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GS Paper: GS2

  • Parties get 48 hours to publish candidates’ criminal records

    The Supreme Court has directed the political parties to publish the criminal history if any, of their election candidates on the homepage of their party websites under the caption ‘candidates with criminal antecedents’ within 48 hours of their selection.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    1. According to the Constitution of India, a person who is eligible to vote can be made a minister in a State for six months even if he/she is not a member of the Legislature of that State.
    2. According to the Representation of People Act, 1951, a person convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to imprisonment for five years is permanently disqualified from contesting an election even after his release from prison.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (CSP 2020)

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”89w3xkyopz” question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here: [/wpdiscuz-feedback]

    Criminalization of politics: Indian Case

    • The criminalization of politics has become a headache for the Indian democracy and it is a harsh reality now.
    • Criminalization of politics in India includes political control of the police, state money, corruption, weak laws, lack of ethics, values, vote bank politics and loopholes in the function of the election commission.
    • Deep down, it’s a large nexus of police, money, corrupt bureaucracy, casteism, religion and the drawbacks of functioning in the election commission.

    On a serious note

    • The Supreme Court has warned Parliament that the nation is losing patience with the advent of criminals in politics even as it imposed fines on major political parties for covering up from voters the criminal past of the candidates.
    • Cleansing the polluted stream of politics is obviously not one of the immediate pressing concerns of the legislative branch of government.
    • The court said it did not take political parties much time to flout its February 2020 judgment, which had directed them to prominently publish the criminal antecedents.

    What was the Feb 2020 Judgment?

    The Supreme Court earlier in Feb 2020 had ordered political parties to publish the entire criminal history of their candidates for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

    • Reasons for nomination: It has also asked for the reasons that goaded them to field suspected criminals over decent people.
    • Publication of records: The information should be published in a local as well as a national newspaper as well as the parties’ social media handles.
    • 48hr time frame: It should mandatorily be published either within 48 hours of the selection of candidates or less than two weeks before the first date for filing of nominations, whichever is earlier.
    • Contempt for non-compliance: It also ordered political parties to submit compliance reports with the Election Commission of India within 72 hours or risk contempt of court action.
    • No escape: The judgment is applicable to parties both at Central and State levels.

    Immediate Reason

    • The immediate provocation is the finding that 46% of MPs have criminal records.
    • The number might be inflated as many politicians tend to be charged with relatively minor offences —“unlawful assembly” and “defamation”.
    • The real worry is that the current cohort of Lok Sabha MPs has the highest (29%) proportion of those with serious declared criminal cases compared to its recent predecessors.

    Why are such tainted candidates inducted by political parties?

    • Popularity: Such candidates with serious records seem to do well despite their public image, largely due to their ability to finance their own elections and bring substantive resources to their respective parties.
    • Vested interests: Some voters tend to view such candidates through a narrow prism: of being able to represent their interests by hook or by crook.
    • Destabilizing other electors: Others do not seek to punish these candidates in instances where they are in contest with other candidates with similar records.

    A harsh reality

    • The NN Vohra committee’s report on the criminalization of politics discussed how criminal gangs flourish under the care and protection of politicians.
    • Many times the candidates themselves are the gang leaders.
    • This protection is paid back to them during elections through capital investment in election spending and voter support.

    Need for clean politics

    • Upholding morality: It is extremely important that the people who enter the field of politics have a clear image and high moral character.
    • Ensuring rule of law: A leader with criminal character undoubtedly tends to undermine the rule of law.

  • Ujjwala 2.0 Scheme

    Prime Minister has launched the second phase of the Ujjwala gas connection scheme for the poor and said it would provide the biggest relief to lakhs of migrant worker families in the country.

    Ujjwala 2.0

    • Under Ujjwala 2.0 migrant workers would no longer have to struggle to get address proof documents to get the gas connections, Mr. Modi said.
    • Now migrant workers would only be required to submit a self-declaration of their residential address to get the gas connection.
    • Along with a deposit-free LPG connection, Ujjwala 2.0 will provide the first refill and a hotplate free of cost to the beneficiaries.

    About the PM Ujjwala Yojana

    • Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched in 2016, with the aim to provide Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections to five crore women members of below poverty line (BPL) households in the first phase.
    • he scheme was expanded in April 2018 to include women beneficiaries from seven more categories (SC/ST, PMAY, AAY, Most backward classes, tea garden, forest dwellers, Islands).
    • In the second phase the target was expanded to eight crore LPG connections.

    Significance of Ujjwala 2.0

    • LPG infrastructure has expanded manifold in the country due to the Ujjwala scheme.
    • In the last six years, more than 11,000 new LPG distribution centres have opened across the country.
    • The LPG coverage in India is now very close to becoming 100 per cent.

  • The shaky foundation of the labour law reforms

    Context

    The central government has deferred the possible date of implementation of labour codes to October 1, 2021, prolonging the wait before employers and workers could enjoy the benefits extended by the labour codes.

    Labour law reforms: Key provisions

    • The government enacted the Code on Wages in August 2019 and the other three Codes, viz., the Industrial Relations Code, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code and Code on Social Security (CSS) in September 2020.
    • Universal minimum wage: The codes would extend universal minimum wages and social security, enable enhanced industrial safety and the provision of social security to gig workers, among other things.
    • Recognition of trade unions: The Industrial Relations Code provides for recognition of trade union(s) by employers, a labour right that eluded workers for seven decades.
    • Flexibility to employers: Employers celebrated the extension of tremendous flexibility to them, even those unasked, such as relief from framing standing orders for most firms.
    • The central government has deferred the possible date of implementation to October 1, 2021.

    Issues in implementation

    • State’s have not issued draft rules: Major States such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Haryana and Delhi have not issued the draft rules under any codes.
    • Even though the Code on Wages was enacted in August 2019, it was only in March 2021 that the central government notified the constitution of an advisory committee.
    • Safety concerns persist:  Industrial safety continues to be a grave concern even after the enactment of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code.
    • Lack of clarity on the determination of minimum wage: On June 3, 2021, the government announced an expert committee with a tenure of three years to advise on minimum wages.
    • Then, on July 12, 2021, the government announced that the wage index’s base year would be shifted from 1965 to 2019 to use the revised wage index to determine minimum wages.
    • The Government seems to be facing difficulty regarding the implementation of minimum wages.

    Conclusion

    Despite the gazetting of four Codes, age-old laws are in force. That reflects poorly on the governance abilities of the governments.

  • Issues related to people with disabilities

    Context

    Twenty years ago on August 6 in Erwadi in Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram, a fire broke out in a thatched shelter, engulfing 43 chained people who had psychosocial disabilities.

    Legal provision for the persons with disabilities

    • India ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2007.
    • The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act  was enacted in 2016.
    • The Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA) was enacted in 2017.

    Failure of the states

    • Sates have failed to uphold the human rights of people with disabilities in general and those with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities in particular.
    • Only eight states/UTs — Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Odisha, Kerala, and West Bengal — have framed rules for implementation of MHCA.
    • Unless we implement the law in letter and spirit, the Global Mental Health Movement will remain a mere buzzword and the CRPD-reliant MHCA will remain a law only on paper.

    Violations of rights in private asylums

    • Private asylums survive because of their close proximity to faith-based healing centres.
    • Because mental health conditions carry a high stigma, caregivers flock to these faith-based facilities in the hopes of finding a cure.
    • Private players take advantage of their vulnerabilities, forcing such persons with psychosocial issues to be grouped together and chained in these shelters.
    • Chaining in any way or form is outlawed under Section 95 of the MHCA.

    Way forward

    • Human right approach: We must work to ensure that the human rights approach to disability is integrated into mental health systems, education, law, and bureaucracy.
    • We move away from pathologisation, segregation, and a charity-based approach.

    Conclusion

    Implementation of rights of the persons with disability needs implementation in letter and spirit and human rights based approach.

  • Five-point Framework for Maritime Security

     

    A week into India’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency, PM Modi has outlined a five-point framework for maritime security debate at UNSC.

    Maritime Security

    • Maritime security is one of the latest buzzwords of international relations.
    • Major actors in maritime policy, ocean governance and international security have in the past decade started to include maritime security in their mandate or reframed their work in such terms.
    • Core dimensions of maritime security involves the concept of blue economy, food security and the resilience of coastal populations.
    • A secure maritime environment provides the precondition for managing marine resources.

    Threats to maritime security

    Need for an agenda

    • In today’s economy, the oceans have an increased importance, allowing all countries to participate in the global marketplace.
    • More than 80 percent of the world’s trade travels by water and forges a global maritime link.
    • About half the world’s trade by value, and 90 percent of the general cargo, are transported in containers.
    • Many countries have invested significant resources in maritime infrastructure, trade, energy supply chains, cargo movements and processes.
    • China, undeniably a continental country, claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters.

    5-point agenda for enhancing maritime cooperation

    [1] Removal of barriers to legitimate maritime trade:

    • Global prosperity depends on the active flow of maritime trade. Any hindrance in maritime trade can threaten the global economy, PM said.
    • Maritime trade has always been part of the civilizational ethos of India.
    • PM termed this principle as ‘SAGAR’ Security and Growth for All in the Region.

    [2] Resolution of maritime disputes peacefully in accordance with international law:

    [3] Fight threats from natural disasters, non-state actors:

    • PM said the Indian Navy has been patrolling to counter piracy in the Indian Ocean since 2008.
    • It is enhancing the common maritime domain awareness of the region through our White Shipping Information Fusion Centre.
    • India has provided support for hydrographic surveying and training of maritime security personnel to several countries.

    [4] Conservation of marine resources:

    • Our oceans directly impact our climate. Hence, it is very important that we keep our maritime environment free of pollutants like plastic waste and oil spills.
    • We also need to take joint steps against over-fishing and marine poaching, PM said.
    • He also emphasized the need for increased mutual cooperation in Ocean Science research.

    [5] Promoting responsible maritime connectivity:

    • PM said it is well understood that the creation of infrastructure is necessary to boost maritime trade.
    • He advocated for appropriate global norms and standards to ensure that such infrastructure projects are carried out as per the fiscal sustainability and absorption capacity of the host countries.

  • Government e-Marketplace (GeM) System

    The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) system has resulted in a 10% savings in public procurement costs in five years.

    Government e-Marketplace

    • GeM is an online platform for public procurement in India by various Government Departments / Organizations / PSUs.
    • The initiative was launched on August 9, 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the objective to create an open and transparent procurement platform for government buyers.
    • It is owned by GeM SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) which is a 100 per cent Government-owned, non-profit company under the Ministry of Commerce and Industries
    • GeM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.
    • It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users achieve the best value for their money.
    • The purchases through GeM by Government users have been authorized and made mandatory by Ministry of Finance.

    Note: The government has made it mandatory for sellers on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal to clarify the country of origin of their goods when registering new products.

    Advantages for Buyers

    • Offers rich listing of products for individual categories of Goods/Services
    • Makes available search, compare, select and buy facility
    • Enables buying Goods and Services online, as and when required.
    • Provides transparency and ease of buying
    • Ensures continuous vendor rating system
    • Up-to-date user-friendly dashboard for buying, monitoring supplies and payments
    • Provision of easy return policy

    Advantages for Sellers

    • Direct access to all Government departments.
    • One-stop shop for marketing with minimal efforts
    • One-stop shop for bids / reverse auction on products / services
    • New Product Suggestion facility available to Sellers
    • Dynamic pricing: Price can be changed based on market conditions
    • Seller friendly dashboard for selling, and monitoring of supplies and payments
    • Consistent and uniform purchase procedures

  • [pib] PM-DAKSH Scheme

    Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment has launched the ‘PM-DAKSH’ Portal and ‘PM-DAKSH’ Mobile App.

    About PM-DAKSH Scheme

    • The PM-DAKSH stands for Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana.
    • It is being implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment from the year 2020-21.
    • Under this scheme, eligible target group are being provided skill development training programmes on (i) Up-skilling/Re-skilling (ii) Short Term Training Programme (iii) Long Term Training Programme and (iv) Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP).
    • These training programs are being implemented through Government Training Institutes, Sector Skill Councils constituted by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and other credible institutions.

    PM-DAKSH Portal/App

    • Any person can get all the information related to skill development training at one place by visiting the ‘PM-DAKSH’ Portal.
    • Also, with just one click, one can get information about skill development trainings happening near him/her and he/she can easily register himself/herself for skill training.

    Some of the features of this portal are as follows:

    • Availability of all information related to skill development at one place for Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and Safai Karamcharis.
    • Facility to register for the training institute and program of their interest.
    • Facility to upload desired documents related to personal information.
    • Facility to register the attendance of the trainees through face and eye scanning during the training period.
    • Monitoring facility through photo and video clip during training etc.

  • [pib] Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana

    The Ministry of Rural Development has taken several measures for the successful implementation of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) Gram Panchayats.

    Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)

    • SAGY is a village development project launched in October 2014, under which each Member of Parliament will take the responsibility of developing physical and institutional infrastructure in three villages by 2019.
    • SAGY aims at instilling certain values in the villages and their people so that they get transformed into models for others.

    These values include:

    • Adopting people’s participation as an end in itself – ensuring the involvement of all sections of society in all aspects related to the life of village, especially in decision- making related to governance
    • Adhering to Antyodaya – enabling the “poorest and the weakest person” in the village to achieve well being
    • Affirming gender equality and ensuring respect for women
    • Guaranteeing social justice
    • Instilling dignity of labour and the spirit of community service and voluntarism
    • Promoting a culture of cleanliness
    • Living in consonance with nature – ensuring a balance between development and ecology
    • Preserving and promoting local cultural heritage
    • Inculcating mutual cooperation, self-help and self-reliance
    • Fostering peace and harmony in the village community
    • Bringing about transparency, accountability and probity in public life
    • Nurturing local self-governance
    • Adhering to the values enshrined in the Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties of the Indian Constitution

    Identification of an Adarsh Gram

    • A Gram Panchayat would be the basic unit.
    • It will have a population of 3000-5000 in plain areas and 1000-3000 in hilly, tribal and difficult areas.
    • In districts where this unit size is not available, Gram Panchayats approximating the desirable population size may be chosen.
    • The MP would be free to identify a suitable Gram Panchayat for being developed as Adarsh Gram, other than his/her own village or that of his/her spouse.
    • Lok Sabha MP has to choose a Gram Panchayat from within his/her constituency and Rajya Sabha MP a from the rural area of a district of his/her choice in the State from which he/she is elected.
    • Nominated MPs may choose a Gram Panchayat from the rural area of any district in the country.
    • In the case of urban constituencies, (where there are no Gram Panchayats), the MP will identify a Gram Panchayat from a nearby rural constituency.
    • The newly elected MPs will have the option to select the GP of their choice.

  • India’s technical education: Issues and Suggestions

    Context

    This year, AICTE approved the closure of 63 engineering colleges across the country.

    Deterioration of quality

    • Tweaking with curriculum: Private entrepreneurs took the lead to meet the growing demand of the country in technical education in the mid-Eighties, but with little idea of the subject.
    • Subjects like materials, applied physics and thermodynamics which forms the building blocks of engineering became dispensable.
    • Because they were both tough to teach for the teachers and tough to pass for the students.
    • Expansion: This softening of subjects coupled with unfettered expansion in the early and mid-2000s, resulted in real dilution of the overall standards in the country.
    • Lack of adequate number of teachers, lack of quality in those available, inability of the management to make adequate investments in a dynamic environment, lack of employment opportunities, shelf life of skills coming down with every technology-related intervention and a constant experimentation with curriculum have all been the bane of quality in technical education.

    Issues

    • Engineering education suffers from regulatory gaps, poor infrastructure, lack of qualified faculty and the non-existent industry linkage that contributed to the abysmal employability of graduates from most of these institutes.
    • No linkage with Industry: Not a single industry body, be it CII, FICCI or ASSOCHAM has managed to effectively inform the education planners on the growth in different employment sectors.
    • No independent body to suggest AICTEC: The government also has not taken any tangible steps to set up an independent body to advise AICTE on this vital aspect.
    • Excessive changes: A constant fiddling with the curriculum, reducing total credits, giving multiple choices in the name of flexibility, dispensing with mathematics and physics at the qualification level, teaching in local languages may all be good arguments, but one must assess their utility and their effect on technical education in the long run.

    Way forward

    • Proactive: Rather than being reactive, institutions must proactively define the practicing elements of education.
    • Investment in teaching: The corrective measures for these shortfalls are technology intensive, are experiential, and need investments in teaching.
    • Quality assurance body: The ultimate measure of performance is embedded in quality assurance.
    • The need of the hour is to create a truly autonomous quality assurance body at an arms-length from the government, manned by eminent persons both from the industry as well as academia.

    Conclusion

    The education paradigm is staring at a large shift and technical education cannot remain immune to that change.

  • [pib] National Commission for Women

    The Central Government has nominated Smt. Rekha Sharma, as Chairperson of the National Commission for Women for another term of three years.

    National Commission for Women

    • The NCW is the statutory body generally concerned with advising the government on all policy matters affecting women.
    • It was established on 31 January 1992 under the provisions of the Indian Constitution as defined in the 1990 National Commission for Women Act.
    • The first head of the commission was Jayanti Patnaik.

    Constitutional provision

    • The Indian Constitution doesn’t contain any provision specifically made to favor women intrinsically.
    • Article 15 (3), Article 14 and Article 21 protect and safeguard women. They are more gender-neutral.

    Objectives

    • The objective of the NCW is to represent the rights of women in India and to provide a voice for their issues and concerns.
    • The subjects of their campaigns have included dowry, politics, religion, equal representation for women in jobs, and the exploitation of women for labor.
    • They have also discussed police abuses against women.

    Composition of National Commission for Women

    The Commission shall consist of:

    • A Chairperson, committed to the cause of women, to be nominated by the Central Government.
    • five Members to be nominated by the Central Government from amongst persons of ability, integrity and standing who have had experience in law or legislation, trade unionism, management of an industry potential of women, women’s voluntary organizations (including women activist), administration, economic development, health, education or social welfare;
    • Provided that at least one Member each shall be from amongst persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes respectively;

    Powers of NCW

    • Provide consultation on all major policy matters that affect women.
    • Issuing summons for the examination of documents and the witnesses.
    • It has the power to make any public record.
    • Receiving evidence on affidavits
    • Discovery and production of documents
    • Summoning and enforcement

    Functions of the NCW

    • Presentation of reports: Table reports should be submitted to the Central Government every year. When the commission feels it’s appropriate. The reports upon the functioning and working of the safeguards.
    • Investigation and Examination: There should be proper investigation and examination made under the Constitution and other laws. This is related to the protection of the rights of women.
    • Review of laws: Constantly all laws are reviewed and scrutinized. And necessary amendments and alterations are made to meet the needs of the current world.
    • Cases of Violation: Ensure there is no violation against women and taking due care of such cases.
    • Suo Motu Notice: It takes care of complaints and also suo motu matters about the deprivation of rights of women. Implementation of laws favoring the welfare of women.
    • Evaluation: Assessing the development and the progress of the women community under the Center and State level.
    • Special studies and investigation: To understand the limitations in the system and curb it with strategic plans and mechanisms.

    Powers of the NCW

    • Not concrete powers: The NCW is only recommendatory and has no power to enforce its decisions. Often it takes action only if the issues are brought to light.
    • Legal powers: Commission lacks constitutional status, and thus has no legal powers to summon police officers or witnesses.
    • Less funding: NCW’s functions are dependent on the grants offered by the central government. Financial assistance provided to the Commission is very less to cater to its needs.
    • Political interference: It does not have the power to choose its own members.