Govt. to launch ‘Uber for tractors’ app to aid farmers                                              

Sex ratio at birth: Kerala on top, Northeast states show decline                            

In reducing fertility, a little education may be worse than none, shows data        

DRDO focus on stealth weapons, drones                                                                  

Govt. to launch ‘Uber for tractors’ app to aid farmers

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes

Context :

• India’s agriculture ministry has developed a farm equipment rental app for Indian farmers, which lets them hire tractors, rotavator and other farm related machinery on rent for with flexible tenures.

Uber for Tractor App :

• It would enable farmers to have affordable access to cutting-edge technology at their doorsteps.

• The app is reportedly similar to Uber and looks to bring a similar convenience to farmers.

• The mobile app seeks to efficiently connect farmers with custom hiring centres CHCs, just like Uber connects passengers to cabs.

• The app also includes a rating system wherein the feedback from both the CHC and the farmers, allowing customers to make informed decisions.

• The app will also create an invaluable database for policy-makers, who can track the use and cost of equipment.

Significance :

• The system would also help to track the usage of new technology that the government wants to promote, such as the Happy Seeder that aims to prevent stubble burning that causes air pollution, or solar dryers that can help farmers process and preserve their produce.

                                                                                                                      Source :- The Hindu

Sex ratio at birth: Kerala on top, Northeast states show decline

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context :

• According to the fourth National Family Health Surveys(NFHS),sex ratio at birth(SRB) has improved from 914 in 2005-06 to 919 in 2015-16.

Key Highlights :

• The highest improvement was in Punjab at 126 points, but its SRB remained among the lowest among the states at 860 in NFHS-4.

• The sharpest decline was in Sikkim, where the SRB dropped 175 points to reach 809, the lowest among all states in 2015-16.

• Further,after Punjab,the highest improvement in SRB was in Kerala at 1,047 from 925 in 2005-06.Its SRB was the highest among all states.

• Despite the North-Eastern societies traditionally being matriarchal,the sharpest decline was in Sikkim where the SRB dropped 175 points to reach 809,the lowest among all states in 2015-16.

                                                                                                                    Source :- Indian Express

In reducing fertility, a little education may be worse than none, shows data

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context :

• According to conventional wisdom,the higher the educational level of a woman, the lower the total number of children she will have.

Key findings :

• According to the official data from 2017 on the total fertility rate (TFR) or the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime shows the connection may be more complex.

• The data shows that the culture of a state might be a greater determinant of fertility with illiterate rural women in Tamil Nadu having a lower fertility rate than urban graduates in Uttar Pradesh.

• Further,the data also shows a consistent pattern across states of illiterate women and those with no formal education having lower fertility rates than those with below primary level education.

• For instance,Bihar which is a high fertility state,the TFR of women who have not completed primary schooling is 4.4 compared to 3.7 for illiterate women.

• Similarly,in Odisha with an overall low fertility rate of just 1.9,the TFR of illiterate women was 2 compared to a TFR of 3.6-3.5 among those with primary level schooling or below.

• At the all-India level,the TFR for women with below primary education was 3.1 compared to 2.9 for illiterate women and 2.4 for those without formal education.

                                                                                                              Source :- The Times of India

DRDO focus on stealth weapons, drones

GS PAPER - 03 SECURITY - Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

Context :

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is working on Directed energy weapons(DEWs) as part of ongoing efforts to modernize defence technology.

Directed energy weapons(DEWs) :

• Direct energy weapons(DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy, including laser, microwaves and particle beams.

• DEW can quietly disable enemy drones or missiles temporarily or permanently without leaving physical debris.

• In contrast,the ASAT or anti-satellite missile that the DRDO tested had killed an orbiting Indian target satellite and left hundreds of small pieces as debris for a few months.

• The potential applications of this technology include weapons that target personnel, missiles, vehicles and optical device.Only the US, China, Russia, UK and India are known to be developing directed-energy weapons.

• After decades of R&D,directed-energy weapons are still at experimental stage and it remains to be seen if or when they will be deployed as practical,high-performance military weapons.

                                                                                                            Source :- The Hindu

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