Current Affairs 2nd Nov 2019

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Current Affairs 2nd Nov 19 CWMI 2.0 (Indian Express) Mains Paper 2: Governance Prelims level: Composite water management index

Mains level: Objectives and implications of that such index Context 

The composite water management index (CWMI) 2.0 was recently released by the NITI Aayog.

About the index



The states are ranked across 9 themes and cover 25 states and 2 union territories.



[It does not include data from West Bengal, Mizoram, Manipur and Jammu & Kashmir.]



This has been done through a first of its kind water data collection exercise.



It was done in partnership with the ministry of jal shakti, ministry of rural development and all the states/union territories.

Key objectives



The CWMI is an important tool to assess and improve the performance of states and union territories in efficient management of water resources.



It is an attempt to create a pan-India set of metrics that measure different dimensions of water management and use across the lifecycle of water.



The objective of the index is to involve all key stakeholders to understand how states can better manage water resources.



It provides useful information for the states and for the concerned central ministries/departments.



This is to enable them to formulate and implement suitable strategies for better management of water resources.

Key highlights



CWMI 2.0 ranks various states for the reference year 2017-18 as against the base year 2016-17.

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Current Affairs 2nd Nov 19

Gujarat has retained its first position in the Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) 2.0 Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka have topped the CWMI 2.0 for 2017-18 among non-Himalayan states.



Among Himalayan states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Tripura are on top of the index.



The report points out that 82% of rural households in India do not have individual piped water supply. 163 million live without access to clean water close to their homes.



Around 80% of the states assessed over the last 3 years have improved their water management scores, with an average improvement of 5.2 points.



However, 16 out of 27 states still score less than 50 points on the index, out of 100.



They account for 48% of the population, 40% of agricultural produce and 35% of economic output of India.

Index implications



States are displaying progress in water management, but the overall performance remains below what is required to tackle the challenges.



High-performers continue to demonstrate strong water management practices, but low-performers are struggling to cope up.



By 2030, India’s water demand will exceed supply by two times, indicating severe water scarcity in the country.



In fact, 820 million Indians living in 12 river basins have a per capita water availability close to or lower than 1,000 cubic metres.



This is notably the official threshold for water scarcity. The average all-India per capita water availability is expected to be 1,341 cubic metres by 2025.



It could touch a low of 1,140 cubic metres by 2050, close to the official water scarcity threshold.

Way forward



The states need to build on this momentum, and upgrade their water management

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Current Affairs 2nd Nov 19

practices to show outcomes and not just outputs. 

Areas like agriculture could have a larger impact on saving water along with focusing on low performing states.



Several disparities exist in water management amongst states.



Improved knowledge-sharing amongst states can enable them to learn and solidify water management practices across the board.

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Current Affairs 2nd Nov 19

On socio-economic indicators, Muslim youth fare worse than SCs and OBCs (Indian Express) Mains Paper 1: Society Prelims level: Socio-economic indicators Mains level: Highlighting the status of muslim community in socio-economic indicators Context 

The 2019 Lok Sabha elections show the political marginalisation of Muslims.



There is also the socio-economic marginalisation of the community.



Muslims have been losing out to Dalits and Hindu OBCs since the Sachar committee submitted its report in 2005.

Socioeconomic status of Muslims



This is based on the NSSO report (PLFS-2018) and the NSS-EUS (2011-12).



The proportion of the youth who have completed graduation among Muslims in 201718 is 14% as against 18% among the Dalits, 25% among the Hindu OBCs, and 37% among the Hindu upper castes.

Highlights the Gap in education



The gap between the SCs and Muslims is 4% in 2017-18. Six years earlier (2011-12), the SC youth were just 1% above Muslims in educational attainment.



The gap between the Muslims and Hindu OBCs was 7% in 2011-12 and has gone up to 11% now.



The gap between all Hindus and Muslims widened from 9% in 2011-12 to 11% in 2017-18.



Muslim youth in the Hindi heartland fare the worst. Their educational attainment is the lowest in Haryana, 3% in 2017-18; in Rajasthan, this figure is 7%; it is 11% in Uttar Pradesh.



In all these states, except MP, SCs fare better than Muslims.



The educational attainment among the Muslim youth in Bihar is 8%, as against 7% among SCs, in West Bengal it is 8%, as against 9% for SCs, and in Assam, it is 7% as

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against 8% for SCs. 

The educational attainment figures for Muslims are better compared to 2011-12. In Gujarat, the gap in educational attainment between the Muslims and SCs is14%. In Maharashtra, the Muslims were 2% better off than SCs in 2011-12, they have now not only lost to SCs but the latter has now overtaken them by 8%.



With 36% of graduate Muslim youth, Tamil Nadu tops the educational attainment parameter. In Kerala, this figure is 28%, in Andhra Pradesh, it is 21% and in Karnataka, 18% of the Muslim youth are graduates. While the community is giving a close competition to SCs in Tamil Nadu and AP, it is losing out in Kerala.

Highlights the reasons for better outcomes in South



The developments in South India have more to do with the relatively faster mobility of SCs than the marginalisation of Muslims. Muslims enjoy positive discrimination in these states – Dalit and OBC Muslims are given reservations under the OBC quota.



Only 39% of the community in the age group of 15-24 are in educational institutions as against 44% for SCs, 51 % for Hindu OBCs and 59% for Hindu upper castes.

Conclusion



The marginalisation of Muslims began several years ago, the phenomenon seems to have gathered pace in recent years.



Sam Asher et al point out in their recent study, ‘Intergenerational Mobility in India: Estimates from New Methods and Administrative Data’, that Muslims are being left out from educational mobility in India while the SCs are getting integrated into it.

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Current Affairs 2nd Nov 19 On deciphering Greta’s climate message (The Hindu) Mains Paper 3: Environment Prelims level: UN General Assembly

Mains level: Environmental awareness on climate change Context 

She is being looked at as an emotionally charged icon of environmental struggles, but there is more to Greta Thunberg’s point of view than mere emotion and passionate commitment.



If we decipher all the issues raised in her brief presentation at the UN General Assembly, we can notice how it expands the familiar contours of the discussion over climate change.



Some of the issues she raised were a regular feature in many debates over natural resources, but there were other, new issues as well.

Interlinking between economic growth and state of environment



One well-recognised issue is the direct connection between economic growth and the state of the environment. Devotees of speedy and high economic growth have been indifferent to the limits that nature imposes on the theoretical scope of growth.



Nearly half a century has passed since the idea of ‘limits to growth’ was recognised and proposed as a ground for change in development policies. Apparently, political leaders and the civil servants who serve them do not feel constrained by that idea.



The younger ones may not be acquainted with the 1972 report wherein the paradox of economic development was examined.



Victims of indifference (speech): “All you can talk about is money and fairy tales of economic growth,” Ms. Thunberg told her audience at the UN headquarters in New York.



She accused world leaders of ignoring or deliberately looking away from the responsibility they have towards the young today and in the future.



Her argument would have pleased Mahatma Gandhi. He too thought that economics concerned solely with wealth undermines ethical responsibilities. It ignores justice as a primary human yearning and, in today’s terminology, a right.

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Ms. Thunberg’s presentation 

This was also the underlying theme of Ms. Thunberg’s presentation to the leaders and representatives of different countries. She presented herself as a victim of their indifference to climate change. “You have stolen my childhood with your empty words,” she said.



As an activist-teenager, she had reasons to feel that way. Her campaign on climate change had cost her more than just school attendance.



Being young implies being part of a future. Ms. Thunberg was referring to the collective future of those who are young today and also to future generations.



These futures are bleak - not in the context in which economic slowdown affect prospects of prosperity and comfort. Ms. Thunberg’s focus was on climate change, a composite idea that imparts bleakness to everybody’s future.



She suggested that higher income or status would not help to avoid the consequences of climate change. That is an important point, and not everyone today is convinced about its correctness.



Not only the richer nations, but also the richer people in every nation continue to believe that they can buy relief and escape from the consequences of climate change for

their

progeny.

Childhoods stymied 

Parents invest huge amounts of money in their children’s education to make sure that they lead better lives. So do nations. Their leaders talk eloquently about the younger generation taking the nation forward.



It is easy to miss her message or misconstrue it because her presentation was strident. While she was so visibly emotional during her brief speech, her message was that we must stop being emotional about our children.



Although she was addressing an audience of political leaders, she wanted all of us to recognise and accept the bitter truth that we - and those who represent us -have compromised the future of our children.



It is not the distant generations that will face the consequences of climate change.

No, the crisis is already upon us. It will unfold in the lives of those who are growing up

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today.

Way forward 

The steps currently under consideration for containing the consequences of climate change are far too inadequate to cope with the crisis. And even these modest steps are being taken with great reluctance, which proves Ms. Thunberg’s point was that we are not mentally ready to accept the challenge.



It is the adults and older people today who might feel rattled by Ms. Thunberg’s speech. When she spoke in the UN General Assembly, many in the audience could be heard laughing. They saw her more as a spectacle than as a real person. They were accustomed to routine expressions of concern about climate change.



Many such leaders are quite pleased with the efforts by the UN and its various bodies to pursue the policies related to sustainable development. They find long, comfortable targets for reduction of carbon emissions quite sufficient and satisfactory.



We can hardly imagine that Ms. Thunberg woke them up. If that were possible, we wouldn’t be where we are in our encounter with nature’s fury for which we have coined the euphemism of ‘climate change’.

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Current Affairs 2nd Nov 19 On Substance across the Arabian Sea (The Hindu) Mains Paper 2: International Relations Prelims level: India- Saudi Arabia Mains level: Substance across the Arabian Sea

Context 

Even by its volatile standards, our Southwest Asian sub-region has lately been unusually turbulent, as reflected in issues ranging from India-Pakistan tensions to the approaching denouements of crises in Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan.



The oil market, too, has been inclement. Against this disorderly context, it is no small wonder that India-Saudi Arabia relations have not only remained steady, but kept their positive trajectory.



Acknowledging core interests: Politically, New Delhi and Riyadh acknowledged each other’s

core

interests

and

accommodated

them.

Saudi Arabia’s position 

Thus, Saudi Arabia showed an “understanding” of recent Indian actions in Jammu and Kashmir and India “strongly condemned” the various attacks on Saudi civilian facilities. Their bilateral defence, security and anti-terror cooperation has intensified and the first naval exercise is to be held soon.



The Riyadh Summit acquired added importance as it coincidentally preceded two domestic developments in India with considerable traction in the Islamic world: the conversion of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories that happened on Thursday and the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute.



Despite vigorous efforts, the bilateral commercial and economic ties have still remained range-bound. Trade has drifted downwards largely due to lower crude prices.

Highlights of the bilateral trade between the countries



According to the latest Indian data, the bilateral trade in the first nine months of 2019 stood at $22,416 million, having fallen by 9.2% over the corresponding figure in 2018.

It was 5:1 in kingdom’s favour and was dominated by the traditional commodities, revealing the need for greater Indian export promotion efforts.



The Saudi investment in India, too, remains far below potential. The kingdom’s

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cumulative investments in India are only $229 million, or 0.05% of the total inbound FDI. 

Though the kingdom’s Indian community has come down marginally to 2.6 million, they, nevertheless, are still the largest foreign community and their annual homeward remittances remain steady at $11 billion.

New bilateral council



Setting up of a bilateral Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) to be co-chaired by the Indian Prime Minister and the Saudi Crown Prince is a defining development.



Given the centralised nature of executive at both ends, it would, hopefully, expedite the decision-making process. The SPC would be a permanent bilateral platform with two verticals jointly serviced by the two Foreign and Trade & Industry Ministries.

Among the potential areas for next stage of bilateral cooperation could be greater bilateral synergy in Indian infrastructure, agriculture, start-ups, skilling and IT. Way forward



There is growing room for optimism, however. The kingdom’s Vision 2030, a strategic document, lists eight major partner countries including India, the world’s third largest oil importer.



Saudi Aramco is to be one of the two strategic partners in the proposed $44 billion, 1.2 mbpd PSU refinery at Raigarh on India’s west coast. It is also to acquire a fifth of the Reliance refinery at Jamnagar and to participate in India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves. If realised, these investments could total nearly $30 billion, catapulting the kingdom to fourth position among countries investing in India.



Earlier, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had committed to investing $100 billion in India. As the 12 bilateral documents signed in Riyadh Summit show, India and Saudi Arabia have already commenced leveraging opportunities across a vast ecospace, from energy to agriculture and from fintech to skilling.

Conclusion



Shifting some labour-intensive establishments from Saudi Arabia to India would serve the respective national priorities by reducing the kingdom’s expatriate population and boosting ‘Make in India’.

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Current Affairs MCQ for UPSC Exams - 02 November 2019

Q1. The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter has detected Argon-40 on lunar exosphere from an altitude of approximately 100 kilometres recently. Which of the following statements regarding the same stands true ?

1) Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, hass a neutral mass spectrometer-based payload which can detect constituents in the lunar neutral exosphere in the range of 1-100 amu only.

2) Argon-40, which is one of the isotopes of the noble gas Argon, is an important constituent of the lunar exosphere which originates from the radioactive disintegration of Potassium-40

(40K),

which

has

a

half-life

of

~1.2

X

109

years.

3) Potassium is one of the 10 most abundant elements that together make up 99 percent of Earth’s crust and is therefore a major constituent of many rock-forming minerals. a) 1 & 2 only b) 2 & 3only c) 1 & 3 only d) all the above Q2. Which of the following countries are the signatories of the regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP) treaty ?

1) India 2) United States 3) China 4) Brazil 5) Australia

a) 1,2 & 3 only b) 1,3 & 5 only c) 2,3 & 4 only d) 2,4 & 5 only Q3. Consider the following statements regarding the supreme court mandated body Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) : 1) EPCA was constituted with the objective of ‘protecting and improving’ the quality of the environment and ‘controlling environmental pollution’ in the National Capital Region.

2) It was constituted in 1998 by environment ministry under The Air Pollution Control

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Current Affairs 2nd Nov 19 of

1955.

3) One of its primary functions involves enforcing the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in NCR as per the pollution levels.

Which of the above statements are true ?

a) 1 & 2 only b) 2 & 3only c) 1 & 3 only d) all the above Q4. Which of the following statements regarding the fiscal deficit containment scenario by the central government stands true ?

1) The government has budgeted the fiscal deficit at 3.3 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) for the current financial year, lower from 3.4 per cent in 2018-19.

2) According to the budget documents, the government's total expenditure is anticipated to grow at the rate 13.4 per cent, whereas the total non-debt receipts are projected to grow by 14.3 per cent.

3) The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Rules, 2004, specifies annual targets and mandates the central government to reduce the fiscal deficit by an amount equivalent to 1 per cent or more of GDP per year. a) 1 & 2 only b) 2 & 3only c) 1 & 3 only d) all the above Q5. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. It became home to the first Caribbean British and French colonies in the mid-1620s. It’s known for rainforested mountains and beaches of white, gray, and black sands and is located nearly 2000kms from Miami,U.S. The above description refers to which of the following countries/islands? a) Nauru b) Tuvalu c) Saint Kitts d) Marshall islands

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Current Affairs 2nd Nov 19 Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 02 November 2019

::NATIONAL:: Supreme court panel declares health emergency in NCR due to pollution 

A Supreme Court mandated panel on Friday declared a public health emergency in the Delhi-NCR region and banned construction activity till November 5.



Schools have been shut in Delhi, till November 5.As the pollution levels in the region entered the "severe plus" category", the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority also banned the bursting of crackers during the winter season.



Earlier, the EPCA had banned construction activities only for the period between 6 pm and 10 am till November 2. Now, no construction can take place even in daytime.



EPCA directed that all coal and other fuel-based industries, which have not shifted to natural gas or agro-residue, will remain shut in Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida, Bahadurgarh, Bhiwadi, Greater Noida, Sonepat, Panipat till the morning of November 5.



In Delhi, industries, which have not yet shifted to piped natural gas, will not operate during the period, it said.

UNESCO declares Mumbai and Hyderabad as eminent cities in film and gastronomy fields



UNESCO has designated Mumbai as a member of UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the field of FILM and Hyderabad in the field of GASTRONOMY. Culture Minister Shri Prahlad Singh Patel has congratulated the people of Mumbai and Hyderabad for this unique distinction.



UCCN, created in 2004, is a network of cities which are thriving, active centres of cultural activities in their respective countries. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network now counts a total of 246 cities.



The member cities that form part of the Network come from all continents and regions with different income levels and populations.



They work together towards a common mission: placing creativity and the creative economy at the core of their urban development plans to make cities safe, resilient,

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inclusive and sustainable, in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

The 7 categories for recognition under UCCN are Crafts and Folk Arts, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Music, Media Arts and Literature. Previously, 3 Indian cities were recognized as members of UCCN, namely- Jaipur-Crafts and Folk Arts(2015), Varanasi-Creative city of Music (2015),Chennai-Creative city of Music(2017)



Ministry of Culture is the nodal Ministry of Government of India for all matters in UNESCO relating to culture. ::ECONOMY:: DEA secretary claims govt. following glide path on fiscal deficit



The finance ministry on Friday said it was committed to following a glide path to reduce fiscal deficit notwithstanding slowdown in the economy impacting revenue collections. The government has budgeted the fiscal deficit at 3.3 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) for the current financial year, lower from 3.4 per cent in 2018-19.



The government is following a glide path on fiscal deficit, said Economic Affairs Secretary Atanu Chakraborty responding to a question in regard to government finances.



According to the budget documents, the government's total expenditure is anticipated to grow at the rate 13.4 per cent, whereas the total non-debt receipts are projected to grow by 14.3 per cent.



The government intends to gradually bring down fiscal deficit towards the target of 3 per cent of the GDP by March 31, 2021.



The fiscal deficit was 3.5 per cent of GDP during 2017-18 and 2016-17, down from 3.9 per cent in the previous fiscal.



The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Rules, 2004, specifies annual targets and mandates the central government to reduce the fiscal deficit by an amount equivalent to 0.1 per cent or more of GDP per year.



The latest data on goods and services tax collections for October showed that the

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indirect tax mop-up remained below Rs 1 lakh crore for the third month in a row.

NPCIL claims Kudankulam power plant safe from malware 

The NPCIL on Friday said its reactors at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu are "safe".



The Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), a public sector undertaking on Wednesday admitted to a malware attack on one of the computers in Kudankulam plant, a day after the plant authorities had asserted that cyber attacks on its systems are not possible.



NPCIL, a public sector undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy, had, in its statement, also said that the plant systems were not affected.



"Computerisation in nuclear power stations had taken a tremendous amount of time for implementation because the nuclear power generating countries were having doubts about the safety. Therefore, the systems that are involved in operating of our plants are completely independent and are never connected to any other system or the internet. This is as per international safety standards," DAE Secretary KN Vyas said.



The DAE, which carried out the investigations at the plant had revealed that the infected computer belonged to a user who was connected in the internet network used for administrative purposes.



On October 29, Kudankulam plant had allayed fears of a cyber attack on its systems after reports emerged that it had become a victim of a cyber attack.



The KKNPP is an Indo-Russian joint venture and units I and II of 1000 MWe capacity each and they have commenced commercial operations while Units III to VI is under construction. ::INTERNATIONAL:: India – Germany agrees to expand defence cooperation



India and Germany have acknowledged the need to further deepen bilateral defence cooperation as strategic partners to jointly address global and regional security challenges.



The Joint statement issued after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi

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and German Chancellor Angela Markel in New Delhi said that both sides agreed to develop stronger cooperation in Defence Industry testing and certification, especially for design certification of various systems. 

They also reaffirmed the importance of building Digital Partnership to intensify regular interaction

and

coordination

towards

collaboration

on

the

next-generation

technologies. 

Both sides said that strong and effective multilateral cooperation is key to secure peace, stability and prosperity. They said, major challenges of our time, by their nature and global scope, cannot be addressed by countries separately but must be tackled jointly.



The two leaders underlined the need for all countries to ensure that their territory is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries in any manner.



The two leaders stressed the importance of the combined effort of all countries to fight global terrorism and to send out a consistent message that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is not acceptable.

Indo-U.S financial and economic partnership meeting held



The 7th India - US Economic and Financial partnership meeting was held in New Delhi on Friday. It was co-chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Treasury Steven T Mnuchin.



Briefing reporters Ms Sitharaman said, during meeting both sides took stock of the efforts undertaken to further improve mutual cooperation on a wide range of multilateral subjects including anti-money laundering and combating financing of terrorism.



She said, both sides not only discussed policies to stimulate growth but also deliberated on the significant steps taken by both the countries to strengthen financial sector.



She said, they also discussed capital flows investment in infrastructure and deepening of financial relations. ::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:: Chandrayaan-2 detects Argon-40 in lunar exosphere

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Current Affairs 2nd Nov 19

The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter has detected Argon-40 on lunar exosphere from an altitude

of

approximately

100

kilometres,

informed

Indian

Space

Research

Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday. 

"The CHACE-2 payload aboard the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter has detected Argon-40 from an altitude of approximately 100 kilometres," tweeted ISRO.



Earlier this month, the ISRO had released images of the moon's surface clicked by Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC) onboard Chandrayaan-2.



The space agency had lost communication from its Lander Vikram which was supposed to soft-land on the far side of the moon on September 7.



The Lander successfully separated from Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter on September 2. After revolving the Earth's orbit for nearly 23 days, the craft began its journey to the moon on August 14. ::SPORTS:: India beats U.S in Olympic hockey qualifiers



Indian Hockey women's team beat United States of America 5-1 in Olympic qualifiers at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Friday. At half time, India was leading by 1-0.



A short-while from now, the Indian men's team will face Russia.Both the Indian teams will play matches against Russia and USA tomorrow also. The aggregate winners at the end of the two-match qualifier (each for men and women) will seal their places in the 2020 Tokyo Games.

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(The Gist of Kurukshetra) EMPOWERING WOMEN FARMERS [OCTOBER-2019] EMPOWERING WOMEN FARMERS 

Support for Women Food Security Groups (FSGs) Women farmer groups are recognised under ATMA Cafeteria as a compulsory activity at Rs. 0.10 lakh per group/year for attaining food security at the domestic or the household level, by setting up of kitchen garden, promoting off-farm activities with cattle (activities that otherwise evade the GDP computation).



Procurement of Agricultural Machinery and Equipments (Subsidy Pattern) Women farmers can avail benefits in tandem with, or over and above the benefits offered to men. For purchasing an essential agricultural equipment, say, tractor (up to 20 PTO HP), women get additional benefits, subsidies and cost reduction, for instance, 35 percent of the subsidy to the total cost, as compared with 25 percent of cost for men.



Representation of Women Farmers It is imperative for women farmers to be included in the decision making bodies - the State, District, Block Farmer Advisory Committees, ATMA governing committees etc.



Promoting Women Groups Women's groups, Cooperatives, Self Help Groups (SHGs) to be incorporated by the States for the distribution of Certified Seeds (under the aegis of the National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP)).



Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) Women are endowed with subsidies for storage infrastructure that includes a 33.33 percent subsidy (on capital cost) for women as compared to 25 per cent for men.



Agricultural Insurance Safeguarding coverage of women farmers along with a budget allocation and utilization in accordance with the population proportion.

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Current Affairs 2nd Nov 19 (The Gist of Kurukshetra) PROTECTED CULTIVATION [OCTOBER-2019]

PROTECTED CULTIVATION 

Protected cultivation or greenhouse cultivation is the most contemporary approach to produce, mainly, horticultural crops qualitatively and quantitatively and has spread extensively over the world in the last few decades. It is also known as Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and is highly productive, encourages water and land conservation as well as protects the environment.



The technology involves cultivation of horticultural crops in a controlled environment wherein factors like the temperature, humidity, light, soil, water, fertilisers etc. are manipulated to attain the maximum produce as well as allow a regular supply of them even during the off-season.



By adopting protected cultivation technology, the growers can look forward to a better and additional remuneration for quality produce. The main purpose of protected cultivation is to create a favourable environment for the sustained growth of crop, so as to realise its maximum potential even in adverse climatic conditions.



Protected cultivation technology offers several advantages to produce vegetables, flowers, hybrid seeds of high quality with minimum risks that arise due to uncertainty of weather while at the same time ensuring efficient use of resources.



This becomes relevant to farmers having small land holdings who would be benefitted by a technology, which helps them to produce more crops each year from their land, particularly during the off-season when the prices are higher. This kind of crop production system could be adopted as a profitable agro-enterprise, especially in periurban areas.



At present, there is a large gap between the demand and production of these crops to meet both quantitative and qualitative needs of domestic and export markets which are difficult to be bridged with the traditional cultivation practices.

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Thus, protected high-value horticultural crops have great potential to enhance income especially of small farmers in India if appropriate technological interventions are made.

Compiled & Published by A.Narayana Prasad.,

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UPSC Portal

Current Affairs 2nd Nov 19

(The Gist of Kurukshetra) INTEGRATED CROP MANAGEMENT (ICM) [OCTOBER-2019]

INTEGRATED CROP MANAGEMENT (ICM) 

ICM suggests the use of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) such ns Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), Integrated Weed Management (IWM), Integrated Disease Management (IDM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM), etc.for raising a good crop. Thus, ICM is an alternative system of crop production, which conserves and enhances natural resources while producing quality food on an economically viable and sustainable foundation.

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It also covers integrated tillage and water management approaches in a holistic manner. It combines the best of traditional methods with appropriate modern technology for balancing the economic production of crops with positive environmental management. ICM is particularly beneficial for small and marginal farmers because it aims to minimise dependence on purchased inputs while utilizing on-farm resources.

Compiled & Published by A.Narayana Prasad.,

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