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GS Paper: GS2

  • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)

    The government’s maternity benefit scheme, or Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, has crossed 1.75 crores, eligible women, till the financial year 2020, the Centre informed Parliament.

    PMMVY

    • The PMMVY is a maternity benefit program introduced in 2017 and is implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
    • It is a conditional cash transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating women of 19 years of age or above for the first live birth.
    • It provides partial wage compensation to women for wage-loss during childbirth and childcare and to provide conditions for safe delivery and good nutrition and feeding practices.
    • Under the scheme, pregnant women and lactating mothers receive ₹5,000 on the birth of their first child in three instalments, after fulfilling certain conditionalities.
    • In 2013, the scheme was brought under the National Food Security Act, 2013 to implement the provision of cash maternity benefit stated in the Act.
    • The direct benefit cash transfer is to help expectant mothers meet enhanced nutritional requirements as well as to partially compensate them for wage loss during their pregnancy.

    Eligibility Conditions and Conditionalities

    The first transfer (at pregnancy trimester) of ₹1,000 requires the mother to:

    • Register pregnancy at the Anganwadi Centre (AWC) whenever she comes to know about her conception
    • Attend at least one prenatal care session and taking Iron-folic acid tablets and TT1 (tetanus toxoid injection), and
    • Attend at least one counselling session at the AWC or healthcare centre.

    The second transfer (six months of conception) of ₹2,000 requires the mother to:

    • Attend at least one prenatal care session and TT2

    The third transfer (three and a half months after delivery) of ₹2,000 requires the mother to:

    • Register the birth
    • Immunize the child with OPV and BCG at birth, at six weeks and at 10 weeks
    • Attend at least two growth monitoring sessions within three months of delivery

    Additionally, the scheme requires the mother to:

    • Exclusively breastfeed for six months and introduce complementary feeding as certified by the mother
    • Immunize the child with OPV and DPT
    • Attend at least two counselling sessions on growth monitoring and infant and child nutrition and feeding between the third and sixth months after delivery

    Before judging this factual information, take this PYQ form 2019:

    Q.Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017?

    1. Pregnant women are entitled to three months pre-delivery and three months post-delivery paid leave.
    2. Enterprises with creches must allow the mother a minimum of six crèche visits daily.
    3. Women with two children get reduced entitlements.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below.

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

  • No to vaccine nationalism, yes to global cooperation

    India has been supplying vaccines to other countries even as its first phase of vaccination covers the health care workers. At the same time, the selfishness of the advanced countries has been on full display by amassing the approved vaccines. The article deals with the issue of vaccine nationalism.

    What is vaccine nationalism

    • When a country manages to secure doses of vaccines for its own citizens or residents and prioritises its own domestic markets before they are made available in other countries it is known as ‘vaccine nationalism’.
    • This is done through pre-purchase agreements between a government and a vaccine manufacturer.
    • The advance purchase contracts made by some advanced countries for potential vaccines would vaccinate their population many times: the European Union, two times, the United States and the United Kingdom, four times, and Canada, six times.

    Impact on the SDGs

    • The reversal of progress on many Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, such as SDG 3 (“Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) could affect the health of the world population, and global growth itself.
    • Even before COVID-19, projections have shown that 6% of the global population would be in extreme poverty, which has gone up by 71 million, thereby causing enormous challenges to SDG 1 (“End poverty in all its forms everywhere”).
    • According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund, over 50% of emerging markets and developing economies that were converging toward advanced economies per capita income over the last decade are expected to diverge over the 2020-22 period.

    India’s important role

    • While advanced countries have turned their back on the need of poor countries, India has taken a position that a significant percentage of the approved doses will be permitted for exports.
    • While its exports to neighbouring counties will be under grant mode, initial shipment of vaccines to least developed countries will be free of cost.
    • Brazil has received 2 million doses of vaccine from India (as of January 23).
    • While India is in its first phase of vaccination to cover health-care workers, exports from India are helping other countries also in initiating phase one of their vaccination programme — a gesture well-appreciated globally.
    • The ability to produce large volumes of vaccine at an affordable cost underlines India’s importance to developing countries when it comes to drug access.

    Need for coordinated global efforts

    • Due to the vaccine nationalism, the arguments of public good and global cooperation have been widely neglected.
    • Nevertheless, India’s approach only reinforces the need of having coordinated global efforts in bringing COVID-19 under control.
    • This response manifests India’s unstinted commitment to global development and has consolidated its name as the world’s pharmacy.

    COVAX Project: Unique case of global cooperation

    • The COVAX project is a global risk-sharing mechanism for pooled procurement and fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
    • It is based on funding from high and middle-income countries.
    • Since high and middle-income countries are buying up large amounts of the vaccine directly from suppliers, the promise by COVAX to deliver 2 billion doses by the end of 2021 seems to face new challenges.
    • Since most of the vaccines are purchased from the global south [specifically, India and China] for developing nations, the COVAX project can draw new pathways for global development.
    • Most of these vaccines are cost-effective and affordable to the global south.

    Consider the question “What is vaccine nationalism? Examine the role played by India against the backdrop of vaccine nationalism.” 

    Conclusion

    The development of vaccines is a classic story of global cooperation between the North and the South. Unfortunately, the increasing nationalist tendencies of the democratic World during the pandemic have challenged the positive narrative on global cooperation.

  • Iran rules out changes to Nuclear Deal

    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ruled out changes to Iran’s nuclear accord with world powers and dismissed calls to broaden the terms of the deal and include regional countries.

    Do you know how the enmity between Iran and the US came into reality?  We hope you have watched the Argo (2012) movie for sure!

    What is the news?

    • The election of Joe Biden, who supports a US return to the agreement, has spurred some expectations of renewed diplomacy.
    • But Rouhani’s refusal puts this possibility at the end.

    The United States since 1979 has applied various economic, trades, scientific and military sanctions against Iran. U.S. economic sanctions are administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

    Iranian Nuclear Agreement

    • The Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is a landmark accord reached between Iran and several world powers, including the US, in July 2015.
    • Under its terms, Iran agreed to dismantle much of its nuclear program and open its facilities to more extensive international inspections in exchange for billions of dollars’ worth of sanctions relief.

    What were the goals of JCPOA?

    • The P5+1 wanted to unwind Iran’s nuclear program to the point that if Tehran decided to pursue a nuclear weapon, it would take at least one year, giving world powers time to respond.
    • Heading into the JCPOA negotiations, U.S. intelligence officials estimated that, in the absence of an agreement, Iran could produce enough nuclear material for a weapon in a few months.

    Who are the participants?

    • The JCPOA, which went into effect in January 2016, imposes restrictions on Iran’s civilian nuclear enrichment program.
    • At the heart of negotiations with Iran were the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US) and Germany—collectively known as the P5+1.
    • The European Union also took part.
    • Prior to the JCPOA, the P5+1 had been negotiating with Iran for years, offering its government various incentives to halt uranium enrichment.

    Disruptions after trump

    • The deal has been in jeopardy since President Donald J. Trump withdrew the US from it in 2018.
    • In response to the U.S. departure, as well as to deadly attacks on prominent Iranians in 2020, including one by the United States, Iran has resumed some of its nuclear activities.

    Why isn’t the deal yet enforced?

    • In April 2020, the United States announced its intention to keep back sanctions.
    • The other P5 members objected to the move, saying the US could not unilaterally implement the mechanism because it left the nuclear deal in 2018.
    • Meanwhile, the wide range of U.S. sanctions unrelated to the nuclear program has added to the damage.

     Iran’s current nuclear activity

    • Iran since Trump’s decisions started exceeding agreed-upon limits to its stockpile of low-enriched uranium.
    • It began enriching uranium to higher concentrations (though still far short of the purity required for weapons).
    • It also began developing new centrifuges to accelerate uranium enrichment; resuming heavy water production at its Arak facility.

    Did you know?

     

    Mined uranium has less than 1 percent of the uranium-235 isotope used in fission reactions, and centrifuges increase that isotope’s concentration. Uranium enriched to 5 percent is used in nuclear power plants, and at 20 percent it can be used in research reactors or for medical purposes. High-enriched uranium, at some 90 percent, is used in nuclear weapons.

  • Maharashtra to introduce ballot papers along with EVMs

    Maharashtra Assembly Speaker has directed the State Law and Justice Department to prepare the draft of a Bill which provides an option to voters to exercise their franchise on ballot papers along with electronic voting machines (EVMs).

    Manner of holding elections

    • Article 328 of the Indian Constitution and number 37 of the State List of the seventh schedule of the Constitution provide rights to the State legislature to formulate a law on the manner of holding elections within the State.
    • The state cannot abolish the EVMs completely.
    • They are just demanding an additional provision of ballot paper as well for whoever wants to use that.
    • Directions have been given to check the constitutional validity of the argument and prepare the draft of a Bill.

    Background

    • The Election Commission has been conducting all elections through EVMs since 2001.
    • The Indian EVM is a direct recording device, which is a stand-alone machine.
    • The Election Commission has clarified several times that Indian EVMs don’t talk to any machine outside its own system – be it through a wired network, internet, satellite, and WiFi or Bluetooth.
    • The EVM is not connected to the server, so cyber hacking of Indian EVMs is not possible unless an authorised person acts with malafide intention.
    • In 2014, a whopping 55.38 crore people cast their votes in EVMs in the parliamentary elections.

    Considerations behind such a move

    • On EVMs, a voter can never be 100% sure about whom he or she has voted and whether that particular candidate has received the vote.
    • It is a right of every voter to be 100% sure about it and also essential for the democratic process.”
    • Over the past few years, serious concerns and doubts had been raised over the EVMs and whether those could be manipulated.
    • The option of ballot voting would boost people’s confidence in the electoral process which would ultimately lead to an increase in voting percentage.

    Q.The EC’s role in ensuring the people’s faith in democracy is paramount. The loss of public faith in democracy and its protector institutions spells nothing but disaster. Discuss.

  • Sri Lanka pushes India out of Colombo Terminal Project

    After the strong opposition from within, the Sri Lankan government was forced to revoke a 2019 agreement with India and Japan to develop the strategic East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port.

    Map Reading: Note all these major ports and try recalling their sequences in the clockwise and counter-clockwise direction.

    What is the news?

    • PM Mahinda Rajapaksa made a statement that the operation of the east terminal would be done by Sri Lanka Ports Authority on its own.
    • Its cabinet has approved a proposal to develop the West Terminal at the Colombo Port as a PPP with India and Japan, which is seen as a bid to compensate India.
    • It is unclear whether India would accept the latest proposal.

    What is the Project?

    • The tripartite agreement, signed by India, Sri Lanka and Japan, proposes to develop the ECT, which is located at the newly expanded southern part of the Colombo Port.
    • The ECT is located 3 km away from the China-backed international financial city, known as Port City, currently being built in Colombo.
    • A Chinese company was behind the controversial 2018 Hambantota port project, signed its first contract in the Port City last month.
    • It is also on the map of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

    India’s reaction

    • A few weeks ago EAM S. Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka where he discussed the development of the stalled project.
    • India’s first response was that the island nation should not be taking a decision in a unilateral manner on an existing tripartite agreement.

    Compensatory offer to India

    • After the decision on revoking the 2019 agreement, SL has approved another proposal to develop the west terminal of the Colombo port with Japan and India.
    • Commercially, the west terminal offer is better for India as it gives 85% stake for developers of the West Terminal against the 49% in ECT.

    Sri Lanka expects India to rethink. Why?

    • Indian response to this compensatory offer is unclear since there was no formal communication by SL authorities.
    • Geo-politically, west terminal is almost the same India considers the security aspect and the necessity to have a port terminal in Sri Lanka.
    • There is no difference between East and West Terminals except for the fact that development of the ECT is partially completed while the development of the West Terminal has to start from scratch.

    SL version of the revocation

    • Incumbent PM Mahinda Rajapaksa said the pressure was immense on the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to cancel the 2019 agreement.
    • The pressure was brewing so much that he was becoming so unpopular among the people.
    • As per the agreement signed by the former Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe administration, India and Japan together were to hold 49% stake in ECT.
    • What had finally made the government surrender before trade unions were the increasing support of many more sections in the society for the protests against privatization.

    The inevitable factor: China

    • This move can be easily interpreted as a reaction to Chinese communication to Sri Lanka.
    • China has reportedly instigated trade unions and civil societies against this project.

    Q.The threat of Chinese presence in South Asia can be tackled more effectively if India changes course in its dealings with its neighbours and becomes more sensitive to their concerns. Critically analyse.

    Outcome: Souring of the ties

    • For India, the strategic ECT project was important. Even the EAM has visited Colombo in January in this regard.
    • Critics of the Sri Lankan government anticipate many national and international impacts surrounding the latest decision on ECT.
    • Meantime, internationally an offended India can make life tough for Sri Lanka, isolating the tiny island nation, geo-politically and on the economic front.
    • The economic isolation will not help Sri Lanka at a time when the country is taking steps to revive the economy amid a pandemic.

  • India Justice Report, 2020

    The second edition of the Indian Justice Report (IJR) was recently launched.

    Note the findings of this report. It is the only such report of its kind published in India.

    India Justice Report

    • The IJR is an initiative of Tata Trusts in collaboration with Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative among others.
    • It was first published in 2019.
    • It brings together otherwise siloed statistics from authoritative government sources, on the four pillars of justice delivery – Police, Judiciary, Prisons and Legal Aid.

    Major highlights of the Report

    • The report highlights stark conclusions when aggregated for an all-India picture.
    • Women comprise only 29 per cent of judges in India.
    • Two-thirds of the country’s prisoners are yet to be convicted.
    • In the last 25 years, since 1995, only 1.5 crore people have received legal aid, though 80 per cent of the country’s population is entitled to.
    • The report gives ranks Maharashtra once again at the top of the 18 large- and mid-sized states (with a population of over one crore each), followed by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Punjab and Kerala.
    • The list of seven small states (population of less than one crore each) was topped by Tripura, followed by Sikkim and Goa.

  • BNO Visas for Hong Kong residents

    Hong Kong residents can apply for a new visa offering them an opportunity to become British citizens after Beijing’s imposition of a national security law last year.

    What is the news?

    • The move comes as China and Hong Kong have said they will no longer recognise the British National Overseas (BNO) passport as a valid travel document from Sunday, January 31.
    • Britain and China have been arguing for months about what London and Washington say is an attempt to silence dissent in Hong Kong after pro-democracy protests in 2019 and 2020.

    What is the British move for citizenship?

    • The scheme, which was first announced last year, allows those with BNO status to live, study and work in Britain for five years and eventually apply for citizenship.
    • BNO is a special status created under British law in 1987that specifically relates to Hong Kong.
    • Britain says it is fulfilling a historic and moral commitment to Hong Kong people after Beijing imposed the security law on the semi-autonomous city.
    • Britain says breaches the terms of agreements under which the colony was handed back to China in 1997.
    • The U.K. government forecasts the new visa could attract more than 300,000 people and their dependants to Britain.

    Chinese stance on the move

    • China says the West’s views on its actions over Hong Kong are clouded by misinformation and an imperial handover.
    • Beijing also said that it would no longer be recognising BN(O) passports, saying that the citizenship offer “seriously infringed” on China’s sovereignty.
    • It is unclear, however, how this could deter Hong Kongers from leaving since city residents are usually known to use Hong Kong passports while leaving for another country.

  • Building a robust healthcare system

    The article focuses on the wide variation across the state in terms of the important health parameters and suggests prioritising health.

    Variation across the states

    • The efficacy of the public health system varies widely across the country since it is a State subject.
    • Public health system can be judged just by looking at certain health parameters such as Infant Mortality Rate, Maternal Mortality Ratio and Total Fertility Rate.
    • In Madhya Pradesh, the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births is as high as 48 compared to seven in Kerala. In U.P. the Maternal Mortality Ratio is 197 compared to Kerala’s 42 and Tamil Nadu’s 63.
    • The northern States are performing very poorly in these vital health parameters.
    • The percentage of deliveries by untrained personnel is very high in Bihar, 190 times that of Kerala.
    • Since health is a State subject, the primary onus lies with the State governments.
    • Each State government must focus on public health and aim to improve the health indicators mentioned above.
    • Unless all the States perform well, there will be no dramatic improvement in the health system.

    Steps needed to be taken

    • The governments — both at the Centre and the Empowered Action Group States — should realise that public health and preventive care is a priority and take steps to bring these States on a par with the southern States.
    • The Government of India has a vital role to play.
    • Public and preventive health should be his focus by holding the Empowered Action Group States accountable to the SDGs.
    • They must be asked to reach the levels of the southern States within three to five years.
    • An important measure that can make a difference is a public health set-up in these States that addresses primary and preventive health.

    Conclusion

    Unless we invest in human capital, FDI will not help.  Investing in health and education is the primary responsibility of any government. It is time the governments — both at the Centre and States — gave health its due importance.

  • Municipal finance reform through Finance Commission recommendations

    Transforming the financial governance of India’s municipalities

    • Interim report of the Fifteenth Finance Commission of India (XV FC) indicates that it could fundamentally transform the financial governance of India’s municipalities.
    • Final report for FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26 is expected to be tabled along with the forthcoming Budget 2021-22.
    • Building on the track record of previous finance commissions, the XV FC Commission has significantly raised the bar on financial governance of India’s municipalities in the interim report in at least four specific ways.

    4 Provisions in the interim report

    1) Increase in the outlay for municipalities

    •  It has set aside Rs 29,000 crore for FY 2020-21 and indicated the intent to raise the share of municipalities in the total grants’ of local bodies including panchayats gradually over the medium term, from the existing 30 per cent to 40 per cent.
    • This could result in the outlay over five years being in the range of Rs 1,50,000-Rs 2,00,000 crore compared to Rs 87,000 crore during the XIV FC period.

    2) Ensuring financial accountability through conditions

    • Two very important entry conditions have been set for any municipality in India to receive FC grants:
    • 1) Publication of audited annual accounts.
    • 2) Notification of floor rates for property tax.
    • These two entry conditions lay strong foundations for financial accountability of municipalities and own revenue enhancement respectively.
    • Similarly, the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan links Rs 50,000 crore of additional borrowing limits for states to reforms in property taxes and user charges for water and sanitation.
    • There is also a thrust on municipal bonds and municipal finance reform conditions under AMRUT.

    3) Distinguishing between million-plus urban agglomerations, and other cities

    • The XV FC has adopted an approach of distinguishing between million-plus urban agglomerations, and other cities.
    • This is well-founded, based on the pattern of urbanisation in India, where 53 million-plus urban agglomerations comprising 250-plus municipalities account for approximately 44 per cent of the total urban population.
    • The remaining 4,250-plus municipalities comprise 56 per cent of the total urban population.
    • Of the remaining 56 per cent, there is a “long tail” of approximately 3,900 municipalities with 33 per cent of the total urban population.
    • The XV FC has now provided for 100 per cent outcome-based funding of approximately Rs 9,000 crore to 50 million-plus urban agglomerations (excluding Union Territories) with specific emphasis on air quality, water supply and sanitation and basic grants to the rest of the cities, with 50 per cent of the end-use tied to water supply and sanitation.
    • For the first time, there is also an acknowledgement of the metropolitan area as a unified theatre of action to solve complex challenges of air quality, water and sanitation, with implicit emphasis on inter-agency coordination.

    4) Common digital platform for municipal accounts

    • The report recommends a common digital platform for municipal accounts, a consolidated view of municipal finances and sectoral outlays at the state level, and digital footprint of individual transactions at source, the FC has broken new ground and demonstrated farsightedness.

    Role of the state governments

    • The ultimate responsibility for municipal finance reforms remains with state governments.
    • Constitutional bodies such as the finance commission can, at best, prepare the ground and provide incentives and disincentives.
    • We need municipal legislation to reflect progressive and enabling financial governance of our cities through five reform agendas:
    • 1) Fiscal decentralisation including strengthening state finance commissions.
    • 2) Revenue optimisation to enhance own revenues.
    • 3) Fiscal responsibility and budget management to accelerate municipal borrowings.
    • 4) Institutional capacities towards an adequately skilled workforce.
    • 5) Transparency and citizen participation (for democratic accountability at the neighbourhood level).
    • The first step needs to be predictable fiscal transfers from state governments to municipalities and other civic agencies on a formula-based approach as against the present practice of ad hoc, discretionary grants.
    • State finance commissions would need to emulate the XV FC and its predecessors, and emerge as credible institutions.
    • State governments need to ensure that state finance commissions are constituted on time, resourced right, and their recommendations taken seriously.

    Consider the questions “Financial governance of our cities faces several challenges. Discuss the reforms that could transform the financial governance of municipalities”

    Conclusion

    The state government must act on these reform agenda and ensure the transformation of financial governance of their municipalities.

  • Centre’s scrutiny of UP’s conversion ban ordinance

    The ordinance on unlawful religious conversions, promulgated by the UP government last year, has not been sent to the Centre for examination, according to a reply from the Union Home Ministry.

    What is the news?

    • The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) examines bills passed by State assemblies that are repugnant with Central laws before they get the President’s assent to become a law.
    • This is done in accordance with Article 213 of the Constitution which provides for an ordinance making power of the Governor of a state.

    What does Article 213 say?

    • Governor of an Indian state draws ordinance making power from Article 21.
    • This Article empowers the Governor to promulgate Ordinance, during the recess of the legislature, if circumstances exist which render it necessary for him to take immediate action.
    • To issue an Ordinance, the Governor must be satisfied with the circumstances that make it necessary for him to take immediate action.
    • All Ordinances promulgated by the Governor in the State have the same effect and force as an Act of Legislature of the State.
    • The Ordinance must be laid before the State Legislature when it reassembles and it must be upheld by the State legislature, failure to which the Ordinance would be invalid.

    Governor CANNOT promulgate an ordinance if:

    1. The Ordinance has the provisions which of embodied in a bill would require President’s sanction.
    2. The Ordinance has the provisions which the governor would reserve as a Bill containing them for the President’s sanction.
    3. If an act of the State Legislature has the same provisions that would be invalid without the assent of the President.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which of the following are the discretionary powers given to the Governor of a State?

    1. Sending a report to the President of India for imposing the President’s rule
    2. Appointing the Ministers
    3. Reserving certain bills passed by the State Legislature for consideration of the President of India
    4. Making the rules to conduct the business of the State Government

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 1 and 3 only

    (c) 2, 3 and 4 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

    Centre’s scrutiny of ordinances

    • MHA sends State bills for inter-ministerial consultation before they get the President’s nod.
    • This is done only when it has repugnancy with central laws, deviates from national or central policy and when it can be challenged for legal and constitutional validity.

    Controversy with UP’s ordinance

    • The controversial ordinance was promulgated in November 2020 and so far more than 90 people, most of them minorities, have been booked.
    • The law makes religious conversion a non-bailable offence, inviting penalties of up to 10 years in prison.
    • It is on the ground if guilty is found to be effected for marriage or through misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or other alleged fraudulent means.
    • According to the Ordinance, in case of conversion done by a woman for the sole purpose of marriage, the marriage would be declared null and void.

    Back2Basics: Ordinance

    • Article 123 of the Constitution of India gives the power and authority to the President of India to issue an ordinance only when both the Houses of Parliament are not in session.
    • In addition, it states that any ordinance can have the same force and effect as a statute of Parliament only if it is laid before both the houses of the Parliament.
    • Further, Ordinance so made will hold good only for the duration of six weeks from the reassembly of Parliament.
    • Article 213 mandates near-identical terms with respect to the ordinances on the subject of State authority.
    • It is understood that the authority to issue ordinances shall be used only to meet the emergent demands arising out of extraordinary situations.