Day: November 23, 2016

Use this http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=154111

Everyday we read news, but do we do more than read it? The best way to learn from news is to find the issues and facts which we don’t know and research them. Starting today we will try to list some topics to help you do that.

Let’s call this the new avatar of #Back2Basics

Following topics are based on today’s news –

1. CERN in the news. What is CERN? What is its location? These organisations are a favorite of UPSC. – PRELIMS

2. There is a new defence policy regarding business dealings and blacklisting. Recently this has been a hot topic with many updates from the Defence ministry. Visit the ministry website and make relevant notes. – MAINS

3. News about Bangladesh and Myanmar. Note that they share a border. Look at the atlas in this region and note where they share a border. Also find out the Indian states which border both the countries. – PRELIMS

4. Another earthquake and tsunami, this time in Japan. Revise your notes on these topics. – PRELIMS + MAINS

5. In the oped on Asia, a no. of organisations have been mentioned. Do you what they are? Use this as an opportunity to look at this region in the atlas very closely. List the capitals of all countries in north-south order. – PRELIMS

Major Highlights of the Bill (2016)

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The Bill defines a transgender person as one who is partly female or male; or a combination of female and male; or neither female nor male.

In addition, the person’s gender must not match the gender assigned at birth, and includes trans-men, trans-women, persons with intersex variations and gender-queers.

A transgender person must obtain a certificate of identity as proof of recognition of identity as a transgender person and to invoke rights under the Bill. 

Such a certificate would be granted by the District Magistrate on the recommendation of a Screening Committee. 

The Bill prohibits discrimination against a transgender person in areas such as education, employment, and healthcare.  It directs the central and state governments to provide welfare schemes in these areas.

Key Issues and Analysis

A still from a TV series on the sensitive topic of Transgender recognition

#1. The Supreme Court has held that the right to self-identification of gender is part of the right to dignity and autonomy under Article 21 of the Constitution.

However, objective criteria may be required to determine one’s gender in order to be eligible for entitlements.

#2. The Bill states that a person recognised as ‘transgender’ would have the right to ‘self-perceived’ gender identity. 

However, it does not provide for the enforcement of such a right.  A District Screening Committee would issue a certificate of identity to recognise transgender persons.

#3. The definition of ‘transgender persons’ in the Bill is at variance with the definitions recognised by international bodies and experts in India. 

The former version of the transgender bill (per NALSA case) honoured a better understanding through a broad definition that included those who identified themselves by a gender other than the one assigned to them at birth. That definition affirmed the right of a transgender person to have the option of choosing to identify themselves either as a “man”, “woman” or “transgender”. The definition in the latest bill is narrower.

#4. Ill defined terms: The Bill includes terms like ‘trans-men’, ‘trans-women’, persons with ‘intersex variations’ and ‘gender-queers’ in its definition of transgender persons. However, these terms have not been defined.

#5. Certain criminal and personal laws that are currently in force only recognise the genders of ‘man’ and ‘woman’.  It is unclear how such laws would apply to transgender persons who may not identify with either of the two genders.

#6. The government’s bill has also dropped the provision for reservation in education and employment to transgender persons, which was directed by the Supreme Court

#7. Avoids discussing major issues including on personal law like the right to marriage, inheritance and adoption etc.

Backgrounder: Transgender communities in India

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According to the 2011 Census, India has 6 lac people belonging to the transgender community. Transgender individuals in India are broadly called Hijras, Kinnars, and Aravanis in different parts of the country.

Odisha became the first state in the country to provide food grains, pension, health, education and housing benefits to the transgender community, including them in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category.

Kerala came up with a ‘Transgender policy’ last year in december aiming to end the social stigma attached to the community.

Tamil Nadu has constituted the Aravanis Welfare Board in 2008, providing pensions for the community and creating awareness in schools on gender-variant people.

Milestone: National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) v. Union of India and others judgement

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The SC recognised them as 3rd gender.

This judgement gave broad directives to the Central and state governments on affirmative action, public health, social welfare and other services to be made available for transgender people.

The Supreme Court noted that Section 377 of the IPC, though associated with specific sexual acts, targeted certain identities, including Hijras, and was used as an instrument of harassment and physical abuse against transgender persons.

Way forward

#1. Tamil Nadu has been the pioneering state in bringing positive change in the lives of transgender people by granting ration cards, voters’ identity cards, housing, medical insurance and free gender reassignment surgery. Several other states have followed the Tamil Nadu model.

#2. The implementation has been unfortunately slow. Many states have not even done the ground work. The Prime Minister should intervene in this and direct the states to take action. The majority of the transgender people in our country are sex workers and beggars, and their lives need a desperate change, they need to live in dignity.

#3. If there are transgenders today begging on the streets or doing sex work for a livelihood, it is because their families rejected them. The root cause of their pathetic lives is the rejection and stigma from their families. This needs to be addressed.

To read more by Confused Billi – click here

Background:

His journey starts with running after train at 5:30 am in morning every day. He lived in Ghaziabad but his school was almost 35 km away from his home. It was a government school (at civil lines Delhi). Every day he used to spend 5 hours in travelling, till class 12^th.

He had a dream to become a doctor but like many middle class boys it was just a dream. He got selected to BTC/JBT/ETE (TEACHER TRAINING). After training, he joined as a teacher at MCD school Delhi (September 2003), at the tender age of 19.

Then he strained his energy in the struggle for marriage – as love marriage is a taboo in Indian society, it took him almost 7 years to marry in 2008, at the age of 25. He then started thinking about taking up civil services exam.

Being a general candidate it was already late to start preparation to use all four attempts (then there were 4 attempts). He also had family responsibilities to look after. After arranging marriage for his younger brother and younger sister and after his own marriage, he thought it apt to start focussing on his dreams and needs (but it was almost March 2011 by then).

He gave one attempt without preparing well and had lost one precious attempt in 2010. He then started serious preparation for Civil Services after relieving himself from home responsibilities, with one attempt already down. Meanwhile, he had passed BA, MA, B.Ed. In addition he also did LL.B., LL.M from correspondence mode.

Inspiration for Civil Services:          

During his service as a teacher in MCD School, he joined Teacher’s Association in 2009 as a nominated General Secretary (of Shahdara south zone), there he worked for teachers’ issues and this work was one of the motivations for civil services. While working with the association he came in contact with higher officials and came to know that what a bureaucrat can do with his authority. Hence, he tried his luck in 2010 Prelims.

Preparation journey:

The great leap for UPSC started in 2011, with one attempt already down, his second attempt was lost by 7 marks in prelims (CSE 2012).  After losing, he felt bad but also got courage that if he came so close, maybe I could clear the exam in another attempt. He says:

“This is the dilemma of all the aspirants, it’s like YA TO ATTEMPT KAHATAM YA AADMI KHATAM HO TABHI MUKTI MILEGI.”

For his third attempt, he prepared well with the help of his wife and his friends. He was expecting score around 216 in Prelims and committed a mistake by exaggerating his score with friends and relatives.  This kind of mistake is being committed by so many aspirants. In this attempt he got only 206 and cutoff was 209 (CSE 2012). He lost battle for the THIRD time with only ONE attempt left to go.

Now it was the D Day moment- final attempt with ‘Zero Mains’ experience. This time he scored 232 in the prelims (CSE 2013) and was very optimistic for the mains.  But destiny had another shock for him, for the first time cutoff crossed 241 marks and it was his final attempt and hope at UPSC civil services.

Grief struck and disappointed, he came back to teaching with empty hands. Colleagues taunted him, laughed at him, and started teasing him with sarcasm. He had created a hope and hype around his civil services dream. After his failure, people around him didn’t respect him much. He was considered a non- serious aspirant because he did not even clear prelims. At that moment he thought about giving State PCS exam.

Then came the opportunity of lifetime, UPSC gave 2 extra attempts. These two attempts were a life for him. He was 31 by then.

He gave his all to this attempt and could clear not only prelims but reached upto interview level. But when the final result came, he was out of the game once again. Failure after reaching at interview level is not an easy ordeal to bear with. His Fifth attempt was over and he was a failure for 5 years in a row. (CSE 2014)

In CSE 2015, he gave another final attempt, he gathered himself for another final fight. It was do or die for him (aged 32 now). He worked hard with more focused study, proper strategy for PRELIMS, Mains and moreover for INTERVIEW, & committed to himself that “I would crack exam this time, learned from my past mistakes and worked hard”.

Finally, he was AIR 300 Rank. He proved with his result that simple middle class family boy with no formal education (all correspondence) can crack UPSC civil services.

His never say die attitude, perseverance, parents blessings and continuous effort towards his goal made him successful.

His message:

He requests his fellow aspirants that never lose your hope. Your perseverance, consistency and your passion will definitely pay for you.

GS4 (Ethics)

What role does the family play in instilling moral values in a child? How is the changing nature of families in India affecting this education?

GS3 (Agriculture)

With rising incomes, Indians are starting to consume more proteins. This is resulting in higher consumption of items such as meat. Unfortunately, modern rearing practices of livestock result in very high usage of antibiotics. What are the reasons for such high usage? What problems can it lead to?

Background – Bloomberg

Similar Previous Year Question – Can overuse and free availability of antibiotics in India without Doctor’s prescription, be contributors to the emergence of drug resistant diseases? What are the available mechanisms for monitoring and control? Critically discuss the various issues involved. [2014]

GS2 (Polity and Governance)

After more than two decades of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments being passed, have they fulfilled their promise? Discuss their achievements and shortcomings.

GS1 (Modern India)

What role did the social and religious reform movements play in the Indian freedom struggle? Give examples of movements which helped the freedom struggle, and also examples of movements which held back the freedom struggle.