Global hunger calls for a collective action

The world system that feeds humankind has been under stress for the past two years. It began with the coronavirus pandemic, which created food insecurity by disrupting agricultural production, supply-chains and livelihoods. The cost of critical inputs for agriculture—energy and fertilizers—rose sharply, as crude oil prices trebled between late 2020 and early 2022. The Russia-Ukraine war strangled crucial sources of supply, as these two countries contribute 28% to world wheat exports and 15% to world maize exports. Exports from Ukraine are simply not possible, as Odessa port is blockaded by Russia and mined by Ukraine, while exports from Russia are squeezed by sanctions. Climate change has accentuated the problem for wheat in 2022. Untimely rains in China, the world’s largest producer of wheat, an unprecedented heat wave in India, the world’s second largest producer of wheat, and insufficient rain in the wheat belts of the US and France, have all reduced output. Drought in the Horn of Africa has severely hurt the production of wheat and maize.

In less than six months, world prices of wheat have risen by 60%. The prospects are worrisome.

Ukraine, ravaged by war, might not be able to store what remains of the harvest to come, or plant for the next season. Russia will inevitably experience constraints. Surging prices of energy, fertilizers and pesticides will either shrink profit margins or diminish their use, reducing agricultural yields and output everywhere, particularly for poor farmers in developing countries. The spectre of a global food shortage looms large on the horizon. In a statement on 18 May, Antonio Guterres, the United Nations’ Secretary General, said that: “Global hunger levels are at a new high. In just two years, the number of severely food insecure people has doubled from 135 million to 276 million." Going further, he warned that the present situation “threatens to tip tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity, followed by malnutrition, mass hunger and famine, in a crisis that could last for years."

The availability of food grains for human consumption is constrained not only by output levels, but also by alternative uses. For one, the proportion of grains used to feed animals is alarmingly high. Estimates suggest that 33% of maize produced in the US and 40% of wheat produced by the EU is eaten by cows, while an enormous amount of maize grown in and imported by China is used to feed pigs. For another, a significant, albeit smaller, proportion of grains and vegetable oils are used to make biofuels—ethanol and biodiesel—which drive cars or trucks on roads, even if the objective is to reduce pollution.

There is a deeper structural problem in the world food system. Production and exports are concentrated in 10-12 countries, while consumption and imports of food, more widely distributed, depend on population and income levels. Moreover, a relatively small proportion of world output —25% for wheat and 15% for maize—is exported. It is appropriate to focus on wheat, the most important grain for human consumption, except in Asia, where it is rice.

Eleven countries account for 70% of global wheat production: China and India (the two largest producers) for 31%, Russia and Ukraine for 15%, the US, Canada, France, Germany and Australia for 19%, Turkey and Argentina for 5%. Just ten countries account for 86% of world wheat exports: the US, Canada, France, Australia, Germany and Poland for 50%, Russia and Ukraine for 28%, Argentina and Kazakhstan for 8%. Essentially, rich countries, which also use wheat for animal feed and biofuels, are the exporters. Similarly, just ten countries account for 83% of world imports, but in contrast, all ten are developing countries, listed in descending order of import volumes: Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, China, Algeria, Bangladesh, Morocco, Nigeria, Brazil and the Philippines. The regions that are dependent on wheat imports for food are North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Most of these countries and regions are vulnerable because Russia and Ukraine provide 25%-75% of their wheat imports.

More than two-thirds of the world’s population lives in countries that are net importers of food, largely in the developing world. The poor in these countries spend at least 40%, if not more, of their income on food. For the poorest, wheat and bread also provide a significant proportion of the calories needed to keep hunger at bay. And, when there are food shortages, it is the poor who go without.

Satyajit Ray’s portrayal of the 1940s Bengal famine in Distant Thunder, or Amartya Sen’s analysis in Poverty and Famines, both show that famine deaths are attributable to paucity of income among the poor rather than food shortages. In the present global context, it will be poor countries that cannot afford to buy scarce food at high prices, and hunger will be the fate of their poor.

Global hunger is a global problem. National actions in isolation, such as export restrictions, cannot suffice. International collective action, motivated by solidarity and implemented through cooperation, is the need of the hour. If the world cannot feed its people, the consequent hunger and starvation will feed conflict by unleashing economic, social and political tensions within countries, which could spill over across national boundaries.

Deepak Nayyar is emeritus professor of economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Source; Mintepaper, 10/06/22

Food safety index: how it is worked out, how the states have performed

 

The SFSI is released annually for a financial year. For instance, the latest SFSI, released on World Food safety Day, June 7, is for the fiscal 2021-22. This is the fourth edition of the SFSI since its inception in 2018-19.

Last week, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) released the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) 2021-22. A look at how the index assesses and ranks states, and their performances.

What is the SFSI?

Developed by the FSSAI, the index aims to measure the performance of states and Union Territories on selected “parameters” of food safety. According to the FSSAI, the index is aimed at encouraging states and UTs to “improve their performance and work towards establishing a proper food safety ecosystem in their jurisdiction…”

The SFSI is released annually for a financial year. For instance, the latest SFSI, released on World Food safety Day, June 7, is for the fiscal 2021-22. This is the fourth edition of the SFSI since its inception in 2018-19.

Which are these food safety parameters?

The SFSI takes into account the performance of the states on five key parameters, each of which is assigned a different weightage in the assessment.

HUMAN RESOURCES & INSTITUTIONAL DATA: This carries a weightage of 20% and measures the “availability of human resources like number of Food Safety Officers, Designated Officers facility of adjudications and appellate tribunals, functioning of State/ District level Steering Committees, pendency of cases and their monitoring and participation in Central Advisory Committee meetings of the Food Authority”.

COMPLIANCE: This carries the highest weightage, 30%. “This is the most important parameter and measures overall coverage of food businesses in licensing & registration commensurate with size and population of the State/UTs, special drives and camps organized, yearly increase, promptness and effectiveness in issue of state licenses/ registrations,” the FSSAI says. “Promptness” in attending to consumer grievances, and availability of a help desk and web portals, too, come under this parameter.

FOOD TESTING—INFRASTRUCTURE AND SURVEILLANCE: Weighted at 20%, this measures the “availability of adequate testing infrastructure with trained manpower in the States/ UTs for testing food samples”. The FSSAI says, “The States/ UTs with NABL accredited labs and adequate manpower in the labs score more in this parameter.” It takes into account the “availability and effective utilization” of Mobile Food Testing Labs and registration and utilization of InFoLNet (Indian Food Laboratories Network).

TRAINING & CAPACITY BUILDING: This parameter carries the lowest weightage, at 10%. It measures states’ performance on training and capacity building of regulatory staff.

CONSUMER EMPOWERMENT: This carries a weightage of 20%. It evaluates the states and UTs on their performance on various consumer empowering initiatives of FSSAI, such as participation in Food Fortification, Eat Right Campus, BHOG (Blissful Hygienic Offering to God), Hygiene Rating of Restaurants, Clean Street Food Hubs, etc.

Besides, the states’ initiatives for creating consumer awareness are also considered under this parameter.

How is the states and UTs assessed?

The states and Union Territories are not assessed and ranked together. They are segregated into three categories — large states, small states and UTs— and assessed separately within their respective categories, based on their performance on the selected food safety parameters.

“The assessment and evaluation of each category are done by separate teams comprising of outside experts for food testing and food & nutrition professionals in addition to FSSAI officials,” the FSSAI says.

These expert teams examine details received from the states and UTs. They also interact with the states/UTs through video-conferencing for verification and confirmation of data.

How have the states and UTs performed this year?

In the category of the 20 large states, Tamil Nadu with an overall score of 82 out of 100 has performed the best and been ranked 1st on SFSI 2021-22, while Andhra Pradesh with an overall score of 26 has been ranked at the bottom —17th place (some states share a common rank).

Following Tamil Nadu in the rankings of the larger states are Gujarat (rank 2nd with a score 77.5), Maharashtra (3rd with 70), Himachal Pradesh (4th with 65.5) and West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh (sharing 5th with a score of 58.5).

Bihar (rank 16th, score 30), Telangana (rank 15th , score 34.5), Assam (rank 14th, score 35) and Chhattisgarh and Haryana (rank 13th, score 38) join Andhra Pradesh in the bottom 5 among the large states on the SFSI for the large states.

Among the remaining 8 large states, Kerala with a score of 57 has been ranked at 6th, Uttarakhand (score 55) at 7th, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh (both 54.5) at 8th, Karnataka (score 52.5) at 9th, Rajasthan (score 50.5) at 10th, Punjab (score 45) at 11th and Jharkhand (41.5) at 12th.

Among the eight small states, Goa with a score of 56 has been ranked at the top, while Arunachal Pradesh (rank 8th and score 21) is at the bottom.

Among the eight Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir with a score of 68.5 has been ranked 1st and Lakshadweep (score 16) as the bottom. Delhi with a score of 66 has been ranked at 2nd place.

Written by Harikishan Sharma

Source: Indian Express, 13/06/22

Quote of the Day June 9, 2022

 

“The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs.”
Vance Havner

“कल्पना के उपरांत उद्यम अवश्य किया जाना चाहिए। सीढ़ियों को देखते रहना पर्याप्त नहीं है - हमें सीढ़ियों पर अवश्य चढ़ना चाहिए।”
वैन्स हैवनेर

Current Affairs-June 8, 2022

 

INDIA

– Govt widens eligibility for CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) appointment; Includes serving or retired three-star Army Lt General, Air Marshal and Vice Admiral for the post

– India-Bangladesh Joint Military Exercise Sampriti being held at Jeshore in Bangladesh from June 5 to 16

– Conference of Vice-Chancellors of Central Universities and Directors of Institutions of National Importance being held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 7-8

– Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurates newly-built National Tribal Research Institute at India Institute of Public Administration Campus in New Delhi

– Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya launches logo for Ayurveda Aahar

– Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya releases Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) 4th State Food Safety Index (SFSI)

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

– World Bank cuts India’s economic growth forecast to 7.5% for FY23

– Alok Kumar Choudhary appointed MD of SBI for a period of two years

WORLD

– 25th Founding Day of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) celebrated in Dhaka on June 6

– World Food Safety Day observed on June 7; slogan: “Food safety, everyone’s business”

SPORTS

– Wrestling: India return from Bolat Turlykhanov Cup at Almaty in Kazakhstan on 2nd position with 12 medals

– Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announces first ever National Air Sports Policy 2022

Current Affairs- June 9, 2022

 

INDIA

– Volume-IV of selected speeches of President Ram Nath Kovind named ‘Loktantra Ke Swar’ and ‘Republican Ethics’ released

– EAM S Jaishankar holds talks with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in New Delhi

– India, Vietnam ink military logistics support pact & vision document to expand defence ties during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Hanoi

– Cabinet approves signing of MoU between India & USA in health sector

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

– RBI raises repo rate to 4.9%; inflation forecast increased to 6.7% for FY23; GDP forecast retained at 7.2%

– RBI raises limit of individual housing loans provided by cooperative banks; raised for Tier I cities from Rs. 30 to Rs. 60 lakh and from Rs. 70 lakh to Rs. 1.40 crore in case of Tier II cities

– RBI raises limit for e-mandate based recurring payments from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 15,000

– RBI proposes to allow linking of credit cards to Unified Payments Interface

– Cabinet hikes MSP for Kharif crops for season 2022-23

– Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approves enhancement of funding under Technology Development Fund scheme enhanced to Rs 50 cr per project from Rs 10 crore

– NHAI sets new Guinness World Record, lays 75-km long highway in 105 hrs

– Cabinet allows transfer of 10 In-orbit Communication Satellites from Govt of India to New Space India Ltd

WORLD

– Virtual meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of BRICS chaired by China

– World Oceans Day celebrated on June 8; theme: “Revitalization: collective action for the ocean”

SPORTS

– Avani Lekhara wins gold medal in Para Shooting World Cup in women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 in France

– India women’s cricket team’s ODI and Test captain Mithali Raj retires

Beating the odds: The inspiring story of Ms. Pooja Jha, AIR 82, who cracked UPSC CSE 2021 in first attempt

 What do you think is the motivation of a civil services aspirant when he/she embarks on the journey of one of the toughest examinations in the world? The answers could vary from social status, stable career, charm of civil services with respect to variety of roles one gets to play, etc. But these were not the quest of Ms. Pooja Jha, who has cracked the Civil Services Exam 2021 in her very first attempt and become an IFS officer.  

Her motivation was very different as she was fighting a battle to assert her existence – to achieve gender equality at home. She wanted to give a better future to herself and showcase to her family that even a girl child could be the strength of a family. 

The son meta-preference: In Indian society, there is a preference for a male child as a son is seen as support of the old age and girl child is considered as part of someone else’s family. Unfortunately, Pooja’s family also had this deeply engrained in their minds and she was born into this family due to the desire to have a son. So, she is the fifth girl child of the family and all of us can imagine what kind of love was showered on her when she was born. It won’t be wrong to say that she was part of a family which was desperately looking for a boy child. Thankfully their quest ended soon, and the family had a boy the very next time.

She wanted equality: Pooja realized that her brother’s birthday was celebrated with lots of fun and zest but her and her sisters’ birthday was not celebrated. She found a way to solve this inequality. She observed that every year when she performed well in her school’s annual exams, she was loved and respected by everyone. So, she started to celebrate her success every year and started to believe that the day of result is her birthday which everyone is celebrating and making her feel special. This approach of hers paved the foundation of life she was going to pursue and standing first in the class became her habit.

She challenged the norm: Pooja is the only girl in the family who has studied beyond intermediate, and all her sisters were married off by the age of 18-19 only. Her father works as a peon and the family income is meagre at best. She studied in the schools run by the MCD and completed her intermediate with flying colours. She worked very hard and cleared a seat in Dentistry for the prestigious Maulana Azad Institute of Medical Sciences of Delhi. She knew that she had the potential to clear the seat for MBBS as well but driven by the need to pursue education at the earliest, she put her heart and soul in the course and stood first in all the four years of the course. 

She dared to dream: When Pooja was growing up, she read about the civil services exam and how this exam can be a tool of social mobility that she wanted for herself and her family. However, her father and mother had no idea what civil services exam is and how to prepare for that. After completing her course in dentistry, when she revealed her desire to take the civil services exam then the family was not supportive. She was expected to take up work as a dentist and start contributing financially towards the family. This was a very tough situation, but she is no stranger to troubles. She started to prepare for the exam in 2019 and everyone in her social group started to point at her that why she is not working and contributing to family income.

She overcame fear of failure: Pooja wanted to become a civil servant, but she had very little idea about how to prepare for the exam. She explored it further and she understood that this exam is tough and may require more than one attempt to clear which she may not afford to take. She qualified Rau’s IAS Scholarship program for Main Revision, Test Series and Mentorship Program and reached out to the mentor. Mr. Mangal Singh, who is a Senior faculty, was there to guide her. The first question that she had was, “Can this exam be cleared in one attempt?” Mr. Singh helped her by assuring that she can do it and connected her to Ms. Divya Mishra (AIR-28 in UPSC CSE-2020) for helping her in essay and with other subject matter experts in Rau’s ecosystem to help her in every single aspect of examination.

She wrote her destiny: Working harder than what she has ever done in the past and being systematic in her approach, she conquered all odds to become an IFS officer that she always wanted to become. This dream of becoming a civil servant is almost a decade old but it took her just one honest and sincere attempt to crack the UPSC exam in first attempt. She now feels most loved one in the family and her family is getting loads of attention and respect which they have not witnessed in the past. She shared that her father is a peon in an organization and has never met the company’s owner in last 38 years of his service. But when she achieved the top rank, the owner of the company called his father to congratulate him for the grand success of his daughter. He also promised that he will visit their house and felicitate the girl.

She has overcome all odds: There are many who want to prepare for the UPSC exam and become civil servants and they all face different kind of challenges. What we can learn from Pooja’s journey is that nothing is impossible if you put your heart and soul into it. One more thing that we would like to highlight that Pooja always surpassed the expectations by a big margin. On one occasion when she was given a task to write one essay, she wrote two. This shows the greatness of her effort. We are fortunate that she will be part of the Steel Frame of India and she will be part of policies and decision making which will make India more equal, more accommodative, and more respecting towards women. She is actually the face of confident women of new India, and she will soon be representing India at all the major international platforms. 

Source: Indian Express, 9/06/22

IISc is top Indian university in global rankings, overtakes IITs

 Rising 31 places in a year, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has emerged as the highest ranked Indian institute in the 2023 edition of the QS World University rankings, pushing IIT-Bombay to the second position, followed by IIT-Delhi.

Apart from IISc at 155, IIT-Bombay (IIT-B) and IIT-Delhi (IIT-D), which have risen five and 11 places to rank 172 and 174 respectively, are the only other Indian institutes in the global league of top 200, in continuation of a trend since 2017. The total number of Indian institutes among the top 1,000 globally has risen to 27 from 22.

Speaking to The Indian Express, QS spokesperson William Barbieri attributed the remarkable rise of IISc, which is one of the eight public Institutes of Eminence (IoE), to improvement across four out of six parameters based on which the rankings are prepared.

These parameters are — academic reputation (AR), employer reputation (ER), faculty-student ratio (FSR), citations per faculty (CpF), international faculty ratio and international students ratio.

Barbieri said: “IISc has had an exceptional year across QS indicators. Remarkably, its strongest performing metric, Citations per Faculty, in which it is the world leader, has not changed year-on-year and it remains at the top of the table. It is the improvements across QS’s other criteria to which it owes its impressive performance. IISc achieves gains in 4/6 metrics, most notably, it has drastically expanded its number of International Faculty. However, significant improvements in Academic and Employer Reputation alongside teaching capacity have all combined to propel IISc to the peak of India’s educational hierarchy.

According to the CpF indicator of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), which is a London-based higher education analytics firm, when universities are adjusted for faculty size, IISc Bengaluru is the world’s top research university, achieving a perfect score of 100/100 for this metric. “Furthermore, IISc Bengaluru is the fastest rising South Asian university among the QS World University Rankings top-200,” said a QS statement.

Overall, Indian education institutes, 41 of which made it to the rankings, have performed poorly across many key metrics. For instance, 30 out of 41 ranked universities have suffered declines in the FSR indicator, with only four recording improvements.

“However, on an encouraging note, now two Indian universities rank among the top 250 for Faculty/Student Ratio, compared to none in previous editions. The highest performing in this metric is Savitribai Phule Pune University (225 th for FSR) and O.P. Jindal Global University (235 th for FSR), followed by IISc Bengaluru (276 th for FSR),” QS noted.

Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was declared the best university for the 11th straight year. The second place went to the University of Cambridge, followed by Stanford University. China has 28 universities among the top 500, including six in the top 100 with Peking University getting rank 12 and Tsinghua University placed 14th.

Notably, all the IITs, barring one, which feature in the rankings have improved their standing. In fact, IIT-Indore made the highest-ranking debut in the list, securing the 396th slot globally, while IIT-BHU made its maiden appearance in the 651-700 band.

The report shows that India’s presence in the top 500 category is also IIT-driven. Apart from IISc, eight IITs (Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee, Guwahati, Indore) are ranked among the top 500 globally. No other Indian university, public or private, has found a place in this category, five years into the launch of the Institute of Eminence scheme.

One of the objectives of the IoE scheme was to help ten public and as many private Indian higher education institutions break into the top 500 of reputed rankings such as QS within a decade, and in the top 100 “over time”. The scheme continues to languish in the absence of an empowered expert committee which is meant to drive it.

Among the eight public IoEs, five (IISc, IIT-B, IIT-D, IIT-Madras and IIT-Kharagpur) improved their rankings, while the University of Delhi and University of Hyderabad slipped from band 501-510 to 521-530 and 651-700 to 751-800, respectively.
Banaras Hindu University, the only other public IoE, has been ranked outside the top 1,000, in the 1,001-1,200 band.

Also, one of the three private IoEs, OP Jindal Global University, with a rank in the 651-700 band, is the highest-ranked private university in the country, according to QS. The other two private IoEs — Manipal Academy of Higher Education and BITS-Pilani — were placed in the 751-800 and 1,001-1,200 bands, respectively, same as last year.

The report was prepared on the basis of responses from 1,51,000 academics and 99,000 employers across the world.

Ben Sowter, QS Senior Vice President, said: “This edition of the QS World University Rankings reflects the excellent work that several Indian universities are doing to improve their research footprint, with positive consequences for their reputation on the global stage. Conversely, our dataset also suggests that the Indian higher education sector still struggles to provide adequate teaching capacity.”

Written by Sourav Roy Barman

Source: Indian Express, 9/06/22