Note: Please note that some inputs have been given by our team in order to make the topic more relevant to UPSC

1.  Fuelling Problems

Topics covered from the syllabus: GS-2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections. GS-3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

 

Prelims FactS PM Ujjwala Yojana: It is a scheme of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to increase the coverage of LPG connections in India. Under the scheme, almost 9 crore poor households have been given free LPG connections across the country. Of these, almost 35% are SC and ST households. The scheme was launched in 2016 from Ballia, UP.

 

Context: The rising LPG costs have led many poor households to switch from the usage of LPG to traditional fuels like firewood, dung cakes etc. This has led to the erosion of gains achieved by PM Ujjwala Yojana.

Switch from LPG to other Fuels

• Coverage of Households: PM Ujjwala Yojana has led to an increase in the coverage of LPG as a fuel in households in India. From a mere 62% in 2016, the coverage of LPG connections in India has increased to 104.1% of households in 2022. However, media reports indicate that this rise does not translate into the usage of LPG by poor households because of rising fuel costs.
• Widespread Poverty: Despite free connections, poor are unable to persist with the usage of LPG as a fuel due to low income in India. As per a study by an NGO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, the cost of LPG amounts to almost 6.7% of the income of rural households, which is 40% higher than the cost of other fuels.
• Increase in Costs: One of the major reasons for this switch is the rise in prices of LPG cylinders. The cost of a refill has increased from Rs 580 in 2020 to Rs 1000 in 2022. As per the government data, almost 9 million beneficiaries did not have the wherewithal to refill the cylinders in 2020-21, while another 10 million could manage only one refill.
• Lack of Awareness: At the same time, the poor are unaware of the benefits extended by the government to them due to lack of awareness and publicity. For e.g., recently, the government has announced a Rs 200 subsidy on 12 refills annually for the households covered under PM Ujjwala scheme. However, most of the beneficiaries are not aware of the subsidy.
• Import Dependency: As per the Finance Minister, the problem of rising costs of LPG is outside the domain of Indian government as India imports most of its requirement of LPG from Middle East and other regions. However, the experts have lamented the price rise while referring to the rise in health costs as a result of non-use of LPG.
• Cause of Price Rise: At the same time, many experts have questioned the intent of Finance Minister as the price rise was continuing even before the prices of fuel increased in the international market.
• Difficult Choice: By taking expensive LPG connections, the poor face a difficult choice. Usually, the choice is between the expense on daily groceries or the education of the children. Mostly, they are forced to choose the former.
• High percentage of Informal Jobs: As compared to formal jobs, informal jobs are dominant in India. The issue with such a high number of informal jobs is that they are not immune to the rise in inflation. This decreases their ability to withstand rise in LPG prices. For e.g., an average poor household could spend hardly Rs. 450 per month on cooking fuel.

Issues with other Fuels

• Switch to other fuels: Due to an increase in prices of LPG, poor households have no option but to go for other fuels. This includes firewood, kerosene, dung cakes or other similar fuels. The choice of fuel is mostly determined by the geographical attributes of the region. For e.g., the residents in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh mostly used dung cakes and not fuel wood because of lack of forests in the region.
• Inflation in Prices of other Fuels: At the same time, switching from LPG to other fuels has increased their demand, consequently leading to an increase in their prices. For e.g., before covid-19 pandemic hit the economy, kerosene used to sell for Rs. 15 per litre at the fair price shops. However, a rise in demand has led to a decrease in availability and increased the prices of kerosene to almost Rs 100-120 on black market.
• Air Pollution: The prime reason for the introduction of LPG as the fuel of choice was to decrease air pollution and its effects on the health of women and children. With people switching back to traditional fuels, the fear of air pollution related diseases and complications have returned.
• Health Issues: Use of fuel wood leads to respiratory tract related infections. Such issues are especially prevalent among women who have to cook the food sitting close to the source of particulate pollution. Similarly, exposure of children to smoke at an early age leads to an increase in the possibility of the development of asthma.
• Time Lost: The burden of switching to the use of traditional fuels is more on women of the house. This is because they are the ones who have to collect the fuel wood from nearby jungles. This leads to loss of precious man-hours, which could have been spent on more productive uses like educating children.
• Rise in Invisible Costs: The situation is not just detrimental to the individuals, but also for the government. This is because, in the long run, health issues for the poor households increase the spending of the government on Healthcare sector. On the contrary, spending this future money on providing subsidies for fuel to the poor can substantially decrease the Healthcare budget of the government.
• Economic Loss: A deterioration in the situation of Healthcare has multiple effects on the country. It creates a vicious circle of poverty, which starts with low spending on education and a rise in health-related issues. Untrained and physically weak human resources contribute lesser to the economy, furthering poverty in the economy. This leads to lower spending on education and health care, completing the circle.

Conclusion

• An increase in the LPG prices can only be called a short-sighted decision by the authorities. It has the potential to bite back due to a rise in Healthcare costs in the future. The government would do well to keep in mind the future load and economic consequences of such decisions and continue with its welfare programs.

Practice Question

• Despite its immense benefits, the poor have not been enthusiastic to adopt LPG as the fuel of common usage in India. Discuss, while highlighting the achievements of PM Ujjwala Yojana.

UPSC PYQs

• Performance of welfare schemes that are implemented for vulnerable sections is not so effective due to absence of their awareness and active involvement at all stages of policy process – Discuss. (GS2 - 2019)
• Appropriate local community-level healthcare intervention is a prerequisite to achieve ‘Health for All ‘ in India. Explain. (GS2 - 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Taking Ownership

Topics covered from the syllabus: GS-2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections. GS-2: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens’ charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.

Context: Forest Rights Act, 2006 has been an important milestone for the forest-dwelling communities as it has allowed these communities to have access to forest resources, which they had already been using for generations.

Major Provisions of Forest Rights Act, 2006

• Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA): Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 is also referred to as Forest Rights Act, 2006. The Act was brought in to recognize the rights of Forest-dwelling tribal communities to the forest resources, on which they are dependent for their variety of needs, including livelihood, habitat, fuel etc.
• Nodal Agency: Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal agency for the implementation of Forest Rights Act, 2006. At the same time, Gram Sabha acts as the nodal agency for the management of forest resources, as it has been conferred upon the powers to recognize the rights to protect and conserve the natural resources of the forest.
• Powers of Gram Sabha: Gram Sabha is the body comprising all adult voters in a village. Under FRA, Gram Sabha is authorized to make rules for production and management of forest. No forest land can be diverted to any other use, including classifying it as a protected area, without permission from Gram Sabha.
• Rights conferred under FRA: There are two types of rights under FRA: Individual Rights and Community Forest Rights (CFR). Individual rights are the rights of an individual to settle and cultivate forest lands. On the other hand, CFRs are conferred on the community and they allow it to manage and use the minor forest produce like tendu leaves and bamboo.
• Rights of Nomadic people: FRA recognizes the rights of nomadic people, who are not normally residents of a particular place. They practice pastoralism and keep moving to different regions as per the availability of fodder in different seasons. CFRR allows claims for addition of provisions which have not been included in FRA.
• Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR): They are provided under Section 3(1)(i) of FRA. The section confers upon the community the right to protect, conserve and manage the forest resources, which they had been using, protecting and conserving traditionally in a sustainable manner.
• Rights of Gram Sabha: If the CFRR of a village are recognised, the rights over the forests pass on from Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC) to the Gram Sabha, which are instead managed by the Community Forest Management Committee (CFMC). Reports indicate that officers of the forest department are hesitant to pass over the control of forests to the Gram Sabha.

Major Provisions of Forest Rights Act, 2006

• Joint Forest Management (JFM): Traditionally, the forest resources were managed by a JFMC, formed under the National Forest Policy of 1988. The practice gets discontinued from the villages in which CFRR are recognized. The Committee is comprised of members from tribal communities as well as forest officials. These communities are tasked with taking up the management and conservation of forests.
• Structure of JFMC: JFMC is headed by forest dwellers. However, its secretary is from the forest department, who manages the day to day activities of the committee, as well as, maintains the records pertaining to forests.
• Revenue Sharing: Under JFM system, the tribals have been promised 20% of the total revenues received from selling the minor forest produce. Rest of the revenues are retained by the forest department. However, the media reports indicate that the profits received from such sales have been negligible till now.
• NC Saxena Committee: Another issue which emanates from the end of JFM system is the kind of support to be provided by the forest department to the CFMC. MoTA has set up a committee under the chairmanship of NC Saxena to look into the issue. The Committee has given its recommendations on the issue. However, the ministry is yet to formalize the guidelines.
• Recommendations of the Committee: The committee visualizes Gram Sabha as the mainstay of forest management. It recommends creating a Forest Rights Committee (FRC), to decide the territorial jurisdiction of Gram Sabha, as well as, to confer rights to forest produce.
• Control over Forest Resources: However, the committee recommends that the Gram Sabha will not have control over forest resources other than minor forest produce. The control over such resources lies with the forest department, which should manage it in consultation with the Gram Sabha.
• Role of Forest Department: In case of areas under CFRR, the committee recommends that the role of Forest Department would be limited to technical expertise and an advisor to the Gram Sabha. Gram Sabha will have the power to determine the territorial jurisdiction over common areas, in association with similar committees of other villages.

Advantages of Forest Rights Act, 2006

• Benefits of CFRR: CFRR provides for community-led conservation of forest resources. This is beneficial for the forest as the communities have been living around such forests for generations and understand their importance. At the same time, it is also so beneficial to the community with games access to forest resources for its livelihood and sustenance.
• Reasons for higher demand: As per the experts, the recent spurt in demands for CFR claims can be attributed to word of mouth publicity, grassroots mobilization, better Awareness of individual and community rights, collective bargaining power, as well as, derivation of economic benefits from the sale of minor forest produce.
• Biodiversity conservation: CFRR is also an important step leading towards the conservation of wildlife and plants in the forests. It builds upon the harmony and trust which has been built it between the communities and wild animals over many generations.
• States having substantial tribal population: Granting CFRR rights is especially relevant in States having a substantial tribal population, who can gain much from such legislation. For e.g., Jharkhand has almost three-fourths of its area under tribal districts, while the figure for Chhattisgarh is approx. 68.5.
• Building trust with Tribals: FRA is an important step in preventing disaffection and this illusion among the youth of the country. This is especially relevant in backward states like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, which are affected by Naxalism. Such legislations play an important role in upholding the credibility of government and building trust between tribals and authorities.
• Political milieu: The granting of rights under the provisions of FRA of gains political advantage for the party in power as tribals constitute a substantial part of population in many states. Similarly, the losses offered by political parties in states like Chhattisgarh carry messages regarding raised political consciousness in such States and political parties have been quick to read these signals.
• Awareness generation: Experts claim that granting rights under FRA is a continuous process and builds upon itself as the neighboring villages get interested, as soon as a village is conferred such rights. This is manifested in the increasing claim settlement ratio of CFRs, which has increased to 69% in the period 2014-21.
• Mission Mode: At the same time, the government needs to take up special awareness generation drives in order to make tribals aware of their rights. For e.g., Rajasthan has started a Van Adhikar Abhiyan for the same. Such programs need to be replicated in other states as well.
• Support to the Communities: The need of the hour is to provide technical expertise and support to the communities in filing such claims, as they lack technical know-how regarding procedures of claim-filing. This would be an important step in improving the local communities and Gram Sabhas.

Conclusion

• Forests Rights Act, 2006 has been an important legislation in the direction of empowering the local governance institutions. As awareness regarding the provisions of FRA spreads, the people will increasingly look to claim their rights on forests which they have built over generations. This will enhance the credibility of government and is a much needed step in the right direction.

Practice Question

• Differentiate between the individual and community rights under Forest Rights Act, 2006. Also, highlight the major recommendations of NC Saxena Committee.

UPSC PYQs

• ‘In the context of neo-liberal paradigm of development planning, multi-level planning is expected to make operations cost effective and remove many implementation blockages.’-Discuss. (GS2 - 2019)
• The persisting drives of the government for development of large industries in backward areas have resulted in isolating the tribal population and the farmers who face multiple displacements with Malkangiri and Naxalbari foci, discuss the corrective strategies needed to win the left wing extremism (LWE) doctrine affected citizens back into the mainstream of social and economic growth. (GS3 - 2015)