07 MAY 2024

Elected Women Representatives Of PRI Participated In CPD57 Side Event

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

Context

• Elected Women Representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions participated in the United Nations Commission on Population and Development (CPD57) Side Event: “Localizing the SDGs: Women in Local Governance in India Lead the Way” at New York.

Status of Reservation for Women in Panchayati Raj Institutions in India

• The Constitution 73rd and 74th Amendment Acts, mandated the reservation of one-third of seats for women in Panchayati Raj institutions and offices of the chairperson at all levels of Panchayati Raj institutions, and in urban local bodies respectively.
• Out of the total 1/3rd seats reserved for women, 33% had to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. 
• One-third of the seats of office-bearers and chairpersons at all levels had to be reserved for women as well.

Role of Women in Local Governance

• Over a million women across India are elected members of around 2.6 lakh gram panchayats in the country.
• Advocacy for Women’s Issues: Women representatives often advocate for gender-sensitive policies and programs, addressing issues such as women’s health, education, sanitation, and livelihood opportunities.
  •  Their presence ensures that the concerns of women and marginalized communities are prioritized in local development agendas.
• Decision-making: Women’s participation in local governance has facilitated decision-making processes that are more inclusive and reflective of diverse community needs.
  • They contribute to policy formulation, budget allocation, and implementation of welfare schemes at the grassroots level.
• Community Development: Women in local governance play a crucial role in driving community development initiatives, including infrastructure development, environmental conservation, and social welfare programs. 
• Empowerment and Social Change: Through their participation in local governance, women gain leadership skills, confidence, and a platform to challenge traditional gender roles and stereotypes.
  • Their presence inspires other women and girls to actively engage in civic and political processes, leading to broader social empowerment and gender equality.
  • Women members of gram panchayats can address the problem of exclusion of the poorest women – by reaching services to women working in brick kilns, poultry farms, plantations, sugarcane harvesting groups, and other migrant groups.

Suggestions

• One important way to improve women’s participation in gram sabhas is with the involvement of women’s self-help groups (SHGs). 
  • Some States, such as Karnataka, have special gram sabhas for women in addition to regular gram sabhas. 
  • At such assemblies, women can raise their issues to the elected panchayat members as well as to the field officials. 
• Further, contemporary tools like data visualisation, text to speech, and smartphone applications can greatly simplify and make accessible key information, without dilution, especially for women members who may be semi-literate or illiterate.

Conclusion

• Overall, women’s participation in local governance in India has led to more inclusive and responsive decision-making, enhanced accountability, and improved development outcomes at the grassroots level. 
• However, challenges such as patriarchal attitudes, limited resources, and capacity-building constraints continue to impact the full realization of women’s potential in local governance.

Panchayati Raj System in India – In the early 1950s, the first National Development Council (Balwant Rai Mehta Committee report) recommended the formation of a democratic system of governance at the grassroot level.  – In 1993, by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, the Panchayat system came to be implemented in the rural areas to allow for development to happen at grassroot level. – There are three levels: a. Gram Panchayat: This is the village council, the most basic level. b. Block Panchayat: This council looks after a group of villages. c. Zila Panchayat: This is the district council, overseeing a larger area. – Panchayati Raj is important because it brings democracy down to the village level.

Source: PIB  

  Spices Industry of India

Syllabus : GS 3/Economy

In News

• Every day new countries are raising concerns about the quality of Indian spices.

About the Issue

• Hong Kong and Singapore banned the sale of popular brands MDH and Everest after detecting carcinogenic chemical ethylene oxide in their products.
  • This led to a mandatory recall from shelves.
• The Spices Board of India in response has initiated mandatory testing of products shipped abroad and is reportedly working with exporters to identify the root cause of contamination.
• Controversies have also engulfed other items like protein drinks, fruit juices, health drinks and imported Nestle baby products, drawing attention to regulatory lapses and heightening health concerns.

About Spices industry in Industry

• India is the world’s largest spice producer and It is also the largest consumer and exporter of spices. 
• Production: The production of different spices has been growing rapidly over the last few years.
  • Production in 2022-23 stood at 11.14 million tonnes compared to 11.12 million tonnes in 2021-22. During 2022-23, the export of spices from India stood at US$ 3.73 billion from US$ 3.46 billion in 2021-22.
  • India produces about 75 of the 109 varieties which are listed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). 

• The most produced and exported spices : Pepper, cardamom, chilli, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, celery, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, nutmeg & mace, curry powder, spice oils and oleoresins. Out of these spices, chilli, cumin, turmeric, ginger and coriander makeup about 76% of the total production.
• The largest spice-producing states in India : Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
• Export: In 2023-24, India’s spice exports totalled $4.25 billion, accounting for a 12% share of the global spice exports.
  • India exported spices and spice products to 159 destinations worldwide as of 2023-24 (until February 2024). The top destinations among them were China, the USA, Bangladesh, the UAE, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the UK, and Sri Lanka. These nine destinations comprised more than 70% of the total export earnings in 2023-24 (until February 2024).

Government’s Initiatives 

• Spices Board of India: It is the flagship organization for the development and worldwide promotion of Indian spices. It was established by the Spices Board Act, 1986.
  • It acts as a link between Indian exporters and importers abroad. 
• Export Development and Promotion of Spices : It aims to support the exporter to adopt high-tech processing technologies and upgrade the existing level of technology for the development of industry and to meet the changing food safety standards of the importing countries. 
• Setting up and maintenance of infrastructure for common processing (Spices Parks)
  • Spices Board has launched eight crop-specific Spices Parks in key production/market centres intending to facilitate the farmers to get an improved price realization and wider reach for their produce. 

Issues and Concerns 

• Indian spice traders and producers are facing challenges like food safety, sustainability and traceability. 
• Operational: India’s diverse food landscape, the lack of standardised recordkeeping and intentional food fraud may prevent manufacturers from efficiently tracing ingredients and assessing potential risks, compromising the safety of the entire food supply chain.
• Logistic barriers: At least 10 States/Union Territories lack government or private notified food testing labs, as mandated under the FSS Act.
  • These labs are distributed unevenly across regions; have insufficient number of food safety officers; and were found to operate ineffectively due to resource constraints. 
• The absent accountability and consequences often mean enforcement agencies fail to penalise unscrupulous food operators
  • Under Section 59 of the FSS Act, food businesses found guilty of selling, storing or manufacturing sub-standard foods can be penalised with a ₹3 lakh penalty and a three-month jail term.
• FSSAI’s operations often lack transparency, which “hinders efforts to meet safety standards”, build accountability and trust
  • Surveys that flagged contamination in products like milk and jaggery “have not resulted in positively addressing the rampant practice of adulteration”.

Suggestions and conclusion 

• India needs to address the quality issue with regard to its spice exports with urgency and transparency as the ongoing quality concerns could threaten over half of the country’s spice shipments.
• There is a need for stricter regulatory measures and transparency in food production and safety industry standards. 
• Swift investigations and the publication of findings are essential to re-establish global trust in Indian spices
• There should be a commitment to proactive monitoring and enforcement, rather than reactive responses to individual incidents.”

Source:TH

Newly Discovered Organelle to Fix Nitrogen

Syllabus: GS3/Science and Technology

Context

• Recently researchers have discovered the “nitroplast” where a prokaryotic cell is engulfed by a eukaryotic cell and evolves into an nitrogen-fixing organelle.