Digitization initiatives in India and the work with digital public goods have been extraordinary, said Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella.
Context
Indiaâs digital infrastructure has not only changed how Indians live and operate but it has also caught the fancy of other countries around the world.
In this article, we will focus on a global technology commons that has the ability to address some of the worldâs toughest challenges which India has much to contribute.
What are Digital Public Goods (DPGs)?
Digital public goods are public goods in the form of software, data sets, AI models, standards or content that are generally free cultural works and contribute to sustainable national and international digital development.
Several international agencies, including UNICEF and UNDP, are exploring DPGs as a possible solution to address the issue of digital inclusion, particularly for children in emerging economies.
How is it different from physical public good?
Abundance: The nondepletable, nonexclusive, and nonrivalrous nature of digital public goods means the rules and norms for managing them can be different from how physical public goods are managed.
Everlasting: DPGs can be infinitely stored, copied, and distributed without becoming depleted, and at close to zero cost.
Inclusiveness: DPG is a good that is both non-excludable (no one can be prevented from consuming this good) and non-rivalrous (the consumption of this good by anyone does not reduce the quantity available to others).
Examples of DPGs
Wikipedia
DHIS2, an open source health management system.
Free and open-source software (FOSS), since FOSS is licensed to allow it to be shared freely, modified and redistributed, it is available as a digital public good.
Open educational resources, which by their copyright are allowed to be freely re-used, revised and shared.
Digital public goods in India
Aadhaar: Built on the foundation of Aadhaar and India Stack, modular applications, big and small, are transforming the way we make payments, withdraw our PF, get our passport and driving license and check land records, to name just a few activities.
Unified Payment Interface (UPI): To give an example, consider the surge in UPI-based payments in India. This kind of growth doesnât happen with a few entitled and privileged people using UPI more and more; it happens with more and more people using UPI more and more.
DIKSHA Portal: The use of DIKSHA, the school education platform built on the open-source platform Sunbird, has followed the same trajectory â today close to 500 million schoolchildren are using it.
Key Indian initiative: âIndia Stackâ
India Stack is a set of (application programming interface) APIs that allows governments, businesses, startups and developers to utilize a unique digital Infrastructure to solve Indiaâs hard problems towards presence-less, paperless, and cashless service delivery.
The Open API team at iSPIRT has been a pro-bono partner in the development, evolution, and evangelization of these APIs and systems.
APIs included in India Stack:
The following APIs are considered to be a core part of the India Stack-
Aadhaar Authentication
Aadhaar e-KYC
eSign
Digital Locker
Unified Payment Interface (UPI)
Digital User Consent â still work in progress.
GSTN âGoods and Services Tax Network
BBPS âBharat Bill Payment System
ETC â Electronic Toll Collection (known under the brand FASTag)
Why need DPGs?
Cost Effectiveness: The cost of setting up an open source-based educational infrastructure, to supplement the physical infrastructure, for an entire country is less than laying two kilometers of high-quality road.
Lower investment required: The investments required for transporting digital public goods are minuscule in comparison and there is no chance of a debt trap. Also, the code (platform) is highly reusable.
Instantly visible outcomes: Unlike physical infrastructure such as ports and roads, digital public goods have short gestation periods and immediate, and visible impact and benefits.
Faster service delivery: Processes get streamlined and wait times for any service come down dramatically. Issuances of passports, PAN cards and driving licences are such examples.
Plugging the leakages: It eliminates ghost beneficiaries of government services, removes touts collecting rent, creates an audit trail, makes the individual-government-market interface transparent and provides efficiencies that help recoup the investments quickly.
Wider outreach: Productivity goes up and services can be scaled quickly. Benefits can be rapidly extended to cover a much larger portion of the population.
Most significant utility of DPGs: Digital Diplomacy
 (1)Boost India’s Image as a leading technology player
It will take made-in-India digital public goods across the world and boost Indiaâs brand positioning as a leading technology player in the digital age.
Indiaâs digital diplomacy will be beneficial to and welcomed by, all emerging economies from Peru to Polynesia, from Uruguay to Uganda, and from Kenya to Kazakhstan.
(2) Enhancing the productivity of emerging economies
Emerging economies are characterized by gross inefficiencies in the delivery of government services and a consequent trust deficit.
Digital public goods spread speed, transparency, ease and productivity across the individual-government-market ecosystem and enhance inclusivity, equity and development at scale.
Challenges associated with DPG Diplomacy
Privacy issues: Potential violations of privacy and possible weaponization of data is a primary issue related to such digital initiatives.
Increase in Inequalities: Success in the digital provision of services is dependent on many underlying factors, including digital literacy, education and access to stable and fast telecommunication services.
Cybersecurity threats: While channels and databases used by the Government for transmission and storage are usually secure, other players in the ecosystem may not possess the requisite expertise or security to prevent and respond to breaches.
Unserved remote areas: With digital services not being uniformly distributed, communities in remote areas often require on-ground staff to deploy and supplement digital tools.
Global liaison over DPGs: Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA)
The DPGA is a multi-stakeholder initiative with a mission to accelerate the attainment of sustainable development goals in low- and middle-income countries by facilitating the discovery, development, use of, and investment in digital public goods.
It is a UN initiative launched in 2019.
Way Forward
Data localization: India needs to ensure that digital goods diplomacy doesnât become an exercise to gather data and provisions must be made for data localization.
Training of Individuals: Individuals across the countries need to be trained in cyber security for successful digital goods diplomacy. A lead can be taken up by CERT-In.
No Authoritative nature: India needs to ensure that data with the state doesnât lead to authoritarianism in these countries. Decentralized and distributed storage using Blockchain technology can be used by India.
Ensuring Inclusivity: Digital ecosystems should be guided by factors of availability, accessibility, affordability, value and trust.
Citizen-Centralism: There is a need to ensure the design is citizen-centric and ensures inclusive access to services at the last mile will help drive adoption and sustain these ecosystems.
Data privacy robustness: Designing privacy-protection and secure databases are critical. It is, therefore, imperative that regulations governing any digital initiative must take into account provisions of the Personal Data Protection Bill.
This yearâs 30th January marks the 75th death anniversary of the Father of the Nation- MK Gandhi. Also, a movie named âGandhi-Godse: Ek Yudhâ was recently released highlighting the different aspects related to the assassination of Gandhi.
In this context, this edition of the burning issue will elaborate on Gandhiji and his ideas and their relevance in the modern world.
About Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, is regarded as the Father of the Nation. Gandhi was born on 2nd October,1869 in Gujarat and studied law at the Inner Temple, London.
Gandhi was a social reformist and leader of the Indian Independence Movement who introduced the idea of non-violent resistance called Satyagraha.
After organizing a civil disobedience movement for Indians living in South Africa, he returned to India in 1915. In India, he set out on a train journey to different parts of the country trying to understand the problems of farmers, peasants and urban laborers and organizing protests for them.
He assumed the leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921 and rose to become its most prominent leader and iconic figure in Indian politics.
Gandhi also wrote extensively for various newspapers and his symbol of self-reliance – the spinning wheel – became a popular symbol of the Indian Independence Movement.
Gandhi played a key role in pacifying people and averting the Hindu-Muslim riots as tensions rose before and during the partition of the country. He was shot dead by Nathuram Godse on January 31, 1948.
What happened after Gandhiâs Assassination?
Mahatma Gandhi was walking towards the prayer mandap at Birla House in Delhi when 35-year-old Nathuram Godse came before him and pulled out a pistol from his pocket. He fired three shots from point-blank range that hit Gandhi in the chest, stomach, and groin. Within 15 minutes, the Father of the Nation was dead.
Godse was apprehended by military personnel who were at the spot, and his pistol was snatched away. The assassin was beaten by the crowd before police took him into custody. Subsequently, he was lodged at a police station on Tughlaq Road, where an FIR was registered. The trial began in May 1948 at a special court set up in Delhiâs Red Fort.
The judgment was pronounced on February 10, 1949. Judge Atma Charan convicted Godse, Apte, and five others of the crime. Both Godse and Apte were sentenced to death. Savarkar was acquitted.
The hanging of Godse and Apte became inevitable after the Governor-General of India rejected their mercy petitions. Godseâs mercy petition was filed by his parents, not him. Both men were hanged on November 15, 1949, in Ambala jail.
Ideas of Mahatma Gandhi
Concept of Non-Violence:
Gandhi adopted the word ânon-violenceâ which means refraining from the use of physical force capable of causing injury or death to the opponent. Even though Gandhi admits that he could not succeed in defining ahimsa fully the meaning of this word developed further in the hands of Gandhi. Ahimsa means and includes non-violence in thoughts, words and deeds toward all sentient beings.
Concept of Satyagraha:
The term satyagraha is derived from a compound word in Sanskrit, Satya and agraha. Satya means that which is in accordance with sat or being, that is, truth. Agraha means holding fast, adherence or insistence. Thus, the compound word satyagraha means clinging to truth, holding fast to truth, insistence on truth or firm adherence to truth. In the socio-political field satyagraha was a kind of resistant movement against unjust laws. He adopted the term satyagraha which would give almost the same meaning of âPassive Resistance.â
Concept of Nai Talim:
The phrase Nai Talim is a combination of two words- Nai Means âNewâ and Talim â an Urdu word-means âEducationâ. In 1937, Gandhiji introduced the concept of Nai Talim in India. It aimed to transform the Indian education system which was based on colonial education at that time. It is an approach to the total personality development of the body, mind and spirit of the students
Concept of Trusteeship:
Trusteeship is a socio-economic philosophy developed by Mahatma Gandhi as a part of his nonviolent revolution. It is a concept where a person voluntarily gives up or renounces his right to the money earned by him and dedicates it to the welfare of the poor section of society.
Pillars of Gandhiâs philosophy
The main pillars of Gandhiâs philosophy were non-violence, tolerance of others, respect for all religions, and simple life.
Compassion:
Gandhi believes that the true core of a person is the part that is not selfish and which works for others. He is saying that the essence of what we are (the thing that we have to find) is caring for others.
Truth:
Gandhi, in short, was a leader looking for a spiritual cause. He found it, of course, in his non-violence and, ultimately, in independence for India. Truth, Satya, was the central axis of the Gandhian system of thought and practice. For Gandhi, everything turned on Truth â satyagraha, swaraj, ahimsa, ashram, brahmacharya, yajna, charkha, khadi, and finally, moksha itself. Gandhiâs life and ideas are arranged around the axial principle of Truth.
Secular:
Gandhi made great use of the Bible in his prayers, teachings, writings and Ashram liturgies. He was often accused of being a crypto-Christian. Gandhi considered interculturalism as a call for simultaneous awareness of commonalities, acceptance of differences, and recognition of shared values.
Honesty:
Gandhi had a blend of sincerity and efficiency bringing forth the most positive strength. Gandhi accomplished any given task with honesty and diligence. Once a decision was made he gave his all to it. He used to follow up till the end of the task. He used to be positive even under all difficult circumstances and had an optimistic view of life and never lost hope. He maintained impeccable integrity in individual life and public conduct
Dignity:
He looked at life holistically and worked with utmost concentration. He treated all work as a God-given gift and all jobs were of equal importance. He had a keen desire to restore the dignity of all human beings. Advanced on the path of morality, spirituality and ethical progress by being firm on Truth
Some famous quotes from Gandhiji
·        âI understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong.âÂ
·        âA man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.â
·        âIf instead of insisting on rights, everyone does his duty, there will immediately be the rule of order established among mankindâ
Global impact of Gandhi
Historians say Gandhi proved that one man has the power to take on an empire, using both ethics and intelligence. Other peaceful resisters such as Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1960s civil rights movement and Tibet’s Dalai Lama have emulated his methods in years since, shaking up the dynamic of world politics in the process.
Martin Luther King Jr. is said to have been heavily influenced by Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence, believing it to be the only logical approach to the problem of race relations in America.
Gandhi-King Initiative: The initiative is an exchange program between India and the U.S. to study the work and legacies of Gandhiji and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. It will establish annual scholar and student exchange programs for Indians and Americans to study the leadersâ legacies and visit historic sites in India and the U.S. The visits will be relevant to Indiaâs freedom struggle and the U.S.âs civil rights movement.
Impacted the world leaders: He firmly believed that the spirit of genuine reciprocity and solidarity is not just a moral requirement, but also a geopolitical necessity. The Gandhian technique of mobilizing people has been successfully employed by many oppressed societies around the world under the leadership of people like Martin Luther King in the United States, Nelson Mandela in South Africa, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar which is an eloquent testimony to the continuing relevance of Mahatma Gandhi.
But then, why he is criticized also?
In South Africa, academics Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed, in their book The South African Gandhi: Stretcher-Bearer Of Empire, have questioned Gandhiâs role in upholding the British empire and fighting only for the rights of Indians, and not of others, there.
His statue in Johannesburg was once smeared with white paint (symbolically implying that Gandhi was an apologist of the countryâs Whites). South African cities have debated whether or not to have more commemorations. A university in Ghana has removed a Gandhi statue because of his allegedly âracist” views on ethnic Africans.
Jawaharlal Nehru was a believer in the non-violent satyagraha politics that Mahatma Gandhi espoused during the freedom struggle. But on the finer points of politics, Nehru differed vastly from Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi believed in dharma-based politics while Nehru’s ideas of politics were deeply entrenched in democratic socialist principles. Mahatma Gandhi looked for continuity in India’s socio-political fabric by doing away with certain “impurities” that had crept in. Nehru advocated a reform towards modernity.
Nehru did not approve of Gandhi’s economic ideals that called for the only limited adoption of modern technological progress. Nehru, on the other hand, rejected these ideas and favored big factories based on the latest technologies.
BR Ambedkar also criticized Gandhi. Gandhi believed that the caste system was the basis of Indian society, particularly the majority Hindu community. Mahatma Gandhi opposed caste discrimination but he did not reject the social structure that bred bias against people based on their birth.
Ambedkar, on the other hand, held the caste system as the root of all the social evils that Indian society faced. He also rejected Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of making the village a unit of administration. Ambedkar favored a wholesome change in the village structure as he believed that the village was the breeding ground for caste discrimination and communalism.
But his ideas and principles are still relevant today, like
Ahimsa:
Mahatma Gandhiâs principle of non-violence is very relevant as the world faces terrorism and other forms of violence. In present times, the ideal of non-violence needs to guide the approach of individuals and nations, and world organizations, like violence, initiate a vicious circle of repression and injustice.
Satyagraha:
Gandhiji called the general method of nonviolent action âSatyagrahaâ. It is the expression of the purest spiritual power against all injustice, oppression, and exploitation. Satyagraha was thought of as the moral alternative to war.
Anna Hazareâs anti-corruption protest for Lokpal, and the farmer’s protests against the Farm Laws have also resorted to non-violence satyagraha to meet their demands.
Swadeshi:
Indigenous peoples focus on political and economic action inside and outside their communities. It is the interdependence of community and self-reliance. Gandhiâs thought of swadeshi is still prevalent in our society, by taking steps towards making India self-reliant.
During the Covid times, when India was witnessing a severe economic crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called âAtma Nirbhar Bharatâ, the second version of Swadeshi. This swadeshi form aims to make the country self-reliant. In order to free the country from the shackles of hunger, unemployment, and poverty, swadeshi is the best path to unshackle these.
Secularism:
Gandhiji was tolerant of all religions. Today, the world needs more and more religious and intelligently tolerant people in societies where violence is perpetrated in the name of religion. In society, tolerance helps to neutralize religion, caste, ethnicity, region, etc. in the world, based on day-to-day ethnic-Centered prejudices.
Communal Harmony:
Gandhi always made an effort for Hindu-Muslim unity. At the present time, this ideology is equally significant. If Hindus and Muslims are united, the country can reach the heights of becoming a world power. A person should always respect othersâ faith. Cases of mob lynching are also violating the Gandhian ideology of communal harmony, so steps should be taken in this direction.
Decentralization:
The Gandhian idea of decentralization was implemented in democracies through the 73rd and 74th amendments, which empowered local self-governments at the grassroots level. Indian Government, for instance, has implemented local self-government by adopting the Panchayati Raj and Municipality system in rural and urban areas, respectively, and providing them with some subjects under the state list. This ideology of Gandhi is still relevant and plays a vital role in Indiaâs grass root development.
Cleanliness:
Gandhi paid great attention to purity, or cleanliness and was a staunch advocate of âSwachhataâ. He used to say, âCleanliness hi Seva.â Indiaâs most significant cleanliness initiative, the recently implemented Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, fulfills Bapuâs dream of making India clean.
Sustainable Environment:
Gandhi always spoke of the minimization of wants and advocated a nature-friendly idea. Gandhi believed that âthere is enough on earth for human needs but not enough for human greed.â These lines from Mahatma Gandhi show how human behavior destroys nature, and there is a need for a sustainable lifestyle in our times.
The world revolves around global warming, climate change, and resource depletion, and all environmental covenants and sustainable development efforts must implement Gandhiâs philosophy.
Women Emancipation:
Gandhi played a vital role in bringing women out of their domestic work and involved them in public life. He was against the patriarchal form of society. With glass ceilings still far from being shattered in the public sphere, the Gandhian thought of womenâs emancipation remains relevant.
Conclusion
Albert Einstein explained Gandhijiâs importance in the following quote, âGenerations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth.â The quote is sufficient to summarize the personality of Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhiâs thought was an inspiration for society. Ultimately, all ideas and thoughts of the Mahatma were reached by him via lifelong experimentation with truths, which makes Gandhian thoughts more significant in the present era.
In order to become a superpower during the âAmrit Kaalâ, India should pay homage to Gandhian ideology and walk in the assigned path.
The judgments delivered by the Supreme Court will now be translated into four languages âHindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Odia â Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud informed.
We must understand that the language which we use namely English, is a language which is not comprehensible, particularly in its legal avatar, to 99.9% of our citizens, said CJI.
How Lord William Bentinck transformed judicial functioning in India?
· Bentinck was the governor-general of Bengal (1828â33) and of India (1833â35). · Under him, the four Circuit Courts were abolished and transferred the functions of the abolished court to the collectors under the supervision of the commissioner of revenue and circuit. · Sadar Diwani Adalat and Sadar Nizamat Adalat were established at Allahabad. · He made the Persian and a Vernacular language for the court proceeding in lower court and made English language as official language for Supreme Court proceeding. · During his reign, Law commission was set up by Macaulay which codified the Indian laws. On the basis of this commission, a civil Procedure Code of 1859, an Indian Penal Code of 1860, and a Criminal Procedure Code of 1861 were prepared.
CJI pitches for judgements in regional languages
Expert committee under Justice Abhay Oka: A committee has been formed, headed by SC Judge Abhay Oka, to translate the judgments into four languages. CJI also intends to appoint retired judicial officers, apart from translators, for verifying machine translation of the Supreme Court judgments.
State-wide translations: It has a mission that every high court across the country should will have a committee of two judges, one of whom should be a judge who is drawn from the district judiciary âbecause of their sheer width of experienceâ.
AI-based translation: CJI further said that they are also developing a software and setting up a team where machine learning for translation of the SC judgments will be used.
Why such move?
English barrier: The use of obsolete, archaic or old English words which have passed from the English language but have been kept alive by their frequent use in the Legal profession.
Excessive use of jargons: The use of Latin, and sometimes French, words, and phrases to express a rule, principle, doctrine, maximum, etc. which can be easily phrased in English
Legal language complexities: The practice of assigning common English words a new, different, unusual and purely legal meaning or assigning these words some exclusive legal definitions.
Attitude of legal professionals: The ridiculed tendency of legal professionals both lawyers and judges to write often long and complex sentences without any punctuation.
Why is English such prominent legal language in India?
Better than legacy language: The language used in Courts in India has seen a transition over centuries with the shift from Urdu to Persian and Farsi scripts during the Mughal period which continued in subordinate courts even during the British Rule.
Codified laws and legal system: The British introduced a codified system of law in India with English as the official language.
Creating cohesiveness: Just like cases from all over the country come to the Supreme Court, judges and lawyers of the Supreme Court also come from all parts of India.
Ease of legal education: Without the use of English, it would be impossible to discharge their duty. All judgments of the Supreme Court are also delivered in English.
Need for such reform
Creating awareness: The judgements should be converted into other regional languages so that the masses can benefit and the true meaning of legal education can be achieved.
Create law abiding citizens: Obscurity of law creates complexity. If law is comprehensible to the common man, it will have a positive impact.
Removing language barriers: Masses in India has always been uncomfortable with English language despites its popularity in education system.
Promoting multilingualism: Ever since the introduction of New Education Policy, the centre has been very active in promoting multilingualism across the country.
Various provisions for regional languages
India Constitution: Article 348(1) provides that all proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every High Court shall be in English language until Parliament by law otherwise provides. Article 348 (2) provides that the Governor of the State may, with the previous consent of the President, authorize the use of the Hindi language or any other language used for any official purpose of the State.
Official Language Act, 1963: The Act reiterates this and provides under Section 7 that the use of Hindi or official language of a State in addition to the English language may be authorized, with the consent of the President of India, by the Governor of the State for the purpose of judgments, decrees etc. made by the High Court for that State. No law has been made in this regard by the Parliament so far.
Law Commission of India: The 18th Law Commission Report on âNon-Feasibility of Introduction of Hindi as Compulsory Language in the Supreme Court of Indiaâ (2008) has, recommended that the higher judiciary should not be subjected to any kind of even persuasive change in the present societal context. The Government has accepted the stand of the Commission.
Demand from various States: The centre has received proposals from the Government of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Karnataka to permit use of Tamil, Gujarati, Hindi, Bengali and Kannada in the proceedings of their respective High Courts. The use of Hindi has been authorized long back in the proceedings as well in the judgments, decrees or orders in the High Courts of the States of Rajasthan, MP, UP and Bihar.
How can this be achieved?
Encourage local languages: The need of the hour is to encourage local language in courts, which will not only increase the confidence of common citizens in the justice system, but they will feel more connected to it.
Executive-judiciary liaison: The confluence of the judiciary and legislature will prepare the roadmap for an effective and time-bound judicial system in the country.
Way forward
The language of law should be cleaned up so that any person of average intelligence can understand its meaning.
The legal language can be simplified by using the following steps.
It should be insisted that the laws written by the legislatures can be made understandable to average laymen as well as to the legal professional
These laws must be written in non-technical terms
Legislatures should use short sentences with adequate punctuation
Use of Latin and French phrases should be abandoned
Use of obsolete archaic English words should be abandoned and at last, the same meaning of words should be applied to those legal terms as the same meaning in common usage
Conclusion
It is true that language acts as a barrier in the spread of Legal education however language barrier coupled with professional barrier acts as the real challenge.
The Union Finance Minister has presented the Union Budget 2023-24 in Parliament today. The highlights of the Budget are as follows:
Major achievements discussed
Per capita income: PCI has more than doubled to âč1.97 lakh in around nine years.
5th largest economy tag: Indian economy has increased in size from being 10th to 5th largest in the world in the past nine years.
Formalized employment: EPFO membership has more than doubled to 27 crore.
Direct Benefit Transfer: Cash transfer of âč2.2 lakh crore to over 11.4 crore farmers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.
Digital transactions: 7,400 crore digital payments of âč126 lakh crore has taken place through UPI in 2022.
Household toilets: 11.7 crore toilets constructed under Swachh Bharat Mission.
Insurance cover: For 44.6 crore persons under PM Suraksha Bima and PM Jeevan Jyoti Yojana.
Others: 9.6 crore LPG connections provided under Ujjwala; 220 crore covid vaccination of 102 crore persons; 47.8 crore PM Jan Dhan bank accounts.
Part A: Major Announcements
(1) Seven priorities of the budget âSaptarishiâ
These include inclusive development, reaching the last mile, infrastructure and investment, unleashing the potential, green growth, youth power and financial sector.
(2) Welfare
Housing for all: Outlay for PM Awas Yojana is being enhanced by 66% to over Rs. 79,000 crore.
Silver Economy: The maximum deposit limit for Senior Citizen Savings Scheme to be enhanced from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 30 lakh.
Mahila Samman Savings Certificate: To commemorate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a one-time new small savings scheme, Mahila Samman Savings Certificate to be launched. It will offer deposit facility upto Rs 2 lakh in the name of women or girls for tenure of 2 years (up to March 2025) at fixed interest rate of 7.5 per cent with partial withdrawal option.
(3) Industrial sector boost
Entity DigiLocker: Entity DigiLocker will be setup for use by MSMEs, large business and charitable trusts to store and share documents online securely.
PAN as business identifier: FM has said the Permanent Account Number (PAN) will be made as a single business identifier for all digital systems of all specified departments of the government.
Credit facilitation for MSMEs: Revamped credit guarantee scheme for MSMEs to take effect from 1st April 2023 through infusion of Rs 9,000 crore in the corpus. This scheme would enable additional collateral-free guaranteed credit of Rs 2 lakh crore and also reduce the cost of the credit by about 1 per cent.
Central Processing Centre: This is to be setup for faster response to companies through centralized handling of various forms filed with field offices under the Companies Act.
Diamond Industry: R & D grant for Lab Grown Diamonds (LGD) sector to encourage indigenous production of LGD seeds and machines and to reduce import dependency.
Unity Mall: States to be encouraged to set up a Unity Mall for promotion and sale of their own and also all others statesâ ODOPs (One District, One Product), GI products and handicrafts.
(4) Infrastructure push
New Infrastructure Finance Secretariat: It will be established to enhance opportunities for private investment in infrastructure.
Massive outlays: Investment of Rs. 75,000 crore, including Rs. 15,000 crore from private sources, for one hundred critical transport infrastructure projects, for last and first mile connectivity for ports, coal, steel, fertilizer, and food grains sectors.
Highest ever outlay for Railways: Capital outlay of Rs. 2.40 lakh crore has been provided for the Railways, which is the highest ever outlay and about nine times the outlay made in 2013-14.
Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (UIDF): It will be established through use of priority Sector Lending shortfall, which will be managed by the national Housing Bank, and will be used by public agencies to create urban infrastructure in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
(5) Agricultural boost
Agriculture Accelerator Fund: It will be set-up to encourage agri-startups by young entrepreneurs in rural areas.
Millet boost: To make India a global hub for ‘Shree Anna’, the Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad will be supported as the Centre of Excellence for sharing best practices, research and technologies at the international level.
PRANAM Scheme: âPM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earthâ (PM-PRANAM) to be launched to incentivize States and Union Territories to promote alternative fertilizers and balanced use of chemical fertilizers.
Animal husbandry: âč20 lakh crore agricultural credit targeted at animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries A new sub-scheme of PM Matsya Sampada Yojana with targeted investment of âč6,000 crore to be launched to further enable activities of fishermen, fish vendors, and micro & small enterprises, improve value chain efficiencies, and expand the market.
Digital public infrastructure for agriculture: It will be built as an open source, open standard and inter operable public good to enable inclusive farmer centric solutions and support for growth of agri-tech industry and start-ups.
APMC Storage: Massive decentralised storage capacity to be set up to help farmers store their produce and realize remunerative prices through sale at appropriate times.
Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Program: This has been given an outlay of âč2200 crore to be launched to boost availability of disease-free, quality planting material for high value horticultural crops.
Bio-Input Resource Centres: Centre to facilitate one crore farmers to adopt natural farming over the next three years. For this, 10,000 Bio-Input Resource Centres to be set-up, creating a national-level distributed micro-fertilizer and pesticide manufacturing network.
(6) Health sector boost
Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission: FM announced a mission to eliminate sickle cell anemia by 2047, which will include universal screening of seven crore persons between the ages of 0 and 40 years in affected tribal areas.
Medical research: Joint public and Private Medical research to be encouraged via select ICMR labs for encouraging collaborative research and innovation. New Programme to promote research in Pharmaceuticals to be launched.
More nursing colleges: 157 new nursing colleges to be established in co-location with the existing 157 medical colleges established since 2014.
(7) Rural Development
Aspirational Blocks Programme covering 500 blocks: Launched for saturation of essential government services across multiple domains such as health, nutrition, education, agriculture, water resources, financial inclusion, skill development, and basic infrastructure.
PVTG Development mission: FM announced the launch of a national mission for vulnerable tribes with an outlay of Rs 15,000 crore. The mission aims to provide support to India’s vulnerable tribes in areas of health, clean water and sanitation, basic infrastructure, and sustainable livelihood opportunities, among others.
(8) Higher Education
District Institutes of Education and Training to be developed as vibrant institutes of excellence for Teachersâ Training.
National Digital Library for Children and Adolescents to be set-up for facilitating availability of quality books across geographies, languages, genres and levels, and device agnostic accessibility.
âBharat Shared Repository of Inscriptionsâ to be set up in a digital epigraphy museum, with digitization of one lakh ancient inscriptions in the first stage.
(9) Finance Sector
âEffective Capital Expenditureâ of Centre: Rs. 13.7 lakh crore
Continuation of 50-year interest free loan: Such loans for state governments for one more year to spur investment in infrastructure and to incentivize them for complementary policy actions.
National Financial Information Registry: To be set up to serve as the central repository of financial and ancillary information for facilitating efficient flow of credit, promoting financial inclusion, and fostering financial stability. A new legislative framework to be designed in consultation with RBI to govern this credit public infrastructure.
(10) Urban development
Sustainable cities of tomorrow: Encouragement to states and cities to undertake urban planning reforms and actions to transform our cities into âsustainable cities of tomorrowâ.
Mechanized sanitation work: Transition from manhole to machine-hole mode by enabling all cities and towns to undertake 100 percent mechanical desludging of septic tanks and sewers.
(11) Skill development
iGOT Karmayogi: An integrated online training platform, launched to provide continuous learning opportunities for lakhs of government employees to upgrade their skills and facilitate people-centric approach.
Unified Skill India Digital platform: To be launched for enabling demand-based formal skilling, linking with employers including MSMEs, and facilitating access to entrepreneurship schemes.
National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme: Direct Benefit Transfer under a pan-India National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme to be rolled out to provide stipend support to 47 lakh youth in three years.
Tribal education: Centre to recruit 38,800 teachers and support staff for the 740 Eklavya Model Residential Schools, serving 3.5 lakh tribal students over the next three years.
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0: It will be launched to skill lakhs of youth within the next three years covering new age courses for Industry 4.0 like coding, AI, robotics, mechatronics, IOT, 3D printing, drones, and soft skills. 30 Skill India International Centres to be set up across different States to skill youth for international opportunities.
(12) Ease of Doing Business
Jan Vishwas Bill: To amend 42 Central Acts have been introduced to further trust-based governance.
Decriminalization of certain compliances: More than 39,000 compliances reduced and more than 3,400 legal provisions decriminalized to enhance Ease of Doing Business.
(13) IT push
National Data Governance Policy: To be brought out to unleash innovation and research by start-ups and academia.
AI push: Three centres of excellence for Artificial Intelligence to be set-up in top educational institutions to realise the vision of âMake AI in India and Make AI work for Indiaâ.
5G rollout: 100 labs to be setup for 5G services based application development to realize a new range of opportunities, business models, and employment potential.
Infra push for E-Courts: Phase-3 of the E-Courts project to be launched with an outlay of Rs. 7,000 crore for efficient administration of justice.
(14) Energy
Mandatory Compress Biogas blend of 5%: 5 per cent compressed biogas mandate to be introduced for all organizations marketing natural and bio gas.
Green hydrogen: Annual production of 5 MMT under Green Hydrogen Mission to be targeted by 2030 to facilitate transition of the economy to low carbon intensity and to reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports.
Battery storage: The government will support setting up of battery storage capacity of 4,000 MWH in India with viability gap funding.
RE pus in Ladakh: 20,700 crore outlay provided for renewable energy grid integration and evacuation from Ladakh.
(15) Climate change mitigation
GOBARdhan Boost: 500 new âwaste to wealthâ plants under GOBARdhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan) scheme to be established for promoting circular economy at total investment of Rs 10,000 crore.
âMangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomesâ, MISHTI: To be taken up for mangrove plantation along the coastline and on salt pan lands, through convergence between MGNREGS, CAMPA Fund and other sources.
Green Credit Programme to be notified under the Environment (Protection) Act to incentivize and mobilize additional resources for environmentally sustainable and responsive actions.
Amrit Dharohar scheme to be implemented over the next three years to encourage optimal use of wetlands, enhance bio-diversity, carbon stock, eco-tourism opportunities and income generation for local communities.
Net zero commitments: âč35000 crore outlay for energy security, energy transition and net zero objectives.
Green credit programme: FM also says a green credit programme will be notified under the Environment Protection Act.
(16) Tourism Boost
Model destinations: At least 50 destinations will be selected through challenge mode â physical, virtual connectivity, tourism security, guides, would be made available on an app to enhance tourist experience.
Sector specific skilling and entrepreneurship development: To be dovetailed to achieve the objectives of the âDekho Apna Deshâ initiative.
Vibrant Villages Programme: Border tourism infrastructure and amenities to be facilitated in border villages.
(17) Others
ISFC reforms: To enhance business activities in GIFT IFSC, the following measures to be taken-
Delegating powers under the SEZ Act to IFSCA to avoid dual regulation.
Setting up a single window IT system for registration and approval from IFSCA, SEZ authorities, GSTN, RBI, SEBI and IRDAI.
Permitting acquisition financing by IFSC Banking Units of foreign bank.
Establishing a subsidiary of EXIM Bank for trade re-financing.
Amending IFSCA Act for statutory provisions for arbitration, ancillary services, and avoiding dual regulation under SEZ Act
Recognizing offshore derivative instruments as valid contracts.
Part B: Estimates
Revised Estimates 2022-23
The total receipts other than borrowings is Rs 24.3 lakh crore, of which the net tax receipts are Rs 20.9 lakh crore.
The total expenditure is Rs 41.9 lakh crore, of which the capital expenditure is about Rs 7.3 lakh crore.
The fiscal deficit is 6.4 per cent of GDP, adhering to the Budget Estimate.
Budget Estimates 2023-24
The total receipts other than borrowings is estimated at Rs 27.2 lakh crore and the total expenditure is estimated at Rs 45 lakh crore.
The net tax receipts are estimated at Rs 23.3 lakh crore.
The fiscal deficit is estimated to be 5.9 per cent of GDP.
To finance the fiscal deficit in 2023-24, the net market borrowings from dated securities are estimated at Rs 11.8 lakh crore.
The gross market borrowings are estimated at Rs 15.4 lakh crore.
Part C: Direct Taxes
Increased Rebate limit of Personal Income Tax: To be increased to Rs. 7 lakh from the current Rs. 5 lakh in the new tax regime. Thus, persons in the new tax regime, with income up to Rs. 7 lakh to not pay any tax.
Tax slabs: Tax structure in new personal income tax regime, introduced in 2020 with six income slabs, to change by reducing the number of slabs to five and increasing the tax exemption limit to Rs. 3 lakh.
New Tax Regime (current)
Tax Rates under the 2020 regime
Rs 0 to Rs 3 lakh â Exempt Rs 3 to 6 lakh – 5% Rs 6 to 9 lakh – 10% Rs 9 to 12 lakh – 15% Rs 12 to 15 lakh – 20% Above Rs 15 lakhs – 30%
Income till Rs 2.5 lakh â Exempt Rs 2.5 to Rs 5 lakh – 5% Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh – 15% Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh – 20% Above Rs 10 lakh – 30%
Agniveer Fund to be provided EEE status: The payment received from the Agniveer Corpus Fund by the Agniveers enrolled in Agnipath Scheme, 2022 proposed to be exempt from taxes. Deduction in the computation of total income is proposed to be allowed to the Agniveer on the contribution made by him or the Central Government to his Seva Nidhi account.
Part D: Direct Taxes
EV push: Customs Duty on specified capital goods/machinery for manufacture of lithium-ion cell for use in battery of electrically operated vehicle (EVs) extended to 31.03.2024
Electronics manufacturing push
Customs duty on camera lens and its inputs/parts for use in manufacture of camera module of cellular mobile phone reduced to zero and concessional duty on lithium-ion cells for batteries extended for another year.
Basic customs duty reduced on parts of open cells of TV panels to 2.5 per cent.
Basic customs duty on electric kitchen chimney increased to 15 per cent from 7.5 per cent.
Basic customs duty on heat coil for manufacture of electric kitchen chimneys reduced to 15 per cent from 20 per cent.
Legislative Changes in Customs Laws
Customs Act, 1962: To be amended to specify a time limit of nine months from date of filing application for passing final order by Settlement Commission.
Customs Tariff Act: To be amended to clarify the intent and scope of provisions relating to Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD), Countervailing Duty (CVD), and Safeguard Measures.
CGST Act to be amended
to raise the minimum threshold of tax amount for launching prosecution under GST from one crore to two crore;
to reduce the compounding amount from the present range of 50 to 150 per cent of tax amount to the range of 25 to 100 per cent;
decriminalise certain offences;
to restrict filing of returns/statements to a maximum period of three years from the due date of filing of the relevant return/statement; and
to enable unregistered suppliers and composition taxpayers to make intra-state supply of goods through E-Commerce Operators (ECOs).
The World Economic Forum (WEF, as announced earlier, chose Hyderabad as the location for its Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), which will focus on healthcare and life sciences.
In this context, this edition of the burning issue will talk about C4IR, the 4th industrial revolution and Indiaâs readiness to embrace it.
Objective of setting the âCenter for the Fourth Industrial Revolutionâ (C4IR)
The C4IR Hyderabad will be an autonomous, non-profit organization and the only such World Economic Forum in India with a thematic focus on healthcare and life sciences.
The C4IR Hyderabad will facilitate, advance and accelerate the development and adoption of newer technologies including genomics, personalized medicine and healthcare manufacturing, with a focus on the interplay between life sciences and technology in the region and globally.
It will be the 18th center to join WEFâs Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) network that spans four continents.
What is industrial revolution 4.0?
According to the Executive Chairman of WEF, Klaus Schwab, âthe fourth industrial revolution is a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one anotherâ.
It is the information-intensive transformation of manufacturing and related industries into smart factories.
It involves the integration of some of the key emerging technologies and trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI).
Four integral design principles of Industry 4.0
Technical assistance: The ability of the system to assist humans in decision-making, problem-solving, and helping humans with difficult or unsafe tasks.
Information transparency: Sharing immense amounts of data and information among the components, to instantly adjust and optimize for higher efficiency.
Decentralized decisions: The ability of cyber-physical systems to make decisions on their own and to perform their tasks as autonomously as possible.
Interconnection: The ability of devices and people to connect and communicate with each other through the Internet of things.
The Previous three industrial revolutions
1st industrial revolution: The first Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the last quarter of the 18th century with the mechanization of the textile industry, the harnessing of steam power, and the birth of the modern factory.
2nd industrial revolution: The Second Industrial Revolution, from the last third of the nineteenth century to the outbreak of World War I, was powered by developments in electricity, transportation, chemicals, steel, and mass production and consumption. Industrialization spread even further â to Japan after the Meiji Restoration and deep into Russia, which was booming at the outset of World War I. During this era, factories could produce countless numbers of identical products quickly and cheaply.
3rd industrial revolution: The third industrial revolution, beginning c. 1970, was digital â and applied electronics and information technology to processes of production. Mass customization and additive manufacturing â the so-called â3D printingâ â are its key concepts, and its applications, yet to be imagined fully, are quite mind-boggling.
How different will be the 4th industrial revolution?
There are three reasons why todayâs transformations represent not merely a prolongation of the Third Industrial Revolution but rather the arrival of a Fourth and distinct one: velocity, scope, and systems impact.
The speed aspect: The speed of current breakthroughs has no historical precedent. When compared with previous industrial revolutions, the Fourth is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace.
The scope aspect: it is disrupting almost every industry in every country. And the breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of entire systems of production, management, and governance.
The system aspect: The 4th revolution will be characterized by the advent of cyber-physical systems which, while being reliant on the technologies and infrastructure of the third industrial revolution, represent entirely new ways in which technology becomes embedded within societies and even our human bodies. Examples include genome editing, new forms of machine intelligence, and breakthrough approaches to governance that rely on cryptographic methods such as blockchain.
Hence, it can be said that the 4th industrial revolution is conceptualized as an upgrade on the third revolution and is marked by a fusion of technologies straddling the physical, digital and biological worlds.
Benefits of Industrial Revolution 4.0
Improve the quality of life: Like the revolutions that preceded it, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has the potential to raise global income levels and improve the quality of life for populations around the world.
Enhance productivity: Industry 4.0 technologies enable can lead to optimizing resource allocation, reducing downtime and improving production rates, which makes the manufacturing processes more cost-effective and efficient.
Cost efficiency: Transportation and communication costs will drop, logistics and global supply chains will become more effective, and the cost of trade will diminish, all of which will open new markets and drive economic growth.
Knowledge Sharing and Collaborative Working: Industry 4.0 technologies allow your production lines, business processes, and departments to communicate regardless of location, time zone, platform, or any other factor. Hence, it will facilitate smoother integration of India into the global supply chain. Faster communication and cheaper production technologies can ensure smoother integration of India into the global supply chain. Indiaâs automotive manufacturing sector is a leading user of IR 4.0 technologies.
Employment generation: Though the fear of job loss due to Industry 4.0 is widespread, various research points out that is baseless. The Future of Jobs Report 2018 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) predicts the loss of 75 million employments by 2022 worldwide and the production of 133 million occupations over a similar period.
Challenges to 4IR
Cybersecurity issues may increase: In IR 4.0, People, products and equipment will be increasingly connected to the internet. Although this gives us greater access to data via the cloud, it opens up opportunities for hackers to access networks.
Reduce the number of low-skilljobs: Manufacturing, and industry as a whole, continues to rely on humans to enable production. However, the move to digitally connected systems may unintentionally reduce the need for low-skill labor.
Industry and Market Disruption: With the new technologies of 4IR, industries that are not able to move with the change will not be unable to survive what Industry 4.0 brings to market.
The rise in social inequalities: With this revolution will give rise to a job market increasingly segregated into low-skill/low-pay and high-skill/high-pay segments, which in turn will lead to an increase in social tensions. In India, where digital literacy is dismal, a revolution of this sort can lead to a sharp rise in inequalities.
Challenges specific to India
Deficiency of Infrastructure & internet Connectivity: Besides digital infrastructure, the country lacks some basic infrastructure such as 24×7 power, high-speed internet (especially in rural areas) and a workforce with the necessary skill set.
Quality of data: Due to a lack of established data collection standards and a large informal sector, India is unreliable when it comes to the quality of data collected
Limited focus on Research and Development: Though India has emerged as the choice location for cutting-edge Research and Development (R&D) projects for global companies, the overall spending on it remains dismal.
Steps taken by Government
SAMARTH Udyog Bharat 4.0: Smart Advanced Manufacturing and Rapid Transformation Hub (SAMARTH) Udyog Bharat 4.0 is an Industry 4.0 initiative of the Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Heavy Industry & Public Enterprises. It seeks to facilitate and create an ecosystem for the propagation of Industry 4.0 set of technologies in every Indian manufacturing by 2025, be it MNC, large, medium, or small-scale Indian company.
Centre of Excellence (CoE) on IT for Industry 4.0: This CoE would act as a knowledge center for entrepreneurs and startups, propagating the concept of IT and its application in IR 4.0.
Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution: World Economic Forum has opened its 4th center for Fourth Industrial Revolution in Mumbai. It is the fourth in the world after San Francisco, Tokyo and Beijing. It will work in collaboration with NITI Aayog in India to co-design new policies and protocols for emerging technologies. The initial focus of India will be on Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and drones.
National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS): Launched by the Union government in 2018, it was implemented by the Department of Science &Technology.The Mission addresses the ever-increasing technological requirements of society and takes into account the international trends and road maps of leading countries for the next generation of technologies.
National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence: Under the strategy, NITI Aayog has adopted a three-pronged approach â undertaking exploratory proof-of-concept AI projects in various areas, crafting a national strategy for building a vibrant AI ecosystem in India and collaborating with various experts and stakeholders.
What is The Global Lighthouse Network?
The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with McKinsey, launched the Global Lighthouse Network (GLN) in 2018 to identify organizations and technologies in the vanguard of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
A lighthouse (in this context) is a manufacturing site that has successfully implemented 4IR technologies at scale, with a significant operational impact.
Today, 103 lighthousesâsuch as Tata Steelâs plant in Kalinganagar, India, and select Henkel Laundry & Home Care production sitesâhave been identified around the world.
Way Forward
Go for international collaboration: India needs a collaborative effort. It will have to create a long-term ecosystem that trains and educates professionals. India could collaborate with the US, Germany, and the EU. The central government can consider a joint platform between ministries, state governments and industry bodies to create a mission for making the most of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
Promote industry-academia collaboration: There is an urgent need for more industry-academia collaboration and to develop requisite skills in technology. Introduction of a compulsory apprenticeship program to encourage hands-on experience in technology as early as higher secondary level.
Increase investments: to fortify quality, prioritize investments in innovation and R&D and invest in life-long learning for employees. He urged the industry to think big and think globally.
Focus on improving productivity: To effectively embrace digitalization, the industry has to foster competitive advantage across their value chains, focus on productivity and fill productivity gaps to compete globally.
Conclusion
Fourth Industrial Revolution is about more than just technology-driven change; it is an opportunity to help everyone, including leaders, policy-makers and people from all income groups and nations, to harness converging technologies to create an inclusive, human-centered future.
The real opportunity is to look beyond technology and find ways to give the greatest number of people the ability to positively impact their families, organizations and communities
The National Green Tribunal has pointed out a huge lack of compliance of biomedical waste management rules across the country.
The tribunal has asked for the implementation of the framework, which emphasizes on strict adherence to the norms related to the maintenance, storage, and movement of Biomedical Waste Treatment.
What is Biomedical Waste?
Biomedical waste/hospital waste is any kind of waste containing infectious materials. It may also include waste associated with the generation of biomedical waste that visually appears to be of medical.
Hospital waste: It refers to all waste, biological or nonâ biological that is discarded and not intended for further use.
Bio-medical waste: It means any waste, which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or in research activities pertaining thereto or in the production or testing of biological and including categories mentioned in Schedule I, of the BMW rules, 2016.
Biomedical waste consists of-
Human anatomical waste like tissues, organs and body parts
Animal wastes generated during research from veterinary hospitals
Microbiology and biotechnology wastes
Waste sharps like hypodermic needles, syringes, scalpels and broken glass
Discarded medicines and cytotoxic drugs
Soiled waste such as dressing, bandages, plaster casts, material contaminated with blood, tubes and catheters
Liquid waste from any of the infected areas
Incineration ash and other chemical wastes
How is biomedical waste treated in India?
Autoclaving: The process of autoclaving involves steam sterilization. Instead of incineration, which can be expensive, autoclaving simply introduces very hot steam for a determined amount of time.
Incineration: The major benefits of incineration are that it is quick, easy, and simple. It effectively removes the waste entirely and safely removes any microorganisms.
Chemicals disinfection: When it comes to liquid waste, a common biomedical waste disposal method can be chemical disinfection. Chlorine is a regular choice for this process, and is introduced to the liquid waste in order to kill microorganisms and pathogens.
Microwaving: Microwave technology can also disinfect wastes. Wastes are first placed into a shredder. This wastes are mixed with water and internally heated that neutralizes present biologicals.
Irradiation: This method involves waste sterilization by exposing waste to cobalt sources. Cobalt emits gamma rays that kill all the microbes in wastes.
Shredding: It is a process by which waste are deshaped or cut into smaller pieces so as to make the wastes unrecognizable. It helps in prevention of reuse of bio-medical waste and also acts as identifier that the wastes have been disinfected and are safe to dispose-off.
Who deals with biomedical wastes in India?
Central Pollution Control Board: The CPCB has been following up with all SPCBs/PCCs to ensure effective management of biomedical waste in States/UTs.
National Green Tribunal (NGT): The NGT has been stringent on the application of the BMW 2016.
Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facilities (CBWTDF): There are now over 200 licensed CBWTDF or Common Treatment Facility (CTF) in India.
Salient Features of Biomedical Waste Rules, 2016
Compulsory pre-treatment: The method of sterilization/disinfection should be in accordance with National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) or WHO.
Phasing out plastic use: The use of chlorinated plastic bags, gloves, blood bags, etc. should be gradually stopped and this phasing out should be within 2 years from the date of notification of these rules
Safe disposal of Liquid waste: They need to be separated at source by pre-treatment before mixing with other liquid waste
Incineration guidelines: The existing incinerator should be upgraded/modified to achieve the new standard within 2 years from the date of this notification
Color coding of Biomedical wastes in India
As per Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, Bio-medical waste is required to be segregated in following color coded waste categories-
Red Bag: Syringes (without needles), soiled gloves, catheters, IV tubes etc. should be all disposed of in a red coloured bag, which will later be incinerated.
Yellow Bag: All dressings, bandages and cotton swabs with body fluids, blood bags, human anatomical waste, body parts are to be discarded in yellow bags.
Cardboard box with blue marking: Glass vials, ampules, other glass ware is to be discarded in a cardboard box with a blue marking/sticker.
White Puncture Proof Container (PPC): Needles, sharps, blades are disposed of in a white translucent puncture proof container.
Black Bags: These are to be used for non-bio-medical waste. In a hospital setup, this includes stationary, vegetable and fruit peels, leftovers, packaging including that from medicines, disposable caps, disposable masks, disposable shoe-covers, disposable tea cups, cartons, sweeping dust, kitchen waste etc.
International Agreement and Conventions
There are three international agreements and conventions which are particularly pertinent in BMWM. These are-
Basel Convention on Hazardous Waste: It is the most inclusive global environmental treaty on hazardous and other wastes. It has 170 member countries, and its objectives are to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects resulting from the generation, management, and disposal of hazardous wastes, specifically clinical wastes from health care in hospitals, health centers, and clinics.
Stockholm Convention on POPs: It is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from POPs (POPs â dioxins and furans). POPs are toxic chemicals that accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and cause damage. These chemicals are formed by medical waste incinerators and other combustion processes. It deals with BEP including source reduction, segregation, resource recovery and recycling, training, and proper collection and transport.
Minamata Convention on Mercury: It is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. On October 10, 2014, in Japan, more than 90 nations signed the first new global convention on environment and health. This treaty includes the phasing out of certain medical equipment in health-care services, including mercury-containing medical items such as thermometers and blood pressure device.
Environmental impacts ofBiomedical Wastes
Improper management of health care waste can have both direct and indirect health consequences for health personnel, community members and on the environment.
Toxin emissions: The most serious effect that biomedical waste has on our seas is the discharge of poisons into the waters that could then be consumed by ocean life creatures.
Food chain contamination: Toxins would interject into the food chain and eventually reach humans who consume sea creatures.
Plastic pollution: 85% of disposable plastic materials make up all medical equipment.
Groundwater Contamination: Deep burials of biomedical wastes may result in groundwater contamination.
CASE STUDY Syringe tide disaster: The syringe tide environmental disaster of 1987â1988 raised awareness about medical waste as medical syringes washed ashore in New Jersey and New York.
Broader concerns with biomedical wastes
Pollution and health hazards are the two important impacts of medical wastes.
Land Pollution: If not treated and dumped into landfills then there is a high chance for heavy metals like cadmium, lead, mercury, etc. get released. Further, there is a chance these metals get absorbed by plants and can then enter the food chain also.
Air Pollution: Pathogens present in the waste can enter and remain in the air for a long period in the form of spores or pathogens. As Covid-19 spread through the air, improper treating/not treating it might lead to a new wave of respiratory syndromes.
Radioactive pollution: Hospitals are increasingly using radioactive isotopes for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The main radioisotopes used in hospitals are technetium-99m (Tc-99m), Iodine-131(I-131), etc. These have carcinogenic properties.
Health hazards due to biomedical waste
Epidemic: According to the WHO study, improper waste management is one of the major causes of an increase in infectious diseases globally. This is why the Covid-19 pandemic wastes require proper treatment.
Operational health hazards: Improper handling of biomedical waste might lead to Injuries from sharps and exposure to harmful radioactive wastes. This will create issues for nurses, emergency medical personnel, and sanitary workers.
Increase antimicrobial resistance (AMR): Biomedical wastes aggravate the problem of AMR. Ever since the pandemic, the use of biocides (sanitizers, disinfectants, and antibiotics) increased manifold. If there is no proper treatment of biocides then the AMR will increase rapidly.
Challenges in India
Increase in waste: In a highly populous country like India, there is a rise in residential biomedical waste and its collection without adhering to safety protocols could also trigger a surge in caseload.
Poor Compliance of BMW rules: States are not following the CPCB guidelines.
Non-segregation: In some states, improper segregation of waste has been reported.
Improper disposal: The non-segregation of waste results in the incineration of contaminated plastics producing toxic gases and adding to air pollution.
Lack of infrastructure: Currently, in India, there are only 198 CBMWTF in operation and 28 are under construction. .
No alternative to incineration: During incineration and post-combustion cooling, waste components dissociate and recombine forming new particles.
Why addressing this is important?
Preventing another pandemic: The COVID pandemic was the outcome of virus leak from Wuhan.
Uncontrolled outcomes: This has presented a challenge in terms of the capacity to scientifically dispose of generated waste and a challenge for civic authorities in charge of its collection and disposal.
Hazard to healthcare personnel: Without proper scientific management of such waste, it can potentially affect patients and can affect the concerned workers and professionals.
Way forward
Multi-stakeholder involvement: Proper management of Bio medical waste is a concern that has been recognized by both government agencies and the NGOs.
Stringent regulatory push: In order to accelerate the rate at which proper processing and management methods are designed, timely regulatory and legislative policies and procedures are needed.
Raising awareness: An effective communication strategy is imperative keeping in view the low awareness level among different categories of staff in the healthcare establishments regarding biomedical waste management.
Infrastructure push: The centre and states in liaison should set up recycling plants across the country as envisaged under the Smart cities project.
Proper collection: To properly separate, process and isolation of wastes, they must be well-characterized, which is challenging.
Safe disposal: Several hazards and toxic materials containing should be disposed-off with proper take and care.
Conclusion
Safe and effective management of biomedical waste is not only a lawful obligation but also a civil duty.
The current BMWM 2016 rules are an improvement over earlier rules in terms of improved segregation, transportation, and disposal methods, to decrease environmental pollution and ensure the safety of the staff, patients, and public.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will be the chief guest at the seventy-fourth republic day celebrations on 26 January 2023. It will be President Sisiâs third visit to India after assuming the presidency of Egypt in 2014.
In this context, this edition of the burning issue will discuss the Indo-Egypt bilateral relationship.
Historical background of the Relationship
India and Egypt, two of the worldâs oldest civilizations, have enjoyed a history of close contact from ancient times. Even before the Common Era, Ashokaâs edicts refer to his relations with Egypt under Ptolemy II.
In modern times, Mahatma Gandhi and Saad Zaghloul shared common goals regarding the independence of their countries, a relationship that was to blossom into an exceptionally close friendship between Gamal Abdel Nasser and Jawaharlal Nehru, leading to a Friendship Treaty between the two countries in 1955.
The Non-Aligned Movement, led by Nehru and Nasser, was a natural concomitant of this relationship. In 1955, Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser and India under Jawaharlal Nehru became the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement.
During the 1956 War, Nehru stood supporting Egypt to the point of threatening to withdraw his country from the British Commonwealth. In 1967, following the Six-Day War, India supported Egypt and the Arabs.
Since the 1980s, there have been four Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt: Shri Rajiv Gandhi (1985); Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao (1995); Shri I. K. Gujral (1997); and Dr Manmohan Singh (2009). Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh participated in the XV NAM Summit held in Sharm EISheikh in July 2009.
Significance of the relations
A pivotal regional power: With a population of almost 110 million, a location that straddles Africa and Asia, a standing army that is the largest in the region, a capital that hosts the League of Arab States and a diplomatic presence that punches above its weight in global affairs, Egypt is a pivotal player.
Gateway to both Europe and Africa: Egypt, the most populous country in West Asia, occupies a crucial geo-strategic location â 12% of global trade passes through the Suez Canal â and is a key player in the region. It is a major market for India and can act as a gateway to both Europe and Africa.
Close relationship immediately after Independence: It is a country with which India enjoyed an exceptionally close relationship in the first couple of decades after our independence.
A shared vision of NAM: The personal equation between Prime Minister Nehru and President Nasser was legendary and the two also became the stalwarts of the nonaligned movement during the Cold War of the 1960s.
Friendly voice in the Islamic world: Relations between the two countries have been historically good. India sees Egypt as a moderate, friendly voice in the Islamic world, and New opportunities lie ahead for the two Global South partners.
Joint fighter project: At the political level, the two countries were close enough for India to send clandestine arms shipments to Egypt during the Suez crisis in 1956 and contemplate nuclear cooperation and a joint fighter project in the 1960s.
Indian literature in Egypt: It was a time when Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore were household names and their works were translated into Arabic by leading figures of Arab literature.
Tough on terrorism: From the beginning, Sisi has been tough on Islamic religious extremism â critics say he saw an advantage in positioning himself against the Muslim Brotherhood whose leader, Morsi, had been jailed â and has earned praise for his fight.
Current state of Bilateral relations
Political Relations
India and Egypt share close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. Both countries have cooperated closely in multilateral fora and were the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement. The year 2022 is of particular significance since it marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Egypt.
Hardeep Singh Puri November 2019 addressed the inaugural session of the âRegional Conclave on India – West Asia and North Africa (WANA)â organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
There are several mechanisms of bilateral institutional dialogue at different levels like The Joint Working Group on Cyber Issues, Joint Committee Meeting on S&T, India-Egypt JWG on Counter Terrorism etc.
Economic Relations
The India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favoured Nation clause and the bilateral trade has increased more than five times in the last ten years. The bilateral trade in 2018-19 reached US$ 4.55 billion. Despite the Pandemic, the volume of trade declined only marginally to US $ 4.5 billion in 2019-20 and to US $ 4.15 billion in 2020-21.
Wheat export from India: Russia-Ukraine conflict has threatened Egypt with a shortage of wheat, 80% of which is imported from Russia and Ukraine. On 14 April 2022, Egyptian Cabinet announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier.
Around 50 Indian companies have invested in various sectors in Egypt with a combined investment exceeding US$ 3.15 billion. Major Indian investments in Egypt include TCI Sanmar (with the largest investment of US$ 1.5 billion), Alexandria Carbon Black, Kirloskar, Dabur India, FLEX P. FILMS, SCIB Paints, Godrej, Mahindra and Monginis.
Technical cooperation and assistance have been a major part of our bilateral relationship. Since 2000, over 1300 Egyptian officials have benefited from ITEC and other programs like ICCR and IAFS scholarships.
Defence Relations
Egypt and India enjoy cordial defence relations. The landmark event of the year 2022 was the official visit of Shri Rajnath Singh. Fruitful discussions on various aspects of Defence cooperation and ways to further enhance mutual exchanges were held during the meetings. An MoU on Defence Cooperation was signed on 19 Nov 2022 by both defence ministers.
Egypt participated in the Multinational Training Exercise for friendly African countries held at Pune in March 2019. The first ever IAF-EAF Joint Tactical Air Exercise, Dessert Warrior, was held in Egypt from 29-31 October 2021.
Cultural Relations
The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) has been promoting cultural cooperation between the two countries, through regular activities such as Hindi, Urdu and Yoga classes; seminars; film shows; exhibitions and participation in local cultural activities.
Yoga has gained immense popularity in Egypt. IDY was celebrated with much vigour in 2022; yoga events were held in Alexandria (on 12th June 2022), and for the first time, in Sharm Al-Sheikh.
Indian Community
At present, the Indian community in Egypt numbers around 3200, most of whom are concentrated in Cairo. About 400 Indian students are studying in Egypt, mainly at Al Azhar University.
Limitations in the relationship
Low bilateral trade: Chinaâs bilateral trade with Egypt is currently at $15 billion, double that of Indiaâs $7.26 billion in 2021-22. Sisi has been wooing Chinese investments and has travelled to China as many as seven times in the last eight years.
Defence trade deficiencies: Cairo is interested in Indian defence products but Indian defence manufacturers are still not in a position to supply defence products in large quantities which makes Cairo to look towards other nations for its defence needs.
Low people-to-people connections: direct people-to-people connection, lack of Indian diaspora in the country also makes it difficult to strengthen relations at ground level.
Outcomes from the current visit
Consolidating Indiaâs new coalition in the Middle East: The renewed engagement with Egypt is about consolidating Indiaâs new coalition with moderate Sunni states in the Middle East, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It could help promote peace and stability in the Middle East and South Asia
Ties elevated to strategic partnership: India and Egypt agreed to elevate their bilateral ties to a âStrategic Partnershipâ covering political, security, defence, energy and economic aspects.
Enhance cooperation in diverse sectors: The meeting led to further strengthening cooperation between defence industries, and enhance the exchange of information and intelligence related to counter-terrorism. Extensive discussions were also held on strengthening the food and pharma supply chains affected by the Covid and the Ukraine conflict. Increase mutual investment and trade in these areas and take bilateral trade to 12 billion dollars.
Exchange of media content: Media Authority of Egypt and Prasar Bharati to exchange content. Under the pact, both broadcasters will exchange their programs of different genres like sports, news, culture, and entertainment on a bilateral basis.
Way forward
For India, a deeper economic engagement with Egypt, therefore, acquires an additional strategic imperative.
While Egypt needs to do more to market itself as an investment destination in India, it is also important for industry bodies like CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM to take a more proactive approach.
ReNew Power has shown the way but it will need a joint government-industry initiative to acquire the scale needed to make an impact.
Conclusion
The decision to invite President Abdel Fattah al Sisi of Egypt as the Chief Guest on Republic Day is an important gesture and should go a long way in imparting fresh momentum to Indiaâs ties with the largest country in the Arab world.
Indiaâs decision to elevate bilateral ties to the strategic level is rooted in a recognition of the enduring salience of Egypt as a pivotal state sitting at the crossroads of the Middle East, Africa and Europe, with the capacity to influence political outcomes on multiple fronts.
All vehicles owned by central and state governments, including buses owned by transport corporations and public sector undertakings, that are older than 15 years will be de-registered and scrapped starting April 1.
This has been announced by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) through a notification.
Vehicle Scrappage Policy, 2021
As per the notification, disposal of such vehicles should be ensured through the Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility after the expiry of the fifteen years from the date of initial registration of the vehicle.
Announced in the Union Budget 2021-22, the policy provides for fitness tests after 20 years for personal vehicles, while commercial vehicles will require it after 15 years.
Key Features
Fitness testing: The government plans to set up between 450-500 automated vehicle fitness testing stations across India on a PPP basis. Private vehicles â which are over 20 years old â will have to undergo fitness tests, at an estimated cost of Rs 300-400 per test.
Scrappage: A total of 60-70 vehicle scrapping centers will also be built, situated no further than 150-200 kilometers away from any location in India.
Green Tax: Vehicles that pass the automated tests will be subjected to a âgreen taxâ, which will see owners shell out an additional 10 percent to 25 percent of road tax at the time of the renewal of the vehicleâs fitness certificate, along with re-registration fees.
Penalties: Those who choose to drive a vehicle that has failed the automated test will face substantial penalties, and such vehicles could also be impounded.
Choice of owners: The scrappage policy leaves the choice of scrapping to the owner of the vehicle, with MoRTH saying the automated tests will place emphasis on vehicle fitness, and not its age.
Exemptions: The rules, however, shall not apply to the special purpose vehicles, which include armoured and other specialised vehicles used for operational purposes for the defence of the country and for the maintenance of law and order and internal security.
Disincentives: As a disincentive, increased re-registration fees would be applicable for vehicles 15 years or older from the initial date registration.
Why need such a policy?
Clean mobility: More than one crore of vehicles on Indiaâs roads contribute greatly to rising pollution levels, as well as their tendency to be less fuel-efficient towards the end of their life.
Reducing oil import: The promotion of clean mobility necessitates a reduction in the countryâs fuel import bills, and a reduction in emissions is a pressing need at this time.
Road safety: Such vehicles are also inherently unsafe and can be a threat to their occupants as well as other road users.
Consumer benefits: Scrapping an old vehicle and replacing it with a new one will bring substantial monetary benefits for motorists, in addition to reducing emissions and enhancing fuel efficiency.
Emission control: The mere implementation of BS6 norms wonât help in the reduction of the pollution being caused by the already inefficient vehicles on the roads.
Benefits for a vehicle owner
Rebate offer: States and Union Territories will provide up to 25% tax rebate on road tax for vehicles that are purchased after scrapping old vehicles.
Discount on new purchase: Once the vehicle has been scrapped, the owner will receive anywhere between four to six percent of their old vehicleâs ex-showroom price, and a scrappage certificate.
Considerate savings: This will essentially make a new vehicle cheaper for someone who has scrapped their old vehicle, with potential discounts in the range of Rs 30,000 (for a car costing Rs 6 lakh) to Rs 50,000 (for a car costing Rs 10 lakh).
Significance of scrappage policy
Investment and Employment: The policy will attract investment of over Rs 10,000 crore, and generate 50,000 jobs in the country.
Scrap yard economics: Proper recycling of raw materials obtained from the scrapping will help reduce the import of materials such as aluminium, copper, steel and more.
Vehicle price control: With the potential to recycle up to 99 percent of materials used in a vehicle, raw material costs are estimated to drop by as much as 40 percent.
Transition to EVs: Thereâs also a possibility to derive materials needed for local production of lithium-ion batteries from scrapping older vehicles, which could help drive the growth of the EV business.
Circular Economy: A circular economy depends on reuse, sharing, repair, and refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling of resources to create a closed-loop system, minimizing the use of resources, generation of waste, pollution and carbon emissions.
Demand boost: Globally, a scrappage policy has been followed by a boost in demand in the auto manufacturing sector, especially in Europe and the US.
Steel sector boost: Most steel-producing countries are trying to bring down emissions by shifting from iron-ore-based production to scrap-based production.
Emission control: As older vehicles pollute the environment 10 to 12 times more, and estimated that 17 lakh medium and heavy commercial vehicles are more than 15 years old.
Issues with the scrappage policy
Lack of scrappage infrastructure: Scrapping in India is highly unorganized. We have a perfect example of ships scrappage where it is not largely mechanized.
Advisory nature: This policy has only âadvisedâ the state governments and the automobile industry to provide voluntary incentives to the owners of old vehicles.
No initial incentivization: The central government has not committed to make it a fiscal stimulus strategy for quicker renewal of ageing, heavy-duty vehicle fleet with BS-VI vehicles â or to link other segments with targeted electrification.
Fleet renewal: The focus on targeted fleet renewal for maximum emissions gains is still weak.
Burden on States: The proposed policy puts the entire onus of incentivizing on the state governments. They have been advised to waive off a big chunk of road tax and registration fees on replacement vehicles.
Expected revenue loss: These are important sources of state revenue, and the reaction of the state governments is still not known.
What can be an effective strategy?
(1) For Transportation vehicles
More nuanced approach: Consider that some truck owners may want to only dispose of the very old trucks without replacing them. But others may want to scrap and replace the older trucks.
Targeting end-of-life vehicles: In that case, a rebate can be given to the owners of end-of-life vehicles who are interested in âonly scrappingâ the vehicle without immediately replacing them.
(2) For Personal vehicles
EV boost: For them, the central incentive can be linked with the replacement with electric vehicles.
(3)Build-in manufacturersâ responsibility
Mandatory recyclability: The new policy also needs to align with the mandate for the manufacturers to meet targets for the recyclability of material. Make this mandatory as part of the scrappage policy.
(4) Implementing AIS 129 standard
It is encouraging that the Automotive Industrial Standard-129 (AIS 129) on reuse, recycling and material recovery from vehicles were framed in 2015.
This requires 80-85 per cent of the material used in vehicle manufacturing by mass to be recoverable/recyclable/reusable at the end of life.
Way forward
Safe disposal of scrappage: This first-ever formal scrappage policy in India is urgently needed to help build infrastructure for safe disposal and material recovery to minimise environmental hazards.
Proper incentivization: It is necessary to leverage this targeted fleet renewal with well-designed central support for a post-pandemic green deal.
Recently, 53rd edition of annual summit of World Economic Forum (WEF) was held in Davos, Switzerland.
This edition of the Burning Issue will talk about the major outcomes of the summit.
About the Annual Davos Summit
The theme this year was âCooperation in a Fragmented Worldâ.
Davos attracts global business executives and policymakers. Usually attending will be the sitting U.S. president, top EU and UN leaders, business leaders and entrepreneurs, academics, heads of NGOs and charities, the media, activists and even some celebrities.
The conference includes hundreds of discussions, keynote speeches and panels, and all-important networking sessions, usually behind closed doors in five-star hotels.
CEOs and investors seize the opportunity for face-to-face deal-makings.
About WEF
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, WEF is an international not-for-profit organization, focused on bringing the public and private sectors together to address the global political, social, and economic issues.
It was founded in 1971 by Swiss-German economist and Professor Klaus Schwab in a bid to promote the global cooperation on these most pressing problems.
The first meeting of WEF was held more than five decades ago in Davos, which has been the home of the annual gathering almost ever since, also becoming the shorthand for the event.
Klaus Schwab and his concept of âStakeholder Capitalismâ
Klaus Schwab has pioneered the concept of âStakeholder Capitalism.â According to Schwab, âit is a form of capitalism in which companies do not only optimize short-term profits for shareholders, but seek long term value creation, by taking into account the needs of all their stakeholders, and society at large.â
In his various books and papers on the topic, he says this form of economic organisation keeps society and the planet front and centre, moving beyond the narrow interests of a corporation.
Key outcomes of the summit
On the economy: Most business leaders were upbeat about the economy, with US and the European Union (EU) seemingly beyond the risk of a recession now. China ending its zero Covid curbs and opening shop again added to the positive outlook. However, central banks of the major economies cautioned that concerns still remained, and said they would keep interest rates high to ensure inflation is under check.
On Ukraine: Ukraine kept up its demand for more military aid to fight its war against Russia, and more financial aid to rebuild after the war, saying the reconstruction fund commitments should start coming in now and not after the war ends. Odile Françoise Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), said âThe more we do now, the less we will have to do in reconstruction,â
On Climate: Everyone agreed upon the need for green energy and the need for more money to flight climate change. According to the WEFâs website, âThe World Economic Forum, supported by more than 45 partners launched the Giving to Amplify Earth Action (GAEA), a global initiative to fund and grow new and existing public, private and philanthropic partnerships (PPPPs) to help unlock the $3 trillion of financing needed each year to reach net zero, reverse nature loss and restore biodiversity by 2050.â
On emerging technologies: Davos juxtaposed the industry’s potential and peril. Just as Microsoft Corp’s CEO and other Silicon Valley executives touted artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT to transform their businesses, they announced layoffs of tens of thousands of employees globally. Scrutiny of once high-flying cloud spending by businesses was at the forefront.
Financial services: Global financial institutions are grappling with how to right-size for a slowdown, while dealing with a host of other headwinds. With the threat of inflation still hanging over central banks, financiers are facing demands from regulators for higher capital levels to prepare for a downturn, making some businesses unprofitable.
India specific outcomes
36 years of the Forumâs collaboration with India: A high-level delegation from the Indian side coupled with senior State Government representation will be present at WEF 2023 to strengthen India’s position as an important stakeholder shaping the global narrative. This year also marks 36 years of the Forumâs collaboration with India.
Support in multiple fields: Over the course of 5 days, Invest India organized several roundtables, panel discussions and fireside chats to deliberate on policy action and investment support in renewable energy, sustainability, infrastructure, healthcare and medical devices, startups, trade and logistics, technology, institutional investments, and so on.
Promoting India as an investment destination: In celebration of Indiaâs âAzadi ka Amrit Mahotsavâ, 75 years of Independence and the assumption of our G20 Presidency, DPIIT strengthened Indiaâs presence at this yearâs WEF in Davos for all global investors looking to make a home in India, one of the worldâs most liberal investment destinations. The objective is to showcase a consolidated India presence with the Centre & States while projecting India as a strong, resilient economy, acting as a problem solver at the global stage.
India@100 report launched: A report titled, âIndia@100: Realising the potential of a USD 26 trillion economyâ, was launched during the summit. The report stated that Indiaâs economy will reach USD 26 trillion by 2047, the 100th year of the countryâs independence.
India to remain resilient amid global slowdown: The end of the summit saw India emerging as a key pillar in the world order with WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab describing the country as a bright spot in a fragile world. On Day 2 of the meeting, conversations revealed that India is expected to remain resilient despite the global slowdown impacting the emerging markets.
Indiaâs high visibility: India seemed to be the most visible among its regional Asian peers, with major tech companies staging booths in Davos. Indian business leaders were seen at the forefront of debates over technology and supply chain issues.
Projects launched: The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that more than 50 âhigh-impact initiativesâ was launched at the event. Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA) signed a partnership with the forum on urban transformation to give the state government âstrategic and technical directionâ, PTI reported, while a thematic centre on healthcare and life sciences is to be set up in Telangana. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovations (CEPI) aims to develop new vaccines for future pandemics.
Conclusion
Remaining true to the World Economic Forumâs spirit of multi stakeholder cooperation, the annual 2023 meet brings together top decision-makers from government, business, and civil society to address major global issues and priorities for the year ahead.
The jarring spectacle of the Davos event â where the uber-rich and powerful fly in on private jets to talk about poverty alleviation and climate action â came in for criticism yet again. However, others pointed out that despite its flaws, the conference is an opportunity for many decision-makers to meet and interact with each other.
As the Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes put it, while the talks at Davos can be described as âhighly-caffeinated speed datingâ, more conversation and communication is better than less contact and less communication.
The government has made it mandatory for celebrities and social media influencers to disclose their material interest while endorsing any product, service or brand.
Any violation will attract strict legal action, including ban on the endorsement.
This has been announced by the Consumer Affairs Ministry as part of the new guidelines named â’Endorsement Know Howsâ.
In this article, weâll try to understand more about its objective, what the details entail on the disclosures, penalties on violations and the way forward towards effective implementation.
What is Endorsement?
Endorsements are a form of advertising that uses famous personalities or celebrities who command a high degree of recognition, trust, respect or awareness amongst the people.
Such people advertise for a product lending their names or images to promote a product or service.
Advertisers and clients hope such approval, or endorsement by a celebrity, will influence buyers favourably.
For example, Sachin Tendulkar endorsing motorcycles and biscuits can influence young men or children who look to him as role model.
Endorsement Know Hows: To whom it is aimed for?
These rules mandate endorsers â which include celebrities, social media influencers and the virtual influencers – to behave responsibly.
The government hopes these rules will act as a deterrent against misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices.
Celebrity Endorsement: A quick backgrounder
Last year, the department of consumer affairs published Guidelines for the Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022.
The criteria for valid advertisements are outlined in these guidelines, as are the responsibilities of manufacturers, service providers, advertisers, and advertising agencies.
These guidelines also addressed celebrities and endorsers.
It states that misleading advertising in any form, format, or medium is illegal.
Why need such policy?
Manipulating consumer behaviour: India is a country where stars are idolized and worshipped. Marketers use them so as to influence their existing or potential customers to succeed and reap huge profit.
Celebrity-brand disconnect: There are also cases where celebrities are blamed for not performing due diligence on brands they end up endorsing.
Competition promotion: A small brand would get badly hit by statements like the one made by Bachchan, unlike a larger brand that is on equal footing with a well-known celebrity.
Ensuring consumer rights: The new guidelines are in alignment with the Consumer Protection Act, of 2019, which was enacted to protect consumers from unfair trade practices and deceptive advertising.
Global examples: Countries such as the UK, Ireland and Belgium have specifically banned celebrity endorsement of unhealthy foods. The impact of such restrictions has been reported to be significant.
Key highlights of the recent guidelines
Intent declaration: Any celebrity, influencer, or virtual influencer with an access to influence audience and their purchasing decisions must disclose any material connection to the advertiser.
Disclosures of the deals: This include monetary or other compensation, trips or hotel stays, media bartering, coverage and awards, free products with or without conditions, discounts, gifts, and any family, personal, or employment relationship.
Disclaimers: A disclaimer shall be in the same language as the claim made in the advertisement and the font used in a disclaimer shall be the same as that used in the claim.
Communication ease: Endorsements must be made in simple, clear language, and terms like ‘advertisement,’ ‘sponsored,’ or ‘paid promotion’ are permitted.
Due research about the product: The celebrity or influencer should not endorse any product or service that has not been thoroughly researched by them or that they have not personally used or experienced.
Why do companies resort to celebrities for endorsement?
Instant brand awareness: People will begin associating the celebrity with the brand, meaning the brand is more recognizable, building stronger brand awareness.
Build brand equity: Celebrities are perceived to hold qualities such as attractiveness, expertise, trustworthiness and likeability, which advertisers hope will be transferred to the brand or product.
Persuading customers: Celebrities in advertising make the advertisement more noticeable to some consumers, and are therefore a good basis of capturing and retaining consumer attention.
Capturing celebrity cult: Many consumers idolize celebrities and strive to imitate their lives with the clothes they wear and products they consume.
Lasting Publicity: Even after the endorsement deal is over, consumers will still associate the brand with the celebrity.
Create social impact: Celebrity is presumed to be more passionate about the product and would therefore promote the product in a believable way that consumers would find more persuasive. Ex. Polio campaign by AB.
Ethical principles involved
There are several ethical principles that are typically considered when evaluating the use of celebrity endorsements for certain products. Some of these include:
Honesty and Transparency: Celebrity endorsements should be honest and transparent, and should not mislead or deceive consumers. This includes making sure that any claims made in the endorsement are truthful and can be substantiated.
Responsibility and Respect: Celebrity endorsements should be responsible and respectful towards the public, and should not promote products or behaviours that are harmful or dangerous.
Fairness and Non-discrimination: Celebrity endorsements should be fair and non-discriminatory, and should not exploit or marginalize certain groups of people.
Transparency of Relationship: Celebrity endorsements should be transparent about the nature of the relationship between the celebrity and the product or company being endorsed. This is important to avoid conflicts of interest and to maintain the trust of consumers.
Social Responsibility: Celebrity endorsements should promote socially responsible products and causes, and should support the well-being of communities and the environment.
Cultural Sensitivity: Celebrity endorsements should be culturally sensitive and should not perpetuate stereotypes or harmful cultural narratives.
Legal and regulatory compliance: Celebrity endorsements should comply with all relevant laws and regulations, including those related to advertising and marketing.
It’s important to note that these principles are not always mutually exclusive, and that different situations may require different considerations.
Authenticity of use: Celebrity endorsement exploits our rationality. Usage of by famous Celebrities may look unethical when he is a non-user of the product. Â
Tarnished image: Celebrity endorsements are unethical when the people involved in any controversies in their life endorse the product reflecting their negative image poorly on the brand so endorsed. Ex. Perfumes ad casualizing womenâs modesty.
Unsafe or ineffective product endorsement: Unethical aspects pave the way again when celebrities endorse some products which are hazardous to society. Ex. Darr ke aage jeet hai!
Compel to buy unwanted products: There are chances wherein celebrities indirectly drive consumersâ impulsive buying behaviour resulting in the purchase of unnecessary/harmful products. Ex. Bolo Zubaan Kesri!!
Misleading information: When celebrities say something deceptive / make false claims then the endorsement is lacking in ethics. Ex. Fairness creams and the notion of beauty.
Conflict of interest: When a particular ad conflicts with the celebrityâs image, principles, interests etc., the Celebrity is totally money-minded, hence the ethical implications can be very serious. Ex. Pan masala ad glorifying tobacco for individual success.
Override expert opinion: It is especially unethical when a celebrity endorsement overtakes the expert judgment. i.e. when he interjects his non-expert opinion he undermines the opinion of more qualified individuals. Ex. Liquors promotion!
Way forward for the Celebrities
Consider supporting causes rather than organisations.
Have a genuine connection to the brand. Use the organisationâs product or services.
Do due diligence to ensure the organisationâs ethics are in line with own beliefs.
Have an exit clause if the organisationâs values no longer align or fails.
Ensure relationship with the organisation is disclosed in adverts and social posts..
Conclusion
Celebrities symbolize knowledge, belief and aspiration in the eyes of consumers.
It is necessary for the enterprise and the celebrity that to consider all ethical considerations prior to publicly supporting a product or service.
Hence celebrities have to possess a sense of moral and ethical responsibility while endorsing any product whether it is consumable or any or product.
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