[Mission 2024] Insights SECURE SYNOPSIS: 19 October 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

Topic: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc.

1. The higher frequency of earthquakes in Afghanistan can be attributed to several geological and tectonic factors. Discuss. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Tough

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India

Why the question:

The article explores the reasons behind the higher frequency of earthquakes in Afghanistan.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about causes of high frequency of earthquakes in Afghanistan.

Directive word: 

Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by defining an Earthquake.

Body:

In first part, write about the high frequency of earthquakes in Afghanistan – its location at the convergence of several major tectonic plates, including the Eurasian Plate, Indian Plate, and Arabian Plate

Next, write about Poor infrastructure, lack of earthquake-resistant construction practices, and limited preparedness further contribute to the country’s vulnerability to earthquakes.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing about the importance of preparedness to deal with earthquakes.

Introduction

Earthquakes are the result of sudden movement along faults within the Earth. The movement releases stored-up ‘elastic strain’ energy in the form of seismic waves, which propagate through the Earth and cause the ground surface to shake. Such movement on the faults is generally a response to long-term deformation and the build-up of stress.

Body

Background

• Powerful earthquakes in Afghanistan have killed more than 2,000 peopleand injured more than 9,000, the Taliban administration said recently, in the deadliest tremors in years in the quake-prone country.
• A powerful 3 magnitudeearthquake struck western Afghanistan just over a week after a series of strong quakes and aftershocks devastated the same region.
• Afghanistan, hemmed in by mountains, has a long history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan.
• Death tolls often rise when remote locations are hit, and decades of war have left infrastructure in shambles, making relief and rescue operations difficult.

Reasons for Frequent Earthquakes in Afghanistan:

Conclusion

Unlike other disasters, the damages caused by earthquakes are more devastating. Since it also destroys most of the transport and communication links, providing timely relief to the victims becomes difficult. It is not possible to prevent the occurrence of an earthquake; hence, the next best option is to emphasis on disaster preparedness and mitigation rather than curative measures.

General Studies – 2

Topic: India and its neighborhood- relations.

2. Examine the successes and shortcomings of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). What are the strategic concerns for India from the BRI? (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India

Why the question:

The article discusses the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on its 10th anniversary and highlights both its successes and shortcomings.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the successes and challenges for China in its BRI and concerns for India.

Directive word: 

Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by giving the context.

Body:

In the first part, BRI – its aims, objectives and current progress.

Next, write about the successes of BRI – development of infrastructure projects across Asia and Africa, enhanced connectivity, and increased trade.

Next, discuss the challenges and concerns for China – financial problems and political tensions with partner countries, which have undermined its progress and potential impact.

Next, write about the concerns of India from the BRI and steps that India has taken to deal with and further steps that are needed.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

The Belt and Road Initiative, reminiscent of the Silk Road, is a massive infrastructure project that would stretch from East Asia to Europe. It was launched in 2013. The plan is two-pronged: the overland Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road– The two were collectively referred to first as the One Belt, One Road initiative but eventually became the Belt and Road Initiative. The project involves creating a vast network of railways, energy pipelines, highways, and streamlined border crossings.

The Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that was convened in Beijing, China (October 17-18) has put the spotlight back on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature initiative.

Body

China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Geopolitics

China has both geopolitical and economic motivations behind the initiative.

• The country has promoted a vision of a more assertive China, while slowing growth and rocky trade relations with the United States have pressured the country’s leadership to open new markets for its goods.
• Experts see the BRI as one of the main planks of a bolder Chinese statecraft under Xi, alongside the Made in China 2025economic development strategy.
• The BRI also serves as pushback against the much-touted USA’s “pivot to Asia,”as well as a way for China to develop new investment opportunities, cultivate export markets, and boost Chinese incomes and domestic consumption.

Successes of BRI

• Since the launch of the BRI in 2013, the report estimated China’s total engagement at $932 billion, with $561 billion in construction contracts and the rest in other investments.
• BRI has served as a vehicle for Xi Jinping to brand himself as a global statesman and project China’s power and influence overseas.
• Over 200 BRI cooperation pacts had been inked with over 150 nations.
• The total two-way investment between China and partner countries from 2013 to 2022 touched $380 billion.
• As Mr. Xi himself put it, the BRI would provide more public goods to the entire world, highlighting the massive infrastructure deficit.
• Under China’s Marshall Plan, motorways, power plants, ports, railway networks, and digital infrastructure have been built.

Setbacks to BRI

• At the recently concluded summit 2022 of G-7 leaders in Germany, US and his allies unveiled their $600 billion plan called the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Intelligence.
  • This is being seen as a counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), valued at a trillion U.S. dollars by some experts.
• Setback in Pakistan:Multiple reports have shown that shipping activities at the Gwadar Port is almost negligible so far, with only some trade to Afghanistan.
  • Gwadar residents have also protested against the large security forcedeployed to protect Chinese nationals involved in projects.
  • Chinese nations has also became the target of multiple deadly attacks by Baloch freedom fighters.
  • Coal plants were set up and managed by Chinese firms to improve the power situation in Pakistan.
  • Chinese power firms closing down their operations as the latter did not pay dues worth 300 billionin Pakistani rupees (approximately $1.5 billion).
• Maldives: Most of China’s investment in the Maldives happened under former President Abdullah Yameen, seen as pro-China. The reality is now changed
• Bangaldesh: BRI projects include Friendship Bridges, special economic zones, the $689.35 million-Karnaphuli River tunnel project, upgradation of the Chittagong port, and a rail line between the port and China’s Yunnan province.
  • However, multiple projects have been delayed owing to the slow release of funds by China.
• Fossil fuel usage: While debt is a major concern driving the rejection of BRI projects, there is another growing concern over the fact that China is pushing for coal-fired power plants on the global front while going green within its own borders.
• No local employment:Further, the promise of trade and employment seems to have taken a hit, considering the discontent amongst partner countries regarding Beijing’s move of using Chinese workers over locals for the BRI projects.
• A report from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute on the BRI has highlighted issues related to ecological damage, displacement of people, disputes over payouts and labour unrest. The findings detail case studies of Indonesia, where things came to a head over anxieties related to Chinese labourers filling up positions earmarked for locals.
• Several countries “saw no Chinese engagement” in the first half of the year, including Russia, Sri Lanka and Egypt, while the figure in Pakistan was down by 56%.

India’s concerns

India has tried to convince countries that the BRI is a plan to dominate Asia, warning of what some analysts have called a “String of Pearls” geoeconomic strategy whereby China creates unsustainable debt burdens for its Indian Ocean neighbors in order to seize control of regional choke points.

• In particular, New Delhi has long been unsettled byChina’s decades-long embrace of its traditional rival, Pakistan.
• The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Baluchistan, both of which are home to a long-running insurgency where it faces terrorism and security risks.
  • CPEC would hamper India’s strategic interests in the South Asian region.and can aid Pakistan’s legitimacy in the Kashmir dispute too.
  • Also, attempts to extend CPEC to Afghanistan may undermine India’s position as economic, security and strategic partner of Afghanistan.
• China’s Strategic Rise in the Subcontinent: Along with China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) and CPEC, China is also developing the China-Nepal Economic Corridor (CNEC) which will link Tibet to Nepal.
  • The endpoints of the project will touch the boundaries of the Gangetic plain.
  • Thus three corridors signify the economic as well as strategic rise of China in the Indian subcontinent.

Conclusion

China, in order to go ahead and protect its own interests has put in place a network of investments which has led to several low and middle income countries in severe debt.

There are ways to deal with it but any individual country cannot go ahead and provide an alternative to BRI but the larger and stronger economies can come together to find a way ahead.

General Studies – 3

Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

3. India’s economic growth and energy security are closely tied to its coal reserves and the coal industry. Examine. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: Indian Express , Insights on India

Why the question:

The article suggests that India should make the most of its coal resources by adopting cleaner and more efficient technologies to reduce emissions and environmental impact.

Key Demand of the question:  

To write about the importance of coal for India and steps that are needed to harness it effectively and efficiently.

Directive word:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:
Begin by giving facts regarding the coal production in the country.

Body:

First, write in detail about the importance of coal to India’s energy security and economy. Cite statistics to substantiate.

Next, write about the measures that are needed for better planning, infrastructure development and increase of domestic supplies of coal

Next, write about the need to cut dependency of coal and move towards renewable source of energy.

Conclusion:

Conclude with way forward.

Introduction

India, along with China, is the world’s largest coal producer, consumer and importer. Its own coal production will surpass a billion tonnes by 2025, the annual report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted. India’s coal consumption has doubled since 2007 at an annual growth rate of 6 per cent.

After a 3-year pandemic break, the coal industry in India welcomed back its major conference (Coaltrans India conference) with a positive forecast of demand, increased production from new mines and strong demand for imports..

Body

The prosperous future of the coal industry in India:

• Increased output: The production in the first 10 months of FY22 reached 25 million tonnes, up 16% over the same period a year ago.
  • It will jump to around 1.4 billion tonnes per annum by 2030 from around 1 billion tonnes currently.
• Acceleration in Imports: India’s imports (10.19 mt in February) of seaborne thermal coal are likely to accelerate, especially since the government mandated power plants to operate at full capacity as the summer demand peaks.
• Increased imports of coking coal: It is expected that coking coal imports will rise from around 63 mt a year currently to around 100 mt by 2030, given the expected increase in steel production.
• Increased private participation: Private mining companies are expected to make a bigger contribution to domestic output as they start bringing mines to production.

Extent of India’s Dependence on coal:

• The installed capacity for coal based power generation across the country was 2.04 lakh megawatt (MW). This accounts for about 5% of power from all sources.
• Coal based power stations are retired periodically which happens all the time. But is not fast enough nor are new additions being halted.
• Coal is still most inexpensive compared with other present sources of energy.
• According to the IEA’s Coal Report 2021,India’s coal consumption will increase at an average annual rate of 9% to 1.18billon tonnes in 2024.

Reasons for increasing coal demand:

• Iron and steel production uses coal and there are not many technologies to replace the fuel immediately.
• Continued expansion of India’s economy is expected during 2022-2024, with annual average GDP growth of 7.4%, fuelled at least partially by coal.
• India’s push to domestic coal mining through both Coal India and auction of coal blocks to private companies, coal usage in India will increase as it plateaus in other parts of the world, including China.
• The central government has opened up coal mining for the private sector, claiming it as one of its most ambitious coal sector reforms.
• The government anticipates that it will bring efficiency and competition in coal production, attract investments and best-in-class technology, and help create more jobs in the coal sector.

Need to cut coal demand

• The international cost of natural gas has increased in the recent past from a level that was considered already too high to be financially viable.
• Of the 25,000 MWof gas based power plants, about 14,000 MW remains stranded, or idle, because they are financially unviable.
• While renewable energy sources are cheaper than coal, their ability to generate power consistently is subject to the whims of nature, the wind and the Sun.
• Storage technologies are still not mature enough to help renewable energy sources become reliable generators of power.

Measures needed to move away from Coal

• India must enhance investments in the deployment of clean coal technologies throughout the coal value chain. Government power utilities must show the way by investing in the deployment of advanced clean coal technologies.
• India should also be very cautious of adding new coal capacity beyond 2030 as it risks locking in resources.
• With government’s efforts to push renewable energy due to international conventions on climate change, increase in carbon cess and other initiatives for lesser use of coal, there is a need for ‘Vision 2030 for the coal sector’, which takes into account the environmental factors such as reduction of carbon footprint, abatement of global warming.
• Strategic Decommissioning of Old and Inefficient Power Plants: It may be prudent to let old capacity fade away in due course and saving some of them as they are efficient, while focusing on such detailed analysis and weeding out the needless capacity in the pipeline, to derive long-term economic and environmental benefits.
• We need an energy transformation through which we would realize the co-benefits of local and global emission reduction. We also need the right to energy for all, as energy poverty and inequity is not acceptable.

Way forward

• Optimal Energy Mix in Power Generation: Power is generated through various sources of energy such as coal, hydro, natural gas, and renewables (solar, wind). This gains tremendous importance as the future generation capacity mix should be cost effective as well as environmentally friendly.
• Cost Effective Solar Plants: The average cost of coal-fired projects is Rs.4 per unit and generally sees an upward escalation, whereas new solar power plants are being bid out at less than Rs.3 per unit.
• New Technologies for Coal Based Units: The government has commissioned more efficient supercritical coal based units and old and inefficient coal based capacity is being retired. A range of new technologies (like Coal gasification, Coal beneficiation, etc.) can be deployed to make coal-fired power plants more environmentally compatible.

Topic: issues of buffer stocks and food security;

5. Agriculture is indeed highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change, and the combination of accelerating climate change, increasing population, and income growth poses significant threats to food security. Discuss. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: Insights on India

Why the question:

The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 3 and part of Mission-2024 Secure.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the impact of climate change on Indian agriculture and suggest steps to adapt to it.

Directive word: 

Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin the answer by context.

Body:

Mention the way in which climate change in impacting agriculture. Reduced yields, encouraging weed and pest proliferation. Changes in precipitation patterns, crop failures and long-run production declines etc. Cite statistics to substantiate your points.

Write about the measures that are needed to mitigate its impact.

Conclusion:

Conclude with a way forward.

Introduction

Climate change generates considerable uncertainty about future water availability in many regions. It will affect precipitation, runoff and snow/ice melt, with effects on hydrological systems, water quality and water temperature, as well as on groundwater recharge. In many regions of the world, increased water scarcity under climate change will present a major challenge for climate adaptation. Sea-level rise will affect the salinity of surface and groundwater in coastal areas

Body

Climate change and agriculture

• Extreme heat: Crops need suitable soil, water, sunlight, and heat to grow. However, extreme heat events and reductions in precipitation and water availability have hampered the crop productivity.
• Changing Rainfall Patterns: Rainfall patterns have already begun shifting across the country, and such changes are expected to intensify over the coming years.

• • This is likely to mean more intense periods of heavy rain and longer dry periods, even within the same regions.

• Floods: Flooding in many agricultural regions of the country have been witnessed and these floods have devastated crops and livestock, accelerated soil erosion and have polluted water.
• Yield: Milk yield in livestock to be impacted during heat waves.
  • Changes in breeding season in marine fisheries with shift in seasonal catch · Significant negative impact on commercial poultry due to heat stress.
• High rainfall leads to greater loss of top soil due to erosion.
• Rise in sea level may lead to loss of farmland by inundation and increasing salinity of groundwater in coastal areas.
•  The major impacts of climate change will be on rain fed or un-irrigated crops, which are cultivated on nearly 60 percent of cropland.
•  Increase in the mean seasonal temperature can reduce the duration of many crops and hence reduce final yield.
•  Climate change has a direct impact on crop evapotranspiration.

Impact on food security

• Climate change has been found to have an impact on food safety, particularly on incidence and prevalence of food-borne diseases. Increased climate variability, increased frequency and intensity of extreme events as well as slow ongoing changes will affect the stability of food supply, access and utilization.
• Impact translates from climate to the environment, to the productive sphere, to economic and social dimensions, bringing a range of additional risks on availability of food, on access to food and utilization of food, as well as on the stability of these characteristics, for both farm and non-farm households.
• At the farm/household level, climate change impacts may reduce income level and stability, through effects on productivity, production costs or prices.
  • Such variations can drive sales of productive capital, such as cattle, which reduces long-term household productive capacity.
  • Exposure to risks lowers incentives to invest in production systems, often with negative impacts on long-term productivity, returns and sustainability.
  • Reductions and risks to agricultural income have also been shown to have effects on household capacity and willingness to spend on health and education.
  • Evidence from recent analyses of the impacts of various types of weather anomalies on farm income indicates that the impacts are greatest for the poorest farmers.
• At national level, exposure to climate risks can trigger shocks on agricultural production and food availability, with risks of market disruptions, effects on supply and storage systems, as well as increases in agricultural commodity prices (food and feed), impacting accessibility and stability of food supplies for the entire population, particularly in countries with significant shares of the population spending a large part of their income on food.
  • This triggers macro-economic effects for countries for which agriculture is an important part of GDP and/ or constitutes an important source of employment.
  • Climatic risks can also hinder agricultural development by discouraging investments.
• At global level, climatic shocks impacting areas of global importance for food supplies can have remote impacts through effects on: (i) supply flows and food price spikes, with increased market volatility; and (ii) impacts on bilateral contracts and/or import/export behaviour with disruption of trade patterns.

Conclusion

Food price volatility is likely to be exacerbated by climate change. Trade is expected to play a major role in adjusting to climate-change-driven shifts in agricultural and food production patterns. Recent experience indicates that climate change effects on food price volatility are greatly influenced by domestic policies, with export bans contributing to price fluctuations. Ultimately, global markets will not be accessible to the poorest countries and the poorest populations without sufficient purchasing power.

Topic: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.

6. Reforming the Public Distribution System (PDS) supply chain is essential to ensure that the system continues to serve as a critical safety net for food-insecure populations while minimizing inefficiencies, leakages, and wastage. Elaborate. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Easy

Reference: Insights on India

Why the question:

The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 3 and part of Mission-2024 Secure.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the PDS, its role in food security and reforms that are needed in it.

Directive word: 

Elaborate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the context. You must be defining key terms wherever appropriate and substantiate with relevant associated facts.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by giving context of PDS and its role in delivery of food grains.

Body:

In the first part, mention the various bottlenecks, limitations and the shortcomings with respect to PDS in India. Cite statistics and reports to substantiate your points.

Next, write about the steps that are required to ensure a seamless supply chain to overcome hunger and malnutrition.

Conclusion:

Conclude with a way forward.

Introduction

The Public Distribution System (PDS) is an Indian food security system which evolved as a system for distribution of food grains at affordable prices and management of emergency situations. It distributes subsidized food and non-food items to India’s poor. This scheme was launched in June 1947. It functions through a network of Fair Price Shops at a subsidized price on a recurring basis.

The government recently said nearly 6.83 lakh tonnes (lt) of fortified rice has been distributed under the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the second phase beginning April this year.

Body

Importance of PDS

• Food grains to the poor, at prices lower than the price of food grains at private shops.
• Food grains are directly purchased from farmers, assuring farmers with a greater price.
• Make goods available to consumers, especially the disadvantaged /vulnerable sections of society at fair prices.
• Rectify the existing imbalances between the supply and demand for consumer goods. Check and prevent hoarding and black marketing in essential commodities.
• Ensure social justice in distribution of basic necessities of life.
• Even out fluctuations in prices and availability of mass consumption goods.
• Support poverty-alleviation programmes, particularly, rural employment programmes, (SGRY/SGSY/IRDP/ Mid-day meals, ICDS, DWCRA, SHGs and Food for Work and educational feeding programmes.

Challenges faced by PDS

Procurement:

• Open-ended Procurement: All incoming grains accepted even if buffer stock is filled creating a shortage in the open market.
• The recent implementation of Nation food security act would only increase the quantum of procurement resulting in higher prices for grains.
• The gap between required and existing storage capacity.
• The provision of minimum support price has encouraged farmers to divert land from production of coarse grains that are consumed by poor, to rice and wheat.

Storage:

• Inadequate storage capacity with FCI.
• Food grains rotting or damaging on the CAP or Cover & Plinth storage.
• The storage of food grains inculcates high carrying costs on the government.

Allocation of food grains:

• Identification of poor by the states is not fool proof. A large number of poor and needy persons are left out and a lot of fake cards are also issued.
• Illicit Fair Price shops: The shop owners have created a large number of bogus cards or ghost cards (cards for non-existent people) to sell food grains in the open market.

Transportation:

• Leakage and diversion of food grains during transportation.
• Uneven distribution of Food generations, procurement and distribution. For example: north eastern states are very far from Punjab and Haryana, from where wheat is procured. To transport food grains from Punjab to far flung areas in North east will entail cost and time both.

Other issues:

• Many times, good quality food grains are replaced with poor quality cheap food grains.
• Public distribution system includes only few food grains such as wheat and rice, it does not fulfil the requirement of complete nutrition.
• Fair Price Shop owner gets fake Ration cards and sell the food grains in the open market.

PDS Reforms undertaken by Government

• Aadhaar Linked and digitized ration cards: This allows online entry and verification of beneficiary data. It also enables online tracking of monthly entitlements and off-take of food grains by beneficiaries.
• Computerized Fair Price Shops: FPS automated by installing ‘Point of Sale’ device to swap the ration card. It authenticates the beneficiaries and records the quantity of subsidized grains given to a family.
• DBT: Under the Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, cash is transferred to the beneficiaries’ account in lieu of food grains subsidy component. They will be free to buy food grains from anywhere in the market. For taking up this model, pre-requisites for the States/UTs would be to complete digitization of beneficiary data and seed Aadhaar and bank account details of beneficiaries. It is estimated that cash transfers alone could save the exchequer Rs. 30,000 crores every year.
• Use of GPS technology: Use of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to track the movement of trucks carrying food grains from state depots to FPS which can help to prevent diversion.
• SMS-based monitoring: Allows monitoring by citizens so they can register their mobile numbers and send/receive SMS alerts during dispatch and arrival of TPDS commodities
• Use of web-based citizens’ portal: Public Grievance Redressal Machineries, such as a toll-free number for call centres to register complaints or suggestions.

Way forward

• Primacy should be given to ensuring that the functioning of FCI is streamlined and fast paced as per recommendations of the Shanta Kumar Committee.
• 100 lakh ton silo storage capacity must be created in the country. For this, RITES has been assigned the task of changing the silo model and they will give their recommendations in 90 days to FCI.
• At present, there are 3 types of labourers in FCI namely Departmental, Daily Payment System (DPS) and No work no pay workers along with contractual labour. Government of India is deliberating to finish the 3 different arrangements and bring all workers of FCI under a single, uniform system which will bring stability of tenure and secured wages for all.
• To improve the usage of Information Technology in FCI, a Human Resource Management System (HRMS) must be implemented.

Conclusion

PDS has helped bring about the socio-economic justice by helping alleviate hunger, malnutrition, anaemia among poorest of the poor, BPL citizens, women and children. The use of ICT to reduce the touch-points will further increase the efficiency of PDS.

General Studies – 4

Topic: Citizen’s Charters

7. Examine the limitations of citizen charters in India and mention the steps that can be taken to make them more robust and effective. (150 Words)

Difficulty Level: Easy

Reference: Insights on India

Why the question:

The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of Mission-2024 Secure.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:

Begin by defining citizen charter.

Body:

First, mention the shortcoming of citizen charters – not formulated through a consultative process, lack of awareness, absence of grievance redressal etc.

Next, suggest steps to overcome the above shortcomings.

Conclusion:

Conclude by stressing on need to make the charters effective to provide high quality public service delivery.

Introduction

A Citizens’ Charter represents the commitment of the Organisation towards standard, quality and time frame of service delivery, grievance redress mechanism, transparency and accountability. The concept of Citizens Charter enshrines the trust between the service provider and its users.

 Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in Government of India (DARPG) initiated the task of coordinating, formulating and operationalising Citizen’s Charters.

Body

The basic objective of the Citizens Charter is to empower the citizen in relation to public service delivery.

Importance of Citizen’s charter in the Governance of developing nation like India:

• To make administration accountable and citizen friendly.
• To ensure transparency.
• To take measures to improve customer service.
• To adopt a stakeholder approach.
• To save time of both Administration and the citizen

Problems faced in implementation of Citizen’s charter:

• One size fits all: Tendency to have a uniform CC for all offices under the parent organization. CC have still not been adopted by all Ministries/Departments. This overlooks local issues.
• Silo operations: Devoid of participative mechanisms in a majority of cases, not formulated through a consultative process with cutting edge staff who will finally implement it.
• Non-Dynamic: Charters are rarely updated making it a one-time exercise, frozen in time.
• Poor design and content: lack of meaningful and succinct CC, absence of critical information that end-users need to hold agencies accountable.
• Lack of public awareness: only a small percentage of end-users are aware of the commitments made in the CC since effective efforts of communicating and educating the public about the standards of delivery promise have not been undertaken.
• Stakeholders not consulted: End-users, Civil society organizations and NGOs are not consulted when CCs are drafted. Since a CC’s primary purpose is to make public service delivery more citizen-centric, consultation with stakeholders is a must.
• Measurable standards of delivery are rarely defined: making it difficult to assess whether the desired level of service has been achieved or not.
• Poor adherence: Little interest shown by the organizations in adhering to their CC. since there is no citizen friendly mechanism to compensate the citizen if the organization defaults.

Way forward:

• Wide consultation process: CC be formulated after extensive consultations within the organization followed by a meaningful dialogue with civil society.
• Participatory process: Include Civil Society in the process: to assist in improvement in the contents of the Charter, its adherence as well as educating the citizens about the importance of this vital mechanism.
• Firm commitments to be made: CC must be precise and make firm commitments of service delivery standards to the citizens/consumers in quantifiable terms wherever possible.
• Redressal mechanism in case of default: clearly lay down the relief which the organization is bound to provide if it has defaulted on the promised standards of delivery.
• One size does not fit all: formulation of CC should be a decentralized activity with the head office providing only broad guidelines.
• Periodic updation of CC: preferably through an external agency.
• Fix responsibility: Hold officers accountable for results: fix specific responsibility in cases where there is a default in adhering to the CC.

Conclusion

Citizen’s Charter is playing a prominent part in ensuring “minimum government & maximum governance”, changing the nature of charters from non-justiciable to justiciable & adopting penalty measures that will make it more efficient & citizen friendly. The Sevottam model proposed by 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission for public Service Delivery can be regarded as a standard model for providing services in citizen centric governance.

Join our Official Telegram Channel HERE

Please subscribe to Our podcast channel HERE

Subscribe to our YouTube ChannelHERE

Follow our Twitter Account HERE

Follow our Instagram ID HERE

Follow us on LinkedIn : HERE