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GS Paper: GS2

  • Why the Aadhaar-voter ID link must be stopped

    Context

    The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 which facilitates amendment to the Representation of People’s Act, is a step toward implementing online-based remote e-voting for which the use of Aadhaar will be the primary identity.

    Objectives of linking

    • The linking of Aadhaar with one’s voter ID was primarily to build a biometric dependent voting system from the very beginning.
    • The change could help fight fraud and duplicates in the electoral rolls.

    About the pilot programmes on linking the voter id

    • In 2014, the Election Commission of India (ECI) conducted two pilot programmes on linking the voter id with Aadhaar in the districts of Nizamabad and Hyderabad.
    • Based on the effectiveness, the ECI called for a National Consultation on Aadhaar and voter id linking.
    • The ECI launched the National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP) on April 1, 2015, which had to be completed by August 31, 2015.
    • After a Supreme Court of India order on August 11, 2015, it was announced that this NERPAP would be shut down.
    • But as Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were early adopters of this programme since 2014, both States have nearly completed linking Aadhaar and voter id for all residents.
    • Methodology is unknown: The methodology followed by the ECI to find duplicate voters using Aadhaar is unknown to the general public.
    • SRDH data used: In a letter from the CEO Andhra Pradesh (then for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh) to the ECI, it is clear that the State Resident Data Hub (SRDH) application of the Government of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh was used to curate electoral rolls.
    • The SRDH has data on residents of the State which is supplied by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) or collected further by the State governments.
    •  While the UIDAI was constrained not to collect data on caste, religion and other sensitive information data for Aadhaar, it recommended to the States to collect this information, if required, as part of Aadhaar data collection; it termed the process as Know Your Resident (KYR) and Know Your Resident Plus (KYR+).
    • It is these SRDH applications that the ECI used to curate electoral rolls which resulted in the deletion of a sizeable number of voters from the list in Telangana in 2018.

    Concerns

    • Disenfranchisement: The role of the ECI to verify voters using door-to-door verification (in 2015) has been subsumed; a software algorithm commissioned by the Government for purposes unknown to the public and maintained by a private IT company is in control now.
    • Subjecting key electoral rolls to surveillance software damages the concept of universal adult suffrage.
    • What the experience in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh highlights is voter suppression and disenfranchisement.
    • Issue of ensuring electoral integrity: In a situation where the role of money makes a mockery of the democratic process, linking Aadhaar will be futile.
    • Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), if foolproof, put an end to the days of booth capturing prevalent in the days of paper ballots.
    • E-voting can also be gamed using malware to change the outcome of an election.
    • While the Bill does not look into large-scale e-voting, there is an issue of ensuring electoral integrity.
    • Voter profiling: An Aadhaar-voter ID linkage will also help political parties create voter profiles and influence the voting process.
    • Online trends on the day of voting and micro-targeting voters using their data will make it easier for political parties in power to use data for elections.

    Consider the question “What are the objectives of Aadhar-Voter Id linking? What are the concerns associated with such linking?”

    Conclusion

    The linking of Aadhaar with voter ID will create complexities in the voter databases that will be hard to fix. This process will introduce errors in electoral rolls and vastly impact India’s electoral democracy.

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  • NITI Aayog releases fourth edition of State Health Index

    NITI Aayog has released the fourth edition of the State Health Index for 2019–20.

    State Health Index

    • The State Health Index is an annual tool to assess the performance of states and UTs. It is being compiled and published since 2017.
    • The index is part of a report commissioned by the NITI Aayog, the World Bank, and the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
    • The reports aim to nudge states/UTs towards building robust health systems and improving service delivery.

    Components of the index

    • It is a weighted composite index based on 24 indicators grouped under the domains of ‘Health Outcomes’, ‘Governance and Information’, and ‘Key Inputs/Processes’.
    1. Health outcomes: It includes parameters such as neonatal mortality rate, under-5 mortality rate, and sex ratio at birth.
    2. Governance: This includes institutional deliveries, average occupancy of senior officers in key posts earmarked for health.
    3. Key inputs: It consists of the proportion of shortfall in healthcare providers to what is recommended, functional medical facilities, birth, and death registration, and tuberculosis treatment success rate.

    Performance of the states

    • For the fourth year in a row, Kerala has topped a ranking of States on health indicators. Uttar Pradesh has come in at the bottom.
    • Kerala is followed by Tamil Nadu and Telangana, which improved its ranking.

     

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  • Issues with Health Surveys in India

    This article discusses the feasibility of conducting a single comprehensive survey for collecting health-related data in India.

    Context

    • In a country perennially thirsty for reliable health data, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is like an oasis.
    • It has a large volume of data that is openly accessible.
    • The report of the fifth round of the NFHS was recently released. Since then, we had many articles covering different aspects (malnutrition, fertility, and domestic violence to name a few).

    What is NFHS?

    • The NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India.
    • Three rounds of the survey have been conducted since the first survey in 1992-93.
    • Currently, the survey provides district-level information on fertility, child mortality, contraceptive practices, reproductive and child health (RCH), nutrition, and utilization and quality of selected health services.
    • The Ministry of Health has designated the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) Mumbai, as the nodal agency, responsible for providing coordination and technical guidance for the survey.

    Issues with health surveys in India

    • Multiple surveys: The NFHS is not the only survey. In the last five years, there has been the National NCD Monitoring Survey (NNMS), the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) etc.
    • Huge cost: Each survey funding for different rounds of NFHS costs upto ₹250 crore.
    • Huge chunk of data: The size of the survey has obvious implications for data quality.
    • Different estimates: Multiple surveys also raise the problem of differing estimates, as is likely, due to sampling differences in the surveys.
    • Limited respondents: The respondents are largely women in the reproductive age group (15-49 years) with husbands included.
    • Global obligations: Some of these surveys are done to meet the global commitments on targets (NCDs, tobacco, etc.).
    • Undefined purpose The health surveys have confusing research with programme monitoring and surveillance needs. Ex. Questions on domestic violence in NFHS.

    Need of the hour

    • Alignment of purpose: There have been previous attempts to align these surveys but they have failed as different advocates have different “demands” and push for inclusion of their set of questions.
    • Regularity of surveys: NFHS is the only major survey that India has a record of doing regularly. One does not know if and when the other surveys will be repeated.

    One-stop solution

    • National health data architecture: With diverse aspects of health, there is a need to plan the public health data infrastructure for the country.
    • Budgetary outlay: We also need to ensure that these data are collected in an orderly and regular manner with appropriate budgetary allocation.
    • Purpose definition: This requires clarity of purpose and a hard-nosed approach to the issue that randomized activities.
    • National-level indicators: We have to identify a set of national-level indicators and surveys that will be done using national government funds at regular intervals.

    How should surveys be done?

    • There should be three national surveys done every three to five years in a staggered manner:
    1. NFHS focuses on Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) issues
    2. Behavioral Surveillance Survey (focusing on HIV, NCD, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH)-related and other behaviors) and
    3. Nutrition-Biological Survey (entails collection of data on blood pressure, anthropometry, blood sugar, serology, etc.)

    We need to look at alternate models and choose what suits us best.

    Way forward

    • Important public health questions can be answered by specific studies conducted by academic institutions on a research mode based on availability of funding.
    • States have to become active partners including providing financial contributions to these surveys.
    • It is also very important to ensure that the data arising from these surveys are in the public domain.

    Conclusion

    • We are ready to establish public health data architecture for our complexity of needs.
    • We have the technical capacity to do so.
    • All it requires now is the political will.

     

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  • [Burning Issue] India-Japan Ties in Recent Times

    Introduction

    India’s growing economic strength in recent years has seen it adopting its foreign policy to increase its global influence and status and to meet the challenges of the 21st century. In the past few years, New Delhi has expanded its strategic vision, most noticeably in Asia, and has broadened the definition of its security interests. As a result, India-Japan relations have undergone a paradigmatic shift which has seen an attempt to build a strategic and global partnership between the two countries.

    Background of India-Japan Ties

    [I] Ancient times

    • The friendship between India and Japan has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilization ties dating back to the visit of Indian monk Bodhisena in 752 AD.
    • The people of India and Japan have engaged in cultural exchanges, primarily as a result of Buddhism, which spread indirectly from India to Japan, via China and Korea.

    [II] India’s freedom movement

    • Independence movement: The leader of the Indian Independence Movement, Rash Behari Bose was instrumental in forging India–Japan relations during India’s independence movement.
    • During World War II, The British occupiers of India and Japan were enemies during World War II.  Subhas Chandra Bose used Japanese sponsorship to form the Azad Hind Fauj or Indian National Army (INA).

    [III] Present times

    • Pokhran nuclear test: In 1998, Japan imposed sanctions on India following the Pokhran-II, an Indian nuclear weapons test, which included the suspension of all political exchanges and the cutting off of economic assistance. These sanctions were lifted three years later.
    • Both nations share core values of democracy, peace, the rule of law, tolerance, and respect for the environment in realising pluralistic and inclusive growth of the region

    Post cold war relations

    • The end of cold war and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the inauguration of economic reforms in India seemed to mark the beginning of a new era in Indo-Japanese relationship.
    • India’s “Look East Policy” posited Japan as a key partner.
    • Japan being the only victim of nuclear holocaust, Pokhran –II tests of India in May 1998 brought bitterness in the bilateral relations where Japan asked India to sign NNPT.
    • Tokyo’s relation with India showed signs of an upswing when Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori came on an official 5 day visit to India in August 2000.

    Recent developments in India-Japan Relationship

    (1) India-Italy-Japan trilateral partnership

    • Recently, Italy has also begun to signal its intention to enter the Indo-Pacific geography.
    • It has done so by seeking to join India and Japan in a trilateral partnership.
    • Italy has become more vocal on the risks emanating from China’s strategic competitive initiatives.
    • On the Indian side, there is great interest in forging new partnerships with like-minded countries interested in preserving peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

    (2) 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

    • The 2+2 ministerial dialogue is seen as an upgrade of the meeting between foreign and defense secretaries of the two countries, the first round of which took place in 2010.
    • The ministerial level meeting was held after a decision to institute a Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue was taken during the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit held in Japan in 2018.
    • 2+2 meeting aimed to give further momentum to their special strategic partnership, particularly in the maritime domain.

    (3) Supply Chain Resilience Initiative

    • Recently India, Australia and Japan formally launched the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative. The initiative was launched to counter the dominance of China in the Global Supply Chain.
    • It aims to prevent disruptions in the supply chain as seen during COVID-19 pandemic.
    • The initiative will mainly focus on diversification of investment and digital technology adoption.

    (4) Other MEA led-bilateral dialogues

    • The Act East Forum, established in 2017, aims to provide a platform for India-Japan collaboration under the rubric of India’s “Act East Policy” and Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision”.
    • At the Second meeting of the Act East forum, both sides agreed to focus on expanding of Japanese language in North East, training of caregivers under Technical Intern Training Program (TITP), capacity building in area of bamboo value chain development and Disaster Management.
    • The inaugural India-Japan Space Dialogue was held in Delhi for enhancing bilateral cooperation in outer space and information exchange on the respective space policies.

    (5) Currency Swap Agreement

    • Japan and India have entered into a $75-billion currency swap arrangement that will bolster the country’s firepower as it battles a steep drop in the rupee’s value.
    • A currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange a series of cash flows denominated in one currency for those denominated in another for a predetermined period of time.
    • The deal will help the two countries to swap their currencies for U.S. dollars to stabilise the rupee which has witnessed the steepest fall in recent years.

    Areas of cooperation

    (1) Economic and Commercial relations

    • Japan is regarded as a key partner in India’s economic transformation.
    • Japan’s interest in India is increasing due to a variety of reasons including India’s large and growing market and its resources, especially the human resources.
    • India’s bilateral trade with Japan stood at US$ 16.95 billion in FY 2019-20. India’s imports during this period were US$ 12.43 billion and exports were US$ 4.52 billion.
    • India’s primary exports to Japan are petroleum products, chemicals, elements, compounds, non-metallic mineral ware, fish & fish preparations, metalliferous ores & scrap, clothing & accessories, iron & steel products, textile yarn, fabrics and machinery etc.
    • India’s primary imports from Japan are machinery, electrical machinery, iron and steel products, plastic materials, non-ferrous metals, parts of motor vehicles, organic chemicals, etc.

    Investment and Official Development Assistance (ODA)

    • From 2000 until September 2020, the Japanese investments in India cumulatively stands at around US$ 34.152 billion (Japan ranks fifth among the largest source of investment).
    • Japanese FDI during FY 2019-2020 increased to US$ 3.226 billion compared to US$ 2.96 billion in FY 2018-19.
    • The number of Japanese companies registered in India stands at more than 1460. Similarly, number of Indian companies operating in Japan is also increasing, with the number now over 100.
    • The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail, Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) with twelve industrial townships, Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC) are some mega project with Japanese cooperation on the anvil.

    (2) Security and Defence

    • India-Japan Defence and Security partnership has evolved over the years and today forms an integral pillar of bilateral ties.
    • QUAD: Formed in 2007 and revived in 2017 The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD, also known as the Quad) is an informal strategic dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia and India.
    • The dialogue was paralleled by joint military exercises of an unprecedented scale, titled Exercise Malabar.
    • The diplomatic and military arrangement was widely viewed as a response to increased Chinese economic and military power.
    • In spite of the pandemic, complex exercises in all domains were conducted including MALABAR 2020, Japan India maritime exercise (JIMEX 2020) and PASSEX, showcasing the trust and interoperability between the navies.

    (3) Strategic

    • After the cold war Japan looked out to extend its diplomatic options beyond US and India became the best option possible.
    • 2+2 dialogue is taking place between the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries to deepen the global partnership.
    • It is also agreed to establish the India–Japan–United States trilateral dialogue on regional and global issues of shared interest.
    • Both countries also reiterated their determination to work together under the UNFCCC, WTO, etc.
    • Japan and India are working together to realize the reform of Security Council at the earliest.
    • There is a beginning of India-Japan-Australia trilateral dialogue to evolve an open, inclusive, stable and transparent economic, political and security architecture in the indo-pacific region.

    (4) India-Japan Digital Partnership (IJDP) and Start-up Hub

    • The MOC on Digital Partnership envisaged cooperation in five sub-areas:

    1) Start-up Initiative

    2) Corporate Partnership

    3) ESDM promotion

    4) Digital talent exchange

    5) R&D Cooperation

    6) Security related strategic collaboration

    (5) Disaster Risk Reduction

    • An Agreement on joint research in the field of Earthquake Disaster Prevention was signed between Fujita Corporation and Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT-R).

    (6) Skill Development

    • India-Japan MoC signed in 2016 to train 30,000 shop floor leaders over 10 years thereby also contributing to India’s flagship initiatives such as “Skill India” and “Make in India”.
    • Japanese companies have established 13 Japan-India Institute of Manufacturing (JIM) in India and 5 Japanese Endowed Courses (JEC) in Indian Engineering Colleges.

    (7) Health-care

    • In view of the similarities and synergies between the goals and objectives of India’s AYUSHMAN Bharat Programme and Japan’s AHWIN, both sides consulted with each other to identify projects to build the narrative of AHWIN for AYUSHMAN Bharat.
    • Japan is supporting India to contain COVID-19 and mitigate its adverse socioeconomic impacts by extending budgetary support to the GoI and implementing emergency response programs for the health sector.

    (8) Education Cooperation

    • As on December 2020, there were over 300 academic and research partnerships (including student exchanges) between more than 70 universities/institutes of Japan and around 105 universities/institutes of India.
    • These partnerships range from liberal arts to management & business studies, legal studies, international studies, linguistics, ayurveda, STEM including fast emerging frontier technologies.
    • The students & teacher exchange and scholarship programmes, especially short-term, are enabling a large number of Indian students and teachers to visit and experience Japan and vice versa.

    (9) S&T Cooperation

    • Bilateral S&T cooperation was formalized through an Inter-Governmental Agreement signed in 1985.
    • Recent initiatives – three India-Japan Joint Laboratories in the area of ICT (AI, IoT and Big Data) and initiation of Dept. of Science and Tech (DST)-Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship Programme for the young researchers.

    (10) Energy

    • The two sides have launched an Energy Dialogue to promote cooperation in the energy sector in a comprehensive manner.
    • The areas of cooperation include oil and natural gas, coal, electric power, renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and other relevant sectors.
    • In 2015, India and Japan reached on substantive Agreement on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. India becomes the first non NPT signed country to do so.

    What lies at the fulcrum of ties?

    • First of all, Japan is the most mature economy in this region. In terms of maturity, sophistication, and experience in international economic engagements, Japan excels every other country of the Indo-Pacific region, excluding the United States.
    • Its technological marvels, business strategies, and management skills are second to none.
    • Japan rarely hits the international headlines and it is actually Japan’s feebleness in the world of political advertisements.
    • Japan sooner than later will be a leading player in the political economy as well as security fields of the Indo-Pacific region.
    • Its aging population is a major concern and Japan very well acknowledges this fact. While increasing the domestic birth rate will always be important, it is a position to devise a new immigration policy that would largely benefit Indians.
    • Japan has the distinction of being the only foreign power that has been allowed to undertake infrastructure and other projects in India’s sensitive northeast.
    • Finally, Japan has never been an adversary of India and the current global as well as regional distribution of power and strategic scenario necessitate a deeper and expansive Indo-Japan strategic teamwork.

    Way forward

    • Taking advantage of its considerable assets — the world’s third-largest economy, substantial high-tech skills, and a military freed of some legal and constitutional constraints — Japan is largely perceived as a natural ally to India.
    • At a time of global geopolitical flux, the two are among the important countries that have taken up the baton to champion freedom, international norms and rules, inclusivity, and free and fair trade.
    • If Japan and India continue to add concrete security content to their relationship, their strategic partnership could potentially be a game-changer in Asia.
    • The emphasis on boosting trade and investment must be balanced with greater strategic collaboration.
    • Both countries can contribute to the larger effort to build strategic equilibrium, power stability and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.
    • India and Japan have forged a special relationship, which is set to strengthen and deepen in the coming years.

  • A chance to tap India’s high equity in Myanmar

    Context

    The recent short visit to Myanmar by India’s Foreign Secretary had a clearly-etched mandate: to deepen cooperation with an important neighbour. His mission succeeded to a large extent, but challenges remain.

    Background of the current political scenario in Myanmar

    • Transition to democracy and derailment: Since the military coup on February 1, 2021, the international community has stayed divided on how to address the derailment of Myanmar’s transition to democracy.
    •  For a decade, the country’s system based on power-sharing between the military and elected representatives ran well enough.
    • An overwhelming electoral victory of the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in November 2020, unnerved the military leadership.
    • The Tatmadaw (Myanmar’s military) moved faster, seizing power in violation of the Constitution and putting down the Opposition with an iron hand.
    • Global reaction: Global dismay was evident in the western sanctions, but others such as Russia saw the opportunity to strengthen ties with the new rulers.
    • China took urgent steps to stabilise and expand cooperation with the military regime.
    • The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) first showed creativity through its ‘Five-Point Consensus’ formula, but later its unity stood damaged once Myanmar’s top leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing refused to cooperate.

    India’s position and bilateral concerns

    • In Indian foreign Secretary Mr. Shringla visit he succeeded in holding substantive discussions with various stakeholders.
    • India’s position: India’s position, as conveyed to Myanmar, is similar to and supportive of ASEAN: release of political prisoners; resolution of issues through dialogue; cessation of “all violence”; and full cooperation with ASEAN.
    • Assistance for capacity building: In recent years, India has assisted Myanmar through capacity-building programmes for strengthening the transition to democracy.
    • This assistance remains available, but it is not an offer of mediation by India in the military-NLD conflict.
    • This burden will have to be borne by ASEAN.
    • India’s concerns: India’s principal concerns pertaining to border security and stability in its neighbourhood were clearly conveyed, especially the noticeable escalation of activities of anti-India insurgent groups.
    • Refugee issue: The second issue — the outcome of Myanmar’s instability — is that of refugees. Several thousands of Myanmar people have sought shelter in Mizoram.
    • This will only be reversed by a political settlement in Myanmar, through dialogue.
    • Economic cooperation: Economic cooperation has always been a major agenda item in all bilateral discussions with Myanmar.
    • Central to this is India’s long-delayed commitment to “expeditious implementation” of mega initiatives such as the Trilateral Highway and Kaladan projects.

    Way forward

    • China is not the only friend: India continues to have high equity in Myanmar, which it must now carefully leverage.
    •  It is reflected in the special gesture made by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to receive Mr. Shringla and hold detailed discussions in Yangon. This is unusual.
    • The protocol departure for Mr. Shringla revealed current political realities which should be carefully factored in against the argument that China is the only friend Myanmar has.
    • Leverage the gainst of the visit: India can leverage the gains of this visit and keep up the momentum by inviting Myanmar’s Foreign Minister at an appropriate time as well as other important stakeholders to India for deliberations with their counterparts here.

    Conclusion

    The single goal should be to put Myanmar back on the path of becoming “a stable, democratic and federal union.

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  • Extending outpatient health care coverage

    Context

    Over the past two decades, initiatives announced to extend health care coverage to the indigent sections have come under criticism due to their near-exclusive focus on hospitalisation (inpatient, IP) care.

    Significance of outpatient health care

    • What is outpatient health care: Outpatient (OP) health care, mainly comprising doctor consultations, drugs, and tests, can be called ‘the elephant in the room’ of Indian public health care policy.
    • OP expenses have the majority share in total out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure on health.

    Why do we need to extend OP care coverage?

    • How IP care differs from OP care? IP care comprises high-impact and unavoidable episodes that are less prone to misuse than OP care, for which demand is considerably more sensitive to price and is thus more prone to overuse under health insurance.
    • IP insurance prioritised: This logic, among other reasons, has led to IP insurance schemes being prioritised.
    • [1] OP care and preventive care is neglected: While a price-sensitive demand for OP care entails that it could be misused under insurance, it also means that OP care is the first to come under the knife when there is no insurance.
    • In India, where there are many public IP insurance schemes but no OP coverage, this incentive is further amplified.
    • The mantra of ‘prevention is better than cure’ thus goes for a toss.
    • [2] Against economic sense: It defies economic sense to prioritise IP care over OP care for public funds.
    • Preventive and primary care services which often come with externalities, elicit little felt need and demand, and must therefore be the primary recipients of public investment.
    • Not conducive to epidemiological profile: Greater investments in IP care today translate to even greater IP care investments in future, further reduction in primary care spending, and ultimately lesser ‘health’ for the money invested.
    • None of these are conducive to the epidemiological profile that characterises this country.

    Issues with using private commercial insurance to extend OP care coverage nationwide

    • Some recent policy pronouncements by the Centre have conveyed an inclination to expand healthcare coverage with little fiscal implications for the government.
    • Challenges:
    • [1] The OP practices are under-regulated and there is a lack of standards.
    • [2] The difficulty to monitor OP clinical and prescribing behaviours and the concomitant higher likelihood of malpractices.
    • [3] Low public awareness of insurance products and a low ability to discern entitlements and exclusions.
    • [4] Add to it the inexperience that a still under-developed private OP insurance sector brings.
    • All these entail tremendous and largely wasteful costs and administrative complexity, and it would be of little help even if the government was to step in with considerable subsidies.

    Suggestion

    • Need for fiscal and time commitment: Significant improvements in healthcare are implausible without significant fiscal and time commitments.
    • No perfect model: There is no ‘perfect’ model of expanding healthcare — the emphasis must be on finding the best fit.
    • Implementing even such a best fit could involve adopting certain modalities with known drawbacks.
    • Expand public spending: The focus must be on expanding public OP care facilities and services financed mainly by tax revenues.
    • For India, wisdom immediately points to successful countries that are (or were, at one point) much closer to its socioeconomic fabric, such as Thailand, than countries like the U.S. which we currently look to emulate.
    • Now, the sparse number and distribution of public facilities offers various modes of rationing care, and their expansion is likely to result in a considerable spike in demand.
    • Contracting with private players: Contracting with private players based on objective and transparent criteria would also be called for, with just enough centralised supervision to deter corruption while preserving local autonomy.
    • To deter supply-side malpractices, low-powered modes of provider payment, such as capitation, may be considered for private providers wherever possible.

    Conclusion

    There are several compelling reasons for extending outpatient health care coverage even though there are several challenges to overcome to achieve this.

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  • Trincomalee Oil Farms Deal

    After a year of negotiations, Sri Lanka will ink the deal with India to jointly develop the Trincomalee oil tank farms — a coveted project that has remained controversial for decades.

    About Trincomalee oil field

    • The facility, built by the British around World War II as a refueling station, has 99 storage tanks that look like giant wells.
    • They have a capacity of 12,000 kilolitres each.
    • Eighty-four of those are in the 800-acre Upper Tank Farm (UTF). For a good part of a century now, these tanks have remained unused, shrouded in a forest.
    • The Lower Tank Farm (LTF) has 16 tanks, spread across 50 acres.

    Historical background

    • Trincomalee harbor is the second deepest natural harbor in the world.
    • The British who were in control of the island decided to make this as their primary logistics station in the east after World War I.
    • It is also a lesser-known but important logistic station during World War II.
    • British started the oil storage project in 1924 and completed in late 1930s.
    • After that it was abandoned by the British in 1948 when Sri Lanka gained independence.
    • In 2002, the development of this tank farm was revived by an Indian company Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).

    History of India’s interest in Trincomalee

    • The development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank farm has been a recurring talking point in Indo-Lanka relations since 1987.
    • It was first mentioned in the Indo- Lanka Accord signed by PM Rajiv Gandhi and President Jayewardene.
    • Despite that, nothing really took off until 2003, when Indian Oil Corporation set up Lanka IOC, its Sri Lankan subsidiary.
    • The agreement remained dormant for years, until the Sirisena- Wickremesinghe administration tried revisiting it through the 2017 MoU.

    Significance of Trincomalee

    • Demography: Trincomalee is home to 3.7 lakh Muslim, Tamil and Sinhala people and Trincomalee, in Sri Lanka’s post-war years.
    • Tourism: It has emerged as a favorite destination for surfers from around the world, gradually transforming with plush resorts and restaurants dotting its coast.
    • Important sea route: Trincomalee remains in spotlight as a potential transit point for international trade routes, particularly drawing India which has known strategic interests there.
    • Balancing China: From India’s geostrategic viewpoint, Trincomalee is an important counterbalance to the southern Hambantota Port backed substantially by China.

    Hurdles to the Project

    • Public resistance: India-backed projects in Sri Lanka tend to draw way more public resistance from nationalists among the majority Sinhalese constituency than projects with Chinese or American involvement.
    • Anti-India sentiments: Observers in Sri Lanka attribute this to the “baggage” that Indian diplomacy carries, years after its intervention during different stages of Sri Lanka’s civil war.

     

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  • Every third informal worker is now registered on E-Shram Portal

    Every third informal sector worker in India is now registered on the e-Shram portal with registration on the portal crossing the 14 crore mark in four months.

    About E-Shram Portal

    • The Ministry of Labour and Employment has launched the E-Shram Portal for creating a National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW) this year.
    • The E-Shram portal will cover all unorganised workers of the nation and help link them to social security schemes of the Government of India.
    • Aadhaar with mobile number linked is mandatory for the registration.

    Category of unorganized workers covered:

    1. Construction Worker
    2. Migrant Worker
    3. Gig & Platform Worker
    4. Street Vendor Worker
    5. Agriculture Worker
    6. Others

    Broad objectives of this portal

    • Creation of a centralized database of all unorganized workers (UWs)
    • To improve the implementation efficiency of the social security services for the unorganized workers
    • Integration of Social Security Schemes meant for UWs being administered by MoLE and subsequently, those run by other ministries as well
    • Portability of the social security and welfare benefits to the migrant and construction workers
    • Providing a comprehensive database to Central and State Governments for tackling any National Crises like COVID-19 in future

    Benefits of registration

    • Under the scheme, Rs 2.0 Lakh Accidental Insurance cover will be provided to every registered (on E-Shram portal) unorganized worker.
    • Every registered unorganized worker shall be issued an E- Shram card with a unique Universal Account Number (UAN).
    • He/She will be able to access the benefits of the various social security schemes through this Card anywhere anytime.

    Who can register on this Portal?

    Any individual satisfying the following conditions can register on the portal:

    • An unorganized worker (UW).
    • Age should be between 16-59 years.
    • Not a member of EPFO/ESIC or NPS (Govt. funded)

    What is required for registration?

    Following is required to register on the portal:

    • Aadhaar Number
    • Mobile number linked with Aadhaar.
    • Savings Bank Account Number with IFSC code

    Registrations done so far

    • The latest data of the portal shows that the top five States in terms of number of registrations on e-Shram are U.P., West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand.
    • Gender analysis of the data shows that 52.56% are female while 47.44% are male.
    • The data show that 42.64% of the registered workers are other backward classes (OBC) followed by 26.45% from general category, 22.54% from the scheduled caste and 8.38% from the Scheduled Tribe.
    • It also show that over 94% registered workers’ income is ₹10,000 per month or below while over 4% have income in the rage of ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 per month.
    • About 51% workers are farm laborers, 11% in construction, 10% in domestic and household work and 6.5% in the apparel segment.

     

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  • [pib] Good Governance Index 2021

    The Centre has released the Good Governance Index 2021 prepared by DARPG (Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances) on Good Governance Day.

    Try this question from CS Mains 2016:

     

    Q. What do you understand by the terms ‘governance’, ‘good governance’ and ‘ethical governance’?

    What do you mean by Good Governance?

    • It is the process of measuring how public institution conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for the rule of law.

    12 Principles of Good Governance:

    1. Participation, Representation, Fair Conduct of Elections
    2. Responsiveness
    3. Efficiency and Effectiveness
    4. Openness and Transparency
    5. Rule of Law
    6. Ethical Conduct
    7. Competence and Capacity
    8. Innovation and Openness to Change
    9. Sustainability and Long-term Orientation
    10. Sound Financial Management
    11. Human rights, Cultural Diversity and Social Cohesion
    12. Accountability

    About Good Governance Index (GGI)

    • The GGI is a uniform tool across States to assess the Status of Governance and the impact of various interventions taken up by the State Government and UTs.
    • The objectives are:
    1. To provide quantifiable data to compare the state of governance in all states and UTs, enable states and UTs
    2. To formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving governance and shift to result-oriented approaches and administration

    Components of GGI

    • GGI 2021 Framework covered ten sectors and 58 indicators.
    • These ten Governance Sectors are measured on total 50 indicators:
    1. Agriculture and Allied Sectors
    2. Commerce & Industries
    3. Human Resource Development
    4. Public Health
    5. Public Infrastructure & Utilities
    6. Economic Governance
    7. Social Welfare & Development
    8. Judicial & Public Security
    9. Environment
    10. Citizen-Centric Governance

    Categorization of States and UTs

    The GGI 2020-21 categorizes States and UTs into four categories, i.e.

    1. Other States – Group A
    2. Other States – Group B
    3. North-East and Hill States and
    4. Union Territories

    Top performers in 2021

    • Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa top the composite rank score covering 10 sectors.
    • GGI 2021 says that Gujarat registered 12.3 percent increase and Goa registered 24.7 percent increase over GGI 2019 indicators.
    • Rajasthan has topped the Other States (Group B) category in Judiciary and Public Safety, Environment & Citizen Centric Governance.
    • GGI 2021 says that in the North-East and Hill States category, Mizoram and Jammu and Kashmir have registered an overall increase of 10.4% and 3.7% respectively over GGI 2019.
    • In the UTs category, Delhi tops the composite rank registering a 14 percent increase over the GGI 2019 indicators.

     

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  • [pib] Centre declares Soya Meal as an Essential Commodity

    In a bid to cool down the domestic prices of Soya Meal, Government has notified order under the Essential Commodities Act to declare ‘Soya Meal’ as Essential Commodities under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

    Essential Commodities Act

    • The ECA, 1955 was established to ensure the delivery of certain commodities or products, the supply of which, if obstructed due to hoarding or black marketing, would affect the normal life of the people.
    • The list of items under the Act includes drugs, fertilizers, pulses, and edible oils, as well as petroleum and petroleum products.
    • The Centre can include new commodities as and when the need arises, and takes them off the list once the situation improves.
    • Additionally, the government can also fix the maximum retail price (MRP) of any packaged product that it declares an “essential commodity”.

    How ECA works?

    (1) Centre notifying stock limit holding

    • If the Centre finds that a certain commodity is in short supply and its price is spiking, it can notify stock-holding limits on it for a specified period.
    • The States act on this notification to specify limits and take steps to ensure that these are adhered to.
    • Anybody trading or dealing in the commodity, be it wholesalers, retailers or even importers are prevented from stockpiling it beyond a certain quantity.

    (2) States can opt-out

    • A State can, however, choose not to impose any restrictions.
    • But once it does, traders have to immediately sell into the market any stocks held beyond the mandated quantity.

    What happens for non-compliance?

    • As not all shopkeepers and traders comply, State agencies conduct raids to get everyone to toe the line and the errant are punished.
    • The excess stocks are auctioned or sold through fair price shops.
    • This improves supplies and brings down prices.

    Ex: The Union Government has brought masks and hand-sanitizers under the ECA to make sure that these products, key for preventing the spread of Covid-19 infection, are available to people at the right price and in the right quality. Later this move was reverted.

    What about Food Items?

    (1) Items covered:

    Rice, wheat, atta, gram dal, arhar dal, moong dal, urad dal, masoor, dal, tea, sugar, salt, Vanaspati, groundnut oil, mustard oil, milk, soya oil, palm oil, sunflower oil, gur, potato, onion and tomato.

    (2) Price Stabilization Fund (PSF):

    The government utilizes the buffer of agri-horticultural commodities like pulses, onion, etc. built under Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) to help moderate the volatility in prices.

    Recent amendments to the ECA

    In 2020, the EC Act was amended for the stock limit to be imposed only under exceptional circumstances such as famine or other calamities.

    • Exceptional circumstances: It allowed the centre to delist certain commodities as essential, allowing the government to regulate their supply and prices only in cases of war, famine, extraordinary price rises, or natural calamities.
    • Commodities de-regulated: The commodities that have been deregulated are food items, including cereals, pulses, potatoes, onion, edible oilseeds, and oils.

    Exceptions provided:

    • The government regulation of stocks will be based on rising prices, and can only be imposed if there is
    1. A 100% increase in retail price in the case of horticultural produce and
    2. A 50% increase in retail price in the case of non-perishable agricultural food items
    • These restrictions will not apply to stocks of food held for public distribution in India.

     

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