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12/31/2016 IAS Baba

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IASbabas Daily Current Affairs 4th October, 2016


ENVIRONMENT/ S & T


TOPIC:GeneralStudies3

Environment and Ecology, Bio diversity Conservation,


environmental degradation, environmental impact
assessment,EnvironmentversusDevelopment
Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the
country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems
storage,transportandmarketingofagriculturalproduceand
issues and related constraints etechnology in the aid of
farmers
ScienceandTechnologydevelopmentsandtheirapplications
andeffectsineverydaylife
Achievements of Indians in science & technology
indigenizationoftechnologyanddevelopingnewtechnology.


ThebattleoverBtcotton(PartI:UnderstandingtheBasics)

WhatisBt?

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a spore forming bacterium that produces crystals protein
(cry proteins), which are toxic to many species of insects.

WhereisBtfound?

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Bt can be found almost everywhere in the world. Surveys have indicated that Bt is
distributed in the soil sparsely but frequently worldwide.
Bt has been found in all types of terrain, including beaches, desert, and tundra habitats.

HowmanykindsofBtarethere?

There are thousands of different Bt strains, producing over 200 cry proteins that are
active against an extensive range of insects and some other invertebrates.

WhereisBtused?

Bt is largely used in agriculture, especially organic farming. Bt is also used in urban


aerial spraying programs, and in transgenic crops.

WhatisGeneticallyModifiedOrganisms(GMO)?

When a gene from one organism is purposely moved to improve or change another
organism in a laboratory, the result is a genetically modified organism (GMO). It is also
sometimes called "transgenic" for transfer of genes.

SelectivebreedingtechniqueandTransgenictechnique:

There are different ways of moving genes to produce desirable traits. For both plants and
animals, one of the more traditional ways is through selectivebreeding.
Forexample, a plant with a desired trait is chosen and bred to produce more plants
with the desirable trait.
More recently with the advancement of technology is another technique. This technique
is applied in the laboratory where genes that express the desired trait is physically moved
or added to a new plant to enhance the trait in that plant. Plants produced with this
technology are transgenic.

Often, this process is performed on crops to produce insect or herbicide resistant plants,
they are referred to as GeneticallyModifiedCrops(GMcrops).

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Most GM crops grown today have been developed to resist certain insect pests. There are
GM plants being developed today to produce specific vitamins, resist plant viruses and
even produce products for medical uses.

WhatisBtcotton?

Bt cotton is a genetically modified organism (GMO) cotton variety, which produces an


insecticide to bollworm. It is produced by Monsanto.

ResultsofinsectinfestationonBt(right)andnonBt(left)cottonbolls.

Pic link: http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/assets/usda_cotton.jpg


(http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/assets/usda_cotton.jpg)

Bt cotton was the first genetically modified (GM) crop technology to be commercialised in
India.

Three Bt cotton hybrids, developed by Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (MMB) joint venture,
were approved by Indian authorities in early 2002.

Btcottoncontroversy

1. NodataonBtCottonseffectivenessunderpracticalfarmingconditions

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NGOs have questioned the technology's effectiveness


Analysis of several years of Indian field trial data demonstrated that Bt technology can
significantly reduce pesticide applications and increase effective yields under
experimental conditions. This is in line with research from other countries.
However, independent studies under practical farming conditions are not available in
India and therefore, it is difficult to interpret the statements made by different interest
groups.
MMB claims sizeable benefits for Bt adopters
Anti-biotechnology activists have declared the technology a complete failure

This controversy has become one of the focal points in the global debate on GM crops.

2. MonsantovsIndianFarmers

Seed is the basis of agriculture; the means of production and the basis of farmers
livelihoods.
In less than two decades, cotton seed has been snatched from the hands of Indian
farmers by Monsanto, displacing local varieties, introducing GMO Bt cotton seeds and
coercing extravagant royalties from farmers.
Since Monsantos entry into India in 1998, the price of cotton seeds has increased by
almost 80,000% (from 5 9/KG to 1600 for 450 gms). 300,000 Indian farmers
have committed suicide, trapped in vicious cycles of debt and crop failures, 84% of these
suicides are attributed directly to Monsantos Bt cotton.

3. Monsanto,IndianfarmersandtheGovtofIndia

There are 3 issues related to the state of seed and the current conflicts related to Monsanto,
Indian farmers and the Govt of India.

First is the farmers rights to reliable and affordable seed and with it the duty of the
government to protect farmers right to livelihood and right to life. It is the governments
duty under Art 21 of the constitution to protect the life of all its citizens.
Second is the issue of IPRs, patents, royalty, technology fees in the context of false claims
and a failing technology, and the duty of Government to act to revoke a patent according
to Article 64 and Article 66 of the Indian Patent Act. There is a show cause notice served
to Monsanto by the Central Government regarding the patent.

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The third is the issue of monopoly on seed. The Government has a duty to prevent
monopolies being established. The issue of monopoly is before the Competition
Commission of India which has stated that Monsanto has violated Competition laws and
there is Prima Facie evidence of monopoly.

(In tomorrows DNA, we shall discuss the controversy surrounding Monsanto and patent
protection.)

Connectingthedots:

Write a brief note on genetically modified crops and how they differ from hybrid crops.
What are the possible challenges and benefits of GM crops?
What do you understand by the term Bt? Discuss the controversy surrounding Bt
Cotton in India.

NATIONAL


TOPIC:GeneralStudies2

Government policies and interventions for development in


various sectors and issues arising out of their design and
implementation.
Welfareschemesforvulnerablesectionsofthepopulationby
theCentreandStatesandtheperformanceoftheseschemes
mechanisms,laws,institutions
Important aspects of governance, transparency and
accountability, egovernance applications, models,
successes, limitations, and potential citizens charters,
transparency & accountability and institutional and other
measures.

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MGNREGAMISNeedtoachievemore

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a


pioneering livelihood security programme. Along with it, it is also a great example of
proactivedisclosureofinformationthroughitsManagementInformationSystem(MIS).

WhatisMGNREGAMIS?

A web enabled MIS www.nrega.nic.in (http://www.nrega.nic.in) has been developed for


NREGA to make its data transparent and available in the public domain to be equally
accessed by all. It monitors:

Workers entitlement data and documents such as Registration, job cards, muster rolls.
Work selection and execution data including, shelf of approved and sanctioned works,
work estimates, works under execution, measurement.
Employment demanded and provided.
Financial indicators such as funds available, funds used, and the disaggregated structure
of fund utilizations to assess the amount paid as wages, materials and administrative
expenses.

ImportanceofMGNREGAMIS

It is the firsttransactionbasedrealtimesystemfor any public works programme


in the country that is available in the public domain as there is digitisation of all the
processes in MGNREGA.
This enables any citizen to monitor the implementation of the programme thereby
charting a new paradigm of transparency since the enactment of the Right to
Information (RTI) Act.

ShortcomingsofMGNREGAMIS

The scale of information available is no small achievement. Individual worker details from
around 2.5 lakh gram panchayats are available in the MGNREGA MIS. However, there are
some shortcomings which need to be addressed.

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Limitedaccess

MIS is accessible only from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. IST. This is a huge impediment for
collaborative work across time zones.

Nodatadictionary

A data dictionary is a repository of all the names of variables/columns used in various


reports, containing a brief explanation of its meanings.
Such dictionary is important as it allows the citizens to understand the online reports
they wish to access.
Unless somebody has spent a lot of time in rural areas, it is difficult to comprehend the
details of many reports.

Samemeaning,differentnames

Nomenclature of coloumn names are not uniform.


For example, Payment Date in the report of weekly works (Mustroll Report) is known as
the Second Signatory Date in a report titled FTO Second Signatory. Also, Payment Date
is a misnomer as it does not refer to the date on which a worker gets paid. Payment date
is the date on which the wages is scheduled to be paid.

Missinglinkages

Worker-centric links in the data structure are missing.


For example, every household that does MGNREGA work has a unique job card
number. This number is crucial to get work.
Upon completion of a work week, a Funds Transfer Order (FTO) is generated containing
the details of each job card holders earned wages.
On the MIS, there is no clear link between these two crucial pieces. As such it becomes
difficult to follow the trail of each job card holder from the time of work demanded to
getting the wages.

Technologyshouldnotlessenaccountability

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Digitisation and computerisation is a welcome move but it has been observed that
accountability is being shifted by officials.
It should be known that an information system doesnt end up controlling the legal
rights.
There are several situations when a written request for work by a worker is not entered
in the MIS till funds for work allocation are made available from the Centre. This is
illegal as the Act mandates provision of work within a stipulated time of requesting for it.
Similarly, the generation of the FTO is withheld till funds for wage payments are
released. There are other instances when the FTO is not generated if a worker fails to
furnish his or her Aadhaar number.
Some are harder to locate as there is no paper trail or stated intention but realised only
retrospectively once the workers are affected.
Hence, many such examples illustrate how the IT infrastructure becomes a tool
prioritising administrative needs as opposed to being a programme enabler.
In this regard, the phrase code is law should be recalled where code, as in software, and
code, as in law, can both be instruments of social control.
Technological architecture can also be used to perpetuate falsehoods. For instance,
consider the flawed mechanism of the calculation of delay compensation when wages are
not paid on time.
Ideally, the compensation should be calculated from the 16th day of completion of a
work week till the day on which the workers actually receive their wages. However, the
compensation is computed based on the payment date, which is not the date on which
the wages get credited into the workers accounts.
The difference of the two calculation methods run into crores of rupees that rightfully
belong to the workers. While the automated calculation is a progressive measure, its
basis must be correct and transparent.
Thus, even with the flawed calculation no compensation has been paid shows that
technology can be a strong aid but not a replacement for accountability.

Conclusion

MIS is a powerful mechanism to have an evidence-based discourse for monitoring basic


services.
However, a governance framework for the MIS needs to be put in place that lays out the
minimum standards and accountability of the Ministry managing the system.
Such a framework must be built in consultation with all concerned parties and should
follow the provisions of the law (both MGNREGA and RTI).

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The system design choices should reflect the values of the worker-centric programme
and hence principles need to be followed for compassionate design.

Connectingthedots:

MIS avails transparency but accountability is equally important. With regards to


MGNREGA, examine the importance of transparency as well as accountability with
suitable examples.


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