NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
Society:
Q1. Could one blame globalization for the brain drain? How does globalization negatively affect developing countries like India? Comment. 10M
Introduction:
Globalisation refers to the interconnectedness of the world economy by the movement of ideas, goods, capital and people often enabled by technological development while it facilitates brain drain in the sense that people move to and settle where they deem fit.
This is of growing concern worldwide because of its impact on the national economy and society of a country.
Globalisation and brain drain:
- Globalisation as Pull factor; – Pull factor from abroad is huge some of which include good life, good money, recognition for work, greater ownership, like-minded and highly motivated people to work with, well-equipped offices/research centres etc.
- And also, the ageing demography of developed nations is inviting Indian youth for studies and retains the best through job offers.
- Opportunities abroad; – Unavailability of challenging and creative job roles in developing countries like India.
- Sectors like ITES, research, Biotechnology, Space and Aviation have very specialised research centres and job roles abroad.
- Push factors; – Developing countries like India started off very late in the race of technology. Hence, the West has already made huge progress in developing technologies, and it is becoming hard for India to set up such facilities and attract talent. Hence, scientists move abroad to avail already developed technology rather than creating from scratch.
- Also, corruption, opaqueness in administration, Reservation, and no easy admission for higher education in elite universities also make young, talented and future researchers leave India.
- Lack of employment opportunities with suitable remuneration for the research scholar is one of the reasons people tend to land in foreign countries more often.
Globalization has certainly a vital role to play in the brain drain process. However, the main culprit behind the brain drain phenomenon is the fact that most countries especially in the Third World do not have progressive infrastructures and they cannot provide local specialists with the means required for furthering their intellectual development and satisfying their future aspirations.
Negative effects of globalisation on developing countries like India:
- Economic impact
- Inequality: globalisation has increased inequality due to pressure of MNCs and International organisations- thrust on free trade and less spending on the social sector, increased mechanization, casualisation and gig economy.
- For instance, the rich grow richer and the poor become relatively poorer.
- Small industries; – Small businesses and traditional crafts can’t compete against MNCs leading to unemployment in developing countries.
- For instance, the Handloom industry of India.
- Vulnerability; – due to increased interconnectedness developing countries are more vulnerable to the financial crisis.
- For instance, the East Asian crisis in 1997, and the financial crisis in 2008.
- Society;-
- Nuclear families; – breaking up of joint family due to migration and search for employment opportunities offered by globalisation.
- Cultural imperialism – the hegemony of dominant culture. In this case western and American culture.
- Deterioration of social values – less respect for ladies and old. Older people are seen as a burden than as a repository of knowledge.
- Women; –
- Crime against women, including in the workplace and travel, has increased – new forms of crime due to access to the internet emerging, commodification of women.
- Dual Responsibility on womene. household and work-related, more so as joint family structure weakened.
- Mechanization of roles, traditionally filled by women like in the textile sector, has thrown women out of jobs.
- Youth; – youth are the most exposed group to Globalisation. It has led to frustration, depression and alienation of youths.
- Inequality: globalisation has increased inequality due to pressure of MNCs and International organisations- thrust on free trade and less spending on the social sector, increased mechanization, casualisation and gig economy.
Conclusion:
It is safe to say that globalization has good benefits and negative setbacks for developing nations in the world. Globalization can be thought of as a tool and depends on how one uses the tool or how often or even in what ways it is used. Globalization can be good for a Nation depending on the nations and the developing nations investing in it.
Q2. ‘A civilised society is judged by the condition of marginalized and vulnerable sections ’. What are the issues faced by them in Indian society and suggest some measures to improve their conditions? 15M
Introduction
Marginalisation refers to the relegation to the fringes of society due to a lack of access to rights, resources, and opportunities. It is a major cause of vulnerability, which refers to exposure to a range of possible harms and being unable to deal with them adequately.
Vulnerable People are those who have a higher risk of falling into poverty. They include the old, disabled, Dalits, Tribals, Minorities, refugees, Vendors etc. and often Women.
Body:
Issues faced by Marginalised and Vulnerable sections of India:
Women; –
- Gender inequality; -women are excluded from certain jobs and occupations, incorporated into certain others, and marginalized in others.
- According to a World Economic Forum report on the wage gap, women are paid 34% less than men in India.
- Crime against them; – According to NCRB data, there has been a 30% increase in crime against women in 2021. They are also a victim of domestic violence that significantly increased during pandemic times, UN raised concern about it and called it a silent pandemic.
- Rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India. According to NCRB, India recorded 77 rape cases daily in 2020.
- Variation in marginalisation; – Women belonging to lower classes, lower castes, illiterate, and the poorest region have different levels of marginalization than their better-off counterparts.
People with disabilities;-
- As per the census 2011, 2.2% of India’s population is Persons with disabilities. They face the following issues
- Ambiguity with regard to definition, and lack of credible data. Only 22% poses disability certificate,
- Suffer from triple jeopardye. Social stigma, poverty and, disability. Due to social stigma underreporting of disability cases. For instance, mental illness.
- Asymmetry in the use of infrastructure (footpath, transport etc.), and resources (books) which keeps them subjugated.
- Social barriers;- limited access to education and employment which makes them more vulnerable to harassment.
- Among those who are disabled women, children and age are more vulnerable and need attention.
Scheduled Castes (Dalits)
- As per the census 2011, SCs constitute6% of the total population, despite various constitutional measures the face following issues.
- Untouchability; – the notion of purity and pollution often deprives SCs and makes them vulnerable to social discrimination.
- According to the NCAER study, 25% of Indians admitted that they practice caste-based untouchability.
- Indirectly they face issues like political underrepresentation, land alienation, and discrimination in the workplace.
- Thus, the marginalization of Dalits influences all spheres of their life, violating basic human rights such as civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights.
- Untouchability; – the notion of purity and pollution often deprives SCs and makes them vulnerable to social discrimination.
Tribals
- Education and Health;- Access to education is lowest among tribal and exposure to new diseases and vectors but failure in providing access to health facilities has increased morbidity and mortality among tribes.
- Poverty, involuntary displacement due to developmental projects, harassment at hands of forest bureaucracy, discrimination in schools and colleges, and human rights violation(AFSPA in Northeast), are the major issues that are faced by the tribal population of India.
- They belong to the poorest strata of society and have severe health problems.
Transgender
- There are 4.8 lakh, transgender, in the country according to the census 2011, they face the following issues
- Administrative apathy toward community
- They suffer from mental illness – stress, anxiety, depression (esp. during CoVid)
- Subjugated to different forms of abuse – sexual, physical, mental
- Employment – represents less than 1% of the workforce
- They face legal hurdles in possessing identity documents Recognition
Elderly Population; – In India, the population of the elderly is growing rapidly and is emerging as a serious area of concern for the government and policy planners.
- Health falling; – Healthcare of the elderly is a major concern for society as ageing is often accompanied by multiple illnesses and physical ailments.
- Economic; – In India, 32 per cent of elderly males and 72 per cent of elderly females are entirely dependent on others economically for sustenance making them vulnerable to harassment and familial abuse.
- With a growing trend towards nuclear family set-up, and increasing education, urbanization and industrialization, the vulnerability of the elderly is rapidly increasing.
- The common psychological problems that most older people experience are: feeling of powerlessness, feeling of inferiority, depression, uselessness, isolation and reduced competence.
Measures to improve the condition of the Vulnerable and marginalised section;-
- Government intervention; – Government needs to intervene for ensuring social justice and solving the issues faced by the vulnerable population of India through policy intervention and welfare measures.
- For instance, the Vayoshri scheme, Atal pension yojana etc.
- Better policy implementation; – In India, most of the laws and policies lack better implementation by the administration which has resulted in many chaos. It is high time that policies and laws are implemented in letter and spirit.
- Involving stakeholders; – involving all stakeholders who will be affected by government policies and the decision will help bring trust and credibility to policy implementation.
- For instance, in the implementation of the rights of the forest act 2006.
- Education and awareness; – promoting education among the vulnerable population and creating awareness about the constitutional rights available to them will go long way in ensuring social justice in India.
- For instance, the Accessible India campaign for PwDs.
- Employment opportunities; – Improve employment opportunities for poor, vulnerable and marginalized groups through access to skills training on enterprise development.
- For instance, the Stand-up India scheme, the Make in India initiative etc.
Conclusion:
As the objective of development is to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy a productive, healthy, and creative life, it is important to address the issue faced by marginalised and vulnerable sections, only then any society can be considered civilised.
Ethics:
Q3. Why do people from the same society have different approaches to ethics? How can we create a strong society of morality? Give your suggestions. 10M
Introduction:
An encounter of rape accused in the Disha case in Hyderabad had popular support although opposed by few. This highlights that people in the same society have various approaches to ethics and morality.
Body:
The many approaches to ethics are due to:
- Prioritizing Principles: For a principle-oriented person, an action or decision is right or wrong regardless of the consequences. For eg: Killing is bad even if it’s for self-defence.
- Prioritizing Consequences: People following this approach focus on consequences and decide the merits of their actions. For eg: Killing a person for the larger good is ethical such as a mass murderer or a terrorist.
- Deciding based on Character: Here people attach certain principles to a particular person. For Eg: A monk accused of adultery makes him more sinful and unethical than a normal person. Thus people’s approach to ethics depends on the character of the person.
- Moral sentiment approach: Nearly everyone experiences strong feelings when facing a difficult moral decision. Few base their decisions on this emotion; their moral judgment is their feeling itself. For eg: People support the encounter of rape accused, the death penalty for blasphemy, etc.
Any given situation is analyzed by various people in the above-given ways, thus giving rise to a difference in approaches to ethics.
For Eg: Gandhi’s withdrawal from the NCM movement after the Chauri Chaura violence was principle-based. But young leaders such as Nehru and Bose felt the movement had to continue as it had a larger consequence of gaining freedom from the British.
How can we create a strong society of morality?
- Imparting moral education: Mahatma Gandhi once said: “Education means all-round drawing out of the best in child and man-body, mind and spirit.” As such, education becomes the basis of personality development on all dimensions – moral, mental and emotional.
- Role of parents and teachers: Parents should promote a child’s moral development by inculcating moral reasoning. Gandhi calls upon all teachers to impart proper education on morality and ethics to students both at the school and college levels.
- Making society prosperous: Criminologists point out unemployment rate is the major economic factor that affects the crime rate.
- Rule of law: Certainty has a greater impact on deterrence than the severity of punishment. Thus, a society that follows a strong and effective rule of law can improve its moral standing. Thus, we need to improve our criminal justice system.
- Build consensus, and establish unity: Our society is diverse and everyone should be included in decision-making. Everyone should be trained in cultural sensitivity and marginalized sections should be brought to the foreground.
- Promoting moral leadership: Our elections should be based on moral values, not on freebies and appeasements. There shouldn’t be any blame game in politics. Strong leadership is one that unites people.
Conclusion:
A moral society nudges us to take corrective actions even if they are not in our own best interests. But in an immoral society self-interests are prioritized leading to disintegration. Thus, we need to strengthen moral values in our society.
