Daily Practice Sheet 29 March 2021

Daily Practice Sheet

29 March 2021

Daily Prelims Topic

• Free movement Regime
• Public Accounts Committee
• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
• Composite water management index
• Judicial Review
• Avian influenza (H5N1)

Daily Mapping

• Indonesia

Daily Data

Unemployment

• The unemployment rate has fallen 7 per cent for the 15 and above age population in recent months. (CMIE)
• Among casual wage workers employed during the January-March quarter in 2020, 50 per cent joined the ranks of unemployed and another 10 per cent exited the labour force.
• Only one out of three casual workers in urban areas could hold on to their job with another 5 per cent moving into the self-employed category. The regular salaried workers fared better but even among them 10 per cent lost jobs and another 5 per cent moved out of the labour force.

Water crisis in India

• As per the Central Water Commission’s reassessment of water availability using space inputs (2019), India receives a mean annual precipitation of about 3,880 billion cubic meters (BCM) but utilizes only 699 BCM (18 percent) of this; the rest is lost to evaporation and other factors. The demand for water is likely to be 843 BCM in 2025 and 1,180 BCM by 2050.
• As per the Niti Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index (2019), 75 per cent households in India do not have access to drinking water on their premises and India ranks 120th amongst 122 countries in the water quality index.
• India is identified as a water stressed country with its per capita water availability declining from 5,178 cubic metre (m3)/year in 1951 to 1,544 m3 in 2011 — this is likely to go down further to 1,140 cubic metre by 2050.
• Agriculture uses about 78 per cent of fresh water resources.

Nutri Cereals:

• The central government hereby declares millets comprising Sorghum (Jowar), Pearl Millet (Bajra), Finger Millet (Ragi/Mandua), Minor Millets — Foxtail Millet (Kangani/Kakun), Proso Millet (Cheena), Kodo Millet (Kodo), Barnyard Millet (Sawa/Sanwa/ Jhangora), Little Millet (Kutki) and two Pseudo Millets (Black-wheat (Kuttu) and Ameranthus (Chaulai) which have high nutritive value as “Nutri Cereals” for production, consumption and trade point of view.
• According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, compared to rice Fox tail millet has 81% more protein, Little millet has 840% higher fat, 350% higher fiber and 1,229% higher quantity of iron. There has been demand to declare these crops as Nutri Cereals to boost its demand and allow farmers to get higher prices. Even noted agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan had suggested the name change in 2006.

Daily Mains Mantra

GS2: Polity

1. Discuss role of identity in Indian politics. [Reference: Indian Express]
2. The Places of Worship Act protects and secures the fundamental values of the Constitution Comment. [Reference: The Hindu]
3. Electoral bonds are red herring that divert attention from the real problem of political funding. Discuss. [Reference: The Hindu]

GS3: Economics

1. What do you mean by jobless growth? Discuss how jobless growth is a bigger pandemic and has India been witnessing this phenomenon? Also, suggest measures to improve employment scenario. [Reference: Indian Express]
2. Technological solutions for water-intensive crops can make use of water more sustainably but it need right incentives, and agri-input pricing has to be on the right track. Explain. [Reference: Indian Express]
3. As the economy advances towards incentivizing wealth creation, environmental sustainability and technologically proficiency, urbanization acceleration is inevitable. Comment. [Reference: Financial Express]
4. What are nutria cereals? Discuss their significance. [Reference: Financial Express]

GS 4: Ethics

1. What do you understand by discipline? Why it is important in nation’s development? [Reference: India Times]
2. What do you understand by taboos? How to tackle them? [Reference: The Hindu]