Inequality pulls back India’

United Nations Development Programme finds substantial gender differences in development outcomes

For just four per cent of its GDP, India could provide “a basic and modest set of social security guarantees for all citizens with universal pension, basic health care, child benefits and employment schemes”, the United Nations Development Programme said in its Human Development Report, 2015, on Monday. The annual report looks at the role of work in improving human development.

In addition to national employment strategies, the report calls for a new social contract between governments, society, and the private sector to ensure that all members of society have their needs taken into account in policy formulation, a global deal among governments to guarantee workers’ rights and benefits around the world and a decent work agenda, that will help promote freedom of association, equity, security, and human dignity in work life. The report repeatedly singles out India’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme for praise.

Workforce participation rates for women have dropped globally, driven largely by declines in the last decade in India and China, the report finds. Women also consistently earn less than men and are less likely than men to be in leadership positions, the report finds.

India ranked 130 of 188 countries on the Human Development Index in 2014, up marginally from 135 in 2013, and its index value had improved slightly over 2013. When inequality is factored in, however, India loses over one-fourth of its HDI value, with education registering the highest inequality in outcomes. There are also substantial gender differences in outcomes; if the women of India were their own country, they would rank 151 out of 188 countries in human development, while India’s men would come in at 120. The average adult man in India gets twice as many years of schooling as the average adult woman.

On the Multidimensional Poverty Index developed by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, which measures deprivation on six indicators, over half of India’s population is multi-dimensionally poor, while a further 18 per cent are close to this line. However, the data for this index for India dates back to 2005-06. India’s HDI values improved far more slowly between 2010 and 2014 than between 2000 and 2010.

The HDI is a composite index meant to compare the well-being of people across countries and was first introduced by the UNDP in 1990. It is calculated as the geometric mean of three indicators: life expectancy, education and national income. Of the three sub-components, India had a substantially higher income per capita than countries that did better than it on the index, while the average years of schooling that the average Indian adult has received (5.4 years) was particularly low among middle income countries.

Keywords: Human Development Report, United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Index, Poverty, Multidimensional Poverty Index

Source: The Hindu, 15-12-2015

Paris climate deal: What the agreement means for India and the world

Envoys from 195 nations have cleared a historic accord in Paris to stop global warming. The agreement will have a lot in store for economies like India with over a trillion dollars in green investment set to be handed out in the next decade or so. Here is what the agreement means for India and the world:

1) The 2 degree and 1.5 degree goals

World: The temperature goal to pre-industrial levels is set for end of the century and will mean that the world will have zero emission economies. The 2 degree goals will mean the shift will happen by end of the century but the ambitious 1.5 goal will push countries to decarbonise (a term not used in the agreement) between 2060 and 2080.

India: The 2 degree goal means that India will have to dramatically slow down its emissions with nonew coal fired power plants in the near future. India will have to draw a coal roadmap for the 2 degree scenario to reduce its dependence on coal for electricity generation. Around 60% of India’s electricity comes from coal-fired power plants. However, the 1.5 degree scenario could have been scary for India as it would have had shut down its coal-fired plants within a few years, with a quicker shift to renewable energy. But India has avoided this scenario as the goal is only aspirational.

Read: One word made the difference: How Paris climate pact was won

2) Differentiation: Role and responsibilities

World: The 1992 firewall between the rich and the developing world has largely been broken. The agreement has responsibilities for every nation, with a higher burden on rich economies and a lower burden on developing economies. The Paris agreement created a third layer of the most vulnerable countries, least developed countries and island nations and to include Africa into it discussions will start in Morocco next year.

India: Wanted the Common But Differentiated Responsibilities with Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) in all elements of the Paris agreement. Was able to get it in four aspects only — finance, technology transfer, capacity building and adaptation. On emission reduction, the danger is that the already diluted CBDR will further vanish in the future. As a whole, differentiation has gotten diluted further but for the time being, India has protected its interests.

3) Climate finance

World: Although the floor is $100 billion per year by 2020, the obligation of the rich countries to ratchet up the commitment has ended. Post 2020, rich nations will commit depending on their national circumstances and money from all sources — public and private — will be counted as climate finance.

India: Will not get much, as least developed and island nations have been identified as benefactors. May need more funds to buy clean technologies as copyright has not been addressed in the agreement. After the next review in 2023, emerging economies like India may have to become donors, which it managed to avert this time.

Read: All you need to know about Paris climate change deal

4) Climate mitigation

World: All countries will have to submit Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) once in five years and would have to enhance their commitments — emission reduction for rich and mitigation action for developing countries. The universal mechanism breaks the annex-1 and non-annex approach in 1997’s Kyoto Protocol. Basically a name and shame regime.

India: India will have two options in 2020 — the first will be to review its INDCs or to re-submit its 2015 INDC and give an enhanced one. The first option is highly unlikely as global moral pressure will be to increase commitment.

5) Transparency and accountability

World: For the first time, the world has a uniform assessment and verification rule for all countries. The rule will be slightly tougher for rich nations, requiring better periodicity of reports and higher verification as compared to the developing world. Rich nations will be required to assist the least development nations to report to the common framework.

India: Has agreed as the weak differentiation agreed in Cancun five years ago has been maintained. India has data generation mechanism to verify its 33-35% emission intensity reduction and 40% non-fossil by 2030, the two targets in its INDCs.

Source: Hindustan Times, 15-12-2015

Scholarships for Indian students to study in the UK

Several universities in the United Kingdom are offering scholarships for postgraduate courses to Indian as well as some international students for the academic year 2016-17.

Here are the details of some of the scholarships:

University of Essex is inviting applications for academic excellence international masters scholarship. Candidate must be an international student, who have completed their first degree overseas and is self-funding his/her postgraduate studies.

Applicants can apply for a full-time masters course in 2016-17 (excluding MBA) leading to MA, MSc, LLM, MFA and MRes degrees. Students who have firmly accepted an offer of a place by September 30, 2015, and met the academic conditions of entry, will be considered for these scholarships.

The scholarship is worth up to £4,000 (Rs. 4 lakh), paid as a discount on tuition fee. Applicants will be notified of their award by the end of October 2016. The application deadline is September 30, 2016. Click here for more details.

University of Southampton is offering postgraduate taught talent scholarship for 2016 entry. Scholarships of £6,000 (Rs. 6 lakh) are available for up to three students from Africa, Middle East, South America and India who excel in their field.

Scholarships are awarded within the Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, and will not apply if student change their programme to another school/faculty. Applications should be sent by post or email.

Candidate must attach in the application a 500 word personal statement containing - evidence of academic or career progression and any professional achievement; how the MA Design: management pathway would enhance their career prospect. The application deadline is March 31, 2016. Click here for application form. Click here for more details.

Trinity College , University of Cambridge, is offering Ramanujan Research Studentship for students who wish to undertake research in mathematics. Student should hold a first class honours degree or its equivalent from any university or comparable institution in India.

The studentship covers graduate course fees for the MASt, discretionary maintenance allowance and return ticket from the country of origin to the United Kingdom for overseas students. The application deadline is January 15, 2016. Check details here.

Imperial College India Foundation Postgraduate Scholarships are available for Indian nationals residing in India. To be eligible for scholarship, candidates must have applied to study on a postgraduate taught master’s programme in the Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Natural Sciences or Imperial College Business School, having applied through the normal application process.

Applicants must display intellectual ability and leadership potential; and be committed to engaging with society and using their abilities to contribute to India on their return, have an adequate standard of English, ie at least 6.5 in IELTS and demonstrate an intention to return to India within three years of completing the degree.

Each scholarship covers the full cost of (overseas) tuition fees, a maintenance allowance, some additional costs, and an airfare to India. The application deadline is March 8, 2016. Click here for online application form.

Click here for further details.

Read more: Apply for Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan 2016

Source: Hindustan Times, 15-12-2015

Education is Fundamental Need for More Just, Prosperous & Competitive Society'





Professor John Kim, senior lecturer of business ad ministration at Harvard Business School, teaches second-year course, Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovations in Education, which tries to tackle the root causes of performance problem in urban education, and the entrepreneurial behaviour of leaders and managers trying to affect systemic change in both traditional and new types of public schools. Kim, who was in India recently, spoke to ET's Varuni Khosla about the scope of educational entrepreneurs in India.Edited excerpts:What's the scope of entrepreneurs to get into the education space?
For most of the world, education is a service, or a public good, that the government provides. The idea that entrepreneurs should even be part of that conversation reflects the desire for society to improve performance around education. Education is a fundamental need for a more just, prosperous and competitive society.
In the US, even after 30-40 years of investment in education, the gap really hasn't narrowed. But in the last 20 years, there has been more interest in the area and the question -should we allow entrepreneurs or innovator to come in this field -has cropped up. We now have `charter' schools or public schools that are privately run, free for students, but they have less regulations, no unions, etc.
Are charter schools popular?
Yes, 5% of the entire schooling is now charter schools, and in some states, nearly 20% of the students go to such schools. Other ventures like in Teach for America by Wendy Kopp -which is more of a social entrepreneurial venture -measure performance of education of students of colour. While they've made some changes, they're not large, scalable changes.
Do you think technology can be used to create a better future in education?
There are three kinds of technology: the first is `personalisation', or personalised apps, that can be used to teach children the ways that are best for them. There are companies such as Newton Education Services that are doing `personalisation' for students.
The second is `distance'. A good example of this is the Khan Academy, a non-profit educational organisation created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan, which uses videos to provide information to all sorts of people, anytime, anywhere.
The third is which gets very little attention -`productivity'. Teaching is very labour-intensive and there aren't many tools to help teachers make their work more productive. Tools such as staffing, scheduling, helping teacher can be more effective in a cost effective way.
Are there any interesting scalable models in the world which are doing well?
There are companies in the assessment space that are doing well. There are more international standards such as the Common Core (an educational initiative in the US that details what K-12 students should know in English language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade). There is a notion that you need to teach students in a more personalised way and I think that idea can be applied in India too.
What is your advice to entrepreneurs getting into this space?
Solve real problems. Everyone went to school, so they think they know a bit about the issues. But they must go and talk to people and understand the real issues. And also be patient. Unlike other businesses that have 100% quarter on quarter growth, this may take a little time. But once you get in, it is a very defensible business. Another would be, if people ask me, where they should start -I would say it's a people intensive business, so they must look for ways to make people more efficient.

Source: Economic Times, 15-12-2015

The Shiva Within: Lal Ded's Mystic Poetry

Neerja Mattoo





The most significant contribution of Kashmir's 14th century mystic poet Lal Ded is that she brought the complex Kashmir Shaiva philosophy , known as Trika Shastra out of the cubicles of Sanskrit-knowing scholars and into the wide, open spaces of Kashmiri-knowing common people.In the process of translating its highly evolved, nuanced concepts and her personal mystic experiences into the language of the people, she made these more accessible. The philosophy is that the material world is an extension of Shiva Himself, therefore it not to be denied or thought of as an illusion.
The world with its infinite variety is a celebration of His divinity . But the senses and other faculties through which we grasp material reality and the mind that controls them have to be disciplined in order to develop detachment, totally focussed towards the goal of Self-realisation. Two of her vaakhs or quatrains, translated into English, sum up these two significant aspects: “Shiva is everywhere, know Him as the sun.Know not the Pandit different to the Muslim.If you are wise, a Trikaite, know then yourself, That alone is the way to know the Saheb.“ Here, there is an interesting play upon the word `zaan' ­ to know ­ analysing its meaning at various levels, from the everyday interaction, almost the lowest level of consciousness, to the highest. How do we get to know Shiva? The verse prompts us to ask this primal question, and then proceeds to give the answer. At the commonest and obvious level, it means the ability to see `rav', the sun, something that is clear as daylight and which almost everyone can comprehend.Interestingly, for Shaivites, the sun is Supreme Consciousness; it is also Shiva.
The second line rises to a higher level of knowing ­ discernment, the ability to understand the essential non-difference between Hindus and Muslims. The third line raises the level of understanding still higher, asking the listener to look squarely at something most of us are unable to see ­ our own Self, which is part of that Supreme light pervading the universe. This is the toughest test of our understanding, after passing which can we claim to have found what most philosophers seek: God-realisation and meaning of life.
Lal Ded not only breaks down barriers between one religion and another by invoking the image of the sun shining upon everyone without distinction, she goes on to emphasise the idea of recognition, and seamlessly hangs the Islamic valence of the word `Saheb' to the apparent Shaiva reference to Shiva. The second Vakh is equally significant: “What am I to do with the five, the ten and the eleven Who stirred the pot, scraped it, and left?
Had they all been together and pulled the rope The eleven would not have lost the cow.“
The `five' are the tattvas, the five elements: earth, air, fire, water and ether, while the ten are the karmendriyas or five senses, and gyanendriyas, five apprehensive powers. The eleventh is the mind. To Lal Ded, in this anxious mood, all these seem to be working at crosspurposes while ruling the functioning of jivatma, the human self. The metaphor of the cow not being led in the right direction is from the Yajurveda which refers to jivatma as a cow. Lal Ded comments on what can happen and how one can lose one's bearings in life if all the eleven mentioned above are not in harmony .

In India, 80% of women don't have bank accounts'

New Delhi: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





India ranked a lowly 130 in the Human Development Index (HDI) even if up from last year's 135 in the list of 188 nations, thanks to higher life expectancy and gross national income.Stagnancy in education, women's empowerment and poverty continue to drag India down, keeping it in the medium human development category . Norway topped the ranking in the report released by UNDP on Monday .
HDI is a summary measure to assess long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development -a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. India's HDI value for 2014 was 0.609. A report released by the UNDP on Monday showed Bangladesh and Pakistan rank 142 and 147, respectively, on the the Human Development Index (HDI), worse than India's 130.
India has made improvements in life expectancy at birth which has increased to 68 years in 2014 from 67.6 in the previous year and 53.9 years in 1980. Gross National Income (GNI) per capita was $5,497 in 2014, up from $5,180 in 2013 and $1,255 in 1980. India's GNI per capita increased by about 338% between 1980 and 2014.
However according to the UNDP report, the expected years of schooling is stagnant at 11.7 years since 2011.Also, mean years of schooling at 5.4 years has not changed since 2010. Notably , over half of India's total employed are working poor, according to the international poverty line (PPP $2 per day).
The country does not fare well on the gender index either. Unpaid work, predominantly performed by women, is estimated at 39% of GDP. Women's workforce participation has also declined from 35% in 1990 to 27% in 2013. In 38 countries, including India, Pakistan, Mexico and Uganda, 80% of women are unbanked. By contrast, in Japan and South Korea, more than 90% women have bank accounts.
The Gender Inequality Index reflects gender-based inequalities in three dimensions -reproductive health, empowerment, and economic activity. India ranks 130 out of 155 countries with a value of 0.563. In India, 12.2% of parliamentary seats are held by women, and 27% of adult women have reached at least a secondary level of education compared to 56.6% of their male counterparts. For every 1,00,000 live births, 190 women die from pregnancy related causes; and the adolescent birth rate is 32.8 births per 1,000 women of ages 15-19. Female participation in the labour market is 27% compared to 79.9% for men. In comparison, Bangladesh and Pakistan are ranked at 111 and 121, respectively , on this index.
For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com

Source: Times of India, 15-12-2015

Construction work TAPI gas pipeline project begins

Ground breaking ceremony of 1800-kilometre-long Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project was held at the ancient city of Mary of Turkmenistan. The ground breaking function was attended by Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif and Indian Vice President Mohd Hamid Ansari. Turkmenistan is believed to have the world’s fourth-largest gas reserves and presently exporting it mainly to China. About TAPI Project TAPI gas pipeline project is a proposed trans-country natural gas pipeline from Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan to India through Afghanistan and Pakistan. Countries involved: The abbreviation TAPI itself indicate its member countries- Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Distance: The pipe line connects central Asia with south Asia covering 1,800 km. Reserves: The pipeline begins from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh field (formally known as South Yoiotan Osman) that has gas reserves are 16 trillion cubic feet. Project Cost: The estimated construction cost of the project is 10 billion US dollars and is being funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB). Capacity: It has capacity to carry 90 million standard cubic metres a day (mmscmd). Supply Share: Both India and Pakistan will get supply of about 38 mmscmd whereas Afghanistan will get 14 mmscmd supply of natural gas. Supply Life: The life of supply is expected to last for period of 30 years and shall be operational from 2019. Runs through: Galkynysh field (Turkmenistan) – Herat and Kandahar province (Afghanistan) – Multan via Quetta (Pakistan) and ends at Fazilka in Punjab (India). Security: Establishment of an inter-government joint security task force (JSTF) has been recommended to serve as the nucleus of the safety of the pipeline by a security consultant has recommended. Comment The TAPI Project is considered as an important initiative of these four countries to connect energy rich Central Asia with energy starved South Asia. It marks a new dawn of economic engagement through regional connectivity by economically integrating region stretching from the Bay of Bengal to the Caspian Sea. From India’s perspective, TAPI Project will provide an alternative supply source of gas with dependable reserves leading to enhanced energy security. It will further diversify the fuel basket to the benefit of Indian economy as it would be used mainly in power, fertilizer and city gas sectors. Tags: Afghanistan. Pakistan • Energy Security • India • India-International Relations • TAPI Project • Turkmenistan

Read more at: http://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/month/current-affairs-december-2015