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Subject: Governance

Important aspects of Society

  • What are PM Shri Schools?

    Union Education Ministry is planning to set up “PM Shri Schools”.

    PM Shri Schools

    • PM Shri Schools will be the laboratory of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
    • They will be fully equipped to prepare students for the future.

    Likely features of these schools

    • It could imbibe 5+3+3+4 (to replace the 10+2 schooling system) approach of NEP covering pre-school to secondary, emphasis on ECCE, teacher training & adult education.
    • There will be an integration of skill development with school education and prioritising learning in mother tongue which are steps for preparing global citizens of the 21st century.
    • Since the NEP 2020 also increases the span of the Right to Education Act, it will now cover ages 3 to 18.

    Explained: 5+3+3+4 Schooling System

    • As per the new school education system of 5+3+3+4 outlined in NEP 2020, children will spend 5 years in the Foundational stage, 3 years in the Preparatory stage, 3 years in the Middle stage, and 4 years in the Secondary stage.
    • The division of stages has been made in line with the kind of cognitive development stages that a child goes through early childhood, school years, and secondary stage.
    • Here is the age-wise breakdown of the different levels of the new school education system:

    (1) 5 years of Foundational stage:

    For ages: 3 to 8, For classes: Anganwadi/pre-school, class 1, class 2

    • The foundational stage of education as per the national education policy will comprise 3 years or preschool or anganwadi education followed by two years of primary classes (classes 1 and 2).
    • This stage will focus on teaching in play-based or activity-based methods and on the development of language skills.

    (2) 3 years of Preparatory stage:

    For ages: 8 to 11, For classes: 3 to 5

    • The focus in the preparatory stage will remain on language development and numeracy skills.
    • Here, the method of teaching and learning would be play and activity-based, and also include classroom interactions and the element of discovery.

    (3) 3 years of Middle stage:

    For ages: 11 to 14, For classes: 6 to 8

    • As per NEP 2020, this stage of school education will focus on critical learning objectives, which is a big shift from the rote learning methods used in our education system for years.
    • This stage will work on experiential learning in the sciences, mathematics, arts, social sciences and humanities.

    (4) 4 years of Secondary stage:

    For ages: 14 to 18, For classes: 9 to 12

    • This stage will cover two phases classes 9 and 10, and classes 11 and 12.
    • The main change in these classes is the shift to a multidisciplinary system where students will have access to a variety of subject combinations that they can choose as per their skills and interest areas instead of being strictly divided into Arts, Science and Commerce categories.
    • This stage will again push for greater critical thinking and flexibility in the thought process.

     

     

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  • The Digital India transformation

    Context

    Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a telling observation about his idea of India: “… every Indian must have a smartphone in his hand and every field must be covered by a drone”.

    Digital India program and its impact

    • Digital India solved some of the most difficult problems the country had been facing for decades.
    • The Jan-Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity has ensured that the poorest receive every penny of their entitled benefits.
    • Financial benefits worth nearly Rs 23 lakh crore have been transferred using DBT technology in the last eight years.
    • This has led to savings of Rs 2.22 lakh crore of public money.
    • Leveraging the power of drones and GIS technologies, SVAMITVA Yojana is providing digital land records to the rightful owners
    • Digital inclusion: The inclusive character of Digital India not only makes it a unique initiative but also reflects our core philosophy of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas”.

    Digital transformation in India

    • India today is home to more than 75 crore smartphones, 133 crore Aadhaar cards, more than 80 crore internet users, has 4G and is now accelerating towards 5G.
    • It has among the lowest data tariffs in the world.
    • Digital technology must be low-cost, developmental, inclusive, and substantially home-grown and it should bridge the digital divide and usher in digital inclusion.
    • The digital ecosystem was also useful in tackling the challenge of the pandemic.
    • To provide high-speed broadband to all the villages, optical fibre has been laid in 1.83 lakh gram panchayats under Bharat Net.
    • CSCs: There were only 80,000 Common Service Centers (CSCs) in 2014, which is an entity under the Ministry of Electronics and IT headed by Secretary IT, for providing assisted delivery of digital services to common citizens offering only a few services. Today, there are nearly four lakh CSCs.
    • Fintech innovation ecosystem: India has emerged as the fastest-growing ecosystem for fintech innovations. 
    • This was made possible due to innovative digital payment products like UPI and Aadhaar-Enabled Payment Systems (AEPS).
    • Startup ecosystem: India has more than 61,400 startups as of March 2022, making it the third-largest startup ecosystem after the US and China.
    • With nearly 14,000 startups getting recognized during 2021-22, 555 districts of India had at least one new startup as per the Economic Survey 2022.

    Atmanirbharta in electronic manufacturing

    • With initiatives like Modified Special Incentive Scheme (MSIPS), Electronics Manufacturing Cluster, National Policy on Electronics 2019, Electronics Development Fund, Production Linked Incentive (PLI) and Scheme for Promotion of Electronics Components and Semiconductors (SPECS), India is moving towards self-reliance in the field of electronics manufacturing.
    • The value of electronics manufacturing in India has touched $75 billion in 2020-21 from $29 billion in 2014.
    • Indian companies have developed their own 4G and 5G technologies.

    Conclusion

    Digital India’s motto – “Power to Empower” — is truly living up to its goals and expectations. The success of Digital India only confirms that it has a robust future in India’s development.

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  • Back in news: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)

    A national helpline for women deserted in Non-Resident Indian (NRI) marriages and the need for a dedicated fund to provide assistance to them are among the recommendations made at a consultation organized by the National Commission for Women (NCW).

    What are the issues faced by NRI wives?

    • Abandon after marriage
    • Inconclusive divorces filed abroad
    • Child custody disputes

    Classification of Overseas Indians

    Overseas Indians, officially known as Non-resident Indians (NRIs) or Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), are people of Indian birth, descent or origin who live outside the Republic of India:

    (A) Non-Resident Indian (NRI)

    • Strictly asserting non-resident refers only to the tax status of a person who, as per section 6 of the Income-tax Act of 1961, has not resided in India for a specified period for the purposes of the Act.
    • The rates of income tax are different for persons who are “resident in India” and for NRIs.

    (B) Person of Indian Origin (PIO)

    Person of Indian Origin (PIO) means a foreign citizen (except a national of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and/or Nepal), who:

    • at any time held an Indian passport OR
    • either of their parents/grandparents/great-grandparents were born and permanently resident in India as defined in GoI Act, 1935 and other territories that became part of India thereafter provided neither was at any time a citizen of any of the aforesaid countries OR
    • is a spouse of a citizen of India or a PIO.

    (C) Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

    • After multiple efforts by leaders across the Indian political spectrum, a pseudo-citizenship scheme was established, the “Overseas Citizenship of India”, commonly referred to as the OCI card.
    • The Constitution of India does not permit full dual citizenship.
    • The OCI card is effectively a long-term visa, with restrictions on voting rights and government jobs.

     

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  • Questioning the Safety of Aadhaar

    Two days after issuing an advisory asking people to refrain from sharing photocopies of their Aadhaar Card, the Unique Identification Development Authority of India (UIDAI) opted to withdraw the notification.

    UIDAI Advisory

    • The withdrawn notice had suggested holders use a masked Aadhaar card instead of the conventional photocopy.
    • It added that the document must not be downloaded from a cybercafe or public computer and if done for some reason, must be permanently deleted from the system.
    • Private entities like hotels or film halls cannot collect or keep copies of the identification document.

    What is Masked Aadhaar?

    • ‘Masked Aadhaar’ veils the first eight digits of the twelve-digit ID with ‘XXXX’ characters.
    • The notice informed that only entities possessing a ‘User Licence’ are permitted to seek Aadhaar for authentication purposes.

    Why in news now?

    • In July 2018, Telecom Regulatory of India’s Chairman tweeted his Aadhaar number challenging users to “cause him any harm”.
    • In response, users dug up his mobile number, PAN number, photographs, residential address and date of birth.
    • UIDAI dismissed assertions of any data leak, arguing that most of the data was publicly available.
    • It did however caution users from publicly sharing their Aadhaar numbers.

    Security of Aadhaar: What does the law say?

    • The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 makes it clear.
    • Aadhaar authentication is necessary for availing subsidies, benefits and services that are financed from the Consolidated Fund of India.
    • In the absence of Aadhaar, the individual is to be offered an alternate and viable means of identification to ensure she/he is not deprived of the same.
    • Separately, Aadhaar has been described as a preferred KYC (Know Your Customer) document but not mandatory for opening bank accounts, acquiring a new SIM or school admissions.
    • The requesting entity would have to obtain the consent of the individual before collecting his/her identity.
    • The entity must ensure that the information is only used for authentication purposes on the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR).

    What is CIDR?

    • This centralised database contains all Aadhaar numbers and holder’s corresponding demographic and biometric information.
    • UIDAI responds to authentication queries with a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
    • In some cases, basic KYC details (as name, address, photograph etc.) accompany the verification answer ‘Yes’.
    • The regulator does not receive or collect the holder’s bank, investment or insurance details.

    Protection of confidentiality

    • The Act makes it clear that confidentiality needs to be maintained and the authenticated information cannot be used for anything other than the specified purpose.
    • More importantly, no Aadhaar number (or enclosed personal information) collected from the holder can be published, displayed or posted publicly.
    • Identity information or authentication records would only be liable to be produced pursuant to an order of the High Court or Supreme Court, or by someone of the Secretary rank or above in the interest of national security.

    Is identity theft via Aadhaar possible?

    • As per the National Payment Corporation of India’s (NCPI) data, ₹6.48 crore worth of financial frauds through 8,739 transactions involving 2,391 unique users took place in FY 2021-22.
    • Since the inception of the UID project, institutions and organisations have endowed greater focus on linking their databases with Aadhaar numbers.
    • This include bank accounts especially in light of the compulsory linkage for direct benefit transfer schemes.

    Structural problems with UIDAI

    • The Aadhaar Data Vault is where all numbers collected by authentication agencies are centrally stored.
    • Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s (CAG) latest report stipulated that UIDAI has not specified any encryption algorithm (as of October 2020) to secure the same.
    • There is no mechanism to illustrate that the entities were adhering to appropriate procedures.
    • Further, UIDAI’s unstable record with biometric authentication has not helped it with de-duplication efforts, the process that ensures that each Aadhaar Number generated is unique.
    • The CAG’s reported stated that apart from the issue of multiple Aadhaars to the same resident, there have been instances of the same biometric data being accorded to multiple residents.

    Conclusion

    • The CAG concluded it was “not effective enough” in detecting the leakages and plugging them.
    • Biometric authentications can be a cause of worry, especially for disabled and senior citizens with both the iris and fingerprints dilapidating.
    • Though the UIDAI has assured that no one would be deprived of any benefits due to biometric authentication failures.
    • The absence of an efficient technology could serve as poignant premise for frauds to make use of their ‘databases’.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    1. Aadhaar metadata cannot be stored for more than three months.
    2. State cannot enter into any contract with private corporations for sharing of Aadhaar data.
    3. Aadhaar is mandatory for obtaining insurance products.
    4. Aadhaar is mandatory for getting benefits funded out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 and 4 only

    (b) 2 and 4 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3 only

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”m9l8xajnd2″ question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

     

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  • E-governance

    Context

    There are several reforms and governance initiatives that have successfully steered India to its current strength.

    Contribution of Digital India program

    • A report carding of Digital India’s performance shows impressive progress.
    • Thus far, the government has transferred more than Rs 17 lakh crore through DBT while saving Rs 2.2 lakh crore.
    • Today, India has the world’s fastest-growing and most vibrant startup ecosystem with close to 70,000 registered startups and around 100 unicorns, with a unicorn coming up every week.
    • GST regime: Thanks to the most significant reform in indirect taxation through the GST and tax compliance, India has registered its highest ever collections.
    • Revenue increased from Rs 22 lakh crore in FY 21 to Rs 27 lakh crore in FY 22 — a whopping 22 per cent growth.
    • Role in India’s response to pandemic: Digital India played a significant role in India’s response to the pandemic.
    • It ensured that the government could reach people in remote parts of the country.
    • Health, education and other essential services migrated swiftly to the online mode.

    Use of technology for governance amid pandemic

    • Digital India played a significant role in India’s response to the pandemic.
    • It ensured that the government could reach people in remote parts of the country.
    • Health, education and other essential services migrated swiftly to the online mode.
    • It would not be an aberration to say that post-Covid, India emerged as a preeminent nation in the use of technology for governance.

    Conclusion

    The rapid digitalisation of the world along with a new focus on trust in the global supply chains for digital products and services presents tremendous opportunities for India and its youth.  It is now up to all of us to engage in a collective “sabka prayas” to realise New India’s economic potential.

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  • Allow Surrogacy For Single Men, Mothers: Delhi HC

    The Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Union government on a petition challenging some provisions of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act.

    Issues raised by the petition

    • Currently, the laws does not allow single men to have child through surrogacy.
    • Married women can only avail surrogacy services if they are unable to produce a child due to medical conditions.
    • Otherwise, for women to avail of surrogacy services, they must be aged between 35 and 45 and widowed or divorced.
    • Women can only offer surrogacy if they are aged between 25 and 35 and married with at least one biological child.
    • The laws also require a surrogate to be genetically related to the couple who intend to have a child through this method, their petition said.

    Basis of the Petition

    • The personal decision of a single person about the birth of a baby through surrogacy, i.e., the right of reproductive autonomy is a facet of the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
    • Thus, the right to privacy of every citizen or person affecting a decision to bear or beget a child through surrogacy cannot be taken away.

    Distinct features of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021

    • Definition of surrogacy: It defines surrogacy as a practice where a woman gives birth to a child for an intending couple with the intention to hand over the child after the birth to the intending couple.
    • Regulation of surrogacy: It prohibits commercial surrogacy, but allows altruistic surrogacy which involves no monetary compensation to the surrogate mother other than the medical expenses and insurance.
    • Purposes for which surrogacy is permitted: Surrogacy is permitted when it is: (i) for intending couples who suffer from proven infertility; (ii) altruistic; (iii) not for commercial purposes; (iv) not for producing children for sale, prostitution or other forms of exploitation; and (v) for any condition or disease specified through regulations.
    • Eligibility criteria: The intending couple should have a ‘certificate of essentiality’ and a ‘certificate of eligibility’ issued by the appropriate authority ex. District Medical Board.

    Eligibility criteria for surrogate mother:

    • To obtain a certificate of eligibility from the appropriate authority, the surrogate mother has to be:
    1. A close relative of the intending couple;
    2. A married woman having a child of her own;
    3. 25 to 35 years old;
    4. A surrogate only once in her lifetime; and
    5. Possess a certificate of medical and psychological fitness for surrogacy.
    • Further, the surrogate mother cannot provide her own gametes for surrogacy.

    Also read

    [Burning Issue] Surrogacy in India

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  • AKRUTI Program to start in Kudankulam

    The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited is all set to launch AKRUTI programme in the villages surrounding Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP).

    AKRUTI Program

    • The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited is assisting unemployed youth living near the Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) through AKRUTI.
    • AKRUTI stands for Advanced Knowledge and Rural Technology Implementation (AKRUTI) program.
    • Areas of water, food processing, agriculture and waste management in rural areas are covered under the AKRUTI program.
    • The scheme aims at empowering villages through implementing different technologies for usage.
    • This scheme will lead to sustainable growth of the rural sector across the country.

    What is the objective?

    • To provide information and mechanism for implementation of BARC technologies in rural areas thereby aiming at overall rural development.

     

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  • Branch campuses in India, prospects and challenges

    Context

    India, after half a century of keeping its higher education doors closed to foreigners, is on the cusp of opening itself to the world.

    Higher education reforms

    • Currently, India does not allow the entry and the operation of foreign university branch campuses.
    • The NEP 2020 was a turning point for the entry of foreign universities as it recommended allowing foreign universities ranked in the “top 100” category to operate in India — under somewhat unrealistic conditions.
    • Internationalism: The wide-ranging National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promises higher education reforms in many areas, and internationalisation is prominent among them.
    • Strengthening India’s soft power: Among the underlying ideas is to strengthen India’s “soft power” through higher education collaboration, bringing new ideas and institutions from abroad to stimulate reform and show “best practice”, and in general to ensure that Indian higher education, for the first time, is a global player.
    • In February 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, announced that “world-class foreign universities and institutions would be allowed in the planned business district in Gujarat’s GIFT City”
    •  It was reported that in April 2022, the University Grants Commission (UGC) formed a committee to draft regulations to allow foreign institutions in the “top 500” category to establish campuses in India — realising that more flexibility was needed
    • Bringing global experience to India: Establishing branch campuses of top foreign universities is a good idea as this will bring much-needed global experience to India.

    Challenges

    • Globally, branch campuses, of which there are around 300 now, provide a mixed picture.
    • Many are aimed at making money for the sponsoring university — and this is not what India wants.
    • It will not be easy to attract foreign universities to India and even more difficult to create the conditions for them to flourish.
    • Many of those top universities are already fully engaged overseas and would likely require incentives to set up in India.
    • Further, there are smaller but highly regarded universities outside the ‘top 500’ category that might be more interested.
    • Universities around the world that have academic specialisations focusing on India, that already have research or faculty ties in the country, or that have Non-Resident Indians (NRI) in senior management positions may be easier to attract.
    • What is most important is to prevent profit-seekers from entering the Indian market and to encourage foreign institutions with innovative educational ideas and a long-term commitment.
    • Many host countries have provided significant incentives, including building facilities and providing necessary infrastructure.
    • Foreign universities are highly unlikely to invest significant funds up front.
    • A big challenge will be India’s “well-known” bureaucracy, especially the multiple regulators.

    Opportunities

    • India is seen around the world as an important country and an emerging higher education power.
    • It is the world’s second largest “exporter” of students, with 4,61,792 students studying abroad (according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
    • And India has the world’s second largest higher education system.
    • Foreign countries and universities will be eager to establish a “beachhead” in India and interested in providing opportunities for home campus students to learn about Indian business, society, and culture to participate in growing trade and other relations.
    • Benefits of branch campuses: International branch campuses, if allowed, could function as a structurally different variant of India’s private university sector.
    • Branch campuses, if effectively managed, could bring much needed new ideas about curriculum, pedagogy, and governance to Indian higher education — they could be a kind of educational laboratory.

    Current initiatives

    • There has been modest growth of various forms of partnerships between Indian and foreign institutions.
    • The joint PhD programmes offered by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay-Monash Research Academy and the University of Queensland-Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Academy of Research (UQIDAR), both with Australian partners, are some examples.
    • Another example is the Melbourne-India Postgraduate Academy (MIPA). It is a joint initiative of the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur with the University of Melbourne.
    • MIPA provides students with an opportunity to earn a joint degree accredited both in India and Australia: from the University of Melbourne and one of the partnering Indian institutions.
    • These partnerships suggest that India could offer opportunities for international branch campuses as well.

    Challenges

    • Globally, branch campuses, of which there are around 300 now, provide a mixed picture.
    • Many are aimed at making money for the sponsoring university — and this is not what India wants.
    • It will not be easy to attract foreign universities to India and even more difficult to create the conditions for them to flourish.
    • Many of those top universities are already fully engaged overseas and would likely require incentives to set up in India.
    • Further, there are smaller but highly regarded universities outside the ‘top 500’ category that might be more interested.
    • Universities around the world that have academic specialisations focusing on India, that already have research or faculty ties in the country, or that have Non-Resident Indians (NRI) in senior management positions may be easier to attract.
    • What is most important is to prevent profit-seekers from entering the Indian market and to encourage foreign institutions with innovative educational ideas and a long-term commitment.
    • Many host countries have provided significant incentives, including building facilities and providing necessary infrastructure.
    • Foreign universities are highly unlikely to invest significant funds up front.
    • A big challenge will be India’s “well-known” bureaucracy, especially the multiple regulators.

    Conclusion

    After examining national experiences elsewhere, clear policies can be implemented that may be attractive to foreign universities. Once policies are in place, the key to success will be relationships among universities.

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  • ASHA workers earn WHO’s global plaudits

    The country’s frontline health workers or ASHAs (accredited social health activists) were one of the six recipients of the WHO’s Global Health Leaders Award 2022 which recognises leadership, contribution to the advance of global health and commitment to regional health issues.

    Who are ASHA workers?

    • ASHA workers are volunteers from within the community who are trained to provide information and aid people in accessing benefits of various healthcare schemes of the government.
    • The role of these community health volunteers under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was first established in 2005.
    • They act as a bridge connecting marginalised communities with facilities such as primary health centres, sub-centres and district hospitals.

    Genesis & evolution

    • The ASHA programme was based on Chhattisgarh’s successful Mitanin programme, in which a Community Worker looks after 50 households.
    • The ASHA was to be a local resident, looking after 200 households.
    • The programme had a very robust thrust on the stage-wise development of capacity in selected areas of public health.
    • Many states tried to incrementally develop the ASHA from a Community Worker to a Community Health Worker, and even to an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM)/ General Nurse and Midwife (GNM), or a Public Health Nurse.

    Qualifications for ASHA Workers

    • ASHAs are primarily married, widowed, or divorced women between the ages of 25 and 45 years from within the community.
    • They must have good communication and leadership skills; should be literate with formal education up to Class 8, as per the programme guidelines.

    How many ASHAs are there across the country?

    • The aim is to have one ASHA for every 1,000 persons or per habitation in hilly, tribal or other sparsely populated areas.
    • There are around 10.4 lakh ASHA workers across the country, with the largest workforces in states with high populations – Uttar Pradesh (1.63 lakh), Bihar (89,437), and Madhya Pradesh (77,531).
    • Goa is the only state with no such workers, as per the latest National Health Mission data available from September 2019.

    What do ASHA workers do?

    • They go door-to-door in their designated areas creating awareness about basic nutrition, hygiene practices, and the health services available.
    • They focus primarily on ensuring that pregnant women undergo ante-natal check-up, maintain nutrition during pregnancy, deliver at a healthcare facility, and provide post-birth training on breast-feeding and complementary nutrition of children.
    • They also counsel women about contraceptives and sexually transmitted infections.
    • ASHA workers are also tasked with ensuring and motivating children to get immunised.
    • Other than mother and child care, ASHA workers also provide medicines daily to TB patients under directly observed treatment of the national programme.
    • They are also tasked with screening for infections like malaria during the season.
    • They also provide basic medicines and therapies to people under their jurisdiction such as oral rehydration solution, chloroquine for malaria, iron folic acid tablets to prevent anaemia etc.
    • Now, they also get people tested and get their reports for non-communicable diseases.
    • The health volunteers are also tasked with informing their respective primary health centre about any births or deaths in their designated areas.

    How much are ASHA workers paid?

    • Since they are considered “volunteers/activists”, governments are not obligated to pay them a salary. And, most states don’t.
    • Their income depends on incentives under various schemes that are provided when they, for example, ensure an institutional delivery or when they get a child immunised.
    • All this adds up to only between Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 a month.
    • Her work is so tailored that it does not interfere with her normal livelihood.

    Success of the ASHAs

    • It is a programme that has done well across the country.
    • In a way, it became a programme that allowed a local woman to develop into a skilled health worker.
    • Overall, it created a new cadre of incrementally skilled local health workers who were paid based on performance.
    • The ASHAs are widely respected as they brought basic health services to the doorstep of households.
    • Since then ASHA continues to enjoy the confidence of the community.

    Challenges to ASHAs

    • The ASHAs faced a range of challenges: Where to stay in a hospital? How to manage mobility? How to tackle safety issues?
    • There have been challenges with regard to the performance-based compensation. In many states, the payout is low, and often delayed.
    • It has a problem of responsibility and accountability without fair compensation.
    • There is a strong argument to grant permanence to some of these positions with a reasonable compensation as sustaining motivation.
    • Ideally, an ASHA should be able to make more than the salary of a government employee, with opportunities for moving up the skill ladder in the formal primary health care system as an ANM/ GNM or a Public Health Nurse.

    Way forward

    • The incremental development of a local resident woman is an important factor in human resource engagement in community-linked sectors.
    • It is equally important to ensure that compensation for performance is timely and adequate.
    • Upgrading skill sets and providing easy access to credit and finance will ensure a sustainable opportunity to earn a respectable living while serving the community.
    • Strengthening access to health insurance, credit for consumption and livelihood needs at reasonable rates, and coverage under pro-poor public welfare programmes will contribute to ASHAs emerging as even stronger agents of change.

     

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  • What are Look Out Circulars (LOCs)?

    The Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that a Look Out Circular (LOC), which prevents one from travelling abroad, must be supplied to the person at the time of being stopped at the airport and that the reasons should be communicated to the affected party.

    What is a Look Out Circular?

    • It is a notice to stop any individual wanted by the police, investigating agency or even a bank from leaving or entering the country through designated land, air and sea ports.
    • Immigration is tasked to stop any such individual against whom such a notice exists from leaving or entering the country.
    • There are 86 immigration check posts across the country.

    Who can issue LOCs?

    • A large number of agencies which includes the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Income Tax, State police and intelligence agencies are authorised to generate LOCs.
    • The officer should not be below the rank of a district magistrate or superintendent of police or a deputy secretary in the Union Government.

    What are the details required to generate an LOC and who issues it?

    • According to a 2010 official memorandum of the Ministry, details such as First Information Report (FIR) number, court case number are to be mandatorily provided with name, passport number and other details.
    • The BOI under the MHA is only the executing agency.
    • They generate LOCs based on requests by different agencies.
    • Since immigration posts are manned by the BOI officials they are the first responders to execute LOCs by stopping or detaining or informing about an individual to the issuing agency.
    • The LOCs can be modified; deleted or withdrawn only at the request of the originator.
    • Further, the legal liability of the action taken by immigration authorities in pursuance of LOC rests with the originating agency.

    How are banks authorized?

    • After several businessmen including liquor baron Vijay Mallya, businessmen Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi fled the country after defaulting on loans, the MHA in 2018 brought changes to the 2010 guidelines.
    • It authorised the chairman, managing director and chief executives of all public sector banks to generate LOCs against persons who could be detrimental to economic interests of the country.

    Is there any other clause under which any individual can be stopped?

    • The 2010 Ministry guidelines give sweeping powers to police and intelligence agencies to generate LOCs in “exceptional cases” without keying in complete parameters or case details.
    • This was against suspects, terrorists, anti-national elements, etc. in larger national interest.
    • After the special status of J&K under Article 370 was abrogated in 2019, LOCs were opened against several politicians, human rights activists, journalists and social activists to bar them from flying out of the country.
    • The number of persons and the crime for which they have been placed under the list is unknown.

    Are individuals entitled to any remedial measures?

    • Many citizens have moved courts to get the LOC quashed.
    • As per norms, an LOC will stay valid for a maximum period of 12 months and if there is no fresh request from the agency then it will not be automatically revived.
    • The MHA has asserted that LOCs cannot be shown to the subject at the time of detention nor can any prior intimation be provided.
    • The Ministry recently informed the Punjab and Haryana HC that the LOC guidelines are a secret document and the same cannot be shared with the ‘accused’ or any unauthorised stakeholder.
    • It cannot be provided or shown to the subject at the time of detention by the BOI since it defeats the purpose of LOC and no accused or subject of LOC can be provided any opportunity of hearing before the issuance of the LOC.

    Precedence set by the Judiciary

    • In January this year, Delhi HC quashed an LOC against a Delhi businessman generated at the instance of the Income Tax department.
    • The court said no proceedings under any penal law had been initiated against the petitioner” and the LOC was “wholly unsustainable.”
    • It said that there cannot be any unfettered control or restriction on the right to travel and that it was part of the fundamental rights.
    • Delhi HC has also asked the Director of the CBI to tender a written apology.

     

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