Q1. Explain about Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), its significance and challenges. (250 Words)   Paper & Topic: GS III  Indian Agriculture Model Answer: What Is the Primary Agricultural Credit Society? The Primary Agricultural Credit Society is the final connection between the primary borrowers, or rural inhabitants, and the higher institutions, such as the Central Cooperative Bank, State Cooperative Bank, and Reserve Bank of India. As recognised cooperative societies, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) have been providing credit and other services to their members. PACS frequently offer the following services to their clients: A contribution in cash or kind for input facilities Agriculture machinery rented A place to store things A simple agricultural credit association can be established by ten or more villager participants. An elected body oversees the society’s administration. The low cost of membership makes it possible for even the poorest farmer to participate. In the event of the society’s failure, each member would be entirely liable for the entire loss because each had limitless culpability. The largest credit societies’ working capital is derived from their own funds, deposits, borrowings, and other sources. Included in the company’s own funds are share capital, membership dues, and reserve money. Deposits can be made by both members and non-members. The central cooperative banks are the primary sources of borrowing. The Value of Agricultural Primary Credit Societies: The financial institutions known as primary agriculture cooperative credit societies are vital to the grassroots development of local communities. They are multifunctional enterprises that provide a variety of services, including banking, on-site supplies, marketing crops, and consumer products selling. Primary agriculture co-operative credit societies must therefore operate efficiently. The Primary Agricultural Credit Society must play a significant role in the socioeconomic development of rural communities across the country. They function as counters for consumer products and agricultural supplies as well as little banks for financing. These cooperatives also provide storage facilities to farmers so they can preserve and store their food grains. Within the federal structure of the cooperative finance system, higher level institutions like Central Cooperative Bank and State Cooperative Bank are mandated to offer PACs appropriate assistance in the form of subscriptions and grants. In 1904, the first Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) was established. Since then, these organisations have played a critical role in providing farmers with short- and medium-term funding. Up until the early 1970s, this was the only institution-based credit agency that served rural communities. A project to transform PACS into Multi Service Centers has been initiated in order to allow PACS to provide more services to its members while also earning revenue for itself. PACS will be able to broaden its activities as a result and provide support services to its members. Primary Agricultural Credit Societies Restrictions: Laxity in the internal control system. The management information system is subpar. employees that lack motivation or engagement an unfavourable setting for labour relations. false borrower identification Insufficient or excessive funding Post-disbursement monitoring is not present. wishing to have a positive relationship with governmental organisations belief that the bank is a nonprofit institution. the wait for loan approval. inadequate payback or gestational times. Borrower isolation and a lack of understanding of rural clientele. There isn’t a drive towards rehabilitation. fraud with the loan. intentional default Money being misappropriated. Deficits in management and technology Poor maintenance of the assets. insufficient linkages to the market. The economic climate has shifted. Changes in technology. political interference. Target approach for government-sponsored programmes. Geographical factors. loan forgiveness, write-offs, etc. Q2. What to do you understand by Carbon Footprint. (250 Words)   Paper & Topic: GS III  Environmental Conservation Model Answer: Concept of a carbon footprint: The amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels can be calculated based on the daily operations of a company, business, household, or individual. It can also be calculated based on the daily activities of a person or family, or the transportation of a good or commodity to market. The total amount of GHG emissions that an entity has produced, whether directly or indirectly through other individuals, organisations, activities, or products, is known as its “Carbon Footprint.” To express a carbon footprint, tonnes of carbon dioxide (C02) or carbon are typically emitted on an annual basis. A tonne of carbon dioxide is released, for example, when we travel 5000 miles, drive 2,500 miles in a medium-sized car, or cut down and burn a 40-foot-tall, one-foot-diameter tree. The direct or primary footprint and the indirect or secondary footprint are the two halves of a carbon footprint. The primary footprint measures CO2 emissions from sources like domestic energy use and transportation that result directly from burning fossil fuels (e.g. car and Plane). The secondary footprint calculates the indirect CO2 emissions from the complete lifecycle of the used products. These are linked to both their genesis and demise. The carbon footprint of a country’s people and corporate entities is related to the total amount of CO2 released for that country. Using carbon offsets and credits as “flexible mechanisms” to cut carbon emissions: Under the Kyoto Protocol, members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are divided into two groups: Non-Annex-l countries, which are developing countries, and Annex 1 countries, which mostly include OECD and eastern European industrialised countries. Three “flexibility mechanisms” based on emission trading have been implemented in order to lower the overall economic cost of achieving the agreed-upon emission reductions. These are what they are: the exchange of Assigned Amounts Units (AAU) between the countries included on Annex 1 in global emission trading. As part of cooperative implementation, project-based activities are carried out between Annex 1 countries (JI). The United Nations organisation on climate change issues a certificate called Certified Emission Reduction (CER) to the affected industry for each tonne of CO2 that it saves by deploying cleaner technology, improving energy efficiency, or moving to unconventional sources of energy supply. After that, the surplus might be sold by the entity receiving the CER. Projects to reduce emissions are included

09 SEPTEMBER 2022 - DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS: Q1. Explain about landslides, its causes and types.   Paper & Topic: GS I  Geography Model Answer: A landslide is an unexpected, gravity-driven collapse of dirt, plants, and rock down a hill. It could be caused by extreme human interference with slope stability or by natural forces like torrential rain or earthquakes. To construct homes, tunnels, railroads, and other structures, man smashes rock. Landslides occur under these circumstances as a result of loose rocks. Earth flow, mass movement, mudflow, rotating slip, and avalanches are just a few examples of the many diverse types of slides that can occur. Landslides are not frequently as large as seismic or volcanic disasters. However, the extent and intensity of the landslide are influenced by the geological structure, slope angle, kind of sedimentary materials, and human contact with the slope. Kinds of landslides: Falls: These happen when enormous geologic masses, including rocks and boulders, suddenly slide away from cliff walls or steep slopes. Topples: This happens when a unit or units, influenced by gravity, forces from neighbouring units, or fluids through fractures, rotate forward about a pivot point that is low or below the unit. Slides: In this type, the elements that make slopes flow through the soil, rocks, or other debris. Spread: It often occurs on flat terrain or at relatively low gradients. Causes of landslides include: 1.Snow and rain falling: The presence of intense or prolonged rainfall may result in massive landslides in areas with steep slopes where National Highways and roads have been developed. In the Jammu and Kashmir region of Nashri, between Batote-Ramban-Ramsu and Banihal, landslides frequently happen. The wet and winter seasons, when the vehicular traffic is disrupted for several days, are when the landslides in this area are most severe. 2.Seismic activity and volcanic eruptions: Landslides in folded mountainous regions are primarily generated by earthquakes. Landslides are more frequent in Tertiary-era folded mountains in India, such as the Himalayas. Many thousands of people perished as a result of the landslides that the 1905 earthquake in the Kashmir valley triggered in the lesser and greater Himalayas. Volcanic eruptions in mountainous places can potentially cause landslides. Building roads, mining, and quarrying: The continual mining and quarrying of coal, minerals, and stones as well as the building of roads by cutting through the steep slopes of folded mountains can result in landslides. The Eastern and Western Ghats, as well as the Himalayas, have experienced these landslides. 4.Construction-related loads for homes: Landslides are largely caused by unplanned urban development in steep terrain without rock and soil testing. The eastern slope of Nanital (Uttarakhand) is sinking as a result of the weight of the lodging and residential structures. 5.Cutting down of forests: Deforestation and other human activities, such as landslides, are two examples. Most of the landslides contain tiny blocks that are only a few metres across. Some, though, are huge enough to trigger a catastrophe. Various infrastructure, including roads and buildings, could be buried. Limiting deforestation on mountain slopes, following local building codes, and avoiding building on steep slopes can all help to reduce the detrimental effects of landslides. Strategy for Mitigation: In addition to installing monitoring and early warning systems in specific locations, it is necessary to identify hazardous zones and control and stabilise particular slides. To find regions that are frequently prone to landslides, hazard mapping should be done. In order to effectively combat landslides, localised strategies should be adopted. It is important to implement restrictions on substantial community growth in susceptible locations, as well as limitations on building and other developmental activities like roads and dams. Valleys and locations with a moderate slope should be the only places where agriculture is allowed. Q2. What is Miyawaki Method.   Paper & Topic: GS I  Environmental Conservation Model Answer: Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist, developed the Miyawaki technique, which speeds up the process of creating dense, natural forests. The concept of urban afforestation has been revolutionised by its transformation of backyards into miniature forests. This method recommends placing trees (only native species) as close to one another as you can in the same location in order to conserve space. The saplings that were planted aid one another in growth and prevent weed growth by obstructing sunlight from accessing the soil. After their first three years, saplings are no longer in need of upkeep (self-sustaining). The proposal calls for 10 times faster plant growth and a finished plantation that is 30 times denser than usual. The Miyawaki method can produce a forest in 20 to 30 years as opposed to 200 to 300 years when utilising conventional methods. Miyawaki Technique: The natural trees in the area are divided into the four categories of shrub, sub-tree, tree, and canopy. In order to increase the soil’s permeability, water retention, and nitrogen retention, its quality is assessed before biomass is added. Once a mound of soil has been created, three to five saplings are planted per square metre in the seeds. The ground is covered with a heavy layer of mulch. Concerns: Such trees lack some attributes of natural forests, such as their capacity to create rain and their medicinal value. They are wood lots, which are portions of woodlands or forests that can be used for recreational pursuits like bird watching, bushwalking, and appreciating wildflowers as well as small-scale production of forest goods like wood fuel, sap for maple syrup, sawlogs, and pulpwood. These quickly growing plantations aren’t actually forests; rather, they are rapidly expanding plantations. Environmentalists have questioned the efficacy of a method that seeks to match a forest’s complex ecosystem while accelerating tree growth (as it is not a good idea to force plants to photosynthesize fast).