25th June 2018- The Hindu Editorial Complete Analysis

Table of Contents

For nutrition security

 UN’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in World report for 2017 has important pointers to
achieve nutrition policy reform
 India remains lacking in the commitment to tackle undernourishment
 People facing hunger and poor nutrition have always been high, there was a reduction in the rate of undernourishment since the year 2000.
 That has slowed from 2013, registering a worrying increase in 2016.
 Estimate of 815 million people enduring chronic food deprivation in 2016, compared to 775
million in 2014, is depressing in itself
 Greater among people who live in regions affected by conflict and the extreme effects of
climate change
 Child undernutrition rates continue to drop
 Setback to all countries trying to meet the Sustainable Development Goal on ending hunger
and achieving food security and improved nutrition
 India’s efforts at improving access to food and good nutrition are led by the National
Food Security Act
 There are special nutritional schemes for women and children operated through the States.
 In spite of such interventions, 14.5% of the population suffers from undernourishment, going by the UN’s assessment for 2014-16.
 At the national level, 53% of women are anaemic, Health Ministry data show
 What is more, the Centre recently said it had received only 3,888 complaints on the public
distribution system (PDS) over a five year period.
 All this shows that the Centre and State governments are woefully short on the commitment to end undernourishment
 The report on nutritional deficiency should serve as an opportunity to evaluate the role played by the PDS in bringing about dietary diversity for those relying on subsidised food.
 In a report issued two years ago on the role played by rations in shaping household and
nutritional security, the NITI Aayog found that families below the poverty line consumed
more cereals and less milk compared to the affluent(धनी).
 Complementing rice and wheat with more nutritious food items should be the goal.

Sketchy deal

 As Saudi Arabia drives an OPEC agreement to increase oil output, the real impact is unclear
 The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Friday agreed to increase its daily output to address the problem of rising crude oil prices.
 Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Khalid al Falih announced that the cartel’s output would be
increased by about a million barrels a day beginning in July
 The official statement released by the group, however, failed to mention any solid numbers regarding the planned increase in production.
 OPEC members had in late 2016, it is worth noting, agreed to a historic deal to cut
output by 1.2 million barrels a day in order to end a supply glut and raise the price of oil.
 Since then, the cartel has in fact managed to overshoot its production cut target following
unexpected outages in countries such as Venezuela and Libya, contributing to the steep
rise in oil prices.
 The pressure on Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of OPEC, to be seen as doing something
to tackle rising oil prices was clear, going into the meeting on Friday.
 U.S. President Donald Trump has been vocal in recent months about the need to bring
down rising oil prices that threaten to put the global economy under stress
 Other oil-importing economies, especially emerging markets such as India that have
been affected by the rising cost of oil imports, have also been exerting pressure.
 Iran, which has been opposed to raising OPEC output as it would lower prices
 Whether all this politicking will bring a stable reduction in global oil prices remains to be seen

The tools for counting

 It’s time to debate the modalities(तौर-तरीक ों) of the next Census, given the earlier confusion
over caste data
 2011 Census approached, demands for inclusion of data on caste in Census reached a
crescendo(तेज)- P. Chidambaram, the Union Home Minister at the time, was opposed
to collecting caste data and blocked it by claiming that it was logistically impossible
for the Census,
 But caste information could be collected via the planned Below Poverty Line (BPL) Census,
later renamed the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC).
 Government tasked former NITI Aayog chairman Arvind Panagariya to look into this, but the effort has stalled.
 Consequently, if we want information regarding the size and characteristics of various castes
in India, we must continue to look to the Census of 1931.
 It is hard to imagine that 2021 Census will not face another slew of demands for collection of
caste data.
 It also seems likely that once again we will be unprepared for a full caste census
 An ongoing argument – Should we collect data on caste?
 Some would argue that simple act of asking about caste creates a chasm(खाई) within society.
 Colonial Censuses, beginning with the first Census in 1871, included questions about caste
and used these data to divide and conquer India
 Patels, Gujjars, Jats and Marathas do not seem to care about the lack of Census data
as they demand reservations.
 Karnataka elections calmed roughly estimate the size of Lingayat & Vokkaliga communities
 Indian society has undergone a tremendous transformation since 1931.
 Land ownership that bolstered the power of upper castes has lost its hold.
 Land fragmentation and decades of agricultural stagnation have turned many upper caste
landowners into marginal farmers barely eking out a subsistence
 India Human Development Survey shows that 56% of Dalit children ages 8-11 cannot
read but neither can 32% of forward caste and 47% of OBC children.
 Some jatis may have managed to pull themselves out poverty and marginalisation, while others may have sunk into it- Hence, it is time to collect data that reflects the current situation- However, we have nearly three years before the Census of 2021
 2019 election- It will take courage for a future government to collect data on caste and
to use it to rationalise reservation policies

Prelims Focus Facts-News Analysis

 Page-1- Mehbooba hits out at erstwhile ally
 Former J&K CM refutes Amit Shah’s allegations, says BJP is ‘disowning’ its own initiatives

Prelims Focus Facts-News Analysis

 Page-1- NRC omissions- raise fear in Assam- National Register of Citizens (NRC)

 Page-1- India cuts export quotas for Maldives
 India has lowered the limits on the export of certain essential commodities such as potatoes,
onions, and eggs to the Maldives, according to a recent notification, in a move that sparked reports of possible food shortages there

Last Day- Q’s- Answers…

 Union Government set up the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) under the National
Commission for Minorities Act, 1992- Minorities in India
 Muslims,
 Sikhs,
 Christians,
 Buddhists,
 Zoroastrians (Parsis) and
 Jains