UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS| PRELIMS & MAINS| 27th April 2020

• The extension of the nationwide lockdown to combat the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), though necessary, will lead to a further suspension of work and no wages and means for families to support themselves.
• The rabi harvest is starting soon and most farmers are struggling due to the lack of mobility of labour, machinery and necessary equipment during this lockdown period.
• Apart from logistical and administrative problems, farmers are facing financial crunch at a time when the rabi crop is ready to be harvested and the kharif season is to soon start.

PROCURE AT THE DOORSTEP

• The quantity of food grains in buffer stocks that has been set aside for the central pool by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is based on the principles of operational stocks and strategic reserve.

• So, five million tonnes of food grain is maintained under strategic reserve throughout the year.
• As on March 1, 2020, the country had a food grain stock of 58.5 million tonnes, consisting of 31 million tonnes of rice and 27.5 million tonnes of wheat in the central pool.
• The government of India, through FCI and the state governments or their agencies, should procure rabi crops immediately before farmers are compelled to sell their produce to middlemen in villages.
• The distress sale to ease the ready cash required for kharif preparation can be averted if procurement happens at the village level.
• A target was set to double farmers’ income by 2022, taking 2015-16 as the base year through a number of schemes and programmes such as Pradhan Mantra Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), increase in Minimum Support Price etc.

DIRECT INCOME SUPPORT

• The government should have allocated extra funds beyond the provision already made under PM-KISAN, that would have helped farmers in many ways.

Secondly, instead of waiting for the scheduled time period to pay the second and third installments to farmers, the government should plan to transfer the funds now, when the farmers are facing a funds crunch in taking up farm operations for kharif cultivation.

CHEAP CREDIT AND REACHING OUT TO FARMERS:

• Farmers are in dire need of funds owing to the rabi harvest, preparatory work for kharif cultivation and for personal consumption purposes.

• Besides, an additional three per cent incentive is given to farmers for prompt repayment of the loan, thereby reducing the effective rate of interest to four per cent for farmers.
• The maximum amount of this credit target should be disbursed at the earliest so that the cash-starved rural sector can drive the wheel of economic growth.
• Besides these provisions to provide credit, there are bottlenecks in availing the institutional credit.
• The norms to avail institutional credit should be relaxed at least during the time of this crisis.

• The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has shaken the world economy, reducing it to a complete standstill: Transportation services and industries are on hold, with social distancing a new norm in societies.

This has been pushing cities across the world to re-invent and re-plane mobility strategies.

CHANGES IN VISITS AT TRANSIT STATION AREAS IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

Source: Google Mobility Data (from February 15, 2020 to April 11, 2020)

• The sharp declines in France and India are primarily due to the lockdown that was imposed in the countries on March 17 and March 23, respectively.
• It is, however, difficult to point out the actual loss or how deep the dent is, as people in every region are either staying at home or working from home.

HOW CITIES CAN RE-INVENT PUBLIC TRANSIT

• Transit authorities in Switzerland, for instance, created a temporary barrier within buses using plastic tapes or other means, to separate bus drivers — as well as conductors — from people.
• Detroit in the United States has provided portable toilet facilities to its drivers.

• Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has initiated campaigns and created posters and social media information informing passengers to wear a face mask while traveling, along with other details.
• Almost all transit operators asked for ways to improve their cleansing mechanism.

• City authorities are also going beyond transit management to deploy other mobility strategies, to manage overall travel demand.
• Cities like Berlin in Germany, Bogota in Columbia have begun to open cycle lanes.
• Similarly, city authorities are identifying areas with major pedestrian footfall —railway stations, bus terminals, busy market places — to create pedestrian-friendly zones.
• Segregated office timing may help to reduce peak demand and subsequently overcrowding situations.
• This needs an awareness campaign to promote an active mode of transport and encourage their employees to cycle or walk to office as much as possible.

This pandemic is an opportunity to replan and rethink mobility strategies in the post-pandemic period to keep traffic volume low to control pollution, congestion and exposure.