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Subject: Governance

Important aspects of Society

  • 2 years of Repeal of Article 370

    Context

    Two years ago, India bid farewell to Articles 370 and 35 (A), marking the start of a new era in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir.

    Assessing the impact of changes on five parameters

    1) National unity

    • Articles 370 and 35 (A) created an unnatural and unhealthy divide in our nation.
    • For every law passed, every rule made, we had to ascertain whether it applied to J&K or not.
    • Today, such distinctions are history, J&K has been fully integrated with the other states and Union Territories.

    2) Democracy at the grass-root level

    • A healthy culture of grassroots-level participation was absent.
    • Panchayat polls held: One of the critical deliverables for J&K was to hold panchayat polls, which were finally held in 2020.
    •  This one step will go a long way in shaping the development paradigm in Jammu and Kashmir.
    • Political activity has also picked up across Jammu and Kashmir.
    • The Centre’s emphasis on a proper delimitation followed by full-fledged elections is in line with the commitments made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

    3) Peace

    • The third parameter is that of peace.
    • The memories of 2008, 2010 and 2016 are still fresh in the minds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
    • An effort was made to reignite such sparks of tension after the decisions on Article 370 and 35 (A) but the Valley as well as Jammu have remained peaceful.

    4) People’s aspirations

    • Jammu and Kashmir did not have RTI laws and its SC, ST and OBC communities were not able to get the benefits of reservation
    • The fact that the most marginalised groups can now get reservation benefits is a major leap forward in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of J&K.

    5) Economic growth

    • The Valley is today abuzz with news of action against corruption in key departments and financial bodies in the state.
    • Money being sent for public good was being misused by vested interest groups.
    • The economic upliftment in the Valley began with the Prime Minister’s Package of 2015.
    • This set the stage for extensive spending on physical and social infrastructure.
    • With the going of 370 and 35 (A) there is great hope that tourism will pick up in the Valley.
    • Incentives given to different sectors of the economy — be it saffron farmers or those who fish trout — combined with a largely peaceful environment is empowering many lives.
    • With corruption and leakages drastically reduced, resources are reaching the intended beneficiaries.

    Conclusion

    The situation in Jammu and Kashmir was never easy. As we enter the Amrut Mahotsav, it is for us to see the new realities in J&K. The people of the state have got the wings to fly and, in the years to come, J&K will make even greater contributions to India’s growth and development.

  • Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS)

    Virtually, 50% of funds allotted for ongoing MPLADS projects have lapsed.

    What is the MPLAD scheme?

    • The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) is a program first launched during the Narasimha Rao Government in 1993.
    • It was aimed towards providing funds for developmental works recommended by individual MPs.

    Funds available

    • The MPs then were entitled to recommend works to the tune of Rs 1 crore annually between 1994-95 and 1997-98, after which the annual entitlement was enhanced to Rs 2 crore.
    • The UPA government in 2011-12 raised the annual entitlement to Rs 5 crore per MP.

    Implementation

    • To implement their plans in an area, MPs have to recommend them to the District Authority of the respective Nodal District.
    • The District Authorities then identify Implementing Agencies that execute the projects.
    • The respective District Authority is supposed to oversee the implementation and has to submit monthly reports, audit reports, and work completion reports to the Nodal District Authority.
    • The MPLADS funds can be merged with other schemes such as MGNREGA and Khelo India.

    Guidelines for MPLADS implementation

    • The document ‘Guidelines on MPLADS’ was published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in June 2016 in this regard.
    • It stated the objective of the scheme to enable MPs to recommend works of developmental nature with emphasis on the creation of durable community assets based on the locally felt needs in their Constituencies.
    • Right from the inception of the Scheme, durable assets of national priorities viz. drinking water, primary education, public health, sanitation, and roads, etc. should be created.
    • It recommended MPs to works costing at least 15 percent of their entitlement for the year for areas inhabited by Scheduled Caste population and 7.5 percent for areas inhabited by ST population.
    • It lays down a number of development works including construction of railway halt stations, providing financial assistance to recognized bodies, cooperative societies, installing CCTV cameras etc.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q. With reference to the funds under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), which of the following statements are correct? (CSP 2020)

    1. MPLADS funds must be used to create durable assets like physical infrastructure for health, education, etc.
    2. A specified portion of each MP’s fund must benefit SC/ST populations.
    3. MPLADS funds are sanctioned on a yearly basis and the unused funds cannot be carried forward to the next year.
    4. The district authority must inspect at least 10% of all works under implementation every year.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 3 and 4 only

    (c) 1, 2 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 4 only

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”371dggp5nz” question=”Spark the debate!” opened=”1″]“Post your answers here”[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

  • Winning the battle against trafficking

    Context

    July 30 is United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons. It is also a time to reflect on India’s human trafficking crisis.

    What are factors increasing vulnerability?

    • Between April 2020 and June 2021, an estimated 9,000 children have been rescued after being trafficked for labour, according to a child rights non-governmental organisation (NGO).
    • Economic distress due to pandemic: The pandemic has resulted in the loss of income and economic crisis.
    • Loss of parental care: It has also caused, in some instances, loss of parental care due to death, illness or separation.
    • Relaxing of legal provision: These factors are compounded by an erosion of some of the checks against child labour and child marriage provided by law, as well as the scrutiny of schools and society.
    • Child marriages are also rampant — over 10,000 cases were tracked between April and August 2020.
    • Internet access: The increase in Internet access in current times has also led to cyber-trafficking.
    • A recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on the effects of the pandemic on trafficking echoes these findings.

    Challenges in dealing with the issue

    • Lack of national-level data: The Government admitted in Parliament as recently as March 2021 that it does not maintain any national-level data specific to cyber trafficking cases.
    • India does not meet the minimum standards: India is still classified by the U.S. Department of State as a Tier-2 country in its  report on global human trafficking.
    • This means that the Government does not fully meet the minimum standards under U.S. and international law for eliminating trafficking, but is making significant efforts to comply.
    • Lack of implementation: The Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) are specialised district task forces comprising police and government officials.
    • In 2010, it was envisioned that 330 AHTUs would be set up.
    • RTI responses in August 2020 showed that about 225 AHTUs had been set up, but only on paper.

    Way forward

    • AHTU: If properly staffed and funded, AHTUs could provide crucial ground-level data on the methods and patterns of traffickers.
    • This, in turn, can strengthen community-based awareness and vigilance activities.
    • Incentivise education and provide safe employment: Global practices such as in Nigeria, Africa, should be encouraged in India, in consonance with a larger framework to protect women and children by incentivising education and creating safe employment opportunities.
    • Implementation of laws: There is no shortage of anti-trafficking policy in India.
    • Where the system is found lacking is in the implementation of the laws.
    • Take preventive action: The failure of existing institutional mechanisms to foresee the present crisis should spur the Government and other stakeholders to take preventive action now.

    Discussion needed on the provision of draft anti-trafficking Bill

    • Significant discussion is required on the provisions of the Bill, particularly with respect to bringing in the National Investigation Agency and increasing the punishment for offences, including the death penalty.
    • Ensure effective functioning of AHTUs: The draft Bill also provides for AHTUs/committees at the national, State and district levels, but as noted, their effective functioning cannot be taken for granted.
    • Challenges faced by prosecutors and judges: There were 140 acquittals and only 38 convictions in 2019, according to government data.
    • This points to a failure of investigation and cannot be solved by the draft Bill’s provision that accused traffickers must be presumed guilty unless they can prove the contrary.
    • Case management: Trials can drag on for years, with victims sometimes withdrawing their complaints after being intimidated by traffickers.
    • Proper case management must be introduced to give meaning to the “fast track” courts.
    • Compensation and counselling: Other problems include the low number of beneficiaries of monetary compensation and the lack of consistent access to psychological counselling.
    • Parts of the draft Bill recognise the importance of rehabilitation, but implementation is key.

    Conclusion

    Effective implementation of the legal provision and discussion on the various provisions of the draft law is required to deal with the menace of trafficking in persons.

  • One nation, one police is a reform that is long overdue

    Context

    Police reforms are still an unfinished task, fifteen years after the Supreme Court gave directives in the Prakash Singh case in 2006.

    Integrated schemes in different facilities

    • The Government of India has lately been talking of “One Nation, One Ration Card”, “One Nation, One Registry”, “One Nation, One Gas Grid”, and even “One Nation, One Election”.
    • These ideas would contribute to an integrated scheme in different facilities and networks across the country.
    • The attempt at uniformity should, however, take cognisance of local factors and special features.

    Issue of different states passing different Police Act

    • Every state is legislating a different Police Act, purportedly in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions on police reforms given on September 22, 2006.
    • We are in the process of having “one nation, many police acts”.
    • Circumventing the Prakash Singh judgement: The objective behind these laws is to give legislative cover to the existing arrangement and thereby circumvent the judicial directions given in the Prakash Singh judgement in 2006.
    •  Eighteen states have already passed Police Acts.
    • Absence of central guidelines: Several states have, in the absence of any central guidance or directive, passed their own Police Acts, blatantly violating the Supreme Court’s directions.
    • No action by judiciary: The Supreme Court has, for inexplicable reasons, not issued a contempt notice to any of the states for non-compliance of its directions on police reforms.

    Way forward

    1) The Centre should legislate a Model Police Act

    • Article 252 of the Constitution gives Parliament the power to legislate for two or more states by consent.
    • Soon after the Supreme Court’s directions on police reforms, the Police Act Drafting Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs came out with the Model Police Act, 2006.
    • The Government of India should have enacted a law based on this Model Police Act with such changes as it may have found necessary, and the states should have mutatis mutandis ( making necessary alterations while not affecting the main point at issue) adopted it.
    • The least that the Government of India could have done was to legislate for the UTs and then prevailed upon the states to pass similar legislation.
    • Enacting a law in the states could have been incentivised by linking their passage with the modernisation grants made available to the states.

    2) Need for the spirit of cooperative federalism

    • In recent times, we saw the unseemly spectacle of the Mumbai police commissioner accusing the state home minister of using the police as an instrument for extortion.
    • In West Bengal, the police have been a mute spectator to the post-election violence.
    • The Centre, through a fiat, gave protection to all the MLAs of the BJP.
    • Normally, any such arrangement should have been in consultation and with the involvement of the state government. 
    • Cooperative federalism: The best option would be for the central and state governments to respect each other’s turf in a spirit of cooperative federalism.

    3)Need for a fresh look at the distribution of power

    • If the central and state governments cannot respect each other’s turf, it would perhaps be necessary to have a fresh look at the distribution of powers in the seventh schedule of the Constitution.

    Conclusion

    Police reforms on the lines of judicial directives given by the Supreme Court is the need of the hour. The centre needs to act first and nudge the states toward a uniform police structure throughout the country.

    Back2Basics: Supreme Court Directive on Police Reforms

    1) Limit political control

    • Constitute a State Security Commission to:
    • Ensure that the state government does not exercise unwarranted influence or pressure on the police.
    • Lay down broad policy guidelines.
    • Evaluate the performance of the state police.

    2. Appointments based on merit

    • Ensure that the Director-General of Police is appointed through a merit–based, transparent process, and secures a minimum tenure of 2 years.

    3. Fix minimum tenure

    • Ensure that other police officers on operational duties (including Superintendents of Police in charge of a district and Station House Officers in charge of a police station) are also provided a minimum tenure of 2 years.

    4. Separate police functions

    • Separate the functions of investigation and maintaining law and order.

    5. Set up fair and transparent systems

    • Set up a Police Establishment Board to decide and make recommendations on transfers, postings, promotions and other service-related matters of police officers of and below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.

    6. Establish a Police Complaints Authority in each state

    • At the state level, there should be a Police Complaints Authority to look into public complaints against police officers of and above the rank of Superintendent of Police in cases of serious misconduct, including custodial death, grievous hurt or rape in police custody.
    • At the district level, the Police Complaints Authority should be set up to inquire into public complaints against the police personnel of and up to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police in cases of serious misconduct.

    7. Set up a selection commission

    • A National Security Commission needs to be set up at the union level to prepare a panel for selection and placement of chiefs of the Central Police Organizations with a minimum tenure of 2 years.

  • What is Academic Bank of Credit?

    On the first anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP), the Centre plans to officially roll out some initiatives promised in the policy, such as the Academic Bank of Credit

    Academic Bank of Credit

    • Academic Bank of Credit referred to as ABC is a virtual storehouse that will keep records of academic credits secured by a student.
    • It is drafted on the lines of the National Academic Depository.
    • It will function as a commercial bank where students will be the customers and ABC will offer several services to these students.
    • Students will have to open an Academic Bank Account and every account holder would be provided with a unique id and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
    • The academic accounts of students will have credits awarded by higher education Institutes to students for the courses they are pursuing.
    • However, ABC will not accept any credit course document directly from the students, and its institutes that will make the deposits in students’ accounts.

    Functions of ABCs

    • ABC will be responsible for opening, closing, and validating the academic accounts of students.
    • It will also perform tasks including credit verification, credit accumulation, credit transfer/redemption of students, and promotion of the ABC among the stakeholders.
    • The courses will also include online and distance mode courses offered through National Schemes like SWAYAM, NPTEL, V-Lab, etc.
    • The validity of these academic credits earned by students will be up to seven years. The validity can also vary based on the subject or discipline. Students can redeem these credits.
    • For instance, if a student has accumulated 100 credits which is equivalent to say one year and they decide to drop out.
    • Once they decide to rejoin they can redeem this credit and seek admission directly in the second year at any university. The validity will be up to seven years, hence, students will have to rejoin within seven years.

    Benefits for students

    • The participating HEIs in the ABC scheme will enable students to build their degrees as per their choices.
    • As per UGC guidelines, the higher education institutes will have to allow students to acquire credits 50-70% of credits assigned to a degree from any institute.
    • Students, depending upon their needs can take this opportunity.
    • UGC will ensure that students secured the minimum credits to be secured in the core subject area.

  • PM-CARES Fund should cover COVID orphaned children: SC

    The Supreme Court has clarified that welfare schemes such as the PM CARES Fund should cover both children, who became orphans during the Covid-19 pandemic and those, who became orphans due to Covid-19.

    What is PM-CARES Fund?

    • The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) was created on 28 March 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
    • The fund will be used for combat, containment, and relief efforts against the coronavirus outbreak and similar pandemic-like situations in the future.
    • The PM is the chairman of the trust. Members will include the defense, home, and finance ministers.
    • The fund will also enable micro-donations. The minimum donation accepted for the PM CARES Fund is â‚č10.
    • The donations will be tax-exempt and fall under corporate social responsibility.

    Why cover orphaned children?

    • Over 75,000 children have been orphaned, abandoned, or have lost a parent during the COVID pandemic.
    • It is feared that many of them may become victims of human trafficking rackets or descend into crime.

    Under the scrutiny of the court

    • The Supreme Court has endorsed the PM CARES Fund as a “public charitable trust” to which donors contribute voluntarily.
    • The court said that PM-CARES is “not open” for a PIL petitioner to question the “wisdom” that created the fund in an hour of need.
    • The court dismissed the idea that the PM CARES was constituted to “circumvent” the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

  • Organ Transplantation in India

    The Government of India is implementing National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP) to promote organ donation and transplantation across all States/Union Territories (UTs).

    National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP)

    • In 2019, the GoI implemented the NOTP for promoting deceased organ donation.
    • Organ donation in India is regulated by the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994.

    Types of Organ Donations

    • The law allows both deceased and living donors to donate their organs.
    • It also identifies brain death as a form of death.
    • Living donors must be over 18 years of age and are limited to donating only to their immediate blood relatives or, in some special cases, out of affection and attachment towards the recipient.

    (1) Deceased donors:

    • They may donate six life-saving organs: kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, and intestine.
    • Uterus transplant is also performed, but it is not regarded as a life-saving organ.
    • Organs and tissues from a person declared legally dead can be donated after consent from the family has been obtained.
    • Brainstem death is also recognized as a form of death in India, as in many other countries.
    • After a natural cardiac death, organs that can be donated are cornea, bone, skin, and blood vessels, whereas after brainstem death about 37 different organs and tissues can be donated, including the above six life-saving organs

    (2) Living donors:

    They are permitted to donate the following:

    • one of their kidneys
    • portion of pancreas
    • part of the liver

    Features of the NOTP

    • Under the NOTP a National Level Tissue Bank (Biomaterial Centre) for storing tissues has been established at National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), New Delhi.
    • Further, under the NOTP, a provision has also been made for providing financial support to the States for setting up of Bio- material centre.
    • As of now a Regional Bio-material centre has been established at Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (ROTTO), Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

    More moves for facilitation:  Green Corridors

    • Studies have suggested that the chances of transplantation being successful are enhanced by reducing the time delay between harvest and transplant of the organ.
    • Therefore, the transportation of the organ is a critical factor. For this purpose, “green corridors” have been created in many parts of India.
    • A “green corridor” refers to a route that is cleared out for an ambulance carrying the harvested organs to ensure its delivery at the destination in the shortest time possible.

    About NOTTO

    National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) is a national level organization set up under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

    1. National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network
    2. National Biomaterial Centre (National Tissue Bank)

    [I] National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network

    • This has been mandated as per the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011.
    • The network will be established initially for Delhi and gradually expanded to include other States and Regions of the country.
    • Thus, this division of the NOTTO is the nodal networking agency for Delhi and shall network for Procurement Allocation and Distribution of Organs and Tissues in Delhi.
    • It functions as apex centre for All India activities of coordination and networking for procurement and distribution of Organs and Tissues and registry of Organs and Tissues Donation and Transplantation in the country.

    [II] National Biomaterial Centre (National Tissue Bank)

    • The Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011 has included the component of tissue donation and registration of tissue Banks.
    • It becomes imperative under the changed circumstances to establish National level Tissue Bank to fulfill the demands of tissue transplantation including activities for procurement, storage and fulfil distribution of biomaterials.
    • The main thrust & objective of establishing the centre is to fill up the gap between ‘Demand’ and ‘Supply’ as well as ‘Quality Assurance’ in the availability of various tissues.

    The centre will take care of the following Tissue allografts:

    1. Bone and bone products
    2. Skin graft
    3. Cornea
    4. Heart valves and vessels

  • Gatekeeper Model to prevent suicides in prisons

    In a bid to prevent suicides triggered by mental health issues in prisons across the country, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, has recommended the “Gatekeeper Model”.

    What is the ‘Gatekeeper Model’?

    • It is a model where selected inmates, trained to identify prisoners at risk of suicide, would refer them to treatment or supportive services.
    • Prisoners with mental disorders will be regularly assessed for the severity of the suicidal risk and also put on regular and supervised medication.
    • To address the prisoner’s mental health needs, the correctional facility would have links to community-based initiatives like the District Mental Health Programme.

    Buddy system

    • The concept of a ‘Buddy System’ — social support through trained prisoners called “buddies” or “listeners” — was found to have a good impact on the well-being of suicidal prisoners.
    • Periodic telephone conversations with friends and family would also foster support.

    Why such a move?

    • Emphasizing the mental health of prisoners, the Ministry said incarcerated people could face many vulnerabilities during the pandemic, which might impact their mental wellbeing.
    • The prison staff was also working under tremendous pressure and faced challenges in performing their duty while safeguarding themselves from contracting the infection.

  • Pegasus scandal and implications for privacy

    Context

    The Pegasus spyware, created by NSO Group in Israel has created a political storm in India over its alleged use by the government.

    About the Pegasus spyware controversy

    • It uses a “zero-click” attack which allows the device to be taken over remotely by exploiting software and hardware vulnerabilities.
    • The Israeli Defence Ministry’s stated that Pegasus and other cyber products are exported “exclusively to government entities” and are only for the purpose of preventing and investigating crime and counter terrorism.
    • Pegasus has been used to illegally hack into people’s lives and to obtain private information outside the boundaries of the law.
    • Those who were supposedly targeted range from the uppermost echelons of the judiciary, Opposition party leaders, activists and journalists.

    How it harms freedoms and rights guaranteed by the Constitution

    • A person has the basic fundamental rights of liberty, privacy, speech and expression amongst others.
    • These rights go hand in hand with each other.
    • The alleged use of Pegasus to illegally hack into persons’ lives, listen in on private conversations, to thereafter use this private information against said persons in hope of gaining undue advantage, are all outside the boundaries of the law.
    •  Surveillance on this level would have the effect of instilling fear and directly hampering a person’s ability to freely make their own decisions.
    • The effect is that a person does not have the freedom to think, to speak or even be in the privacy of their own homes.

    Legal provisions for surveillance

    • In December 2018, the government authorised 10 security and intelligence agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource.
    • The authorisation is required before any of the 10 notified agencies can intercept, monitor or decrypt any information.
    • This and other grounds are being taken by the government before the Supreme Court to defend its stance.
    • The Data Protection Bill (yet to be passed by Parliament) offers no protection in respect of surveillance. 
    • Sections 43 and 66 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 criminalise hacking.

    Conclusion

    The majority is not always right. A democracy has the indelible right to question, to demand answers and explanations. The government has many questions to answer and steps to take to protect the rights and freedoms of its citizens.

    Back2Basics: Zero-click attack

    • A zero-click attack is a remote cyber attack which does not require any interaction from the target to compromise it.
    • Pegasus spyware eliminates the need for human errors to compromise a device and instead relies on software or hardware flaws to gain complete access to a device.
    • Zero-click attacks occur only when an attacker is able to takeover a device remotely after successfully exploiting vulnerabilities in the software and hardware of the phone.
    • To make this kind of attack successful, an attacker needs to exploit flaws in a device, whereas spear phishing is a social engineering attack.

  • A cardinal omission in the COVID-19 package

    Context

    On July 8, 2021, the Union government announced the “India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package: Phase II”. But it lacks provision for the medical workforce.

    Objectives of the package

    • The stated purpose of the package is to boost health infrastructure and prepare for a possible third wave of COVID-19.
    • There is plan to increase COVID-19 beds, improve the oxygen availability and supply, create buffer stocks of essential medicines; purchase equipment and strengthen paediatric beds.

    What is lacking in the package?

    • Workforce shortage: The package barely has any attention on improving the availability of health human resources.
    • As reported in rural health statistics and the national health profile there are vacancies for staff in government health facilities, which range from 30% to 80% depending upon the sub-group of medical officers, specialist doctors to nurses, laboratory technicians, pharmacists and radiographers, amongst others.
    • Interstate variation: In addition, there are wide inter-State variations, with States that have poor health indicators with the highest vacancies.

    Way forward

    • Package for filling the existing vacancies: The COVID-19 package II needs to be urgently supplemented by another plan and a similar financial package (with shared Union and State government funding) to fill the existing vacancies of health staff at all levels. 
    • An objective approach to assess the mid-term health human resource needs could be the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS).
    • IPHS prescribes the human resources and infrastructure needed to make various types of government health facilities functional.
    • The pandemic should be used as an opportunity to prepare India’s health system for the future.
    • Scrutiny of the progress on policy decision: The progress on key policy decisions, for the last few years, to strengthen India’s health system, including those in India’s national health policy of 2017, need to be objectively scrutinised.
    • These two sets of policy decisions should be reviewed and progress monitored, through a meeting of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare, of which the Health Ministers of the States are members.

    Conclusion

    India’s health system will not benefit from ad hoc and a patchwork of one or other small packages. It essentially needs some transformational changes.