[Mission 2023] Insights SECURE SYNOPSIS: 25 March 2023

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

General Studies – 1

1. Urbanisation and solid waste management are closely linked. Effective solid waste management is critical for maintaining public health and the environment in urban areas. Discuss.

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India 

Introduction

Solid waste management (SWM) refers to the process of collecting and treating solid wastes. It also offers solutions for recycling items that do not belong to garbage or trash.  In a nascent effort to look beyond toilets and kick off its ODF+ phase — that is, Open Defecation Free Plus — focussing on solid and liquid waste management, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) has included the prevalence of plastic litter and water-logging in villages as indicators of cleanliness in its 2019 rural survey.

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Current Situation of SWM in India:

• The March 2 fire at Brahmapuram was not the first at the waste processing plant — a euphemism for a sprawling 110-acre open dumping yard with a failed windrow composting facility and a yet-to-begin waste-to-energy plant. The yard has been witnessing fire outbreaks at almost the same time every year in the last few years. The Kochi Municipal Corporation, which runs the plant, initially provided a typically listless response. But this proved calamitous as the blaze raged on and a blanket of fetid smoke soon shrouded the city and nearby areas.
• As per the SBM 2.0 guidelines, the total quantity of waste generated by urban areas in India is about 32 lakh tonnes daily. This adds up to 8 crore tonnes per annum.
• Of this only about 25% is being processed; the rest is disposed of in landfills every year.
• Given that the waste dumpsites have been operational since the early 2000s, more than 72 crore tonnes of waste need to be processed.
• Most cities have confined themselves to collection and transportation of solid waste. Processing and safe disposal are being attempted only in a few cases.
• The CPCB report also reveals that only 68% of the MSW generatedin the country is collected of which, 28% is treated by the municipal authorities. Thus, merely 19% of the total waste generated is currently treated.
• According to a UN report, India’s e-wastefrom old computers alone will jump 500 per cent by 2020, compared to 2007.
• Disappearance of urban water bodies and wetlands in urban areas can be attributed to illegal dumping of Construction & Demolition waste.

Some of the major issues concerning solid waste management are:

• Absence of segregation of waste at source.
• Lack of funds for waste management at ULBs.
• Unwillingness of ULBs to introduce proper collection, segregation, transportation and treatment/ disposal systems.
• Lack of technical expertise and appropriate institutional arrangement
• Lack of infrastructure and technology
• Lack of involvement from the private sector and non-governmental organisations
• Indifference of citizens towards waste management due to lack of awareness
• Lack of community participation towards waste management and hygienic conditions
• Lack of sewage management plan.
• About 70% of the plastic packaging products turn into plastic waste within a short period.
• Unorganized vendors and markets, existence of slum areas and Corruption are other issues plaguing MSWM.

Measures needed

• State governments should provide financial support to ULBs to improve their waste management system under various schemes and programs.
• Initiatives like Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT should provide significant funding to improve civic services infrastructure.
• The key to efficient waste management is to ensure proper segregation of waste at source and to ensure that the waste goes through different streams of recycling and resource recovery as stated in the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• Waste to energy is a key component of SWM. Installation of waste-to-compost and bio-methanation plants would reduce the load of landfill sites
• There is a need to encourage research and development so as to reinvent waste management system in India.
• The focus should be on recycling and recovering from waste and not landfill. Further, it is important to encourage recycling of e-waste so that the problem of e-waste
• Public- Private Partnership models for waste management should be encouraged.
• Construction and demolition waste should be stored, separately disposed off, as per the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• Responsibilities of Generators have been introduced to segregate waste in to three streams, Wet (Biodegradable), Dry (Plastic, Paper, metal, wood, etc.) and domestic hazardous wastes (diapers, napkins, empty containers of cleaning agents, mosquito repellents, etc.) and handover segregated wastes to authorized rag-pickers or waste collectors or local bodies.
• Sensitization of citizens as well as government authorities, community participation, involvement of NGOs. Littering should be prohibited.
• International Best practices should be emulated. South Korea is one of the few countries to separate and recycle food waste. It has also launched landfill recovery projects such as the Nanjido recovery project which have successfully transformed hazardous waste sites into sustainable ecological attractions.

Conclusion

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is one of the major environmental problems of Indian cities. The need of the hour is scientific, sustainable and environment friendly management of wastes.

2. Extreme heat waves as climate change worsens could adversely impact our economic output unless we adopt mitigative measures. Examine.

Reference: Live Mint , Insights on India

Introduction

Heat wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the pre-monsoon (April to June) summer season. According to Indian Meteorological Department, Heat wave is considered if maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C or more for Plains, 37°C or more for coastal stations and at least 30°C or more for Hilly regions.

The heatwave that rippled across India earlier this month had not just left us sweltering, but also sparked fears that the winter crop could wilt because of rising temperatures.

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Impacts of Heatwaves

Economic:

• The Lancet countdown on health and climatehas reported that India was particularly affected by the rising frequency of heatwave events and lost about 75 billion hours of work, a significant part of it in the agricultural sector.
• India lost nearly 75 billion hours of labour in 2017 as a result of rising temperatures.
• This made sustained work increasingly difficult and negatively affecting workers’ output.
• The agriculture sector experienced the largest increase in labour loss.
• Almost 153 billion hours of labour were lost globally in 2017 due to heat, an increase of 62 billion hours from the year 2000.
• Agriculture sector was more vulnerable compared to the industrial and service sectors because workers there were more likely to be exposed to heat.
• Since 1990, every region of the globe has become steadily more vulnerable to extreme increases of heat.

Social:

• Heatwaves are associated with increased rates of heat stress and heat stroke, worsening heart failure and acute kidney injury from dehydration.
• Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing morbidities are particularly vulnerable.
• Promote the spread of diseases like cholera and dengue fever across endemic areas.
• Increased poverty due to failure of crops and reduced economic activities.

On human health:

• Extreme heat can lead to dangerous, even deadly, consequences, including heat stress and heatstroke.
• Severe heat stroke can lead to multiple organ failure, seizures, and death.
• Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing morbidities are particularly vulnerable.
• Heat wave also cause death of cattle and wildlife besides affecting animals in various zoos in India.

Way forward:

• In 2016, the National Disaster Management Agency prepared guidelines for state governments to formulate action plans for the prevention and management of heat waves, outlining four key strategies:
  • Forecasting heat waves and enabling an early warning system
  • Building capacity of healthcare professionals to deal with heat wave-related emergencies
  • Community outreach through various media
  • Inter-agency cooperation as well as engagement with other civil society organizations in the region.
• Scientific Approach:
  • Climate data from the last 15-20 years can be correlated with the mortality and morbidity data to prepare a heat stress index and city-specific threshold.
  • Vulnerable areas and population could be identified by using GIS and satellite imagery for targeted actions.
• Advance implementation of local Heat Action Plans, plus effective inter-agency coordination is a vital response which the government can deploy in order to protect vulnerable groups.
• This will require identification of “heat hot spots”, analysis of meteorological data and allocation of resources to crisis-prone areas.
• The India Cooling Action Planmust emphasize the urgency and need for better planning, zoning and building regulations to prevent Urban Heat Islands.
• Provision of public messaging (radio, TV), mobile phone-based text messages, automated phone calls and alerts.
• Promotion of traditional adaptation practices, such as staying indoors and wearing comfortable clothes.
• Popularisation of simple design features such as shaded windows, underground water storage tanks and insulating housing materials.

Value addition

State actions towards Heat waves assessing their geographic variations:

• Key element of many states response strategy has been enhancing health risk communications on the impact of heat waves and how citizens can take simple steps to reduce their exposure and protect their health.
• Andhra Pradesh:
  • Andhra Pradesh has strong inter-agency coordination across multiple departments
  • Andhra Pradesh has also set up 1168 stations approximately one for every hundred square kilometers for weather forecasting and modelling.
  • It has developed a mobile app to disseminate information about heat waves and advice on precautionary steps; the app is available in English and Telugu.
• Telangana:
  • Telangana developed one of the first state-wide heat action plans in 2016.
  • The state is now integrating the heat action plan with its action plan on climate change.
  • The Telangana plan focuses on training district officials and health staff
• Odisha:
  • It has declared heat waves as a state specific disaster.
  • It is developing local thresholds and analyzing vulnerability of communities in different parts of the state.
  • Odisha’s activities focus on awareness raising, capacity building and training of healthcare staff, interagency coordination, and enabling provision of water for vulnerable communities.
• Various states and municipalities have introduced early warning systems, public awareness campaigns and increased training for medical professionals.
• Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Odisha have made pioneering efforts with respect to heat-health warning systems (HHWS).
• Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has adopted a heat action plan which necessitates measures such as building heat shelters, ensuring availability of water and removing neonatal ICU from the top floor of hospitals.
• Such warning systems include providing weather forecasts in advance, issuing warnings to people, providing readiness of emergency response systems, and preparing doctors and health facilities to handle a sudden influx of patients. Warnings facilitate people in taking appropriate actions against heat-related harm.
• Access to cool environments remains the mainstay of preventing heat stress:
• In rural areas, where electricity access is a challenge, supplementing power supply of primary health centres with solar-based systems should be undertaken. Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Tripura have already deployed such systems.

General Studies – 2

3. What do you understand by Universal Health Coverage (UHC)? Evaluate the challenges in implementing the concept of UHC in India. How can these challenges be overcome?

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India

Introduction

Universal health coverage (UHC) means that all people have access to the health services they need (prevention, promotion, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care) without the risk of financial hardship when paying for them.

Health accessibility and affordability remain a crucial healthcare problem even in the 21st century. Therefore, World Health Organisation chose “Universal Health Coverage” as the theme for World Health Day 2019. India started working towards the universal problem of affordability and accessibility with the introduction of Ayushman Bharat.

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Significance of UHC:

• Universal health coverage has a direct impact on a population’s health and welfare.
• Access and use of health services enables people to be more productive and active contributors to their families and communities.
• It also ensures that children can go to school and learn.
• At the same time, financial risk protection prevents people from being pushed into poverty when they have to pay for health services out of their own pockets.
• Universal health coverage is thus a critical component of sustainable development and poverty reduction, and a key element of any effort to reduce social inequities.
• Universal coverage is the hallmark of a government’s commitment to improve the wellbeing of all its citizens.

Issues and Challenges:

• Finance: At about 1.3% of the national income, India’s public healthcare spending between 2008 and 2015, has virtually remained stagnant. This is way less than the global average of 6 per cent. It is a herculean task to implement a scheme that could potentially cost Rs 5 lakh per person and benefit 53.7 crore out of India’s 121 crore citizenry, or roughly about 44% of the country’s population. Over 70 per cent of the total healthcare expenditure is accounted for by the private sector.
• Crumbling public health infrastructure: Given the country’s crumbling public healthcare infrastructure, most patients are forced to go to private clinics and hospitals. There is a shortage of PHCs (22%) and sub-health centres (20%), while only 7% sub-health centres and 12% primary health centres meet Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) norms.
• High Out of Pocket Expenditure: Reports suggest that 70% of the medical spending is from the patient’s pockets leading to huge burden and pushing many into poverty. Most consumers complain of rising costs. Hundred days into the PMJAY, it remains to be seen if private hospitals provide knee replacement at Rs 80,000 (current charges Rs 3.5 lakh) bypass surgery at Rs 1.7 lakh (against Rs 4 lakh).
• Insurance: India has one of the lowest per capita healthcare expenditures in the world. Government contribution to insurance stands at roughly 32 percent, as opposed to 83.5 percent in the UK. The high out-of-pocket expenses in India stem from the fact that 76 percent of Indians do not have health insurance.
• Doctor-Density Ratio: The WHO reports the doctor-density ratio in India at 8 per 10,000 people as against one doctor for a population of 1,000. To achieve such access, merely increasing the number of primary and secondary healthcare centres is not enough.
• Shortage of Medical Personnel: Data by IndiaSpend show that there is a staggering shortage of medical and paramedical staff at all levels of care: 10,907 auxiliary nurse midwives and 3,673 doctors are needed at sub-health and primary health centres, while for community health centres the figure is 18,422 specialists.
• Rural-urban disparity: The rural healthcare infrastructure is three-tiered and includes a sub-center, primary health centre (PHC) and CHC. PHCs are short of more than 3,000 doctors, with the shortage up by 200 per cent over the last 10 years to 27,421. Private hospitals don’t have adequate presence in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and there is a trend towards super specialisation in Tier-1 cities.
• Social Inequality: The growth of health facilities has been highly imbalanced in India. Rural, hilly and remote areas of the country are under served while in urban areas and cities, health facility is well developed. The SC/ST and the poor people are far away from modern health service.
• Poor healthcare ranking: India ranks as low as 145th among 195 countries in healthcare quality and accessibility, behind even Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
• Commercial motive: lack of transparency and unethical practices in the private sector.
• Lack of level playing field between the public and private hospitals: This has been a major concern as public hospitals would continue receiving budgetary support. This would dissuade the private players from actively participating in the scheme.
• Scheme flaws: The overall situation with the National Health Mission, India’s flagship programme in primary health care, continues to be dismal. The NHM’s share in the health budget fell from 73% in 2006 to 50% in 2019 in the absence of uniform and substantial increases in health spending by States.

Steps taken up currently:

• The National Health Policy (NHP) 2017 advocated allocating resources of up to two-thirds or more to primary care as it enunciated the goal of achieving “the highest possible level of good health and well-being, through a preventive and promotive healthcare orientation”.
• A 167% increase in allocation this year for the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) — the insurance programme which aims to cover 10 crore poor families for hospitalisation expenses of up to ₹5 lakh per family per annum.
• The government’s recent steps to incentivise the private sector to open hospitals in Tier II and Tier III cities.
• Individual states are adopting technology to support health-insurance schemes. For instance, Remedinet Technology (India’s first completely electronic cashless health insurance claims processing network) has been signed on as the technology partner for the Karnataka Government’s recently announced cashless health insurance schemes.

Measures needed to strengthen the existing state of Health infrastructure in the country are:

• There is an immediate need to increase the public spending to 2.5% of GDP, despite that being lower than global average of 5.4%.
• The achievement of a distress-free and comprehensive wellness system for all hinges on the performance of health and wellness centres as they will be instrumental in reducing the greater burden of out-of-pocket expenditure on health.
• there is a need to depart from the current trend of erratic and insufficient increases in health spending and make substantial and sustained investments in public health over the next decade.
• A National Health Regulatory and Development Framework needs to be made for improving the quality (for example registration of health practitioners), performance, equity, efficacy and accountability of healthcare delivery across the country.
• Increase the Public-Private Partnerships to increase the last-mile reach of healthcare.
• Generic drugs and Jan Aushadi Kendras should be increased to make medicines affordable and reduce the major component of Out of Pocket Expenditure.
• The government’s National Innovation Council, which is mandated to provide a platform for collaboration amongst healthcare domain experts, stakeholders and key participants, should encourage a culture of innovation in India and help develop policy on innovations that will focus on an Indian model for inclusive growth.
• India should take cue from other developing countries like Thailand to work towards providing Universal Health Coverage. UHC includes three components: Population coverage, disease coverage and cost coverage.
• Leveraging the benefits of Information Technology like computer and mobile-phone based e-health and m-health initiatives to improve quality of healthcare service delivery. Start-ups are investing in healthcare sector from process automation to diagnostics to low-cost innovations. Policy and regulatory support should be provided to make healthcare accessible and affordable.

Way forward:

• For UHC to become a reality, it is important to expedite steps beyond infrastructural interventions to include water, sanitation, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. The challenge is to incentivize wellness-seeking behaviour.
• An encouraging aspect of India’s commitment to UHC has been the active and participatory role of the government.
• From Poshan Abhiyaan, which aims to eliminate the malaise of malnutrition, to the Prime Minister’s call for a Fit India Movement, new emphasis has been given to multi-stakeholder engagements.
• India has to align the vision of medical education with the vision of “one nation, one healthcare sector”.
• The National Medical Commission (NMC) 2019 Bill recognizes the much-needed reforms in medical education.
• The challenge of building capacity of people in a short time needs to be addressed through more transformational public-private partnerships (PPPs), presenting another opportunity to develop and adopt e-learning models.
• Digital health has emerged as a game-changer in achieving UHC goals. India has taken rapid strides here and digital health is bringing healthcare within reach of 70% of our population residing in rural and remote areas.
• With the use of digital technology, India is positioned to not only bridge gaps in our healthcare delivery but also to have the capability to contribute to global UHC goals through its telemedicine and digital health tools.
• India’s healthcare providers are already working on new frontiers of digital technologies.
• Machine learning, blockchain and AI will continue to strengthen India’s ability to engage effectively with other geographies towards achieving global UHC targets.
• Regional disparities in terms of resources and institutional capabilities must be addressed. This diversity, nevertheless, can be a powerful source of policy innovation and creativity.
• A collaborative approach aligning patients, payers and providers, along with innovative partnerships, will hasten efforts to mitigate risks, drive impact, forge stronger social returns and achieve sustainable UHC targets.

Conclusion:

India needs a holistic approach to tackle problems in healthcare industry. This includes the active collaboration of all stakeholders’ public, private sectors, and individuals. Amore dynamic and pro-active approach is needed to handle the dual disease burden. A universal access to health makes the nation fit and healthy, aiding better to achieve the demographic dividend.

General Studies – 3

4. Defining stagflation, examine the vulnerability of India to it. Suggest measures that must be taken by the government to avoid it.

Reference: The Hindu

Introduction

Stagflation, as defined by Princeton economist Alan S. Blinder, is “the simultaneous occurrence of economic stagnation and comparatively high rates of inflation”. Stagflation is an economic condition that’s caused by a combination of slow economic growth, high unemployment, and rising prices. It is said to happen when an economy faces stagnant growth as well as persistently high inflation.

The latest global financial developments and recent economic data in India are together raising fears that several major economies worldwide, including India’s, may be headed for a spell of debilitating stagflation.

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Vulnerability of India to stagflation

• Like all emerging markets that rely upon the rest of the world for commodities and capital, India has spent the last two years battling the twin challenges posed by more expensive raw materials and a stronger dollar.
• The expansion in gross domestic product slowed to 4.4% in the December quarter in 2022 with private consumption increasing by just 2.1% from a year earlier, down from 8.8% in the previous three months. Such a sharp deceleration in spending around major Hindu festivals is worrying.
• With investments also starting to slow from the high growth witnessed earlier during this fiscal year, the outlook for domestic demand has turned weak.
• Financial conditions are tight almost across the globe, and demand tepid.
• There’s no end in sight to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Even China, emerging from its long isolation, has set a modest annual growth target of around 5% , though the one positive side-effect of that may be that commodity prices won’t run away again.
• The Federal Reserve is far from declaring victory on inflation, and some European economies, such as Germany and Italy, are forecast to tip into recession.
• Tremors in other emerging markets are also causing a ripple effect, with a highly disruptive currency ban in Nigeria contributing to likely production cuts at Bajaj Auto Ltd.’s Indian factories.
• Export volumes at the motorcycle maker hit a 30-month low in January.
• Nomura Holdings Inc. is predicting that GDP in the world’s fifth-biggest economy will expand 5.3% in the financial year that starts on April 1, way below the central bank’s 6.4% forecast.
• Borrowing costs have risen to a point where higher mortgage payments could be affecting household budgets.
• Overall, India’s growth drivers are slowly fizzling.

Measures needed to tackle stagflation

• A strong monetary policy support for a sustained and inclusive recovery is the need of the hour.
• The focus should be to normalise the prudential policies and the strengthen the insolvency frameworks and restructure mechanisms, including for the overhang of public and private debt.
• There is a need to increase aggregate supply through supply-side policies, for example, privatisation and deregulation to increase efficiency and reduce costs of production.
• Private sector must be incentivised to invest more and to increase supply through tax measures.
• Higher liquidity and disposable income, and increased employment can pull us out of the quagmire.
• reduction and reform of direct individual and corporate taxes, and indirect taxes.
• Frictions in the labour market should be reduced by reducing the time and cost involved in obtaining information about employment opportunities.
• Barriers which either limit entry into a profession or maintain wages at artificially high rates should be removed.
• The government needs to hold granular conversations with the private sector.
• A skills and industrial policy which can make full use of an abundant pool of reasonably priced labour

Conclusion

There is a need to control Stagflation at the earliest by arresting inflation through policy and structural means. Meanwhile, the government should engage all stakeholders to address the supply-side issues, a calming down of food prices will help the government to prevent stagflation in the economy.

Value addition

Stagflation:

• Stagflation is a portmanteau of stagnant growth and rising inflation.
• Typically, inflation rises when the economy is growing fast.
• That’s because people are earning more and more money and are capable of paying higher prices for the same quantity of goods.
• When the economy stalls, inflation tends to dip as well – again because there is less money now chasing the same quantity of goods.
• Stagflation is said to happen when an economy faces stagnant growth as well as persistently high inflation.
• That’s because with stalled economic growth, unemployment tends to rise and existing incomes do not rise fast enough and yet, people have to contend with rising inflation.
• So people find themselves pressurised from both sides as their purchasing power is reduced.

5. The uneven economic growth and expanding economic disparities exacerbate the already deeply ingrained social inequalities. Analyse.

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India

Introduction

There are different kinds of inequalities in India that are multidimensional and intersectional in nature. Economic growth in India has been associated with unequal outcomes that have created divides between regions, sectors and people. The west and south of the country have surged ahead, while the east and north have lagged behind, widening the gap between richer and poorer states.

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Reasons for growing inequality in India

• Health:
  • Healthcare provisions in India is grossly inadequate and access to healthcare is highly inequitable. Lack of efficient public healthcare and burden of out-of-pocket health expenditures reduces people’s capacity or disables them from investing in the human capital of their children.
  • ineffective functioning (corruption and leakages) of the public distribution system (PDS), growing economic inequalities and lack of nutritional awareness pose challenges in combating malnutrition
• Education:
  • Basic literacy (the ability to read and write) in the overall population has progressed modestly. However, there is persistent gender differentials, and major differentials by caste and religion.
  • The state of functional literacy and professional skills is poor. Indian graduates have low employability and does not meet changing economic structure or support global competitiveness.
• Rising Inequality:
  • In India, a large portion of the population is below the poverty line, therefore, they do not have easy access to primary health and education.
  • There is growing inequality across social groups and income groups which translates itself into poor socio-economic mobility.
  • Lack of socioeconomic mobility hinders human capital development and traps a large section of population to be in the vicious circle of poverty.
• Lack of Skilling:
  • According to the National Sample Survey, out of the 470 million people of working age in India, only 10% receive any kind of training or access to skilled employment opportunities.
  • There’s a huge mismatch between demand and supply when it comes to skilled workforce and employment opportunities, which could place a strain on the economy in the long run
• Inadequate use of knowledge bases from technology developments:
  • There is a disconnect between India’s rate of technological growth and ability to distribute the gains from it by adequately focusing on skilling and health.
  • The use of technical advancements has been concentrated in few sectors and benefits accrued by a few elitist sections of the society.
• Jobless growth:
  • India’s high growth rate phase (2004-05 to 2010-11) has created significantly fewer jobs as compared to previous decades of economic growth.
  • Around 47 % of India’s population is still dependent on agriculture which is notorious for underemployment and disguised unemployment.
  • Majority of the workforce is employed by the unorganized sector where workers are underpaid and lack any kind of social security.
• Falling female labour force participation:
  • According to data from International Labour Organization and World Bank, India’s female labour force participation rates have fallen from 34.8 % in 1990 to 27 % in 2013.
  • Socio-cultural factors and rising family incomes have been identified as the main reasons for this decline.
  • Another appalling concern is that a significant proportion of qualified women drop out of the workforce for reasons ranging from no suitable jobs in the locality—particularly in rural areas—to family responsibilities and marriage.

Measures needed

• To engineer an inclusive and sustainable growth for India, the social infrastructure like education, health and social protection are being given utmost priority by the Government
• The gaps in the expenditure on social infrastructure like health and education should be closed by strengthening the delivery mechanisms of the government initiatives. Protecting and investing in people’s health, education, and skilling is vital for reducing income inequality, and sustained inclusive economic growth.
• India needs to increase its spending on health and education. As recommended by the National Health Policy 2017 and the NEP 2020, India needs to increase its spending on health and education to at least 2.5 % in 6 % of GDP respectively from its current levels. Enhancing policies to maintain and even increase health and longevity will therefore be necessary.
• The current situation calls for more and better schools, especially in rural areas. It also calls for better transportation links between rural areas and regional urban hubs.
• India has to invest more in human capital formation at all levels, from primary education to higher education, cutting-edge research and development as well as on vocational training to increase the skill sets of its growing working-age population.
• The flagship schemes such as Skill India, Make in India, and Digital India have to be implemented to achieve convergence between skill training and employment generation.
• Bridging the gender gaps in education, skill development, employment, earnings and reducing social inequalities prevalent in the society have been the underlying goals of the development strategy to enhance human capabilities.
• Improved infrastructure, skill development, access to easy finance, reducing barriers to entrepreneurship and forums for mentorship of emerging entrepreneurs in partnership with corporates are some of measures.
• Decentralized models of development: Social policies for each state must be differentiated to accommodate different rates of population growth. The populations in south and west India are growing at a much slower pace than in the central and eastern states.

Conclusion

As we celebrate the past 75 years, flying the national flag in every home, let us also think about our people for whom little has changed in their lives, with a resolve to ensure that poverty and illiteracy do not exist 25 years from now when we celebrate the first centenary of our independence from colonial rule.

General Studies – 1

6. What are hydrothermal mineral deposits? Hydrothermal mineral deposits in the Indian Ocean offer opportunities for valuable mineral extraction, but their exploitation also raises environmental concerns and potential geopolitical tensions. Analyse.

Reference: The Hindu , en.wikipedia.org

Introduction

A hydrothermal mineral deposit is one in which the ore minerals were precipitated from aqueous high-temperature fluid solutions, where Aqueous implies that the solvent is water. The fluids are solutions, and can have salinities up to several times that of seawater. They are in some cases concentrated brines in which salts form more than half the solution by mass. Additionally the fluid may be a solution of water and dissolved gases (e.g. CO₂). High temperature can be from normal rock temperatures at a few kilometres depth (≈ 100 °C) to magmatic temperatures (≈ 800 °C).

The Ministry of Earth Science’s listed the non-materialisation of tenders for constructing a research vessel for the Indian Ocean and chartering a vessel for surveying and exploring Hydrothermal deposits.

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Formation of Hydrothermal mineral deposits

• These are geological formations that occur when hot, mineral-rich fluids are forced up through cracks and fissures in the Earth’s crust.
• These fluids are typically heated by molten rock (magma) beneath the Earth’s surface and are known as hydrothermal fluids.
• As the fluids cool, minerals and metals precipitate out of the solution, forming hydrothermal mineral deposits.
• These deposits can contain valuable metals such as copper, zinc, gold, and silver.

Potential of Hydrothermal mineral deposits in Indian Ocean

• The Indian Ocean contains several hydrothermal mineral deposits, including massive sulfide deposits, cobalt-rich crusts, and manganese nodules.
• These deposits offer opportunities for valuable mineral extraction, which could potentially benefit the economies of countries in the region.

Challenges posed

• Environmental concerns arise because the extraction of minerals from hydrothermal deposits requires the use of heavy machinery and chemicals, which can have a significant impact on the surrounding marine ecosystem.
• The disturbance caused by the mining process can disrupt fragile deep-sea ecosystems and release toxic chemicals into the water, potentially harming marine life.
• Additionally, the removal of large amounts of minerals can alter the physical and chemical properties of the seafloor, potentially affecting deep-sea currents and ocean circulation.
• Potential geopolitical tensions arise because the exploitation of hydrothermal mineral deposits in the Indian Ocean could lead to disputes over territorial claims and resource rights.
• Several countries in the region, including India, China, and Japan, have expressed interest in exploring and mining these deposits.
• However, the exact extent of each country’s jurisdiction and resource rights in the Indian Ocean is still a matter of debate, leading to the potential for conflict.

Conclusion

Thus, the Hydrothermal mineral deposits in the Indian Ocean offer opportunities for valuable mineral extraction, but their exploitation also raises significant environmental concerns and potential geopolitical tensions. The need of the hour is to carefully manage the attempts to extract minerals from these deposits as well as to minimize environmental impact and avoid conflicts over resource rights.

General Studies – 2

7. Analyse the recent call for abolition of the death penalty by the higher judiciary in India. What are the arguments in favour of abolition, and what challenges need to be addressed in implementing this reform?

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India

Introduction

Capital punishment also called as death penalty is the execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law. The debate on whether to abolish the death penalty or not, has been raging in India and in several other countries for decades.

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Background

• The Supreme Court asked the Centre to provide data that may point to a more dignified, less painful and socially acceptable method of executing prisoners other than death by hanging.
• The Bench has sought fresh data to substantiate the argument that a more humane means of execution can be found.

Rationale behind death penalty

• The punishment is not arbitrary because, it comes out of a judicial process.To call it arbitrary, one has to necessarily prove the process as flawed.
• It is being implemented in the “rarest of the rare” cases and the fact is during the last 13 years, only four peoplehave been executed.
• The hanging of Ajmal Kasab and Yakub Memon strongly affirms India’s commitment to the protection of life.
• People criticise it on arbitrariness, irreversibility and human rights and these are not valid arguments.
• Its constitutionality is upheld, even in liberal democracies like U.S. It is not reflection of uncivilised society.
• India’s neighbourhood is not peaceful, unlike Scandinavia. It is not in a group of countries, like European Union.
• India has got troubled borders. Several forces are trying to destabilise the very idea of our Nation from across the Border.
• The sacredness of life can only be seen to be protected, if those who take it away are proportionately punished.

Efficiency of death penalty

• A study by the Centre of Death Penalty – at the National Law University Delhi (NLUD) — in 2015 analyzed data of 15 years to conclude that less than 5 per cent death penalties awarded by trial courts were confirmed by the time the cases passed the tests in high courts and the Supreme Court.
• Another NLU Delhi study found that 162 death sentences were awarded across the country in 2018. Only 23 were confirmed by the high courts.
• The Supreme Court heard 12 death penalty cases in 2018 but confirmed death penalty in only one case – of Nirbhaya gangrape and murder.
• The Justice JS Verma committee, appointed after the Nirbhaya case, too had examined the efficiency of death penalty for rape. In its report, Justice Verma did not prescribe death penalty for rape for the lack of correlation in preventing the crime of rape or gangrape.

Death Penalty is not the panacea

• It unfairly targets poor and marginalised, that means, those without money & power.
• Executions occurred in around five cases for every 1 lakh murdersand it looks quite arbitrary. It depends on judges personal beliefs.
• India’s murder rate has declinedcontinuously since 1991 and at present the lowest, except for 1963.
• Punishment should not imitate crime.
• As per the recent Death Penalty India Report by the National Law University, Delhi, the structural flaws in our criminal procedure and criminal justice system are most pronounced in death penalty cases.
• Most of the civilised world abolished it. Death penalty has not deterred terrorism, murder or even theft.

• From 200-2015, Supreme Court imposed 60 death sentences and subsequently admitted that it had erred in 15 of them. So, it clearly admitted that it has arbitrarily imposed the most extreme punishment.
• The Police is not known for its probity or efficiency in our Country.

• Delays in the Criminal Justice System disproportionately affects those, who suffer the tyranny of the uncertainty of their life.

Measures needed

• Law Commission in its 262^ndreport submitted recently recommended the abolition of capital punishment for all crimes in India, except the crime of waging war against the nation or for terrorism-related offences.
• It cited several factors to justify abolishing the death penalty, including its abolition by 140 other nations, its arbitrary and flawed application and its lack of any proven deterring effect on criminals.
• Taking empirical lessons from the fate of Bachan Singh, the Supreme Court may have to now ask the more fundamental question posed and negatived in Bachan Singh — the question of the constitutional validity of death penalty.
• The Court may have to revisit Bachan Singh itself in so far as it refused to declare the death penalty as violative of the right to life envisaged under Article 21 of the Constitution.
• Across the world, 108 nations have abolished death penalty in law and 144 countries have done so in law or practice, according to the Amnesty Report of 2021.
• In the Indian context, where judgmental error is quite frequent and the quality of adjudication is not ensured, what is required is a judicial abolition of death penalty.

Conclusion

As Law Commission said that it is the not right time of abolition experiment, the issue needs to be debated  and  researched  in  more  detail.  But,  capital  punishment  should  not  become  a  pent-up  of  society’s misplaced anger and sense of judgment. It is also against the reformative purpose of the Criminal Justice System and we must remember the words of Oscar Wilde, “Every saint has a past and every sinner a future.”

8. Critically analyse the performance of India in its two-year stint as a member of United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Based on its performance, do you think India is ready for the permanent membership of UNSC? State your opinion.

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on india

Introduction

India concluded its eighth stint in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) at the end of December 2022. And, by any yardstick, its two-year stint has been unprecedented. Moreover, in the UNSC, India has sought to prioritise the primacy of a political approach to resolve crises through dialogue and negotiation.

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Achievements of India at UNSC

• Maritime security: The Prime Minister of India chaired for the first time a UNSC meeting on maritime security. The Presidential Statement issued was the first holistic document on this issue which, for the first time, had a direct reference to UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as international law setting out the legal framework in the context of maritime activities.
  • It also called for, inter alia, freedom of navigation, anti-piracy and combating terror and transnational crime at sea.
• Myanmar issue: There was a military takeover in Myanmar on February 1, 2021 soon after we came into the Council. The Permanent-5 (P-5) were pulling in opposing directions while the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) counselled caution.
  • India shares a nearly 1,700 kilometre-long border with Myanmar and it was vital to stop violence, bring in stability and ensure democratic processes went forward. India ensured balanced and comprehensive Council pronouncements, which finally culminated in a resolution on Myanmar (adopted under our presidency) in December 2022.
• Taliban and cross-border terrorism: In August 2021, the Taliban forcefully seized power in Afghanistan. India was able to steer the negotiations which resulted in UNSC Resolution 2593 laying down benchmarks: on stopping cross-border terrorism from Afghan soil, including from proscribed UN terrorist entities in Pakistan.
• Russia-Ukraine war: It was during the Ukraine conflict that India’s independent stand calling for dialogue and peace struck a chord with many developing countries, since they themselves were affected by unilateral sanctions. All levers were being weaponised. India spoke out against such sanctions inter alia on oil, food and fertilizers. With this conflict spilling over into India’s G-20 Presidency, it is time for India, as a credible voice, to launch an initiative to convert its proactive position into action.
• Peacekeeping: In August 2021, India piloted the first UNSC resolution in more than five decades, calling for accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. India gifted two lakh vaccines to all UN peacekeepers.
• Climate Change: In December 2021, India thwarted a move by the West to wrest climate change from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change-led process and bring it under the ambit of the UNSC, where the P-5 are also major historical polluters. The draft resolution was defeated in the Council when India and Russia voted against.

Challenges faced

• While India’s attempt to list terrorists under UNSC Resolution 1267 sanctions (along with the U.S.) was thwarted, in a significant development, the proposal to list Abdul Rehman Makki, Deputy Amir/Chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba was approved by the UNSC. This listing was the first, with India as a proposer.
• China factor: China is one of the five permanent members of the UNSC and has been using its veto power to block India’s efforts to become a permanent member of the body
• The opposition by China, could be further complimented by India’s assertion with China on Border issues and India’s opposition to China’s Belt & Road Initiative
• Further, India still heavily relies on weaponry imports from US and Russia for its military requirements; which questions its abilities to operate beyond the Indo-pacific region.

Conclusion

As an elected non-permanent member of the UNSC, India has always played an active role in discussions on all issues related to international peace and security. From its first membership in 1950–51 to its current term (2021– 22) in the UNSC, India has embraced certain principles: non-use of force; respect for sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of states; and peaceful settlement of disputes.

General Studies – 3

9. Assess the vulnerability of India to earthquakes. What measures can the government take to increase earthquake preparedness in India, and how effective are these measures in mitigating the impact of earthquakes on human lives and infrastructure?

Reference: Live Mint , Insights on India

Introduction

An earthquake is the shaking of the surface (occurs without warning) of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s lithosphere that creates seismic waves. It is tectonic in origin and results from the release of accumulated stress of the moving lithospheric or crustal plates.

On Tuesday, Delhi shook. It was a rude yet timely reminder for the country to come to grips with our gaping lack of earthquake preparedness—if one was needed after parts of Turkey and Syria were devastated by seismic shocks a few weeks ago.

According to the Union Minister of State (independent charge) for S&T and Earth Sciences, around 60% of the landmass of India (covering all states) is prone to earthquakes of different shaking intensities.

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The Earthquake Risk in India:

• India has been divided into four zones– II, III, IV and V – according to the seismic zoning map of India prepared by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Zone V is seismically the most active region, while Zone II is the least.
• Around 11% of the country falls in Zone V, 18% in Zone IV, 30% in Zone III and the remaining in Zone II.

Reasons for the Earthquake proneness in India:

• The Indian plate is driving into Eurasiaat a rate of approximately 47 mm/year.
• Himalayan belt:Collision between Indo-Australian plate with Eurasian plate causes lots of strain in underlying rocks’ energy, which is released in the form of earthquakes.
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Seafloor displacement and underwater volcanoes disturb the equilibrium of earth’s surface.
• Deccan Plateau:The emergence of a fault line and energy build-up along the fault line of the river Bhima (Krishna) near Latur and Osmanabad (Maharashtra).
• Increasing population and unscientific land usefor construction make India a high-risk land for earthquakes.

Risks of high magnitude Earthquakes

• Primary damage: Damage occurs to human settlement, buildings, structures and infrastructure, especially bridges, elevated roads, railways, water towers, pipelines, electrical generating facilities.
• Aftershocks of an earthquake can cause much greater damage to already weakened structures.
• Secondary effects include fires, dam failure and landslides which may block water ways and also cause flooding, landslides, Tsunami, chemical spills, breakdown of communication facilities, human loss.
• There is also a huge loss to the public health system, transport and water supply in the affected areas.
• Tertiary impactof earthquake includes Post Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD), long term psychological issues, loss of livelihood, disruption of social capital due to relocation related issues, etc.

India’s current policy on earthquake preparedness

• Operates primarily at the scale of structural details
• National Building Codes: Includes specifying dimensions of the structural members – columns, beams, etc.
• National Retrofitting Programme 2014: Under the programme, the RBI directed banks to deny loans for buildings that do not meet the earthquake-resistant design.

Earthquake preparedness measures needed

• Earthquake monitoring centres (seismological centres) for regular monitoring and fast dissemination of information among the people in the vulnerable areas should be established. Currently, Centre for Seismology (CS) is the nodal agency of Government of India responsible for monitoring seismic activity in and around the country.
• A vulnerability map of the country along with dissemination of vulnerability risk information among the people can be done to minimize the adverse impacts.
• Planning: The Bureau of Indian Standards has published building codes and guidelines for safe construction of buildings against earthquakes. Before the buildings are constructed the building plans have to be checked by the Municipality, according to the laid down by-laws.
• Important buildingssuch as hospitals, schools and fire stations need to be upgraded by retrofitting techniques.
• Community preparedness and public educationon causes and characteristics of an earthquake and preparedness measures is important. It can be created through sensitization and training programme for community, by preparation of disaster management plans by schools, malls, hospitals etc. and carrying out mock drills, by preparing documentation on lessons from previous earthquaes and widely disseminating it.
• Engineered structures: The soil type should be analysed before construction. Building structures on soft soil should be avoided. Similar problem persists in the buildings constructed on the river banks which have alluvial soil.
• Encouraging use of Indigenous methods – Indigenous earthquake-resistant houses like the bhongas in the Kutch Region of Gujarat, dhajji diwari buildings in Jammu & Kashmir, brick-nogged wood frame constructions in Himachal Pradesh and ekra constructions made of bamboo in Assam are helpful in this regard.

Way forward

• Earthquake preparedness needs to act –
  • In the realm of policy and not just legal enforcement.
  • At the scale of building details as well as that of cities.
• A comprehensive policyto create a system of retrofitting existing structures and enforcing seismic codes with more efficiency. Such a policy should include measures –
  • To create a system of tax-based or development rights-based incentives for retrofitting one’s building up to seismic codes.
  • To ensure better enforcement of seismic codes through a similar model.
• Generate earthquake vulnerability mapswith the percentage of vulnerable structures in the area, the availability of evacuation routes, the location of nearest relief services, etc.

Conclusion

It is not possible to prevent the occurrence of an earthquake; hence, the next best option is to lay emphasis on disaster preparedness and mitigation rather than curative measures. A policy on earthquake preparedness will require a visionary, radical and transformative approach. It would be unwise to wait for another earthquake to learn how to be better prepared for one. Hence, a robust early warning system, decentralised response mechanism is the best way forward.

Value addition

Best practices (Japan and San Francisco):

• Japan has invested heavily in technological measures (skyscrapers with counterweights, small houses on flexible foundations, public infrastructure with automated triggers) by cultivating an industry around earthquake mitigation and fostering expertise.
• San Franciscois the world’s most famous earthquake-prone city which implemented policy changes similar to Japan.
• The Gujarat government:Immediately adopted (after the 2001 Bhuj earthquake) new town planning schemes that widened roads and created routes for evacuation and relief work.
• Programmes like the ongoing Urban 20 meetings: An excellent opportunity for international knowledge exchange on earthquake preparedness.

10. Khalistan movement has seen a decline in recent years, but the threat of terrorism and violence associated with it continues to be a concern for India’s internal security. India needs to be vigilant and take preventive measures to nip the Khalistan movement in the bud. Discuss.

Reference: Hindustan Times ,  Indian Express , Insights on India

Introduction

Amritpal Singh, a follower of the Sikh militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who has been preaching the Idea of Khalistan Separatist Movement in Punjab for a few months, has managed to escape. The Khalistan movement is a fight for a separate, sovereign Sikh state in present day Punjab (both India and Pakistan).

The movement was crushed in India following Operation Blue Star (1984) and Operation Black Thunder (1986 and 1988), but it continues to evoke sympathy and support among sections of the Sikh population, especially in the Sikh diaspora in countries such as Canada, the UK, and Australia.

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Khalistan movement: Background

• Its origins have been traced back to India’s independence and subsequent Partition along religious lines.
  • The Punjab province, which was divided between India and Pakistan, witnessed communal violence and generated millions of refugees.
  • The historic Sikh Empire’s capital, Lahore, as well as sacred Sikh sites like Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, went to Pakistan.
• While most Sikhs found themselves in India, they were a small minority (2% of the population) in the country.
• The political struggle for greater autonomy began with the Punjabi Suba Movement for the creation of a Punjabi-speaking state.
• The States Reorganisation Commission report (1955) rejected this demand, but the state of Punjab was reorganised (trifurcated into the Hindi-Hindu-majority HP and Haryana, and Punjabi-Sikh-majority Punjab) in 1966.
• The Punjabi Suba movement had galvanised the Akali Dal, which concluded the Anandpur Sahib Resolution (1973) demanding autonomy (not secession from India) for the state of Punjab.
• This demand had gone global by 1971 – when an advertisement in The New York Times proclaimed the birth of Khalistan.
• By the 1980s, the appeal of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale had started creating trouble for the government.
• He and his followers (mostly from the lower rungs of the social ladder) were getting increasingly violent.
• In 1982, with support from the Akali Dal’s leadership, he launched a civil disobedience movement called the Dharam Yudh Morcha and took up residence inside the Golden Temple, directing demonstrations and clashes with the police.
• The Khalistan movement was crushed in India following Operation Blue Star (by the Indian Army to flush out militants from the Golden Temple and neutralise Bhindranwale in 1984) and Operation Black Thunder (1986 and 1988).
• While the operations were ostensibly successful in their aims, they gravely wounded (by the desecration of the Golden Temple) the Sikh community around the world and also galvanised the demand for Khalistan.

Decline of support to khalistan movement

• The bulk of the population turned against the militants, and India headed towards economic liberalisation.
• Punjab has long been peaceful, but the movement lives among some Sikh communities overseas.
• The diaspora is composed predominantly of people who don’t want to live in India.
• These people include many who remember the bad old days of the 1980s, and thus the support for Khalistan remains stronger there.
• The deep-rooted anger over Operation Blue Star and the desecration of the Golden Temple continues to resonate with some in the newer generations of Sikhs. However, even as Bhindranwale is viewed as a martyr by many and the 1980s remembered as dark times, this has not manifested into tangible political support for the Khalistan cause.
• There is a small minority that is clinging to the past, and that small minority remains significant not because of popular support, but rather because they are trying to keep up their political influence with various political parties both from the left and the right.

Impact on India’s internal security

• Threat to national security and integrity: the resurgence of the Khalistan movement is a threat to national security similar to the Kashmir and NE insurgency.
• May darken Punjab’s future: a poor law and order situation may deter investors to invest in Punjab thus further deteriorating its economy and leading to spillover effects in social and political sectors.
• Involvement of diaspora: The idea of forming a separate state for Sikhs has died down in Punjab; however, it has attracted the attention of a large audience in the diaspora who now have settled in other nations for long and thus have lost their affinity with India as their homeland.
• Misuse of social media: which defies any international boundary, thus misused by separatists in Pakistan and other nations.
• Bilateral relations may be harmed: the Khalistan issue has already harmed Indo- Canada relations and now straining Indo-UK due to the conduction of Referendum 2020 in these countries despite the Indian Government’s objection.

Steps to be taken to nip Khalistan from the bud

• Recognising new challenges: Recognizing the challenge posed by traditional stakeholders and new social media recruits is necessary.
• Collaborate with foreign governments: The Indian security and intelligence forces need to collaborate with foreign governments to monitor anti-India activities carried out by the Khalistani forces and restrict their funding sources.
• Enhance security efforts: The Indian government must heighten security efforts to counteract the increase in Khalistani social media activity since the opening up of the Kartarpur Corridor.
• Promote economic and social development: At the domestic level, the Punjab and Union governments and security forces must collaborate to improve the economic condition of the state to again put the state on the path of development.
• Engage with the Sikh diaspora: Indian agencies, such as the missions established in those countries, must diplomatically engage with the Sikh diaspora to tackle the misinformation campaign being peddled by Khalistani organizations. Such engagements will facilitate a positive relationship between the Indian state and the Sikh diaspora.
• Beef up security: Indian security forces need to step up their preparedness to tackle the increase in drones used to deliver weapons and drugs to Punjab.
• Engage Pakistan: In addition to Western countries, India should not back away from exercising diplomacy with Pakistan and should work to extradite terrorists hiding in Pakistan.

Conclusion

The violent Khalistani movement has vanished; however, the idea of a separate Sikh nation i.e Khalistan is yet to disappear.