India press freedom score falls

• Reporters Without Borders reports that India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index decreased from 36.62 to 31.28 in the past year. India is placed 159th in South Asia; its neighbor Pakistan is ranked somewhat higher, at 152.

Highlights of the Report:

• Decline Since 2014: Since 2014, press freedom in India has experienced a notable decline.
• Government vs. Media Nexus: The government faces criticism for continuing to have tight ties with large media families, which is said to result in a lack of independence and the labeling of critical journalism as “anti-national and anti-Indian.”
• Self-Censorship: As supporters of Modi actively target critical reporting of the government, journalists have been forced to censor themselves out of fear of political retaliation.
• The bulk of mainstream media outlets are being owned by wealthy businesspeople close to Modi, a trend known as corporatization of media that threatens media variety and independence.
• Recent raids on the BBC offices in India have sparked condemnation from around the world and have negatively impacted India’s standing for press freedom.
• Comparative Analysis: Press freedom in neighboring nations such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka has improved, but still lags below world leaders in press freedom rankings, while press freedom in India is declining.

India’s “Index Monitoring Cell” initiative:

• The Index Monitoring Cell was established with the goal of raising India’s press freedom score. Representatives from a range of government departments and reliable journalists nominated by the Press Council of India will be included.
• Ranking Parameters: In order to gain a deeper comprehension of the parameters and methodology employed for the rankings, the cell will interact with organizations that publish the World Press Freedom Index, such as Reporters Without Borders. This will assist in creating a plan of action to deal with the problems found.
• State Government Coordination: The cell will work with state governments to designate nodal officers who may give regular briefings on the situation of press freedom and any problems local journalists may be having.
• Interaction with Stakeholders: This attempts to enhance the visibility and communication of actions made to uphold press freedom and respond to issues brought up by international media watchdogs.
• Reporting procedures: Establishing appropriate reporting procedures is essential to guaranteeing the accuracy and timeliness of the data and information sent to ranking authorities. This will aid in providing a more accurate depiction of the state of press freedom in India.

To preserve press freedom and guarantee the security of journalists, India must pass new legislation and reinforce existing ones. Legislation to stop intimidation, assaults, and harassment of journalists is part of this, as are provisions for quick and efficient legal action in the event of censorship or intimidation.

What do understand by the concept “freedom of speech and expression”? Does it cover hate speech also? Why do the films in India stand on a slightly different plane from other forms of expression? Discuss. (UPSC IAS/2014)

Why Youth Unemployment is India’s biggest challenge?

• The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Institute for Human Development (IHD) have released the India Employment Report (IER) 2024, which has garnered a lot of interest.
• The analysis examines four years that represent the developments over the previous 22 years: 2000, 2012, 2019, and 2022.

Positives in the IER Report, 2024:

• Improvement in Employment Quality: The Employment Condition Index shows a strong improvement in employment conditions, with a rise in non-farm employment and a fall in employment in agriculture, pointing to structural changes in the economy.
• Female Workforce Participation: The percentage of women working has increased significantly, albeit mostly in the agricultural industry and in self-employed and unpaid household employment.
• The percentage of women in the workforce (FWFP) increased from 24.5% in 2019 to 37.0% in 2023.
• Resilience of the Labor Market During COVID-19: The pandemic caused a global downturn, but the Indian labor market recovered successfully, with casual workers’ earnings rising and extreme poverty and deprivation declining.
• Trends in Unemployment: The rates of underemployment and unemployment rose until 2018, at which point they started to fall. In 2023, the unemployment rate is expected to be 3.2%, down from 6% in 2018.

Challenges as per the IER Report, 2024:

• The challenges facing emerging employment include a skewed employment pattern towards agriculture, a rise in capital and skill-intensive production processes, low participation rates among women, and an increase in unemployment among educated youth.
• Focus on Youth Unemployment: The research highlights youth unemployment as a major issue, particularly among educated youth, who make up a sizable share of the unemployed overall.
• Informal Employment: Over 90% of employment is informal, with 83% of it in the informal sector. Despite advancements, the majority of occupations are still informal and have lower productivity.

Way Forward

• Recommendations for Policy: Recommendations for policy include increasing the employment-intensiveness of production, resolving labor market disparities, enhancing skills training, and producing trustworthy statistics to gain a better understanding of labor market dynamics.
• India is expected to have a demographic advantage over the next ten years. It is advised that strategy be taken to take use of this advantage and drive strong economic growth.

Besides the welfare schemes, India needs deft management of inflation and unemployment to serve the poor and the underprivileged sections of the society. Discuss.(UPSC IAS/2022)

Shellfish Aquaculture for Water Remediation

• Geukensia demissa-based shellfish aquaculture is showing promise as a way to reduce pollutants and excess nutrients in estuarine and coastal waterways.

About Geukensia demissa

• The ribbed mussel, or Atlantic ribbed mussel, is the common name for the species of mussel Geukensia demissa.
• It is indigenous to the Atlantic coast of North America, which stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to Nova Scotia in Canada.
• They are usually found in salt marshes, tidal flats, and estuaries, where they live in shallow subtidal and intertidal zones.
• Where they can dig and attach themselves, they like locations with muddy or sandy substrates.

Ecological Importance

• In the ecosystems of estuaries, ribbed mussels are essential.
• Water Filtration: By eliminating extra nutrients and suspended particles, they filter vast amounts of water, so improving the quality of the water.
• Important species in the food chain: They also give a variety of other animals, such as fish and small invertebrates, a place to live and food.
• Organisms Filter: These mussels are able to filter bacteria, microalgae, and debris that is full of pollutants and nutrients. They also flourish in a variety of settings.

Geukensia demissa: Experimental Deployment and Results

• In an estuary close to New York City, a raft filled with local ribbed mussels was placed to test the effectiveness of G. demissa in cleaning urban waters.
• Following examination, it was discovered that the mussels were in good health and had accumulated a sizable amount of local nitrogen isotopes, which was suggestive of nitrogen removal from the water.
• The results show that a fully filled raft could remove about 159 kg of particle matter per day and purify an average of 11,356 m3 of water per day.
• Additionally, the mussels improved the quality of the water by storing 62.6 kg of nitrogen in their tissues and shells after collection.

1. Recently, “oil-zapper” was in the news. What is it? 2011

(a) It is an eco-friendly technology for the remediation of oily sludge and oil spills

(b) It is the latest technology developed for under-sea oil exploration

(c) It is a genetically engineered high biofuel-yielding maize variety

(d) It is the latest technology to control the accidentally caused flames from oil wells