Swachh Bharat to external debt: Here're key points to know about Eco Survey

Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)
 

• Through SBM, 99.2 per cent of rural India has been covered. Since October 2, 2014, over 95 million toilets have been built all over the country, and 564,658 villages have been declared open-defecation free (ODF).

 

• Becoming ODF has reduced deaths due to diarrhoea, malaria, especially in under-five children, stillbirths and new-borns with weight less than 2.5 kg and thereby improved child health and nutrition.

 

• Financial savings from a household toilet exceed the financial costs to the household by 1.7 times, on average and 2.4 times for poorest households.

 
Sundar Bharat

 

• Giving individuals default flu shot appointment time can increase influenza vaccination rates. Providing smart insurance plan defaults can significantly simplify health insurance choice.

 

• Many people suffering from critical diseases do not take their medicines regularly. Use of simple text messages & pill bottles that light up if not opened at the right time can increase drug adherence. Delivering an appreciation certificate at the end of the month for following their prescription schedule can sustain adherence.

 
Minimum Wages
 

• The present minimum wage system in India is complex with 1,915 minimum wages defined for various scheduled job categories across various states.

 

• One in every three wage workers in India is not protected by the minimum wage law.

 

• Minimum wages should be fixed for four categories, namely, unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled based on the geographical region and should cover all workers, irrespective of any wage ceilings.

 

External Debt
 

• At $521.1 billion at end-December 2018, it was 1.6 per cent lower than its level at end-March 2018. The critical external debt indicators reflect that India’s external debt is not unsustainable.

 

• The total liabilities-to-GDP ratio, inclusive of both debt and non-debt components, has declined from 43 per cent in 2015 to about 38 per cent at the end of 2018. The share of foreign direct investment has risen, and that of net portfolio investment has fallen in total liabilities, thereby reflecting a transition to more stable sources of funding the current account deficit.

 

• The income terms of trade, a metric that measures the purchasing power to import, has been on a rising trend, possibly because the growth of crude prices has still not exceeded the growth of India’s export prices.

 

Services sector
 

• Services sector (excluding construction) has a share of 54.3 per cent in India’s GVA and contributed more than half of GVA growth in 2018-19.

 

• India’s services sector does not generate jobs in proportion to its share in GVA. Services share in employment is 34 per cent in 2017 which is significantly lesser than its share of 54 per cent in GVA

 

• During 2018-19, FDI equity inflows into the service sector fell by $696 million or 1.3 per cent from the previous year to about $28.26 billion.