72% Indians believe country headed in right direction: Survey - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

72% Indians believe country headed in right direction: Survey.

• People in China (93%), Saudi Arabia (82%) and India (72%) are the most optimistic about the future
• Among the issues that bother Indians the most are unemployment, corruption and crime, the Ipsos survey said

At least 72% urban Indians believe that India is headed in the right direction compared to 61% global citizens who feel their country is on the wrong track, says a survey by market research firm Ipsos.
While people in China (93%), Saudi Arabia (82%) and India (72%) are the most optimistic about the future, those in South Africa (15%), Italy (17%) and Spain (21%) are the most negative about the prospects of their country.
Among the issues that bother Indians the most are unemployment, financial/political corruption and crime & violence, according to the Ipsos "What Worries the World" survey.
These are also the top three issues that bother global citizens as well — though not in the same order.
"Urban Indians have faith in the overall trajectory for the country and overall there is a sense of optimism among citizens," Amit Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos India & Operations Director, Ipsos APEC (Asia Pacific Excluding China), said in a statement.
"At the same time, joblessness, graft and lawlessness continue to perturb them. With the recent slowdown in manufacturing, it would be interesting to see what the actual impact on the job market would be," Adarkar said.
The survey is conducted monthly in 28 countries around the world via the Ipsos Online Panel system.
For the current results, 19,531 adults from various countries were interviewed between August 23-September 6, 2019.


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72% Indians believe country headed in right direction: Survey.

National Sample Survey Office’s unemployment data confirms crisis on the ground: experts - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

National Sample Survey Office’s unemployment data confirms crisis on the ground: experts.

“The NSSO findings are not surprising, but they are alarming. The trends of rising unemployment were already visible,” said AmitBasole, lead author of a report, “State of Working India, 2018”.

The National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO's) data showing a record spike in unemployment in 2017-18, which was published in a news report on Thursday, is a validation of trends seen on the ground, according to labour economists, job-seekers and workers’ representatives. The government’s failure to release the NSSO report was the latest sign of a complete lack of transparency regarding jobs data, they said.
“The NSSO findings are not surprising, but they are alarming. The trends of rising unemployment were already visible. Our analysis showed it was higher in 2015 than in 2011-12, and we expected demonetisation to have a harsh effect,” said AmitBasole, head of the Centre for Sustainable Employment at AzimPremji University in Bengaluru, and lead author of a report, “State of Working India, 2018”.
Data confusion
Dr. Basole noted that the government’s decision to discontinue the NSSO’s five year surveys, failure to regularly release Labour Bureau data and delay in releasing the NSSO’s periodic labour force survey had led to “an atmosphere of uncertainty and confusion. Instead, the government kept citing job numbers based on EPFO’s payroll data and the Mudra loans, which are not helpful,” he said.
“The data, as cited by the news report, shows that there has been a rise in unemployment and a decline in the labour force participation rate (LFPR) post demonetisation, which is in line with what we have also been saying,” said Mahesh Vyas, chief executive and managing director of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), which has done its own unemployment surveys.
“The LFPR is a measure of people looking for jobs. So, if this is declining while unemployment is growing, it means that there is a very real and serious crisis in jobs. The government has to make the data public as soon as possible,” added Anamitra Roy Chowdhury, a labour economist with the Centre for Informal Sector &Labour Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Thursday’s Business Standard report on the NSSO report said overall unemployment was at a 45-year high, with youth between the ages of 15 and 29 facing higher rates of joblessness than others. This comes as no surprise to Anupam, founder of YuvaHallaBol, a movement of young job-seekers.
“In the last couple of years, the simmering anger among educated youth has been clear. After demonetisation, we have seen that the labour force itself has shrunk,” he said, adding that urban women, who face an unemployment rate of 27% are worst hit.
The informal sector employs more than 90% of the country’s workforce, and has witnessed a decline in available work and wages in the last two years, said Chandan Kumar, coordinator of the Working People’s Charter, an alliance of informal workers’ groups and unions. “Daily wage labourers say they used to get at least 20 days of work each month. After demonetisation, they get only ten days,” he pointed out.
Unemployment data based on draft report: NITI Aayog—
Think tank debunks media report of joblessness at 45-year high
The government’s think tank NITI Aayog on Thursday debunked claims of a news report that unemployment in 2017-18 was at a 45-year high. The NITI Aayog said the report of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), cited as the source for the report, was in fact a draft and not approved by the government.
“This is a draft report,” NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said at a press conference. “We need to publish data on a quarterly basis. The July 2017-December 2018 data has just been received. Therefore, we don’t know the data or the veracity of the data. Citing this data or comparing it with the 2011-12 data will not be correct.”
Mirrors 1972
A report in the Business Standard on Thursday, which cited the NSSO’s periodic labour force survey — that is yet to be released — said the unemployment rate was 6.1% in 2017-18. The only year of comparable data when the unemployment rate was higher was in 1972-73. It was at 2.2% in 2011-12.
The NSSO report is a matter of much controversy, with the two external members of the National Statistical Commission citing the delay in its release as a major reason for their resignations on Monday.
The data reportedly showed that joblessness was higher in urban India (7.8%) than in rural India (5.3%). Within this, it stood at 17.4% for rural males and 13.6% for rural females. In urban India, joblessness was at 18.7% among males and a huge 27.2% among females.
an India, joblessness was at 18.7% among males and a huge 27.2% among females.
Importantly, the data reportedly showed that the labour force participation rate (LFPR), the measure of people working or looking for jobs, declined from 39.5% in 2011-12 to 36.9% in 2017-18. This phenomenon — of unemployment rising while the LFPR dipped — is a cause for serious worry, experts say, explaining that it probably shows that people are simply giving up on finding jobs and have stopped seeking work.
‘People leaving low quality jobs’
CEO of NITI Aayog and ex-officio member of the National Statistical Commission Amitabh Kant on Thrusday said, “Nearly 7.8 million jobs have been created. We have to take into account people leaving the low quality jobs. We are creating adequate number of jobs for new entrants. The problem seems to be the quality of jobs.”
“India needs about seven million jobs and enough jobs have been created for new entrants,”
Mr Kant was speaking at a press conference in response to a news report in the Business Standard which cited data from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) of unemployment being at a 45-year high.
Vice-Chairman of the NITI Aayog Rajiv Kumar said the government in fact had evidence of increasing job creation. Stating that the NSSO report was only a draft that had not been approved by the government, he said: “The government will approve the report which has not been finalised yet. The reason for the delay is it was felt that there were other quarters of data to be made available.”
“This is a situation where the NITI Aayog is holding a press conference on NSSO data, where the NSSO should have been holding it,” MadanSabnavis, Chief Economist at CARE Ratings said.
“Even with the release of the back series GDP data, it was NITI Aayog that did it. It is clear the government is not happy with the numbers the Central Statistics Office is putting out.” (Source: The Hindu)


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National Sample Survey Office’s unemployment data confirms crisis on the ground: experts.

India's first national environmental survey to start in 24 states, 3 UTs in January 2019 - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India's first national environmental survey to start in 24 states, 3 UTs in January 2019.

India’s first ever National Environment Survey (NES) will be kicked off from 55 districts across 24 states and three Union Territories in January, 2019.

The earliest the first set of complete green data from the survey will be available is 2020, providing an important tool in the hands of policy-makers for decision making at all levels - district, state and national.
The survey will be done through a grid-based approach, using grids measuring 9x9 km, to collect comprehensive data on various environmental parameters such as air, water, soil quality; emission inventory; solid, hazardous and e-waste; forest & wildlife; flora & fauna; wetlands, lakes, rivers and other water bodies.
It will also assess carbon sequestration potential of all the districts across the country. The NES will rank all the districts on their environmental performance and document their best green practices.
“Unless policy-makers have exact data on all environmental parameters, they cannot take appropriate decisions. The country’s first ever environment survey will fill the gaps in existing data,” said Anandi Subramanian, head of the Environmental Information System (ENVIS), which will conduct the survey through its hubs and resource partners across the country.
At present, the country has secondary data on most of these parameters. The NES will, however, for the first time provide primary data on all the green heads in the same way that the National Sample Survey (NSS) periodically collects various socio-economic data.
Subramanian, senior advisor in the environment ministry, said, “Once we come out with the first set of data on all parameters, the survey will be done at regular intervals like the one being done by the NSSO. The first set of data will be compiled in one year because we need to cover seasonal cycles in terms of air pollution and flora & fauna.”
All 716 districts in the country are expected to be surveyed in a period of three to four years. Currently, all necessary preparatory works and training are being done in all the 55 districts where the NES will be conducted next year.
These 55 districts include south Delhi, Pune and Palghar in Maharashtra, Gurugram and Mewat (Nuh) in Haryana, Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, Nalanda in Bihar, Dhanbad in Jharkhand, Jamnagar and Mehsana in Gujarat, Alwar and Barmer in Rajasthan, Coimbatore and Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Shimoga in Karnataka and Hyderabad in Telangana among others.


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India's first national environmental survey to start in 24 states, 3 UTs in January 2019.

Only 23% of rural income from farming, reveals NABARD 2016-17 survey - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Only 23% of rural income from farming, reveals NABARD 2016-17 survey.

According to the survey, whose reference period is 2015-16, the average net monthly income of Indian rural households — after deducting expenses incurred in the course of economic activity — was Rs 8,059.

AGRICULTURE GENERATES not even a quarter of rural household incomes in India. Even for so-called agricultural households, just over 43 per cent of their average income comes from cultivation of crops and rearing of animals, according to the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development’s (NABARD) All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey 2016-17.

The survey reinforces a trend that has gathered momentum since the start of this century — of an increasingly less ‘Krishi’ in ‘Bharat’. While agriculture may, by definition, be largely rural, the converse, though, isn’t true. The NABARD survey estimates the total number of rural households in India for 2016-17 at 21.17 crore. The definition of “rural” is a broad one, covering revenue villages and semi-urban centres with a population of less than 50,000. Out of the 21.17 crore rural households, 10.07 crore, or under 48 per cent, are “agricultural” — those with at least one member self-employed in farming and reporting annual value of produce at more than Rs 5,000. The remaining 11.10 crore households or 52 per cent are “non-agricultural”.
5,000. The remaining 11.10 crore households or 52 per cent are “non-agricultural”. According to the survey, whose reference period is 2015-16, the average net monthly income of Indian rural households — after deducting expenses incurred in the course of economic activity — was Rs 8,059. The highest share of this (Rs 3,504) was accounted for by wage labour (both farm and non-farm), which was followed by government or private service jobs (Rs 1,906). On the other hand, agriculture — i.e. income from crop cultivation and livestock rearing — contributed only Rs 1,832.
But what’s interesting is that even within “agricultural households”, the share of average income from cultivation and livestock rearing was just over 43 per cent. The balance 57 per cent income in their case, too, was from non-agricultural sources.
The NABARD survey not only reconfirms, but magnifies, the findings of the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households conducted for 2012-13. That survey had estimated agricultural households to constitute 57.8 per cent of all rural households. One reason for the higher share could be that the NSSO’s definition of “rural” did not extend to semi-urban centres with below 50,000 population, which made up 16 per cent of households in the NABARD survey.
In the NSSO survey, 67.2 per cent of the average income of agricultural households came from cultivation and livestock rearing. That share is even lower, at 43.1 per cent, in the recent NABARD survey. The methodological differences notwithstanding, both surveys highlight the same fact — of rural India becoming less agricultural, both in terms of the share of families engaged in farming and a diversification of income sources even in their case.
The NSSO survey reckoned the average monthly net income of agricultural households in India for 2012-13 at Rs 6,426. That figure in the NABARD survey for 2015-16 is Rs 8,931, an increase of 39 per cent over three years. A doubling of incomes would require this to go up to Rs 17,862 by 2021-22, the target date set by the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government. It is significant to note that the doubling is with reference to agricultural household incomes, which could be from both farm and non-farm sources.


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Only 23% of rural income from farming, reveals NABARD 2016-17 survey.

Civilians own 85% of world's 1bn firearms, survey reveals - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Civilians own 85% of world's 1bn firearms, survey reveals.

Nearly 40% of all guns are in hands of US citizens, according to report that says rich countries hold more weapons than poorer nations.

Latest statistics show the proliferation of privately owned guns is on the rise, with wealthy countries outstripping developing and war-torn countries.
In a detailed report, weapons watchdog the Small Arms Survey has researched the numbers of guns across 230 countries.
Examining the ownership of revolvers and self-loading pistols, rifles, carbines, assault rifles and sub- and light machine guns, held by civilian, military and law-enforcement groups, their latest report shows there are now estimated to be more than 1bn firearms in the world – an increase of 17% over the past 10 years.
The majority of the arms, 85% (857m), are estimated to be held by civilians (including individuals, private security firms, non-state armed groups and gangs); while law enforcement agencies own 2% (23m) and military stockpiles account for 13% (133m).
In comparison, the Small Arms Survey 2007 report found there were 875m combined civilian, law enforcement and military firearms in the world, of which 650m were in civilian hands, a rise of 32% since 2007.
The United States has just 4% of the world population, but the survey estimates that civilians in the US possess almost 40% of the world’s firearms – 393m weapons – equivalent to 121 firearms for every 100 residents. Americans topped the polls in 2007, owning 270m weapons, which translated into 90 weapons for every 100 residents.
Examining the issues surrounding US gun control, the Pew Research Center found that one-third of Americans over 50 said they owned a gun, while this figure fell to 28% among 18- to 29-year-olds.
In 2016, 64% of murders in the US involved the use of firearms. There have been 90 mass shootings (three or more people killed) since 1982, according to investigative magazine Mother Jones. As of 2016, 42.3% of US hunters/shooters reported owning at least one AR-15 platform (M16-style) rifle, according to surveys commissioned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).
“The indications are that US civilians will continue to acquire firearms with acquisition averaging around 14m guns annually during the last five years … the US contributes disproportionately to the increase of the global firearms stockpile,” said Aaron Karp, Small Arms Survey’s senior consultant.
The Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report, published by the the US Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives states that US companies have manufactured more than 150m firearms since 1986, the majority of which were sold domestically.
England and Wales are estimated to have 2.7m firearms in civilian ownership (an estimated 860,000 unregistered), which equates to 4.6 weapons per 100 residents. Scotland has approximately 305,000 weapons averaging 5.6 per 100 residents, while Northern Ireland averages 11 per 100 residents, with 206,000 weapons.
In second place behind the US for the total number of civilian weapons is India, with 71m firearms and in third, China with 50m. However, when analysed by number of weapons per 100 residents, second to the US is Yemen with 52.8 guns and in third place Montenegro and Serbia with 39.1 per 100 residents. In contrast are Indonesia, Japan and Malawi, which hold less than one firearm for every 100 residents.
In terms of weapons held by law enforcement agencies, Russia is estimated to have the greatest sum at 2.4m, followed by China with 1.9m, then India at 1.7m. For military stocks of small arms, Russia is again top with 30.3m. China has 27.5m and North Korea 8.4m. The US military is estimated to have 1m small arms in its possession.
The latest findings suggest that developing countries often associated with violence show the greatest reduction in weapons held per capita: an indication that gun ownership may continue to correlate with rising levels of wealth.
“Accessing accurate data for small arms is always a difficult task. In the arms trade, small arms are considered the cancer of any society, as they facilitate human rights abuses, criminality, insurrection as well as murder, particularly in developing countries or countries subject to war,” said Martin Drew, British arms trade expert and government consultant.
“These governments need to have the capacity to control the registration and movement of such weapons, as well as implementing legislation with a capacity to enforce it. The also have to contend with the issue of longevity. Revolvers can survive up to 100 years, AK-47 assault rifles 50 years and ammunition 40 years. The figures for the US might appear significantly high, however this may be due to accurate record keeping.” (Source:theguardian.com)


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Civilians own 85% of world's 1bn firearms, survey reveals.