25 Feb 2025 Indian Express Editorial


What to Read in Indian Express Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1 : Three Low-Hanging Reforms

Context: Three flick-of-a-pen reforms chief ministers can make to put India on the path to prosperity.

 

Compliance Burden in India

  • Data: State governments account for 80% of criminal provisions, 65% of filings, and 63% of compliances for employers.
  • Core Issue
    1. Excessive compliance workflows create irrationality, subjective interpretation, and uncertainty, stifling employer productivity and wage growth.
    2. Systemic delays and inefficiencies mirror Bahadur Shah Zafar’s lament: prolonged waiting and unproductive processes.

 

3 Flick of a Pen Reforms

  • Chief ministers can raise the number of high-wage employers through three flick-of-a-pen reforms: Decriminalising, digitising, and rationalising employer compliance.
  • Decriminalisation
    1. 80% of India’s 26,134 employer jail provisions can be removed by CMs.
    2. The innovative Jan Vishwas Bill delivered meagre outcomes — only 110 of 5,239 central employer jail provisions were removed.
    3. Reasons: Vested interests, a status quo bias, and bureaucratic incentives for no punishment for doing nothing, but hounding for something going wrong.
    4. State Progress
      • Early Movers: Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu.
      • Considering: Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha.
      • Potential Impact: Jan Vishwas 2.0 could eliminate ~40% (2,000+) of criminal provisions.
  • Digitisation
    1. 65% of India’s 69,233 employer compliances can be made paperless, presenceless and cashless by CMs.
    2. India’s unique Digital Public Infrastructure framework has delivered vaccine certificates, highway tolls, de-duplicated welfare records, and payments.
    3. Using the DPI framework for compliance got a boost with recent announcements on PAN 2.0 and the EntityLocker.
    4. CMs should implement State Employer Compliance Grids (SECG) replicating the non-profit open architecture technology layer of DPI to facilitate filing periodic returns and issuing licences, registrations, permissions, NOCs, and consent orders.
      • SECG would also enable the extraction of distributed and diverse compliance data that currently hinder the government’s ability to sniff defaults, delays and frauds.
      • SECGs are being considered by Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh with varying glide paths for individual department’s back-end integration based on digital maturity.
  • Rationalisation
    1. Sardar Patel’s steel frame — the civil service — has become a steel cage when India’s needs are shifting from integration and stabilisation to accountability and growth.
    2. Civil service reform is complex, so tighter structures are the best place to start.
    3. Globally: Japan, UK and the US have only 15, 22 and 25 cabinet members, respectively.

 

Challenges and Systemic Barriers

  • Institutional Inertia
    1. Bureaucratic resistance to reducing discretionary powers.
    2. Cultural mindset: Prohibited till permitted and guilty till innocent.
  • Implementation Hurdles
    1. Legacy systems hinder back-end integration for SECG.
    2. Political will to prioritize long-term gains over short-term populism.

 

Conclusion and Way Forward

  • Focus on removing barriers (compliance burdens) rather than accelerating growth through subsidies or incentives.
  • Prioritize decriminalization, digitization, and rationalization to unlock high-wage employment.
  • Leverage DPI for rapid, scalable reforms.
  • Consolidate departments to reduce bureaucratic redundancy.
  • Shift India from "employed poverty" to mass prosperity by fostering formal, productive employers.

 

 

Editorial 2 : From Bihar to the World

Context: How the makhana can take Bihar to the world.

 

Bihar’s Makhana Industry

  • Global Dominance
    1. Bihar produces 85% of the world’s makhana (fox nuts), primarily cultivated in the Mithila region.
    2. Current Production: Over 56,000 tonnes annually from 35,000+ hectares.
  • Evolution of Cultivation
    1. Shift from traditional pond-based systems to field-based farming (more efficient, scalable).
    2. Resulted in doubled production and expanded cultivation area in the last decade.
  • Cultural & Commercial Significance
    1. Integral to Bihar’s rituals, festivals, and cuisine.
    2. Growing demand as a health superfood (low-calorie, gluten-free, high protein).

 

Key Initiatives and Institutional Support

  • Makhana Board (Union Budget 2025-26)
    1. Objectives
      • Brand Building: Enhance domestic and global identity.
      • Farmer Empowerment: Provide training, resources, and financial aid for modern techniques.
      • Value Chain Development: Focus on production, processing, and marketing.
    2. Key Features
      • Subsidies for adopting modern tools/equipment.
      • R&D for high-yielding varieties and improved farming practices.
  • Geographical Indication (GI) Tag: Mithila Makhana GI tag ensures authenticity, quality, and origin, boosting global appeal.
  • National Institute of Food Technology: To advance food processing capabilities, reducing reliance on raw makhana exports.
  • Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)
    1. 1,000+ FPOs established in Bihar.
      • 689 under Central Sector Scheme.
      • 296 via Jaivik Corridor Scheme.
      • 61 by Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society.
      • 200+ supported by NABARD.
    2. Role: To strengthen farmers’ bargaining power and provide end-to-end support (resources, knowledge sharing, market access).

 

Growth Projections and Economic Impact

  • Targets by 2035
    1. Cultivation Area: Expand to 70,000 hectares (from 35,000).
    2. Production
      • Seed production to double in 3 years.
      • Popped makhana output to rise from 23,000 MT to 78,000 MT.
    3. Economic Value
      • Farmer-level value: Increase from ₹550 crore to ₹3,900 crore.
      • Market value: Increase from ₹2,000 crore to ₹13,260 crore.

 

Employment Generation

  • Farm-level engagement: Increase from 20,000 to 50,000 families.
  • Post-production jobs: Increase from 5 lakh to 7 lakh individuals.

 

Challenges and Strategic Interventions

  • Existing Challenges
    1. Low Processing Capacity: Reliance on raw exports limits profitability.
    2. Market Access: Limited global reach despite GI tag.
    3. Labor-Intensive Practices: Traditional methods hinder scalability.
  • Strategic Solutions
    1. Modernization: Adoption of field-based farming and mechanization.
    2. Infrastructure Development
      • Airports: Darbhanga, Purnea (upcoming), and Patna’s greenfield airport to boost exports.
    3. Export Promotion: Targeting markets in the US, Europe, and Middle East.

 

Conclusion: The Makhana Board and allied initiatives mark a transformative phase for Bihar’s agricultural economy. The sector’s success will hinge on seamless execution of policies, infrastructure upgrades, and fostering innovation.