SELF-RELIANT INDIA: Atmanirbhar Bharat

Relevance: Prelims/Mains: G.S paper II: Governance & G.S paper III: Indian Economy

Atmanirbhar Bharat and its meaning in the current context

• Freeing Indian entrepreneurship and innovation from bureaucratic hurdles
• This is about decentralised localism that takes pride in local brands, emphasises resilience and flexibility, and encourages local capacity-building and indigenisation.
• The idea of self-reliance is about resilience, leveraging internal strengths, personal responsibility, and a sense of national mission (or “Man Making” to use the late 19th century expression of Swami Vivekananda).
• Product and factor markets are made flexible in order to allow the Indian economy to adapt to the problems and opportunities of an emerging post-COVID world.
• Commitment to privatisation of non-strategic public sector entities, opening up of new sectors like space to private investment, decriminalisation of most aspects of corporate law, greater flexibility in labour laws, and so on.

• Means recognizing the complementary roles of the private sector and the government -It cannot be achieved without recognising that market forces can take care of our needs during normal times. As market forces allocate resources based on prices and profits, they promote economic efficiency in normal times.
• Government must retain economic presence through one or two public sector firms in strategic sectors such as healthcare, lifesaving medicines, payment systems, mobile communication etc.
• Focus should be on increasing the efficiency and efficacy of government, which includes overall governance.
• Ethical wealth creation advocated in the Indian ethos now needs to become a global model for development. For that purpose, India needs to take the lead in exemplifying it domestically. India should take a lead and demonstrate the value of ‘frugal economy’ to the rest of the world.
• Building a self-reliant economy does not mean building an economy in isolation. Self-reliance implies building the necessary capability to be independent at the most vulnerable times. It requires delineating sectors that are strategically critical to the nation and investing in these sectors so that our dependence during vulnerable times is minimized.

For Indians to be self-reliant, social contract between the government and citizens has to be one where government actively supports personal responsibility.

1.Self-Reliance = Inclusive Growth → Possible through Employment Creation Eradication of poverty and generation of employment remained the biggest challenges for the government at present; but at the same time, without creating employment, poverty cannot be eradicated. Employment generation is central to inclusive growth.

• Proposed social micro-finance institutions would help create two crore employment opportunities in the country.
• Skill, re-skilling and upskilling is the only way to remain relevant in the ever changing market scenario.
• Formal sector employment for one member of the family contributes to mobility of future generations as the kids are likely to get better education and healthcare facilities and thereby uplift themselves.
• Leaving large fractions of the labour force underutilised or unutilised is extremely inefficient for the economy.

2. Businesses including MSMEs (‘be vocal for the local’) To raise the domestic competitiveness of our industries’ pricing factors that make them uncompetitive with respect to the foreign players should be identified and corrected.
3. On Export Strategy The word “Aatmanirbhar” refers to both self-reliance and self-sufficiency. The former has a pragmatic positive connotation aimed at developing capabilities indigenously without shunning imports.

The latter is unpragmatic, inward looking and has a negative denotation. It is against the “Ricardo’s theory of “Comparative Advantage” which holds that international trade is a result of differences in the relative opportunity costs of countries in the production of different goods (therefore even if a country is self-sufficient, it should still trade).

In ‘Wealth of Nations’, Adam Smith argued that “the great object of mercantilism was to diminish as much as possible the importation of foreign goods for home consumption and to increase as much as possible the exportation of the produce of domestic industry.”

An effective exports promotion strategy hinges on robust and competitive domestic manufacturing. Hence, we must attain self-reliance for effective export promotion.

1. Adopt and optimise FDI-tariff linkage: Import substitution is focused on developing domestic capabilities and prowess to reduce dependence on imports. Many countries constantly monitor the trends of imports to understand the challenges faced in manufacturing such products domestically.

• Some countries adopt an FDI-tariff linkage which enhances tariff for attracting FDI and encourages foreign suppliers to set up bases in their country to serve their consumers.
• Import substitution requires that the market be of a certain minimum size to make manufacturing viable.
• Not many countries in the world possess such a market and hence they are unable to pursue an import substitution strategy.

Therefore, an ecosystem that provides a level-playing field must be offered to the manufacturers.

• This means not just a ‘deemed export’ status but involves extending consessional credit along with competitive electricity tariff and efficient logistics.

1. Maximize the export capacity, aggressively boost export-driven industries and levy a border adjustment tax (BAT) on imports to offset the impact of these internal taxes on domestic producers.
2. Use foreign capital generated from these exports for upskilling, technological upgradation and capacity building in sectors covered under its ISI policy. Government needs to spend more on R&D and Product Innovation.
3. Opportunity in Agriculture Exports: China’s image has hit a setback in terms of edible products due to COVID-19 disease. This presents a huge opportunity to India in the export of fruits, vegetables, marine products, etc.

• However, exports of many agro-commodities are unavailable due to the rising MSP which at times is much more than the international prices. The govt. must provide some mechanism to reimburse the differential price (MSP less the international price) to exporters.
• The freight disadvantage has been largely nullified through the new Transport and Marketing Scheme for agri Products. The path breaking reforms in agriculture would push agricultural exports.
• Relaxation in the Essential Commodities Act will encourage exporters to procure such products without fear.
• Now farmers can engage with agri processors, exporters and even large retailers for the sale of farm produce at mutually agreed upon prices. Such platforms will also help farmers get information about Phyto-sanitary standards which is vital for getting access to advanced economies.
• Extending support to MSMEs: The revised definition of MSME will also encourage exports as the government has excluded exports turnover from the aggregate turnover for eligibility purposes resulting in more companies qualifying for MSME status. The increased limit on investment in plant and equipment for medium companies, will encourage adoption of more advanced technology in manufacturing which is the key to competitiveness in exports.
• Regional Trade and Free Trade Agreements: More than 50% of the global trade happens through inter- regional value chains which includes countries from several regions. Unfortunately, India is not a part of such value chains. The late joining of the FTAs, cumbersome customs processes and high logistics cost have contributed to this anomaly. Efficient trade facilitation can integrate into the regional value chain and subsequently into the global value chain for pushing the exports.
• Attract FDI: FDI in exports should be supplemented by concluding FTA/CECA/CEPA with our trade partners.

• It is expected that COVID-19 will hasten the process of early conclusion of India-EU Broadbased. Trade & Investment Agreement (BTIA) and Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Australia and New Zealand besides bilateral trade agreement with USA.
• India earns only about USD 30 billion through tourism which is a little over 1 per cent of our GDP. Through investment in tourism, ee can easily take it to USO 100 billion by 2025.
• To promote growth of accounting and financial services, we should allow FDI in the domestic accounting and auditing sector, introduce a transparent regulatory framework, and ease restrictions on the client base in the accounting and auditing sector.
• For the education sector, foreign universities should be allowed to set up campuses in India, provide easy visa regimes for students and education service providers, remove regulatory bottlenecks, provide recognition to online degrees and set up appropriate evaluation techniques for online courses.

The Way forward

• Exports have to be treated as a ‘National Priority’ and all stakeholders need to be on the same page to facilitate exports.
• An institutional set-up to address the problems and challenges faced by exports in the shortest time frame possible is the need of the hour. A three-tier structure with the district, state and central level working on an electronic platform would be ideal and the officers attending such meetings should be empowered to take quick decisions.

On Growth of Industries

• The production of intermediate and finished goods in heavy industries should be prioritised
• Only a limited and targeted import-substitution policy combined with aggressive export promotion can make Atmanirbhar Bharat a $5-trillion economy
• Review the LDR and consider removing it from our anti-dumping law.
• Develop a robust research and development-backed industrial ecosystem, with technical institutions, MSMEs and the capital goods sector forming its lead players, and powered by quick decision-making as well as government policies that are appropriate to manage such global disaster.
• Technical institutions can develop exhaustive online marketplace applications, which can facilitate the establishing of connections between demand and supply points, provide information updates regarding the finances available, government and banking notices, market situation, and latest technologies, thus creating an economic model.
• For sectors where domestic capability is limited or cannot be scaled up, we should endeavor to forge strategic alliances with countries in the form of comprehensive bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) keeping in mind complementarity of trade flows.

Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs

The MSME sector is the most vibrant and dynamic industrial sector contributing about 40 per cent to the GDP and significantly to the exports of the country. Multiple government policies and decisions emphasize that the MSME sector will act as the bedrock for economic revival.

• The idea behind ‘Make in India’ is about decentralised localism that takes pride in indigenous brands, emphasises resilience and adaptability, and encourages local capacitybuilding and employability. This will encourage the idea of making in India for the MSME industry and help amplify their presence across sectors.
• Second largest to agriculture with high employment and contribution in terms of foreign exchange earnings, the sector has established its significance in the macroeconomic value chain.
• Estimates indicate that a third of the Chinese imports comprise of low-tech goods that were earlier made by Indians, or are still being made locally but in smaller quantities due to higher costs leading to decrease in demand. With the current push for ‘Make in India’, MSMEs can utilize the economies of scale and place these products at competitive costs thus increasing the demand for locally produced goods. Efforts in this direction will prove to be a fillip for the hundreds of small and medium firms, which have suffered due to a decrease in demand. The steps ahead
• In order to make India self-reliant, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and industries have to be made import-substituting, cost-effective, pollution-free and indigenous entities.
• The private sector should think more about tribals, villagers, farmers and other marginalised sections while talking about growth.
• MSME sector has created approximately 110 million jobs across the country. However, the problems remain in the listing of the MSMEs.
• By technology upgradation, India can also look for new export avenues in MSME sector. This will help grow a large number of ancillary units.
• The country should aim to shift the population from big cities to newer smart cities and smart villages by creating livelihood opportunities there. The government has recently expanded the MSME umbrella and industry with investment value upto `50 crore and turnover upto Rs 250 crore has been covered in the new definition of MSME.

Also, the manufacturing and service sectors under MSME have been brought together by giving similar definitions to both.

Revisions in the MSME Definition

➢ Micro – Investment in P&M/Equipment not more than Rs. 1 crore & Annual Turnover not more than Rs. 5 Crore

➢ Small – Investment in P&M/Equipment not more than Rs. 10 crore & Annual Turnover not more than Rs. 50 Crore

➢ Medium – Investment in P&M/Equipment not more than Rs. 50 crore & Annual Turnover not more than Rs. 250 Crore D. Produce for the Bottom of the Pyramid Indian firms focus on producing goods and services that cater to the needs of our huge population.

• The sachet revolution-packaging of the shampoo, toothpaste etc. in small sachetre presents a brilliant example of catering to the masses.
• The business models that Indian firms generate in catering to the needs of the poor can enable them to tap into markets in many underdeveloped economies in Asia and Africa.

1. Birth of Social Enterprises Social entrepreneurs are focused on the delivery of public goods using business approaches. They combine their driving passion for improvement with the practical, innovative and opportunistic traits of the entrepreneur.

Akshay Patra is the world’s largest NGO-run school meal program–it reaches 10 million children across five States of India, six-days a week. And they serve freshly cooked meals at Rs. 1.50 per meal.

This was achieved through a ‘technological Innovation: to prepare meals on large scale in a short time’ and a ‘logistics innovation-to reach the meals to the schools’. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) was set up to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.

• Atal Tinkering Labs – at School Level, to create problem-solving mindset across schools.
• Atal Incubators at Universities, Institutions, Industry Level to promote creation of a supporting ecosystem for start-ups and entrepreneurs,
• Atal Community Innovation Centres to promote the benefits of technology led innovation to the unserved/underserved regions of India
• Atal New India Challenges – Product and Service Innovations with National Impact – to create product and service innovations having national socio-economic impact
• Applied Research and Innovation for Small Enterprises (ARISE) – To promote innovation in a phased manner in the MSME/Start-up sector This momentum should be built to the point so as to make India the Innovation Capital of the world.

Making Farmers Self-Reliant Increasing productivity and output in the agricultural sector would create employment and boost incomes across the economy. Successful agricultural transformation will reduce the pressure arising from urban migration (excessive migration can be very destabilizing).

The increase in productivity in agriculture will result in higher incomes, giving rise to multiplier effects and supporting increase in aggregate demand.

Various Areas of Reform and Steps Taken

1. Mitigating Risks, Securing Livelihood

• The Government launched a comprehensive crop insurance scheme in 2016 that provides coverage from pre-sowing to post-harvest against natural non-preventable risks. ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)’ is a low premium policy in which farmers are required to pay only 2%, 1.5% for and 5% of the sum insured for kharif, rabi and commercial/ horticultural crops respectively. Not only farmers, but tenant farmers and sharecroppers engaged in cultivation of notified crops are eligible for crop insurance policy.
• The Govt. has comprehensively revised the operational guidelines making provision for payment of 12% interest per annum to farmers if claims are not settled within 10 days of prescribed time limit.
• A new provision also envisages add-on coverage for damage by wild animals on pilot basis. The scheme envisages increase in coverage from the existing 23% to 50% of Gross Cropped Area in the country.

Increasing Bargaining Power of Farmers

• To address the specific concern of small farmers, the government started organising them

Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) who have better bargaining power.

• The major impetus was given in the Union Budget 2019-20 by making budgetary provision for formation of 10,000 new FPOs over the next five years. • FPOs have ensured benefits to the small and marginal farmers through economies of scale, improved market reach, improved access to extension services and reduction in transaction costs. Taking a cue, National Rural Livelihood Mission (under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana) has initiated organising small and marginal women farmers into producer groups to increase market access and value addition of farm produce.

Procurement and Support

• Government hiked Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) at levels of one and half times of the cost of production. Elaborate and effective arrangements are in place for maximum procurement of produce by government agencies at MSP. • Taking note of large scale indebtedness of farmers, a unique and innovative Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme was launched to provide institutional credit to farmers. It supports small and marginal farmers, share croppers, oral lessees and tenant farmers as well.
• Recently, to expand the beneficiary base of KCC, the Government has waived processing fee, inspection and other service charges for short term crop loans up to Rs. 3 lakhs.
• Interest subvention is also provided on such loans for a period of one year in case of timely repayment. Interest rate of 7% per annum gets reduced to 4% in such cases.
• The facility of KCC was extended to dairy farmer and fishers, and recently under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Package’ a special drive is launched to provide KCC to 1.5 crore dairy farmers associated with milk unions and milk producing companies within two months. D. Trade and Marketing
• eNAM is a unique pan-India electronic trading portal, launched for business and marketing of agricultural commodities in India. This digital initiative aims to existing agricultural mandis on an online platform to realise the vision of ‘One Nation, One Market’.
• During COVID-19 lockdown crisis, three new modules of eNAM were launched to facilitate farmers. eNAM enables FPOs to conduct trade of commodities from their own collection centres declared as ‘Deemed Market’ or ‘Sub Market Yards’.
• Another module facilitated warehouses for Electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (eNWRs) trading. Logistics module facilitates transportation of commodities from farm to mandis, and from mandis to warehouses or consumption centres.
• Potential related to export of agricultural products remains untapped due to various trade policies. During 2018-19, India could export agri- products worth Rs. 2. 7 lakh crore, whereas imports touched the value of Rs. 1.37 lakh crore.
• The Government has recently initiated a comprehensive’ Agriculture Export Policy’ aimed at doubling agricultural exports and integrating Indian farmers and agricultural products with the global value chains.
• To promote and facilitate export of Indian agri-produce at new destinations, it has created agricells in many Indian embassies abroad. Export of all varieties of pulses and edible oils (except mustard oil) has been allowed.
• Import duties have been raised and provision of ‘Minimum Import Price’ (MIP) was imposed on selected commodities to protect the domestic growers and their livelihood from cheap import of the commodity. E. Building Infrastructure, Creating Value Chains
• In the recently announced ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package’, an agri-infrastructure fund of Rs. 1 lakh crore will provide finance to Primary’ Agricultural Co- operative Societies (PACS), FPOs, agripreneurs, agri-startups etc.

A cluster-based approach in aspirational districts will be promoted to realise the vision of ‘Vocal for Local with Global Outreach’.

• Under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, Rs. 20,000 crore has been allocated; of which Rs. 9,000 crore is exclusively dedicated towards infrastructure development. More valued productions, such as cage culture, seaweed farming, ornamental fisheries, will be supported for increasing income of fishers substantially.
• An Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund of Rs. 15,000 crore is being created to support private investment in dairy processing.
• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana’ is already financing and supporting development of mega food parks, integrated cold chains and infrastructure for agro-processing and value addition. With an outlay of Rs. 4,000 crore, herbal cultivation will be promoted for next two years covering an area of 10 lakh hectare.
• Beekeeping will be supported with a fund of Rs. 500 crore for infrastructure development. In addition to centrally sponsored schemes, various state governments have also launched special welfare schemes for farmers lo augment their income.

The ‘KALIA’ scheme, of Odisha, Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana of Jharkhand and Rythu Bandhu of Telangana are some of the noted schemes that have shown positive impact on income and livelihood of farmers. There is a need for reforms that can ensure access of farmers to technology that can reduce natural or climatic vagaries that will determine their crop producing capacity.

Loans can then be aligned to the repayment capacity of the farmer based on the estimation of crop production. Such measures will reduce the probability of debt, making loan waivers irrelevant. The greater ambition for a self-reliant economy is to transform the farmer into an agripreneur.

India’s farmers are bound by the shackles of low productivity, low incomes, lack of access to institutional credit, indebtedness etc. They are reeling under the burden of a fragmented agricultural marketing ecosystem and climatic uncertainties and vagaries of nature.

A self-reliant farmer is fundamental to the vision of a self-reliant India.

Resilient Health Systems COVID-19 has shown us how inextricably public health and the economy are linked.

Despite the private health sector in India having more ventilators, doctors and hospital beds than the public healthcare sector, it has essentially been public healthcare which — though chronically underfunded and neglected — has been bearing the brunt of the pandemic. The pandemic has demonstrated how the sustainability and resilience of any economy are linked to the strength and equitability of its public health system. The medical device manufacturing sector has been open to 100 per cent FDI since 2015. Since then, most of the FDI that has come into the country has been to finance imports and trading, build storage and distribution infrastructure, but not to augment domestic manufacturing capabilities.

This has allowed international medical equipment manufacturers to reap huge profits by selling their products in the Indian market without making any contribution to the local industrial development.

Even today, close to 80 per cent of the medical equipment used in our country, including in government hospitals, is imported. Though there is some manufacturing capacity in non-electronic medical equipment, over 90 per cent of medical electronic products are imported.

From the equipment used for the computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound scan, cath lab for heart procedures — like angioplasty, endoscopy, colonoscopy — and radiation therapy and drugs for chemotherapy, to even the knives and scissors used in surgery are all procured from countries like Germany and the US.

The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers announced a production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the promotion and manufacturing of pharmaceutical raw materials in India.

• The government’s move is aimed to boost domestic manufacturing and cut dependence on imports of critical Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs).
• Further, the government has also decided to develop three mega bulk drug parks in partnership with states. These schemes will likely appeal more to the smaller players and should foster more investments especially on the Rs 200-500 million investment thresholds.
• While India supplied doses of Hydroxychloroquine to the world and secured the trust of many countries, the latest move is likely to give more advantage to India amid disruptions from the Chinese side. India also aims to achieve self-reliance in ensuring the uninterrupted supply of drugs and affordable healthcare to its citizens. So far, India depends heavily on imports to fulfill its domestic drug requirements. Around 70 per cent of the drug requirements are met by imports. To cut this large-scale import, the government has decided to support the manufacturers for six years in the case of fermentation-based products and five years for chemically synthesised products. However, the scheme is only applicable to greenfield projects and will be for the registered eligible manufacturers in India. The total tenure of the scheme will be from FY21 to FY30 with an outlay of Rs 6,940 crore.

Promote indigenous research and design One important way of improving production quality would be to promote indigenous research and design. Especially in the case of medical research, indigenous research is important because it can help us develop medical technologies which are adapted to local problems in healthcare and relevant to local populations.

Currently, medical research in India is severely neglected. According to a study analysing research output from 579 Indian medical institutions and hospitals between 2005 and 2014, only 25 (4.3 per cent) of the institutions produced more than 100 papers a year. Global collaboration matters India needs to create a conducive policy environment to ensure that global innovations come to its shores and reach its people.

Moreover, at a time when the world is looking at India as the next big manufacturing hub, the government should look at global partnerships to bolster its stance. Introduction of Evin To enhance the quality of vaccines and supply chain, the Government effectively introduced the indigenously developed eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network).

It seeks to ensure supply of vaccines and cold chain maintenance through technological solutions. The initiative has been successful in saving 90 million vaccine doses with the adherence rate of 99% in maintaining the vaccine supply and temperature norms, thereby improving the coverage and quality of vaccination program in India. eVIN has been successfully piloted by countries like Indonesia, Sudan and Malawi.

Digital Defence against COVID-19 Recognising digital technology’s far-reaching impact, WHO in 2019, released recommendations for countries to use digital health technology, accessible via mobile phones, tablets and computers, to improve people’s health and delivery of essential services A.

Using Social Media Social media has become a game changer in the way federal, regional, and local government agencies are engaging, interacting, and communicating with citizens. Especially for amplifying social media’s reach and impact even in the rural hinterlands of the country.

• Crisis / Disaster Management: To reach out to citizens during such crisis. Two recent examples bear out this trend – Cyclone alert from the NDMA on India’s eastern coasts (in the state of Odisha) and an advisory from PIB to citizens for the lockdown imposed due to COVID-19.
• Citizen Engagement – MyGov platform
• Citizen Grievances & Support – It acts as a real-time channel for citizen grievances and support
• Law & Order – Police can use social media to alert citizens about circulating rumours and maintaining law & order
• Hiring & Recruitment – Some government agencies are using social media hiring channels for attracting best-in-class talent for their job vacancies
• Foreign Relations – Governments are using social media channels effectively to engage with their foreign counterparts.
• Business & Industry Relations – Businesses play a key role in driving social media’s impact by contributing significantly to the internet economy via advertising, paid services etc. Many monetisation models on the internet rely on enterprises, B2B and large corporations with large advertising and marketing budgets, which contributes to the nation’s economy.
• Live Traffic Updates – Real time traffic updates and advisories get regularly shared in the metropolitan cities via the local Traffic Police social media accounts
• Crowd sourcing Ideas & Innovation – Through crowd sourcing, one gets to tap into the collective “wisdom of the crowds” B. Digital Platforms setup by Government during COVID19 During COVID-19 pandemic, Indian government used digital technology for providing timely information, direct money transfer to the poor etc.
• Aarogya Setu App enables people to assess themselves the risk for their catching the coronavirus infection
• WhatsApp chatbot so that the citizens can get instant and authentic answers to all of their queries related to the Coronavirus pandemic
• Corona Kavach is a COVID-19 tracker application, provides users with real-time location of infected users who have activated the ‘Kavach’ feature.
• SAMPRAC to enable tracking people under quarantine. The system enables geofencing, AIbased automated face recognition. It has the capability to display the information to the state officials on a map which can be colour coded to depict hotspots and containment zones.
• Usage of JAN Trinity for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has been crucial in implementing PM Garib Kalyan Yojana that was rolled out to provide relief to the poor and vulnerable amid the COVID-19 crisis.

▪ 6.93 crore farmers were benefited through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) to help farmers tide over the COVID-19 crisis. Under the scheme, the government transfers Rs. 2,000 cash directly to the farmers’ bank accounts through DBT.

▪ Rs. 1,400 crore disbursed to about 2.82 crore old age person, widow and disabled people under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP).

▪ 2.16 crore construction workers received financial support from the Building and Construction Workers’ Fund managed by state governments.

▪ The government is providing free LPG refills for the next three months to over 8.3 crore poor women under the Ujjawala scheme and Rs. 50 lakh insurance cover for healthcare workers. JAM trinity enabled the Indian government to make payments more effectively and inclusively. The center has created a JAM Index based on Findex data to rank countries on their use of ID systems, mobile phones, and financial accounts, to effectively make government payments. India and Kenya are two top ranking countries in this index.

• Provided a boost to the DBT programme and expanded its coverage from partial to ubiquitous.
• By eliminating the need for middlemen, JAM has helped minimise avenues of corruption, irregularities and pilferages.
• Promoted the ease of doing business
• Given the need for physical distancing to curtail the spread of COVID-19, JAM is promoting online transactions among the beneficiaries, instead of physical visits to the banks.
• In the longer run, JAM will make the rural population get acquainted with the concept of ‘saving’ thus contributing to the GDP of the country as a whole.
• SAHYOG is an e-platform that collects geotagged information on the nation’s critical infrastructure. It works as a key tool in helping community workers carry out the government’s objectives of door-to-door, surveys, contact tracing, deliveries of essentials items and to create focused public awareness campaigns. C. Open-sourced Analytics and Modelling Tools
• Rapid data sharing is critical during epidemics and pandemics as it allows for a better understanding of the origins and spread of the infection.
• The placement of the first genome of the 2019-nCoV virus in an open database on 8th January 2020, paved the way for scientists around the world to start working on the development of a treatment or vaccine.
• Open-source technologies can help in improving accessibility of information, formulating open standards that enable all stakeholders to contribute and developing rapid prototypes that can lead to rapid discoveries.

Tele-health Technologies

• Tele-health technologies allow patients to be seen and diagnosed remotely by doctors. Scores of countries are now providing virtual care on a war footing.
• Sheba Medical Centre, the largest hospital in Israel, launched a remote patient-monitoring program in an attempt to control the spread of the virus.
• E-Sanjeevani is the Indian teleconsultation service launched by MoHFW during this pandemic.

GIS and Smart City’s Integrated Control and Command Center (ICCC)

• Geographic interpretation and insight are essential in detecting, understanding and responding to the pandemic.
• GIS helps epidemiologists to map disease occurrence against multiple parameters including demographics, environment, its spread pattern etc. to implement preventive and surveillance measures.
• WHO unveiled its ArcGIS Operations Dashboard for COVID-19, which maps coronavirus cases and total number of deaths by country and other related informations.
• In India too, GIS has been extensively deployed to fight the pandemic. A GIS platform has been developed by an eminent team of researchers in IIT Chennai and integrated with Aarogya Setu to provide extremely important information about the spread of coronavirus.

3D Printing

• 3D printing can play an important role as a disruptive digital manufacturing technology by boosting production and optimising the supply of specialised and critical medical equipments to treat COVID-19 patients.

HP India responded to the critical need of making ventilators available in large numbers by getting over 1.2 lakh key ventilator parts printed in a short span of time

6. Technology and Learning Due to COVID-19, millions of students have been driven out of university campuses and the faculty is confined to their homes. This has forced the teaching community to look for alternatives to maintain the continuity in the teaching learning process. Online platforms provide such alternative.

• Best teachers cannot always reach grassroots, digital content can. Online education can help reduce inequality in the “Quality” of faculty and education. By removing the nuisance of unnecessary overheads and administration and by bringing the best faculty in direct contact with the students through online learning can do wonders for motivation of both, the faculty and student.
• Access to online classes and digital media will provide room to students to develop selfmotivation and become independent
• With a multi-channel approach to combat these issues, now TV channels can run educational content for classes 1 to 12. This will be supplemented by radio and podcasts. With this, the grassroots network of government schools should be viewed more as ‘learning zones’ rather than ‘training institutions’. Edtech companies can chip in by customising the content to the local context.
• Access to the best digital content for all, as well as the room for creativity and innovation will help our future citizens to think, analyze and get clarity about what is right and wrong for themselves, for society as well as future of our nation. Faculty will get more time to do research, as administrative work will get reduced.

The Way Forward

• Given the huge gap in access to ICT infrastructure in the country, any technology mediated solutions must first seek to bridge the digital divide. The draft National Education Policy (NEP) 2019 identifies a few important concerns related to technology integration in education in the country. One such concern is the availability of the local expertise in resolving and maintaining hardware and software at remote locations.
• It recommends deploying local talents for managing technological issues in schools. In this way, technology use in education has ramifications for the employment at the local level too.

 

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