Clear the Clutter

I had written this piece right after the seditious events transpired on Jan 26, 2021. This week was a particularly somber one given the shameful ruckus, rather a sacrilege- in our temple of democracy, which was painfully reminiscent of the anarchy rife on our 72nd Republic Day. This piece is in the remembrance of the same. Capital to (almost) Capitol. On the 26th of January 2021, India stood at the risk of witnessing her 'Capitol moment'. Almost, because the success of every insurrection is contingent upon the amount of chaos it wreaks and the disunity it amplifies. (This connection was also established via the Ministry of External Affairs' reply to the US State Department when it expressed its concerns regarding Internal Matters of India) And that is the principal difference between America and India. The United States emerged Divided and the Republic of India emerged United- at her zenith. I don't know where to start. Whether to start by eulogizing the somber, dark, a...

  Option to Opt-Out. Evaluate HSC candidates based on internal assessment, and keep an option to appear for the examination once the pandemic wanes. If Disaster had another pedestrian synonym, it would be the current state of affairs concerning HSC Board Students. First, came postponement, then came the bombshell. The former was already a disaster because it seeked to defer Board Exams to keep them right at the cusp of entrance exams, (eg. Law Entrances) Yes, the fears were allayed to an extent with the CLAT Consortiums' notification of ‘potential deferment’. But to no avail. The next bombshell dropped on the 20th of April, 2021. It was an implicit affirmation that 12th Standard Boards of Maharashtra, (herefrom referred to as HSC boards 2021) are to happen. Cancellation of SSC Boards(10th standard) followed suit with CBSE’s decision to cancel their 10th Boards; Similarly, deferment of CBSE 12th Boards pushed the State Government to follow suit. Certainly, cancellation of SSC Boards...

  5 ) The Bigger Crisis of Agriculture overall  Reasons of the Crisis in Agriculture The real issue is the lack of remunerative prices for a majority of agricultural commodities, a sharp increase in price variability in recent years, and an unpredictable and arbitrary government policy regime, none of which is likely to change in the near future. It is these which have led to a recurrence of distress in the agricultural sector with regular farmers’ protests which have only grown in frequency in recent years. Part of the problem is the changing nature of agriculture which has seen increased dependence on markets, increasing mechanization along with increasing monetization of the agrarian economy. The increased dependence on markets has contributed to increasing variability in output prices. With limited intervention by the government in protecting farmers’ income and stabilizing prices through MSP-led procurement operations, the variability has increased in frequency as well as...

  Part 4 : Political Perspective   What is the government’s stated view on agricultural markets? The committees headed by Ashok Dalwai and Ramesh Chand recommended that ‘agricultural market’ be entered in the Concurrent List. It is implicit in the recommendations that “foodstuffs” under Entry 33 of the Concurrent List do not empower Parliament to enact laws on agricultural markets. On May 5, 2015, the government told Lok Sabha that the National Commission of Farmers (Swaminathan Commission) had recommended ‘agricultural market’ be added to the Concurrent List. On March 27, 2018, the government yet again told Lok Sabha that it has no intention of inserting ‘agricultural market’ in the Concurrent List. What could be the rationale behind the Bharatiya Janata Party spearheading the farm bills? In 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power at the Centre promising to double farm incomes by 2022, increase minimum support prices to ensure 50% profit over the cost of production a...

  Part 3 : Technicalities in and surrounding the bills. How is MSP fixed? And how much MSP increased in the Modi government? The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CCAP) determines how much MSP of a crop. The government decides the MSP only on the recommendation of CCAP. If the bumper yield of a crop falls, its prices fall, then the MSP acts as a fixed assurance price for the farmers. In a way, it is like an insurance policy to protect farmers when prices fall. Currently, 22 crops are being procured under MSP. These 22 crops include paddy, wheat, sorghum, millet, maize, moong, groundnut, soybean, sesame, and cotton.  Observations on and Determinants of MSP :  Only 6% of the total farmers benefit from MSP according to the Shanta Kumar Committee According to a NITI Aayog report, 100% farmers in Punjab benefit from MSP. Determinants of MSP : The key determinants of MSP are demand and supply, cost of production, price trends, both domestic and international, terms...