GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

India’s total fertility rate (TFR) is projected to decline to 1.29 children per woman by 2050 and slip further to 1.04 by 2100, according to a recent study by Lancet on global fertility rates.

Key-findings of the Lancet Study

• The study suggests that India’s TFR, or the average number of children born to a woman, has been seeing a decline over the last century, with the fertility rate falling from 6.18 children per woman in 1950 to a projected 1.29 children per woman by 2050. 
• The study stated that India has already fallen below the replacement level of fertility, required for a population to exactly replace one generation with another.
• In 2021, India’s TFR was at 1.91 children per woman, below the necessary replacement fertility level of 2.1. 
• The decline in TFR is in line with global trends, stating that its estimates forecast a decline in fertility rates all around the globe, over the coming century.

1: Dimension-Reasons behind the fall in the fertility rate

• Delayed marriages: With the delay in the age of marriage, the average age of first pregnancy has dropped from the mid-20’s to mid to late 30’s.  
• Women’s workforce participation: An increase in female literacy and women’s workforce participation leads to busy lifestyles in urban areas and high stress jobs. It leads people to not consider having children at all.
• Other factors: The decline in fertility rates is also influenced by factors such as extreme shifts in the global distribution of live births due to:
  • improved female education
  • increasing usage of modern contraception methods

2: Dimension-Implications for the Economy

• Imbalance: Such a trend will pose challenges such as an ageing population, labour force shortages, and potential social imbalances due to gender preferences in the country. 
• Burdened economy: The plummeting fertility rate in developed or high-income countries may result in an ageing population, burdening national health insurance, social security programmes, and healthcare infrastructure.
• Political instability and security difficulties: While the declining fertility rates might appear as a green signal for the environment, the uneven concentration of live births can lead to tense situations across the globe.

3: Dimension-Required Measures

• Economic policies that stimulate growth and job creation, alongside social security and pension reforms are essential in adapting to and mitigating the impacts of declining fertility rates.
• Higher male engagement in household activities: For women to be able to manage careers with motherhood, it would be crucial for men to take greater responsibility for household and care work.

India is preparing to replace the minimum wage with living wage by 2025 and has sought technical assistance from the International Labour Organization (ILO) to create a framework for estimating and operationalising these.

1: Dimension- Issues in India’s Minimum Wage Rate

• Disparities among states: In India, the disparity in minimum wage rates across states poses a challenge for foreign companies seeking to establish offices or facilities within the country.
  • Unlike implementing a uniform national standard, each state in India sets its minimum wage, contributing to complexities for businesses navigating the diverse regulatory landscape.
• Ineffective implementation of Acts: The minimum wage regulation fell under the jurisdiction of the Minimum Wages Act of 1948. Although India notified the Code on Wages Act in 2019, trying to replace four labor regulations, including the Payment of Wages Act of 1936, the Payment of Bonus Act of 1965, and the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976, in addition to the Minimum Wages Act of 1948, the Code on Wages Act has not been implemented since notification.
• Type of employment: Of the nearly 500 million strong workforce, most of them are employed with the unorganised sector, this segment falls outside the purview of scrutiny. As a result of which, in many cases even the conditions of a minimum wage are not met.

2: Dimension- Significance of the Shift and Multidimensional Approach

• Integrating health, education, and living standards into the calculation of living wages strengthens India’s national poverty assessment framework that employs multidimensional indicators.
• There is need for a comprehensive evaluation encompassing economic, social, and demographic factors to determine an equitable living wage standard tailored to the nation’s development trajectory.
• With over 500 million workers in India’s labor force, the transition to living wages represents a monumental step towards socioeconomic equality and sustainable growth.

Activists from Kodagu have urged the state government to put an end to the large-scale commercialization of land in the Cauvery River catchment area, noting that the rampant land use change has affected the water inflow to the river.

About Kaveri River

• Kaveri River, sacred river of southern India.
• It rises on Brahmagiri Hill of the Western Ghats in southwestern Karnataka state, flows in a southeasterly direction for 475 miles (765 km) through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and descends the Eastern Ghats in a series of great falls.
• Before emptying into the Bay of Bengal south of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, the river breaks into a large number of distributaries forming a wide delta called the “garden of southern India.”
• Known to devout Hindus as Daksina Ganga (“Ganges of the South”), the Kaveri River is celebrated for its scenery and sanctity in Tamil literature, and its entire course is considered holy ground.

The European Union is investigating Apple, Google, and Meta for potential violations of the new Digital Markets Act, which aims to curb the power of big tech companies and create a more level playing field for smaller businesses.

About Digital Markets Act (DMA)

• The DMA is a groundbreaking European law aiming to prevent large online platforms that connect consumers with content, goods, and services from abusing their market power.
• The DMA aims to ensure contestable and fair markets in the digital sector.
• It regulates gatekeepers, which are large digital platforms that provide an important gateway between business users and consumers, whose position can grant them the power to create a bottleneck in the digital economy.
• The European Commission believes that keeping the big internet companies in check can lead to more competition and choice, greater innovation, better quality, and lower prices.

China has introduced a new heavyweight in its aerial arsenal, the Z-20 attack helicopter, surpassing the capabilities of its predecessors, the Z-10 and Z-19, with a robust 10-tonne capacity.

• The strategic addition of the Z-20, which is now being referred to as the Z-21 for its attack configuration, is viewed by military analysts as a crucial element in potential conflicts involving Taiwan or India.
• Objective: to conduct close air support and airborne anti-armor missions.
• Z-20 attack helicopter shares the characteristics of three aircraft: the American AH-64, the Russian Mi-28 attack helicopters, and the Z-20 medium utility helicopter.
• Need of Z-20: The PLA currently employs both the Z-19 light attack/reconnaissance and the Z-10 medium attack helicopters in the attack helicopter role, but both lack the necessary firepower for them to fulfill the role.
• The Z-19 and Z-10 are comparable to the OH-58 Kiowa and the AH-1Z helicopters, which are considered reconnaissance and light attack helicopters, respectively.

Marking a significant milestone for the Navy in three decades, India simultaneously deployed 11 conventional submarines for operations.

Conventional Submarines in India

• Currently, India operates 16 conventional submarines, including five Kalvari-class (French Scorpene), four HDWs Shishumar-class (German Type-209) and seven Sindhugosh-class (Russian Kilo) submarines. An additional Scorpene class (Kalvari-class submarine) is still to be commissioned. 
• Operational Availability:
  • Scorpene class: The Scorpene submarines are brand new, hence, their availability ratio is much higher.
  • HDWs (German): The German HDWs are the most reliable and high on performance. These submarines will last another 10-15 years.
  • Kilo-class (Russian): The Kilos are very good but their availability ratio is down. Also, they have undergone upgrades. Most of them were commissioned in the 1980s and one of them has already been decommissioned.

The Supreme Court has recently appointed an expert committee to look into the preservation of the Great Indian Bustard which is "non-negotiable" and "need for sustainable development in the context of meeting the international commitments of the country towards promoting renewable sources of energy.

About Great Indian Bustard

• The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), is a bustard native to the Indian subcontinent. Bustards are large terrestrial birds found in dry grasslands and steppe regions. It is also known as the Indian Bustard; it is among the heaviest of flying birds in existence.
• It is the State bird of Rajasthan and is considered India’s most critically endangered bird.
• It is considered the flagship grassland species, representing the health of the grassland ecology.
• Latest survey shows the number of GIB reached alarmingly to 150 including 25 GIBs in captive government’s breeding centre.
• Protection Status:
  • International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List: Critically Endangered
  • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix I
  • Convention on Migratory Species (CMS):Appendix I
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule 1
• Factors led to these birds to the verge of extinction: Low birth rate, poaching, predation, ecological factors, frequent collisions with overhead power transmission lines and habitat destruction are some of the causes that have pushed these birds to the verge of extinction.

Researchers have named a new species of deep-sea isopod discovered off the Kollam coast after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

• The tiny fish-parasitic crustacean, belonging to the genus Brucethoa, was recovered from the base of the gill cavity of the Spinyjaw greeneye, a marine fish.
• The new species has been named Brucethoa isroin honour of the Indian space agency’s successful space missions, including the recent successful lunar mission titled Chandrayaan-3.
• Brucethoa isro adds to the biodiversity of marine life in the Kollam coastal region.

Researchers unveiled two previously unknown species (Binturong and Small-clawed otter) within the dense forests of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. 

• Binturong (Arctictis binturong):
  • The binturong, also known as the bearcat, is a mammal indigenous to South and Southeast Asia.
  • This elusive creature, known for its nocturnal behaviour and preference for arboreal habitats, is rarely encountered.
  • It is particularly scarce within its range, with its distribution in India limited to the Northeast.
  • Classified as a vulnerable species by the IUCN due to dwindling numbers, the binturong faces significant threats to its survival.
• Small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus):
  • The small-clawed otter, recognised as the smallest otter species globally, boasts a widespread distribution that stretches from India across South and Southeast Asia to southern China.
  • This unique otter species is adapted to a variety of aquatic habitats, including rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands, where they forage for fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic prey.
  • The species is included in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.