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Subject: Governance

Important aspects of Society

  • Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

     

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the novel Coronavirus infection a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). In the past decade, WHO has declared public health emergencies for outbreaks including swine flu, polio and Ebola.

    What is PHEIC?

    Definition: Under the International Health Regulations (IHR), a public health emergency is defined as “an extraordinary event which is determined, as provided in these Regulations: to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease; and to potentially require a coordinated international response”.

    What criteria does the WHO follow to declare PHEIC?

    • PHEIC is declared in the event of some “serious public health events” that may endanger international public health.
    • The responsibility of declaring an event as an emergency lies with the Director-General of the WHO and requires the convening of a committee of members.

    Implications of a PHEIC being declared

    • There are some implications of declaring a PHEIC for the host country, which in the case of the coronavirus is China.
    • Declaring a PHEIC may lead to restrictions on travel and trade.
    • However, several countries have already issued advisories to their citizens to avoid travelling to China, while others are airlifting their citizens from it.

  • [op-ed of the day] Time to prioritise education and health

    Context

    The policy currently being pursued is intended primarily to incentivise potential investors while social objectives and help in indigenisation are being jettisoned.

    Call for more liberalisation and its possible impacts

    • What reforms are asked for?
      • Reforms such as labour market liberalisation and removal of constraints on the acquisition of land for industrial purposes are demanded.
    • What could be their possible impacts?
      • The negative impact such reform measures are likely to have on the incomes, living conditions and the economic security of the workers and the agricultural class.
      • Counterproductive labour policy: The policy of freedom of hiring and firing of labour will be counterproductive as it would squeeze demand further in a situation of huge demand deficit.

    Social sector and demand

    • Neglect of human infrastructure: While talks of economic revival focus on infrastructure there is little talk of investment in human infrastructure, particularly in education and 
      • Conditional expenditure: On the contrary, the expenditure in social sectors is made conditional upon a higher rate of growth. 
      • The flawed premise of long term impact: Most mainstream economists believe that public expenditure in social sectors can only have a long- term impact on growth. Which is not entirely correct.
    • The benefit of investment in human infrastructure:
      • Increases demand in short-run: Investment in social sectors results in creating demand in the short run by way of opening avenues for large-scale employment.
      • Competitiveness and sustainability: It imparts competitiveness and sustainability to the Indian economy in the medium and long run.
    • Example of RTE, teacher employment and demand creation
      • The recruitment of 5.7 million additional teachers over a period of, say, five years, can create huge scale demand.
      • And, this is only one factor essential for universalising quality school education.
      • There is also a large gap between the requirement of infrastructure in the schools and that available and built recently.
      • The gap between requirement and availability: According to government data, only 12.5% of the schools covered by the RTE Act were compliant with RTE norms.
      • Meeting these norms has the potential of creating employment on a large scale.
    • Importance of health and education
      • Education has a crucial role to play for an individual in gaining employment and retaining employability.

    Conclusion

    The gestation period of projects in social sectors is not as long as it is made out to be. It is, therefore, time for reprioritising education and health in the scheme of development strategy and the allocation of budgetary resources.

     

  • Karnataka Anti-superstition Law

    A controversial anti-superstition law in Karnataka was formally notified by the current government.

    Provisions of the earlier drafts

    • The law, which was initially drafted as the Karnataka Anti Superstition Bill, 2013, was a pet project of former CM Siddaramaiah.
    • The model Bill held human dignity as its central tenet and sought eradication of irrational practices found in different communities.
    • The first draft made practices like inflicting self-wounds and conversion through bribery illegal.
    • Some of the proposals opposed by religious leaders and political parties in the early draft were the ban on practices such as the carrying of priests in palanquins, worshipping the feet of religious leaders.
    • It sought to ban Made Snana practised in the Dakshina Kannada region where Dalits roll over the remains of food consumed by upper castes.

    The current version

    • A Bill with sizable consensus across the political spectrum finally evolved in 2017. A total of 16 practices have been banned under the law.
    • The practice of Vaastu, astrology, pradakshina or circumabulation of holy places, yatras, parikramas performed at religious places were kept out of the purview of the law.
    • Made Snana was banned under the law with respect to having Dalits roll over leftover food.
    • The practice has now been modified to be voluntary and not involving leftover food.
    • Practices such as barring menstruating women from entering houses of worship and their homes, coercing people to take part in fire-walks, and beating up people by declaring them evil, are among the irrational practices that have been banned under the 2017 law.

    Penalties

    • The law stipulates “imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year but which may extend to seven years and with fine which shall not be less than five thousand rupees but which may extend to fifty thousand rupees”, as punishment for violations.
    • The law is to implemented by the state police with the appointment of vigilance officers under the law at police stations.

  • [pib] The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020

    The Union Cabinet has approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.

    About the Bill

    • The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 is for expanding access of women to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarian or social grounds.
    • It aims to increase upper gestation limit for termination of pregnancy under certain conditions and to strengthen access to comprehensive abortion care, under strict conditions, without compromising service and quality of safe abortion.

    Salient features of proposed amendments:

    • Proposing requirement for opinion of one provider for termination of pregnancy, up to 20 weeks of gestation and introducing the requirement of opinion of two providers for termination of pregnancy of 20-24 weeks of gestation.
    • Enhancing the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women which will be defined in the amendments to the MTP Rules and would include ‘vulnerable women including survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women (like differently-abled women, Minors) etc.
    • Upper gestation limit not to apply in cases of substantial foetal abnormalities diagnosed by Medical Board. The composition, functions and other details of Medical Board to be prescribed subsequently in Rules under the Act.
    • Anonymity of the person: Name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated shall not be revealed except to a person authorised in any law for the time being in force.

    Benefits

    • It is a step towards safety and well-being of the women and many women will be benefitted by this.
    • Recently several petitions were received by the Courts seeking permission for aborting pregnancies at a gestational age beyond the present permissible limit on grounds of foetal abnormalities or pregnancies due to sexual violence faced by women.
    • The proposed increase in gestational age will ensure dignity, autonomy, confidentiality and justice for women who need to terminate pregnancy.

  • [pib] National Commission for Indian System of Medicines

    The Union Cabinet has given its approval for proposal of Official Amendments in the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2019 (NCIM) which is pending in the Rajya Sabha.

    About the Commission

    • The main objective of establishing NCIM is to promote equity by ensuring adequate supply of quality medical professionals and enforce high ethical standards in all aspects of medical services in Indian System of Medicine.
    • The Commission will promote availability of affordable healthcare services in all parts of the country.
    • The Commission has been structured to streamline the functions related to academic standards, evaluation, assessment and accreditation of educational institutions pertaining to Indian System of Medicine.

    Composition

    • The NCISM will consist of 29 members, appointed by the central government.
    • A Search Committee will recommend names to the central government for the post of Chairperson, part time members, and presidents of the four autonomous boards set up under the NCISM.
    • These posts will have a maximum term of four years.
    • The Search Committee will consist of five members including the Cabinet Secretary and three experts nominated by the central government (of which two should have experience in any of the fields of Indian System of Medicine).

    Functions

    Functions of the NCISM include:

    • framing policies for regulating medical institutions and medical professionals of Indian System of Medicine,
    • assessing the requirements of healthcare related human resources and infrastructure,
    • ensuring compliance by the State Medical Councils of Indian System of Medicine of the regulations made under the Bill, and
    • ensuring coordination among the autonomous boards set up under the Bill.

  • [op-ed of the day] The many problems of delayed data

    Context

    Delay in releasing the crime data by NCRB reduces the utility of the data for the policymakers.

    Formidable challenges faced by NCRB

    • The First-Casual approach of the States: The first is the lackadaisical approach of some of the States in providing data.
      • The NCRB merely assembles the figures it receives from the State police forces and does not tinker with them to reach a predetermined conclusion.
      • States’ irregularity: Data collection hits a roadblock when a few States either don’t bother to send the figures or send them much after the volume is published.
    • The second-Utility of the released data: The second problem is that questions are raised over the utility of the data.
      • There was a two-year delay in releasing the crime statistics for 2017.
      • Just two months after it was published, the ‘Crime in India’ (CII) 2018 report was released.
      • Reduced utility from a policy point of view: These numbers are only relevant to researchers, not policymakers as it does not carry us far in understanding what is happening on the ground.
      • A fossilised CII is meaningless.
    • The third- Third problem lies with the police and the public.
      • The Reluctance of the police to register the complaint: The police are notorious the world over for not registering complaints.
      • They do this so that they can present a false picture of a decline in crime.
      • The reluctance of the public: The public is also not very enthusiastic about reporting crimes to the police.
      • Catch-22 situation: Public is fearful of being harassed at the police station or do not believe that the police are capable of solving the crime. This is a Catch-22 situation.

    Crimes difficult to bury

    • The positive role played by the media: However, the problem has declined slightly over the years due to public awareness and intense media scrutiny.
      • There are a few classes of offences which are becoming increasingly difficult to bury. This is attributable to the extraordinary interest evinced by the media in reporting crime.
    • The crimes which are difficult to bury: The following cases of crime are becoming difficult to bury.
      • Homicide: The first category of crimes that is difficult to bury is of homicides.
      • Matter of distress: India reports an average of 30,000 murders every year (29,017 were registered in 2018). Every murder is a matter of distress.
      • Nevertheless, the stabilisation of the figure at 30,000 is a mild assurance.
      • The corresponding figure for the period in the U.S. was around 16,200.
      • Need to study the US decline: Though the U.S. has about one-third of India’s population, the reported decline in murders in many major U.S cities is worth studying.
      • Crime against women: The common man in India does not lag behind others in reacting strongly to attacks on hapless women and men.
      • The growth of the visual media possibly explains this welcome feature in Indian society.
      • The hope of a decrease in crime: The nationwide outrage over the gang-rape in Delhi and the subsequent tightening of laws on sexual crimes generated the hope that attacks against women would decrease.

    The issue of under-reporting

    • Under-reporting of crime in rural areas: In 2018, there were 33,356 rapes, a higher number than the previous year.
      • But these figures do not fully reflect realities on the ground.
      • There is still the unverifiable suspicion that while in urban areas sexual violence cases are reasonably well-reported, the story is different in rural India.
      • The role played by money and caste: Money power and caste oppression are believed to play a significant role in under-reporting.
      • What is more significant is that a substantial number of such crimes are committed by the ‘friends’ and families of victims.

    Conclusion

    • To be fair to the NCRB, we must concede that the organisation has more than justified its existence. The CII is used extensively by researchers.
    • Need for educating the people on realities of crime and its reporting: There is scope for more dynamism on the NCRB’s part, especially in the area of educating the public on the realities of crime and its reporting.
    • Greater pressure on the States to stick to a schedule: The NCRB will also have to be conscious of the expectation that it should bring greater pressure on States to make them stick to schedules and look upon this responsibility as a sacred national duty.

     

  • [pib] Bhuvan Panchayat V 3.0

    The Bhuvan Panchayat V 3.0 web portal was recently launched.

    Bhuvan Panchayat Version 3.0

    • For better planning and monitoring of government projects, the ISRO has launched the Bhuvan Panchayat web portal’s version 3.0.
    • For the first time, a thematic data base on a 1:1000 scale for the entire country is available with integrated high resolution satellite data for planning.
    • In the project that will last for at least two years, ISRO will collaborate with the gram panchayat members and stakeholders to understand their data requirements.
    • The third version of the portal will provide database visualisation and services for the benefit of panchayat members, among others.
    • The project is meant to provide geo-spatial services to aid gram panchayat development planning process of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
    • The targeted audiences for this portal are Public, PRIs and different stakeholders belonging to the gram panchayats.

    About SISDP Project

    • Space based Information Support for Decentralised Planning at Panchyayat level (SIS-DP) is a national initiative of preparing basic spatial layers useful in planning process for local self governance.
    • ISRO launched SISDP project to assist Gram Panchayats at grassroot level with basic planning inputs derived from satellite data for preparing developmental plans, its implementation and monitoring the activities.
    • The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) is the lead centre to execute the project in collaboration with various State Remote Sensing Centres.
    • SISDP phase I Project was successfully concluded in the year 2016-17.
    • Under Phase II, this project shall be implemented shortly with a enhanced scope of updating geodatabase with latest high resolution remote sensing data and spatial data analytics.
    • For the first time, thematic database on 1:10,000 scale for the entire country is available with high integrated High Resolution satellite data for planning.

  • Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2020

    What is the news: The Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) was recently published.

    Performance Analysis

    • India has climbed eight places to 72nd rank in the GTCI which was topped by Switzerland, the US and Singapore.
    • Sweden (4th), Denmark (5th), the Netherlands (6th), Finland (7th), Luxembourg (8th), Norway (9th) and Australia (10th) complete the top 10 league table.
    • In the BRICS grouping, China was ranked 42nd, Russia (48th), South Africa (70th) and Brazil at 80th position.
    • This year’s GTCI report explores how the development of AI is not only changing the nature of work but also forcing a re-evaluation of workplace practices, corporate structures and innovation ecosystems.

    About the GTCI report

    • It was started in 2013 and is an annual benchmarking report that measures the ability of countries to compete for talent, their ability to grow, attract and retain talent.
    • Theme for 2020 was ‘Global Talent in the Age of Artificial Intelligence’. It explores how the development of artificial intelligence (AI) is not only changing the nature of work but also forcing a re-evaluation of workplace practices, corporate structures and innovation ecosystems.
    • Inequality: The report noted that the gap between high income, talent-rich nations and the rest of the world is widening. More than half of the population in the developing world lack basic digital skills.
    • About GTCI Report: It is launched by INSEAD, a partner and sponsor of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Davos, Switzerland recently.
    • INSEAD is one of the world’s leading and largest graduate business schools with locations all over the world and alliances with top institutions.
    • The report, which measures countries based on six pillars:
    1. enable
    2. attract
    3. grow
    4. retain talent
    5. vocation and technical skills
    6. global knowledge skills

  • ICDS Programme

     

    Centre seeks to revamp the ICDS scheme in urban areas. For this NITI Aayog will develop draft policy, which will be circulated to the Ministries for consultations.

    Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)

    • The ICDS is a government programme in India which provides food, preschool education, primary healthcare, immunization, health check-up and referral services to children under 6 years of age and their mothers.
    • The scheme was launched in 1975, discontinued in 1978 by the government of Morarji Desai, and then relaunched by the Tenth Five Year Plan.
    • Tenth FYP also linked ICDS to Anganwadi centres established mainly in rural areas and staffed with frontline workers.
    • The ICDS provide for anganwadis or day-care centres which deliver a package of six services including:
    1. Immunization
    2. Supplementary nutrition
    3. Health checkup
    4. Referral services
    5. Pre-school education(Non-Formal)
    6. Nutrition and Health information

    Implementation

    • For nutritional purposes ICDS provides 500 kilocalories (with 12-15 grams of protein) every day to every child below 6 years of age.
    • For adolescent girls it is up to 500 kilo calories with up to 25 grams of protein every day.
    • The services of Immunisation, Health Check-up and Referral Services delivered through Public Health Infrastructure under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

    Revamp for Urban Areas

    • Health and ICDS models that work in rural areas may not work in urban areas because of higher population density, transportation challenges and migration.
    • Children in urban areas were overweight and obese as indicated by subscapular skinfold thickness (SSFT) for their age.
    • The first-ever pan-India survey on the nutrition status of children, highlighted that malnutrition among children in urban India.
    • It found a higher prevalence of obesity because of relative prosperity and lifestyle patterns, along with iron and Vitamin D deficiency.
    • According to government data from 2018, of the 14 lakh anganwadis across the country there are only 1.38 lakh anganwadis in urban areas.

  • Corruption Perception Index 2019

    The Corruption Perception report for 2019 has been released. It has revealed that a majority of countries are showing little to no improvement in tackling corruption.

    About CPI

    • The CPI is annually released by Transparency International.
    • It draws on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories, giving each a score from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

    India’s performance

    • India’s ranking in the CPI-2019 has slipped from 78 to 80 compared to the previous year.
    • Its score of 41 out of 100 remains the same.
    • CPI highlighted that unfair and opaque political financing, undue influence in decision-making and lobbying by powerful corporate interest groups, has resulted in stagnation or decline in the control of corruption.

    Global corruption

    • In the Asia Pacific region, the average score is 45, after many consecutive years of an average score of 44, which “illustrates general stagnation” across the region.
    • China has improved its position from 87 to 80 with a score of 41 out of 100, a two-point jump.
    • Despite the presence of high performers like New Zealand (87), Singapore (85), Australia (77), Hong Kong (76) and Japan (73), the Asia Pacific region hasn’t witnessed substantial progress in anti-corruption.
    • In addition, low performers like Afghanistan (16), North Korea (17) and Cambodia (20) continue to highlight serious challenges in the region.
    • The top ranked countries are New Zealand and Denmark, with scores of 87 each, followed by Finland (86), Singapore (85), Sweden (85) and Switzerland (85).