Spike in Pulses Prices

India is the largest producer, consumer and importer of pulses in the world. MP is the largest producer of pulses.
Production of pulses is less resource intensive.
They contribute to soil quality by fixing nitrogen in the soil.
MSP is not effective in pulses as MSP of pulses is below the market price.
Over the past two decades, the production of pulses have shifted from Northern India to South and Central India.
Policy planning and farm subsidies are excessively focused on grains ignoring pulses.

Way Forward:
Clamp down hoarding.
Introduce buffer stocks.
Strengthening futures trade also reduces price variation.

Khadi- Fabric of Freedom

Self reliance
Employment generation
Considerable export potential.
Modi recent appeal to the citizens to use at least one time of khadi in their daily life, fabric that knit an entire nation into a united struggle. PM's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) implemented by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body.
It is the textile industry which made us Sone ki Chidiya.
Gandhiji wanted to promote small scale industries.

Skill India

Skill plays a pivotal role in unlocking human potential. As per the Labour Bureau Report 2014, the current size of India's formally skilled workforce is only 2%. Skill India mission aims to skill over 40 crore people by 2022. Govt. cannot accomplish this task alone. Private Sector, NGOs, Educational institutions etc. need to be involved in the process of skilling.
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana is being implemented through the NSDC. Monetary reward would be provided to trainees who are successfully trained and assessed. National Skill Development Corporation is a PPP formed in 2008 as a not for profit company under Companies Act. It acts as a catalyst in skill development by providing funding to enterprises and organisations that provide skill training, For every proposal funded by NSDC, 25% is invested by the training organisation and 75% is provided by NSDC in the form of soft loan at 6% interest rate. It is an initiative to provide vocational training to the youth.

NSDA is an autonomous body under Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Debate on Intolerance

Shastrarth: Debate, superior intellect and logic.
Charvaka daily hurled abuses at the Vedas. The Hindu society did not throw stones on him. His dissenting philosophy was heard and recognised.
It was the Hindu psyche of tolerance that even after religion-based partition, India did not treat its minorities the way Pakistan did.
Intolerance is a spirit that is alien to the Indian genes.

Globalisation impact on women

All the pain and trauma of the globalisation process falls on the shoulders of women. Globalisation has enlarged the area of choices of women and has resulted in double burden for women because they have to work both at home and in the office. In villages, male members in the family have left home. As women are staying back in the villages, they are working double by doing agricultural activities and home routine work. Globalisation has given benefits to the skilled and educated and has harmed poor women. Work of women is largely un-remunerative.

Indo-Russia ties:

Joint manufacture of Kamov-226 T military attack helicopters in India. Russia has been upset at growing ties between India and the West. Russia is keen to expand its defence exports due to the stress its economy is facing on account of Western sanctions over Ukraine issue, falling energy prices, and the increasing cost of military operations in Syria. Trade in Diamonds-India is the world's largest processor and Russia is the world's largest supplier.

India-Africa relations

3rd India- Africa Forum Summit met in Delhi. 1st was held in Delhi and 2nd was held in Addis Ababa.

Descendants of African emigrants in India are known as Siddis. We have a shared past of struggle against colonialism and racial hatred. Liberation of Goa provided the impetus for the anti-colonial movements in the Portuguese territories of Africa. Countries of Africa are growing faster than almost any other region in the world.