the unique national and sectoral innovation landscape. This will help policymakers in making effective decisions to foster innovation and drive growth.

What is the Global Innovation Index?

• The Global Innovation Index (GII), which is published annually by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
  • The GII has also been recognized by the UN Economic and Social Council in its 2019 resolution on Science, Technology and Innovation for Development as an authoritative benchmark for measuring innovation in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

What is WIPO?

• WIPO is the global forum for intellectual property (IP) services, policy, information and cooperation.
• It is a self-funding agency of the United Nations, with 193 member states.
• Its aim is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international IP system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all.

RS Chairman Nominates 4 Women MPs to the Panel of Vice-Chairperson

Context

For the first time in Rajya Sabha history, women have equal representation in the panel of vice-chairpersons.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar nominated four women parliamentarians, making up half of the eight-member panel. Among the newly nominated members is S. Phangnon Konyak (She is the first woman to be elected as a Member of the Rajya Sabha from Nagaland in April 2022 and the second woman from the State to be elected to either House of the Parliament or the State Assembly.)

 What is a Panel of Vice-Chairpersons?

The Panel of Vice-Chairpersons in Rajya Sabha is headed by the Deputy Chairman. The members are nominated from the members of the Rajya Sabha by the Chairperson. Its role is to assist in passing bills and ensuring the effective functioning of the government.

In case of the Chairman’s absence, the same duty is delegated and executed by the deputy chairman of the house.