GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

The Pashu sakhi initiative of the Jharkhand government which was started in 2013, for last mile coverage of livestock management has shown successful ground results and is seen to be implemented in other rural areas.

• Aim: To advise farmers about health check-ups for their livestock, vaccinations, de-worming, hygiene, breeding, feeding, and the management of animal waste.
• The project was conceived under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, with the objective of building a line of community resource persons.
• Pashu Sakhi, which means ‘friends of animals, is a woman from the village trained to handle routine medical requirements for animals, including cows, buffaloes, bulls, poultry and goats.
• While they are not trained to handle surgical interventions, they can identify diseases, provide medication, and vaccinations, and suggest remedial or preventive actions.
• Pashu Sakhi is a Community Animal care Service Provider (CASP) this will enable the last mile coverage in rural areas where clinical services for livestock are not available on time or expensive to afford for the rural poor.

Fund allocation: In 2017-18, the Jharkhand Opportunities for Harnessing Rural Growth (JOHAR) took the project under its wing and the World Bank began funding it.

Objective:

• The objective of this model is to make livestock-based livelihoods sustainable and viable enterprises for the rural poor.
• There will be a specific focus on the ultra-poor households who have limited or no access to land or other factors of production.
• It would build a strong extension network of livestock workers who are community-based practitioners and are accountable to community institutions.
• The model would aim at strengthening the existing livelihoods of the rural poor by bringing a clear impetus to livestock-related activities.

Need of the initiative:

• Jharkhand’s livestock production is in the hands of marginal and landless farmers, with women accounting for over 70% of the production. In fact, many of the pashu sakhisown livestock themselves.

Key features:

• The pashu sakhisare put through a three-level (introductory, practical, and upper) 30-day training programme over seven-day tranches on how to take care of poultry, goats, and pigs.
• After the training, they provide technical expertise on taking care of livestock, advise fellow villagers on the economic benefits of rearing livestock for sale, and connect farmers to producer groups and traders, helping them get better access to markets to sell their produce.
• About 30 pashu sakhi have also been trained with 45 days of additional training in livestock management.
• They will act as a medium of the interface between the Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department and the rural poor by linking the HHS to the nearest Veterinary aid centre at the time of need.

Significance:

• The pashu sakhisor doctor didis of Jharkhand have contributed to achieving the mortality rate of goats which has come down by about 30% and of poultry by 40%.
• It tends to develop livelihood options among the village women and respect among the villagers.
• The initiative has included livestock rearing awareness across the tribal communities and makes them independent.

According to a new report by the United Nations (UN), the number of persons aged 65 years or older worldwide is expected to double over the next three decades.

• Report named: “World Social Report 2023: Leaving no one behind in an ageing world.”
• Released by: The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
• Key findings:
• The elderly population will reach 1.6 billion in 2050, accounting for more than 16 per cent of the global population.
• North Africa, West Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are expected to experience the fastest growth in the number of older people over the next three decades, while Europe and North America combined now have the highest share of older persons.
• Inequality in ageing: Women live longer than men on average and the rich longer than the poor.
• Economically, women’s lower levels of formal labour market participation, shorter working lives and lower wages during working years lead to more economic insecurity in later life.
• Developed vs. developing countries: In more developed regions, public transfer systems, including pensions and health care, provide over two-thirds of the consumption by older persons.
• In less developed regions, older persons tend to work longer and rely more on accumulated assets or family assistance.
• Recommendations:
• The report recommended that countries rethink long-held policies and practices associated with livelihoods and work. 
• To employ old age people throughout people’s lifetimes to promote labour market participation, increase productivity, uphold good health and prevent poverty.
• To set policies to reduce inequality and promote economic security at older ages in a fiscally sustainable manner, considering pensions and health care.

Concerns highlighted:

• The inequality in gender differences stems partly from poor nutrition and exposure to environmental and occupational hazards that are more common among men and people with limited income and education.
• Public spending in most countries has not been sufficient to cover the growing demand for long-term care.

India’s ageing population profile:

• There are nearly 138 million elderly persons in India in 2021, including 67 million men and 71 million women, according to the report.
• An increase of nearly 34 million elderly persons was seen in 2021 over the population census of 2011. This number is expected to increase by 56 million by 2031.

Policy challenges posed by increased population:

• Ensuring income security for the elderly
• Mitigating the fiscal costs that arise from a high old-age dependency ratio
• Lack of dedicated service and product outlets
• Isolation of seniors in a changing society
• Increasing healthcare costs
• Mental health issues
• Lack of financial support
• In addition, most of the aged are not accorded the dignity of care they deserve in later life.

Why Elderly should be considered assets?

The elderly are assets not only for the family but also for the society and nation. It can be seen from their knowledge and experience in various domains below-

• Economic aspects-
  • Many private and government companies retain the retired person to harness their knowledge and experience. Similarly, the government retains civil servants and many politicians continue to serve and get re-elected for a long time beyond retirement age. Thus, there is a need to recognise and replicate this model in other areas of economic relevance.
• Personal life experience-
  • Elder people have faced many aspects of life in comparison to children and adults. The joint family system for generations has seen the passage of knowledge from generation to generation. It has benefitted adults to understand social change, become more Emotionally Intelligent to tackle problems of life, and understand the significance of many aspects like health and fitness.
• Traditional knowledge-
  • Technology has given new aspects to life and brought many socio-economic benefits. But it is also important to realise the importance of the traditional and cultural values that the elderly possess. For instance, the COVID pandemic has made people realise the benefits of boosting immunity with traditional foods like ‘Golden milk’ and ‘Giloy’ which has gained mass acceptance.
• Focus on balanced and sustainable life-
  • The greater focus on industrialisation has neglected the environmental aspects and thus leads to a loss of biodiversity. But the negative consequences of reckless industrialisation have made us realise old saying, which focussed less on monetary aspects and more on social and environmental aspects to maintain intergenerational parity.

Measures for the elderly-

Considering the potential of the elderly as assets, various constitutional, legislative and social steps are taken in India for the benefit of the elderly and to prevent discrimination against them.

• National Policy for Older Persons 1999- This policy included the following steps-
  • Setting up a pension fund for ensuring security for those persons who have been serving in the unorganized sector
  • Construction of old age homes and daycare centres for every 34 districts
  • Establishment of resource centres and reemployment bureaus for people above 60 years
  • Concessional rail/airfares for travel within and between cities, i.e., 30% discount on trains and 50% on Indian Airlines.
  • Enacting legislation for ensuring compulsory geriatric care in all public hospitals.
• Insurance for the elderly-
  • Ayushmaan Bharat Scheme- It is the government’s health insurance scheme which includes various former schemes for the elderly such as Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS) and Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY).
  • Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN)- The scheme provides financial assistance to patients, living below the poverty line and who are suffering from major life-threatening diseases, to receive medical treatment at any of the super speciality Hospitals/Institutes or other Government hospitals.
• LIC Insurances schemes- It has been providing several schemes for aged persons like Jeevan Dhara Yojana, Jeevan Akshay Yojana and Medical Insurance Yojana.
  • Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (MWPSC) Act, 2007-
  • It was enacted to provide financial security, welfare and protection for senior citizens. It requires children to provide maintenance for their parents, and the government to provide old age homes and ensure medical care for senior citizens.
• Other steps-
  • Tax benefits to elderly persons under Section- 88B, 88D and 88DDB of the Income Tax Act.
  • The government also proposed to allot 10% of the houses constructed under government schemes for the urban and rural lower-income segments to older persons on easy loans.

The Basmati rice, which has fluctuating prices and no MSP, offers hope as the best alternative to paddy and is seen as a commercial crop by the farmers in Punjab.

• Let us see the economics associated with Basmati in the region.
  
  

• Basmati, meaning ‘Queen of Fragrance’ is a variety of long-grain rice, famous for its fragrance and delicate flavour.
• Basmati rice has been reported in India since the early days of the 19th Century though it may have been named differently. Basmati is a variety of long-grain rice which is traditionally from India. It was also called Oryza Sativa.
• Indian Basmati Rice is famous worldwide for its quality and aroma.
• Varieties found: There are several varieties of basmati rice namely;
• 1121 Sella/Steam/Raw, Pusa Sella/Steam/Raw, Sugantha Sella/Steam/Raw, Sharbati Sella/Steam/Raw.
• Pusa & Sugantha is also called the name of super Kernel Basmati Rice.
• This rice is different from other rice mainly due to the aroma and elongation post-cooking. No other rice has this combined characteristic.
• The post-cooking elongation of more than twice its original length, the aroma and its sweet taste has made basmati rice a delicacy.

How much area could be increased under Basmati in Punjab?

• In Punjab, nearly 30-31 lakh hectares (74 to 76 lakh acres) are dedicated to the rice crop (in the Kharif season), out of which 25-26 lakh hectares come under paddy.
• The area under the Basmati crop has remained between 4-5 lakh hectares over the last several years.
• Basmati’s early and late varieties are sown between June and July and harvested in September and October.
• Rice exporters say there is a huge demand for Basmati, and the state has the potential to grow it in vast areas.
• It is estimated by experts that at least 10 lakh hectares could easily be brought under the Basmati crop in the state, which will help reduce the area under paddy.

Why do farmers prefer Basmati over paddy cultivation?

• Duration of crops: Punjab grows both short-duration and long-duration paddy varieties.
• The average yield of short and long-duration paddy varieties is around 28 and 36 quintals per acre, respectively.
• The average yield of these varieties is between 20 and 25 quintals per acre — which is 8-10 quintals less per acre as compared to paddy.
• Less water intensive:
• Experts say that 4,000 litres of water are required to grow a kilo of paddy.
• Basmati cultivation, on the other hand, is largely dependent on rainwater as it takes place during the main monsoon season.
• Basmati cultivation can also reduce stubble burning— farmers use its stubble for fodder.
• Less use of fertilisers: It hardly needs any pesticides.
• The state government bans the sale of around 10 pesticides during the Basmati-growing season for the past five years, which indicates that it does not need those chemicals.

How Basmati is procured?

• Paddy is procured by the Union government on MSP for distribution under the Public Distribution System.
• Basmati is neither procured by the government nor has any fixed price.
• It is procured by traders and exporters as Indian Basmati has large demand abroad.

Benefits of basmati cultivation for Punjab farmers:

• Basmati as a premier and heritage product of Punjab:
• It is known for its flavour, length and taste due to Punjab’s excellent weather, soil and irrigation (through the river and canal water).
• Also, Punjab is among the states and Union Territories (Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are the others) that have a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Basmati.
• The annual Basmati rice export from India is around 4 million tons (worth Rs. 36,000 crores), out of which Punjab contributes between 35 to 40 per cent.

Suggestive measures for Government interventions:

• A testing lab has already been set up in Amritsar to help farmers.
• The government is educating farmers about the judicious use of only authorised pesticides.
• Exporters also said that pesticides unregistered in the EU and the USA are freely available for sale in India, which needs to tighten regulatory control over the sale and distribution of such products.

Challenges:

• Overdependence on commercial crops
• less production of paddy and local rice varieties
• Maximum use of soil is an exploitative regime
• More exports can make a shortage of rice distribution for the poor.
• The advantage to exporters and middlemen as no MSP has been set up by the government

Recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that the James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its first new exoplanet named LHS 475 b, of the same size as Earth.

The James Webb Telescope:

• NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the agency's successor to the famous Hubble telescope, launched on Dec. 25, 2021, on a mission to study the earliest stars and peer back farther into the universe's past than ever before.
• The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest, most powerful space telescope ever built.
• It is able to observe objects in our solar system from Mars outward, look inside dust clouds to see where new stars and planets are forming and examine the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars.
• The James Webb Space Telescope will use its infrared cameras to see through dust in our universe.
• Stars and planets form inside those dust clouds, so peeking inside could lead to exciting new discoveries.
• It will also be able to see objects (like the first galaxies) that are so far away that the expansion of the universe has made their light shift from visible to infrared Webb has a sun shield to protect its instruments and mirrors as the Webb telescope’s cameras are sensitive to heat from the Sun.

What are exoplanets?

• Exoplanets are planets that orbit other stars and are beyond our solar system.

• Characteristics:

• They can be gas giants bigger than Jupiter or as small and rocky as Earth.
• They are also known to have different kinds of temperatures, from boiling hot to freezing cold.

The LHS 475 b exoplanet:

• It is located just 41 light-years away and the planet orbits very close to a red dwarf star and completes a full orbit in just two days.
• LHS 475 b is relatively close, 41 light-years away, and belongs to the constellation Octans.

Why they are studied?

• Studying exoplanets broadens our understanding of other solar systems and also helps us piece together information about our own planetary system and origin.
• However, the most compelling reason to learn about them is to find the answer to one of the most profound and thought-provoking questions of humankind.
• Finding out the distance between an exoplanet and its host star helps scientists determine if a discovered world is habitable or not.
• If an exoplanet is too close to the star, it might be too hot to sustain liquid water. If it’s too far, it might only have frozen water.
• When a planet is at a distance that enables it to have liquid water, it is said to be in the “Goldilocks zone”.

How they are discovered?

• Discovering exoplanets is quite tough as they are small and hard to spot around their bright host stars.
• Scientists rely on indirect methods, such as the transit method, which is measuring the dimming of a star that happens to have a planet pass in front of it.