Climate Trauma, Cloudburst, The Great Four- Ring Butterfly

(General Studies IV – Theory Section – Ethical Concerns and Dilemmas in Government and Private Institutions; Laws, Rules, Regulations and Conscience as Sources of Ethical Guidance.)

• The recent ostentatious display of wealth by a billionaire during a family wedding has highlighted a pervasive issue of the vast and growing inequality between the rich and the poor.
• This disparity is not only economic but also social, creating a chasm between different classes that is often exacerbated by the conspicuous consumption of the wealthy.

The Rising Income and Wealth Inequality in India –

• A study by economists Nitin Kumar Bharti, Lucas Chancel, Thomas Piketty, and Anmol Somanchi titled “Income and Wealth Inequality in India, 1922-2023: The Rise of the Billionaire Raj” provides a stark view of the current situation.
• In 2022-23, the top 1% of Indians controlled 22.6% of the income and 40.1% of the wealth.
• The wealthiest 10,000 individuals in India own an average of ₹22.6 billion each, an amount 16,763 times the national average.
• This concentration of wealth is also skewed along caste lines, with nearly 90% of billionaire wealth held by upper castes, while Other Backward Classes and Scheduled Castes hold less than 10% and 2.6%, respectively. Scheduled Tribes have no representation among the wealthiest Indians.

The Ethics of Extravagance –

• Thorstein Veblen, an American economist, argued that conspicuous consumption is a means for the affluent to signal their status and superiority.
• The scale of their extravagance is often so large that it becomes impossible for others to emulate, thereby reinforcing their social standing.
• Harvard professor Michael J. Sandel’s political philosophy delves into the mindset that justifies such wasteful expenditure critiques the entitlement mentality of the rich, who believe their wealth is a result of their superior talents and hard work.
• This belief allows them to disregard the role of fortunate circumstances in their success and to see the poor as deserving of their fate due to their lack of merit.
• Sandel draws on John Rawls’s and Friedrich Hayek’s arguments to show that the wealthy owe their success to societal factors and are thus obligated to contribute to the common good.

Societal Impacts and Solutions –

• The NITI Aayog reported that 135 million Indians escaped multidimensional poverty between 2016 and 2021.
• However, the report titled “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” highlighted that in 2022, 56.5% of Indians could not afford a healthy diet.
• This statistic underscores the stark reality of poverty in India, contrasting sharply with the lavish expenditures of the wealthy.

Idea of Trusteeship –

• To address this issue, societal and policy changes are necessary. The Koran’s doctrine of trusteeship, which posits that wealth is God-given and should be used for the benefit of all, provides a moral framework for the redistribution of wealth.
• Similar ethical principle of trusteeship was used by Mahatma Gandhi in various issues to avoid schisms between communities during freedom struggle.
• Trusteeship provides a way of changing the present capitalist order of society into an egalitarian one. It does not give importance to capitalism, but gives the present owner class a chance to reform itself.
• It is based on the faith that human nature is never beyond redemption. It does not recognise any right of private ownership of property except so far as it may be permitted by society for its own welfare.

Policy Recommendations –

1. Progressive Taxation: Implementing higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy can help redistribute wealth and fund social welfare programs.
2. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Encourage or mandate that corporations increase their CSR contributions, ensuring that more funds are directed towards social welfare.
3. Social Programs: Invest in programs that provide education, healthcare, and nutrition to the poor, thereby reducing inequality.
4. Public Awareness: Increase awareness about the negative impacts of wealth concentration and the importance of social responsibility among the wealthy.

Societal Recommendations –

1. Cultural Change: Promote values that emphasize modesty and social responsibility over conspicuous consumption.
2. Community Support: Strengthen community support systems to ensure that the needs of the poor are met and that they have opportunities for upward mobility.
3. Ethical Consumption: Encourage the wealthy to adopt ethical consumption practices and to use their resources to benefit society as a whole.

In conclusion, the extravagance of the rich not only exacerbates economic inequality but also perpetuates social divisions. By adopting policies that promote wealth redistribution and fostering a culture of social responsibility, society can move towards greater equality and justice. The wealthy must recognize their role as trustees of their wealth and use it to improve the lives of the less fortunate, thereby contributing to a more equitable and cohesive society.

• The recent tragedy in Wayanad has brought debate around Climate Trauma in discussion. Climate-induced disasters are not uncommon and often lead to terror, trepidation, and trauma.
• Distressing dreams and flashbacks are well-known symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition affecting individuals who have experienced a distressing event.
• Climate-induced disasters, unlike other natural disasters, often worsen progressively and disrupt daily lives in visceral, prolonged ways.
• Residents of climate-affected areas face the dilemma of staying and risking another disaster or leaving despite having deep roots there.
• Experts predict that as climate-induced disasters become more frequent and intense, they could change how people think.
• Continuous secretion of stress chemicals like dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline can lead to maladaptive responses and PTSD-like symptoms.
• Training people in coping skills and Psychological First Aid (PFA) is crucial.
• PFA promotes safety, stabilises survivors, and connects them to help and resources.

Dig Deeper: Read about various government initiatives for people’s mental well-being.

• The death toll due to flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh has increased to 11.
• A cloudburst is a localised, intense rainfall event. It is defined as rainfall of 10 cm or more in an hour over a roughly 10 km x 10 km area.
• By this definition, 5 cm of rainfall in a half-hour over the same area would also be categorised as a cloudburst. This phenomenon is most common in hilly regions and can cause widespread destruction.
• Cloudbursts are not uncommon, particularly during the monsoon months, and are frequent in the Himalayan states.
• These events often trigger landslides and flash floods, causing extensive downstream destruction.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts rainfall events but does not predict the exact quantum of rainfall.
• Specific cloudburst events cannot be forecasted, but warnings for heavy to very heavy rainfall are routinely issued.
• There is no long-term trend indicating an increase in cloudbursts as defined by the IMD. However, incidents of extreme rainfall and other extreme weather events are increasing globally, attributed to climate change.

Dig Deeper: Why hilly areas are more vulnerable to Cloudburst?

• Sara Abraham, a prominent figure in contemporary Indian art in the early 1970s, passed away in Chennai.
• She had an exceptional ability to recognize original talent, which in as a collector and promoter of Indian art post-Independence.
• She connected with K.C.S. Paniker, the principal who founded the Cholamandal Artists’ Village.
• Shifted to Mumbai after marriage, that period marked the beginning of modern Indian art’s recognition and a new generation of collectors.
• Sara nurtured and promoted contemporary Indian art through her initiative, the Kala Yatra.
• Sara spent her last day playing ‘Single Patience,’ surrounded by her Kala Yatra friends’ artworks at her Chennai home.

Dig Deeper: Read about the Indian Modern Art Movement and Artists associated with it like M F Hussain.

• Four years after former U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act, U.S. and Indian officials are addressing hurdles posed by the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
• Gandhi- King initiative was aimed at strengthening India-U.S. ties, mandated three entities:
• An exchange program for 20 scholars annually.
• A global academy by the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington
• The Gandhi-King Development Foundation.
• While the first two have been operational since 2021, progress on the foundation has been slow due to scrutiny over U.S. government funds.
• An MoU signed in June 2024 in Delhi but clarity on its structure is still needed.
• USAID oversees the implementation, requiring both U.S. and Indian private sector funding.
• USAID is ready to allocate $29 million in seed funding, pending private sector contributions from India and FCRA compliance.

Dig Deeper: Read about US-India joint initiatives in various sectors like Space and Defence.

• A four-ringed butterfly, the great four-ring (Ypthima cantliei), has resurfaced in India after 61 years, according to a new study published by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
• The butterfly was recorded in 2018 from Namdapha National Park in the Miao range of Namdapha National Park.
• It was identified based on morphological patterns and habitat.
• The species was last reported in 1957 from Assam’s Margherita.
• The great four-ring has dull brown-grey wings with three yellow-ringed eye spots on its hind wing and a large bipupilled apical ocellus on the forewing.
• Ypthima is a rich genus in the family Nymphalidae, with about 6,000 butterfly species.
• Of the 35 Ypthima species recorded in India, 23 are from the northeast.

Dig Deeper: Read about recently rediscovered species in India along with reintroduction programmes of various species.