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Subject: Indian Society

  • What is the PM SHRI Scheme?

    Prime Minister has announced that under the PM SHRI Scheme, as many as 14,500 schools will be “upgraded” across India to showcase the components of the National Education Policy, 2020.

    What is the PM SHRI scheme?

    • According to the Ministry of Education, the centrally sponsored scheme will be called PM SHRI Schools (PM Schools for Rising India).
    • Under it, as many as 14,500 schools across states and Union Territories will be redeveloped to reflect the key features of the NEP, 2020.
    • The plan was first discussed with the education ministers of states and UTs during a conference organised by the Ministry of Education in June at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
    • While there are exemplary schools like Navodaya Vidyalayas, Kendriya Vidyalayas, the PM SHRI will act as “NEP labs”.

    What are the key features of NEP in school education?

    • The NEP envisages a curricular structure and teaching style divided into various stages – foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary.
    • The foundational years (pre-school and grades I, II) will involve play-based learning.
    • At the preparatory level (III-V), light textbooks are to be introduced along with some formal classroom teaching. Subject teachers are to be introduced at the middle level (VI-VIII).
    • The secondary stage (IX-XII) will be multidisciplinary in nature with no hard separation between arts and sciences or other disciplines.

    What is a centrally sponsored scheme?

    • A centrally sponsored scheme is one where the cost of implementation is likely to split in the 60:40 ratio among the Union government and the states/Union Territories.
    • For instance, the mid-day meal scheme (PM Poshan) or the PM Awas Yojana are examples of centrally sponsored schemes.
    • In the case of the Northeastern states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and UTs without legislatures, the Centre’s contribution can go up to 90 per cent.

    How will PM SHRI schools be different from Kendriya Vidyalayas or Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas?

    • Kendriya Vidyalayas or Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas come entirely under the Centre’s Ministry of Education. They are fully funded by the Union government under Central Sector Schemes.
    • While KVs largely cater to children of Union government employees posted in states and UTs, JNVs were set up to nurture talented students in rural parts of the country.
    • In contrast, PM SHRI schools will be an upgrade of existing schools run by the Centre, states, UTs and local bodies.
    • This essentially means that PM SHRI schools can either be KVs, JNVs, state government schools or even those run by municipal corporations.

    Where will the PM SHRI schools come up?

    • The Centre has not yet released the list of schools that have been chosen for this purpose.
    • It has however announced that the PM SHRI schools will also “offer mentorship” to other schools in their vicinity.
    • These schools will be equipped with modern infrastructure including labs, smart classrooms, libraries, sports equipment, art room etc.
    • It shall also be developed as green schools with water conservation, waste recycling, energy-efficient infrastructure and integration of organic lifestyle in curriculum.

     

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  • Issues faced by Teachers in India

    teacher Context

    • 5 September is teacher’s day. Teachers’ Day or Shikshak Divas marks the birthday of the country’s first Vice President (1952–1962) who went on to become the second President of India (1962-1967), a scholar, philosopher, Bharat Ratna awardee, a highly-respected teacher and prolific statesman – Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.

    teacher What are the issue with teachers?

    • Less attractive career: It seems that teaching the young is no longer an attractive profession because systemic conditions are so discouraging. It points towards the reforms that education now requires.
    • Diversion from teaching: Teaching children is not regarded as a serious profession. Non-teaching duties are routinely assigned, and now the digital regime has washed away the few traces of professional autonomy even in the best of private schools.
    • Bureaucratic over vigilance: So deep is official suspicion of their integrity that many states have installed CCTV cameras in classrooms. That is not the only form of insult teacher’s face. They have little power to assert their professional dignity in the face of bureaucratic or managerial authority.
    • Marginalisation by coaching institutes: The Indian school teacher now faces new social and economic forces. Coaching institutions have marginalised the secondary-level science teacher. All over the country, children are allowed to bunk school to attend NEET and JEE coaching classes. Science and math teachers were, in any case, aware that their pedagogic effectiveness would be measured by an unreformed examination system.
    • Reliability issue due to internet overuse: Social Science teachers are coping with a different kind of challenge to justify their knowledge and interpretation. Children’s access to the internet exposes them to a wilderness of socio-political ideas and information. It is not easy for social science teachers to convince children that they are more reliable than a YouTube video or a WhatsApp message.

    Catchy line in this context for value addition

    Jinke jiwan me guru nahi, unka jiwan abhi shuru nahi.

    How to address these challenges

    • Supporting teacher control over curriculum and instruction: Classical top-down school leadership needs to be re-examined, and teachers must be recognized as professionals who have expertise to make good learning decisions for their students.
    • Establish adequate pay scales and financial incentives: Compensation systems signal what skills and attributes are valued and what kinds of contributions are rewarded.
    • Establish and conduct personnel evaluation systems: Teachers need regular feedback and accurate information on job expectations.
    • Provide adequate planning time for teachers: While all teachers work under tremendous time constraints, experienced teachers generally are able to complete their planning more quickly. For new teachers, adequate planning time can allay feelings of being overwhelmed.
    • Provide a structure for team planning and teaching: Teachers often report feeling isolated in their classrooms. Team planning and teaching can be an important step in retaining a high quality teaching force.

    teacher Conclusion

    • Since the teacher is the pivot of the entire educational system and is the main catalytic agent for introducing desirable changes in the teaching learning process, all attempts need be made for motivating teachers to become innovative and creative. It goes without saying that a self-motivated and really industrious teacher can utilise his own resources to keep themselves abreast of new knowledge and skills.

    Mains question

    Q. It seems that teaching the young is no longer an attractive profession because systemic conditions are so discouraging. Critically analyse.

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  • Civil service reforms in India

    Civil servantsContext

    • Can civil servants express their views on law, governance?

    Why in news?

    • A senior IAS officer, Smita Sabharwal from Telangana, tweeted from her personal account in support of Ms. Bilkis Bano and questioned the Gujarat government’s decision, sparking off a row over whether she was in breach of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules of 1964 and reviving the debate on the freedom of civil servants to express their personal views on matters of law and governance.

    Who are civil servants?

    • In a modern democracy, a civil servant is an official in the service of the people and is recruited based on predetermined qualifications. Civil servants are bureaucrats who need to be familiar with the laws and regulations of the country and are expected to act in the best interests of the country and its citizens.

    What is their expected role?

    • They are responsible for managing the resources given to them by the government and making use of them efficiently and effectively. A sound parliamentary system of government requires civil servants to maintain their integrity, fearlessness, and independence.

    Civil servantsWhat are Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules of 1964?

    • Conduct Rules lay down clear principles as to what the Government expects from its employees.
    • Conduct rules apply to both official and personal life of the government servant.
    • If an official violates conduct rules, he may face warning/disciplinary action/departmental proceedings.

    What is rule 9?

    • Rule 9 of the Rules of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules states, “No Government servant shall… make any statement of fact or opinion… which has the effect of an adverse criticism of any current or recent policy or action of the Central Government or a State Government.”

    Civil servantsWhat is freedom of expression?         

    • The citizens of country have the fundamental right of free speech guaranteed to them under the Constitution, which is subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of securing the state’s sovereignty, international relations, health, morality, etc.

    What central conduct rules say?

    • When you undertake a government service, you subject yourself to certain disciplinary rules. That prevents a government servant from becoming a member of a political organisation, or any organisation of such a nature, or expressing herself freely with regard to anything that has to do with the governance of the country.

    How Indian rules are different than others?

    • One of the most important functions of the civil service, as stated by the head of the Canadian Public Service, is to “speak truth to power.”
    • Which is prohibited in Indian context because this rule is of the British era. There is no doubt that the British were very, very strict and didn’t want their officers to be talking about how bad the governance was. But in a democracy, the right to criticise the government is a fundamental right and nobody can muzzle that.

    What judiciary said in Lipika Paul vs The State Of Tripura case

    • As a Government servant the petitioner is not devoid of her right of free speech, a fundamental right which can be curtailed only by a valid law.

    Crux of this judgement in simple words

    • She (the petitioner) was entitled to hold her own beliefs and express them in the manner she desired, subject to not crossing the borders laid down in the Conduct Rules which were applicable in Tripura.
    • A fundamental right cannot be curtailed except by a valid law made by a legislature.

    Why this judgement is important?

    • It abrogated state from exploiting vague terms of the policy of government and government action to punish civil servants who criticize government of the day in any manner harsh or mild.

    What Kerala high court said in 2018?

    • One cannot be prevented from expressing his views merely because he/she is an government employee. In a democratic society, every institution is governed by democratic norms. Healthy criticism is a better way to govern a public institution.

    Why it is highly contextual here?

    • This judgement indirectly protected constructive and just criticism by protecting fundamental rights of the civil servants.

    Action of IAS officer can be justified?

    • Since she added the words ‘civil servant’ in her tweet is because the dharma of the civil servant is to uphold constitutional principles in letter and in spirit, and the rule of law.
    • In Bilkis Bano case, both the spirit of the Constitution and the rule of law were being subverted.
    • Hence her expression can be justified.

    Can we justify rule 9 here in this context?

    • The rules don’t violate Article 19. It is a rule, it’s not the law. It’s not in the Constitution. Freedom of speech is given in the Constitution, but these are Conduct Rules and they are imposed because there has to be some discipline in an organisation for that organisation to function.
    • There is a process of decision-making. Right from below, the matter is examined, the pros and cons are taken up, the bureaucracy is given an opportunity to examine all the aspects, write their notes of objection or support, and finally it reaches the political executive. When a policy is decided, it has to be obeyed and complied with by the bureaucracy.

    Conclusion

    • Anybody could challenge these rules as they are offending constitutional fundamental rights of civil servant; then the Supreme Court would be forced to come down and say either it is good, or it is bad, and give good reasons for that.

    Mains question

    Q. Right time has arrived to challenge conduct rules of civil servants as their freedom of expression is curtailed by these rules. Critically analyse.

     

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  • Glass ceiling needs to be broken to unlock women potential

    glass ceilingContext

    • According to available UNESCO data on some selected countries, India is at the lowest position, having only 14% female researchers working in STEM areas highlighting the presence of glass ceiling.

    What is glass ceiling?

    • A glass ceiling is a metaphor used to represent an invisible barrier that prevents women from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy. The metaphor was first coined by feminists in reference to barriers in the careers of high-achieving women.

    What Is a Gender-equal Society?

    • A society in which both women and men shall be given equal opportunities to participate voluntarily in activities in all fields as equal partners, and be able to enjoy political, economic, social and cultural benefits equally as well as to share responsibilities.

    How glass ceiling limits women progress?

    • Few opportunities: Due to deep-rooted biases, it is difficult for women to access many experiences and networks that are easily accessible to men.
    • Social barriers and gender norms: Personal barriers include notions of compromise and sacrifice that are ingrained in women. This feeds into how women present themselves. External barriers and cultural cues reinforce how men and women “ought” to behave.
    • Gender Inequity: Stereotypes related to gender brilliance or gender-based intrinsic aptitude generate inequity which remains unnoticed.
    • Low self-confidence: Our socio-cultural constructs reflect absolute patriarchy causing even women to be sceptical about their abilities, to accept the roles set for them in the household.

    glass ceiling The gender gap in employment

    • Around the world, finding a job is much tougher for women than it is for men. When women are employed, they tend to work in low-quality jobs in vulnerable conditions, and there is little improvement forecast in the near future.

    glass ceilingWhat are STEM areas?

    • STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics and refers to any subjects that fall under these four disciplines.

    What are the drivers at policy and programme level to promote women in STEM in India?

    • Breaking myths and stereotypes around STEM is crucial to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5 (gender equality) which includes women’s use of enabling technology, including ICT as a means of achieving economic empowerment and greater agency and also many other STEM-related SDGs.

    glass ceilingGovernment initiatives

    • GATI: It will be called GATI (Gender Advancement through Transforming Institutions). The DST is incorporating a system of grading institutes depending on the enrolment of women and the advancement of the careers of women faculty and scientists.
    • CURIE: For infrastructure in women’s universities
    • Vigyan Jyoti Scheme: Encourage girls in high school to pursue STEM
    • The Athena Swan Charter: is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research.
    • KIRAN: (Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through nurturing) Scheme to encourage women Scientists
    • Indo-US Fellowship: for Women in STEMM (STEM and Medicine)

    Conclusion

    • Gender equality or parity will happen only when there is a change in mind-set and institutions consider women as assets rather than simply a diversity rectification issue. Policies that help women advance in science and society globally are needed. The world cannot afford to miss out on what women have to offer.

    Mains question

    Q. What do you understand by the term glass ceiling? Discuss how it has hampered the women participation in high end research STEM jobs by citing some government initiatives to address this.

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  • Old age poverty is getting worse if not addressed soon

    old age povertyContext

    • India’s old age poverty will be big by 2050. Only 2% informal workers have invested in NPS.
    • Poverty is about not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter. However, poverty is more, much more than just not having enough money.

    Why is age a cause of poverty?

    • The “oldest-old”, aged 80 years or over, are less able to work than younger older persons; are more likely to have spent their savings; and are most in need of age-appropriate health and long-term personal care services.

    How age induces poverty in India?

    • India has no legal provisions for income security of the elderly, making the impacts of ageing far harsher for those who are already economically vulnerable.
    • Deteriorating brain and muscle capacity are largely non-negotiable facts of life, limiting one’s ability to get a job or remain employed.

    Reasons for old age poverty

    old age poverty

    • Dependency: A large section of the senior population in India is still dependent on the joint family set up for their senior care and post-retirement needs, with financial planning for retirement taking a back seat.
    • High population: An increase in the number of seniors in India will reduce the percentage of India’s human resource capital and its ability to drive economic growth.
    • Low insurance penetration: This highlights the inadequacy and underscores the critical need to streamline retirement planning schemes and strengthen the pension programs in the country. There is a lacks of social security framework.

    Data to remember

    People employed in the unorganised sector form around 90 per cent of India’s workforce.

    How to assure wellness and dignity to elders?

    • Income security in the form of monthly pensions either state-assured or employment-linked has been one of the most prevalent modes of assuring continued wellness and dignity against the life-shock of ageing.

    old age povertyAddressing the roadblock

    • Universal pension program: Income security in later years stems from multiple sources such as pensions, insurances (medical and life), Investments. This provides an opportunity for India to create a universal pension program for its 1.3 billion people.
    • Financial incentives: There is a pressing need to promote and facilitate fiscal planning in the early years and supplement it with senior-friendly tax structures and integrated insurance products. Such measures can help provide multiple income options to seniors to help them embrace a lifestyle of their choice.
    • Regulatory mechanism: A regulatory mechanism will set a viable base rate for the interest accrued on senior citizen deposits and ensure market dips don’t affect retirement income and senior-specific saving plans.

    Case study

    • Rwanda has achieved roughly 2 million voluntary micro-pension enrolments (30 per cent of its adult population) within three years by making digital account activation easy and simple for informal workers.

     

    Government intervention to improve elderly wellness

    • A strong and sustained political commitment,
    • A statutory pension sector regulator,
    • A well-designed and low-cost NPS product architecture,
    • Credible and well-regulated NPS intermediaries,
    • Securities market capable of delivering high returns,
    • Near-universal banking and mobile penetration,
    • The India Stack infrastructure with Aadhaar for easy eKYC, and UPI for secure digital payments.

    Conclusion

    • The government, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and the NPS industry now need to urgently put their heads together and address the obvious supply and demand side barriers. Every day is precious. After all, pension exclusion is akin to climate change. It needs immediate attention. By 2050, India’s problem of old age poverty will have become way too large, too late, too expensive and entirely irreversible.

    Mains question

    Q. Nearly 400 million young, economically active Indians are slowly walking towards extreme old age poverty in this context how will you explain and analyse the term old age poverty? Suggest some dynamic measures to address this problem.

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  • Challenging the Special Marriage Act, 1954

    The Supreme Court has dismissed a writ petition challenging the Constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 under which couples seek refuge for inter-faith and inter-caste marriages.

    What is Special Marriage Act, 1954?

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

    What does the petition seek?

    • The Supreme Court dismissed a writ petition challenging the Constitutional validity of certain provisions of the SMA under which couples seek refuge for inter-faith and inter-caste marriages.
    • The writ petition has called these provisions violative of Article 21, which guarantees the right to privacy.
    • Under this act, the couples require to give a notice of 30 days before the date of marriage inviting objections from the public.
    • The provisions contravene Article 14 on prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste and sex as well as Article 15 on right to equality as these requirements are absent in personal laws.

    What did the court say?

    • The SC Bench rejected the writ petition on the grounds that the petitioner was no longer an aggrieved party as she had already solemnised her marriage under SMA.
    • The petitioner’s lawyers said that they were now deliberating on an alternative approach to initiate this litigation such as through a public interest litigation involving other victims.
    • Another writ petition is admitted by the Supreme Court in 2020 and the government’s reply to is awaited.

    What are the provisions that have been challenged?

    • Section 5 of the SMA requires couples getting married under it to give a notice to the Marriage Officer 30 days before the date of marriage.
    • Section 6 requires such a notice to be then entered into the Marriage Notice Book maintained by the Marriage Officer, which can be inspected by any person desirous of inspecting the same.
    • These notices have to be also affixed at a “conspicuous place” in the office of the Marriage Officer so that anyone can raise an objection to the marriage.
    • Section 7 provides the process for making an objection such as if either party has a living spouse, is incapable of giving consent due to “unsoundness of mind” or is suffering from mental disorder resulting in the person being unfit for marriage or procreation.
    • Section 8 specifies the inquiry procedure to be followed after an objection has been submitted.

    Why are these provisions contentious?

    • The provisions throw the personal information of the individuals open to public scrutiny. This may result into vigilantism.
    • This seriously damages one’s right to have control over her or his personal information and its accessibility.
    • By making the personal details of the couple accessible to everyone, the very right of the couple to be the decision makers of their marriage is being hampered by the state.

    How do these provisions make couples vulnerable?

    • These public notices have been used by anti-social elements to harass couples getting married.
    • For many who often marry without their parent’s consent this can be life-threatening.
    • Many states publicly share the details of couples marrying under SMA on their websites.
    • Many also complain about the behaviour of the staff at the SDM’s office who often delete or delay applications and dissuade couples from marrying under SMA.
    • With as many as 11 States passing anti-conversion (or so-called love-jihad) laws, parents and the State are now armed to punish and harass such couples.

     

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  • PARAKH: A new regulator for ‘uniformity’ in all board exams

    The Centre is planning to draw up a benchmark framework ‘PARAKH’ to assess students at the secondary and higher secondary level to bring about “uniformity” across state and central boards.

    What is PARAKH?

    • PARAKH stands for Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development.
    • The proposed regulator will act as a constituent unit of the NCERT.
    • It will also be tasked with holding periodic learning outcome tests like the National Achievement Survey (NAS) and State Achievement Surveys.
    • The benchmark assessment framework will seek to put an end to the emphasis on rote learning, as envisaged by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
    • PARAKH, the proposed implementing agency, is also part of the NEP proposal.

    Response form States

    • Most states endorsed the proposal to hold board exams twice a year, including one for helping students improve their scores.
    • States are also on board regarding a proposal to offer two types of papers on mathematics — a standard exam, and another to test higher level competency.
    • It will help reduce the fear of maths among students and encourage learning.

    Significance of PARAKH

    • PARAKH will help tackle the problem of students of some state boards being at a disadvantage during college admissions as compared to their peers in CBSE schools.
    • It will develop and implement “technical standards for the design, conduct, analysis and reporting” of tests at all levels of school education.
    • PARAKH will eventually become the national single-window source for all assessment related information and expertise, with a mandate to support learning assessment in all forms, both nationally and where applicable, internationally.

     

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  • Thin line between freebies and public welfare

    Context

    • ‘Revdi Culture’ (sweet) or Govt’s Basic Responsibility? What Prioritising Welfare Is Really About
    • While hearing a petition demanding the de-recognition of political parties that promise “irrational freebies” to voters, the Supreme Court recently drew attention to the substantial fiscal cost of freebies.

    What are freebies?

    • A freebie is any public policy intervention that will have a long-term impact on production as well as productivity.
    • Any public policy intervention that doesn’t support medium-term to long-term production and productivity may be termed as a freebie.
    • The term Freebies is not new; rather it is a prevalent culture in Indian politics (in the name of socialism).
    • The political parties are always trying to outdo each other in luring the Indian voters with

    Examples of freebies

    • Promise of Rs 15 lakh in our bank accounts
    • Free TV, Laptops
    • Free electricity
    • Loan waivers
    • Offering free public transport ride to all women in Delhi

    Why are such policies popular among the public?

    • Failure of economic policies: The answer lies in the utter failure of our economic policies to create decent livelihood for a vast majority of Indians.
    • Quest for decent livelihood: The already low income had to be reoriented towards spending a disproportionately higher amount on education and health, from which, the state increasingly withdrew.
    • Prevailing unemployment:  Employment surveys have shown that employment growth initially slowed down from the 1990s, and then has turned negative over the past few years.
    • Increased cost of living: Real income growth of the marginal sections has actually slowed down since 1991 reforms.
    • Increased consumerism: The poor today also spend on things which appear to be luxuries; cellphones and data-packs are two such examples which are shown as signs of India’s increased affluence.

    Thin line between freebie and public welfare

    • Using freebies to lure voters is not good.
    • Voter’s greediness may lead to a problem in choosing a good leader.
    • When we don’t have a good leader then democracy will be a mockery.

    Negative implications

    • Never ending trail: The continuity of freebies is another major disadvantage as parties keep on coming up with lucrative offers to lure more number of votes to minimize the risk of losing in the elections.
    • Burden on exchequer: People forget that such benefits are been given at the cost of exchequer and from the tax paid.
    • Ultimate loss of poors: The politicians and middlemen wipe away the benefits and the poor have to suffer as they are deprived from their share of benefits which was to be achieved out of the money.
    • Inflationary practice: Such distribution freebie commodity largely disrupts demand-supply dynamics.
    • Lethargy in population: Freebies actually have the tendency to turn the nation’s population into: Lethargy and devoid of entrepreneurship.

    Rational elements in freebies

    • Social investment: Aid to the poor is seen as a wasteful expenditure. But low interest rates for corporates to get cheap loans or the ‘sop’ of cutting corporate taxes are never criticized.
    • Socialistic policy: This attitude comes from decades of operating within the dominant discourse of market capitalism.
    • Election manifesto: Proponents of such policies would argue that poll promises are essential for voters to know what the party would do if it comes to power and have the chance to weigh options.

    Why they need to stop?

    • Winning election and good governance are two different things. The role of freebies to avail good governance is definitely questionable.
    • The social, political and economic consequences of freebies are very short-lived in nature.
    • There are many freebies and subsidies schemes available in many States but we still find starvation deaths, lack of electricity, poor education and health service.
    • Hence the sorrow of the masses of India cannot be solved by freebies or by incentives.

    Conclusion

    • There is nothing wrong in having a policy-led elaborate social security programme that seeks to help the poor get out of poverty.
    • But such a programme needs well thought out preparation and cannot be conjured up just before an election.

    Mains question

    Q. Do you think freebies are justified under the name of social security? Critically evaluate the rising freebie culture in India with its negative implications.

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  • Strong gender norms of japan reducing gender equality

    Gender norms Context

    • Japan ranked lowest among the developed countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2022 due to its prevalent gender norms.

    What Is a Gender-equal Society?

    • A society in which both women and men shall be given equal opportunities to participate voluntarily in activities in all fields as equal partners, and be able to enjoy political, economic, social and cultural benefits equally as well as to share responsibilities.

    What is sexism in simple words?

    • Prejudice or discrimination based on sex especially discrimination against women. Behaviour, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex.

    What is the meaning of gender norms?

    • Gender norms are social principles that govern the behaviour of girls, boys, women, and men in society and restrict their gender identity into what is considered to be appropriate. Gender norms are neither static nor universal and change over time.

    Gender norms Persistent gender norms in japan

    • Men should work outside the home.
    • Genders should be brought up differently.
    • Women are more suited to household work and child rearing than men.
    • Full time housewives are valuable to society because of their family raising role.

    What is womenomic’s?

    • “Womenomics”, a theory linking the advancement of women to increased development rates. The concept, originally defined by the Japanese Prime Minister Abe.

    What is women’s empowerment all about?

    • Women’s empowerment can be defined to promoting women’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and others.

    gender norms

    Measures toward the Realization of a Gender-equal Society

    • Promoting the Participation of Women in National Advisory Councils and Committees.
    • Recruiting and Promoting of Female National Public Officers.

    What is needed to improve women’s welfare?

    • Community sensitization: Persistent effort must be directed toward community sensitization to root out patriarchal social norms.
    • Directional efforts: In addition to enforcing existing regulations like minimum wages, there must be supportive ancillary policies including childcare; secure transport; lighting; safety at work; and quotas in hiring, corporate boards, and politics to foster more  women  in  leadership.

    Key fact

    Japan is the world’s fourth largest economy.

    Conclusion

    • Due to the labour shortage in Japan, women are undoubtedly an essential resource for the nation. Hence, they should also be further involved in policy-making and social decisions such as gender inequality solving and feasible Womenomic’s adjustments for the next future.

    Mains question

    Q. Japan’s struggle with gender parity teaches us that investing in women’s education and health may have limited impact if that society is trapped in gender norms that restrict women from capitalising these investments for themselves, the society and the country. Critically analyse.

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  • Robust Sport governance for national pride

    sport governanceContext

    • The judicial push for reforms in sport governance of various sporting bodies, football, hockey, table tennis and the Indian Olympic Association has understandably received mixed reactions.

    Why in news?

    • The national sports federation’s usual governance practices do not place either the sport or the athlete front and centre; that space is reserved for official egos, whims and political clout.

    What is sport governance?

    • Sport governance refers to the power a government has over institutions and allows their decisions to be made with due consideration to their influence, authority, and organizational structure.

    Sports in India

    • Physical activity is fundamental to human beings:  The report states that having a fundamental right to literacy would mean identifying the intrinsic value of physical activity to human living.
    • Part of elementary education: It would mean not seeing physical activity as an end in itself, and the establishment of physical activity/ physical education as a core component of the education curriculum.
    • Supportive to other FRs: A fundamental right to physical literacy would actualise and enhance the enjoyment of other fundamental rights. It would go a long way in enhancing the opportunities and freedom to express oneself.
    • Enhancing life quality: A physically literate individual would have a more fulfilling life of higher quality than one who is not.  Physical literacy, as a building block, would go a long way in the promotion and realisation of the right to health and the right to education.

    sport governance Issues with the Current Sports governance

    • Lack of check and balance: The biggest concern regarding these bodies so far has been a complete lack of checks and balances.
    • Excessive autonomy: In the pretext of autonomy, they have been allowed to function in any manner.
    • Less people centric approach: The federations have generally fallen short of public expressions and have failed to carry out their jobs. It has been largely attributed to the way they are governed.
    • Accountability: The current sports model faces accountability issues such as that of having unlimited discretionary powers and also there is no transparency in the decision-making.

    sport governance

     

    Sport governance in India is administered by

    • Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS)
    • National Sports Federation (NSF)
    • Indian Olympic Association (IOA)
    • State Olympic Association (SOA)
    • Sports Authority of India (SAI)

    Positive Suggestions

    • Legislation: There must be presence of powerful and defined sports legislation in India covering all the nuances of sports and giving no arbiter powers to any authority.
    • Transparency-: To maintain transparency with expenditure and fund utilization, Information like a board of members, administrative officials, and remuneration information must be in public domain.
    • Women Representation: It is very important to have sufficient women representation in sports as well as in the administrative bodies, and it is the responsibility of these admin bodies to ensure sufficient representation from women in the board too, to maintain the diversity within the board.
    • Plans: There should be fix timelines disclosed which are to be adopted by sports bodies for the purpose of growth and development of sports in future, which is to be achieved in a given specific period of time. These kinds of timelines and plans would be motivational for players and bodies to. Goals to be targeted in future must be predecided, which can be well monitored and regulated by the authorities. Effective implementation would bring positive results in future.
    • Committees: To set up specific committees for specific activities relating to sports activities, like for planning, financing, research and development purposes. These committees would look after the particular task, which would bring transparency in work and achieving the common objective.
    • Rules and Regulations: like other fields, sports also have conflicts regarding disciplinary, administrative and management issues, to solve this issues governing bodies must set up a common judicial system (tribunal) to deal with sports-related conflicts.

    Conclusion

    • There is a close association of sports with national pride and the kind of influence it has on the psyche of the nation, a role for the State is urgent in sports reforms.

    Mains question

    Q. The national sports federation’s usual governance practices do not place either the sport or the athlete front and centre; that space is reserved for official egos what do you think on this ? Explain the term sport governance with some dynamic changes needed in it.

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