Daily News Digest 3 March 2024

Table of content

• There are no poor in India
• Tamirabharani waterbird count 2024
• GI tags bring back women artisans to whirring charkhas in Kashmir
• Umbrella organisation for urban cooperative banks

There are no poor in India

Time to Read :🕑 11 Mins

Why in news?

Citing the results of the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) published by the National Sample Survey Office, the Niti Aayog CEO made this astonishing claim.

• The HCES did throw up some pleasant surprises but it certainly did not lead to the conclusion that the proportion of the poor in India amounted to no more than 5 per cent.

Data

• HCES was conducted between August 2022 and July 2023. 
• It collected information from 8,723 villages and 6,115 urban blocks covering 2,61,745 households (60 per cent in rural areas and 40 per cent in urban areas). 
• Shall assume that the sample was sufficiently representative and the methodology was statistically sound. 
• The aim was to calculate the Monthly per-capita expenditure (MPCE) in current/nominal prices. 
• On average, a person’s monthly expenditure was:

 

	Rural India	Urban India
Top 5 per cent	10,501	20,824
Average (mean)	3773	6459
Bottom 5 per cent	1379	2001
Median	3094	4693

 

• Median expenditure means that the per capita expenditure of 50 per cent of the total population was no more than Rs 3,094 (rural) and Rs 4,963 (urban). 
• Take the bottom 50 per cent. Go down fractile by fractile. Statement 4 of the Report gives the numbers:

 

	Rural India	Urban India
0-5 per cent	1373	2001
5-10 per cent	1782	2607
10-20 per cent	2112	3157

 

Observed Realities

• HCES revealed that the share of food in consumption had reduced to 46 per cent in rural areas and 39 per cent in urban areas. 
  • That is probably true because of rising income/expenditure and the value of food consumption remaining the same or rising at a slower rate. 
  • Other data confirmed long-observed realities. 
  • Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes are the poorest social groups. They are below the average. OBC are near the average. It is the ‘others’ who are above the average.

State-wise data also confirm the observed realities. 

• The poorest citizens are those who live in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Meghalaya — their MPCE is below the all-India average MPCE for rural areas. 
  • There is only a little difference in the names of states if we consider the all-India average MPCE for urban areas. 
  • The all-India average MPCE in rural areas (Rs 3,798 vs Rs 3,773) as well as in urban areas (Rs 6,621 vs Rs 6,459).

If the poor are no more than 5 per cent —

• If the poor are no more than 5 per cent, why did the the National Family Health Survey-5 record the following alarming facts:

• • Children age 6-59 months  Percent
  • who are anaemic                    67.1
  • All women age 15-49 years
  • who are anaemic                    57.0
  • Children under 5 years
  • who are stunted                     35.5
  • Children under 5 years
  • who are wasted                      19.5

• There are 15.4 crore active registered workers under MGNREGS.
• Ujjwala beneficiaries, on average, buy only 3.7 cylinders in a year.

Tamirabharani waterbird count 2024

Time to Read :🕑 7 Mins

Why in news?

Over 24,000 birds were recorded at the Tamirabharani Waterbird Count 2024, held recently in the irrigation tanks fed by the perennial river.

About Tamirabharani Waterbird Count 2024

• As many as 24,207 birds from 66 species were recorded in the waterbodies in the Thamirabarani basin in Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Tuticorin districts during the 14th edition of Thamirabarani Water Count (TWC). 
  • More than 150 volunteers divided into seven teams covering 57 tanks altogether.
• Egret species, including cattle egret, little egret, medium egret, and large egret, dominated the count with 4861 individuals.
• Migratory duck species, such as northern pintail, bar-headed geese, and Eurasian wigeon, followed closely with 4,245 spottings. 
  • Cormorant species, including little cormorant, Indian shag, and oriental darter, accounted for 3,039 individuals. 
  • Volunteers recorded 450 black-tailed godwit, a near-threatened species according to IUCN’s Red List, in the Kupaikurichi tank in the Tirunelveli district.
• Several tanks, such as Gangaikondan, Nainarkulam, and Rajavallipuram in Tirunelveli district, and Vagaikulam and Rajagopalaperi in Tenkasi district, were identified as nesting grounds for birds such as black-headed ibis, oriental darter, Indian shag, little cormorant, Asian openbill, and grey heron. 
  • Notable observations include spot-billed duck with 20 ducklings and common coot with three chicks recorded in Veinthankulam, Tirunelveli. 
  • Twenty-nine ducklings of knob-billed duck were spotted at Thenkaraikulam in Tuticorin district.

About Thamirabarani River 

• It is a perennial river that originates from the Agastyarkoodam peak of the Pothigai hills of the Western Ghats.
• The Thamirabarani River flows into the Gulf of Mannar near Punnaikayal in the Tuticorin district of Tiruchendur. 
• The river and its tributaries drain an area of approximately 1,700 sq mi. 
• Because the majority of its enormous catchment regions are in the Western Ghats, the river benefits fully from the monsoons, making it perennial.

GI tags bring back women artisans to whirring charkhas in Kashmir

Time to Read :🕑 7 Mins

Why in news?

The introduction of GI tags in Srinagar empowers women artisans, blending cultural preservation with economic upliftment.

About news

• The resurgence of traditional charkha and spindle work marks a significant turning point for hundreds of women artisans, thanks to the introduction of Geographical Indications (GI) labels. 
  • This initiative is rekindling the age-old craft of handmade shawls and carpets, offering a blend of cultural preservation and economic upliftment for the local women.

Evident Change in the Artisan Community

• The implementation of GI tagging has visibly transformed the artisan clusters in Srinagar, reinstating the value of hand-spun yarn and traditional weaving methods. 
• Mujtaba Qadri's initiative, training and employing over 1,500 women, underscores the tangible benefits of GI tagging: skill enhancement, job creation, and financial empowerment for women artisans. 
• This shift not only revives traditional crafts but also reinstates women at the heart of Kashmir's rich textile heritage.

Boost for Exports

• GI tagging has significantly boosted the global competitiveness of Kashmiri shawls and carpets, with exports witnessing a substantial increase. 
• The legal protection and assurance of authenticity afforded by GI tags have bolstered buyer confidence worldwide, opening new avenues for the promotion of Kashmiri crafts. 
• This development bodes well for the local economy, offering a promising future for artisans by connecting them with international markets and ensuring the sustainability of their crafts.

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

• Despite the progress, the journey of fully realizing the potential of GI tagging in Kashmir is still in its initial stages. 
• The process remains challenging, with only a fraction of the total products currently tagged. 
• However, the ongoing efforts to certify more products and the introduction of innovative technologies for authentication, like QR code-based certification, are steps toward overcoming these hurdles. 
  • These initiatives not only protect the integrity of Kashmiri crafts but also pave the way for a revival of traditional practices, ensuring their transmission to future generations.

Umbrella organisation for urban cooperative banks

Time to Read :🕑 7 Mins

Why in news?

The Union Cooperation Ministry recently established an umbrella organization for urban cooperative banks (UCBs) — the National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development Corporation Limited (NUCFDC).

About the National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development Corporation Limited (NUCFDC)

• It is the umbrella organization for Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs).
• NUCFDC aims to ensure specialized functions and services to cooperative banks, facilitate communication between banks and regulators, and address challenges faced by Urban Cooperative Banks.
• The NUCFDC has received Certificate of Registration (CoR) from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a Non Banking Finance Company (NBFC) and serve as the umbrella organization for the urban cooperative banking sector. In addition to this, it will be allowed to operate as a Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) for the sector.
• The establishment of this umbrella organization will ensure specialized function and services to cooperative banks, facilitate communication between banks and regulators, and address challenges faced by Urban Cooperative Banks, such as technology constraints and issues regarding range of services.
• The NUCFDC aims to raise capital, with plans to reach a capital base of Rs.300 crores. 
  • It intends to utilize this capital to support Urban Cooperative Banks and develop a shared technology platform to improve service offerings and reduce costs. 
  • To raise capital, discussions are going with Urban Cooperative Banks and various other stakeholders.

Urban Cooperative Banks 

• At present, there are over 1,500 scheduled and non-scheduled Urban Cooperative Banks in India with a total number of branches exceeding 11,000. The banks have a deposit size of over Rs 5.33 lakh crore, and total lending of more than Rs 3.33 lakh crore. Many of these banks have constraints related to technology platforms and difficulties in offering modern banking services.
• By being part of NUCFDC, most of these banks would be able to upgrade to the latest technology and will be able to offer new products and services. 
  • The inauguration of this umbrella organization is itself a milestone event in the sector that has the potential to bring positive transformation at the grassroots level, empowering the communities across the nation, they would benefit from common marketing, treasury and network management.