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Subject: Governance

Important aspects of Society

  • SDGs amid Covid

    Context

    • As lockdown eases, return to business as usual is unimaginable in Asia and Pacific which was already off track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
    • Efforts to respond to the pandemic have revealed how many people in our societies live precariously close to poverty and hunger.

    Progress towards SDGs in pandemic

    •  The SDGs  can serve as a beacon in these turbulent times.
    •  SDGs are a commitment to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development, globally, by 2030.
    • The pandemic has exposed fragility and systemic gaps in many key systems.
    • Countries have used workable strategies during pandemic to accelerate progress related to development goals and strengthen resilience.
    • Countries have taken steps to extend universal health care systems and strengthen social protection systems.
    • Accurate and regular data have been key to such efforts.
    • Innovating to help the most disadvantaged access financing and small and medium-sized enterprise credits have also been vital.
    • Several countries have taken comprehensive approaches to various forms of discrimination, particularly related to gender and gender-based violence.
    • Partnerships with the private sector and financing institutions, have played a critical role in fostering creative solutions.

    Focus on green recovery in Asia-Pacific countries

    • Countries in Asia and the Pacific are developing ambitious new strategies for green recovery and inclusive approaches to development.
    • South Korea recently announced a New Deal based on two central pillars: digitisation and decarbonisation.
    • Many countries in the Pacific are focusing on “blue recovery,” which promote more sustainable approaches to fisheries management.
    • India recently announced operating the largest solar power plant in the region.
    • China is creating more jobs in the renewable energy sector than in fossil fuel industries.

    Suggestions for policymaking

    • We need a revolution in policy mindset and practice- following are part of the transformations needed.
    • 1) Inclusive and accountable governance systems.
    • 2) Adaptive institutions with resilience to future shocks.
    • 3) Universal social protection and health insurance.
    • 4) Stronger digital infrastructure.

    Consider the question “Pandemic has highlighted the fragility of our systems. But it also emphasised the need to strive to achieve the SDGs. Comment.”

    Conclusion

    With the onslaught of pandemic disrupting us, we should base our recovery and progress trajectory firmly towards achieving SDGs.

     

    Back2Basics: SDGs

    Sustainable Development Goals and India

    • The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
    • The 17 Goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals, while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities.
    • The goals are interconnected – often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another.
    • The SDGs work in the spirit of partnership and pragmatism to make the right choices now to improve life, in a sustainable way, for future generations.
    • They provide clear guidelines and targets for all countries to adopt in accordance with their own priorities and the environmental challenges of the world at large.

    The SDGs are an inclusive agenda. They tackle the root causes of poverty and unite us together to make a positive change for both people and planet. “Poverty eradication is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda, and so is the commitment to leave no-one behind,” UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said. “The Agenda offers a unique opportunity to put the whole world on a more prosperous and sustainable development path. In many ways, it reflects what UNDP was created for.”

    The Goals

     

  • In news: National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

    India’s premier organisation mandated to collect data about diseases, the NCDC is failing in its task as the spread of COVID-19 continues unabated.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. Health infrastructure in India is hardly capable of handling any pandemic. Critically comment.

    About the National Centre for Disease Control

    • The NCDC carries out nationwide disease surveillance through its Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
    • It is a vertical programme under Directorate General of Health Services.

    Its formation

    • This programme has been present in the country in different avatars since 1997 when the National Surveillance Programme for Communicable Diseases was set up.
    • This was upscaled to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project in 2004, with assistance from the World Bank, to address the demands of the WHO’s International Health Regulations, 2005.
    • Under this, each country had to assess public health emergencies of international concern within 48 hours and report them to WHO within the next 24 hours.
    • It was then included in the 12th Plan (2012-17) under the Union Health Ministry and renamed IDSP.

    Mandate of the NCDC

    To aid the process of an investigation, NCDC has put down 10 steps that need to be followed for each outbreak:

    • Determine the existence of an outbreak
    • Confirm the diagnosis
    • Define a case
    • Search for cases
    • Generate hypothesis using descriptive findings
    • Test hypothesis with the analytical study
    • Draw conclusions
    • Compare hypothesis with established facts
    • Communication of findings
    • Execute preventive measures

    Why did NCDC fail?

    • IDSP’s manual says weekly and monthly updates are mandatory for each State and UTs even if no outbreaks are reported.
    • But this has never been observed to date.
    • There is an overlap between the diseases being followed by IDSP and other agencies like the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme
    • The fact that IDSP does not collect mortality data was also a concern. Moreover, the IDSP was not investigating zoonotic diseases.

  • [pib] Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana (KSY)

    The Centre has distributed 100 electric potter wheels to 100 trained artisans under the KSY.

    Try this question from CSP 2018:

    Q. Consider the following provisions under the Directive Principles of State Policy as enshrined in the Constitution of India:

    1. Securing for citizens of India a uniform civil code.
    2. Organising village panchayats.
    3. Promoting cottage industries in rural areas.
    4. Securing for all the workers reasonable leisure and Cultural opportunities.

    Which of the above are the Gandhian Principles that are reflected in the DPSP?

    (a) 1, 2 and 4

    (b) 2 and 3

    (c) 1, 3 and 4

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

    Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana

    • KSY is an initiative of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for the empowerment of potters’ community in the remotest of locations in the country.
    • It reaches out to the potters in U.P., M.P., Maharashtra, J&K, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Telangana and Bihar.

    Benefits provided

    This program provides the following support to potters.

    • Training for advanced pottery products
    • Latest, new technology pottery equipment like the electric Chaak
    • Market linkages and visibility through KVIC exhibitions

    Back2Basics: KVIC

    • The KVIC is a statutory body formed in April 1957 under the ‘Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956’.
    • It is an apex organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India.
    • It seeks to plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas.
    • Its head office is in Mumbai, whereas its six zonal offices in Delhi, Bhopal, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai and Guwahati.

  • False urban rural binary

    The article brings out the issues in the rural-urban binary, which leads to the disparity in the allocation of resources to the urban areas.

    Congestion and health issues in cities

    • The congestion in large cities has turned out to be their worst enemy during this pandemic.
    • Congestion is most evident in slums in large cities and poses a grave health and environmental challenges.
    • Yet, the Centre’s allocation for the rural component of the Swachh Bharat Mission is about seven times more than for urban areas.
    • Class I cities have 1.4 beds per 1,000 people. (with the population more than 1 lakh)
    • However, the urban support under the National Health Mission is just three per cent of the total allocation, while 97 per cent of the funds are set aside for rural areas.

    Issues with the present urban development programs

    • The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (2005-2014) allocated the bulk of funds to large cities: 70 per cent to large cities and 30 per cent to smaller towns.
    • Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and the Smart Cities Mission, focus on Class I cities.
    • Both these schemes provide funds for the more developed cities that already have relatively better infrastructure.
    • But these schemes overlook the nearly seven crore people who live in smaller towns.
    • These are towns that lag behind in services and infrastructure as compared to the big cities.

    Consider the question “The rural-urban binary has led to the policy formulation in which there is a huge disparity in the allocation of resources and attention on the urban area. Comment.”

    Conclusion

    The pandemic has forced us to reflect on the unequal and unplanned development of urban settlements and the absence of infrastructure to provide for the teeming millions.  The challenges of urban poverty and congestion cry for more attention, more government support.

    Original article:

    https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-india-urban-cities-6520574/

  • Women officers can now get permanent commission in Indian Army

    The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued the formal Government Sanction Letter for grant of Permanent Commission (PC) to women officers in the Army.

    Try this question for mains:

    Q.“Concern for equality of sexes or political expediency should not influence defence policies.” Discuss on lines with the debate over the induction of women in the armed forces.

    Also read: https://www.civilsdaily.com/burning-issue-women-in-armed-forces/

    Why such an order?

    • The order follows a Supreme Court verdict in February that directed the government that women Army officers be granted PC and command postings in all services other than combat.
    • Following this, Army Chief had said it was an enabling one and gives a lot of clarity on how to move forward.
    • He had stated that the same procedure for male SSC officers will be followed for women to give PC.

    Women in Army: Background of the case

    • The induction of women officers in the Army started in 1992.
    • They were commissioned for a period of five years in certain chosen streams such as Army Education Corps, Corps of Signals, Intelligence Corps, and Corps of Engineers.
    • Recruits under the Women Special Entry Scheme (WSES) had a shorter pre-commission training period than their male counterparts who were commissioned under the Short Service Commission (SSC) scheme.
    • In 2006, the WSES scheme was replaced with the SSC scheme, which was extended to women officers. They were commissioned for a period of 10 years, extendable up to 14 years.
    • Serving WSES officers were given the option to move to the new SSC scheme or to continue under the erstwhile WSES.
    • They were to be, however, restricted to roles in streams specified earlier — which excluded combat arms such as infantry and armoured corps.

    2 key arguments shot down

    • The Supreme Court rejected arguments against a greater role for women officers, saying this violated equality under the law.
    • They were being kept out of command posts on the reasoning that the largely rural rank and a file will have problems with women as commanding officers. The biological argument was also rejected as disturbing.
    • While male SSC officers could opt for permanent commission at the end of 10 years of service, this option was not available to women officers.
    • They were, thus, kept out of any command appointment, and could not qualify for a government pension, which starts only after 20 years of service as an officer.
    • The first batch of women officers under the new scheme entered the Army in 2008.

    Arguments by the Govt

    • The Centre had mentioned several reasons behind the differential treatment of women officers.
    • It had proposed that women officers with up to 14 years of service would be granted a permanent commission, while those above 14 years would be permitted to serve for up to 20 years and retire with pension without being considered for permanent commission.
    • It also stated that those with more than 20 years of service would immediately be released with pension
    • This order did not grant permanent commission to women with over 14 years of service, and hence discriminatory.
    • Furthermore, the 2019 order granted permanent commission only for staff appointments and not command appointments.
    • The centre justified this by stating that that the units in Army are composed entirely of male soldiers, who are mostly from rural backgrounds and thus, are not mentally prepared to accept women officers in the command of units.
    • It also stated that the lower physical capacity of women officers would be a challenge for them to command units wherein officers are expected to lead the men from the front and need to be in prime physical condition to undertake combat tasks.
    • The government also stated that the adverse conditions, including two unsettled borders and internal security situations in the northeast and Jammu and Kashmir, have a major bearing on the employment of women officers in light of their physiological limitations.
    • Also, it had stated that the isolation and hardships would eat into their resolve and that they have to heed to the call of pregnancy, childbirth and family.
    • The government also argued that women ran the risk of capture by the enemy and being taken as prisoners of war.

    SC Criticized the Government’s Note

    • Reflects Poorly on Women: The note had shown women officers in a poor light, saying isolation and hardships would eat into their resolve and that they would have to heed to the call of pregnancy, childbirth and family. The note had mentioned that women ran the risk of capture by enemy and taken prisoner of war.
    • Patriarchal Notion: The court held that the the note reflected the age-old patriarchal notion that domestic obligations rested only with women.
    • Sex Stereotype: The court also dismissed the point that women are physiologically weaker than men as a “sex stereotype”.
    • Offence to dignity of Indian Army: The court noted that challenging abilities of women on the ground of gender is an offence not only to their dignity as women but to the dignity of the members of the Indian Army – men and women – who serve as equal citizens in a common mission.

    Implications of the judgement

    • The SC did away with all discrimination on the basis of years of service for grant of PC in 10 streams of combat support arms and services, bringing them on a par with male officers.
    • It has also removed the restriction of women officers only being allowed to serve in staff appointments, which is the most significant and far-reaching aspect of the judgment.
    • It means that women officers will be eligible to the tenant all the command appointments, at par with male officers, which would open avenues for further promotions to higher ranks for them.
    • It also means that in junior ranks and career courses, women officers would be attending the same training courses and tenanting critical appointments, which are necessary for higher promotions.

    Back2Basics: Permanent Commission (PC) Vs. Short Service Commission (SSC)

    • SSC means an officer’s career will be of a limited period in the Indian Armed Forces whereas a PC means they shall continue to serve in the Indian Armed Forces, till they retire.
    • The officers inducted through the SSC usually serve for a period of 14 years. At the end of 10 years, the officers have three options.
    • A PC entitles an officer to serve in the Navy till he/she retires unlike SSC, which is currently for 10 years and can be extended by four more years, or a total of 14 years.
    • They can either select for a PC or opt-out or have the option of a 4-years extension. They can resign at any time during this period of 4 years extension.

  • COVID-19 Law Lab

    The UN agencies have started a portal called the COVID-19 Law Lab to host all recent legal enactments to fight the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

    Note the following things about COVID-19 Law Lab:

    1) It is an online portal and not a cubical laboratory

    2) Parent agency includes the UN and WHO

    3) It is the first collation of health-related laws and protocols of the countries

    COVID-19 Law Lab

    • This digital portal hosts all legal steps taken by 190 countries to fight the pandemic.
    • The UNDP, the WHO, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University have collaborated for this initiative.
    • The collation initiative aims at dissemination of procedures and practices for effective enactment of health-related laws.
    • It is expected to be the most expansive collation of laws and procedures related to a health emergency.

    Why need such a repository?

    • The pandemic has led to confusion over treatment and management protocols.
    • Some 220 countries/territories have enacted various procedures backed by various enabling laws related to epidemics and health emergency.
    • Laws and policies that are grounded in science, evidence and human rights can enable people to access health services, protect themselves from COVID-19 and live free from stigma, discrimination and violence.
    • Sharing medicines and formulae for even general treatment has been a big challenge due to restrictive laws and trade practices.
    • As health is global, legal frameworks need to be aligned with international commitments to respond to current and emerging public health risks.

  • Transforming higher education

    The issues of quality of higher education explain the lack of employability of Indian youth. This article examines the issue and suggests the approach to deal with the issue.

    Three learning outcomes

    • The first is to provide knowledge in the relevant discipline to the students.
    • Second, imparting students with the skills needed for their jobs/enterprises.
    • Third, students are expected to play a constructive role in shaping the society and the world at large, the values and ideals of a modern, progressive society.
    • The teaching-learning process is expected to mould their character accordingly.

    Issues with the education system

    • Apart from a handful of institutions in the technology, management and liberal arts streams a vast majority of other students just meander through college and acquire a degree.
    • There is a huge gulf between the curriculum taught in the colleges and actual job requirements.
    • It is common to hear even the brightest of students mention that they learnt more on the job than through their curriculum in college.

    Focus more on training

    • If most of the students learn so much on the job, it raises several questions.
    • Why should we bestow so much importance on a syllabus?
    • And why do we take such massive efforts to evaluate students’ knowledge of that syllabus through exams?
    • What we can do is completely re-evaluate the syllabus frequently considering the changing needs of the time.
    • We can have substantive industrial internships while retaining only a very basic outline of essential concepts.
    • The evaluation too can be a mix of regular assignments, performance in the internship.

    Consider the question “The lack of employability in the youth of India could be a huge hurdle in India’s aim to reap the benefits of demographic dividend. Examine the reasons for and suggest the measures to deal with the issue.”

    Conclusion

    The higher education sector has multiple stakeholders and multiple vested interests. In normal times, maintaining the status quo or implementing incremental and marginal reforms was all one could hope for. The pandemic has opened the doors for ushering in massive, bold and transformational reforms. As John Lewis said, “If not now, then when?”

  • Explained: Consumer Protection Act, 2019

    The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has come into effect from July 20, replacing the earlier Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

    Consumer Protection Act_Provisions of Consumer Protection Act 2019

    What are the Rights of the Consumers?

    Try this question from our AWE initiative 

    Compare and contrast the Consumer Protection Act 1986 with that of the Consumer Protection Bill 2018. How far do you think the changes made are consumer centric towards benefiting the consumer more? Examine. (250 W/ 15 M)

    Consumer Protection Act, 2019: Key Features

    1) Definition of consumer

    • A consumer is defined as a person who buys any good or avails a service for a consideration. 
    • It does not include a person who obtains a good for resale or a good or service for commercial purpose. 
    • It covers transactions through all modes including offline, and online through electronic means, teleshopping, multi-level marketing or direct selling.

    2) Rights of consumers

    The following consumer rights have been defined in the Act, including the right to:

    • be protected against marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and property;
    • be informed of the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services;
    • be assured of access to a variety of goods or services at competitive prices; and
    • seek redressal against unfair or restrictive trade practices.
       

    3) Establishment of Central Consumer Protection Authority

    • The central government will set up a CCPA to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers. 
    • It will regulate matters related to violation of consumer rights, unfair trade practices, and misleading advertisements. 
    • The CCPA will have an investigation wing, headed by a Director-General, which may conduct inquiry or investigation into such violations. 

    4) Penalties for misleading advertisement

    • The CCPA may impose a penalty on a manufacturer or an endorser of up to Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment for up to two years for a false or misleading advertisement. 
    • In case of a subsequent offence, the fine may extend to Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment of up to five years. 
    • CCPA can also prohibit the endorser of a misleading advertisement from endorsing that particular product or service for a period of up to one year.
    • For every subsequent offence, the period of prohibition may extend to three years.  

    5) Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission

    • CDRCs will be set up at the district, state, and national levels. 
    • A consumer can file a complaint with CDRCs in relation to: unfair or restrictive trade practices; defective goods or services etc.
    • Complaints against an unfair contract can be filed with only the State and National   Appeals from a District CDRC will be heard by the State CDRC. 
    • Appeals from the State CDRC will be heard by the National CDRC.  Final appeal will lie before the Supreme Court.

    6) Jurisdiction of CDRCs

    • The District CDRC will entertain complaints where value of goods and services does not exceed Rs one crore. 
    • The State CDRC will entertain complaints when the value is more than Rs one crore but does not exceed Rs 10 crore. 
    • Complaints with value of goods and services over Rs 10 crore will be entertained by the National CDRC.
       

    7) Product liability

    • Product liability means the liability of a product manufacturer, service provider or seller to compensate a consumer for any harm or injury caused by a defective good or deficient service. 
    • To claim compensation, a consumer has to prove any one of the conditions for defect or deficiency, as given in the Act.

    With inputs from: PRS

  • [pib] Manodarpan Initiative

    The Union HRD Ministry will launch the Manodarpan Initiative, today.

    Try this question from CSP 2016:

    Q.’Rashtriya Garima Abhiyaan’ is a national campaign to:

    (a) rehabilitate the homeless and destitute persons and provide them with suitable sources of livelihood

    (b) release the sex workers from their practice and provide them with alternative sources of livelihood

    (c) eradicate the practice of manual scavenging and rehabilitate the manual scavengers

    (d) release the bonded labourers from their bondage and rehabilitate them

    Manodarpan Initiative

    • ‘Manodarpan’ covers a wide range of activities to provide psychosocial support to students, teachers and families for Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing during the COVID outbreak and beyond.
    • It contains advisory, practical tips, posters, videos, do’s and don’ts for psychosocial support, FAQs and online query system.
    • It aims to provide psychosocial support to students for their mental health and well-being.
    • It has been included in the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, as a part of strengthening human capital and increasing productivity and efficient reform and initiatives for the education sector.
    • A toll-free helpline will also be launched as part of the initiative for a country-wide outreach to students from schools, colleges and universities.
    • Through this helpline, tele-counselling will be provided to the students to address their mental health and psychosocial issues.

  • Debate around ‘One-Nation- One-Curriculum’

    The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a plea for a uniform and common curriculum for school students between aged six and 14 across the country rather than have diverse ones such as the CBSE, the ICSE and State Board.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q.Discuss the efficacy of the One-Nation- One-Board System and its limitations.

    Background

    • Schools in India are mainly columned primarily into 4 boards of education, namely CBSE, ICSE and IB (International Baccalaureate).
    • In total, there are 41 boards of education throughout India.
    • These different boards of education have different syllabuses, which creates a knowledge gap among school students.
    • To curate this gap, syllabuses of every board for the Indian schools are being brought at par.

    What was the plea before the Supreme Court?

    • The petition asked considering the setting up of a National Education Council/Commission and following a “one-nation-one-board” system in which the ICSE is merged with the CBSE.
    • It urged a standard textbook with chapters on fundamental rights, duties, directive principles and the golden goals set out in the Preamble.
    • It asked to make the study compulsory for all the children aged 6-14 years throughout the territory of India.

    Why did the court refuse?

    • Uniform curriculum was a “matter of policy” and the judiciary could not “command” the government said the Supreme Court bench.

    Pros of common curriculum

    • The Article 21A of the Constitution has the RTE (Right to Education) Act says that every child in the age of 4 to 16 should be given free and compulsory education.
    • To keep a check on that, a common syllabus throughout the country is required. This will help all the students to be on par with education.
    • With a common syllabus throughout the country, no student will lag behind in education and hence, this will help them prepare better for competitive examinations or admission tests beyond school level for the outside world.
    • Politics, in some cases, influence the education system which is very unfair for the students. Some state boards prefer the admission of students from their own region and willingly keep the seats of colleges and universities occupied for students passing their 12th standard from their state boards.
    • A common syllabus would also mean that there would be no discrimination regarding quality education on the basis of caste, creed, social, religious beliefs or economic backgrounds.
    • It will provide an unbiased ground of learning and development of the young ones, which may turn out to be very beneficial in future.
    • At present, some of the state boards are not updating their syllabus frequently as per the changes in society. This loophole will be eliminated with the introduction of the uniform syllabus in India.

    Limitations

    • Students may miss learning things specific to their region and their culture. This can be a threat to diversity.
    • Current school students might get affected or stressed out on a sudden change of syllabus.
    • An abrupt change in the syllabus may hamper the stability of a student with the academics which will not be a good turn.
    • A new set of the syllabus will bring in more workload on teachers and parents too.

    Conclusion

    • Uniform education system having common syllabus and common curriculum would achieve the code of a common culture, removal of disparity and depletion of discriminatory values in human relations.
    • It would enhance virtues and improve the quality of life, elevate the thoughts, which advance the constitutional philosophy of equal society.
    • Though the government has been trying to put up with equality in education, the barriers have been inevitable to date.
    • A common syllabus seems to be a wise option, but it is yet to be implemented over the entire country.

    With inputs from:

    https://www.groupdiscussionideas.com/common-syllabus-throughout-indian-schools-pros-cons/