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  • What are Municipal Bonds?

    Bonds issued by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) got listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. It’s the ninth city in the country to raise capital through municipal bonds.

    Find out the rest eight cities issuing Municipal Bonds in India. Do let us know in the comment box.

    What are Municipal Bonds?

    • A municipal bond or muni bond is a debt instrument issued by municipal corporations or associated bodies.
    • These local governmental bodies utilise the funds raised through these bonds to finance projects for socio-economic development through building bridges, schools, hospitals, providing proper amenities to households, et al.
    • Such bonds come with a maturity period of three years, whereby municipal corporations provide returns on these bonds either from property and professional tax collected or from revenues generated from specific projects or both.
    • The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) revised the guidelines related to the issuance of municipal bonds in 2015 in an attempt to enable ULBs or local government bodies to raise finances from such sources.
    • Following this measure, different cities have capitalized on the new guidelines to fund initiatives such as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urbanisation Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities Mission.

    Their types

    There are primarily two types of municipal bonds in India, categorised as per their usage. These are –

    (1) General Obligation Bonds

    • These are issued to raise finances for general projects such as improving the infrastructure of a region.
    • Repayment of the bond, along with interest, is processed through revenue generated from different projects and taxes.

    (2) Revenue Bonds

    • These are issued to raise finance for specific projects, such as the construction of a particular building.
    • Repayment of such bonds (principal and accrued interest) shall be paid through revenues explicitly generated from the declared projects.

    Advantages of such Bonds

    There are multiple advantages of investing in municipal bonds which include –

    (1)Transparency

    Municipal bonds that are issued to the public are rated by renowned agencies such as CRISIL, which allows investors transparency regarding the credibility of the investment option.

    (2)Tax benefits

    In India, municipal bonds are exempted from taxation if the investor conforms to certain stipulated rules. In addition to such conformation, interest rates generated on such investment tools are also exempt from taxation policy.

    (3) Minimal risk

    Municipal bonds are issued by municipal authorities, implying involvement of minimal risk with these securities.

    Their limitations

    The disadvantages of municipal bonds are enumerated below –

    (1) Long maturity period

    • Municipal bonds come with a lock-in period of three years, imposing a burden on the liquidity requirements of investors.

    (2) Low-interest rates

    • Even though interest rates on municipal bonds, in some cases, are higher than other debt instruments, these rates are considerably low when compared to returns from market-linked financial instruments such as equity shares.

  • HL-2M Tokamak: The Artificial Sun of China

    China successfully powered up its “artificial sun” nuclear fusion reactor for the first time marking a great advance in the country’s nuclear power research capabilities.

    Scratch your school basics to answer this PYQ:

    Q.The known forces of nature can be divided into four classes, viz, gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force.

    With reference to them, which one of the following statements is not correct? (CSP 2012)

    (a) Gravity is the strongest of the four

    (b) Electromagnetism act only on particles with an electric charge

    (c) Weak nuclear force causes radioactivity

    (d) Strong nuclear force holds protons and neutrons inside the nuclear of an atom.

    HL-2M Tokamak

    • The HL-2M Tokamak reactor is China’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device.
    • The mission is named Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST).
    • Located in Sichuan province and completed late last year, the reactor is often called an “artificial sun” on account of the enormous heat and power it produces.
    • It uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma and can reach temperatures of over 150 million degrees Celsius- approximately ten times hotter than the core of the sun.
    • Scientists hope that the device can potentially unlock a powerful clean energy source.

    Back2Basics: Nuclear Fusion

    • Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles (neutrons or protons).
    • Fusion is the process by which the sun and other stars generate light and heat. It is a nuclear process, where energy is produced by smashing together light atoms.
    • It is the opposite reaction of fission, where heavy elements like Uranium and Thorium are split apart.

    Nuclear Fusion Reaction

    • For a nuclear fusion reaction to occur, it is necessary to bring two nuclei so close that nuclear forces become active and glue the nuclei together.
    • Nuclear forces are small-distance forces and have to act against the electrostatic forces where positively charged nuclei repel each other.
    • This is the reason nuclear fusion reactions occur mostly in high density, high-temperature environment (millions of degree Celsius) which is practically very difficult to achieve under laboratory conditions.

  • [pib] The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)

    The Ministry of Science & Technology has inaugurated the 2nd Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) 2020 Conference.

    Do you know?

    According to the World Cancer Report by the WHO, one in 10 Indians develops cancer during their lifetime and one in 15 dies of the disease!

    The Cancer Genome Atlas

    • The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is a landmark project started in 2005 by the US-based National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).
    • The idea was to make a catalogue of the genetic mutations that cause cancer.
    • This meant collecting tumour samples and blood samples (known as the germline) from patients and processing them using gene sequencing and bioinformatics.
    • The TCGA is a continuing effort even after fifteen years and has generated over 2.5 petabytes of data for over 11,000 patients.
    • This data is available to researchers all around the world and has been used to develop new approaches to diagnose, treat and prevent cancer.

    Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA)

    • On similar lines, the establishment of an ICGA has been initiated by a consortium of key stakeholders in India led by CSIR in which several government agencies, cancer hospitals, academic institutions and private sector partners.
    • It is aimed at improving clinical outcomes in cancer and other chronic diseases.

    Why need such Atlas?

    • Diverse molecular mechanisms- including genetic and lifestyle factors contribute to cancer, posing significant challenges to treatment.
    • Therefore, it is necessary to better understand the underlying factors- patient by patient.
    • In this context, it is important to create an indigenous, open-source and comprehensive database of molecular profiles of all cancer prevalent in Indian population.

  • Operation Trident and its significance

    Every year, India celebrates December 4 as Navy Day to commemorate Operation Trident – a key offensive during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. This year, it is the 50th anniversary of the victory in the 1971 War.

    This newscard is crucial for the CAPF aspirants. It hardly holds any importance for CS prelims. But the grit, glory and honour of our armed forces is a matter of pride that every CS aspirants should know.

    Operation Trident

    • The India-Pakistan War of 1971 had begun on December 3, when the Pakistan Air Force launched pre-emptive strikes on airfields in Western India.
    • Following the Battle of Longewala, the Indian Navy inflicted heavy damage on Pakistani vessels in Karachi harbour.
    • India responded by formally declaring war in the wee hours of December 4.
    • On December 4, under Operation Trident, the Indian Navy sank three vessels near the Pakistani port city of Karachi.
    • The Indian Air Force also played a crucial role, when Karachi’s Kemari oil tanks were strafed by the IAF on the same day in an independent operation which it did not claim.

  • Places in news: Bhashan Char Island

    Bangladesh has transported more than 1,600 Rohingya refugees to a low-lying island in the first phase of a controversial planned relocation of 1,00,000 people.

    Can you see, what the so-called champions of tolerance and human rights doing to the refugees in their own country!

    Bhashan Char Island

    • Bhasan Char also known as Char Piya, is an island in Hatiya, Bangladesh.
    • Located 34 kilometres (21 miles) from the mainland, its name in Bengali means “floating island.”
    • The island was formed with Himalayan silt in 2006 spanning 40 square kilometres.
    • It is underwater from June to September annually because of the monsoon, and it has no flood fences.
    • In June 2015, the Bangladeshi government suggested resettling Rohingya refugees on the island under its Ashrayan Project.
    • The proposal was characterized by the UN Refugee Agency as “logistically challenging”.

    Extraditing to another hell

    • Bhashan Char is a flood-prone island that emerged from the sea 20 years ago.
    • The refugees had been coerced into going to this flood-prone island which is also vulnerable to frequent cyclones.
    • This compact island is too small to occupy and nurture the Rohingya population and there is chronic overcrowding in camps.

  • [Burning Issue] Inter-faith Marriages and Related Issues

    Dr. B R Ambedkar, in his lecture “Castes in India” in 1916 –

    “One of the most intrinsic characteristics of the caste system is endogamy, which prohibits marriage outside of caste and the maintenance of caste in India is premised on the enforcement of strict endogamy.“

    Discourse on interfaith marriages in India at present involves diverse narratives ranging from opposition and resistance to acceptance.

    Forced religious conversions for interfaith marriages cases are widely seen in news these days. And many states are attempting to ban religious conversion for the sole purpose of marriage. The state of Uttar Pradesh has seen its first arrest under the new ordinance so passed.

    What is Inter-faith Marriage?

    • Interfaith marriage, sometimes called a “mixed marriage”, is marriage between spouses professing different religions.
    • For individuals who choose interfaith marriage, love is their sole motivation and relationship is generally viewed in terms of individual compatibility.

    Interfaith Marriages in India

    • The right to marry is a part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
    • It is a universal right and it is available to everyone irrespective of their gender.
    • A forced marriage is illegal and is invalidated in different personal laws on marriage in India, with the right to marry recognized under various religious laws.

    Provisions for such marriages

    • The Special Marriage Act, 1954 (SMA) was enacted to facilitate the marriage of couples professing different faiths, and preferring a civil wedding.
    • However, some practical problems arise in registering such marriages.
    • The law’s features on prior public notice being given and objections for the safety and privacy of those intending to marry across religions.
    • To overcome this, many settle for marriage under the personal law of one of them, with the other opting for religious conversion.

    Core Issue: Religious Conversions

    Religious conversion is one of the most heated issues under interfaith marriage. There are various reasons for which people do convert their religion like:

    • Voluntary Conversions i.e. conversions by free choice or because of change of beliefs
    • Forceful Conversions i.e. conversions by coercion, undue influence or inducement
    • Marital Conversions i.e. conversions due to marriage
    • Conversion for convenience

    The larger Constitutional issue

    (A) Article 21

    • Many high courts across India have ruled that- an individual’s right to marry a person of his or her choice is a fundamental right that cannot be denied on the basis of caste or religion by anybody.
    • In the Hadiya Case (2016), the Supreme Court had ruled that the right to marry a person of one’s choice is integral to Article 21 (right to life and liberty) of the Constitution.

    (B) Article 25

    • Article 25 talks about the term “propagate” which means to promote or transmit or merely freedom of expression.
    • The question of whether ‘right to convert’ comes under the ambit of ‘right to propagate any religion’ holds fundamental importance to determine the constitutionality of anti-conversion laws.
    • There is no expressed provision for ‘conversion’ in the Indian Constitution but there are proponents whose contention is in the favour that right to conversion is implicit under Article 25 which emerges from freedom of conscience.

    (C) Rights of women

    • Any individual has the absolute right to choose a life partner and this cannot be affected by matters of faith.
    • Again, the perception of such marriages is considered okay for males but not for females.
    • This indicates gendered responses of the society towards such marriages.

    Furore over interfaith marriage

    Religious conversion has emerged as the practical way to cohabit as a couple, in a country where neither the inter-faith, inter-caste nor the live-in couples can earn societal approval.

    • As per some Personal laws, in order to get married conversion of religion to get equalized is the only way.
    • There are cases of being allegedly lured and honey-trapped by men and those girls now seeking their help to free themselves.
    • Interfaith marriages these days are believed to be a forced conversion of the women spouses.
    • Fundamentalists’ claims that men of a particular religion are trained on the intricacies of religious doctrine to allure other religion women for marriage in an attempt to finish off her religion.

    States narrative against interfaith marriages

    • Uttar Pradesh is the latest state to implement a law against forceful inter-faith conversions for marriage, amid similar steps by other states. Its proposed law defines punishment and fine for three different cases.
    1. Conversion is done though “misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means” would face a jail term of one to 5 years, and a minimum fine of Rs 15,000.
    2. Conversion of a minor, a woman from the SC or ST would have to face a jail term from three to 10 years, with a minimum fine of Rs 25,000.
    3. If such conversion is found at the mass level, then those guilty would face a jail term from three to 10 years, with a minimum fine of Rs 50,000.
    • It proposes among other things that a marriage will be declared “shunya” (null and void) if the “sole intention” of the same is to “change a girl’s religion”.

    Such legislations are archaic because,

    • In the K.S. Puttuswamy or ‘privacy’ judgment, the Supreme Court had already clarified that any interference by the State in an adult’s right to love and marry has a “chilling effect” on freedoms.
    • The choice of a life partner, whether by marriage or outside it, is part of an individual’s “personhood and identity”, the apex court has held.
    • In the Lata Singh case, the top court recognised the country is going through a “crucial transformational period”.
    • It said the “Constitution will remain strong only if we accept the plurality and diversity of our culture”.

    Arguements by the States

    • It is accused that interfaith marriages often induce “undue influence”, “allurement” and “coercion” for religious conversions.
    • Often, negotiations and accommodation post-marriage involve the issue of identity and its expression in the family.
    • The recent murder of 20-year-old college girl by her stalker is a case in point. She was shot in the head from point-blank range. Matters came to head after she had filed a molestation complaint against the stalker month’s back, who was pressuring her to convert and marry him.
    • It translates as violence against women’s autonomy.

    Societal Response and Threats

    • The couple faces societal norms against their alliances that are sometimes labelled as immoral, unholy or acts based on lust.
    • It brings up the aspect of women as symbols of honour and ‘honour killings’ as one of the societal responses to interfaith marriages.
    • Response to such alliances may also go to the extent of killings and ex-communication of individuals (by Khap Panchayats) who attempt to cross their community’s boundaries.
    • Interfaith marriages also pose an ideological dilemma to different religious groups.
    • On the one hand, different religions promote the philosophy of acceptance and concern for fellow human beings, and on the other hand, there is rigidity in the process of marriage.

    Arguments in favour of such marriages

    • Interfaith marriages have the potential to build a strong base for community-level changes towards greater sensitivity and acceptance among different faiths/religions.
    • These marriages reflect the ‘genuine extent of heterogeneity’ in society, promote pluralism and diminish ‘ideological monopoly’ of different religions.

    A sole matter of individual rights

    • Ironically, interfaith marriages themselves are fairly common in India.
    • The freedom of decision of his/ her marriage shall lie with the person only. The need is to accept the fact.
    • Prohibition deprives a woman of her agency and, in effect, controls female sexuality.
    • There are many high profile examples in fields such as the arts, sports, journalism, and business as well as politics.

    Conclusion

    • Marriage is an extremely personal affair. The right to marry a person of one’s choice or to choose one’s partner is an aspect of constitutional liberty as well as privacy.
    • The issue of conversion can be resolved by actually agreeing to not convert.
    • Marriage done solely for the purpose of conversion and conversion by misrepresentation, force, fraud, undue influence, inducement, allurement should be discouraged.
    • In short, we should be focusing on dismantling the barriers of religion, caste and other divisions rather than bring up more barriers in these endeavours as is the attempt now.

    References

    Religious Conversion and freedom of religion

    https://thediplomat.com/2020/11/push-to-legislate-interfaith-marriages-sparks-backlash-in-india/

    https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-a-2013-study-revealed-about-interfaith-marriages-6742991/

    https://www.deccanherald.com/specials/sunday-spotlight/why-we-can-t-have-laws-curtailing-the-right-to-marry-918518.html

    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2393861717730620

    UP Law against Forceful Inter-Faith Marriage and Conversions

  • In farmers’ protests, the core is procurement

     

    Context

    • Farmers’ protests have erupted once again in north India, their main worry is about a possible withdrawal of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and a dismantling of the public procurement of grains.

    Why farmers in Punjab and Haryana are protesting

    • Farmers in Punjab and Haryana are heavily dependent on public procurement and assured price through MSP.
    • Nearly 88% of the paddy production and 70% of the wheat production in Punjab and Haryana (in 2017-18 and 2018-19) has been absorbed through public procurement [Food Grains Bulletin and Agricultural Statistics at a Glance, Government of India].
    • In contrast, in the other major paddy States such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, only 44% of the rice production is procured by public agencies.
    •  In the major wheat States of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, only 23% of the production is procured by public agencies.

    Government needs to continue procurement

    • If farmers of Punjab and Haryana need the procurement system, the government needs it even more.
    • This is because of its obligations under the PDS and the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
    • Support under the NFSA is a legal and rights-based entitlement.
    • There are nearly 80 crore NFSA beneficiaries and an additional eight crore migrants who need to be supported under the PDS.
    • In the last three years, nearly 40% of the total paddy production in the country and 32% of wheat production has been procured by public agencies to supply the PDS.
    • Thus, the government has little option but to continue its procurement from these States in the foreseeable future.

    Way forward

    • Therefore, it is imperative that the government reaches out to the farmer groups and assures them of the indispensability of MSP-procurement system.
    • The government needs to start this initiative immediately to allay their legitimate concerns.
    • Two of the major limitations in the laws that need to be addressed immediately:
    • 1) The absence of a regulatory mechanism to ensure fair play by private players vis-à-vis farmers.
    • 2) The lack of transparency in trade area transactions.

    Conclusion

    The severe trust deficit that resulted from the way the Farm Bills have been rushed through needs to be addressed by adopting a conciliatory approach towards farmers and the States.

  • Personal choices, the Constitution’s endurance

    The order delivered by the Allahabad High Court underlines the most cherished values of our Constitution. The order examines the scope of individual choice and personal liberty on the touchstone of constitutional values.

    Background

    • The Allahabad High Court declared last month that religious conversions, even when made solely for the purposes of marriage, constituted a valid exercise of a person’s liberties.
    • The petitioners had approached the High Court seeking orders to quash a First Information Report (FIR) that was lodged against them.
    • The petitioners claimed that they were both adults competent to contract a marriage, and had, in fact, wedded in August 2019, as per Muslim rites and ceremonies, only after the girl had converted to Islam.
    • The State argued that petitioner’s partnership had no sanctity in the law, because a conversion with a singular aim of getting married was illegitimate.
    • In making this argument, the government relied on a pair of judgments of the Allahabad High Court, in particular on the judgment in Noor Jahan v. State of U.P. (2014).
    • There, the High Court had held that a conversion by an individual to Islam was valid only when it was predicated on a “change of heart” and on an “honest conviction” in the tenets of the newly adopted religion.
    • Additionally, the High Court had ruled that the burden to prove the validity of a conversion was on the party professing the act.

    Major takeaways from the High Court order

    • The Allahabad High Courtruled that the freedom to live with a person of one’s choice is intrinsic to the fundamental right to life and personal liberty.
    • It order recognises that a person’s freedom is not conditional on the caste, creed or religion that her partner might claim to profess.
    • And also that every person had an equal dominion over their own senses of conscience.
    • The High Court’s order makes it clear that it is neither the province of the state nor any other individual to interfere with a person’s choice of partner or faith.
    • By invoking the Supreme Court’s judgment in Puttaswamy, the High Court held that an individual’s ability to control vital aspects of her life inheres in her right to privacy.
    • Term privacy includes the preservation of decisional autonomy, on matters, among other things, of “personal intimacies, the sanctity of family life, marriage, procreation, the home, and sexual orientation”.
    •  It Court that the judgment in Noor Jahan was incorrectly delivered.
    • Marriage, the High Court said, is a matter of choice, and every adult woman has a fundamental right to choose her own partner. 

    Freedom of conscience under Article 25

    • Article 25 of the Constitution expressly protects the choices that individuals make.
    • In addition to the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion, it guarantees to every person the freedom of conscience.
    • The idea of protecting one’s freedom of conscience goes beyond mere considerations of religious faith.

    Conclusion

    When we fail to acknowledge and respect the most intimate and personal choices that people make — choices of faith and belief, choices of partners — we undermine the most basic principles of dignity. Our Constitution’s endurance depends on our ability to respect these decisions, to grant to every person an equal freedom of conscience.

  • Trade-offs for growth revival: Why India’s policymakers need a new roadmap

    The article weighs in the policy options with the Indian policymakers to revive the India economy. This leads to the trilemma of managing the exchange rate, controlling the inflation and maintaining the capital account open all at the same time.

    A brief overview of 1991 economic reforms

    • The crisis in 1991 was centred on the balance-of-payments.
    • Allowing the Indian rupee to fall from an artificially high level  was a key part of the solution.
    • Since the reforms, the Indian rupee has steadily depreciated, roughly according to a market-determined equilibrium.
    • Extraordinarily high tariff barriers were reduced, allowing for welfare gains from greater international trade.
    • Reforms of the domestic economy that increased market orientation was, in some sense, opportunistically combined with these externally-oriented measures.

    What should be India’s foreign economic policy

    • In terms of connections to the rest of the world, however, it is less clear what the right policy mix should be.
    • We can think of three types of international flows: labour, goods and services, and capital.

    1) Internation flow of Indian labour

    • India has benefited from being able to send workers with a variety of skills to different types of economies: construction workers and nurses in the Persian Gulf, software engineers in the US, and so on.
    • Direct benefits came from large remittances back to India.
    • The pandemic and US immigration policy, have had some major impacts on this international connectivity, but new vaccines and a change in the US president are likely to reverse these shocks.
    • In any case, there is not much that Indian policymakers can do or need to do on this front.

    2) Trade in Goods and Service

    • India has been able to grow its exports, both in a variety of agricultural and manufactured commodities and in services, from software services to tourism.
    • It has been reasonably competitive in a range of goods and services.
    • It was only in the last few years, even before the pandemic, have Indian exports struggled to register growth.
    • Whereas the export powerhouses of East Asia consistently ran surpluses on the current account of the balance of payments, India has mostly run deficits, albeit manageable ones.

    3) Capital Flow: Area where policymakers have option

    • Current account deficits have to be covered somehow, though various forms of foreign capital.
    • Whereas economic theory and economic policymakers mostly agree on the benefits of international trade in goods and services there is less of a consensus on the benefits of international capital flows.
    • Capital flows can raise fears of instability if they are reversed, or make exports less competitive if they push up the value of the rupee. 
    • The country is a relatively attractive destination for foreign capital, both FDI and portfolio investment.
    • But, these flows can make Indian exports less competitive if the rupee appreciates too much, requiring domestic demand to do more of the work of absorbing increased output.

    Lesson from Japan

    • Right now, India is trying to build its manufacturing capacity by raising tariffs, in an old-style push for import substitution.
    • It is also providing direct incentives, such as the new scheme rewarding increases in production.
    • Arguably, this did work in Japan in the 1960s, but it is not clear if India is well-off enough to sustain that domestic strategy.
    • In addition, the lack of competitive discipline exporting can hinder the achievement of acceptable quality levels.

    Way forward

    • Capital controls to some extent can help mitigate the risk in this situation.
    • The Reserve Bank of India do more to keep the rupee at competitive levels, by accumulating foreign exchange reserves.

    Consider the question “In terms of links with the rest of the global economy, it is less clear what the right policy mix should be. Do you agree with the view that focus on simultaneously managing the exchange rate and domestic inflation while maintaining an open capital account would help in the revival of India’s economic growth

    Conclusion

    Lurking under the surface of these issues is the trilemma of being unable to simultaneously manage the exchange rate and domestic inflation while maintaining an open capital account, although foreign exchange reserves provide a way of softening the trade-offs. These are not new challenges, but they will need to be a focus for India’s policymakers as they seek renewed economic growth.

    Source:-

    https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/trade-offs-for-growth-revival-why-indias-policymakers-need-a-new-roadmap/2142900/

  • India’s Population with Disabilities

    December 3 is marked by the UN as International Day of Persons with Disabilities in a bid to promote a more inclusive and accessible world for the differently-abled and to raise awareness for their rights.

    Try this question from our AWE initiative:

    What are the legal provisions and policy initiatives in India for the welfare of persons with disabilities? What are the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in India? 10 marks

    Disability in India

    • About 2.2% of India’s population lives with some kind of physical or mental disability, as per the National Statistics Office report on disability released last year.

    How are the disabled identified?

    • Until the 2011 census, there were questions on seven kinds of disabilities in the questionnaire.
    • This list of disabilities was expanded to 21 when the Rights of People with Disabilities was introduced in 2016.
    • Accordingly, the 2019 report included questions to identify people with temporary loss of ability as well as neurological and blood disorders in addition.
    • The earlier definition included mental retardation and permanent inability to move, speak, hear and see.
    • Significantly, the revised definition recognizes deformities and injuries of acid attack victims as disabilities, entitling them to various relief measures.

    Who are disabled and in what way?

    • Rural men had the highest prevalence of disability in India, according to the NSO report.
    • A higher proportion of men were disabled in India compared with women, and disability was more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas.
    • Inability to move without assistance was the most common disability. More men experienced locomotor disability than women.
    • These numbers were self-reported. In other words, the respondents were asked if they experienced any difficulty in performing tasks like moving, talking, etc.

    Are these measures in line with those from other surveys?

    • The 2011 census estimated that the number of people with disabilities in India is close to 2.68 crore (or 2.2% of the population) — that is more than the entire population of Australia.
    • This number was based on the older definition of disability, yet the proportion of disabled people in the population is not different from the 2019 NSO report, which used the expanded definition of disability.
    • Other metrics for evaluating disability have provided different estimates.
    • A group of doctors from AIIMS found that alternate questionnaires like the Rapid Assessment of Disability have resulted in a prevalence ranging from 1.6%-43.3%.

    How can the range be so wide?

    • The proportion of population facing disability becomes bigger as one move from a narrow definition to a broader one.
    • For instance, if one defines disability as the difficulty in accessing public services for all kinds of reasons, even social or economic, then the proportion goes up.

    Why is it important to map disabled people?

    • Like other disadvantaged groups, the disabled in India are entitled to some benefits, ranging from reservation in educational institutes to concessions on railway tickets.
    • To claim these benefits, they have to furnish certificates as proof of disability.
    • At the macro level, data on the prevalence and type of disability is useful while making allocations for welfare schemes.

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