Animesh PradhanAIR 2 · CSE 2023 · 96 wordsTheir whole copy
Opening
The various mandates of WTO of 'green' and 'amber' box and limitations of agricultural support & De minimis levels have been tackled by India and its food subsidy continues to benefit crores.
Body · points and prose
- Merit in retaining support to poor
- (1) IMF praised India for keeping high parity under 1 crore during COVID by PM Garib Kalyan Yojana
- (2) subsidies through PM KISAN and Interest subvention scheme increases formal capital (≈52% of households in some form of debt)
- (3) food security - 35% of 0-5 years children stunted, 18% wasted & 50% of women under Anaemia
- (4) Poverty - 16% of Indians under multidimensional poverty line
→ 5 subsidy through PM Fasal Bima Yojana help in crop diversification & risk taking agriculture entrepreneurship.
→ 6 For urban poor, SVANIDHI, National Urban Livelihood Mission for employment generation & empowerment. → 7 Vulnerable section like women benefitted through Mahila Shashakti karan Yojana, tribals through PM Vandhan Yojana etc.
- Limitations of such support
- lack of right beneficiary identification (survey in chattisgarh marked 22% ration cards bogus)
- leakages → NSSO notes 46% leakages in food subsidy
- culture of dependency grown
- Ecological damage - overdepend -ence on rice, water depletion et.
- Fiscal deficit rising to 6.4% of GDP (Budget FY'23)
Close · a framework
Hence, India must continue to support poor to fulfill goals of SDG-1 & 2.