1) Slower growth in ageing economies is not inevitable

Ageing slows growth in several ways. One is that there are fewer new workers to boost output.
Workforces in some 40 countries are already shrinking because of demographic change. As the
number of elderly people increases, governments may neglect growth-boosting public
investment in education and infrastructure in favour of spending on pensions and health care.
People in work, required to support ever more pensioners, must pay higher taxes. But the
biggest hit to growth comes from weakening productivity. A study published in 2016, for
example, examined economic performance across American states. It found that a rise of 10%
in the share of a state’s population that is over 60 cuts the growth rate of output per person by
roughly half a percentage point, with two-thirds of that decline due to weaker growth in
productivity.
(134 words)
Link: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2019/03/28/slower-growth-in-
ageing-economies-is-not-inevitable
2)Poisoned and over-exploited, many rivers are in a parlous state
But the water remains polluted and dangerous to health, and the Ganges’ flow is weakening, in
part because of the hydroelectric dams on its upper reaches. A study in 2018 found its flow in
some stretches may have fallen by 50% since the 1970s. Climate change has actually
encouraged the damming of the river. By one reckoning about 70% of the Ganges’ flow is
contributed by meltwater from the Himalayan glaciers from where it springs. Engineers had
assumed that, as temperatures rise, more ice would melt, increasing the river’s flow and hence
its hydroelectric potential. In fact, it has declined in the past few years, because the aquifers
supplying Himalayan rivers have been shrinking as winter precipitation drops. In the long run,
however, the fate of the glaciers might doom the great rivers. A study published in February by
the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, a think-tank in Nepal, warned
that even on relatively benign forecasts of global warming, more than a third of Himalayan
glaciers will have melted by 2100, with river flows declining from the 2060s.
(179 words)
Link: https://www.economist.com/special-report/2019/02/28/poisoned-and-over-
exploited-many-rivers-are-in-a-parlous-state
3) The moral assumptions embedded in economic models of climate
change
The crux of the challenge is straightforward. Modern economic activity generates carbon
dioxide, which accumulates in the atmosphere and increases the global temperature via the
greenhouse effect. Higher temperatures impose large, growing and long-lasting costs on
humanity. The world has already heated up by around 1°C, compared with pre-industrial times.
Warming of 3°C relative to that benchmark by the end of this century would be likely to reduce
economic output by trillions of dollars and cause tens or hundreds of millions of additional
deaths, compared with a rise of just 1.5°C. But limiting global warming to that level would
require the use of resources that might otherwise boost current well-being. Taxes might have
to rise to pay for investment in zero-carbon electricity generation, for example. Over the past
few decades economists have been working to figure out how much it makes sense to forgo
today in order to have more jam tomorrow.
(152 words)
Link: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2018/12/06/the-moral-
assumptions-embedded-in-economic-models-of-climate-change
4) The benefits gap between high and low earners is widening
But growth in benefits for lower earners has remained sluggish. One reason is that few get
employer-provided health insurance, which has accounted for about a third of the increasing
cost of employers’ benefits since 2000. Just one in four of those in the bottom 25% by earnings
are covered, compared with three in four in the top 25%. Those working in the gig economy
lose out on conventional benefits such as pension contributions. Meanwhile, at the top end of
the labour market, bonuses are increasingly being used to retain the most prized workers. Aon
Hewitt, a human-resources consultancy, finds that over four decades bonuses have grown to a
record high, reaching 12.8% of payroll in 2014.
(115 words)
Link: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2018/11/08/the-benefits-gap-
between-high-and-low-earners-is-widening
5) Plant-based milk alternatives disrupt dairy
Oat milk’s environmental footprint is modest by comparison and its health properties are solid.
Albeit from a low base, sales in Britain grew last year by 76%, according to Nielsen, compared
with 24% for coconut (also a newcomer), 14% for almond and 5% for soya milk. Europe’s
leading producer, Oatly, has made the drink for decades, though mostly just for people with
dietary restrictions. After it revamped its branding a few years ago and decided to appeal to
consumers via baristas rather than retailers, “the snowball just started rolling and hasn’t
stopped,” says IshenParan, a spokesperson. Customers started demanding supermarkets stock
it, first in Europe and now in America. It all led to an oat-milk drought in late 2017, with prices
on Amazon soaring as well-off parents scrambled for the goods. A sure sign of a fad, critics
scoffed.
(140 words)
Link: https://www.economist.com/business/2018/08/02/plant-based-milk-alternatives-
disrupt-dairy
6) Digital health start-ups in India: The challenge of scale
Most Indian health-tech start-ups focus on non-communicable diseases (NCD) not only
because of the growing NCD burden in India but also because NCDs offer multiple avenues to
leverage technology. First, technology helps create the much-needed structured care
continuum for the chronic patient pool. Traditionally, a chronic patient visits a doctor
periodically. Indian health-tech start-ups provide chronic patients an interface with the
healthcare system throughout the year, beyond those periodic doctor visits. This interface is
typically a mobile application which collects personal health data critical to monitor a chosen
disease. Take diabetes for example – patients use a glucometer which is linked to a mobile
application which stores sugar levels of the patient over time. The aggregation of health data
over time makes those visits to physicians more efficient and converts episodic care into
continuous care. Organisations such as NanoHealth and BeatO have been successful in
ensuring the care continuum for cardiovascular, hypertensive diseases and diabetes.
(154 words)
Link: http://www.forbesindia.com/article/isbinsight/digital-health-startups-in-india-the-
challenge-of-scale/52799/1
7) India will win if it cares for its women and mothers
The sad unknown is that for every woman that dies in childbirth, there are about 20 women
who end up suffering long-lasting and debilitating illnesses, having massive implications on
the overall health and well-being of her family. Societal determinants customary in India such
as early age of marriage and early and repeated child-bearing are major factors contributing to
this public health burden. Even today, more than 40 percent of girls marry before they are 18.
These traditions have serious repercussions, as girls are more likely to become pregnant at
younger and riskier ages. The 2015 Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report ranked India 20th
among leading countries with a serious hunger situation, behind only Afghanistan and
Pakistan in South Asia. With around a third of women being malnourished and half suffering
from anaemia, a large minority of women are physiologically ill-prepared to handle childbirth.
(143 words)
Link: http://www.forbesindia.com/blog/health/india-will-win-if-it-cares-for-its-women-and-
mothers/

8) Misaligned agriculture: A major source of India's water problems

‘Day zero’ is fast approaching for many parts of India and in fact many households in India are
already living in it. Day zero was a term coined to mark the day when the Cape Town city was
expected to run out of water; times when taps in the city would run dry and people must start
queuing up for water to collect it from common collection centres. This is not a new
phenomenon for many urban and rural households in India. According to 2011 census, 22.5
million households in India already collect water from outside. The 69th NSSO survey
estimates that a member of the household, typicallya woman, spends on an average 30 minutes
a day travelling and waiting to get water from outside the house , as many parts of India,
including metro cities such as Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad are facing acute water
crisis.
(149 words)
Link: http://www.forbesindia.com/article/iim-bangalore/misaligned-agriculture-a-major-
source-of-indias-water-problems/50693/1

9) From grain to gain: Lessons for Indian farm policy

Why were Kenyan farmers not able to take advantage of peak crop prices during the lean
season? On the one hand were tangible factors such as a lack of access to good storage. Close
to 98% of the farmers were storing their produce on a platform or a table at home, leading to
spoilage due to pests or moisture. Kenyan farmers also faced personal and interpersonal
challenges due to such visible storage. Specifically, when grain was stored in plain sight, it was
hard for the farmers to say no to requests for food from friends and neighbours. Moreover,
farmers reported that even in the absence of such requests, open stocks of food often did not
last long as they and their family ended up consuming more
(126 words)
Link: http://www.forbesindia.com/article/isbinsight/from-grain-to-gain-lessons-for-indian-
farm-policy/48801/1

10) Let us make 'small-scale farming' a viable enterprise

If one takes a careful look, industrialization of agriculture in India, in the name of ‘green
revolution’, with its focus on large scale and water intensive farming, is a root cause of most of
these maladies. In the late 1960’s, to feed its large population and under pressure from the US,
India was forced to adopt water intensive chemical based farming methods involving high
yielding variety (HYV) seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. This modern method with hybrid seeds
did result in significant improvements in yields during the initial years. However, increasing
evidence suggests that, high chemical usage and the resultant mono-cropping practices are not
only producing less nutritious and in some cases harmful food (due to high pesticide usage),
but also making croplands infertile and barren in the long run. The increasing input costs, high
dependency on rainfalls and reduced yields have driven many farmers into debt and suicides.
The fact that more than 300,000 farmers in India have committed suicide during the last two
decades, speaks for itself.
(168 words)
Link: http://www.forbesindia.com/article/iim-bangalore/let-us-make-smallscale-farming-a-
viable-enter-prise/49147/1
11) Should industrial competitors work more together to solve global
problems?
Beef is one of the main reasons for deforestation worldwide. The transformation of forests into
pastures, mainly in Latin America, destroys 2.7 million hectares of tropical forests each year
(an area the size of Massachusetts). It is expensive for meat producers to solve the problem of
deforestation alone. If they agree to slow down the process, they risk losing market share and
income because they will not be able to find new pastures for cattle while other players in the
sector carry on cutting down the trees. Consequently, the problem of deforestation requires
coordinated action by key stakeholders. Ceres and the Principles for Responsible Investment
(PRI) launched a partnership to tackle global deforestation in 2016, due to growing beef,
soybean and wood production, with a focus initially on South America. Both organizations are
helping global institutional investors put pressure on food and timber companies to eliminate
deforestation and other related problems.
(151 Words)
Link: https://editions-physalis.com/industrial-competitors-work-together-solve-global-
problems/
12)What is the Future of Agriculture in India?

It is time to make a shift to micro irrigation so that the efficient and judicious use of scarce
water resources can be made. A study conducted by the National Mission for Sustainable
Agriculture on micro irrigation in 64 districts of 13 states (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu,
Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand), reveals that there were significant reductions in the
use of water and fertiliser but the yield of crops increased up to 45% in wheat, 20% in gram and
40% in soybean. However, high initial costs deter farmers to adopt this technology. While big
farmers can easily avail this technology, the government should consider giving subsidies to
small farmers to boost the adoption of this technology.
(125 words)
Link: https://thewire.in/agriculture/what-is-the-future-of-agriculture-in-india
13) Saving rivers
The finding of the Central Pollution Control Board that the number of critically polluted
segments of India’s rivers has risen to 351 from 302 two years ago is a strong indictment of the
departments responsible for environmental protection. The data show that the plethora of laws
enacted to regulate waste management and protect water quality are simply not working. The
study also underscores the failure of many national programmes run by the Centre for river
conservation, preservation of wetlands, and water quality monitoring. Tests of Ganga water
indicate it has fared better in Uttar Pradesh; but then, the clean-up plan for the river has
received dedicated Central funding of ₹3,696 crore over three and a half years, compared to
₹351 crore given to 14 States to conserve 32 rivers. The failed efforts to control pollution are all
too evident in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Assam, which account for a third of the degraded river
segments. Their problems are worsened by the poor infrastructure available in a large number
of cities and towns located near rivers. It is notable that these results come from a CPCB audit
that was carried out at the instance of the National Green Tribunal. Ideally, the Board should
be reporting more frequently on pollution, and carrying out intensive measures through State
Pollution Control Boards to eliminate pollutants, starting with sewage and industrial effluents.
(226 words)
Link:https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/saving-rivers/article24970659.ece
14) Introduction: Agri-input Marketing at Crossroads
During the past decade organized retail has increased in size. With the potential introduction
of single-brand retails chains in the country, the importance of retail would go up. This is likely
to spike the demand for agriculture demand for agricultural produce, particularly fruits and
vegetables, of particular shape, size, and appearance. The supply contracts and mechanics of
the retail chains will dominate the way the varieties of fruits and vegetables are chosen for
cultivation (e.g. the size of watermelon is being reduced to suit a one time requirement of a
small family), the kind of inputs used on such crops (pesticides residues), the method of
harvesting (e.g., tomatoes with clayx), warehousing (cold storage), transportation (cold
chains). The decision making by the farmer will reduce and the retail chains will make most of
the decisions about the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. The input marketing will have to
increasingly align with the requirements of the retail chains and work in close collaboration
with them.
(162 words)
Venugopal.P., Kaundinya.R. (2014). Agri-input Marketing in India. Delhi, Sage publications
15)Improve Agronomic Potential
Bt cotton, has been a huge success in India. Indian farmers adopted Bt seeds faster than China
and the United States. Between 2002 and 2012, the number of Bt hybrids had crossed 300 and
cotton acreage under Bt had increased from a negligible percent to around 95 percent covering
12 millions ha. During 2002-8, an estimated US $ 8,000 million of economic benefit was
delivered to the Indian economy due to Bt cotton. Since 2002 when it was introduced, BT
cotton has increased cotton yields by almost 90 percent, from 13.6 million bales to 33 million
bales per annum, reduced pesticide consumption by almost US$ 100 million and had a major
impact on environment.
(114 words)
Venugopal.P., Kaundinya.R. (2014). Agri-input Marketing in India. Delhi, Sage publications,
Pg 72.
16) Law, faith, unreason: on eradicating superstition from society
Mere legislation is not enough to eradicate superstition from society, but laws do have the
utility value of curbing the prevalence of inhuman rituals and practices. Seen in this light, the
proposed Karnataka law targeting black magic and inhuman practices may be regarded as
social reform. The Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black
Magic Bill, 2017 has been approved by the State Cabinet and is likely to be introduced soon in
the Assembly. It is not accurate to characterise this as just an ‘anti-superstition bill’, as what it
seeks to prohibit are actions that offend human dignity, result in the exploitation of gullible
and vulnerable people or cause harm to them. Organising macabre rituals, offering magical
cures and threatening people, under peril of incurring divine or supernatural displeasure, are
covered by this law, even though these can be treated as offences under the Indian Penal Code
too. Perhaps ironically, it exempts established religious practices and the propagation of
spiritual learning and arts, besides astrology and vaastu. Overall, it tries to heed the line
between religious traditions and superstitious practices. Maharashtra already has a law against
black magic and other ‘evil’ practices. It is not clear if it has made much headway in eliminating
blind faith, but it must strengthen the hands of people willing to take on social practices steeped
in ignorance and unreason. The proposed law ought to be seen as a reasonable restriction on
the right to practise and propagate one’s religion under Article 25 of the Constitution. As long
as these restrictions are in the interest of public order, morality and health, the law may
withstand the test of constitutionality.
(277 words)
Link:
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/law-faith-unreason/article19814402.ece
17) The delta miracle: Conservation vital in Sunderbans
Fresh evidence of loss of forest cover in the Indian Sundarbans, which represent a third of the
largest contiguous mangrove ecosystem in the world, is a reminder that an accelerated effort is
necessary to preserve them. Long-term damage to the highly productive mangroves on the
Indian side occurred during the colonial era, when forests were cut to facilitate cultivation. As
a recent Jadavpur University study has pointed out, climate change appears to be an emerging
threat to the entire 10,000 sq km area that also straddles Bangladesh towards the east, and
sustains millions of people with food, water and forest products. There is also a unique
population of tigers that live here, adapted to move easily across the land-sea interface. The
Sundarbans present a stark example of what loss of ecology can do to a landscape and its
people, as islands shrink and sediment that normally adds to landmass is trapped upstream in
rivers by dams and barrages; such a loss is not compensated by the limited benefits available
elsewhere in the islands from additions. As a confluence zone of freshwater brought by the big
Himalayan rivers and high concentrated salinity, these islands are a crucible of biodiversity
that helps the 4.5 million that live on the Indian side. It is remarkable, for instance, that the
mangrove tree species, including the Sundari, which has historically helped the local economy
in the construction of boats and bridges, make up as much as a third of the global trove of such
trees. Understandably, the region has attracted a large number of settlers, and the population
within Indian boundaries has risen from 1.15 million in 1951 to 4.4 million six decades later.
(279 words)
Link:https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/the-delta-miracle-conservation-vital-
with-steady-loss-of-sunderbans-mangroves/article19205243.ece
18) The high cost of early motherhood
Premature motherhood is bad for mothers, babies and countries. Maternal mortality for girls
under 16 is four times that of women in their 20s. Young mothers are less likely than older ones
to seek prenatal care. That omission increases the chance that a child will have a low birth
weight and learning problems later on. Latin America women marry later than do women in
Africa and South Asia; thus teen mothers are disproportionately likely to be single mothers. In
Mexico, where the median age of marriage for women is 27, nearly quarter of mothers aged 15-
19 are single. Teen childbearing derails mothers’ careers. A study from Brazil showed that it
reduces women participation from workforce. Often, it is the grandmother who stops paid work
to take care of daughters’ kids. In the Dominican Republic, adolescent girls who have had
babies have two years’ less schooling on average than those who have not. They are less than
half as likely to attend university. Therefore, early pregnancy is partly a symptom of
deprivation.
(171 words)
The high cost of early motherhood (2009, February). The Economist. Volume 430 No 9130,
Pg. 33.
19) How America fell out of love with canned tuna
The global market for canned fish is expected to reach $36.7 billion by 2021, up from $29.75
billion in 2016, according to Supermarket News. While the category is gaining traction
elsewhere, it seems to have a tough time in the U.S. When a 2016, U.S. Department of
Agriculture report noted that tinned-tuna sales had fallen 42 percent over the previous three
decades, most people seemed to agree it was for the best. The health and sustainability
concerns which range from fears of mercury poisoning to fury over dolphin by catch seem to
have taken their toll. So too has a national shift away from canned foods, which has forced other
industries, including the canned soup business, to experiment with newer, friendlier and
fresher-seeming forms of packaging. The rising price of tuna fish has also stripped canned tuna
of one of its largest appeals. And America's growing interest in fresh, local and organic foods
has alienated non-perishables, like packaged, precooked tuna fish. That avalanche of opposing
forces appears to have proven too much. Americans seems to have fallen out of love with
canned tuna
(184 words)
Adapted from:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-06/canned-fish-makes-a-comeback-
no-matter-what-millennials-think
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/08/18/how-america-fell-out-of-
love-with-canned-tuna/?utm_term=.79867affb4b8
20) Agriculture: Some Pest Killers Have Stings
Sub-standard, counterfeit or spurious agrochemical inputs, like pesticides for instance, often
kill more than pests. They harm the harvest, the soil and the environment, not to speak of
farmers and farm hands tending the crop. It is well-known that agrochemicals are very
important for better crop yield. It is also inevitable that with the rapid rise in population, use
of agrochemicals is bound to increase. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (Ficci) expects the turnover of the Indian agrochemical industry to double to $8.1
billion by 2025. The problem is that a significant quantity of agro-chemicals (particularly
pesticides) in the Indian market are not genuine, implying that they are ‘counterfeit’, ‘spurious’,
‘adulterated’ or ‘sub-standard’ me-toos of the certified bug annihilators or soil nutrients.
Spurious insecticides are either ineffective in destroying pests or do not kill them efficiently.
Some of these formulations do work as pesticides, but also leave traces of by-products that
significantly harm the soil and the environment. Such chemicals not only harm the crop, but
also impair soil fertility. Spurious agrochemicals are responsible for the losses of not just
farmers, but also producers of genuine agrochemicals and the government, which loses revenue
from the sales of the counterfeit versions of the real farm inputs.
(209 words)
Link:
http://www.businessworld.in/article/Agriculture-Some-Pest-Killers-Have-Stings/17-04-
2019-169465/
21) Powering up food: fortification is good but needs regulation
Since a diversified diet that meets all nutritional requirements is difficult to provide,
fortification of food is relied upon by many countries to prevent malnutrition. The World
Health Organisation estimates that deficiency of key micronutrients such as iron, vitamin A
and iodine together affects a third of the world’s population; in general, insufficient
consumption of vitamins and minerals remains problematic. Viewed against the nutrition
challenge India faces, processed foods with standards-based fortification can help advance
overall health goals, starting with maternal health. It is imperative, for a start, to make iron-
fortified food widely available, since iron deficiency contributes to 20% of maternal deaths and
is associated with nearly half of all maternal deaths. The shadow of malnutrition extends to the
children that women with anaemia give birth to. They often have low birth weight, are pre-
term, and suffer from poor development and lower cognitive abilities. Low intake of vitamins,
zinc and folate also causes a variety of health issues, particularly when growing children are
deprived. Fortification is a low-cost solution. The benefit is maximised when there is a focus
also on adequate intake of oils and fats, which are necessary for the absorption of
micronutrients and something poorer households often miss in their diet.

(204 words)
Link :https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/powering-up-food/article18358363.ece
22) The foul air we breathe
Several studies show long-term evidence of a steady deterioration in air quality in many
countries, and South Asia, dominated by India, is today among the worst places to live.
Although the central role played by burning of crop residues in causing pollution is well-known,
and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute proposed steps to convert the waste into useful
products such as enriched fodder, biogas, biofuel, compost and so on, little progress has been
made. Last year, helpless farmers in the northern States who wanted to quickly switch from
rice to wheat burnt the waste in the fields, in some cases defying local prohibitory orders. The
government has no one to blame but itself, since it has not been able to supply affordable seeder
machinery in sufficient numbers to eliminate the need to remove the straw. In a country
producing about 500 million tonnes of crop residues annually, the issue needs to be addressed
in mission mode. Easy access to cheap solar cookers and biogas plants will also cut open
burning, and help the rural economy. Yet, there is no reliable distribution mechanism for these.
On the health front, it is a matter of concern that in the most polluted cities, even moderate
physical activity could prove harmful, rather than be beneficial, as new research indicates.
India’s clean-up priorities need to shift gear urgently, covering both farm and city.
(228 words)
Link:https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/The-foul-air-we-
breathe/article17308084.ece
23) All the Queen's Men
Men still call the shots in panchayats despite reservation of seats for women in India. One has
to note that this is a structural problem. The root cause for this is illiteracy, lack of confidence
and training of these women representatives. Since the seats are reserved, women get elected.
And from the very next day they are supposed to perform their duties and implement schemes
and give sanctions for projects. However, since most women are illiterate and do not have any
training of handling technical issues and financial deals, they have no option but to take
assistance from male family members. Also, family members are the only people she can trust
for financial decisions. The disconnect of the women representatives is not limited to the
administrative set-up. Villagers point out that in most cases these women representatives do
not even come out of the house to campaign during panchayat elections to protect the
pratishtha (prestige) of the family. Clearly, it will be a while before reservation of panchayat
seats lead to real empowerment for these women.
(176 words)
Link:
https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/cover-story/bihar-women-panchayats--mgnrega-
indira-awas-yojana/story/209046.html
24) Many Faces of the Pathalgadi Movement in Jharkhand
The principle of democracy had captured the imagination of Indians during the nationalist
struggle for independence as it had the potential to fulfil the demands of each and every section
of the country. Ideally, in any democracy, the state has to be democratic in temperament, but
when the state arrogates power at the cost of its people, the responsibility to pressurise the
government by building public opinion devolves on civil society. Therefore, pressure groups
complement the institution of democracy itself. In recent months, this became the major issue
in the Adivasi-dominated states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh (mp) and
Odisha, born out of the frustration of the Adivasi communities. They believe that their nativity,
and close and continuous linkage with the landscape, which are the markers of their collective
selfhood, are being threatened in order to sustain the development model of the state. We have
witnessed a spate of Adivasi struggles in the colonial and post-independence eras over issues
of jal, jungle and jameen (water, forest and land). The modality of protest has been legal and
extralegal. Interestingly, they often used their traditional cultural symbols to organise popular
movements in defiance of the state and the machinery that imposes it. The Pathalgadi
movement in Jharkhand, in this sense, is a reminder of the renewed struggle of the Adivasis to
assert their authority over their landscape.
(225 Words)
https://www.epw.in/journal/2019/11/perspectives/many-faces-pathalgadi-movement-
jharkhand.html
25) Women’s reservation bill will bridge the gender gap in political
decision-making in India
A randomized evaluation by J-PAL affiliates in West Bengal shows that having female elected
leaders in gram panchayats raise the aspirations that parents have for their girls and also the
aspirations teenage girls have for themselves. The presence of a female elected leader reduces
the gender gap in adolescent educational attainment and results in girls spending less time on
household chores. Furthermore, gram panchayats with elected women leaders invested more
in public goods that women cared about, such as drinking water, public health, sanitation,
primary education, and roads, and the measured quality of these goods was at least as high as
in the non-reserved gram panchayats. Another study showed that reservation for women in
gram panchayats not only led to a decrease in bias among voters against women candidates,
but also resulted in a subsequent increase in the percentage of female local leaders contesting
and winning elections.
(147 Words)
https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/women-s-reservation-bill-will-bridge-the-
gender-gap-in-political-decision-making-in-india/story-DrJt5apRR5J9UoqeB3CXHO.html
26) Circle of life: on economic growth factoring ecosystem
The overwhelming message from the global assessment report of the Intergovernmental
Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is that human beings
have so rapaciously exploited nature, and that species belonging to a quarter of all studied
animal and plant groups on earth are gravely threatened. If the world continues to pursue the
current model of economic growth without factoring in environmental costs, one million
species could go extinct, many in a matter of decades. Catastrophic erosion of ecosystems is
being driven by unsustainable use of land and water, direct harvesting of species, climate
change, pollution and release of alien plants and animals in new habitats. While ecosystem
losses have accelerated over the past five decades universally, there is particular worry over the
devastation occurring in tropical areas, which are endowed with greater biodiversity than
others; only a quarter of the land worldwide now retains its ecological and evolutionary
integrity, largely spared of human impact.
(156 Words)
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/circle-of-life/article27072807.ece
27) Death with dignity: on SC's verdict on euthanasia and living wills
Passive euthanasia essentially involves withdrawal of life support or discontinuation of life-
preserving medical treatment so that a person with a terminal illness is allowed to die in the
natural course. The court’s reasoning is unexceptionable when it says burdening a dying patient
with life-prolonging treatment and equipment merely because medical technology has
advanced would be destructive of his/her dignity. In such a situation, individual interest has to
be given priority over the state interest. The court has invoked its inherent power under Article
142 of the Constitution to grant legal status to advance directives, and its directives will hold
good until Parliament enacts legislation on the matter. The government submitted that it was
in the process of introducing a law to regulate passive euthanasia, but opposed the concept of
advance directive on the ground that it was liable to be misused. The stringent conditions
imposed by the court regarding advance directives are intended to serve as a set of robust
safeguards and allay any apprehensions about misuse. The court is justified in concluding that
advance directives will strengthen the will of the treating doctors by assuring them that they
are acting lawfully in respecting the patient’s wishes. An advance directive, after all, only
reflects the patient’s autonomy and does not amount to a recognition of a wish to die.
(219 Words)
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/death-with-dignity/article23009854.ece
28) Rural areas drive increases in global obesity
The levels of overweight and obesity are increasing faster in rural than in urban areas, even in
many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This is likely to be linked to the fact that
rural areas in LMICs have begun to resemble urban areas, because the modern food supply is
now available in combination with cheap mechanized devices for farming and transport. Ultra-
processed foods are becoming part of the diets of poor people in these countries, and there are
reports that infants are even being fed with these foods. Despite these observations, most
research and policy efforts have been focused on tackling urbanization as a major driver of
obesity, because the general thinking is still that people living in rural areas are much more
likely to face hunger and undernutrition than to be exposed to factors that lead to excessive
weight. The increases in body mass index in rural populations in most regions of the world,
including low- and middle-income countries, are driving the global rise in obesity. Changes to
the food supply in rural areas — from traditional staples to modern ultra-processed foods —
combined with access to motorized transport and mechanized farming equipment in rural
areas are contributing factors.
(198 Words)
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01182-x
29) A minimum wage raise’s effect on employment
One of the enduring policy debates across rich and poor countries is whether or not the
government should specify a minimum wage. And if so, how high should it be? This debate was
front and center recently when the Delhi High Court quashed the Delhi government’s attempt
to increase the minimum wage. Although the minimum wage and its effect on employees and
employment is fundamentally an economic question, the debates are usually dominated by
views formed by an individual’s political leanings rather than by hard economic evidence.
While those on the left of the political spectrum argue that a higher minimum wage is an
effective anti-poverty tool and will provide people a living wage, limit the number of hours they
need to work to make ends meet and help fight growing inequality, those on the right of the
political spectrum argue that a higher minimum wage will deter job creation and turn away
businesses.
(154 words)
https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/7zFL3PnoLCLm8DFHIYRbPO/Opinion--A-minimum-
wage-raises-effect-on-employment.html
30) Business and the effects of global warming
Nature has always disrupted business. But global warming is making the task of dealing with
it more urgent. Hastened by feeble progress on curbing greenhouse-gas emissions, businesses
face wetter floods, fiercer wildfires and stormier storms than in the past. Hotter, more humid
days imperil the productivity both of employees and equipment such as that in data centres. It
is not only storms and floods that are a threat. Climate change is also responsible for a lack of
water where it is needed. Last summer low levels on the Rhine grounded barges that BASF, a
German chemicals giant, uses to ferry its products. Industrial firms fret constantly about water
supply. “We are the last in line,” behind residents, farmers, and other businesses, sighs an
executive at a big Indian conglomerate. In January PG&E, a utility facing billions of dollars in
liabilities over its possible role in sparking wildfires in California, which proliferate as the state
grows more parched, filed for bankruptcy protection.
(161 Words)
https://www.economist.com/business/2019/02/21/business-and-the-effects-of-global-
warming
31) Employment, Competitiveness And Shared Prosperity: The Indian
Conundrum
The adequacy of employment being generated in India remains an area of considerable dispute
and controversy. India’s working age population will increase by around 12 million per year
until 2030. India has a high labour force participation (LFP) rate for men, around 0.8 but very
low for women – under 0.27. Surprisingly the rate for women has been falling and more and
more women are dropping out of the labor force. With an average LFP rate of 0.5-0.55, India
will need to create 6-6.5 million jobs until 2030. India has been creating employment for about
5-5.5 million people every year. This means, every year one million new entrants seeking
employment cannot find productive work. Another one million jobs per year is needed to
absorb some of the people who could not find suitable work over the last decade or so. If India
is to make full use of the female labour force, their LFP rate must rise to at least 0.5 which
would make the average rate above 0.65. Adding it all up will mean India must increase
employment by 8.5-9 million people per year until 2030.

(185 words)
Link:http://www.businessworld.in/article/Employment-Competitiveness-and-Shared-
Prosperity-The-Indian-Conundrum/26-12-2018-165528/
32) The GMO debate
Genetic modification of agricultural seeds isn’t in the interest of the planet or its inhabitants.
Genetically modified (GM) crops are associated with an increased use of chemicals, like
glyphosate, that are toxic to the environment and to humans. These chemicals not only
contaminate our food and water supplies, but they also compromise soil quality and are
actually associated with increased disease susceptibility in crops. This ultimately leads to an
increase in the use of pesticides and further disrupts ecosystems. And yet, despite these
drawbacks, we haven’t seen increased yield potential of GM crops, although that has always
been one of the promises of GM seeds. We need to explore innovative alternatives to the issue
of food insecurity that are not dependent on using GM crops.
(125 Words)
https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2018/08/the-gmo-debate/
33) An AI Groundbreaker Takes Stock
I saw a model machine that is not a bad depiction of a possible interaction between people and
their virtual assistants once they become intelligent, We’re very far from having AI technology
that would allow us to build machines like that. And it’s basically because machines today don’t
have common sense. We don’t have the ability to get machines to learn all the enormous
background knowledge: the enormous background knowledge about the world that we acquire
in the first few weeks and months of life as humans—and that a lot of animals also acquire. We
cannot have household robots that can fill up our dishwasher and empty it. That’s beyond
today’s state-of-the-art in robotics, and it’s not because we can’t build the robots. It’s because
we don’t know how to build their brains. We don’t know how to train them to know enough
about how you grasp things, how you get around obstacles and how you put things in. A
housecat has way more common sense than the smartest machines.
(171 words)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/insights-intelai/2018/07/17/yann-lecun-an-ai-
groundbreaker-takes-stock/#7816d42b586c
34) Investing in fine wine
The underlying rationale for investing in fine wine is straightforward enough. Good vintages of
top estates usually taste better as they age; they also grow scarcer as fancy restaurants buy them
up to put on their wine lists and wealthy amateur enthusiasts drink the rest. So prices tend to
rise over time. That certainly seems true of the best estates. Eight years ago Christie’s sold that
same case of DRC 1988 for £86,000—£103,000 in today’s money. In other words, last week’s
winning bid marked a 126% rise in its price. The prices of the world's top 1,000 crus rose by
264% in the 15 years to end-February, according to Liv-ex, a wine-trading platform, beating
both the FTSE 100 (61%) and S&P 500 (144%) equities indices.
(126 words)
Link: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2019/04/05/investing-in-fine-
wine
35) Americans need to take a break
Extra hours automatically lead to higher productivity. An analysis of figures from the OECD, a
club of mostly rich countries, in 2013 found a negative correlation between GDP per hour and
the number of hours worked across member countries. Again, the causation is unclear—
workers in richer nations may feel they can take more time off. But there is plenty of other
evidence. A study of munitions workers in the first world war found that their output per hour
tended to decline once they spent over 50 hours a week toiling. The Institute for Employment
Studies in Britain reviewed academic research on the subject and concluded that “long hours
working [more than 48 hours a week] was associated with (but was not proved to cause) various
negative effects, such as decreased productivity, poor performance, health problems, and lower
employee motivation.”
(140 words)
Link: https://www.economist.com/business/2018/11/22/americans-need-to-take-a-break
36) Can a Hungry World Say No to GM Crops and Still Have Food
Security?
Protestors against GM crops try to convince people that these crops are much more expensive
for farmers. But if all expenses and yield gains of GM crops are taken into account, they are
even less expensive than growing crops conventionally. As compared to conventional seeds,
GM seeds are indeed more expensive, but their quality, as measured by their germination rate,
is much higher, thus making them more cost-effective. And because GM seeds are herbicide
and/or insecticide-resistant, less herbicide or insecticide is used to spray in the fields,
effectively reducing the cost for the farmer; insect-resistant GM crops have proven to cut
insecticide sprays by more than 25 percent. GM crops also require less tillage, which reduces
carbon emissions and allows for the growth of a second crop in the same season, resulting in
even more yield gain for the farmer.
(140 words)
Link: http://www.forbesindia.com/article/the-big-questions-for-2014/can-a-hungry-world-
say-no-to-gm-crops-and-still-have-food-security/36833/1
37) Robust Agriculture Markets, Stronger Farming Community
Nevertheless, India enjoys several advantages in being a fruit exporter. Nearness to the gulf
countries where fruits cannot be grown puts India in an advantageous position. Also, Indian
climate is very much for year round growing and exporting of fruits all over the world. Fruits
like Pomegranate can be grown throughout the year and their unique taste and colour with
bright red arils and kin has earned the reputation of being the best in the word. The production
cost is comparatively lesser. India enjoys better scope for air shipment to Europe and Asia and
the volume can be tripled within 5 years’ period.
(103 words)
Robust Agriculture Markets, Stronger Farming Community (2018, February).Agriculture
Today: The National Agriculture Magazine, Volume 21, Issue 2, Pg 29
38) High Stakes for Everyone in Skilling Ecosystem
It is hard to distinguish a stakeholder from a beneficiary in the skilling ecosystem for the
success of one depends on the other. A skilled youth is a potential employee of tomorrow and
trainer thereafter. Similarly, the quality of human resources will determine the growth of
companies and thereby our nation. Over time, the government’s finite resources will also have
to balance the quality and volume of people it can train. We need to now collectively ensure
that the skilling framework and all related activities across the spectrum send an unambiguous
message about the importance of ownership and sustainability. Only then will India be able to
benefit from our unique demographic ability.
(112 words)
Panda. S. (March, 2019). High Stakes. Business India- The Magazine of Corporate World.
Issues 1060, Pg. 68.
39) Agritech Sprouts Start-Ups
In the past two years, agritech has gone mainstream. Agri-tech witnessed major deals with
participation from global investors in 2017 and 2018. For example, Stellapps received $14
million in a series B funding led by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and IndusAge Partners.
EM3 received series B funding of $10 million from London-based Global Innovation Fund.
Bangalore-based Farm Taaza, a fresh produce supply management company, raised $8 million
from Hong Kong-based Epsilon Venture Partners. CropIn Technology Solutions has raised Rs
58 crore ($8 million) in a Series B financing from Chiratae Ventures (formerly IDG Ventures
India) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Strategic Investment Fund. VC firm Accel India
has invested $10 million in Pune-based Agrostar, an m-commerce start-up that sells
agricultural inputs to farmers. Recently, Bangalore-based gourmet meat start-up Licious
received Series C funding of $25 million from Bertelsmann India, Vertex Ventures, UCLA and
others. In March last year, it raised $10 million in a Series B funding round led by Mayfield
Capital. Matrix Partners India, which invested in companies such as Ola last year, backed
Gobasco, an agri supply chain company with an undisclosed sum. Also, cold chain logistics
firms Tessol, AgricxLabs, Pune-based EarthFood, Bangalore-based Ninjacart, Hyderabad's
Khetinext are some other companies that have raised funds. Considering the boom in funds
and technology, the sector is geared for strong growth.
(223 words)
Adapted from:https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/the-hub/agritech-sprouts-start-
ups/story/298992.html
40) My Cup of Tea
India is a tea-drinking nation, consuming - according to National Sample Survey Organisation
data - 15 times more tea than coffee, but until recently, the number of upmarket cafes in the
country emphasising the variety and quality of their tea were just a handful. However, in the
last few years’ tea has begun to go the way of coffee, with the growth of chai cafe chains across
urban centres - brands such as Chai Point, Chaayos, Tpot, Chai Thela and Tea Trials.
Bengaluru-headquartered Chai Point, for instance, starting in 2010, has expanded to eight
cities and recently opened its 100th outlet, and maintains it sells 300,000 cups of tea a day.
Not far behind is Chaayos, begun in 2012, with 52 cafes in Delhi NCR, Mumbai and
Chandigarh. Both have made an impact strong enough to win the support of hard-nosed
investors. Paragon Partners led the clutch of venture capital funds which put $20 million
(about Rs 148 crore at $74.15 a dollar) into Chai Point in its third round of series funding this
April, while Chaayos opened 25 cafes in last 10 months with Rs81 crore of Series B round of
funding from SAIF Partners, Integrated Capital and Pacatolus.Ultimately, the biggest
advantage of the tea chains is the ingrained Indian dependence for tea.
(200 words)
Adapted from:https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/coolest-start-ups-2018/my-cup-of-
tea/story/285128.html
41) #OscarsSoWoke: For women and minorities award-show season
remains an effective protest platform
After actor Natalie Portman braved the stage at the 2018 Golden Globes to introduce the
nominated directors as “all male”, it wasn’t hard to find mocking stories in the media. Critics
also went after the many women that night who wore black in solidarity with Time’s UP, the
movement against sexual harassment that had begun a few days earlier. Portman’s deft bit of
activism, however just an appetizer for the Academy Awards two months later, when best
actress winner Frances McDormand used her speech to promote “inclusion riders”, a provision
in an actor’s or filmmakers’ contact that allows for certain level of diversity in casting and
production staff. Turns out that awards shows, for all their superficial interest in who’s wearing
what, can be powerful levers for change. For one they offer a chance to break through the noise
when the world is paying attention –how do moviegoers think about a film’s director before
Oscar session? The nominations and awards themselves also confer significant influence.
Consider an actor such as Brie Larson, who won an Academy Award for Room as relative
newcomer in 2016. She’s now using her press junket for superhero flick Captain Marvel to push
for gender parity. An award especially an Academy Award, gives an actor, director, or producer
more power over which projects they work on, what they get paid, and whom they hire.
(228 words)
Silverstein. M. (January, 2019). #OscarsSoWoke: For women and minorities award-show
season remains an effective protest platform. Bloomberg Businessweek. Issue 4600. Pg.70
42) India vs Fake News
The challenge India faces is emblematic. Misinformation is upending politics and worsening
tensions across the developing world. Its’ even contributed to violence, from the pogroms of
Rohingya in Myanmar stocked by Facebook posts to lynchings in India sparked by rumors on
WhatsApp. Several vulnerable democracies are also going to polls this year. India’s approach
to the problem is something of a test case. Unfortunately, it’s making a hash of it. A recently
published set of draft regulations would impose drastic if not impossible obligations on the
platforms. One rule would force them to break end-to-end encryption if asked to trace the
source of objectionable content, a demand that could worsen security, eliminate privacy, and
undermine freedom of speech. Another rule would require companies to use automated filters
to police content that is, among other things, “blasphemous defamatory, obscene,
pornographic, pedophilic, libelous, invasive of another’s privacy, hateful, or radically,
ethnically objectionable, disparaging, relating or encouraging money laundering or gambling,
or otherwise unlawful in any manner whatever’. The algorithm that could decide what content
falls into such categories hasn’t been invented yet. A better approach is clearly needed. As India
and other countries confront this challenge, their primary goal should be protecting citizens
and democratic discourse. That means chipping away at disinformation without violating
fundamental privacy rights and suppressing freedom of speech.
(220 words)
India vs. Fake News (March, 2019). Bloomberg Businessweek. Issue 4608. Pg. 8
43)Ticking Water Bomb
Most farmers and industries have taken to groundwater extraction as the easiest option. It
provides around 60 percent for rural and domestic water needs, making India the world’s
largest user of groundwater, according to the World Bank. Farmers and households, are not
the only users of groundwater. There are around 6050 licensed packaged drinking water plants
in India and majority of them depend on deep-bore water. They extract 5000 to 20000 litres
per hour depending upon their purification and packaging capacities. The World Bank says if
current trends persist, 60 percent of India’s districts are likely to reach critical level of
groundwater depletion within two decades, which will put at least 25 percent of agriculture
production at risk.While India debates ways to use water more efficiently, the use of
groundwater in these capacities requests for immediate attention.
(140 words)
Pratap.R. (June, 2019). Ticking Water Bomb. Business Today. Vol 28. No 11. Pg. 78
44)A Scarcity Pollution Tango in India.
Dearth of water is not always the reason for water stress. In several cities, people suffer due to
lack of access to clean or potable water. Water demand will grow and competition for this
resource will lead to greater tension and conflict between states. Delhi, for instance, depends
on Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for its water; over 60 per cent of its water comes from Haryana
alone. Conflicts will become common as water demand is more than 27 percent cities across
the world exceeds surface water availability, says a study by Nature Sustainability published in
January 2018. The study analyzed 482 largest cities globally. Almost 19 of cities, dependent on
surface water transfers, have a high potential for conflict between urban and agricultural
sectors, since both cannot obtain their estimated future water demands. Such conflicts would
be just the tip of the iceberg in a changing climate.
(147 words)
Sengupta. S. (June, 2019) A Scarcity Pollution Tango in India. Business Today. Vol 28. No 11.
Pg. 102
45) Kirana stores are here to stay": FMCG strategy for Indian retail

The traditional kirana channels might have very limited bargaining power due to constraints
in assortment, products, price or location. But what is unseen is the enormous consumer
goodwill garnered by these stores. The traditional stores are very flexible and have often built
personal relationships with members of the local community that they serve. They provide
personalised services such as ordering special items/quantities for consumers or allowing
purchases on credit. These unique value-added services create superior value for many
consumers. These consumers might not be attracted to organised retail stores. FMCG
manufacturers should understand, and many of them do, the consumer goodwill and flexibility
of traditional kirana channels. They should strategise effectively to incorporate these channels
into their mainstream distribution network.
(120 words)
Link: http://www.forbesindia.com/article/isbinsight/kirana-stores-are-here-to-stayquot--
fmcg-strategy-for-indian-retail/52351/1